The Little Black Book

Just an average day for Jasleen, running errands, grabbing Bagels, and a latte for her boss Monica.

Jasleen originally took the job as Monica's assistant in the hopes of moving up in the world of advertising at Omega Group.

Jasleen had such big ideas and wanted to put them into action, but unfortunately, she didn't foresee what an overbearing nightmare being Monica's assistant would be.

After dropping off breakfast to her boss, and getting some work done Jasleen decided she would enjoy a rare break in her day by having lunch and reading a book in the park. Just as she settles in, she hears a gentle rustling in the bushes over her shoulder. At first, she made a small glance, but nothing caught her eye so she returned to her book.

Yet there it was again, so this time she decided to set her book down and headed over to investigate. She crept slowly over to the noise when a glint of something shiny caught her eye. It was the clasp on a beautiful black Moleskine Ledger. "Whoever lost this little black book must need it returned" she thought to herself. So she picked up the book and the clasp came undone...almost as if it WANTED her to see inside. A single name was scribed on the blank page alongside a number

*Faye Elderich*

"Hmm," Jasleen thought to herself, I should give this woman a call and see if I could drop it off to her.

Just as she was reaching for her phone it began ringing, she nearly dropped it, as she tried to answer it. On the other end was Monica screeching, "Where are you? I need you here in my office NOW!" the call ended abruptly.

So, Jasleen made a beeline back to the office as she slipped the beautiful black book into her bag. When she arrived back at Omega group Monica was pacing in her office "Where the hell have you been?" She demanded. "

I was taking my lunch, Miss." Jasleen replied sheepishly.

"I don't remember authorizing that!" Monica pronounced. "Whatever, the deadline for the Waverly pitch has been moved up, and I need your full focus!

The Waverly deal was the biggest her company was trying to land. For the ads would be seen on TV, Billboards, plane banners, sides of buildings, the radio...the whole shebang. Jasleen dreamed of contributing her own ideas, but Monica would never hear of it.

"Of course miss," Jasleen replied.

Long days that spilled into even longer nights had become routine now. 4:37 a.m. Jasleen arrives home. She throws her bag on the counter, and the contents spill out just a bit. she gets ready, and then she pours herself into bed.

"I'm so exhausted" she exclaimed to Aphrodite, her sweet little kitty cat, as she snuggled up to Jasleen. She purrs softly as they began slowly falling asleep the clasp on that beautiful black book caught the Moonlight as if to remind her of her extraordinary find this afternoon. "I'll call first thing in the morning." she told herself.

Morning comes and Jasleen has woken up by the sound of her phone. It's Monica of course, "I need you to pick up coffee and bagels and come to the office immediately! She demands.

"Yes, Miss of course I'm on my way." Jasleen gets herself together and out of the corner of her eyes, she sees the beautiful little black book and is reminded she needs to call. So she dials the number and a very sweet, almost melodic voice answers "Hello?"

Jasleen says "hello I'm looking for a Miss Faye Elderich."

"This is she." Faye replies.

"Good morning Miss Elderich. My name is Jasleen, and I have found a black planner, and while I wasn't being nosey, when I picked it up it opened, and your name was on the first page. So I figured it might belong to you." Jasleen says.

"Oh, my sweet girl that's such a relief! I had been looking for that everywhere!" exclaimed Faye.

Jasleen responds, "I am heading to the coffeehouse on the corner of Central and 5th. Across the street from the park where I found it. Would you be available to meet so I can return it to you?"

Faye, with excitement in her voice, says "Why yes, I most certainly can! I can be there in 30 minutes!"

"Perfect, I will see you soon!" Jasleen ends the call, she is filled with giddiness to meet Faye. She hurries to get ready and heads out the door.

Jasleen enters the coffeehouse, and Monica calls "You had better be on your way!"

"I am Miss. I'm just picking up the coffee and bagels you requested" she replies.

"Well don't dawdle I need you here asap." Monica demands.

"Yes, Miss of course." says Jasleen.

Monica hangs up without a goodbye or thank you. Just as Jasleen begins to feel that looming sense of defeat, a gentle tap on her shoulder surprises her. She turns around and is face to face with Faye. She is taken aback by the sight of her. She's breathtaking! She seems to almost be glowing! Jasleen asks "Faye?"

