Chapter 28

When the Stewarts and Cindy returned home to Deerfield, there was a package waiting for Jan from the bank. She opened it and flipped through the material. Most was routine, but there was a sealed envelope for Cindy which Jan passed over to her. Cindy opened it and scanned it quickly. It was from S. Stratton White, saying that the loan to Chicago Steel had been turned down. He indicated he would be available to talk about it at two o'clock Monday afternoon. Cindy was furious as she got ready for bed.

The next morning she confirmed her meeting with White for two o'clock and then called April and Kathy. She asked them both to be ready for the meeting. Cindy was starting on her chores around the house — she could now do everything in about an hour — when Jan asked her what she was going to wear for the meeting.

Cindy was taken aback. She hadn't given it any thought at all. "Are you suggesting our uniform might not be appropriate?" she asked. Then she just shook her head and said, "It doesn't really matter much; I don't have anything else to wear, anyway."

Jan grinned and disappeared, returning a few minutes later with a lovely blue dress. "Try this on, Cin," Jan said. "I think the color will look good on you."

As usual, and despite the fact that it was almost the first day of winter, Cindy was naked. She slipped the dress over her head and Jan zipped it up for her. Looking at herself in the mirror, she saw the color exactly matched the blue of her eyes. She smiled at her image in delight, but then frowned. "Where did this come from, Jan?" she asked. "I can't recall ever seeing you wear it."

"It's something I picked up for my older sister, Cin," Jan replied softly. "Since it's early in the day and your brain isn't functioning too well yet, she is you." Smiling warmly she added, "Pete and I don't know what we're going to do when you leave. You've spoiled us, you know. Cindy, you're the most giving person we have ever seen or heard of."

Tears came to her eyes. "Honey, I wake up sometimes crying. I think of what I did to your glorious body. You'll carry those scars forever, and it's all my fault. Can you ever forgive me?" Now Jan began to cry in earnest.

Cindy took the woman in her arms and held her close, whispering, "Jan, Dan and I talk about it, too. He touches the scars and I tell him how happy I am that they're there. Without them I would still be in the running for the title of the world's most obnoxious bitch. Except I probably would have retired the trophy by now. Darling Jan, you changed me for the better. I'm still skeptical, but a lot of people are saying they think I'm pretty nice now. I just hope they aren't all wrong."

Then she eased Jan away from her and grinned. "But if you don't turn off the damned waterworks, you're going to get tears on my beautiful new dress. Then I'll really kill you," she said. "You know something? There's something to be said for being naked all the time. I never have to worry about tear stains."

Jan worked on Cindy's hair and fixed it the way Henry Hall had done it months earlier. When she was finished she grinned at Cindy and said, "Slave, you cheat!"

"What did I do now?"

"You're using makeup. At least, you're using two bobby-pins which are practically the same thing," she replied with a grin. "Cindy, Henry Hall said it all. Your hair is truly exquisite and all you do is wash it, brush it, and hold it in position with just two dumb pins."

Cindy frowned and then shook her head sadly. Running her fingers lightly over Jan's golden hair she said, "Oh, the poor girl! Jan, you're right. If your hair were not the color of new-minted yellow gold, if it didn't have its glorious body and wave, and if it didn't straighten itself when you just look at it, it would be dull, mousy and uninteresting. You poor thing!" She rose and hugged Jan saying, "Janice Stewart, I love you very much!"

Cindy then called the other girls and told them she was wearing a dress that day for the meeting. When she was ready to leave, she was a vision. She was delighted that the neckline complimented the only jewelry she was wearing, her gold slave collar. When Jan asked her about it she smiled warmly and said, "It reminds me of whom I belong to."

Driving into Chicago, Cindy focused on the upcoming meeting. She hadn't seen Stratton White since the fateful day in what was then Horace Paterson's office. White was one of the division heads Paterson had brought into the bank. She remembered that she had considered him to be the model corporate lending officer at the time. Then she reflected on the way her opinions were now 180 degrees away from what they had been in the spring and wondered what the meeting would be like.

