Hidden Valley (D. SWING)

IX. Pandora's Box

At it again, my bulging eyes were shielded by the dark tinted lenses resting on the bridge of my nose for the umpteenth time. I'd never been in a building that was built like that one. 1755 Broadway, New York, New York. It was hell trying to get there and after driving around the city for five hours, I finally stood in the building where we could make something happen. I'm giving it all that I got left in me and that was one of my biggest steps at that point.

Behind the desk was a tall, thin woman of a vanilla bean complexion. Her hair pinned up with a clip and face slickly painted. If it weren't for the attire of her choice, I would have thought she was some kind of model. She answered phone calls, fetched faxed papers, and typed on a computer. I removed my sunglasses as I approached her, making the space for eye contact so she can see how sincere I am. It didn't matter what I said to her, she wasn't budging for me to get what I needed. Fifteen minutes into the conversation and I couldn't take it anymore.

"Okay," I exhaled as I leaned on the counter. "You sure it ain't nobody we can talk to?"

The woman shrugged her shoulders and helplessly explained, "I'm just a receptionist, honey. Everybody is either off the clock or out eating. Hardly anyone is still upstairs."

"Well, I guess we just gone have to get acquainted because we'll sit in this lobby all night until we see somebody if we have to." My words were no threat. I meant everything I said and it all was a promise. I was prepared to send two people back to the Bristol to find a way to get our belongings and remain in that building all night. It was going to be Paisley Park all over again.

A sigh was expelled as she watched my stare intensify. I can keep saying it until I'm blue in the face, I'm giving the max amount of effort I've got in me for this to work. It's going to pan out properly this time. "I think one may be left in their office." She caved in as she picked up the phone. She was pushing down buttons as she still spoke to me, the boys watching from over my shoulder. Well, K-Ci and Dalvin. JoJo wandered down the hallway to use the lobby's bathroom. I told him not to try that hot dog cart's sketchy meat. "He should be in there. I didn't see him walk past to go home."

Kitty handed me the plate of breakfast as she finalized the preparations of the meal. I can tell that she was prepared to run the house by her sister before Paulette went on to college. She does everything just like her. "Then that sucker fell asleep on your tape," Kitty asked in a fit of disbelief.

"Yeah, the motherfucker was nodding off like Big Gerdy in the back of the church on First Sunday."

Kurt Woodley is his name and Dalvin took it upon himself to never let anyone forget it. We made it up to an A&R's office and Kurt Woodley fell asleep on our tape. He didn't know what he had on his hands and he almost lost what was going to be the best thing to ever happen to us, him and Jodeci. We all made it a priority to note that when we blow up, it's no way in hell we're going to credit him for our discovery. It's all props to everyone else who was in that room from today until infinity.

I laughed at her expression as I picked up the plate of food. Feeling bad about what happened last night, Kitty woke up this morning and made sure to do everything she knew Paulette planned to do. I drove her to drop off Evelyn at the YMCA's pool and took her to run some errands that she'd spotted on the bulletin board Paulette and their mother use most often. The clock struck thirty minutes until noon and Paulette is still asleep as Kitty cleans the kitchen, sending me on the mission of going to take her sister the plate of comfort food she prepared for her. I knock before entering as a warning that I was coming in anyway. The thought of her not having clothes on is an after-thought and probably how I was subjected to seeing my little brother's ashy ass cheeks. The thing about Paulette is that I'm sure she is asleep.