"Yes, my dear!" Faye responds.

With great joy, Jasleen reaches into her bag and pulls out the beautiful little black book and hands it to Faye .

"Oh, My Sweet Child I'm so glad that it was you who found it!"Faye says. She takes the book opens it up and removes just one page, puts it in her bag. What she takes out, almost knocks Jasleen off her feet. "I have a REWARD for you!" Faye hands Jasleen $20,000!

"Oh, Miss I can't accept this! I never expected anything for returning this to you. It's just a good deed. I... I can't." Jasleen says.

"My dear, you must! You were meant to find my book, and return it to me. I'm also going to give you this book! I know you work for the Omega group, and this book is filled with contacts that will be of great assistance to you in getting ahead in your job. You're a bright and talented young lady, and you deserve more than what you're settling for." says Faye.

Jasleen stands in stunned silence.

Faye continues, "I'm here dear to tell you this is your chance to seize the life you've been longing for since you were a child."

As Faye hands Jasleen the money and the book she is dazed trying to process what is happening. How does this woman know so much about her? Is this real? Could this be? She had been dreaming about an opportunity like this her whole life.

Jasleen is trying to process everything and her legs begin to wobble. Faye sits her down in a chair and proceeded to sit down next to her with an arm gently draped around her shoulders. "I know this is a lot to take in, but dear you must understand I meant when I said YOU were meant to find my book. For you see dear, I am your Fairy Godmother! I am here to set you back on the path to take control of your life and achieve the goals you set for yourself years ago!"Faye proclaims.

Jasleen is so overwhelmed with this information she begins to cry. Faye pulls her in close and hugs her. Instantly, Jasleen feels a sense of love, safety, comfort, and confidence that she has never felt in her life. She lifts her head and meets Faye's gaze. She wipes the tears from her eyes and says with assurance,

"You're right! This is unbelievable, and I don't know how this can be. Man, this is something out of a fairy tale. I never thought anything like this could ever happen in real life, but you are right! I've worked so hard, for so long to help other people I had forgotten about myself! My life! My dreams and my future! I DO deserve this! Oh Faye, I just... I have no words!" she hugs Faye again, and just keeps repeating thank you, thank you, thank you so much.

As they separate Faye, fighting back a tear of her own, exclaims "Well my dear, you must be off. Go to work, as usual, today, but use the book! Get together your own proposal for the Waverly deal, and on the day of the presentation they will not choose Monica's ideas;however, you will be there with yours and save the day for your company!" says Faye

Jasleen stands up wraps the $20,000 in her scarf and puts it along with the book into her bag. She hugs Faye and goes back into "work mode" soon as she walks up to the counter to place her order, Faye is about to exit. She and Jasleen exchange a final glance, Faye gives a little wink, and walks out the door.

When Jasleen walks into the office her mind is swirling. Monica looks frazzled and screeches "What took you so long?!"

Now, Jasleen would typically be filled with a sense of dread as this was how Monica sets the tone for the rest of the day, but due to the encounter she just had, Jasleen is now noticing she is completely unbothered by Monica's neurotic behavior today.

"I got here as fast as I could Miss. Here are the coffee and bagels as requested. I even took the liberty of getting you some cream cheese, jelly, and schmear." Jasleen replied with a smile.

"What are you expecting some sort of REWARD for doing your job?" Monica sneered.

Jasleen slid the box on the table. All of a sudden she was able to see just how awful Monica really WAS. "No matter," she thought herself "things are going to be different from now on, and I am so ready to take charge of my destiny!" she thought.

She did all that Monica asked all day, but everything...every task and every insult just seem to appear as background noise today. Before she knew it the day was over and she was headed home. As she walks through the door Aphrodite greets her almost as if she already knew of the meeting that had taken place that morning.

"Oh sweetheart you'll never believe the day I had!" she squealed, as she picked up her furry friend and spun around in a circle. After a moment of celebration, Jasleen sets Aphrodite down on the counter and reaches into her bag. She pulls out the money to show her cat, "Just look sweetie! Can you even believe it!?" she bursts out. She sat down on the chair and eyed the $20,000.

