by Tey Holden
The clinic was offering information to parents about their free services, and some of the personnel were checking children’s temperatures, eyesight, and other minor medical check-ups. The point of their booth was to attract low-income families, who couldn’t afford medical services, and also to show the public the kind of services the clinic offered to the community, and their need for funding through donations.
Although Kate worked for the hospital system, she was assigned one day a week to the clinic, and she also volunteered whenever she could. Kate had soon become well-liked and respected, not just for her work at the hospital, but also for her interest and fundraising activities for the children’s clinic.
Dannie, who was standing next to Wally, chuckled. “You know what, baby?”
“What’s that, babe?” Wally asked as her eyes scanned the crowd in front of them.
“I’d give anything to hear the interaction between Jo and Pam when that happens.”
Wally chuckled. “Me too. She has that stern look sometimes that kind of freezes people, doesn’t she? The guys at the project love her, but when she gives an order, they run. She’s fired like ten of them on the spot already.”
“And yet, we have more job applications than ever,” Dannie added and laughed. “She’s very sweet with Mellie, and Kate adores her.”
“Some of us have special skills that make our women adore us,” Wally added in jest.
“True, and that’s why you’re not moving an inch away from me while that bitch is around,” Dannie added.
“I reserve my special skills for you only. I thought there was no doubt about that.”
“I have no doubts about that, but I also know you and her, and I don’t want to find her with her hand down your pants claiming that she’s looking for a dime!”
“Oh, come on, Dan! Give me some credit! I’m not that naïve! I’m sure I could figure out where her hand would be going once she pulled my zipper down.”
Dannie looked at her with menacing eyes. “Yeah, and by then, it might just be too late. The bitch knows what she’s doing, and she’s quick!”
“Umm, what do you think Jo will tell her?” Wally asked, thinking that it was better to drop the subject regarding her.
“We’ll find out.”
“Not from her! She never talks about personal stuff.”
“No, but she tells Kate everything, and that’s how I’ll know. Come on, let’s join Bobby and Rachel. They’re over there,” Dannie said lacing her arm through Wally’s. Wally chuckled, loving Dannie’s claim on her.
As luck would have it, Wayne Gordon and his daughter approached Mayor Smith once again while Jo was talking to him.
“Ah, Wayne, I’d like you to meet Joelle McCallister.” Smith introduced her without any further reference to who she was, which gave Jo an indication that Gordon already knew about her.
Gordon extended his hand and Jo met him halfway. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. This here is my daughter Pam.” Pam extended her hand and Jo shook it as well. While Gordon’s handshake had been strong, his daughter’s was flimsy. Pam took the opportunity and gave her the appreciative twice-over look.
“I understand that you signed up for the shooting contest. I hope that you provide me with some good competition this year. I heard that you’re a good shooter.” Gordon laughed out loud while Jo merely smiled and remained quiet. Jo had been warned about the Gordons, and she remained guarded.
Whenever Jo assumed a guarded position, it more or less brought out her military persona. Kate had always told her that she looked impressive when she took that pose, and that it was actually a turn on for her because she looked super sexy. Jo always laughed and told her that she couldn’t help looking that way because that is how she was and admitted that, most likely, her military training was to blame.
Kate always thought that, in addition to her intelligence, Jo had been successful as an officer because she looked the part and lamented the fact that she had never seen Jo in uniform. She even told Jo that she wouldn’t have been able to keep her hands off her had she seen her in uniform. All that talk always made Jo laugh, and she had even promised to wear her uniform for Kate, as a fantasy, which Kate found deliciously enticing.
At the moment, in the presence of the Gordons, Jo looked as military as she had ever looked. In her peripheral vision, as Gordon spoke, Jo could see Pam giving her a predatory look, which Jo absolutely hated.
Keeping her words to the minimum, Jo replied. “I’ll see you at the competition then. Now if you’d excuse me, I have business to attend.” She nodded and walked away with Pam following her with her eyes.
“Not a big talker, is she?” Gordon said.
“I guess not,” the mayor responded.
