Post by Skye on Mar 1, 2011 21:52:11 GMT -5
(2 weeks ago)
“I wish you didn’t have to leave,” Allana looked at me and her mouth turned down in consternation, “I don’t have anyone to talk to about girl stuff.”
I understood what she meant, and gave her a quick assurance, “Anytime you need to talk about girl stuff, or anything else, you can call me. You have my number.”
“It’s not going to be the same.” She got that tone in her voice that young girls do, that slightly whiny, wheedling edge. It usually got her way with her dad. Her brows lowered, and her mouth began to form a pout. I saw I was going to have to make it clear, there was no option in this matter.
“No, it’s not going to be the same. But this was the deal with the job. I could have done the article just as easily from my own house Allana. Mr. Kennedy insisted that I stay here.” I smiled at her and lowered my voice, “And until you came back home, it wasn’t much fun being here.” She giggled at that, and I continued, “Anyway, you’ll see me at the shows. If you want to, you can hang with me ringside during your dad’s matches. And you’re always welcome in the ladies dressing room, as long as it’s okay with your dad.”
Her face brightened a little, “OK, maybe my dad will let me go shopping with you when I need new clothes and stuff.” She made a face like she’d just eaten something awful, “He has no taste when it comes to what girls wear.” It still amazed me how her moods could flip in seconds. I tried to remember if I had been like that when I was her age.
“That’s up to him.” I said as I stood up, “I’ve gotta go now. It’s late, you have school tomorrow, and I don’t want your dad mad at me for keeping you up.” I started for the door.
Allana rolled her eyes at her dad’s protectiveness since she’d been back. Already she was settling back to the routine of being a daughter, and chafing at being watched over so much. “I’m going to miss you, Skye.”
I smiled, she made it sound like I was going to the other side of the world, “I’ll miss seeing you so often, but I’m only a phone call away. Goodnight.”
“Night” She reluctantly slid beneath the covers and turned out the bedside lamp. I left the door open a crack as I pulled it shut behind me.
I walked into the living room and looked around, expecting to find Chris watching tapes of previous matches as usual. But the television was silent, and the room was dark except for one lamp. I could hear the wind outside, and the scratching of a branch on the side of the house. The moon was up, brightening the room from outside. I caught the faint creak of the porch swing under the sigh of the wind. He must be outside, thinking again, perhaps enjoying the smell of the freshly cut lawn. I shook my head, recalling the stunned look on the gardener’s face when he showed up to find his main job done. At least he had still gotten to trim the edges and the bushes.
I pushed open the screen door and walked over to Chris, “Okay, Allana is in bed. Are you sure you are okay with me heading home? I can stay if you need me to.” He had stopped the swing as he heard the screen door shut behind me.
Still not turning his head from the lawn before him, he spoke quietly. “I am fine, thank you. You have spent far too much time away from your family as it is. I think we will be okay now. I left a copy of the interview today by your bags.”
“I got it, thanks.” I didn’t bother to correct him. I had no family to spend time with. My grandparents were happy in their new senior apartment in Brentwood. I visited them every couple weeks and called often. Aunt Edna was on the other side of the country in Maine. God only knew where Toby was, or if I could even call him family anymore. I changed the subject, “It’s a perfect night out tonight.” I hesitated before I spoke next, not sure if it was appropriate, but decided to forge ahead anyway. We’d become somewhat friends over the past few months. “You know, I just want to say that I am proud of you.” I smiled as Chris raised an eyebrow at my statement. I went on, “You really have turned things around in your life. Allana is happy, I mean truly happy. The EUW has found a leader in you. I would dare say that you finally became the hero that everyone thought you were.” Realizing that all that might sound a bit too sappy, I cut myself short, “Well, I better go before it gets too late.”
“Take care, Skye.” He sat up and leaned his elbows on his knees, looking down a moment before speaking, “...and thank you.”
I walked to my bike, and made sure the copy of the interview was tucked securely into the saddlebag. When I got back ‘home’, I’d take notes from it to use in the final edits of my article. I hoped to have it on Kirk Kennedy’s desk A.S.A.P.
I slipped my arms into the leather jacket I’d left lying over the seat, picked up and put on my helmet, and mounted up. Starting up my bike, I waved a casual goodbye to Chris and took off down the driveway, I had a long trip ahead of me.
(February 24)
The pages were lying in a row on the dining table, snippets of text laid on top of plain paper along with printed out pictures. Sonny and I stood, hands on chins in the classic pondering pose, contemplating the layout of the Sabora article.