"I can do so much with this." thinks Jasleen. At first, she thought about all the fun things she would do, but stopped herself and said out loud "No, no, no! Jasleen you need to be SMART! " so she immediately split the money in half, and put it into her safe until she could get to the bank. "OKAY, with that out of the way what's the first thing we should do?" she inquired of Aphrodite. "Oooooh!! I know!" she grabbed her laptop and went straight to Amazon picked out an exquisite cat tree for Aphrodite, a cute pair of shoes, and a shoulder bag for herself.

Then she glanced over at the book. She slid her laptop to the side. She leaned over and reached to grab it. She set it in front of her she placed her hands in her lap and just stared in silence for a moment as she was recalling what Faye had told her that morning. She took a deep breath and reached up to the book opened it and amazingly it went straight to where Faye had ripped the page out. the name at the top was that of one *Vanessa Beeches* wouldn't you know it Vanessa is a stylist.

Jasleen thought to herself "Faye you clever Minx." with a smirk.

It was already late so she decided she would call in the morning.

As Jasleen lay in bed she could not fall asleep to save her life. She was filled with such excitement and inspiration. she leaped out of bed, grabbed her notebook, and began jotting down ideas for the Waverly pitch. It was incredible! Once Jasleen's pen hit that paper she was off and running. The ideas flowed like a waterfall from her brain through the pen onto the paper. She just couldn't stop herself. Swiftly filling page after page. It wasn't until she noticed the ray of light beside her as Aphrodite let out a tiny meow she had stayed up all night. "Oh my goodness! Can it be morning already?!" she reached for her phone to check the time and sure enough it was 6:30 on the DOT. "I have to get ready for work! Thank you so much for letting me know Aphrodite, you are such a good girl!"Jasleen says.

Normally Jasleen would be upset at herself for having stayed awake all night, but because she had been so productive and was filled with such a sense of accomplishment, she didn't have any regrets. She also somehow was surprisingly filled with energy. "Just a cup of coffee and I will be set." she thought. She kissed Aphrodite on the nose and told her she'd be back later and there's going to be a surprise for her tonight.

Jasleen hurriedly heads to the coffee house and surprise, surprise her phone starts to ring. It's Monica,

"Why do you insist on making me call you?" Monica questions.

"Miss I'm at the coffee house I was going to surprise you with breakfast. I'm on my way!" says Jasleen. For the first time, Jasleen hangs up on Monica!

The lady standing behind her taps Jasleen on the shoulder and says " I wasn't trying to be nosy, but I just want to tell you I admire a woman who stands up for herself! Forgive me, let me introduce myself. My name is Vanessa."

As she reaches for her business card, Jasleen thinks to herself "No way! No WAY is this who I think it is!"

Sure enough, she looks down at the card, and right there in bold Helvetica Vanessa Beeches.

"Incredible!" the word escapes Jasleen's mouth without her thinking.

"I beg your pardon?" said Vanessa.

"Oh no, I'm sorry it's just...Well, do you know a woman named Faye Elderich?"

"Why yes of course! Delightful woman! Vanessa pronounces.

" This is going to sound crazy, but I was going to give you a call per Faye's suggestion." Jasleen says.

"Well isn't this just serendipitous?!" Vanessa asks rhetorically. They both giggle.

"I must be off to work now. I know it's last minute, but would you be available to do lunch?" Jasleen inquires of Vanessa. She checks her phone and proclaims that indeed she is.

"Fantastic!" Jasleen beams.

" There is an excellent sushi place just down the street! I'll make a reservation does 12:30 work for you?" Vanessa asks.

" I'll MAKE it work," Jasleen says with confidence.

" Wonderful!" says Vanessa. "See you then!"

" I'll call you when I'm on my way." Jasleen replies .

Once she arrives at Omega group and Monica is fuming.

"Listen here bitch! I don't know who you think you are but no one hangs up on me! I should fire your sorry ass right now, but I need you for the Waverly pitch! So just know you're on thin ice... tread lightly"

Jasleen sets down the coffee for Monica turns around rolls her eyes and says, "I'll do my best. I'll get to work straight away Miss."

Jasleen does as she's expected and it's business as usual; however, in the back of her mind, she is counting down the minutes until her lunch date. Monica buzzes Jasleen,

"Yes, Miss?"

