Black Fire

Black Fire

Copyright 2017 Petra Henville

Published by Petra Henville at Smashwords

ISBN: 9781370962884

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Author Note

Acknowledgements

Dedication

Getting It Done

Just Desserts

The Recovery Story

Recovery

Premonition

Paging Dr. Henville

The Black Fire

Black Fire

Night Fishing

Afterlife

Chanel

Try Again Tomorrow

About the Author

Connect with Ms Petra Henville

Author Note

This book is a work of fiction. Though some of the stories are loosely based on true events, all names, characters, locations and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or deceased, locales or events is entirely coincidental.

*~*

To this day, I get a lot of feedback from my story Black Fire. My editor emailed me more comments on that story than anything else in this book. It touched her life in so many ways. Since this is my first book of short stories, I decided to title it after my first story. Black Fire is the story behind the poem The Black Fire. I put the poem first, so that you will be delightfully surprised.

With this book, I let the fan favorites rule, and I added in one or two of my favorites. Making the selections was a painstaking task. I still have difficulty choosing one story or poem over another. I hope you appreciate my decisions.

After each offering I added in a few comments and or feedback I’ve received. On that note, I welcome your feedback. Feel free to email me your comments. My email is at the end of the book in the Connect with Ms Petra Henville section. You might just see your comments in my blog or my next book.

Acknowledgements

I would like to give thanks to everyone who had a hand in helping me produce and publish this book. I have to give special thanks to the young lady who helped me with my editing. You, by far, exceeded my expectations. It was, and will be a pleasure to work with you.

Thanks go out to my friends and family who put up with me as I went through my creative process. Last, but, not least, I would like to give thanks to my Mom for keeping me focused and motivated.

Dedication

This is for Helena, I miss you Grandma, and think of you often.

Getting It Done

I looked over at my co-worker Donald sitting next to me on the platform. He only made supervisor because Helen had the hots for him, I don’t know why. He was just an average looking guy, but his personality left a lot to be desired and that’s what took him from hero to straight up zero.

My report is finished. I said to him.

Well, you’re tearing out of here looking lovely. he replied as he looked me up and down with lust in his eyes. In your dreams. Where are you headed tonight. he continued.

I’ve got a poetry recital at the Public Library. My car is coming to pick me up in about forty-five minutes. I looked at my watch. All of the interviewers are gone and the computers are turned off. I’ll see you Monday.

Can I come with you? We can have dinner afterwards.

No. Not happening.

Why not, I would love to see you perform your poetry.

I don’t have the time to wait for you to finish your report. He can count on his fingers, toes and use a calculator and he still wouldn’t get it right, but he’ll keep trying until at least midnight. That’s why they gave him the key!

I came down off the platform and I took my report to Patrick’s office. I laid it on his desk in front of him. He didn’t even look at it. Instead he looked up at me. His blue eyes sparkled as if they had shards of glass in them. He reeked of booze as usual. His breath smelled like he brushed his teeth with a toilet bowl brush after eating a combination of sardines and sour socks. I wanted to hurl everything I ever ate in my life.

Where do you think you are going, Michelle? he asked.

You know that I’ve got to perform at a recital. My car will be here soon.

You can’t leave now. He had a wry smile on his face, as if he was being an asshole just because he could. I wanted to rip half of his face off. If he wasn’t the owner of the company I probably would have, just because of the smell of his breath in my face! You have to interview the people in the front before you leave.

What? Why can’t Don do it? I’ve got to go.

No, I want you to do it.

Okay. I figured I could do one maybe two interviews and make the recital on time.

I was in shock when I got to the reception area. It was packed with people. There were people sitting and standing waiting to be interviewed. I did quick head count. No! No! No! I didn’t have time to interview twelve people.

Anthony, the receptionist looked at me with pity in his eyes. What are you going to do, honey? he asked, crossed his legs in an effeminate way, put his hands on his knee, puckered his lips and raised his perfectly arched eyebrows.

I am going to get it done, trust me. Watch and learn! I picked up the copy of the read sheet for the interviewees and asked Anthony to make me eleven copies. He swished his hips in his tight jeans as he walked to the copier. He brought them back to me in a flash. I handed them out to the interviewees.

I explained to them. As you are aware this is an interviewing position. What you will be doing is reading surveys off of a computer monitor and punching in the responses. Most of the questions are multiple choice and some are open ended where you have to type in their responses. If you can’t read or type adequately this is not the job for you. I looked at everyone to see if anyone wanted to leave. They all stayed.

The sheet that I gave you has two paragraphs on it no more difficult than what you’ll be reading in the surveys. I made eye contact with all of them. When I point to you I want you to start reading and keep reading until you finish both paragraphs.

I pointed to the first guy sitting next to the door. He looked like Wesley Snipes in Blade with his crispy haircut, leather jacket, sunglasses and shiny shoes. He started reading. When he finished his first sentence I pointed to the older man sitting next to him and he started reading.

When he finished his first sentence I pointed to the young lady with the pretty smile and she started reading. She was stumbling through her words. I didn’t even wait for her to finish that first sentence before I pointed to the next person, from there, on and on until I had them all reading at once. When I had heard enough, I stopped them and took the read sheets from them.

I had four of them step forward. As I said, most of what you’ll be doing is reading from a monitor. Unfortunately you folks had a little too much difficulty with these two paragraphs for me to be able to hire you. I motioned toward the door. You can leave now.

The young lady with the pretty smile didn’t leave. She looked at me with sad eyes. I could tell that she really needed the job.

I was nervous, if I can study it overnight I will come back tomorrow and I’ll get it right. she said.

I can’t do that. We have different surveys every day. We pay folks to interview the respondents, not to study the surveys. Tighten up your reading skills and come back again for another interview.

Anthony sat back in his chair and watched the show.

I explained to the rest of them Most of the time we pay an hourly rate of eight dollars hour. On some occasions we pay by the survey. When I was on the phones my best was twenty-two, fifty an hour.

That was all that three of the rest of them needed to hear. They got up, gathered their things and headed for the door. That included the Wesley Snipes looking guy. I was disappointed. I would have done him in a minute. I looked over at Anthony and I could tell he was checking him too, his stare at his backside lingered a little too long as he walked out of the door.

He read so well, he probably would have gotten a promotion in no time. I