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"Hi, Kaitlyn what’s going on?"
"She's back."
"She is back?" I was unprepared for that piece of information, and I sucked in breath sharply.
"So she knows I left town already then."
"Yes she does."
"How is she taking it?"
"Well, she was quite distraught when I found her today, but thank God, she's better now. She's hurting, and I'm only going along with this your plan because I see how much she loves you. But I promise you, if you dare hurt my friend again, I'll hunt you down and make your life miserable."
I could sense the strength behind her threat, and I knew they were not mere words. Kaitlyn was not the kind of woman to make empty promises and she had powerful resources.
"You don't need to threaten me, Kaitlyn. I would never intentionally hurt Sophie again. Not now, not ever."
That seemed to reassure her again.
"I mentioned the fundraiser passingly as an excuse for my visit. She thinks I came here to attend a client's fundraiser for turtles. I believe it will be very easy to convince her to come along with me next week. After that, you'll take over."
I breathed a sigh of relief and felt a rush of gratefulness at her words. "I appreciate your help, Kaitlyn. Means much more to me than I can say. Thank you."
"You're welcome. Have a great day." The dial tone clicked. I allowed myself to breathe calmly and believe that maybe there was still hope for us. Everything was falling into place.
My phone rang again. This time it was Cat. Two hours.
"Mr. Tucker?"
"Yes, Cat speak," I said impatiently.
"I just emailed the information you requested." Her tone sounded clipped, formal. I felt guilty.
"Thank you, Cat. I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier, I'm just feeling the pressure from all angles and it's driving me crazy."
She went silent for a moment then sighed.
"It's okay, Mr. Tucker. I understand how these things go. Just focus on your business there, I'll hold things down here until you're ready to resume fully."
"You're the best, Cat. For real. Remind me to give you a raise and that vacation you've been asking for when I come back."
"Mr. Tucker?!" She sputtered for the second time that day, only this time it was a pleasant shock.
"Thank you sir. This is a pleasant surprise."
"I know Cat, I'm not the ogre that you all think I am. Have a great day."
I disconnected the call feeling better already. So much was riding on this plan of mine, it could not fail. I proceeded to check out what Cat had faxed and I couldn't help but be impressed by her thoroughness. Cat had separated them by their breed, feeding habits, mode of communication amongst others. It was a bulky read and it would take the rest of my day to finish. A small sacrifice for the greater goal. I found a comfortable place to sit on the couch, rolled up my sleeves, tucked in, and began to read.
* * *
Five hours later,it was 10pm and I was exhausted. My neck and shoulders were full of cricks, and my brain was protesting at the large volume of information it had been exposed to.
I'd basically consumed years of Marine biology in five hours, but it has all been worth it. I understand now why Sophie has been passionately pushing for the survival of these turtles. I hoped to God that I could help her make it work. It had become a personal mission for me too, and I wouldn’t rest until the future of these turtles was secured.
First off, I would start by pushing forward heavily with the funding. During Sophie’s presentation to me and my business partners, she had submitted the file on the project which contained the account details. I've begun funding the project already pulling in my weight with the other partners, the next plan was to create a help link that will be available on social media. The idea is for people to use the link if they see a turtle endangered. I'd invest heavily on the marketing with the hashtags campaign, too - #saveaturtle. There was a lot of work to be done but what was most important was that Sophie was no longer doing this alone.
I began by making some calls. First to Dr. Gregory and Mr. Howard, my business partners who attended the first meeting we held with Sophie. I pushed a little and was able to get their full cooperation to release funding on the project immediately.