"I need you to order lunch for me." Monica says.

"Of course Miss, where would you like to order from?" asks Jasleen.

I'm feeling Sushi today. The name of the place is Bluefin. It's down the street and I'll expect you to go and pick it up." says Monica.

Jasleen is dumbfounded could it possibly be the same place? "Absolutely Miss, just send me a text of your order and I'll put it in straight away." she says.

Monica sends the order and just as Jasleen was about to call it in, she decides to call Vanessa first to confirm the name and address of the restaurant. Wouldn't you know it, it IS the same place. A great big smile appears on Jasleens's face and she is filled with enthusiasm. She feels like all the cards are stacking in her favor.

"I'll just place the order when I get there. That way I know Monica will have no issues with my absence." she thinks to herself. She informs Monica she is off to pick up lunch

"Yeah, yeah ok." Monica responds.

Jasleen arrives at Bluefin and Vanessa greets her with a smile.

"I have something for you!" she exclaims with great joy. She reaches over to retrieve a garment bag. She opens it up to reveal a stunning skirt suit.

"When I got to my store this morning after meeting you I knew it would be absolutely perfect for you!" Vanessa announces with great excitement. Jasleen is astounded the skirt was indeed perfect for her.

"Oh my God Vanessa! This is gorgeous! Thank you so much! How much do I owe you?" Jasleen inquires.

"This one has already been paid for compliments of Faye. She told me you have some big meeting coming up, and she wanted to make sure you had an outfit that showcased your confidence." Vanessa replies.

Jasleen is fighting back tears of joy as she hugs Vanessa. She says thank you. Then proceeds to have one of the best lunches of her life. They say their goodbyes, and Jasleen places the order for Monica.

She grabs her suit, and heads out. She calls Monica to let her know she is on her way back. She realizes she has enough time to stop at home to drop off her gorgeous new suit.

When she arrives at her door she sees her packages have already been delivered. "This day just keeps getting better and better!" she proclaimed. As she opens the door she is greeted by Aphrodite, she says "Mommy can't stay sweetie! I have to go back to work, but when I get back I will tell you all about it! In the meantime, look at this!" she uncovers the cat tree. Aphrodite lets out several cute little noises as she is just as excited to receive it as Jasleen was to give it.

"So you have fun and mommy will be home soon." Jasleen hangs up the garment bag, grabs Monica's food, and heads back to the office.

She finds Monica at her computer.

"I'm here with your lunch Miss." Just then, something amazing happens. Monica lifts her head looks Jasleen directly in the eyes and says "Thank you, Jasleen"

Jasleen is shocked as in all the years of working for Monica as her assistant she couldn't recall having ever being thanked by her. "You're welcome, Miss. I also thought you might like a tea to go with your lunch." she sets down the cup on Monica's desk.

"Great now get back to work." says Monica.

"Ah, there's the Monica I know." she thought to herself.

Jasleen sits down at the computer and gets to work. She gets all the ideas of Monica's organized and edited as the date for the pitch is fast approaching. They only have until Friday. She also realizes she needed to put together the pitch of her own. As she thought about it she began to feel a little guilty knowing she was going to go behind Monica's back, but she had paid her dues and reminded herself that she deserves this. She informs Monica that she has sent all the organized designs to her email and would be waiting for any edits she may need to make.

" Edits?" Monica questioned "My designs are perfect! As long as you followed my directions. There will be no need for edits! " says Monica

"Of course Miss, I did everything your way to the letter." said Jasleen "Anyway, I'll see you in the morning Miss" and she headed home.

Jasleen is so excited to get home so she can try on her new suit. She walks through her door to find Aphrodite lounging in her new cat tree. "Well, I see you're enjoying your new toy!" exclaims Jasleen. Aphrodite lets out a little meow as if to acknowledge what she had said.

Jasleen opens the garment bag and gently removes the suit. Aside from being absolutely charming, the material is so unbelievably soft.

"Oooooh!" Jasleen cries out "My new shoes!"

She goes to retrieve the box, opens it up, and is so pleased that the heels are going to match her new outfit. She slips into the suit, and it fits like a glove. She then puts on the heels and grabs the shoulder bag as well. The whole look fits together seamlessly! She gives a little Spin and asks Aphrodite "What do you think baby?" and Aphrodite jumps down, comes over to Jasleen, lets out a little meow as she rubs up against her leg.

