The Hidden Truth

Chapter Twenty: Show Time

Since the two of us have been together my boss hasn’t taken his eyes off of me for more than a few seconds and there was no way I can accomplish his task under his watchful eye. I have to convince him to allow me time out of his sight but also make it appear as if it would benefit him, so in the limo on the way to Saint Ann’s the next morning I turn to my boss as I say, “Mr. Ramirez, your time is money, don’t you think it would be wise to prove that point to these people.”

“What are you proposing?”

“Why don’t you let me go in by myself to deal with all the red tape nonsense so that you can get right down to business.”

“Is that really necessary?”

“Yes, Sir. It is. Besides it will give you time to finish your cigar instead of wasting it.” I say hoping that the extra added touch would do the final trick. Growing up my parents taught us that wasting money is something everyone had in common.

“Alright then, son. You have until I finish this.” he says as he holds up what's left of the second fat cigar that he's been smoking since we left the motel.

By the time we arrived at the building I took one more glance at his beloved cigar resting in his fingers and knew I had roughly five to ten minutes to get things done. On our way to the airport yesterday, I timed how long it took him to smoke a single cigar. That way I knew just how long of a head start I had at any given point. I climb out of the car and walk up the front step of the orphanage hoping that I wouldn't run into any snags. The last thing I needed was to fail my boss in any way. 

As I walk into the building I'm greeted by an older lady wearing an odd looking black outfit, “Good morning. sir. I'm Sister Mary, how may I help you?”

“Ah, yes. I’m here on behalf of Jose’s textiles. My boss will be with us shortly. However, I want to make sure everything is a hundred percent ready for his arrival.”

“You're early, the girls haven’t finished setting up the room yet. Nonetheless, please follow me.” I follow the woman keeping my eyes peeled for Carol to pop out of nowhere to toss me out of the building. 

We pause next to a room with double doors where a few kids are inside setting up chairs around a huge half moon table as sister Mary says, “This is the room where you will be conducting the seminar about their career choices you have available for the children.” Turning towards me she asks, “Now when did you say your boss would be here?”

“Soon, he's just wrapping up a few business calls in the car. Is there any paperwork that he needs to fill out or anything that needs to be signed?”

“Um, yes there is but --” I cut her off as I reply, “No need to bother him with all the technicalities. I’m authorized to fill out and sign any papers you have for him.”

“Okay then. Right this way, sir.”

She then leads me further down the hallway into another office, just on the other side of Carol’s. The first thing I notice as she pushes down on the lever to open the door is the wall of a sweet smell as if it's coming from some kind of jasmine flower. Walking in it seems as if there’s a few more windows in here but it’s also significantly smaller than the last office I've seen in this building. A desk in the center and three chairs occupy the room in total. She has a door on the right that I assume is a closet as well but she never opens the door to reveal what's inside. Instead she sits behind the desk and grabs the stack of papers she obviously left on the top of it. I join her by taking a seat in one of the chairs in front of me.

“I did want to speak with Mr. Ramirez but I suppose I could talk with him later. When he gets here that is. Anyway, I need these filled out and a signature where it's marked on this packet. It's just formalities for the state. They --” I stop her with the wave of my hand, her mouth open ready to say more as I reply, “No need to explain ma’am. Just because they are pariahs doesn't mean that they can't have the same opportunities as everyone else.”