April and Kathy were waiting for her in her office. She looked at the two girls and began to laugh. "You two should see yourselves," she giggled. "You look like two eighth-graders going to their first dance with boys. Two girls who are far more at home in jeans, finally putting on dresses for the first time!"

The girls looked sheepish and then grinned back. Both looked like they could pose for a bank advertisement showing female lending officers at work. Kathy was wearing an expensively-simple gray wool dress, while April was wearing a tan cashmere suit.

Cindy thought of the image and started to laugh. When April asked what was so funny, Cindy said, "Just look at us. We could pose for a bank ad for affirmative action or some such bullshit. Three women: one black, one Oriental, and one white." She laughed and said, "I ask you?"

The girls looked at one another and then joined in her laughter. April smiled softly and said, "Cindy, you do know that's what we love so much about you, don't you? I really haven't thought about being black or even female since I started to work for you. I'm convinced that you don't know or care. You care very deeply about the kind of job I do. I have learned more in six months or so with you than I could have in ten years anywhere else." Even though there were tears in her eyes, she smiled and said, "Cindy Martin, you're just plain great!"

Kathy said, "I don't know about that! I admit you're senior to me, April Jefferson, but what have I received from this deal? I mean, after all, I do have an MBA. All I have to show for my four months is a vice-presidency, a husband who I adore and who adores me, a few hundred million dollars, and an incredible family. Where are all the benefits we were supposed to get? I'll never be a success at this rate!"

Then her expression changed and she said, "Cindy Martin, it's all your fault, too. I have one question, though. Bill asked me about it. We want to name our first child after you but Bill and I agree that Cynthia would sound a little strange as the name for a boy, even if the poor kid is going to be Eurasian-American to start with." Then she appeared to brighten and said, "On the other hand, odds slightly favor it being female and Cynthia Cartwright would be a lovely name for a girl, don't you think?"

The girls went up to the Heavy Industries conference room. Cindy was in the lead and was the first to see Stratton White. When she did, her stomach turned over. He now appeared to be overweight, obsequious, and a man who hid behind committees — in short, all of the things she had come to detest.

She shook hands and was introduced to the group of people he had assembled. In addition to all of his senior executives that she expected to be present, there were representatives from Public Relations and Community Relations. White was seated at the head of the table with all of his people sitting down the table to his left. They reminded her of a group of penguins arrayed in their pecking order. She sat between April and Kathy to his right, and across the table from his staff.

He began the meeting by sliding the loan recommendation down to Cindy. He smiled a hearty smile and said, "Cynthia, I'm sure it's obvious to you why this proposal cannot be approved. It's ridiculous. It makes no sense at all."

"It is not obvious to me, Stratton," she replied coldly. "Suppose you tell me why you feel it makes no sense."

"Well ... I mean ... What will the other banks think? What will the mayor think?" Then looking at her meaningfully, he added, "What will SHOVE do?"

April Jefferson replied, "Why do we care what other banks think? They're competitors. What does the mayor know about anything besides ward politics? And who gives a damn about SHOVE? Mr. White, perhaps you should know that my mother threw him out. Civil-rights leader? Hah! He's great at enriching himself at the taxpayers expense." Cindy glanced at the girl and saw that her eyes were steely as she continued, "Suppose you tell me what the bank should do?"

"Well," he said with an expansive smile, "That's easy, and it's what the bank is going to do! We're joining the SHOVE consortium that's going to reopen the entire steelmaking facility. It's going to provide jobs for welfare people, maintain our city's steelmaking capacity..."

"That's bullshit, Mr. White," Kathy Cartwright interjected. "What you mean to say is you hope to line up government guarantees and at least get an origination fee out of it. We both know there's no chance of operating the steelmaking side of that facility again, ever!"

White had recoiled at Kathy's statement. "Who in hell are you, young lady? I expect an apology, immediately!"