“I don’t know Skye. I’m not sure I like that photo there.” Sonny pointed to a picture of Chris standing in the Japanese Tea garden at Golden Gate Park, “Hell, I’m not sure I like that photo at all.”
I picked up the picture and substituted a different one. It was from a different locale in the same garden, “What about this one?” I looked at Sonny hopefully. I really liked the photos I had taken in the tea garden. It was the closest I could get to pictures of Chris in a Japanese setting like he had grown up in.
“Hmmm, that’s a better shot, but I still am not sure about where it is on the page.” His critical eye was usually infallible, so I counted on Sonny to help me get this right. He leaned over the table and adjusted some of the clippings and the photo, “What about like this?”
“Ahhh, now I see what you meant. Totally better. Yeah, I like this a lot better.” I grinned up at my buddy, then looked back at the page again, re-reading my words, and tracing the article with my finger. “The article flows from one paragraph to the next better as well.” I started taping down the clippings and photo to preserve the layout when I went back to my computer with it.
Sonny was already looking at the next page, he nodded his approval and side stepped to the third page, “Wow, you really found a lot of information on him, didn’t you?”
“Well, Sabora’s been competing practically since he was able to walk,” I laughed, “Finding the information wasn’t that easy, but hey, I’m good at digging. Good pictures were even harder to come by. I finally ended mostly taking my own.”
“I like that better, makes the article more yours, rather than a rehash.” Sonny pointed to the fourth page, “I think this text needs to be above that photo, rather than beside it.” He moved it over, to show me, “What do you think?”
“You’re right as usual. What would I do without you, Sonny?” I slipped my arm around his waist and gave him a squeeze. “So, pages two and three look alright to you?”
“Good as gold, Sweets, good as gold, and page four now as well, that is, if you like that idea I just showed you.” Sonny turned and looked out the window into the back yard. “You’ve been busy doing more than editing since you got back. You already got most of the weeds pulled out there.”
I was busy taping down bits of paper on the pages, and knew what the back yard looked like, so I didn’t bother turning around, “Yeah well, you know how gardening calms me. The weather has been decent, so when I can’t stand the emptiness, and this project has me in knots, I go out and work on bringing the yard back into shape.”
“You should take some photos of your flowers. You know, for shows, and maybe to sell. That’s really in now, people hanging close ups of plants on their walls.” Sonny had turned away from the window and come back to the table to look over the final two pages of the article. “Six pages… do you think any of it will be cut?”
I mused on his question, “I don’t know. I’ve thought about it, and am going to block out for myself which parts would be best to cut if need be.” I grinned up at Sonny, “I get to choose what gets cut if it comes down to it. I’ll probably go over it with Sabora first, to see what he prefers.”
Sonny’s phone rang, and he pulled it from his pocket with a smile, obviously recognizing the ringtone. “Hi Hon! No, I didn’t forget.” He rolled his eyes at me, “I’m just getting ready to walk out the door now. Yes, I’ll tell her. See you soon.” He pressed [End Call]. “Kenny sends his love. And I need to dash, can’t be late for our dinner date.”
“Tell him I said hi back, and Sonny, thank you so much for your help today.” I smiled, thankful that I had such a good friend. We walked to the door, and I watched as he got into his powder blue mustang. He backed carefully down the driveway, but as soon as he was straightened out, he tore off down the street like he was in a drag race. I shook my head, laughing, as I shut the door and went back to the dining room.
I gathered the pages from the table, and took them to the room Toby and I used as an office. I flipped on the light as I entered, and laid the pages on the desk, pressing the power button on my laptop with my free hand. While it booted up, I went back to the kitchen for a soda and a snack, I’d need it to get through the online layout process.
Three hours and two more sodas later, I had the layout done and ready for Kirk Kennedy. I hoped he wouldn’t want too many changes. I leaned back and stretched in my chair. YAY! First draft ready for the boss to look at. I saved, and then located a blank CD, and saved to the CD. I printed out three copies in color of the draft version. One copy each for me, Kennedy, and Sabora. Slipping their copies into envelopes, I smiled with satisfaction at a job well done. I’d worked hard on this project. This called for a celebration, but who to celebrate with?
I decided to call Annette and see if she and Cole wanted to get pizza or something. Or maybe I would go hang out at the Devil’s Due tavern. It would feel a little bit like family anyway.
