The Assistant

Excitement coursed through Valencia as the final arrangements were made for Eliza's surprise retirement party. She had only known her for the month that Eliza oversaw her work but had quickly and easily grown fond of the older woman. She was patient, bold, caring, easy to talk to, and very laid back, considering the demanding job this was. Eliza was everything Valencia hoped to be someone like her someday. Before she left, Eliza was going to make sure that she left no stone unturned, and Eliza was going to make sure that Valencia knew exactly what she was doing before letting her take over.

By lunchtime, Eliza's wife, Selene, had arrived and patiently waited in the private parking lot with Mr. Ortiz's driver, Mr. Nuñez. The moment Eliza stepped into the elevator to head downstairs to grab their lunches, Valencia texted her, letting them know the coast was clear. The two of them quickly entered the hall with decorations and gifts in tow. Still needing to decorate the meeting room, Mr. Ortiz tried to do all he could to keep Eliza busy and away from the conference room. That way, Selene, Mr. Nuñez, and Valencia had time to adorn the room. As the day passed, Eliza began to sense something was happening in the office as she gave Mr. Ortiz and Valencia suspicious looks. It was a bit comical, and she was wasting her time trying to find something that wasn't there.

Even though the two of them were hiding something from her, it wasn't what Eliza believed it to be. There was no denying that Valencia wanted to have her way with Mr. Ortiz. Still, she also didn't want something so casual, and what she had not only witnessed but had been told by Eliza, casual, was all Mr. Ortiz was willing to offer. Valencia wasn't the man he was in love with, and his women were a dime a dozen. Maybe that was the vibe Eliza had been picking up on most of the time, but today, she was entirely off.

Balloons and streamers in her favorite colors bonded with the ceiling, while three vases full of her favorite flowers sat in the middle of the conference table, surrounded by her gifts. Eliza's Tres Leches Cake sat at the head of the table where she would be seated upon her arrival. As the day ended, Roman requested one more thing of her. She needed to meet him in the conference room to discuss one last thing with her. Eliza found it odd that he wanted to speak to her in the conference room of all places but agreed.

After collecting the last of her things, Eliza gave the entire office one last look and fought back the tears that had been trying to force their way down her cheeks the whole day. Eliza had promised herself she would not cry until she arrived home, but that plan fell through when she entered the conference room. Her eyes had gone wide, tears fell from her eyes, and her hands clutched at her chest.

"HAPPY RETIREMENT, ELIZA," they roared.

Selene ran to her wife's side, grabbed Eliza's hands, and led her toward the elongated table. Eliza's gaze scanned the room as she took it all in, placing a hand over her mouth in amazement. Mr. Nuñez rushed to her and handed her a handkerchief to dab at the tears that continued to fall. Eliza sat at the head of the table with a knot in her throat and a heart full.

"What is this? Selene, what are you doing here, my love?" She said through her fingers.

"Ms. Reyes called me this morning, and we arranged everything for you. It was Mr. Ortiz's idea; he planned it all, mi vida (my life). He knows you so well," she said as she sat next to Eliza, and tears fell from her eyes, too.

"After thirteen years, I had assumed you would pick up on my favorite colors, but how did you know that Alstroemerias were my favorite flower? Or that Tres Leches was my favorite cake?" Eliza's hand fell once more to her chest as if trying to keep her heart from bursting through her sternum.

Roman chuckled, "The colors were the easiest to notice as you wore them often, and if you found items in those shades, you bought them without a second thought. I knew Alstroemerias was your favorite because even though you didn't bring live plants into the office often when you did, it was always those, and you gave them the most attention," he pointed toward the vases. "As for the cake, you've only eaten it once, on a business trip we took to Mexico. Let's just say that your facial expressions and hushed moans spoke for you," he laughed.