June, year 4
Getting yourself organized after a long period of letting things sit unattended is a very daunting task. I kept thinking there had to be a good reason for stopping, but it all came down to excuses—too tired, not in the mood, something really good on TV, a video game that needed to be beaten. Looking back, my free time was devoted to avoiding doing something that in the long run I really enjoy. I make no sense. After six months, though, I was ready to start looking for a publisher.
“What did you think of it?” I asked Rivi excitedly over the phone.
“I haven’t had a lot of time with this conference and all, but I did read most of it.”
“How far did you get?”
“A couple of pages in, but it’s real good.”
I laughed. “Most of it is not a couple of pages. You sure you want to read it?”
“Definitely.”
“I have you to thank, at least, for getting me motivated to finish it.”
“Make sure you include me on the dedication page.”
“I’m serious. You deserve a lot of credit. Also, it turned out great that you stuck around.”
“They made me a real good offer. When I come back, though, I pack up my desk, and you’ll probably never see me again.”
“I know. I’ve gotten used to this part over the years. Actually, did Alison tell you Wren was in town?”
“I never met her, but Alison definitely had a lot to say.”
“I bet she did. Anything positive?”
Rivi laughed. “I don’t recall.”
“That sounds like her. So, what have you been up to out in Vegas? Anything fun happening?”
“Well, we have been working fourteen-hour days.”
“Are you going to try and tell me that leaving four days ahead of time and returning two days after the meeting is over left you with no free time?”
“It’s been a nonstop party. Is that what you want to hear?”
“I want the truth somewhere in the middle.”
“Fine. We went out almost every night. Some of the members have deep pockets and are very generous.”
“That sounds more realistic.”
“The trouble with Vegas is keeping the members engaged in association business. This group is bad enough when we go somewhere boring. Throw in blinking lights, booze, and it’s like herding cats.”
“Did you get to see any shows?”
There was silence for a moment. “I really shouldn’t be telling you this, but it’s hard to resist.”
“When you frame it up like that, you can’t not tell me. Go ahead.”
“It seems that those in the cluster always find a way to go to our meetings when they are in places like this. This time they convinced the man from Nevada to go too. Well, someone had the bright idea to get a bunch of us to go to a show together. He told someone to order tickets for one of those acrobatic-themed ones. Sounded like a good thing to do, and we were all excited.”
“Okay, what happened?” I asked.
“We all get in our seats, and the lights go dim. In the shadows, we could see a bunch of people walking into place, and the lights went back up slowly. It was a really good show.”
“That’s it?”
“Oh, that’s right. I forgot to mention something. They were topless, all of them. Some were barely covered at all. Imagine how uncomfortable it was sitting next to the owner of your company. Add on top of that some of the board members from the association were with us on his recommendation.”
“Did he have no idea?”
“He didn’t order the tickets, someone else got them. Probably someone from the hotel. We sat there trying to act like professionals and not squirm uncomfortably. It was like watching an adult movie with my parents.”
“Were you all sworn to secrecy?”
“Almost. It was like we all had to smile awkwardly at each other and say how different it was from what we expected.”
“What did Alison do?”
“She was doing damage control with a few of the more prudish guys, but nothing came out of it. At least nothing I heard about.”
“Wow, that’s a good one.”
“Have you spoken to Alison today?”
“No,” I said, concerned. “Is there a problem?”
“She’s been having a few rough days, and I think it would be good for you to call her.”
“Going to give me a clue?”
“The board meetings have been used to focus on everything we could have done better. I don’t mind it too much since I’m on my way out, but they are not telling us kindly.”
“We work for the external exec. Is he getting beat up too?”
“He uses the opportunity to selectively throw us under the bus. There are times when he’s told us the board wanted something. We spent the time to do it only to find out it was simply a pet project he wanted. Time is money. To them we are wasting the association’s money.”
“Does she present it the correct way to them?”
“Hard to do that, but she’s trying hard to show the value we add. In the end, it’s all a ploy to not pay us more until we better prove ourselves.”
