Page 32 of Savannah Sweethearts

I nodded.

“I’ll walk you out.”

I disappeared back into the dark room, now lit only by the glow of several LED button lights. I checked that everything was shut off. Rex’s desk had a framed photo of his wife Lily and their new baby Lex, as well as a wedding photo. My desk, by comparison, was void of anything personal aside from a coffee mug that said, “Coffee. Because meth is illegal.” I grabbed my keys from the drawer and came back out to Tyrell.

“Want to head to P’s and Cues?” Tyrell, Rex, and I used to play pool together every week.

“I kind of have a thing.” His expression got soft and he looked off into the distance.

“Who is it this time?” I jammed my keys into my pocket, lamenting our days of playing pool and staying up all night.

“Ashley still. She said she made me dessert.” His eyes wagged at me. He had been seeing Ashley for a few months now.

“Has she met the kids?”

“Last week, AO, I told you. Remember?” Tyrell had two kids but had never been married. If he introduced them to this girl, it was getting serious.

“Right, right. Well, have a good night.” I pushed through the heavy steel door, Tyrell behind me. He went left to his car while I went right to mine.

It was pitch black outside, which tended to be the case when you left work at almost midnight. Jennifer had left after the six o’clock news when everyone had bid her a public farewell on camera. It was usually a skeleton crew for the eleven, with packages being pre-recorded and only the anchors and a few others behind the scenes left at Action News. Tomorrow we will do it all again.

The next day I walked into work with a genuine smile on my face. I would be filling in for Nate, one of the other producers, and staying in-house the whole week. I don’t mind chasing stories, especially if they’re interesting, but a week of working behind a computer sounded like a dream to me. I could churn out video packages in my sleep and I liked the anchors much more than the woman I had been trailing behind for years.

“I heard your new Jennifer is coming in tomorrow to do paperwork.” Rex didn’t even look up from his computer when I entered the doorless room the next afternoon. His headphones were around his neck as he played with a video of a woman talking, children playing behind her.

It took a minute for me to register what Rex was telling me. The new girl was coming in tomorrow. “Definitely not my Jennifer, and I don’t want a new one of her. All I want to know is if she’s as clueless as Jennifer was.”

Rex paused his screen and turned to me. “Jennifer wasn’t clueless, just dreary. Lifeless. This girl will be in her prime, AO. I bet she’s a firecracker.”

I didn’t need a firecracker, either. Just someone who worked hard and stayed in their lane. “Did Tyrell say when she was coming?” My keys slid easily into my desk drawer as I sat down and looked over the daily schedule.

“I didn’t hear. Want me to put in a good word if you’re not here?”

I looked to my right at him and gave him my biggest cheesy grin, my unruly hair flopping over my eyes. “No way. Let her be surprised by my finesse and charm.”

Rex ran his hand over his balding head. “Maybe this one won’t constantly chide you about your hair.”

My hair was as unruly as I was. Wild and untamed curls erupted from all over my head, and it had driven Jennifer mad. At first, I kept it longer just to mess with her, but then I became famous for my hair. And when I went out, the girls I met always wanted to run their fingers through the thick, black tangles. I wasn’t about to say no to that.

Much like my hair, I was not a disciplined person in many respects and I knew it. Sure, I was easy to work with, but being focused was difficult for me. I loved my job, though, and did the best I could every day. My career was my life.

After a while, Tyrell came to ask Rex a question. Rex leaned back and put his hands behind his head. “Man, I had no idea having a baby would be so tiring. I have no idea what you just asked.”

Tyrell put his hands on Rex’s shoulders and shook him. “Wake up, man. I need that parks and rec piece ASAP. Tell Lil to get up at night.”

Rex turned around. “You tell her that. I’m not. She’s sleep-deprived, moody, and she needs a shower. I am not throwing myself to the wolves.”

A grimace crossed my face before I could stop it. “She hasn’t showered?”

“She’s holding Lex twenty-four-seven, man. Just wait, AO, one day you’ll understand.” Rex ran his hand through his scraggly beard.

“No way. Not me. Y’all can have your wives and kids and commitments. It’s not for me.” I stretched out, my long legs crossed at the ankle as if I was on the beach. “You two used to be fun but now you have all this, this baggage. I’m the last one left.”

Tyrell shot me a pitying look. “You are missing out, AO. The love of a good woman is all you need.”

Ignoring the comment, I asked after my new reporter. “What time is she darkening my doorstep?”

“She’s not darkening your doorstep for a week still, but she’s coming in to talk upstairs. I think she’ll be here at noon if you want to come play nice.” Tyrell winked in my direction.

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