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“I like confirmation.”
“Nine thirty. Confirmed.”
“I hope you’re not staying in Chicago just to film Peaches.”
“No. Leah’s taking this trip. She’ll learn a lot. I’ve got the broadcast crew in Monday and the community-program launch Wednesday.” He shifted the headset he was carrying to his other hand. “The launch was supposed to be simple. Then somebody ordered a stage.”
“For a reading program?”
“Yes. There’s now a stage, a banner with a typo that needs fixing, and a mascot booked for the wrong day. I’m keeping the stage.”
“And the typo?”
“Fixed by Tuesday or covered by a very large plant.”
“What does Leah need from us on the trip?” I asked.
“Availability after morning skates, same as here. She’ll tell you the rest.” He checked his watch. “The broadcast crew lands Sunday at four, or six, or whenever their producer stops changing his mind. I’d like to settle that before he adds a third option.”
He said good night and walked down the hall, the headset swinging from one hand.
I sat at my stall and worked at a skate lace.
***
I got up at five a.m. the next morning and packed. Peaches decided to jump in my suitcase and supervise.
She’d claimed it while I was in the closet. When I came back with my shirts, she’d arranged herself in the center on my folded pants, paws tucked, prepared to stay.
“I need that.”
She looked at the shirts in my hands.
“It’s non-negotiable,” I said.
She let me get within one foot of her before she stood, stepped out over the edge, and sat down beside the suitcase to supervise the rest.
Anna arrived after breakfast. We went through the handover at the kitchen counter: the medication supply, food delivery arriving in a few days, and the guest bathroom faucet that had developed a drip. I hadn’t gotten it fixed, so I'd turned the water off under the sink.
“I’ll call the building,” she said.
“They’ll come while you’re here?”
“They came for me last time. I offer donuts.”
“Oh—Mark confirmed Monday afternoon,” she said. “Three o’clock. He offered two times. I picked the one after her nap.”
“I could have checked that with you.”
“You were playing hockey. We managed.” She added the visit to her list.
After climbing onto the bus with the rest of the team, I texted Mark.
Trier: Spare brush is in the hall closet, second shelf, if the good one goes missing.
Mark: Noted. I’ll try to lose the good one responsibly.
Trier: There’s a lint roller by the door. Use it before your next meeting or spend the meeting explaining.