"I'll take that as, you approve." she smiles and reaches down picks up her little fur baby, and gives her a great big snuggle. Then without warning a tear falls from Jasleen's eye.

"Oh, Aphrodite I'm so happy. I just can't believe this is all happening. It's like a dream come true. I'm not going to let this opportunity pass me by."

Jasleen changes her clothes and gets to work on her pitch. She begins sketching feverishly. Pouring her heart and soul into these brilliant designs. The hours fly by as she begins to finalize the pitch. She stops and steps back to analyze her work. She is surprised by how amazing it all turned out. "I am going to NAIL this! I am actually going to land this account!" She says out loud.

It's 2 a.m. and Jasleen is exhausted. She gets herself ready for bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow she was out.

When she wakes up she's filled with delight.

"Only two days to go!" she exclaims to Aphrodite.

She decides she's going to make a light breakfast and have coffee at home this morning. She is keeping herself busy as not to allow herself to be too excited for Friday. As Jasleen heads out the door her phone rings and on the other end is a frantic Monica,

"What did you do to my designs?!" she demands "I need you to get your ass here like 30 minutes ago!" the call ends abruptly.

"Oh jeez, I wonder what could be the problem." Jasleen thinks.

She wastes no time heading to the office and thinks to herself "Thank God I had my coffee at home today."

Once at Omega group, Jasleen reaches for the handle to Monica's door and it is flung open before she's able to touch it. Monica grabs Jasleen by the arm and yanks her into the office. It's a complete and total wreck.

"Wha..what happened here Miss?" Jasleen asks.

"You've screwed me Jasleen! What the hell did you do to my designs?! This isn't what I wanted at all!!" she shrieks .

"Miss, please calm down. I followed your outline and description to the letter." Jasleen responds.

"Well, then you should have your brain examined because these look nothing as I imagined!" rages Monica.

"Well then perhaps you should just do it your damn self!"

Jasleen was shocked by what just came out of her mouth.

"I don't know exactly what has gotten into you lately, but your insubordination and incompetence have me thinking Once this pitch is fixed and delivered and I land this account your ass is out of here! Also, I'll make it so you can never work in the world of advertising again!" Monica exclaims.

Jasleen musters all the courage she has in her, and exclaims to Monica "With all due respect Miss, I have busted my back trying to please you and have been your "beck and call girl" for six years! I've gone above and beyond for you, and have shown you nothing but respect and you have shown me no appreciation! As far as I'm concerned you can fix what you call mistakes yourself! I'm done!" Jasleen leaves Monica's office astounded by the squabble that just took place.

She holds her head high, and gathers her belongings. As she heads for the door, not knowing what to do next she decides to call Faye and explain what just happened.

"Oh my dear sweet child, I know things are stressful right now, and one person can only take so much before they break, but trust ME and trust in YOURSELF! You need just get through today, and put your best face on for tomorrow! I want you to look up the name Dimitri Marcos in the black book. One visit with him and you'll feel much better." Faye advises

"Oh Faye, thank you! I feel much better. I will call him right away." says Jasleen. She has a renewed sense of self after getting off the phone. She takes a deep breath and she reaches into her bag and flips to the name to retrieve Dimitri's number, and makes the call. A sweet voice on the other end says,

"DM Salon and Spa, this is Candice. How may I assist you?"

Jasleen says "Hello, I'm looking to book an appointment with Dimitri Marcos."

"What service will you be getting?" asks Candice.

"I'm not sure, I was referred by Miss Faye Elderich."

There's a brief pause and Candice says, "Would you mind if I place you on a brief hold?"

"Not at all," says Jasleen.

A few moments pass and a man with a very heavy accent say, "Hello miss Jasleen, I have been expecting your call! I have blocked out my day in anticipation of your presence!" the voice belongs to Dimitri.

Jasleen feeling bashful says, "Really? Well if you give me the address I can be on my way."

"Wonderful!" Dimitri exclaims.

He gives her the address and Jasleen arrives at the salon. She is greeted by Dimitri, a boisterous man with a giant beard.

