A Seal Upon Your Heart

Chapter 5

Sister Louise told her that the law office was located in downtown Cincinnati, which meant that she could take a bus. Buses did not run frequently to her area of town, but she knew she could use the computer at the library to search the bus route. It was Friday and if she got up early enough Saturday morning, she would bypass the children who tended to hog up the computer for most of the evening.

Her hours would probably be 8-4:30 with a half hour lunch, and her pay would simply be minimum wage. Neither of them knew what that would be, but Jane figured she could look it up when she got to the library. She was becoming excited at the prospect of working in the city—even as she was nervous at the idea of working in an important law firm.

After her meeting with Sister Louise, Jane returned to her room and opened her Bible. She had neglected her reading and was expected to make up for it. But instead of reading the prescribed scripture, Jane turned to her favorite portion of the Bible. As she read she became lost in the words. Her cheeks warmed and her eyes glistened in longing. She could read these words from her memory but enjoyed allowing her fingers to follow them on the page.

The Song of Songs, which is Solomon's.

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth:

For thy love is better than wine.

Because of the savor of thy good ointments

Thy name is as ointment poured forth,

Therefore do the virgins love thee.

Draw me, we will run after thee:

The King hath brought me into his chambers:

We will be glad and rejoice in thee,

We will remember thy love more than wine:

The upright love thee.

I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem,

As the tents of Kedar,

As the curtains of Solomon.

Look not upon me, because I am black,

Because the sun hath looked upon me:

My mother's children were angry with me;

they made me the keeper of the vineyards;

but mine own vineyards have I not kept.

Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest,

Were thou makest thy flocks to rest at noon:

for why should I be as one that turneth aside

by the flocks of thy companions?

If thou know not, O thou fairest among women,

Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock,

And feed thy kids beside the shepherd's tents.

II

When Monday arrived, Jane dressed in a nice navy skirt and white blouse. She only wore flat shoes due to her height, but she slipped on her nicer ones that were a bit fancier than what she usually wore. She had washed extra carefully because she had learned that here people did not like to smell the scent of your body. No one wanted to know that the space between your breasts smelled of your soul, and the crease beneath your arms only told of your daily toils. Americans would much rather smell of the sweet perfumes that caused her to sneeze. But she didn't have any of that nor any of the scented oils that were used by her people and that smelled of spices and flower petals. All she had was soap and water and deodorant, and that would have to suffice.

She walked to the nearest bus stop, which would take her downtown, but then she would have to wait for the next bus or walk ten blocks. She walked. She was already tired when she reached the large building. She wished Dhakiya was with her right now as she looked around feeling lost and alone. There was a directory and an information desk, but she decided to look only at the directory. It was already 7:45, and she had wanted to arrive early enough to feel unrushed. Now that wouldn't happen. There. Seventh floor—Rangbo, Singleton, Bradbury, and Marx, Attorneys at Law.

She entered the elevator, and at the seventh floor she saw another receptionist's desk. The woman behind it was stylish with perfectly coiffed hair and a suit that looked as if it belonged in a fashion magazine. Jane straightened her navy skirt and resisted the urge to finger-comb her hair.

"Hello."

The woman gave her a bright smile. "Good morning. How can I help you?"

"I was hired and was supposed to begin working today." Jane almost put a question at the end of it.

The woman nodded her head and opened a fancy notebook on her desk. "Name, please?"

"Jane Nufaika."

The woman kept scanning the list and then she turned to a computer and began typing. Her phone rang, and she answered professionally, "Rangbo, Singleton, Bradbury, and Marx. How may I direct your call? Mr. Marx? Yes, I'll connect you." After she pressed a button on the phone, she returned to the computer. "Jane, spell your last name, please."

Jane gave the spelling.

"Are you sure it was today, ma'am? I don't see you listed here. Hmm … Let me phone the temporary service and we'll get this straightened out."

"Oh, I wasn't hired by a temporary service. I was hired by Mr. Tim Singleton."

The receptionist frowned, marring the perfection of her face for the first time.

"You were hired by Mr. Singleton? Well that's not possible. All hiring is done through human resources, and Mr. Singleton would know that more than anyone." The phone rang again and the receptionist answered without seeming ruffled. Jane hoped that she wouldn't have to be a receptionist. After a moment the woman focused her attention on Jane. "I'll call Mr. Singleton. Just one moment." She pressed a single button on the phone. "Good morning, Mr. Singleton. This is Tammy at the front desk. I have a Miss Nufaika who says she was hired by you—Nufaika. Jane Nufaika. Yes sir. Will do." The receptionist smiled again. "Mr. Singleton will be right down."

The excitement of starting a new job was certainly not present. Jane felt scared. To calm herself she began to plan what she would do during her lunch break. She wanted to go outside and look at the big buildings and maybe window shop. The sisters gave her an allowance for the work she did for them each week, but it wasn't considered pay. It was only enough for her to purchase her personal items and to eat when she was at the academy.