Inside Traitors

by David Allen

  “Sure, it sounds like a great idea to me. I had a plan for a small medical facility in the first proposal. It was removed after the board felt that there wouldn’t be enough money in the budget to hire on any doctors to run it.

  “Well I would be happy to donate my time. Like I said, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The rest of the time I have my other practice. That’s the one that pays the bills.”

  Steve was impressed. It was rare to find someone interested in his charity projects and even rarer to find someone willing to donate their time. “I am sure we will be able to work something out. I am really pleased we got to meet,” said Steve. “Your actions here are very commendable.”

  “Thank you,” said Laura. “Most people, even my friends think I am crazy for what I do here.”

  “Yeah, people say the same thing about me too,” said Steve with a slight chuckle.

  Laura removed Steve’s foot from the solution and wiped it down. “How does it feel?” she asked.

  “It feels a little better,” said Steve. “But it still hurts quite a bit.”

  Laura applied some antibiotic ointment and began to wrap the foot with some gauze. “This is going to hurt for a while. A puncture wound like that will give a lot of trauma to the surrounding tissue. You will need to keep it elevated and try not to walk on it too much, at least for the rest of the day. Otherwise it is going to swell up and hurt a lot more than it does now.”

  Steve nodded. “I’ll take it easy.”

  Laura ripped off a piece of medical tape and sealed down the edges of the gauze. She was excited about the prospect of gaining some space for the clinic at the new shelter. She wondered how serious Steve was. Was he really serious about it or was he just handing her a line. She decided to press the subject.

  “Maybe some night after work we could meet and discuss the clinic a little more,” said Laura. “I would be happy to work up some details on the type of space that we would need and room sizes.”

  Steve started to become flushed. His inexperience with women left him at a loss. He wondered if she was asking him out on a date. Steve remained silent as he pondered the request.

  Laura wondered if Steve heard the question. She pressed on. “So what do you think Steve, some night after work?” she asked again. “Whatever time that is good for you Steve. I will try to be flexible. Do you think it is possible we could get together?”

  Steve knew Laura needed an answer. He wondered why they had to meet at night. Ideas began to race though his mind. Yes, she must be asking me to go out on a date, he thought. Without thinking, Steve suddenly blurted out his premature answer. “I am engaged,” he said rather loudly.

  Laura’s eyes opened wide. She looked a little shocked. At first she thought he might be joking, but soon realized he was serious. She was caught off guard and had no response to the sudden outburst.

  Could I have sounded like I wanted a date? She thought before quickly dismissing the notion.

  “Steve I didn’t mean that you and I would be going out on a date. I just thought we could get together to discuss the shelter options for the clinic. I only have nights free with my work schedule.”

  Steve cringed as he realized his horrible blunder. He felt like an idiot. He had gotten the wrong signal and made a fool out of himself. He became more uncomfortable as he tried to correct the situation.

  “I’m sorry Laura,” said Steve. “The problem is that I always say the wrong thing when I am around beautiful women.”

  Steve realized his words and immediately tried to correct the situation. “Oh, that is not what I mean. I don’t think that you are pretty or anything like that. Well, I don’t really mean that either. I don’t mean that you are unattractive. No, I certainly do not mean that. You could be pretty. But, who am I to say?”

  Steve was digging the hole deeper with each new statement. The harder he tried to get out, the more confused his thoughts became and the deeper the hole got. His thoughts were a jumble and nothing he said was coming out right.

  Laura picked up on Steve’s precarious position and interrupted his ramblings. “Steve, I think I understand what you’re trying to say. I will give you my card and you can just call me if you have anything new to report on space for the clinic or if you have any questions.”

  “That will be good,” said Steve, as he let out a slight sigh of relief.

  Laura was still a little perplexed about Steve’s unusual behavior. She shook her head and smirked to herself. Men… Just when you think you found a good one you find out they have some kind of an oddity, she thought to herself. But this was certainly a new one for her.

  “Steve, here is my business card and a prescription for an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory. The antibiotic is to prevent infection in the wound. And be sure you finish all of the tablets. You take one in the morning and one at bedtime. Take the first one as soon as you get the prescription filled. The other prescription is for swelling and will help a little with the pain. You can take those every four hours as needed.”

  Steve took the items from Laura and nodded. He placed the items in his shirt pocket without saying a word.

  “OK,” said Laura. “All that is left is that tetanus shot.” Laura looked over at Steve with a slight smile. “Would you mind dropping your pants?”

  Chapter 21 - Progress

  Steve Peterson leaned back onto the driver’s door of his Honda. He lifted his throbbing foot a few inches off of the ground to take away some of the pressure. The short walk from the clinic to the car provided further aggravation to the already sensitive wound.

  Steve’s pained facial grimace expressed the discomfort of his foot but did not convey his deep inner sorrow. The day was supposed to bring joy and excitement. So far it was providing only disappointment and heartbreak for Steve. What weighed the heaviest of all on his heart right now was his dismal performance with Laura Hansen.

  Laura was someone he would have liked to impress. She was different. She was pretty and genuinely nice. She respected his work and he respected hers.