In the distance, from the clinic’s booth, Kate had seen the brief meeting and now saw Jo coming toward the booth. “Having fun?” Kate asked with her knowing smile.
Jo looked at her, raised an eyebrow, and smiled. “You okay here?” Just then, she looked up as she heard the distinctive sound of a helicopter approaching and then, over the loudspeaker, the announcement that the governor was arriving. Jo looked at Kate and smiled. “A man of his word.”
“You didn’t think he would let you down, did you? I think the bear shooter better go greet him and score him some votes.”
“Ha, ha! But yes, I’d better go meet him since I brought him here.” Jo pecked her on the cheek and left.
Kate remained smiling, thinking that Jo was finally enjoying and embracing her ability to lead and bring people together. My beautiful hero!
Amid the cheering crowd, the minute Manny saw Jo, he walked over and hugged her. No one there knew where their friendship stemmed from, but it was obvious that Governor O’Dell and Jo McCallister were very good friends.
That meeting was considered a win-win for all. Mayor Smith was delighted that a local citizen was such a close friend of the governor and that Manny’s visit had put his town on the map. Dannie, who was the business mind of Wally’s enterprise, saw it as beneficial to the company in terms of potential business contacts. As governor, Manny saw it as a way to gain votes.
When Kate joined Jo, Manny hugged her as well. As they walked towards the podium, a motorcade arrived, making way through the already filled to capacity fairgrounds. Senator Frank O’Dell, Manny’s father, came out of one of the vehicles.
As the crowd cheered, father and son hugged. Manny then proceeded to introduce Jo and Kate to his father. Senator O’Dell shook Jo’s hand and hugged her. “It’s a pleasure and an honor to, at last, meet you. It seems odd that we never were able to meet in Washington while you were there, but here we are!” The senator said.
Jo smiled but said nothing. She knew that politics ran in the O’Dell bloodline, and that this appearance, although procured by friendship, had political implications for both men. They all headed to the main stage from where both politicians had opening remarks for the public. Jo and Kate watched from the corner of the stage as the men spoke to the crowd.
“McCallister, you should be proud. I don’t think this town has ever seen so much action! You made it all happen,” Kate whispered in Jo’s ear.
“All for you, and your clinic, love.” Kate put her arm around Jo’s waist and smiling, snuggled to her while Jo put her arm over Kate’s shoulder.
After a brief speech and the congratulatory fanfare that usually follows political speeches, the senator and the governor took their places in the stands to watch the shooting competition. Jo had left Kate in Wally and Dannie’s company to assume her position at the shooting range.
Kalie, Jim, Rachel, and Bobby had joined them at this point to watch the competition, which was one of the most anticipated and popular events at the fair. Lara, Cindy, and the children would join them in the afternoon.
The money raised from the ticket sales for the competition was the purse to be donated to the winner’s charity of choice. Although Kate was against the use of guns, this was the reason she had agreed t
o Jo entering. Only Kate knew that Jo’s charity of choice would be the children’s clinic.
Since Gordon traditionally won for the last five years, his charity of choice was consistently the local golf country club, of which he was a member. Needless to say, the reason why the purse was always so high was because many country club members attended and donated money, which they expected to go toward their club since Gordon would surely win.
This year, however, Jo’s unexpected entrance to the competition added an element of amusement to the local folks, who hoped to see Gordon lose. It also added an element of fear and expectation from the affluent members of the country club who, for the first time, saw the possibility of not recovering their investment.
There were several other competitors from all over the state who had signed up. As the rounds when on, only Gordon and Jo remained as finalists. The crowd roared with excitement except when the shooters took their position. At that moment, the silence was such that you could hear a pin drop.
When the final moment came, only Gordon, Jo, Mayor Smith, and the judges were gathered at the shooting range area. Just before he took his position and fearing Jo’s win, he approached her and whispered. “There’s a free membership to the country club for you, win or lose, if you donate the money to the club.”
Jo looked at him in disbelief. “I’ve already pledged the money to the charity of ‘my choice.’” There was no thank you or expression of regret on her part. She, however, emphasized the last words of her statement to make clear that she could not be bought.
