Gabe did, and we both walked through the glass doors.
“So what did you want to talk about?” he asked, scanning the parking lot for my car. I pointed over to the back corner of the lot, suddenly realizing that we were parked only two cars away from one another. We walked in that direction, still moving slowly.
“Well, do you have an extra minute?” I asked. “I have a notebook in the car. It’s just an RI thing.”
“Oh.” He kept his hands in his pockets and his eyes focused on the ground. “Okay, yeah. What kind of thing?”
“Just an event proposal,” I said. “Lashell left early last night, so I didn’t have a chance to talk to her. I know we’re getting close to the end, and I have a really great idea. I just thought that maybe you could look over what I’ve outlined, give me some feedback.”
We stopped off at my car, and I reached in the backseat to grab my bag. I threw it up on the hood, unzipped the largest pocket, and opened it, but the notebook was gone.
“Oh,” I said, closing my eyes. I could’ve sworn I’d packed it last night before I left for the church. “It’s not here.”
Okay. Think . Where was the last place I had it? I put together a list of ideas in the notebook, called Julia and the library, printed off a mock-flier at home, and then dropped both of them in the bag before I headed out to the—
“It’s okay,” he said, glancing down at his watch. “I don’t need to see anything, just tell me what you had in mind. What’s your plan?”
“Oh, okay, sure,” I said, taking a few deep breaths. Crap ! This is exactly why I hadn’t pitched it in the first place! I needed those visual aids to help me through my presentation, to really drive the point home. I couldn’t believe I’d lost them! “Because we’re running short on time, I wanted to guarantee as many days as we could to advertise the event. I was thinking of maybe doing it the last Thursday of the program. The 17th.”
He shook his head. “That won’t work. We already have an event that night.”
“We do?” I asked, but then I quickly shook it off. “It doesn’t matter. Any night will work. I wasn’t married to the idea. I’m just spit-balling here.”
“What’s the event?”
“Well, as I’m sure you’re aware,” I started, trying to steady my nervous breath, “the Sugar Creek Public Library cut funding to the children’s reading program last year.”
He scrunched his brow and tilted his head back, watching me from the corner of his eye.
“I know that one of the big aims for the Raddick Initiative is community outreach,” I said. “I thought we could host a kid’s reading night at the local library. It’ll be something very similar to the program they used to run, but it’ll be completely volunteer-generated. The library’s already agreed to lending the space and books. I’ve secured refreshments. Even with a short amount of time to generate some buzz, if we can gather up a small group of kids, it’ll be amazing. If the first night goes well, then maybe we can continue after the RI program adjourns. I’m excited. I mean, I met this one little girl— ”
“Mandy, just stop,” he said, putting his hand up. “I don’t know what’s going on here. I don’t know if you’re working as a team and you guys got your wires crossed, or if great minds really do think alike, but Lashell already approved this idea last night. ”
“No, no she left before—”
“Carla proposed the event yesterday evening. We’ve already agreed. It’s a great idea.”
“She what ?”
Oh—my—God. I looked back down to my empty book bag and closed my eyes. I’d left it hanging in the kitchen while I worked the line out front last night. I’d left my coat, my purse, my bag—all of my plans for my big proposal—right there, right within her reach. And she’d taken it.
“Listen, I hate to cut this short, but I’ve gotta run,” he said, looking down to his watch again. “Fletcher’s
“So what did you want to talk about?” he asked, scanning the parking lot for my car. I pointed over to the back corner of the lot, suddenly realizing that we were parked only two cars away from one another. We walked in that direction, still moving slowly.
“Well, do you have an extra minute?” I asked. “I have a notebook in the car. It’s just an RI thing.”
“Oh.” He kept his hands in his pockets and his eyes focused on the ground. “Okay, yeah. What kind of thing?”
“Just an event proposal,” I said. “Lashell left early last night, so I didn’t have a chance to talk to her. I know we’re getting close to the end, and I have a really great idea. I just thought that maybe you could look over what I’ve outlined, give me some feedback.”
We stopped off at my car, and I reached in the backseat to grab my bag. I threw it up on the hood, unzipped the largest pocket, and opened it, but the notebook was gone.
“Oh,” I said, closing my eyes. I could’ve sworn I’d packed it last night before I left for the church. “It’s not here.”
Okay. Think . Where was the last place I had it? I put together a list of ideas in the notebook, called Julia and the library, printed off a mock-flier at home, and then dropped both of them in the bag before I headed out to the—
“It’s okay,” he said, glancing down at his watch. “I don’t need to see anything, just tell me what you had in mind. What’s your plan?”
“Oh, okay, sure,” I said, taking a few deep breaths. Crap ! This is exactly why I hadn’t pitched it in the first place! I needed those visual aids to help me through my presentation, to really drive the point home. I couldn’t believe I’d lost them! “Because we’re running short on time, I wanted to guarantee as many days as we could to advertise the event. I was thinking of maybe doing it the last Thursday of the program. The 17th.”
He shook his head. “That won’t work. We already have an event that night.”
“We do?” I asked, but then I quickly shook it off. “It doesn’t matter. Any night will work. I wasn’t married to the idea. I’m just spit-balling here.”
“What’s the event?”
“Well, as I’m sure you’re aware,” I started, trying to steady my nervous breath, “the Sugar Creek Public Library cut funding to the children’s reading program last year.”
He scrunched his brow and tilted his head back, watching me from the corner of his eye.
“I know that one of the big aims for the Raddick Initiative is community outreach,” I said. “I thought we could host a kid’s reading night at the local library. It’ll be something very similar to the program they used to run, but it’ll be completely volunteer-generated. The library’s already agreed to lending the space and books. I’ve secured refreshments. Even with a short amount of time to generate some buzz, if we can gather up a small group of kids, it’ll be amazing. If the first night goes well, then maybe we can continue after the RI program adjourns. I’m excited. I mean, I met this one little girl— ”
“Mandy, just stop,” he said, putting his hand up. “I don’t know what’s going on here. I don’t know if you’re working as a team and you guys got your wires crossed, or if great minds really do think alike, but Lashell already approved this idea last night. ”
“No, no she left before—”
“Carla proposed the event yesterday evening. We’ve already agreed. It’s a great idea.”
“She what ?”
Oh—my—God. I looked back down to my empty book bag and closed my eyes. I’d left it hanging in the kitchen while I worked the line out front last night. I’d left my coat, my purse, my bag—all of my plans for my big proposal—right there, right within her reach. And she’d taken it.
“Listen, I hate to cut this short, but I’ve gotta run,” he said, looking down to his watch again. “Fletcher’s
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