  Damn I was a jerk, Steve thought. “I acted like a goddamn idiot in there,” he muttered.

  Steve shook his head in despair. “Ten years of therapy and I’m still nothing but an idiot.” Steve tried to force the incident with Laura out of his mind, but his mind was not ready to let it go. Images of her face, her eyes, and her long dark hair flashed in his head. The smell of her perfume wafted through his memories.

  Steve became lost in his daydream. In his mind he was back in the clinic with Laura. He reached out into the air to touch her and started to speak. Through the clouded dream state Steve remembered his earlier embarrassing ramblings. The dream came to a sudden halt.

  Steve knew he needed something to get his mind off the horrible events of the day. He glanced down at his watch. It was not even three o’clock. He evaluated his options and decided to call the planning board office one last time before heading back to Tampa. He thought that there might be a chance he could still set up a meeting with one of the board officials at the shelter and salvage at least a portion of the day.

  The number for the planning board was still in the cell phone memory. Steve pressed the redial button. This time the phone at the other end of the line rang. On the third ring the planning board office secretary picked up the call.

  Steve explained that he had received a morning message to meet someone from the planning board at the homeless shelter site. He explained that he arrived late and must have missed them. The secretary listened to Steve’s story but knew nothing of the made-up meeting Steve spoke about. She made it quite clear to Steve that she arranged the meetings for all of the planning board members and she remembered making no such meeting.

  To be sure, she checked the Planning Board’s weekly planner and reported back to Steve that there was no such meeting scheduled at the shelter. In fact, she explained, there were no meetings planned for the shelter for the entire week. She wanted Steve to be very sure that she did not improperly s
chedule any meeting.

  “Besides, all of the board members were at a dedication ceremony this morning for the new round-a-bout,” she explained. “It could not have been a planning board member who called your office Mr. Peterson. You must be mistaken.”

  Steve did not hear half of the wordy explanation. He just wanted a meeting. He was irritable. He was sad and his foot hurt. He didn’t want any more excuses or explanations. He pressed for more information.

  “Are they still at the dedication ceremony? When will they be back?” he asked.

  Steve waited while the secretary checked. Finally, there was some good news. Some of the members were just returning from the luncheon that followed the dedication. Steve insisted on speaking to one of the returning members. He needed a copy of the contract and he needed some answers.

  “Are there any planning board members who could meet me at the shelter site now?” Steve asked. “I wouldn’t mind waiting here for a while.”

  Steve’s leg was starting to get fatigued. He opened the door to the Honda and sat down with his sore foot hovering outside of the car. He shifted his weight to take the pressure off of his backside, which still stung from the tetanus shot. Sitting or standing, he was not able to get comfortable. He squirmed uneasily in the seat.

  The phone clicked and the secretary came back on the line. “Sir I am here with Jim Hart. He will be able to meet you at the shelter in thirty minutes. Will that be a good time for you Mr. Peterson?” the secretary asked.

  Steve was thrilled with the news. “Yes thirty minutes will be fine. Tell him I will meet him at the front of the shelter in thirty minutes,” responded Steve. “And also, could you please ask Jim to bring an extra copy of the shelter contract with him?” added Steve.

  Steve was pleased it was Jim Hart who would be coming out to the shelter to meet with him. He had worked with Jim on several projects. Jim was always very open to new ideas and easy to work with.

  Steve liked the fact that Jim was a native Floridian, born and raised in Pinellas County. Steve thought that gave Jim a better understanding of the area and the people. Steve also liked that Jim was the youngest member of the board. His age seemed to give him a fresh perspective on the issues. Steve guessed his age to be in his late thirties, possibly forty at the oldest. In fact, Jim was forty-five.

  The burning pain in Steve’s foot was not letting up. He decided to head off to the shelter immediately. The walk might take him some time with his sore foot. He did not want to be late for another meeting.

  Steve looked over to the break in the fence, but then thought better of taking the rough path with his aching foot. As he turned back, he noticed Laura’s Honda Civic. He remembered her walking up to him and telling him that her car was exactly like his. She was right, he thought. The two cars looked like exact copies.

  Steve hobbled out to the sidewalk and around the corner. The thoughts of Laura kept coming back into his mind along with the memories of how he acted around her. He thought about how he ignored her in the parking lot. He got embarrassed when he thought about his mindless chatter in her office.

  Images of Laura’s face appeared in Steve’s mind. He pictured her image her long dark hair and her warm smile. Steve couldn’t understand why he was so fixated on Laura. He thought that maybe it was because she was one of the first people to ever express an interest in his charity work. Or maybe it was because he acted like such a jerk. All Steve knew was he could not get her out of his mind. He wished he could go back and relive their earlier meeting in the parking lot. This time it would be different, he thought.

  It took almost fifteen minutes for Steve to hobble the short distance to the front of the shelter. He had to stop several times along the route to rest his foot, which was beginning to swell. Steve sat down on the front steps after deciding his ass hurt a little less than his foot. He loosened his left shoe, leaned back against the rusty handrail and waited.

  Jim Hart ended up getting another phone call as he was leaving his office. The call ran longer than he expected. He arrived at the shelter almost an hour late.

