by Sewell, Earl
Olivia dipped her spoon into the container for another scoop of ice cream and discovered that there was none left. She stared into the empty carton and felt equal parts satisfied and guilty. Grumbling, she rose from her seat and went back inside her apartment, thinking she’d snuggle up with a book. Reading and scanning social media websites were her favorite ways to spend her downtime and keep her mind off the absence of any romance in her life.
While reading, Olivia heard her cell phone buzz. She glanced down at her phone, and saw the smiling photo of her friend Carla, whose life was in perfect order, as far as Olivia could tell.
Olivia placed the phone to her ear. “Hi, Carla.”
“Olivia, I have some bad news,” Carla said with seriousness in her voice.
“Oh, no. What’s wrong?” Olivia asked, her heart rate picking up immediately.
“I was just talking to my neighbor, you know, the cute guy who’s the television journalist.”
“Yeah, okay,” Olivia said, wondering where her friend was headed.
“Anyway, he told me that one of the top news stories tonight has to do with school closures. I asked him if he had a list of the schools that were closing and he pulled up an email on his smartphone that had the list. I looked at it and saw that your school was on it,” Carla said, concern permeating her voice.
“Yes. I know.”
“You knew about this already?” Carla asked.
“Yes. I found out this morning.”
“Honey, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. The school hasn’t actually closed yet and there is still a very slim chance that it can be saved. I’m hopeful.” Olivia sighed.
“That’s a great attitude,” Carla said. “I’m glad that you’re not devastated.”
“I’m choosing to not be down in the dumps about it,” Olivia said, pleased with the positive direction of her thoughts.
“Well, before learning that you might lose your job, I was going to ask you for a huge favor,” Carla said, no doubt sensing that Olivia wasn’t as depressed as she had anticipated she would be.
“What kind of favor?” Olivia asked, getting up to search for her earbuds that had a built-in microphone on the cord. Once she found them, she plugged them in.
“Forget it. It’s not important,” Carla said, suddenly sounding unsure.
“Carla, if it wasn’t important, you wouldn’t have brought it up. What is it?”
“Okay. I know this is short notice, but what are you doing on the twenty-fourth, two weeks from Saturday night?”
“The usual. Going on a grand date with me, myself and I.”
“Well, now you can plan on doing something different that night. I am attending a recognition banquet at Children’s Hospital and I need someone to go with me,” Carla explained.
“What happened to the new guy?” Olivia asked. The last time she’d spoken with her friend, Carla had been gushing about her latest conquest, whom she’d met at the pharmacy counter where she worked, when he’d been picking up a prescription for his elderly mother.
“It’s a long story.”
“I’m all ears,” Olivia said.
“I broke up with him.”
“What? When did that happen?” Olivia asked. Carla had been crazy about the guy whose name was Merle or Marvin or something.
“Earlier today.”
“What? Why? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Carla said. “He was just too nice, Olivia! He would do anything I said,” Carla complained unapologetically.
“And you had a problem with that? Jeez, he sounds like he’d be the perfect guy for a lot of women.” Olivia repositioned herself on the sofa.
“Yes, I had a problem with that. We dated for almost two months and I had to plan everything we did. I wanted him to be spontaneous and surprise me, just once. I felt like his mother instead of his girlfriend. When I sat down and actually gave some serious thought to what we had in common, I realized we didn’t have mutual interests and that I was wasting my time. I’d planned to break up with him after the banquet, but then I thought, I really don’t want to attend an event with someone I don’t like anymore.”
“So now you want me to go with you so you don’t have to show up alone?”
“Come on, Olivia. Don’t make me beg you to go,” Carla said, her voice taking on a pleading tone.
“You should have called me an hour ago, before I ate a pint of Ben & Jerry’s.”
“Why are you on a double date with Ben and Jerry?” Carla asked.
“Ben and Jerry know how to make me feel good, even if it’s only temporary.” Olivia paused for dramatic effect.
“So, you are down in the dumps. I’m sorry, I should have known better. Forget that I asked you to come to the banquet.”
“I’m not depressed about the situation,” Olivia insisted.
“Are you sure?” Carla asked.
“I’m positive,” Olivia assured her.
“If you need help covering your bills while you search for a new job, all you have to do is ask,” Carla offered selflessly.
“That won’t be necessary. I have some money saved up. I’m actually more concerned about the kids.”
“Maybe this would be the perfect time for you to do more with your nonprofit. Take it to the next level. Once it’s up and running, I’d be more than happy to talk to my cute neighbor and convince him to do a news segment on you.”
“I would love to do more with the organization. The demand for school supplies is greater than ever and I’m getting more requests for tutors for kids who are hospitalized.”
“I don’t know where you find the time and energy for all of that,” Carla said admiringly. “You’re only one person.”