I sighed. “I am so glad that the machines I manage never pull that type of stunt. Drama like that would make me want to punch one.”
“Alison is quite capable of giving as good as she gets, and in kind. They thump the table. She pounds a gavel.”
“Really?”
“Sure, they pack us one with all our meeting supplies.” “There is so much I don’t know about what goes on when you’re on-site.”
“It can get lively at times.”
“So, I should give her a call then? Is there anything else you’re not telling me?”
Rivi went quiet again. “Where are you going with your relationship?”
“I don’t know. She’s been very unavailable while prepping for the meeting. I’ve been writing, so it didn’t bother me too much. First time running a meeting this big for a new client demands a lot of time. I was planning on talking it through when she returns. You’re coming home tomorrow early, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Are you telling me she’s already made some sort of decision?”
“I don’t know, but she’s been storming off to take some screaming match calls.”
“It’s probably her mom getting on her nerves.”
“It’s not her family. It’s some guy, but I don’t know who. If it’s not you, then you might want to know what’s going on. I thought you should know.”
“I appreciate that. What am I going to do when you leave?”
“Hopefully, you’ll sort it all out tomorrow.”
“Could you imagine that?” I laughed. “A real solution to the problem that is Alison.”
“In the end, what do you want?”
I’ve thought about that question for a very long time. “I want us both to be happy. If we can’t be a couple, at least I want to be friends.”
Rivi laughed. “You are a nice guy. I hope you get that nice- guy ending.”
“What chances do you give me?”
“Less than half. More like a 20 percent chance.”
“Does that include Alison being happy with the outcome?”
“Both happy? Best to bet against yourself. It’s the only way to walk away with your shirt.”
“Now I need you to be honest. No more joking. Should I tell her it’s over?”
“Don’t make me be the one to tell you.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. I haven’t found a person yet to tell me to invest more emotion and energy in her. Devoting my extra time in someone, or anything, really, with no hope of a positive return, is downright foolish. If I try to make it big as an author, I won’t have much more to give her.”
“You see it as an either-or situation?”
“Maybe.”
Rivi was silent again. “Who else has read your stuff?”
“Are you trying to tell me something?”
She laughed. “No, I was hoping you weren’t solely relying on me to evaluate your work.”
“A few other people have read it. No one, however, seems to stay committed to it. Some people stop talking to me like I’ll be mad at them. I just want honest feedback.”
“Don’t give up.”
“Hard to push that thought out sometimes.”
“Trust me, I know this will work out for you.”
“Do you believe that as strongly as it not working out with Alison?”
“You’re breaking up. The call is going to get dropped soon. My battery is almost empty.”
“Okay, I get it. I will call her in a few minutes. Is she nearby?”
“Last I heard, she went back to her room to check e-mail and pack. Sounds like a good time to catch her alone.”
“Hey, thanks for being a good friend while we worked together. If you ever need anything, make sure you get it touch.”
“Same to you, Derrick. Have an awesome life.”
I am pretty sure I will see Rivi at least one more time, and while her good-bye was comforting, it felt very final. After hanging up, I stretched out on the bed and tried to relax. Calling Alison without a reason is not something I do. She doesn’t like talking for a long time. Hopefully, this call would be different.
“I’m coming home tomorrow. What do you want to talk about tonight?” Alison started off saying when we finally connected.
“Well, hello to you too. I wanted to see how you’re doing.”
“Fine.”
“Fine, it’s okay to see how you are doing or you are fine?”
“I am not in the mood to play your little games. I’m packing now and want to turn in early.”
“Did you take any good pictures with your phone?” I know she loves doing that, so I hoped to prolong the call and get her truly engaged.
“Actually, I did. I’ll show you when I get back.”
“Can’t you send me some? Did you post them online?”
“They are still on my phone.”
“I could see them online if you still have your phone set up like I showed you.”
“You know I don’t mess with the settings. I guess you can see them then. Do I have to do anything?”
