Amans

22. Call It Stormy Monday

Amara pulled up outside of the office building in search of a parking space.

After circling the block twice, she noticed that there was rear parking for employees.

Tired of driving around and not wanting to miss her opportunity of meeting Amans for the second time, she decided to risk the ticket.

After parking Amara walked back around to the entrance of the building and entered the lobby.

A security guard was sitting at the front desk, his name tag read, Michael.

"Excuse me!" she called, walking up to him.

The man looked up from reading the morning paper and smiled, "Yes how may I help you?"

"I'm looking for the Daily Dosage?"

He nodded, "Daily Dosage is in suite 301, so you're going to take this elevator here," he pointed off to the left, "to the third floor and it's going to be a glass door on your right, you can't miss it."

Amara smiled and thanked the man, then headed towards the elevator.

While she waited, she thought of what to say. She knew who Amans was, but he was oblivious to her.

The elevator doors opened, and she stepped out and made a right.

Immediately she saw a glass door with the words Daily Dosage printed in white on them.

As she walked past the glass windows to the front, she could see people already starting to recognize her and talk amongst themselves. Usually, Amara would have left the house in her sunglasses, but she had been so anxious to get to Daily Dosage, she forgot them.

She had to see Amans.

Amara opened the door, to her right she saw a woman turned around talking on the phone.

She looked a little flustered as if she were trying to do a million things at once. She twirled the cord to the landline in her hand.

"Yes ma'am, I-I understand that, but we simply--"

Amara ignored the stares from everyone behind her and cleared her throat trying to gain the woman's attention.

"Edith!" she heard someone hiss.

The woman named Edith spun around nearly dropped the phone, "Oh. My. God." she mouthed, "Excuse me, ma'am," she said into the phone, "do you mind if I put you on hold really quickly?" Not waiting for the lady's response on the other end, she placed the caller on hold.

Amara smiled politely as the woman set down the phone.

"Hello my name is E-edith," she stuttered nervously, "welcome to Daily Dosage is there something I can help you with?"

"Yes, I'm looking for someone by the name of Amans?" Amara responded.

Edith's face saddened, "I'm sorry you just missed him, he quit about twenty minutes ago."

Amara's heart sank, "He quit? What do you mean do you maybe have--"
"Miss Delgado," a man called.
Amara whipped around to see who interrupted her.

She was already frustrated with herself.

If she had just been twenty minutes earlier, she would be talking to Amans and not his ex-associates.

Her eyes met with a stout man, his forehead held a permanent crease.

He gave what must have been his interpretation of a warm smile.

"Welcome to Daily Dosage are you looking for a meeting or--"

"No, I'm actually looking for one of your former employees, but since he no longer works here I'll just be on my way,"
"I'm sure there's something we can help you with," he pressed on.

"No thank you," she said as she opened the door to leave.

The man mumbled something quietly under his breath.

Amara stopped to turn around, "Excuse me did you have something to say?" She noticed Beatriz and Oscar standing slightly behind him.

"No nothing," he laughed nervously.

Amara scoffed.

That's what I thought.

She turned back around and walked out the door letting it close behind her.

No wonder Amans quit, she thought, he had to deal with these people on a daily basis?

She had only met them briefly and couldn't stand them.

Once back in the elevator Amara had to resist the urge to cry.

Maybe she wasn't supposed to meet Amans, every time she tried to catch him something always seemed to happen.

Maybe they were just supposed to talk that night, and that was all.

But Amara couldn't help feeling like there was more to them.

She stepped out into the lobby and nodded at the guard that she had spoken earlier.

Since then he remained at his desk reading the paper.

He smiled back at Amara as she exited the building.

Amara perked up at the thought of getting in touch with Magdalena; maybe she could help her find Amans. She did say they were close, but how would she go about asking her and would Magdalena even be willing to help her.

They had only just met, and Amara knew if she were in the same situation with Kaya, she wouldn't just give her number out to the first guy who came asking for it.

Amara rounded the corner to the parking lot where she left her car. She dug around in her purse trying to find her keys, feeling her hand come in contact with them, she pulled them out.

It wasn't until she looked up that she noticed someone standing by her car.

The man was tall, but his back was to Amara so she couldn't see his face.

"You've got to be kidding me," she mumbled under her breath.

She had only left her car unattended for about a half hour, and someone was trying to break into it.

Amara quickened her steps, determined on confronting the thief.

As she got closer, she noticed he had a phone tucked in between his shoulder and his ear and was fiddling with a set of keys.

Amara cleared her throat, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Shit!" The man cursed dropping his keys and struggling to keep his phone from the same fate.

He bent down to pick them up, not bothering to turn around, "What does it look like I'm doing, I'm unlocking my car."

"Funny," Amara pressed the button on the keys she held in her hand, and the car chirped, "because this is my car."

The man turned around and smiled apologetically.

"Oh my god," Amara breathed.

"Sorry," he laughed, clearly embarrassed, "I just got a new car, and yours looked exactly like it."

Amara stared at him, her mouth open.

"Hellooooo," came a faint voice.

"Oh crap," he chuckled, "hey Mags mind if I call you back in a bit, I have to find my car," there was a brief pause, "okay, alright...bye," he hung up the phone and shoved it in his pocket.

Amara was still silent.

He looked at her weirdly and cleared his throat, "Well sorry again," he said turning to walk away.

"I'm Amara," she blurted out, sticking out her hand.

He looked confused but turned back around.

"Nice to meet you, Amara, I'm Amans."