Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 77220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
I’ll be there.
Even now my heart skipped a beat as I remembered how nervous I’d been all day after sending the email. Robert had been the first to respond and we spoke briefly. He seemed pleased to come and help, but there was no response from Max. I had already given up on him by the time I heard the ping of my phone at well past midnight. I had half a mind to ignore it until morning, but given the nature of the messages I’d been getting, it could have been someone in Japan who was just waking up to my message. So I reached for my phone to check, but the last thing I expected was to see a response from him.
I’ll be there.
The three words burned into my subconscious. And I had been nervous ever since.
“He’s just another alumnus, Sav. No big deal.”
“Ha! But I gave this ‘just another alumnus’ my freaking virginity, planned to have a bunch of babies, and be with him for the rest of my life.”
Forcefully, I killed all thoughts of Max and concentrated on what needed to be done.
By the time I pulled into the staff parking lot, I was all business again. The morning sun lit the Ferris wheel and here and there tents dotted the field in between other rides which had been set up last night. Even now, I saw more trailers drive into the site as last-minute rides and tents were being positioned and secured.
I stepped out and was glad I had chosen to wear low boots rather than sneakers. The ground was still soft from the days of rain and my sneakers would have sunk right into it. I tucked my black t-shirt into my jeans and smoothed my hands over my hips. My hair was not in the usual bun but hung behind me like a thick rope. The end twitched against my ass as I walked over to the staff tent where some of the other members of the committee were already gathered.
We had agreed that as the committee we needed to be there at least an hour before the volunteers and vendors. Stacey was busy sorting through t-shirts for the volunteers. We had come up with the idea of color-coding the shirts depending on the area in which persons would be working. The committee wore black with the word ‘STAFF’ printed on the back, while the other groups would wear their colors with words like ‘VOLUNTEER’ or ‘VENDOR’.
“Good morning, boss. Looking good!” Dayton greeted me with a bump on my shoulder. I smiled, pulled my cap out of my back pocket, and fished my braid through before pulling the visor down over my forehead.
“Good morning everyone. Are we ready to kick ass today?”
I was greeted with loud affirmative cheers as my team came up to high-five me.
“Come on, let’s make use of these few minutes of quiet before the chaos of the day starts with donuts and a cup of coffee.”
I’d only just brushed the crumbs of my donut off my jacket when the cotton candy merchant rolled in to take up her booth. After that it was a never-ending stream of vendors and volunteers. Even before the gates opened at nine, children, parents and other patrons started lining up.
It was non-stop activity all morning. The rides were packed and the food vendors did not have enough hands to sell their wares. It felt as though the whole city had turned out. I was constantly being introduced as the committee chair for the computer lab renovation project and had to explain to several potential donors where the proceeds would go. I’d anticipated this and had a fanny pack into which I placed checks, business cards and other pieces of paper with various bits of information.
At midday, I managed to sneak away with a hot dog and soda and wolfed it down in the privacy of my car. By my mental calculations with just the checks and promises in my fanny pack, we were almost sixty-five percent there. Then when we saw what we took in from our cut of the sales from the rides and food I was sure we would surpass our target. The committee had already decided that any surplus would go into renovating the playing fields.
I grabbed my bottle of water and ventured out into the fray once more. I could see the committee, vendors and volunteers constantly on the go. We were running at top speed and I knew we were tired, but it was worth it. I was already observing the proceedings today, noting gaps in the flow of the activities, and planning for next year to be even more organized with a bigger group of volunteers and a roster for relieving workers throughout the day.
I did not take another break until nearly four o’clock which was close to closing time. I wandered over to the Ferris wheel and tapped Monica on the shoulder.