Hidden Memories (10 page)

“Yes, busy, busy, busy,” Ava said. She grinned at Sage and placed headphones on her head. “This is my song. Salt-N-Pepa can jam!” She bobbed her head to the beat of the music.

“Let me know when that reporter gets here,” Sage said, before returning to her office.

* * * * *

Callie Callison, a staff writer from
Atlanta
magazine, placed a tape recorder on the corner of Sage’s desk. In her late twenties, Callie’s curly bleached-blonde hair hung past her shoulders. Bright-blue eyes blazed from behind black, square-rimmed glasses. She held her mouth tightly as she reviewed the list of questions she planned to ask Sage for her article tentatively titled “Atlanta’s Women Power Players”.

Callie removed a yellow notebook and pen from her well-worn brown leather briefcase. While waiting for her host to end her telephone conversation, Callie wrote down several items in Sage’s office—the personalized paperweight with Columbia University scripted on it, the pictures of Sage with former US President and Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter, former Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson, Coretta Scott King and Reverend Jesse Jackson, the abstract painting of a butterfly and two framed poems by Maya Angelou: “Phenomenal Woman” and “On the Pulse of Morning”.

When Sage hung up the phone, she apologized, “I’m sorry, Callie. I had to take that call. There won’t be any more interruptions.” She scribbled some notes in her Day-Timer, then glanced at her watch. “I can only talk to you for thirty minutes, and then I have to go to a meeting.”

“That’s fine,” Callie said. “Perhaps later I can spend more time with you, maybe follow you around for a day.”

“Hmm,” Sage said, flipping through her calendar. “That may be difficult. I don’t know what kind of deadline you’re working under, but I won’t be available for an entire day until mid-January.”

“Maybe I’ll get all I need today. Scott Denton, our photographer, will be calling you to schedule a photo shoot.”

“That won’t be a problem,” Sage said. She opened her desk drawer and pulled out a microcassette tape recorder. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to also record the interview.”

Callie smiled wryly. “No problem.” She flipped open her notebook and said, “Incidentally, congratulations on winning the election.”

“Thank you. I’m relieved it’s all over, and I’m thrilled we won. It was a battle down to the wire.”

“How did the bombing affect your commitment to the campaign?”

“I was aware of the threats, and we beefed up security, but on some levels, I didn’t believe the threats would become real. When I woke up in the hospital, it became very real. Of course, I wondered who had done it and why. Was it racially motivated? But I wasn’t going to let it dampen my commitment to getting Cameron elected governor.”

“Before getting into politics, you worked in public affairs at Coca-Cola. What prompted a move from the private sector into public service?”

“I’ve always had an interest in politics. I feel that working in government is a direct way to improve people’s lives and to make a real contribution to society.”

“I understand you did very well at Coca-Cola. Three promotions in four years,” Callie said.

“Uh-huh. You’ve been checking up on me,” Sage said with a smile.

Callie smiled back. “Of course.”

“I’m proud of my accomplishments there. I started in the Public Relations department, moved to Urban Affairs, and then I was made director of Community Relations.”

“All within four years.”

“Four and a half years, actually, before I went to work for the City of Atlanta.”

“How did that come about?”

“I met the mayor through my work at Coke. I’m sure you know that Coca-Cola sponsors a lot of civic and community functions, and I met the mayor at a fund-raiser. Later, when Pat Hall resigned from his communications director post, I got several calls telling me I was being considered for the position. I interviewed, and Cameron offered me the job.”

Sage shifted in the black high-back leather chair and continued, “It was a difficult decision to make because I really liked my job, but politics have always tugged at me. I suppose I believed I could accomplish more in public service.”

“Such as?”

“Help make things happen to improve people’s lives, that’s what matters most. Government is the epicenter of our nation. It’s where the power and the money are. Even at the city level, people’s lives are affected by government decisions. At the gubernatorial level, the power to influence is even greater. It’s very exciting to know we can do a lot to help.”

“What are some of the new governor’s goals?”

“First and foremost, he intends to significantly improve the state’s social service programs, especially for children and the elderly. We always rank low in those areas.”

“Are there any issues you and Mr. Hudson disagree on?”

“I think we are like-minded on the serious issues,” Sage replied with a smile. “We sometimes differ on tactics or timetables.”

Flipping to a new page in her notepad, Callie asked, “Why did Mr. Hudson pick you to run his campaign? Many expected him to hire a more seasoned person.”

“He certainly could have. I think he chose me because I outlined a campaign plan and defined our strategies and tactics for winning very early, months before we started campaigning. Of course, we had outside counsel, locally and nationally.”

“On a personal front, do you hope to marry and have children one day?”

“Absolutely. I want the whole dream. I look forward to being a wife and a mother.”

“Are you seeing anybody seriously?”

“I’m involved, but that’s all I’m going to say about it.”

“Where did your ambition come from?”

Sage smiled. “Who could really answer that? Certainly not me.”

“Well, what about strong role models in your life?”

“I suppose I’d have to credit my Aunt Maddie. She never married, but she was always career-minded. She’s a teacher, and very well traveled. She’s always been very devoted to me.” Her eyes softened as she talked about her father’s sister. Aunt Maddie was the link to her father’s family.

“My mother always wanted me to get married and have babies. The fact that I haven’t married and had a family has disappointed her,” Callie said. “What about your mother? Did she encourage you to go to college and have a career?”

“My mother is old-fashioned too. Like your mother, she believes that women should be at home,” Sage responded carefully, reflecting on her relationship with her mother. If she answered truthfully, she would have to admit that there was no relationship. And maybe now, after their recent disastrous meeting, there never would be.