Other people watching nearby, among others, Kate, Wally, and Dannie, were close enough to hear when Gordon spoke next, this time a little louder. “Before we begin the final round, I would like to know if Mrs. McCallister, having been in the Army, was trained or served as a sharpshooter.”
“Mr. Gordon, the application for this event does not require such disclosure, but since you have raised the question, I’ll reply. My service with the U.S. Army was with the Corps of Engineers, building roads, bridges, and anything necessary for the accomplishment of the Army’s mission. I was not trained or served as a sharpshooter by the U.S. Army.”
When she made her statement, she looked to Kate, who was standing in the area behind Gordon. Kate gave her a knowing smiled and a wink, which filled Jo’s heart. Kate knew that Jo was telling the truth. The Army had not trained her to shoot, and she had never served as a sharpshooter. It was her interest in learning, in her free time, which brought her in contact with a group of snipers, who seeing her interest, taught her to shoot.
In addition to the ticket sales, private bets were made on who would win. “My money is on Jo,” Manny said even though Mayor Smith had explained that Gordon was always the winner.
“Mayor, I hate to tell you this, but that woman there,” he raised his chin signaling Jo, “plays to win. She wouldn’t be there if she wasn’t sure she could win.” The mayor was surprised by the governor’s disclosure.
“My money is on Jo, too,” Wally said.
“You placed a bet?” Dannie, asked, surprised.
“I sure did!” Wally exclaimed excitedly.
Kate smiled. “She’ll win,” Kate said without a hint of doubt.
Dannie looked at her, surprised of Kate’s certainty. Kate nodded and grinned, “she will.”
All eyes turned to the participants. Rounds were fired and the judges picked up the target sheets. The targets were carefully reviewed, and the main judge moved to the podium to announce the winner. “The winner is Mrs. McCallister.”
The crowd roared, applauded, and whistled. Kate, Wally, Dannie, Manny, and Senator O’Dell smiled and congratulated themselves. The country club folks weren’t happy, and neither was Gordon. Just then, Gordon spoke into the microphone. “I raise the purse to double or nothing.”
The crowd immediately quieted. The judges and all present looked among themselves, but ultimately all eyes fell on Jo. She had yet to respond. Realizing that she had the last word, her eyes went to Kate for direction. Only a few people noticed the subtle look and the equally subtle response. When Kate smiled, Jo knew she had the green light.
“Double or nothing it is,” Jo replied.
When Jo accepted the challenge, the crowd gasped. The anticipation was overwhelming. “You go first this time,” Gordon said.
Jo nodded, took her position, and made her three shots. He followed. Once again, the targets were retrieved and studied by the judges. The head judge took the microphone and made the announcement. “Mrs. McCallister wins.” The roaring was even louder this time. Reluctantly, Gordon shook her hand and left the fairgrounds abruptly. Jo was shaking hands with everyone while the neon board was announcing that the purse was $50,000.
Mayor Smith went up to the stage and took the microphone. “As customary, the winner of the event will announce the charity of their choice for the purse.”
Jo took the microphone and waited for the crowd to calm down to make her announcement. “The money from this event is donated to the children’s clinic on behalf of Dr. Kate McCallister.” The crowd went wild. The patients of the clinic were mainly the poorest families in the area.
Kate was filled with pride but humbled when Jo mentioned her name. My love, only my love would do such a thing! Manny hugged Kate and Jo when she came down from the podium.
“You did good, my friend.”
“Thanks for coming, Manny,” Jo said.
“I wouldn't’ have missed this for anything!”
“McCallister, you’re an excellent shot. I hope to see you again soon. Maybe you can come up to my ranch sometime. But for now, I need to get going,” the senator tapped her on her shoulder, as he turned to leave with his entourage in tow.
“Thanks for coming, senator.” Just before he left, the Blue Angels appeared. The sound of their engines drowned out all other sounds from the fair, and all eyes looked skyward to see their formation. The cheers from the crowd were nearly as loud as the sound of the jets.