  Steve was still seated on the front step when Jim pulled up. His mind was busy reworking his earlier meeting with Laura. In the latest scenario, Steve said all the right things and Laura asked him out to dinner. Steve got Laura the space for her clinic and he was her hero.

  Jim Hart’s official city vehicle screeched to a halt in front of the shelter. The car took down several orange cones as it slid off the road. Jim realized he had kept Steve waiting. He threw an ‘official city business’ placard on the dashboard and left the car on the shoulder of the road.

  The commotion on the street brought Steve back to reality. He realized it was Jim Hart and struggled to get his loafer back onto his swollen foot. The shoe barely fit.

  Steve strained, and forced his foot in. Once again, blood started to ooze out of the wound. Steve grabbed the handrail and pulled himself to a standing position balanced on his good foot as Jim approached.

  “Steve, sorry I am so late,” Jim yelled up to Steve. I got tied up just as I was leaving the office.”

  Steve extended his hand as Jim approached. “No problem Jim, I am just glad you could make it. Did you get the message that I needed a new copy of the contract?”

  Jim began leafing through a stack of papers he was carrying. “I have an extra copy for you right here Steve. It is hot off the presses with the latest changes and completion dates we talked about at the last meeting.” Jim pulled the copy from the stack and handed it over to Steve.

  “So Steve, what brings you down to Clearwater today?” asked Jim. Are there any problems with the project or did you just need the contract?”

  “No, there are no problems. I had a message left for me at work this morning. It said someone from the planning board office wanted to meet down here at noon to discuss the project. I got here a little late and we never met up.”

  “From the Planning Board office?” asked Jim. “Everyone in the office was at the dedication of the new round-a-bout fountain at Clearwater Beach this morning. Even the mayor was there. It couldn’t have been anyone from the office.”

  “I really don’t know,” said Steve. “The message didn’t give the name of who left it. It just said they were from the planning board office.”

  “Well, it couldn’t have been anyone at our office,” said Jim. “Like I said, we were all tied up all morning.”

  The details side of Steve’s personality needed some answers. If it wasn’t someone from the planning board office then who could it have been, he wondered. He started to think that there was a misunderstanding and the message was taken down wrong. He would have to check into it when he got back to the office and would have to get some additional information.

  “So is the copy of the contract the only thing you need then Steve?” asked Jim. The question brought Steve back to the matter at hand.

  “I do have a couple of questions on the contract,” said Steve. “It shouldn’t take too long. Would you have a few minutes to review them right now?”

  “Sure Steve. I have as much time as you need.”

  “Jim, could we have a seat in your car? I hurt my foot and it is much better when I am sitting down.”

  “Yeah, sure. What did you do to your foot Steve?” asked Jim.

  “Oh it was stupid. I stepped on a nail.”

  “When did you do that?” asked Jim.

  “Just today. This afternoon,” replied Steve.

  “Where, here?” asked Jim. “At the shelter?”

  “Yeah,” replied Steve sheepishly. “When I was trying to find the planning board representative for the meeting. I was walking around inside and stepped on some debris.”

  “Steve, you need to be more careful.”

  Steve nodded as he slowly limped over to the car. “Yeah, I know.”

  Steve remembered several areas of the contract that seemed unclear to him. He and Jim worked through several areas of confusing wording and penciled in the needed c
hanges. Steve also pointed out that many of the contract dates needed to be revised because the city was now two weeks late in completing the demolition work.

  Jim also had some questions of his own. The two worked through the details and penned an addendum to the contract listing the completion dates that Steve agreed to. As the last of the wording was added, Steve remembered one last detail he still needed to address.

  “Jim, do you remember when we had a proposal for a small medical facility in the original shelter plans?” Steve asked.

  “Yeah, it was removed fairly early in the process if I remember correctly.”

  “Yes, it was. Well I have some interest in putting it back into play. Do you think the Planning Board would have any objections?”

  “What about staffing?” asked Jim. “That was the big issue last time. Wasn’t that why it was removed?”

  Steve told Jim of his discussion with Laura Hanson. He explained her offer of volunteering her time if the shelter could house the medical facility.

  “That sounds like a good plan to me,” said Jim. “And Laura Hanson is a good person. She will stand by her word. I would support putting a medical facility back into the plan as long as there are no additional costs that need to be picked up by the city. Any new cost overruns would be a certain deal breaker on this.”

  “I’ll cover any additional expenses,” Steve said. “There will not be any additional funding needed from the city.”

  Steve opened his eyes a little wider. “Jim, when I mentioned Laura, you said she was a good person. Do you know her?”

  “Yes, I know her very well,” said Jim. “We actually dated for over a year.”

  Steve did not anticipate Jim’s response. His face clearly bore the look of surprise at the answer. “You and Laura dated?” Steve asked.

  “Yes, a couple of years ago. She is a great person and we were pretty serious. I made a big mistake letting her go.”

  “You broke off the relationship?” Steve asked.

  “Well in a way, it was my fault. I started seeing an old girlfriend on the side and Laura found out. It was really stupid on my part. I never found anyone else as good as Laura. I think she finally forgives me. At least we speak now. How long have you known her Steve?”