Simon pulled both Jasmine and Jr.’s car seats and clicked them in place on the stroller. Facing them, they slept with their heads tilted in opposite directions. Cherish pulled the shades down and walked with him towards an elevator leading right into the building.
Standing beside him, she watched him press the sixteenth-floor button while she placed her hands behind her back and waited. In a sense for Simon, it felt momentarily good to be back where he was on top and knew what he was doing. But, the closer they rose to his office, the more anxious he grew about leaving home and Cherish with the kids. The indicator beeped with each floor they passed. Blowing out, Simon showed his nerves before catching her gaze. They exchanged smiles and looked up at the numbers once more. Today was going to be a good time for the babies and her; he hoped. His attention was taken as she began to speak, “So is there anything that I should be doing or…” Before she could finish, the double doors to the floor spilled into a waiting area, hallways lined with glass conference halls, and a secretary desk. Cherish fell silent as their gaze fell on one lone figure to the right.
Sipping on her water, the dark woman quickly capped her bottle and instantly stood up from the desk with a smile, “Mr. Gabot!” she exclaimed. Rounding the corner of her desk, she approached them. There was a wide smile on her face as she quickly brought Simon into a hug.
Seeing Imani lit Simon up. She was one of the great things about working there and he considered her a friend. He held her tightly and patted her back, “Hello, it’s so nice to see you again! I’m so sorry to hear about what happened with Mrs. Gabot and everything, but you look great!” she said before turning her attention onto Cherish, “And you must be Ms. Montgomery. Mr. Gabot said that you will be joining us today. My name is Imani and I have to say I was expecting a phone call from Susan when you arrived. She’s down by the main entrance waiting for you pull up. Everyone else is on the first floor in the Jefferson Conference Hall.” She said.
Cherish wet her lips before she shook hands with Imani with a cordial and confused smile, “Y-yes, hello. My name is Cherish.” She replied.
Imani flattened her puffy, black button down top and ran her hands nervously against her jeans, “It’s very nice to meet you, Cherish.” She said pointing to the duo stroller with both eyes wide, “Is that them? May I?” She asked.
Stepping around the stroller, Simon pushed the shade back from the babies for her, “Of course.” He said. Jr. was still fast asleep while Jasmine looked around with a kick of her foot.
"Oh, my goodness! They're so beautiful!" Imani said cupping both of her cheeks. Bending over, She tucked her straight hair behind her ears and rubbed a knuckle across the backs of their hands, "Why hello there, precious ones. Congratulations, to the both of you." Imani expressed looking between them.
“Thank you.” He replied in mirror to Cherish. Simon was elated that he wasn’t the only one who thought their babies were precious. Though parents were usually biased towards their own children, it still felt great to be reaffirmed by a third party.
Simon cleared his throat and explained, “I wanted to show Cherish my office before we met with everyone.”
Hearing his plan, Imani inhaled a deep breath as she looked to Cherish once again, "O-Oh of course! No problem! I will go downstairs and tell everyone that you will be there shortly. I'll also give Susan a heads up. See you soon!" She said giving a wave and boarding the elevator.
Alone in the emptied office space, Cherish glanced around, "That was nerve wracking." She said.
Simon tried to talk her through and make her feel more comfortable, “Take a deep breath. No one is going to look down on you. We’re here to celebrate the babies and I’m confident that they will love you.” He knew that Cherish likely worried about how people would view her considering all that happened. He understood she was nervous when it came to nice establishments, or well-dressed people, but even so, he wanted her to get out there in hopes that she’d grow comfortable eventually. He rested his hands on her shoulders, “You’re very loveable. Now, do you want to check it out?” he concluded pointing towards his office.
Nodding, Cherish tried to calm her nerves before she placed her hands on the stroller handle and waited, "Lead the way." She stated
As she followed him down the hallway and to the left, she glanced at every darkened window they passed. The wheels turned over on the carpet, Jasmine stared up at her mommy before she yawned. Cherish watched the back of Simon's head. She kept telling herself everything would be alright and that it was okay with how integrated she had become in his life.
At the end of the hall, Simon pushed open his office door and held it for her and the kids. The space was a moderately big size. A large, mahogany bookcase sat against the wall to the left filled with books; many of which pertained to his job or classic reading. Another shelf had a few decorative paperweights and statuettes from his travels. There was sitting area with a side table, lamp, and two chairs chosen by Emily. All which sat on a large rug across from the bookshelf. Matching the bookcase was a large, heavy executive desk in the middle of the room across from the door. The front had a detailed, tasteful design while on top sat his closed laptop, a desk lamp, phone, and stacks of papers; both completed and uncompleted. There was