(After SNV, February 27)
Son of a bitch! That monster won in the name of the Empire’s monster, Rivera! God… the company was in trouble now. Even I could see that, and I didn’t get much involved with the business end of things. How could people believe that Kirk Kennedy had arranged the attack on his kid? Dante’s video brought a measure of hope, but it sure was looking like Rivera stopped at nothing to get his way. I sighed and went to change my clothes, I wanted to get out of there as fast as I could. My head was spinning.
Sarah Thompson was in the ladies dressing room, touching up her makeup prior to looking for after show interviews. Our eyes met in the mirror and she noticed my mood immediately. “I’m guessing you’re not too pleased with the outcome.” Her eyes questioned, even though she had phrased it as a statement.
I smiled crookedly at her reflection, “I’d like it a lot if you’d keep my opinions off the record, but yeah, not happy about it.” I walked closer, moving to stand next to her at the mirror.
“Wa.. bou ..oby comi-g bck?” She said around the lipstick she was applying. Pulling the tube away from her mouth, she finished, “I’d think you’d be looking forward to that.”
Taking a deep breath, I leaned my hip against the counter, “Sarah, we had that conversation a couple weeks ago… and you saw the video tonight.” I paused, “OK, sure it was meant to scare Rivera and his stooges, and it takes a lot to do that, but still…”. After months of no communication, the first connections are not to me, but within the company, to the opposition.
“Still what?” Satisfied, Sarah put her lipstick in her makeup bag and rummaged until she found her mascara. I watched her, wondering how she could be so clueless sometimes, to not notice the undercurrents around here. Or perhaps she did, and just ignored them, because they didn’t affect her job one way or another. It was hard to tell sometimes if she was really as brainless as most of the guys seemed to think she was. I wasn’t going to remind her of my fears. I shifted the subject, instead, to other worries.
“Well, I don’t think Rivera likes me much. If he stays in charge long, I’m not sure that article I wrote will be accepted. Hell, I might not even have a job here!” I bit my lower lip in consternation.
“I can’t imagine he’ll fire you, you’ve become pretty popular with the fans.” She didn’t look at me as she said this, instead focusing on not sticking her mascara wand in her eye.
She took one last look in the mirror, put her mascara in the bag and zipped it shut. Turning away, she tossed it casually in her locker and headed towards the door. “Skye, it will all turn out all right, you can’t give up hope now.”
So, she had noticed my changing the subject. I watched the door close behind her, leaving me to contemplate her words. Unfortunately, with everything that was happening, it was really hard to keep holding on to hope.
“I wish you didn’t have to leave,” Allana looked at me and her mouth turned down in consternation, “I don’t have anyone to talk to about girl stuff.”
I understood what she meant, and gave her a quick assurance, “Anytime you need to talk about girl stuff, or anything else, you can call me. You have my number.”
“It’s not going to be the same.” She got that tone in her voice that young girls do, that slightly whiny, wheedling edge. It usually got her way with her dad. Her brows lowered, and her mouth began to form a pout. I saw I was going to have to make it clear, there was no option in this matter.
“No, it’s not going to be the same. But this was the deal with the job. I could have done the article just as easily from my own house Allana. Mr. Kennedy insisted that I stay here.” I smiled at her and lowered my voice, “And until you came back home, it wasn’t much fun being here.” She giggled at that, and I continued, “Anyway, you’ll see me at the shows. If you want to, you can hang with me ringside during your dad’s matches. And you’re always welcome in the ladies dressing room, as long as it’s okay with your dad.”
Her face brightened a little, “OK, maybe my dad will let me go shopping with you when I need new clothes and stuff.” She made a face like she’d just eaten something awful, “He has no taste when it comes to what girls wear.” It still amazed me how her moods could flip in seconds. I tried to remember if I had been like that when I was her age.
“That’s up to him.” I said as I stood up, “I’ve gotta go now. It’s late, you have school tomorrow, and I don’t want your dad mad at me for keeping you up.” I started for the door.
Allana rolled her eyes at her dad’s protectiveness since she’d been back. Already she was settling back to the routine of being a daughter, and chafing at being watched over so much. “I’m going to miss you, Skye.”
I smiled, she made it sound like I was going to the other side of the world, “I’ll miss seeing you so often, but I’m only a phone call away. Goodnight.”
“Night” She reluctantly slid beneath the covers and turned out the bedside lamp. I left the door open a crack as I pulled it shut behind me.
I walked into the living room and looked around, expecting to find Chris watching tapes of previous matches as usual. But the television was silent, and the room was dark except for one lamp. I could hear the wind outside, and the scratching of a branch on the side of the house. The moon was up, brightening the room from outside. I caught the faint creak of the porch swing under the sigh of the wind. He must be outside, thinking again, perhaps enjoying the smell of the freshly cut lawn. I shook my head, recalling the stunned look on the gardener’s face when he showed up to find his main job done. At least he had still gotten to trim the edges and the bushes.
