The Gentleman's Club

Chapter Six: Reflection

Somehow I cannot hide

who I am, though I've tried

When will my reflection show who I am inside?

--Reflection, Mulan

     

I arrived at the breathtaking mansion at around nine the next morning.

I was in the best mood I had been in since I'd caught Melvin cheating on me with Becky. For once in my life, everything seemed to be looking up. I'd told Melvin to shove it, I'd successfully shown all of my coworkers I wasn't some weak woman who needed a man in her life, and I'd gotten a job where I would be paid to work in one of the most beautiful countries in the world.

It was hard to believe all of this had happened in twenty-four hours.

After I'd knocked on the great large oak double doors, Nancy opened it and ushered me inside.

"I'm so glad you've gotten this job, Miss. Jenkins," she said, smiling as she led me to the living area.

"You can call me Sapphire," I said shyly, smiling at her.

"Well, Sapphire," she said, matching my nervous smile with a soft maternal one that immediately put me at ease. "We're glad to have you. Giovanni will be down here in a couple of minutes. Good luck."

I thanked her and sat on the plush, designer couch, waiting for Giovanni to show up.

He came not even five minutes later, his muscular frame covered in a black suit, his walking stick in his hand. The thick, dark glasses he wore only seemed to add to his appeal.

"Well, isn't this a surprise," his deep voice spoke up, vibrating through my entire being. "You're on time."

"Of course, Mr. DeLuca," I responded politely, ignoring the snarky undertones of his voice. "It's my job. I like to do my job properly."

"Well, there's no need for you to be here," he dismissed me, unfolding his walking stick. Where many blind people seemed awkward doing it, he did it with an air of superiority. "I don't need you following me around all day."

I sighed. "I'm afraid that's not an option, Mr. DeLuca," I said, standing and going to his side. "My job is to go to work with you and learn your habits. I plan to do that job accordingly."

His lips turned down in a scowl as he swiveled his head in my direction.

"You're working for me, aren't you supposed to do what I say?"

"Actually, I'm working for your grandfather," I said, gripping his arm so I could lead him properly. "So I don't have to do anything you say, Mr. DeLuca."

Giovanni's head tilted to one side--like it had the other day when he'd interviewed me for the job. It was like I was some alien species that he was trying with all his might to figure out. It was like I was something strange that he'd never encountered in all his life.

There was a car waiting for us. A black Rolls Royce to be exact. The driver--a tall, slender man dressed impeccably in a black suit--held the door open for us. He gave me a welcoming smile and quietly greeted Giovanni.

Once we were safely inside and the expensive car had pulled away from the mansion and onto the busy New York streets, Giovanni spoke.

"You didn't have to help me you know. I could have done it myself."

"I know. But it's part of my job description to make myself as useful as possible, remember?"

Giovanni didn't reply, he seemed to be in deep though about something. I think I had a good idea where his mind was. My mind always went to that place, too. The place where you thought people were only nice to you because they pitied you.

"So, where are we going?" I finally asked after I could no longer sit in the endless silence.

"My company," Giovanni said brusquely. "I have one here and another in Italy. We'll be spending a lot of time at my company, so if I were you, I'd get used to it."

I grimaced a little. I knew it was none of my business, but the fact that Giovanni didn't socialize was...unsettling. Personally, I didn't know where I'd be without Lola and May around, constantly listening to my troubles. It must have been hard on him, not having anyone to talk to.

No wonder he was so cold all the time.

"Sounds like a plan, then." I gave a little nod even though he couldn't see me.

***

I honestly didn't do much. Giovanni spent the rest of the day going over papers that were written in braille. The papers that weren't in braille, I read to him. On his lunch break, I got him some Thai food. I got the feeling if I hadn't gone out to get him some food, he wouldn't have eaten.

It was around eleven when I heard Giovanni let out a sigh.

"I suppose it's getting pretty late for you," he said, straightening up.

"No, it's fine," I assured him, holding back a yawn. "Go ahead and do everything just as you would if I weren't here. I'm supposed to shadow you and learn your habits. If you stay up late, then I stay up late, too."

Giovanni was silent. I noticed that he went silent a lot. I never knew what the silence meant, I only saw the way his eyebrows furrowed, as if he were thinking very hard about something. As if everything that I said and did confused him.

"Can I ask you something?" His voice was quiet, almost hesitant.

"Of course." Now it was my turn to tilt my head to the side, wondering what his question was.

"You've got the job and a free trip to Italy. I told you that you didn't have to come with me today, and you didn't. You could have completely flaked and used that trip to Italy as a vacation instead of caring for the poor, blind man,"--his voice was bitter as he spoke the last three words--"It's not like my grandfather would have known. He'd be gone half the time anyway."

"I don't hear a question in that lovely speech of yours, Mr. DeLuca."

His lips twitched as if he were fighting a smile.

"I guess my question, Miss. Jenkins, is why? Why even bother with me?"

"Well," I began as I thought of a way to turn my thoughts into words. "For me, Italy will be like a vacation whether I'm assisting you or not. Like I said, Mr. DeLuca, I needed a break. Your grandfather trusts me to do this job well and I think--to some degree--you trust me, too. When people give me their trust, I don't break it. Besides, you and I are a lot alike."

Giovanni, who had been hanging on to my every word, raised a brow.

"How do you figure that?"

"I tried to figure out why you gave me this job before you interviewed anyone else. I went over that interview in my head a thousand and one times. Now I know why. It's what I said to you about wanting to escape the whispers and the stares that you can just feel boring into you whenever you walk into the room. We may have different reasons why people shun us out, but we're shunned out either way."

Again, only Giovanni's silence answered me, but from the movement in his throat, I knew I'd hit the nail on the head.

"You're very perceptive, aren't you, Miss. Jenkins?" He spoke after he'd recovered.

I shrugged. "It's a learned talent."

Giovanni didn't ask anything else, although he clearly wanted to. For that, I was grateful. Instead, he stood with easy grace as if he weren't blind. He readied his walking stick.

"I should let you get back home. I can finish all of that,"--he jerked his head in the direction of his papers--"later."

I smiled and took his arm. It was odd how natural this was becoming for me, almost as if I had been leading Giovanni for years instead of hours.

Together we walked out of DeLuca Enterprises and sleep was--as it always is--on my mind.