There were only two sets of eyes not looking at the sky. When the green ones met the almond-shape ones, Kate came closer and wrapped her arm around Jo’s waist. “Thanks for your donation, Colonel. I love you,” Kate whispered.
Jo wrapped her arm around her Kate’s shoulder and brought her closer to kiss her on the head. “Anything for you, my General.” Smiling, they looked up to watch as the jets dazzled the spectators on the ground. When the air show was over, Jo, Kate, Wally, and Dannie were bidding farewell to Manny and his dad when a group from one of the local Native American tribes walked by them, and a tall man stopped and nodded at Jo in a formal ceremonious way before walking away.
“Looks like you’ve scored some points with the Native American community,” the senator said in jest, but turning serious, he shook Jo’s hand and said, “after Manny’s second term, we’re going to need a new candidate for governor. It seems to me you’d have a good chance, considering your popularity around here.” Some thought he was joking, but when he came close to Jo and in a lower tone told her to think about it, the few who heard the comment raised their eyebrows in disbelief.
Everyone waved the politicians good-bye, and the crowd around them dissolved except for their close friends. Wally, who was known for her frankness, was the first to speak. “Did he just offer you his support to run for governor, or did I miss something?”
Wally’s sincere and naïve nature always made Jo laugh. Jo looked at her, at Kate, and at Dannie, who were all waiting for her response. “Wally, the guy is a politician, he’ll say anything to win some votes. Forget about it. It was a joke, and if it wasn’t, I’m not interested.”
“Oh! I see Cindy and Lara with the kids, let’s go meet them,” Kate said, much to Jo’s relief.
“Let me go get us a beer. I’ll join you in a minute,” Jo said.
It was at the beer booth behind the stands where Pam Gordon intercepted Jo. It was as if she had been watching her and waiting for the right moment to approach her.
Dan
nie, who had kept an eye on Pam whenever she spotted her, saw Pam’s move. “Oh, dear God! There she goes.”
“Who?” Wally asked unaware of Dannie’s sighting.
“Pam is talking to Jo right now,” Dannie said.
When Wally realized what was going on, she said the only thing that came to mind, “Let’s go get Kate.”
“No, Wally. Kate said that Jo could handle the matter. Let’s see what happens.” They were both watching from the distance how the situation evolved.
Initially, Pam had rubbed Jo’s arm, but they noticed that Pam removed her hand as soon as Jo spoke. The conversation did not last very long. As soon as Jo got her two beers, she turned and left, leaving Pam behind.
“Well, that was quick,” Dannie said.
“I’ll say! What do you think she told her?”
“We’ll know tomorrow. Come on, let’s go meet up with the others. Dannie suggested taking Wally by the arm.
Wally laughed, “you’re resolved to hang on to me today, aren’t you?”
“As long as that slut is here, I’ll be glued to you!” Dannie replied, making Wally laugh even more.
“Can we do the glue thing when we get home? All of a sudden I have this picture in my mind and –.”
“Waverly Radford! This conversation will be continued at home.”
“Amen and hallelujah!”
Dannie smiled all the way until they reached the group.
Jo had just arrived and was handing over one of the beers to Kate. “I have to tell you something.” She whispered in Kate’s ears.
Kate smiled, suspecting what Jo would tell her. She trusted Jo fully, but she had a way to find Jo in any crowd, and she had also seen when Pam approach Jo. “Later, I want all the details.”
Jo held Kate’s gaze and smiled knowingly. She felt happy knowing that Kate knew what the topic was about and that she wasn’t concerned. There was a silent understanding between them. It was the peaceful contentment that comes with trust and love. Jo stood by Kate looking at her lovingly, while Kate took Mellie from Cindy’s arms. “Come here, pumpkin.”
Mellie embraced her mom as if she hadn’t seen her in years. After some smooching and kissing, Mellie had enough of Kate and extended her arms to Jo. When Jo took her from Kate, Mellie wrapped herself to Jo’s neck and stayed there comfortably. Mellie absolutely adored Jo.