"Hello! Hello! Welcome to DM Salon and Spa!" exclaims Dimitri.

Jasleen looks around and is astonished at this incredibly gorgeous Salon.

"I'm not quite sure what I'd like to do today..."

Dimitri cuts her off and says, "Don't you worry my dear you are in hands of Dimitri now! I work my magic! Make you brand new woman!"

Jasleen blushes and follows Dimitri to the chair and within seconds, a team of people come from the back and begin to work on her. She is then given the makeover of a lifetime. As she sips on a glass of champagne she thinks to herself,

"A girl could definitely get used to this!" thinks Jasleen.

After 4 hours everything is done she's been worked on from head to toe.

Dimitri asks "Are you ready to see miraculous transformation?"

Jasleen takes a deep breath as Dimitri spins the chair so she looks at herself. She is astounded by what she sees.

"Is.. is that really me?!" Jasleen asks.

"It is indeed my dear. Please stand to take better look!" says Dimitri as he removes her cape.

Jasleen approaches the mirror for a better look. Tears begin to well up in her eyes. "I... I didn't know I could be this beautiful! Dimitri, you are a miracle-worker! Thank you!" she gives him a great big hug and does a little spin, and announces "I feel just like a princess!" everyone claps and has a little laugh.

Jasleen heads home and decides to go over her pitch just one last time. She feels extremely satisfied with her work. She lays out her outfit and picks out a beautiful necklace and watch to match the suit and shoes. She places all of her work in her bag. Now she and her presentation are all set! She lays down in bed and Aphrodite nestles up on her chest "Oh my sweet baby I'm so excited, but nervous too! I know it will be okay because I know I'm ready, and I've done my best!" she says as she finally falls asleep.

When she wakes up in the morning she is so pumped. She gets ready in a flash, kisses Aphrodite, and is out the door.

She arrives at Omega group and is heading for the boardroom as Monica steps out to confront Jasleen,

"You have a lot of nerve showing up here!" Monica says.

"Miss, I made an obligation to attend this pitch and I am a woman of my word." says Jasleen

Just as Monica is about to make a scene, Mr. Johnson, the head of the company, approaches.

"Monica I'm glad to see you and your assistant are ready to go. The team from Waverly are on their way and will be here any moment."

Just as Mr. Johnson finishes his sentence the team from Waverly walks in. Mr. Johnson claps his hands together and exclaims, "Showtime! Let's reel this fish in ladies!"

Simultaneously Monica and Jasleen say, "Yes sir."

Monica shoots Jasleen a nasty glare and Jasleen just smiles back. With everyone in the boardroom, they get situated and Monica begins her presentation. Laying out her plans and showing her designs, but she can tell she's losing them and so can Mr. Johnson.

The leader from Waverly looks at Mr. Johnson unimpressed and says, "Anthony is this REALLY the best you have to show us?"

Mr. Johnson glares at Monica, and says "This is what we have but whatever suggestions you have are most certainly something we can accommodate."

"This is it!" Jasleen thinks to herself, "This is the moment! Don't think, just do it!"

"Excuse me, Mr. Johnson," Jasleen says softly, yet confidently.

"Yes, young lady. What do you need?" says Mr. Johnson

"Mr. Johnson I have prepared a backup proposal if you'd like I have it right here with me." says Jasleen.

Monica is outraged, but Mr. Johnson is relieved. Though slightly hesitant because he doesn't even know Jasleen's name, but he does not want to lose this account.

"All right what is it? Let's see what you got!" says Mr.Johnson

Mr. Johnson addresses the Waverly team "We have one more pitch to show you."

Jasleen is so nervous and excited, she is borderline nauseous.

She walks to the head of the table and addresses the men from Waverly,

"Good morning gentlemen. I've studied your company and I believe I have captured the essence of what message you are trying to send."

Jasleen and lays out her designs and delivers her pitch with confidence and blows the Waverly team away. Mr. Johnson is relieved. They loved it, and they loved her.

Once the contracts are signed Monica is fired. Jasleen is promoted to Monica's position. She goes into her NEW office and calls Faye.

Faye answers "Well?"

"Oh Faye, it happened! It all happened just as you said it would! My life has completely turned around and it's all thanks to you and the little black book!