“Hold on, let me grab my laptop,” I said, launching myself off the bed. Running downstairs, I snatched my workbag, waved to the kids playing on the living room floor, and vaulted back upstairs again. Having a machine to use at home, along with fast Internet access, allowed me to work nights, weekends, and holidays—a deal too good for me to pass up. “Almost ready,” I said, sitting cross-legged on the bed.
“What do I have to do?” she asked again.
“Give me a second while it boots up.” It’s interesting how long a computer takes when you are watching it intently. “All I have to do is go to that site I told you, and I’ll be able to see them.”
“No one else can see them, right?”
“That’s correct. They would need to know your username and password.”
“Oh.”
“Is that a problem?”
“No, I changed my password recently.”
“Well, then I won’t be able to see them either unless you trust me with your new one. Care to tell me?”
She laughed. “I guess I have to, don’t I?”
“No, we can wait until you get home to show me.”
“No, it’s okay. You ready?”
“Good ahead, what’s your password?”
“The first three letters are capitals ILU.”
“Right, go ahead.”
“Little v, and then the number 3.”
“Got it.”
“Then the rest is little d, big A, little s, with an exclamation mark on the end.”
I laughed. “Why did you make it so difficult?”
“It wanted a capital letter, lowercase letter, number, and a symbol. I thought it would be easy to remember.”
“I’m glad you think so. Well, I’ll tell my browser to save it so I won’t need to type it again.”
“You did see it right?”
“Well, it makes little black dots after I type in each letter, so not really.”
She sighed. “You are slower than your computer. Well, can you see them now?”
“They’re coming up now. Wow, you sure take a lot of pictures. They look real good.” I looked through a whole bunch of the hotel they stayed at, several from the clubs they partied at, and a couple of the staff doing their jobs, surrounded by members.
“The place we are staying at is wonderful. Someday you’ll have to come out here and check it out.”
“Maybe the association will spring for me to come on-site to help set up your registration desk or something. As long as I can be on my own after that, I’d be willing to take one for the team.”
“We definitely had a good time.”
“I called Rivi about my book right before this.”
“Okay,” Alison said slowly.
“She said it’s been a little rough too.”
“Not sure what that means.”
“Really? The board’s been a little harsh on our company’s performance.”
“Yeah, that’s nothing. It’s how they bargain our fees down. That doesn’t bother me at all.”
While we were talking, I kept looking through the pictures. “Why do you keep taking pictures of that one car?”
“What?” she asked casually.
“There’s a bunch of some guy too, with a beard. What’s going on, Alison? Is that Mr. Tuesday?”
She hesitated. “You’ve never seen him before, have you? Sure, that’s Mr. Tuesday and his car.”
“Did he follow you to Vegas?”
She laughed. “No. Those are older. There are some from text messages I saved too. Those are recent.”
“Is he stalking you?”
“It’s no big deal. They’re just pictures.”
“Have you told him to stop? Do you want him to send you stuff?” I was mad and very concerned.
“I am taking care of this myself.”
“Did your mother put him up to this?”
“Hey,” she said loudly. “Do you trust me?”
“I do.”
“Good, he will not ever be a problem again very soon.”
“Now that doesn’t sound very comforting.”
“It has been a very taxing trip these last few days. I will admit that. I think it’s time that I hang up and talk to you tomorrow when I get home. Is that okay?”
I wanted to keep talking, but maybe it was better to see her in person to do it. “Sure. I look forward to seeing you soon. How are you getting home from the airport?”
“Not you, obviously,” she said, getting in her digs.
“Funny, but I can get you if you want.”
“Polly?”
“No, Wren.”
“Are you serious?”
“She’s in town, and we’re hanging out early. You get in around two or three, right?”
“My dad’s going to get me, but thanks for the offer.”
“Promise me you’ll call the moment you want me to stop over.”
“You’ll be the first to know.”
For some reason, I didn’t believe her as I returned to combing through her pictures.