I pushed open the screen door and walked over to Chris, “Okay, Allana is in bed. Are you sure you are okay with me heading home? I can stay if you need me to.” He had stopped the swing as he heard the screen door shut behind me.
Still not turning his head from the lawn before him, he spoke quietly. “I am fine, thank you. You have spent far too much time away from your family as it is. I think we will be okay now. I left a copy of the interview today by your bags.”
“I got it, thanks.” I didn’t bother to correct him. I had no family to spend time with. My grandparents were happy in their new senior apartment in Brentwood. I visited them every couple weeks and called often. Aunt Edna was on the other side of the country in Maine. God only knew where Toby was, or if I could even call him family anymore. I changed the subject, “It’s a perfect night out tonight.” I hesitated before I spoke next, not sure if it was appropriate, but decided to forge ahead anyway. We’d become somewhat friends over the past few months. “You know, I just want to say that I am proud of you.” I smiled as Chris raised an eyebrow at my statement. I went on, “You really have turned things around in your life. Allana is happy, I mean truly happy. The EUW has found a leader in you. I would dare say that you finally became the hero that everyone thought you were.” Realizing that all that might sound a bit too sappy, I cut myself short, “Well, I better go before it gets too late.”
“Take care, Skye.” He sat up and leaned his elbows on his knees, looking down a moment before speaking, “...and thank you.”
I walked to my bike, and made sure the copy of the interview was tucked securely into the saddlebag. When I got back ‘home’, I’d take notes from it to use in the final edits of my article. I hoped to have it on Kirk Kennedy’s desk A.S.A.P.
I slipped my arms into the leather jacket I’d left lying over the seat, picked up and put on my helmet, and mounted up. Starting up my bike, I waved a casual goodbye to Chris and took off down the driveway, I had a long trip ahead of me.
●
(February 24)
The pages were lying in a row on the dining table, snippets of text laid on top of plain paper along with printed out pictures. Sonny and I stood, hands on chins in the classic pondering pose, contemplating the layout of the Sabora article.
“I don’t know Skye. I’m not sure I like that photo there.” Sonny pointed to a picture of Chris standing in the Japanese Tea garden at Golden Gate Park, “Hell, I’m not sure I like that photo at all.”
I picked up the picture and substituted a different one. It was from a different locale in the same garden, “What about this one?” I looked at Sonny hopefully. I really liked the photos I had taken in the tea garden. It was the closest I could get to pictures of Chris in a Japanese setting like he had grown up in.
“Hmmm, that’s a better shot, but I still am not sure about where it is on the page.” His critical eye was usually infallible, so I counted on Sonny to help me get this right. He leaned over the table and adjusted some of the clippings and the photo, “What about like this?”
“Ahhh, now I see what you meant. Totally better. Yeah, I like this a lot better.” I grinned up at my buddy, then looked back at the page again, re-reading my words, and tracing the article with my finger. “The article flows from one paragraph to the next better as well.” I started taping down the clippings and photo to preserve the layout when I went back to my computer with it.
Sonny was already looking at the next page, he nodded his approval and side stepped to the third page, “Wow, you really found a lot of information on him, didn’t you?”
“Well, Sabora’s been competing practically since he was able to walk,” I laughed, “Finding the information wasn’t that easy, but hey, I’m good at digging. Good pictures were even harder to come by. I finally ended mostly taking my own.”
“I like that better, makes the article more yours, rather than a rehash.” Sonny pointed to the fourth page, “I think this text needs to be above that photo, rather than beside it.” He moved it over, to show me, “What do you think?”
“You’re right as usual. What would I do without you, Sonny?” I slipped my arm around his waist and gave him a squeeze. “So, pages two and three look alright to you?”
“Good as gold, Sweets, good as gold, and page four now as well, that is, if you like that idea I just showed you.” Sonny turned and looked out the window into the back yard. “You’ve been busy doing more than editing since you got back. You already got most of the weeds pulled out there.”
I was busy taping down bits of paper on the pages, and knew what the back yard looked like, so I didn’t bother turning around, “Yeah well, you know how gardening calms me. The weather has been decent, so when I can’t stand the emptiness, and this project has me in knots, I go out and work on bringing the yard back into shape.”
“You should take some photos of your flowers. You know, for shows, and maybe to sell. That’s really in now, people hanging close ups of plants on their walls.” Sonny had turned away from the window and come back to the table to look over the final two pages of the article. “Six pages… do you think any of it will be cut?”
