Spare Yourself; I'm Done Here

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I slip into shotgun while Cadillac slips into the backseat. I give Cadillac a nod as she tells Ed the address. He types it into his phone and the automated voice begins giving out directions. The ride is silent. Soon enough we arrive into the heart of the city. Gray buildings line the horizon and the air smells of car exhaust.

I tell Ed that I'll call when we're done. He smirks and says he's going to get a hot dog from one of the carts lining the street corners. I give him a warning about sketchy food vendors before following Cadillac into the office building.

It's a calm environment. The receptionist is answering phones and clients walk towards elevators but there isn't an air of urgency that I usually associate with office buildings. Cadillac leads me to the receptionist. The woman looks up over the desk and flashes a bright smile in our direction as Cadillac signs us in.

"Hello, Cadillac," The woman says brightly.

"Hello, Ms. Roberts. I'm here to see..." Ms. Roberts interrupts her with her hand.

"Sweetheart, you've been here enough; I know who you're looking for. You know the floor." Cadillac reddens and walks towards the elevator.

"The poor dear; she's had a hard life. Always coming here, hoping Mr. Blackwell will recognize her as his long lost daughter." Ms. Roberts shakes her head slightly and then looks up at me.

"You don't think she's lying, right?" I say in a small voice. Ms. Roberts doesn't respond immediately which makes me think she didn't hear me.

"No, she's definitely his daughter; I just don't think he'll ever acknowledge her. I think she's staying too stuck on this. She comes by often, always hoping he'll acknowledge her but then leaves in tears. He's so harsh on the poor girl, sometimes I wonder why she comes back at all. Are you a friend of hers?"

"Yes," I say with a smile.

"Good, she needs some friends. I worry about her sometimes. She's been through so much in her life and I think she never actually thinks about friends and what's to come. I'm glad she has someone looking after her. Why don't you go; I think she's waiting on you." I look up and see Cadillac motioning for me.

"Was she gossiping about me?" Cadillac says with a smirk.

"Just a little," I say as we step onto the elevator.

"Ms. Roberts is so nice. She' the only parental figure I have at the moment. When I was younger, she'd babysit me after work while my mom was going to her night shift at a bar. She was a friend of my parents before the incident and took the side of my mother; that's why she helped us out so much. Ms. Roberts and a few others in the office know the truth but none of them dare stand up to Mr. Blackwell." I wince at the way she pronounces her father's name; the way she says it makes it sound like a curse word.

We arrive on the floor and walk down the hallway until we reach a door that says Blackwell Advertising and Management. Cadillac opens the heavy door and is immediately greeted by a tall, slender man with fraying red hair and glasses. She gives him a hug and he scruffs up her hair.

"Beckinsile, this is Paul. He was also a friend of my parents before the split." I shake Paul's hand as he smiles down at Cadillac.

"This is the little kid, all grown up. I still remember when you were in diapers." Paul pinches her cheeks, making her blush.

"I'm too punk for this situation." Cadillac jokes as Paul leads us to a mahogany door.

"Very funny; good luck with ole' grumpy pants, kid." Paul scruffs her hair a little more before going back to his cubical.

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