“Sure.” Gabe recalled seeing the yellow school bus as they first came into Grayson two weeks earlier but he hadn’t realized it was a system-wide arrangement.
It was only nine-thirty when he got back to Grayson, a little late to apply for a job, but he didn’t want to put it off until tomorrow. He found the community center on Park Street, four blocks from the center of town.
On one side of it was a car dealership, on the other a cleaner’s and a barbershop. On the other side of the street was a small coffee shop, a dollar store and on the corner a storefront church.
The center looked as if it might have started out as a warehouse, but it had been spruced up on the outside with new windows and doors, and painted an ivory color. Its industrial edges had been softened by hedges which were green and healthy, while a ground cover with tiny blue blossoms greeted the eye as he walked up to the entrance over which hung a black-and-white sign, Grayson Community Center.
As Gabe opened the dark blue entrance door he noted with approval its heavy weight and solid construction. He stepped inside. Facing him was a large open space with a stage at one end. Several doors on each side indicated other rooms. On his immediate left was a door with Director on it. The door was open and Gabe walked in.
He was aware of two things at once. The office was vibrant with subtle yellow walls, blue-cushioned chairs and blue ceramic pieces on a table and the bookshelf behind the desk.
The person behind the desk shot his awareness sky-high.
“Makima! It seems a long time since I’ve seen you. How are you?”
The current of emotion he felt took him by surprise. She wore a lustrous violet blouse with matching necklace and earrings. The color did wonders for her complexion.
Apparently he wasn’t the only one who felt surprise. “Gabe!” Makima smiled, her eyes warm and bright. “How nice to see you. Please sit down.”
There were several chairs and Gabe chose the one directly across the desk. He couldn’t take his eyes away from her. She had a faint curve at the corner of her mouth when she was relaxed, as she was now, and there were tiny crinkles around her eyes. Her hair was glossy, and the way the earrings dangled made him want to touch them to see what she would do.
Maybe she felt as he did, because she never stopped looking at him, and her close attention made Gabe almost forget what he’d come to the center for. He felt as if he and Makima could sit for hours communicating with or without words.
“I missed you at church yesterday,” he said.
“I had some clinic work to do. Did you see Mom and Dad?” Her soft glance said she missed seeing him also.
“Yes, I did. Drew met some more of Jeff’s friends and spent the afternoon with them.”
“I know he enjoyed that. Jeff’s a fine young man.”
“You’ll never guess what I did just before coming here.”
“Tell me.” I’m interested in whatever you have to say, her eyes promised.
Gabe told her all about Drew’s sudden desire to attend the local high school. They discussed the likely advantages of this move and Gabe was delighted at how closely Makima’s conclusions connected with his.
The time was going by and Gabe reluctantly decided to get down to business. He looked at his watch. “You probably have work to do, Makima, and I need to talk with someone about the bookkeeper position.”
“You’re applying for it?” she asked in surprise.
“Thought I’d give it a try. I’ve been working with figures for the state of New York for years so I think I can handle this. I need something to do that will take me out of the house at least part of the day, especially now that Drew will be in school.”
“The salary can’t compete with New York rates,” she said as she opened a drawer and extracted a folder.
“I know, and I realize it’s part-time, but that suits me fine.”
She was suddenly all business as she laid forms on the desk. “Please fill these out and I’ll let Dr. Cook, the director, know that you’re here.”
As she came from behind the desk and crossed the floor to go into the other office, Gabe admired the way her gray pants rounded her hips and fit her slim legs. Her gray suede pumps had a gold chain across the front. She never fails me, he thought.
It took him only a few minutes to fill out the application, then Makima ushered him into the director’s office, introduced him and closed the door.
Dr. Thomas Cook stood, shook hands, gave Gabe a swift appraising glance and invited him to sit down. He appeared to be in his sixties, was nearly totally bald, wore glasses and had a round face decorated with a well-shaped mustache above a firm mouth. An aura of sharp intelligence was offset by laugh lines around his eyes. He had a presence of calm authority and Gabe thought it would be interesting to be around this man every day and work with him.
He scanned Gabe’s application then laid it aside.
“It’s good to have you with us in Grayson, Mr. Bell. I haven’t been in NewYork recently. Is DickyWells still open for his Sunday-morning breakfast of crisp waffles and great fried chicken?”
“I haven’t dropped in there for a while. Were you in New York long, Dr. Cook?”
“Long enough to put on some pounds eating at Sylvia’s while in school at City College and doing graduate work at Columbia. Wonderful city,” he said nostalgically. “I used to go back regularly, but not often now.” He picked up the application, gave it a second glance then looked at Gabe. “I understand you’re related to the late Ezekiel Bell.”
Gabe was certain that Dr. Cook was in possession of all the generally known facts about him and Drew, but he obliged by relating to Dr. Cook what he’d told others here in Grayson.
Adrienne Ellis Reeves 123
As he spoke, Gabe had the feeling that it wasn’t the facts Dr. Cook was listening for so much as the way Gabe presented them. What was the director looking for? The question was answered in Dr. Cook’s next statement.
