Jungle 3: Revisited

Chapter 7

September 20, 2019

An hour till the grand opening of La'Shonda's new store, Ebony made sure everything was in order. La'Shonda was still getting ready and as her assistant, it was Ebony's job to take care of whatever needed to be done. The caterer had everything set up; finger foods and adult refreshments. Security was in place and so was the limited-time half off clothes. The cameras were on and the new hires were in place, all except one.

"This bitch gone get fired before she even work her first day." Ebony angrily said in front of everyone.

"You know what...I been calling and calling." Ebony called one more time and let it ring until the voicemail came on.

"Hello, Ms. Perry. This is Ebony. As you know today is the opening of the store and it was supposed to be your first day of work about an hour ago. After calling with no answer, I assume your decision has been made to no longer work for us. If that wasn't your decision, I'm calling to let you know not to come in and your position is terminated. Please don't show up. Enjoy your day, thanks!" Ebony said in a professional voice.

"I'm fucking stressing, I don't have time for this. La'Shonda better bring her ass too." She had all the workers looking at her with fear.

With an attitude, Ebony started eating the miniature chicken and waffle bites that were drizzled in maple syrup. She wasn't supposed to touch the food, but nobody stopped her. Eventually, La'Shonda arrived with her mother, two sisters, and her daughter. People were already outside waiting to be let in.

"I can't believe this is actually happening." La'Shonda cried and Ebony rolled her eyes.

"We were supposed to cut the rope almost fifteen minutes ago. We gotta get going. Everybody get in y'all positions! Let's go outside, La'Shonda." Ebony directed as she looked at the time on her phone.

"I'll grab the champagne!" Tiny spoke.

Ebony, Tiny, La'Shonda, her mother and daughter, and her other sister headed outside to cut the ribbon. While Tiny held the champagne, Ebony held the giant pair of scissors that La'Shonda would use to cut the red ribbon. More people showed up than expected and that made La'Shonda really emotional. She made sure everyone was gathered around to hear a speech she prepared.

The speech was to give thanks to anyone who helped her and supported her journey as a black businesswoman. Ebony wasn't expecting to be apart of the speech, but La'Shonda couldn't go without mentioning her for all her help. Ebony looked around in the crowd for Mike and his mother and they were no where in sight. La'Shonda personally thanked them, but they weren't there to hear it.

After her speech, Ebony passed her the scissors and she cut the ribbon in half along with help from her mother. It was followed by handclaps, cheers, and the popping of the champagne bottle. Tiny poured champagne into flutes and passed them around to the women surrounding her. Ebony didn't like the taste of it, but quickly swallowed it with a frown.

Next, La'Shonda randomly selected the winner of the person who entered her drawing. The winner received a one hundred dollar gift card for the store and a personalized tote bag. After that, the security allowed people to slowly enter the store. The workers were prepared to help and check out customers. People looked around and congratulated La'Shonda.

A few minutes after the store was officially opened, Mike and his mother showed up. They went straight to La'Shonda and gave her hugs. Monica ignored Tiny and her mother, but Mike gave his sister a hug. Ebony stood off to the side, eating a cup of fruit while Rudy talked to her. After La'Shonda finished speaking to him, Mike directed his attention towards Ebony as she focused on her fruit.