“I’m not dating anyone, so that frees up time. Besides, I told you that my parents and their friends help out. They’re all retired schoolteachers and librarians who love volunteering. I provide them with the school supplies and course materials they need to tutor. I also give them a small stipend to cover transportation and meal expenses.”
“Olivia, you are a saint. If the world had more people like you, we’d live in a much better place,” Carla said.
“I enjoy doing it, so it doesn’t seem like work. But I do have days when I feel exhausted.” Olivia held her next thought for a moment. “I want the foundation to grow into something special. I just have two very big obstacles,” she admitted.
“What are they?”
“Not having my own facility and a lack of funding are my biggest two. There are other challenges, but I don’t want to bore you with details.”
“You just haven’t shared your vision with enough people who can help,” Carla said confidently.
“I write grants all the time,” Olivia pointed out.
“That’s good, but it’s not enough. You’re going to have to talk to more people who share your interests and have the means to support it. The recognition banquet that I’m inviting you to will be filled with generous donors and individuals who run companies that donate resources and supplies to worthy organizations like yours. It could be a good opportunity for you to meet people who genuinely care about supporting families that need help,” Carla said.
“I just thought of something, Carla,” Olivia threw out, a feeling of dread descending on her.
“What?”
“Children’s Hospital is where Gerald works. What if I run into him?” Olivia fought back negative thoughts about her last failed relationship.
“Who cares? As far as I’m concerned, you were the best thing that ever happened to Doctor Jackass—I mean Gerald.”
“Ugh! I can’t believe that I was so naive. I think I was blinded by his charm and the fact that he was a doctor. I should have recognized him for what he really wa
s.” Anger that she thought she’d dealt with surfaced, and Olivia wanted nothing more than to push the doctor-cum-big-time-womanizer from her mind.
“Let it go and forgive yourself, Olivia, and be happy that you discovered the real Gerald before you two got married and had children. Now, are you going to be my date or do I have to club you over the head and drag you by your ponytail?” Carla asked.
Olivia smirked. “Okay, I’ll go. When is the event again?” she asked, reaching down and pinching her love handles.
“In two weeks.”
“How formal is it?” Olivia stood up and walked into her bedroom. She opened her closet door and faced the section where she kept her meager assortment of dresses.
“It’s a pretty nice event.”
“That’s not helping me, Carla. What are you wearing?” Olivia asked.
“A Donna Karan dress that I picked up for the occasion,” she answered.
“So, you’ve been shopping.” Olivia stopped looking in her closet. “I don’t know about this, Carla. I wasn’t really planning on going on a shopping spree.”
“You don’t have to go on a shopping spree,” Carla said quickly, but then was quiet for a moment. “Okay, I lied. You should get a new outfit. I don’t want you to show up looking like an underappreciated schoolteacher.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Olivia asked.
“It means that you should look chic. Besides, there will be plenty of men there. You should show off those sexy toned legs you’ve developed from doing all that yoga.”
“My legs are not sexy. Besides, I am so not interested in a relationship right now,” Olivia said.
“Honey, you have legs like Tina Turner and Serena Williams wrapped into one. You say you’re not interested in romance, but you should be. Dating is fun and exciting, and trust me, Olivia, you need more excitement in your life.”
“The possibility of losing my job is enough excitement for me, thank you very much,” Olivia fired back sarcastically.
“I’m talking about a different type of excitement, Olivia. You’re too young to give up on love.”
“I’ve experienced enough excitement in the love department to last me a long time.” Olivia closed her closet door and sat down at the foot of her bed. “I thought Gerald was perfect. I was shopping for wedding dresses and planning a wedding. Argh. I will never allow another man to snake his way into my heart the way Gerald did. I can’t take being hurt like that ever again.”
“You need to let that relationship go completely and start dating again,” Carla spoke softly. She knew that Gerald had cheated on Olivia with other women, in addition to swindling her out of a handsome sum of money.
“I’m going to change the subject back to shopping for a dress. I don’t want to talk about my love life. If I’m going to attend this event with you, we need to go shopping together.”
“I’m free tomorrow if you are,” Carla said.
“You know that I’m sitting here pinching my love handles, right? The ice cream binge is making me feel self-conscious.”
“Olivia, you’ll be fine. All you have to do is break up with Ben and Jerry for the next two weeks, watch your calorie intake, and do your yoga,” Carla said.
“I do my yoga every morning before I go to work,” Olivia said proudly.
“Then, unless you’ve packed on fifty pounds since last Thursday when I saw you, you’ll be fine.”
“You’re right. Where is this event at anyway?”
“At the Congress Hotel downtown. I’ll email you all of the details,” Carla said.
“Okay. What time do you want to go shopping?”