Callie shifted the questioning back to the present. “Is there any truth to the rumor that you had an affair with the mayor when you started working for him? Many people speculate that that’s the reason he chose you to run his campaign.”

Sage suppressed the urge to smile. That was one rumor that refused to die, and yet she’d never understood what had started the vicious gossip. Questions had been raised about her relationship with Cameron from the very beginning. But perhaps it was as simple as his reputation in private circles to be a womanizer. “No. We have never had a relationship other than a professional one.”

“I understand that you have traveled together,” Callie pressed.

“Of course,” Sage said reproachfully, refusing to dignify the implication by defending their relationship any further.

“One more question,” Callie said, checking her watch. “What three words would you use to describe yourself?”

Sage leaned back against the chair in thoughtful repose. “Confident, driven and people-oriented.”

“That’s all for now,” Callie said. “May I call you if I have more questions later?”

“Absolutely.”

* * * * *

Ava was headed home for Christmas, even though she had only been in Atlanta for three weeks. Whether she would make the flight was still in question as Sage sped down the interstate, her speedometer registering eighty miles per hour. Ava’s flight would be leaving in forty minutes.

“If there’s no traffic and no red lights, we’ll make it, Miss Last Minute,” Sage said.

Sage hated rushing frantically and usually allowed herself plenty of time to get to the airport. Getting through the airport to the departing gate was a maze of checkpoints, ticket counters, trains, escalators, elevators and terminals.

But Ava was different. Last minute with everything, she didn’t start packing until they got home from work.

“I hope you don’t get a ticket,” Ava taunted, when Sage barely slowed in time to pass the police car without being stopped.

“You will pay for it if I do.”

“Hey, you can handle it better than me,” Ava said. “I’ve seen your bank statements.”

“That’s not the point,” Sage said. “Why did you wait until the last minute to pack? We should have left an hour ago.”

Ava covered her ears with her hands. “You said that already.”

They rode in silence for a while, driving in the fast lane, on the lookout for patrol cars.

“Why don’t you ever go home?” Ava suddenly asked.

“You know Ma and I don’t get along.”

“I have never understood why. You haven’t been home since you left.”

“Ava, why do you want to talk about that now? It’s in the past.”

“Because Christmas has always been lonely without you. I never got used to it.”

“What’s the big deal? We weren’t supposed to celebrate Christmas anyway,” Sage said, commenting on the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ declaration against holidays. Hearing Prince’s song “Little Red Corvette” blasting from the radio, Sage said, “Change the station. I hate that song.”

Ava selected a different radio station, replacing the pulsing verse of “Baby, you’re much too fast” with Mariah Carey’s octave voice. “You don’t like Prince, do you?”

“Not really. The only song of his I like is ‘Erotic City’.”

“I can’t wait to see Aaron and Daddy,” Ava said. She missed her twin brother and was very close to her father.

“I’d like to see Aaron too. Maybe he’ll come down for spring break.”

“Mommy is going to hug me to death, and then she’s going to yell and scream at me for leaving her. She just about died when I told her I wasn’t coming back. She still hopes it’s just a long visit.”

“She’ll adjust,” Sage said.

“Guess who I met the other day,” Ava said, fumbling through the box of CDs.

“Who?”

“Edwinna.”

“How did you meet her?” Sage cast a sideways glance at her sister.

“She came to the office with her father to see Mr. Hudson. I can’t believe Ramion ever liked her. She’s not even pretty.”

“She’s the boss’s daughter,” Sage explained. “And Ramion was Edwin’s protégé. I don’t think Ramion was ever in love with Edwinna, but she was crazy about him. I think Ramion got involved with her because of who she is, the people she knows, the whole bit. But she wanted to get serious, and he didn’t. Ramion didn’t want to owe Edwin for the rest of his career. Believe me, he didn’t make the decision easily. He lost a lot of political connections when he left Edwin’s firm. But he wants to make it on his own, without feeling like Edwin owns him.”

“Whatever the reason, she’s definitely Miss Attitude, and she’s real upset that you stole her man. She looked at me like I was dirt when Marika told her I was your sister.”

Sage laughed. “Yeah, that’s what she gets for thinking she should get whatever she wants.”

“I don’t like her, Sage.”

“Neither do I.”

“She may be rich and well educated and high society, but she’s got a nasty personality,” Ava observed.

“She’s a bitch,” Sage said. “She’ll do anything to get what she wants.”

Changing subjects, Ava asked, “So what are you going to do for the holidays?”

“I’m going to Ramion’s family for Christmas dinner.”

“What about New Year?”

“We’re going to Cancún.”

“Ooh, are you going to do it on the beach?”

“Ava!”

Sage pulled into the airport, adroitly maneuvering through the frenzy of cars driving in front of and pulling away from the airport’s entrance.

“We made it!” Ava exclaimed.

“Girl, you have fifteen minutes to get to the gate. You’re going to have to carry your luggage on the plane, so get to stepping.”

Ava laughed. “So you do know some slang.”

They got out of the car and retrieved Ava’s luggage from the trunk. “Love you,” Ava said, giving Sage a quick hug before dashing into the airport.

* * * * *

The day before leaving for Cancún, Mexico, Sage went on a shopping spree to buy clothes for her four-day vacation. Tawny went along.

Sage bought three swimsuits—a red one-piece suit and two bikinis for the beach—casual outfits to wear exploring the islands and evening outfits for going to restaurants or clubs. On impulse, Sage stopped in Frederick’s of Hollywood.

Holding an edible bodysuit, Tawny said, “How about this?”