give Jerome a few minutes of her time since he was family. Jerome wanted to discuss possibly getting Celia into Chimera.
The discussion lasted for about an hour and a half, with Celia expectedly blowing her top at the initial suggestion of working with John, the man who had just broken her heart. Jerome put out some good points for her to consider, whichincluded more money that would eventually allow her to go back to school. She would not have to rely on the hopes of scholarship money, which was Celia’s main obstacle. The job would also help her get out of that club. The scholarship letter would be arriving any day now, and she and Rose were anticipating receiving acceptance and some financial assistance. Jerome assured her that John would remain professional, that he trusted her, and that the both of them would behave. That offended Celia but Jerome assured her that he was just joking. He made sure to let her know that he had confidence in her and her abilities. He said that she was better than the Playboy Club. She told Jerome that she would think about it but had no immediate plans to leave the club. He told her that he would run it by the boss and see what he said, but he would need an answer soon, as they would be adding another person to the higher-up team.
Jerome informed John that the conversation went OK. He said that she did not agree, but she did not say no, either. John considered that enough, and they both went into Bernie’s office the following Tuesday to ask him to open a bookkeeping position for her. Bernie was apprehensive about this. He did not know Celia; he did not know her skills, and his only introduction to her had been at the Playboy Club. He also noted her age and realized she was about a dozen years younger than the youngest person in their group. He thought John and Jerome were out of their goddamn minds at first. Jerome then argued that having someone else keep a watchful eye over the paperwork and numbers wouldprevent another incident like what happened to John and ensure that funds were in their proper place.
Bernie and Ben did all of the work themselves, and Bernie felt that the load was starting to overload him. He thought Ben needed a second set of eyes. Bernie was getting up there in age, and he wanted to relax more. This would help everyone, and if they were going to have finally a woman on the team, it might as well be someone they knew and trusted, according to Jerome and John. To them, she had already been vetted. They knew that Bernie was considering hiring another person, and this would save a lot of time. Bernie caved in, but not before he expressed more concerns about the change in environment. He told the two he would consider it and asked them to let him know if she wanted it in a couple of weeks.
Finally, the day arrived when the letters from Juilliard would come for Celia and Rose. Both of them had their attention on the mailbox as they awaited the mail carrier. They were excited because those envelopes contained their futures. Both women opened the envelopes together, and the news was great for one and not so great for the other. Rose got a scholarship and acceptance letter. Celia got an acceptance letter but no financial aid. Celia was happy about the opportunity to get in, and she was also happy for Rose. However, she was crushed internally, as she would have to foot the entire bill for tuition. Rose felt awful because that would mean they would have to separate. Rose would move on from the club to concentrate on studies, and Celia wouldhave to find money, get a new roommate in a short time, or move back home with her ailing mother. Celia kept it together as she congratulated Rose and went into decision mode. She had to make some choices in a hurry.
Celia returned to work at the club with the goal of putting in overtime to bring in more money. That now meant six-day work weeks and sometimes twelve hours a day if they let her, to make up the rent money she would lack
The discussion lasted for about an hour and a half, with Celia expectedly blowing her top at the initial suggestion of working with John, the man who had just broken her heart. Jerome put out some good points for her to consider, whichincluded more money that would eventually allow her to go back to school. She would not have to rely on the hopes of scholarship money, which was Celia’s main obstacle. The job would also help her get out of that club. The scholarship letter would be arriving any day now, and she and Rose were anticipating receiving acceptance and some financial assistance. Jerome assured her that John would remain professional, that he trusted her, and that the both of them would behave. That offended Celia but Jerome assured her that he was just joking. He made sure to let her know that he had confidence in her and her abilities. He said that she was better than the Playboy Club. She told Jerome that she would think about it but had no immediate plans to leave the club. He told her that he would run it by the boss and see what he said, but he would need an answer soon, as they would be adding another person to the higher-up team.
Jerome informed John that the conversation went OK. He said that she did not agree, but she did not say no, either. John considered that enough, and they both went into Bernie’s office the following Tuesday to ask him to open a bookkeeping position for her. Bernie was apprehensive about this. He did not know Celia; he did not know her skills, and his only introduction to her had been at the Playboy Club. He also noted her age and realized she was about a dozen years younger than the youngest person in their group. He thought John and Jerome were out of their goddamn minds at first. Jerome then argued that having someone else keep a watchful eye over the paperwork and numbers wouldprevent another incident like what happened to John and ensure that funds were in their proper place.
Bernie and Ben did all of the work themselves, and Bernie felt that the load was starting to overload him. He thought Ben needed a second set of eyes. Bernie was getting up there in age, and he wanted to relax more. This would help everyone, and if they were going to have finally a woman on the team, it might as well be someone they knew and trusted, according to Jerome and John. To them, she had already been vetted. They knew that Bernie was considering hiring another person, and this would save a lot of time. Bernie caved in, but not before he expressed more concerns about the change in environment. He told the two he would consider it and asked them to let him know if she wanted it in a couple of weeks.
Finally, the day arrived when the letters from Juilliard would come for Celia and Rose. Both of them had their attention on the mailbox as they awaited the mail carrier. They were excited because those envelopes contained their futures. Both women opened the envelopes together, and the news was great for one and not so great for the other. Rose got a scholarship and acceptance letter. Celia got an acceptance letter but no financial aid. Celia was happy about the opportunity to get in, and she was also happy for Rose. However, she was crushed internally, as she would have to foot the entire bill for tuition. Rose felt awful because that would mean they would have to separate. Rose would move on from the club to concentrate on studies, and Celia wouldhave to find money, get a new roommate in a short time, or move back home with her ailing mother. Celia kept it together as she congratulated Rose and went into decision mode. She had to make some choices in a hurry.
Celia returned to work at the club with the goal of putting in overtime to bring in more money. That now meant six-day work weeks and sometimes twelve hours a day if they let her, to make up the rent money she would lack
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