Cindy began to laugh and shook her head. "I wouldn't do that, if I were you, Strat. Who is she, you asked? Her name is Katherine Chang Cartwright. She may be the largest depositor the bank has. If it's not her, it's her sister, Jennifer Chapman, or her other sister, Janice Stewart, or possibly her mother, Allison Clifford. Let's just say she's directly related to the ownership of about 96 percent of the bank. Now what was that about an apology?"

The man turned gray, verging on white. He just sputtered. Just then, Homer Biggs from Community Affairs spoke up. "But we have to back SHOVE! If we don't, they'll picket the bank. They're standing by and their pickets will appear at three o'clock unless I call Horace and tell him we'll go along. I have to call within the next ten minutes." The man was so nervous, he was visibly sweating.

As he was speaking, the door opened and Dan Burke came in. His first words were, "I guess we'll have some people picketing outside then, won't we?"

Turning to White he said, "Sam, we're making Cindy's loan. The board of directors unanimously approved it this morning." As he was speaking, he stood behind Cindy's chair and started gently to massage her neck, although his fingers were hidden by her long hair. She was stunned. She knew from his first words that the speaker was Dan, but with his strong hands holding her she was unable to turn around to look at him.

Dan continued, "Sam ... I should apologize, Sam. I know you like S. Stratton these days, but to me you'll always be Sammy. Anyway, your actions over the last couple of days have cost you all your jobs. Don Martin and I were wondering what you folks — all of you folks — have been doing for a living lately. Now that we find out, we don't like it at all.

"Sam, do you realize the profit from Cindy's division substantially exceeds your gross divisional revenue? It does. Don and I are old fashioned. We believe in backing winners, so let's look at the track records, shall we? First, loan production: Starting from zero, her loans for the last six months exceed your total for the last three years. Loan quality? The next dime we lose on one of hers will be the first. I don't want to embarrass you by talking about yours. People? Cindy has the finest staff in the bank. Every person was handpicked and personally trained by her or her senior deputies who are here with her today. They tell me she trained them personally.

"When one division head attempts to overrule the decision of another in the other's field, he's sticking his neck out. He had better be right! Sam, you couldn't be more wrong, so you're finished as of today. You may clean out your desk now. As for public relations and community relations, Cindy handles those in her spare time with no additional effort. She just performs. Therefore, gentlemen, you're also expendable."

Turning to Biggs he said, "Homer, maybe Horace Washington will give you a job. I hope so. Good-bye."

The heavy-industries people and the others filed out of the room in a state of shock. April winked at Dan and left with Kathy, leaving Cindy and Dan alone. He pulled up a chair beside her and held her hands.

She looked at him and tears were streaming from her eyes. "Who the hell are you, Daniel Burke? What just happened here?" She reached for him and he lifted her onto his lap. She nuzzled his shoulder and softly sobbed while he stroked her hair.

Finally she looked up at him and he said, "Cindy, will you forgive me? I guess I have been terribly mean. The fact is I'm executive vice president and chief lending officer. You have been working for me for quite a while now. I just didn't want you to know it. Do you mind terribly?"

Her eyes glinted as she said, "Do you mean to say that all my work trying to find an inexpensive apartment has been wasted? You're really making enough to support a wife? You have been all along? Even when I bought dinner, and felt sorry for you when you walked all the way out to the house because you spent all your money on my flowers?"

"Honey, I have never lied to you," he protested. "I really did walk out because I didn't have any money." He grinned and said, "I didn't tell you there was none in my bank account, though. I really did spend all the money I brought."

He kissed her lovingly and added, "As for the rest, you've been doing such an incredible job all by yourself. I thought it would be a boost to your self-confidence for you not to ask me for advice. Do you really mind?"

"Not really, Daniel Patrick Burke," she replied with an impish grin. "Just remember, though, I will get even. I don't know how or when, but I will. Bet on it!"

Just then the conference room phone rang. She answered it and found it was a call for Dan. He picked it up and in a moment his face turned serious. He said, "Just watch the doors. I'll be right down."

Turning to Cindy he said, "Biggs didn't lose any time. Washington and his pickets are starting to gather across from the bank right now. The first television news crew just arrived."