“Your great-grandfather was an extraordinary man, Mr. Bell, one for whom I had the greatest respect. He and I had a common interest in Africa. I taught African studies for some years in universities and I’ve done some traveling in African countries. Mr. Zeke had traveled to that continent through his years of study and research, so when I retired here we found we had a lot to talk about.” His eyes met Gabe’s and in them Gabe saw a restrained sadness.
He’d wanted to see how I’d respond to this important friendship he had with Great-Grandfather, Gabe thought. “I’m really glad to learn that Great-Grandfather had someone who could share his interest on his own level. I saw in some of his books a notation that said, TC. I wondered who or what the initials stood for. Now I know.”
“We discussed many subjects in his books.” Dr. Cook held the application unseeingly. He seemed to remember it was still in his hand and laid it down. “Do you know anything about our community center, Mr. Bell?”
“Only that from the outside it appears that it was once a warehouse.”
“It was the only place Grayson could find three years ago when it decided it desperately needed a space here for community activities to serve our growing population, and to save them from having to go into Swinton. We did practically all of the rehabilitation work ourselves. It isn’t the best but it will do until we can build a real center. As you might imagine, our funds are very limited. We have only five paid positions. The director, the office manager, maintenance, and the bookkeeper and program director share a full position.”
“Do you have a lot of volunteers?”
“All of our activities depend on volunteers and we expect the staff to volunteer when possible. It’s the only way we can afford to keep the center open.” His penetrating glance required a response from Gabe.
“Makes sense to me. If hired, I’ll be glad to volunteer,” he said.
Dr. Cook discussed the function of the bookkeeper, told Gabe what his salary and hours would be, welcomed him to the staff and sent him back out to Makima for further details
.
Makima had been sitting at her desk looking blindly at the work in front of her while Gabe was in Dr. Cook’s office. Gabe’s appearance at the center had taken her completely by surprise. He’d looked stylish and confident in his brown dress pants, white shirt, brown tie and brown tweed sport coat. She’d loved the way they’d simply taken up where they’d left off at Rockwell’s restaurant.
His announcement of coming to apply for the bookkeeper position had jolted her into reality, for he’d certainly be hired. That meant they’d see each other every workday and how could she do that?
The problem was that Alana liked Gabe. She’d taken him to the movie along with Mark and Carolyn and had told Makima what a wonderful time they’d had. Alana was looking and hoping for a husband. She complained to Makima that she was tired of waiting for the right man to come along and Makima, wanting her sister’s happiness, wondered if Gabe was that man.
She didn’t want to stand in her sister’s way. Gabe seemed to like Alana. He’d gone to the movie with her and had accepted her invitation to the cooking party.
The choice was his to make as to which sister he liked best.
Makima blinked. When she put it that way, she saw that she was making a mountain out of a molehill. Just because Alana was obviously smitten with Gabe, and just because she herself found him deeply attractive didn’t mean that he felt anything other than enjoyment in the company of two single women he’d happened to meet.
She was relieved at that thought and when he came back to her desk, she was able to congratulate him and to fill him in on the day-to-day details at the center.
This was Monday and they would expect him to begin on Wednesday. She showed him around the center and answered his questions as any efficient office manager would do.
When she bid him goodbye, if there was a puzzled expression in his eyes she refused to acknowledge it but returned to her desk and settled to work.
Chapter 14
Dr. Cook was waiting when Gabe walked through the center door a few minutes to nine on a sunny but breezy Wednesday morning.
“Morning, Mr. Bell,” Dr. Cook said.
“Good morning, Dr. Cook. Please call me Gabe, that’s what I’m comfortable with.”
Dr. Cook smiled. “I don’t want you to think I’m checking your punctuality, Gabe. We’re having a staff meeting and I want to show you where we meet. It isn’t formal or fancy but it’s convenient.” He ushered Gabe into a room with a table big enough for eight or ten that was adjacent to the kitchen.
Makima was coming in from the kitchen with a plate of muffins to add to the coffee and plates already on the table. She was followed by the maintenance man, Jimmy Davis, whom Gabe had met Monday.
“Hi, Gabe,” Jimmy said as he placed the cold beverages on the table. Already seated was Eugenia Palmer, the program director, whose office was next to Gabe’s. She smiled a greeting.
“We’ve found that eating while we work is the most productive use of our staff meeting time, Gabe. We hope you’ll agree.” Dr. Cook passed the muffins to Gabe.
“We take turns bringing the goodies,” Makima said as she filled his coffee mug on which his name was already inscribed. “I’ll put you on the list.”
“The urgent matter on today’s agenda is fund-raising. When was the last event, Makima?”
“The fall festival in early November,” Makima replied after consulting her notes.
“How often do you have them?” Gabe asked.
“Whenever our funds are very low,” Eugenia said.
“We’ve had bake sales, quilt sales, children’s activities such as races where they get sponsors, flea markets, book sales, entertainment evenings, and anything else we could think of,” Makima said.
“How about a golf tournament?” Gabe said.
“Haven’t tried that yet,” Dr. Cook said, “but it’s a good idea to consider.”
