Kendra...

"Ah, you must be Kyle," Brian said as we walked into the mailroom

"It is," I smiled

"Welcome to the mailroom son," he greeted Kyle

"Thanks," my son answered

It was the beginning of the week, and Kyle's suspension had officially begun. There was no babysitter I could call, and leaving him home alone was definitely not on an option. So I talked to Brian, explaining my situation and asking him if he could have Kyle assist him for a week. Having a son of his own, he was happy to oblige.

Plus, in my commitment to help Kyle in any way I could, I did some research on fatherless sons. I read that any male figure in their life would be of benefit to him. So, I thought that maybe Brian could be one of those males. It may not work out, but I was willing to try.

I turned to my son "Be good and listen to Brian OK?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good. See you at lunch."

I kissed his curls and left the room. When I got to my desk, Iris was there waiting for me.

"How'd it go?" she asked

"He stayed without a fight."

"Good."

Over the weekend, I had told Iris what had happened and discussed how to get Kyle a male role model. I needed to vent, and I wasn't ready to tell my mother what had happened. There was no mention of Anthony and my past. I still wasn't ready to talk about that.

"So, what are you going to do?" she asked

"I don't know," I honestly answered "Being with Brian in the mailroom is only for a week. What am I supposed to do after that? Maybe I could let him volunteer at the mailroom more often? Or maybe I could talk to his coach? Is that weird? Talking to his coach about this?" I was rambling

"I don't know," she shrugged "I actually came up with something, but I'm not sure how open you are to it."

"What is it?" I asked eagerly

"Why don't you start dating?" she suggested "Find you a man that's daddy material."

I wasn't surprised by that suggestion. That thought had crossed my mind many times over the weekend. But it didn't sit right with me.

"I don't know," I began "Isn't dating to find my son a father kind of weird?"

"It's not just for him Kendra, it's for you too. You deserve to feel loved too."

"It's just don't know if I'm ready, or if I even want to."

After Anthony, I was against ever being in a relationship again. I became open to it again after some years passed, but it wasn't the same with a son. It felt different, unfulfilling, sometimes forced. I wanted that all to change when I came to DC, but I wondered if it ever would. Plus it didn't help that, now more than ever, men didn't meet my biggest requirement.

"How about we do it together?" she asked "You're not the only one who needs somebody."

I had only known Iris for a little while, but it wasn't hard for me to see that she was a hopeless romantic. She tried to play it down most of the time, but I saw it.

"We can be each other's wing-woman," she added, seeing that I was starting to consider it

Doing this with her didn't seem like a bad idea. Maybe having someone in it with me would make things easier.

"Uh...yeah, OK, I can do that," I finally said

Her face lit up and a large grin appeared on her face.

"Yes!" she cheered before stepping forward and grabbing my hands "Were going to find ourselves some fine ass men," she added, swaying her hips from side to side

"Oh god," I groaned, starting to regret my decision

Our attention was pulled from each other when we heard someone clearing their throats. We looked to the sound and saw our boss, Mr. Cooper, standing among the desks. Standing next to him was a tall caramel-skinned man with a beanie on. I could see his striking green eyes from where I stood.

"Can I get your attention for a minute?" he said

Everyone stopped what they were doing and gave their full attention to the boss.

"This here is Elijah..."

"Eli Carter," the man quickly stepped in "My name is Eli Carter."

Someone didn't like their full name.

"Right, Eli Carter," Mr. Cooper corrected himself "He's a photographer and he'll be working with us for a while."

"Hey Eli," the room erupted in unison

It was something the workers always did when someone new came in. I remembered when they did it for me.

"Hey," he smiled, a bit surprised by the greeting

"That would be all," Mr. Cooper said "Now back to work."

With that, everyone's attention was back to where it was a minute ago. Mr. Cooper remained for a few minutes, pointing out places Eli should know.

"He's cute," I said teasingly at Iris

"He is, but he's off-limits for me."

"Off-limits? Why?"

"I've dated coworkers before...many times," she visibly shuddered at the thought "Not going down that road again."

"Oh," I said and was about to drop it when something came to me "Wait, who did you date?"

Her eyes darted away from mine "Uh...I have to go to the bathroom."

She quickly turned and walked away.

"Hey," I said going after her "You can't just walk away without telling me"

"Yes I can," she picked up her pace

"Iris!" I hissed and followed suit

"I'm not telling you. Can you just drop it," she darted into the women's bathroom

There was no way I was dropping this. I thought to myself and went in behind her.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Eli...

"Thanks for letting me work here Uncle Bernard,"

We had just entered his office.

"No problem Eli," he said slapping my shoulders "You know I'd do anything for my godson."

"Too much sometimes," I said taking a seat in front of his desk

Uncle Bernard and my father had been friends for a long time and he had been in my life since the day I was born. He was always someone I could run to when I needed help.

"Alex is going to be thrilled to know you're in Washington," he referred to his eldest son

"He is. Texted him a while ago. He said I could crash at his place and then mentioned something about drinks and girls."

Uncle Bernard shook his head and let out a breath of exhaustion as he sat down "That boy is going to mess around and get a girl pregnant. Or worse yet get a disease."

"Don't worry about Alex, he's careful." 

I hope.

"He better be. I expected him to be settled down by now."

"You might have to wait a while for that."

"Or maybe you could convince him to stop acting like a frat boy. He'll be thirty next year for Christ's sake. What twenty-nine year old acts the way he does? The sad ones, I'll tell you that. Can't even cook a decent meal to save his life."

"He still can't cook?" I chuckled

"His mother still makes him food and he collects it in a huge Tupperware container every week," he shook his head in disappointment, "I told her to stop. But you know women and their sons."

I laughed. He knew my mom was the same way.

"So what exactly brings you to Washington?" he asked, "What are you running away from this time?"

My chest tightens at the thought of why I left Virginia.

"The usual drama."

"You would think that those thieves would have given up by now,"

"Me too," I agreed "but things have gotten worse because of dad's condition."

"How's the old man holding up? He says he's good when I call. But I don't believe him."

He could always tell when my father was lying.

"Things are the same. Not better, not worse," I answered "Wish he could tell the truth."

"You know your father. Always playing tough. Plus he knows if the truth of the magnitude of his condition got out, this whole drama would be worse."

I nodded my head in understanding. My family, as far back as could be recorded in American history, was known for its drama. My great grandfather, like those before him, was a menace, causing trouble until the day he died. My grandfather, thank the heavens, was a good man, who wanted to be nothing close to who his father was. That want caused even more unrest. The tension in the family got to its peak when my grandfather died. His last deed shifted all the heat that was on him, unto my father. He kept strong throughout the years, no matter what was thrown his way. Now that he was sick, things had gotten worse and I knew, soon enough, that the hatred would be directed at me and my older sister.

I had to get away from it all, and my godfather was the perfect person to run away to. I've done it many times before after all.

This was my last hideout. The last time I'd get a break from what my family had in store for me. Because once this was all over, all hell would break loose and I'd have to deal with it all on my own. Something I wasn't sure I was ready for or wanted to do. 

And there you have it! If you liked this chapter don't forget to comment and vote. Next chapter should be up by the end of the week.