“I’m on your schedule. Just let me know when you’d like me to be at your place.”
“Can you be here about eleven?” Olivia asked.
“Sure thing. See you then,” her friend said and disconnected. Olivia set down her phone and sighed. She wasn’t exactly looking forward to getting all dressed up and attending some fancy banquet where she wouldn’t know many people, but Carla had a point. She could meet some potential donors for It Takes A Village there. Maybe it wouldn’t be all bad....
Chapter Two
Olivia and Carla ducked into a restroom at the Congress Hotel to freshen up before heading to the ceremony in the Grand Ballroom. Positioning herself in front of a mirror, Olivia tinkered with her naturally curly hair. She made sure each of the sandy brown ringlets was perfectly placed. Then, pivoting slightly, she studied her full reflection. She made sure the blended shades of the black-and-white cocktail dress she had paid a small fortune for still pleased her. She tugged at the short hem and shimmied. Opening her small purse, she removed the tube of Love Nectar lip gloss and applied a little more. She puckered her lips, put away the tube and focused on Carla, who was busy making sure her makeup still looked flawless.
“Do you have your speech?” Olivia asked, because the thought randomly popped into her head. Carla opened her purse and checked.
“Yes, I have it.” She removed a folded sheet of paper and waved it before returning it to her purse.
“Are you ready?” Olivia asked, reaching over and picking a stray hair off the back of Carla’s dress.
Carla took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Yes. I am now.”
“Well, we should probably go, then. I’m sure there are people waiting on you,” Olivia told her friend.
The Grand Ballroom was set up banquet style with half-moon round tables facing the stage. The space was filled with well-dressed attendees. Jazz music played in the background, barely audible due to all the chatter.
“That’s where you’ll be seated, right?” Olivia asked, motioning toward the stage.
“Yes. I have a seat reserved for you at one of the tables directly in front of the stage. It’s the VIP table,” Carla joked. They walked over to the place that was reserved for Olivia and sat down. Several people who worked with Carla came over to congratulate her on her award. A short amount of time passed and then Carla was asked to take her seat on stage. Olivia gave her a quick hug before she scurried off. Two other guests joined Olivia at her table and she introduced herself. There were still three empty chairs left.
“Do you mind if I sit here?”
“I think these seats are reserved,” Olivia said. She glanced over her right shoulder at a handsome man dressed in a navy blue crepe suit. “I know. I have a seat reserved at this table.” He flashed an invitation card that had the table number she was sitting at printed on it. “What I’m asking is if it is okay if I sit next to you.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Forgive me. I don’t know what I was thinking. Please have a seat,” Olivia insisted as she repositioned herself so that he could pull out the seat for himself. As he sat down, Olivia caught the musky scent of his cologne.
“Hello, everyone,” he greeted others at the table. A waiter came by and placed a salad in front of her. When he stepped away, she reached for her glass of water and shot a quick glance at her attractive neighbor’s hand in search of a ring. She was pleased that she didn’t see one.
“Hi. I’m Langston Hill.” He extended his hand for a shake. Olivia took note of his manicured fingernails, then his face and his wide smile. She couldn’t help but notice his full lips framed by neatly trimmed facial hair. She met his gaze, which was warm and inviting. She had no clue as to why she found him interesting enough to study.
“Do you have a name?” he asked when her silence became uncomfortable.
“Yes. Sorry. I’m Olivia Harris. It’s nice to meet you, Langston.” She shook his hand and was taken aback by the softness of it.
“You have a pretty smile, Olivia,” he complimented her.
“So do you, Langston.” Olivia continued to discreetly study him. She liked his fresh haircut, the glow of his skin, and the strong structure of his jaw and chin. He had a
dimple in the center of his chin that reminded her of John Travolta, and his breath smelled like peppermint.
“So tell me about yourself, Olivia,” Langston said as he placed his white napkin across his lap, said a quick prayer and prepared to eat his salad.
“There’s nothing much to tell.”
“I don’t believe that, not for a moment. What do you do for a living?” he asked.
“I’m a schoolteacher,” Olivia answered. She glanced toward the stage because she felt as if someone was watching herand saw Carla smiling at her. Romance was not on Olivia’s mind. She didn’t have the time or energy to deal with nurturing a new relationship. But it was nice having a good-looking man show interest in her, even if it was only to pass the time during dinner.
“That’s wonderful. What grade level do you teach?” Langston asked, stabbing his fork in his salad.
“Third grade, but I also teach special education students,” Olivia answered.
“What a coincidence. My mom taught third grade for a while before becoming a principal. She’s retired now,” said Langston. “Teaching is a very rewarding profession.”
“Yes, it is. It’s a tough job, but I love what I do.” Olivia felt herself blush and tucked an unruly curl behind her ear.