“I don’t know how this would work,” Gabe began slowly, “but I was wondering about combining two events.”
“Which two?” Dr. Cook asked.
“A pancake breakfast to lure people in, followed by a flea market.” He glanced around the table. Jimmy looked attentive for the first time. Eugenia and Makima were looking at each other with dawning alertness. Dr. Cook began making notes on his pad.
“Folks love flea markets,” Jimmy observed.
“They like our pancake breakfasts, too, especially if Mama makes the batter,” Makima said.
“We’d have to be sure it doesn’t conflict with Easter,” Eugenia pointed out, “since we want people to spend money here.”
“Would it be possible to have the pancake breakfast inside and the flea market outside? I don’t know what the weather is like here in April,” Gabe said.
“In the event of rain the flea market could be moved indoors. It would be crowded but sometimes that’s an advantage,” Dr. Cook said.
More details were brought up, then Dr. Cook assigned Eugenia and Gabe to work on the costs, how much the tickets should be and how they should be sold. Makima was put in charge of the breakfast and Jimmy in charge of the tables, chairs and anything else needed for the event.
“I hope you will all work together as usual and call on your volunteers. I’m always available if you need me.” Dr. Cook closed his notepad and stood up. “Good meeting and good to have you with us, Gabe.”
“Thank you, sir,” Gabe replied. “I can see this is going to be a great job.” He’d been involved in a number of community services, especially the ones that helped young people. Through this center he’d be doing the same thing plus getting paid for four hours of bookkeeping which he could do standing on his head.
He liked Jimmy and Eugenia and looked forward to getting to know Makima better. Picking up the plates and glasses, he followed her into the kitchen where she began to wash the coffee mugs.
“Do you think this will work?” he asked, grabbing a towel from the rack and drying the dishes.
“A lot depends on the weather and how widely we can get the word out. We usually have good support but I’d like to see if we can top our record with this. The center needs the money.” She emptied the sink and dried her hands. “When you get into the books, you’ll soon see how close to the edge we always are. It doesn’t permit us to carry out all the services we need to provide in Grayson.”
“It seems to me you already do a lot,” Gabe said as they walked back to her office.
“It’s not enough. Youthful mothers and fathers need parenting classes, schoolchildren need homework help, seniors need activities they can’t get anywhere else. The list goes on and on,” she sighed.
At her office he opened her door and followed her inside. Gabe had thought Makima’s energies were all focused on her clinic project. Now he knew he’d been wrong. Watching and listening intently to what she’d had to say this past hour he’d learned that some of the same compassionate instinct that drove her with the clinic spilled over into making the center a beacon of service to all who needed it.
“You’re an unusual woman, Makima,” he told her.
She looked up from the files she’d put on her desk and was caught in the warmth of his regard. Color rose in her face as they gazed at each other.
“Why do you say that?”
“You care so much for people and you try to do something for them instead of just paying lip service.”
“I don’t see myself that way.”
Without thinking, Gabe leaned across the desk and tucked an errant lock of hair behind her ear. It felt like silk in his hand.
The color in her face deepened but she didn’t pull away.
“How do you see yourself?” he asked softly, restraining himself from touching the satin smoothness of her cheek.
“For me life has to have purpose. I need to be doing something worthwhile.”
Her voice was as quiet as his but he wondered if he’d heard a gentle challenge in her statement. Did she think he was a person who had no enduring concept of meanin
g in his life? This was another facet of Makima’s personality he had to explore.
If that was what she wanted to think, he’d let her. For now.
He smiled at her. “You know what they say about all work and no play. So what are you bringing to the cooking party Saturday?”
She blinked at the change in his conversation, then rallied with a pert grin. “It’s a surprise. How about you?”
“The same. I’m looking through my favorite recipes,” he teased. “But now I’d better start looking at the center’s books. See you later.”
His office was small but held all he needed. There was a sizable wooden desk someone had donated. It was nicked here and there but had been well polished and the drawers were clean. A four-drawer file cabinet stood against the wall next to the desk. He had a large, comfortable swivel chair, two other chairs stood opposite the desk and a green plant decorated a lamp table. Someone had been caring for it, he thought, as the leaves were large and green. He’d have to remember to give it a drink now and then.
Examining the books, he knew he’d have to go through all of them since the inception of the center, but since that was only three years ago, it didn’t present a problem. Just time-consuming, and he had plenty of that.
By the time he left work on Friday, Gabe was beginning to see a source of the center’s financial problems. Some of the bookkeeping had not been up to his meticulous standards, but he’d found no evidence of embezzlement, just carelessness.
If any serious attempt at long-range planning had taken place it hadn’t been successful enough to show up in the books. This was a matter he’d take up with Dr. Cook. But not just yet.
Get the books in perfect order first by a more sophisticated system than his predecessors had used. He’d enjoy doing that. It would make Makima happy, too. Which would make him happy.
He tapped on her office door before he went home and stuck his head in. “May I pick you up tomorrow for the cooking party?”
He saw her hesitate then she said, “I have a meeting in the early afternoon and I’m not sure when I’ll be ready to go to Carolyn’s. What time are we supposed to be there?”
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