I mused on his question, “I don’t know. I’ve thought about it, and am going to block out for myself which parts would be best to cut if need be.” I grinned up at Sonny, “I get to choose what gets cut if it comes down to it. I’ll probably go over it with Sabora first, to see what he prefers.”
Sonny’s phone rang, and he pulled it from his pocket with a smile, obviously recognizing the ringtone. “Hi Hon! No, I didn’t forget.” He rolled his eyes at me, “I’m just getting ready to walk out the door now. Yes, I’ll tell her. See you soon.” He pressed [End Call]. “Kenny sends his love. And I need to dash, can’t be late for our dinner date.”
“Tell him I said hi back, and Sonny, thank you so much for your help today.” I smiled, thankful that I had such a good friend. We walked to the door, and I watched as he got into his powder blue mustang. He backed carefully down the driveway, but as soon as he was straightened out, he tore off down the street like he was in a drag race. I shook my head, laughing, as I shut the door and went back to the dining room.
I gathered the pages from the table, and took them to the room Toby and I used as an office. I flipped on the light as I entered, and laid the pages on the desk, pressing the power button on my laptop with my free hand. While it booted up, I went back to the kitchen for a soda and a snack, I’d need it to get through the online layout process.
Three hours and two more sodas later, I had the layout done and ready for Kirk Kennedy. I hoped he wouldn’t want too many changes. I leaned back and stretched in my chair. YAY! First draft ready for the boss to look at. I saved, and then located a blank CD, and saved to the CD. I printed out three copies in color of the draft version. One copy each for me, Kennedy, and Sabora. Slipping their copies into envelopes, I smiled with satisfaction at a job well done. I’d worked hard on this project. This called for a celebration, but who to celebrate with?
I decided to call Annette and see if she and Cole wanted to get pizza or something. Or maybe I would go hang out at the Devil’s Due tavern. It would feel a little bit like family anyway.
•
(After SNV, February 27)
Son of a bitch! That monster won in the name of the Empire’s monster, Rivera! God… the company was in trouble now. Even I could see that, and I didn’t get much involved with the business end of things. How could people believe that Kirk Kennedy had arranged the attack on his kid? Dante’s video brought a measure of hope, but it sure was looking like Rivera stopped at nothing to get his way. I sighed and went to change my clothes, I wanted to get out of there as fast as I could. My head was spinning.
Sarah Thompson was in the ladies dressing room, touching up her makeup prior to looking for after show interviews. Our eyes met in the mirror and she noticed my mood immediately. “I’m guessing you’re not too pleased with the outcome.” Her eyes questioned, even though she had phrased it as a statement.
I smiled crookedly at her reflection, “I’d like it a lot if you’d keep my opinions off the record, but yeah, not happy about it.” I walked closer, moving to stand next to her at the mirror.
“Wa.. bou ..oby comi-g bck?” She said around the lipstick she was applying. Pulling the tube away from her mouth, she finished, “I’d think you’d be looking forward to that.”
Taking a deep breath, I leaned my hip against the counter, “Sarah, we had that conversation a couple weeks ago… and you saw the video tonight.” I paused, “OK, sure it was meant to scare Rivera and his stooges, and it takes a lot to do that, but still…”. After months of no communication, the first connections are not to me, but within the company, to the opposition.
“Still what?” Satisfied, Sarah put her lipstick in her makeup bag and rummaged until she found her mascara. I watched her, wondering how she could be so clueless sometimes, to not notice the undercurrents around here. Or perhaps she did, and just ignored them, because they didn’t affect her job one way or another. It was hard to tell sometimes if she was really as brainless as most of the guys seemed to think she was. I wasn’t going to remind her of my fears. I shifted the subject, instead, to other worries.
“Well, I don’t think Rivera likes me much. If he stays in charge long, I’m not sure that article I wrote will be accepted. Hell, I might not even have a job here!” I bit my lower lip in consternation.
“I can’t imagine he’ll fire you, you’ve become pretty popular with the fans.” She didn’t look at me as she said this, instead focusing on not sticking her mascara wand in her eye.
She took one last look in the mirror, put her mascara in the bag and zipped it shut. Turning away, she tossed it casually in her locker and headed towards the door. “Skye, it will all turn out all right, you can’t give up hope now.”
So, she had noticed my changing the subject. I watched the door close behind her, leaving me to contemplate her words. Unfortunately, with everything that was happening, it was really hard to keep holding on to hope.
