Full Court Seduction

“I care about the people here, too. This isn’t just about the birds and the flowers, Liberty. Clear Water can’t meet their permit limits. There’s an entire population who’ll be swimming in sewage if they dump into the creek.”

Liberty rolled her eyes and waved a hand. “Oh, Danielle, please. That’s why we have engineers who can design and build a system that can properly treat the waste. People won’t be in sewage. This is why I’ve always said you’re too biased when it comes to these types of decisions.”

Debra’s hand gripped Danielle’s leg beneath the table. The movement effectively stopped Danielle from pouncing onto Liberty. That wasn’t the first time the woman had thrown out the comment. Danielle and Debra both believed Liberty was trying to make a case with the board to remove Danielle as director.

Mr. Springfield, who’d watched the exchange silently with the rest of the board members, rapped his knuckles on the table. “Ladies, ladies, you both make very good points. Since I’m directly affected by the expansion, I have to defer from voting, but I think this is important enough for the board to take both sides into consideration. If Clear Water can truly improve by expanding, it’s better than having a poorly run system out there. If they cannot, then none of us here want them discharging into Springfield Creek. Let’s take a little more time, talk to the people in Environmental Protection and see if Clear Water will come to a board meeting to discuss their plans.”

There was a round of agreement at the table. Danielle and Liberty gave tight smiles and stiff nods. Mr. Springfield had made a valid point, though Danielle doubted Clear Water would be willing to come to the table and speak to them.

Danielle nodded. “I’ll make the necessary contacts. I’ll also speak with the Environmental Protection again and send my findings to the board.”

Liberty sat forward and crossed her arms on the table. “Don’t spend too much time on that. Remember the gala is the most important thing right now.”

Danielle took a slow deep breath before responding. “The plans for the gala are coming along very well. We’ve got several sponsors.” Five. “And ticket sales are promising.” Two sold today bringing them to a total of twenty.

“Really? I thought it would be slow considering the lack of promotion.”

Debra grabbed Danielle’s leg again. The limited promotion was due to the budget cuts on the advertisement. Budget cuts Liberty recommended. “We’ve been lucky to have been picked up a media sponsor.” The local free newspaper counted.

Liberty’s smile was fake and tight. “That’s good. I don’t know how we’ll keep things going as is if we don’t bring in more funding.”

Translation: make the gala a success or else Liberty had a good reason for Danielle’s dismissal.

The meeting ended soon after. Danielle was too annoyed and wound up to sit in her office and work on the final preparations for the river cleanup that weekend.

Debra poked her head in Danielle’s door. “Hey, I’m about to go pick up supplies for that school presentation later in the week. You need anything?”

“A hundred ticket sales,” Danielle said.

“Don’t let Liberty get to you. Sales always start slow. They’ll pick up.”

Danielle pushed aside her frustration with Liberty. She would make this gala a success. “I know they will.” She filled her voice with confidence.

“Hey, I’ve got something to get your mind off of Liberty. Let’s call the rest of the river rats and hang out tonight. Maybe we’ll come up with some good ideas to shut up Liberty.”

Danielle’s first impulse was to say no. She’d rather figure out how to get more ticket sales for the gala. Maybe even do some door knocking for sponsors. But if she thought about it too much she’d go crazy. A night out with people who understood would help. “Set it up.”

Debra clapped her hands. “Great! Look I’ve got to go. Most of the interns are out taking samples. We all have our cells if you need anything.”

Danielle smiled and waved at Debra as she floated out of the office. With no one there to help distract her from the fact that Liberty wanted her gone, Danielle opted for the best thing to get her mind off of the uncontrollable things in her life. Kicking off her kitten heels, she slipped on a pair of rain boots and stomped out the back of the cottage and down to the beach. Having an office right on the very water body they were trying to protect was the best thing about her job. Every time she thought her work was getting nowhere or that no one was listening or cared, she could look out her window and see the sun reflecting off the waves and remember what she was fighting for. The one thing that she could hold on to in her life.

It was cloudy and drizzling, so she’d put on her pink North Face raincoat for the walk. She liked the beach when it was sunny, but loved it on drizzly days like today. Not as hot, less crowded, and the waters were choppy due to the winds. The sound of each pounding wave would slowly knock away whatever frustration tightened her muscles.

She’d walked a mile down the beach and was on her way back when her cell phone rang in her jacket pocket. She stopped and pulled it. One look at the screen and the tension that had just drained from her shoulders slowly started back.

“Hi, Mom,” she said.

“Hello, Danielle, how are things going with my favorite daughter?” Adele Stewart asked in her cheery voice.

She was an only child, so the compliment didn’t give Danielle any false sense of importance. “The board meeting was rough this morning. I’m out walking the beach now.”

“Is this about the Clear Water expansion?”

“How did you know about that?”

“I read the board meeting agendas that you send me,” Adele said, as if Danielle should have known that.

As little attention as her parents gave her, she was surprised to know that her mom read them. The young girl who still wanted their attention was the part of her that added them to the River Watchers mailing list in the vain hope that they’d at least find her work interesting.

“That’s it, actually. I’ve got a board member who doesn’t think we should ask the town to oppose the expansion before the permit is on notice. I disagree.”

Adele sighed and Danielle pictured her mom shaking her head in disbelief. “I can’t fathom why everyone doesn’t understand the important role we play in making this world a better place.”

“Not everyone thinks that way.”

“They should. Don’t worry, honey, good always triumphs over evil.”

Danielle chuckled. “She’s not evil. She just has her own self-interests.”

“People who refuse to take responsibility for improving the world are a form of evil.”

Words Danielle had heard most of her life. She loved her parents, but many times she’d wished they’d stopped trying so hard to save everyone else in the world and just focus on raising her.

“Where’s Dad?”

“Oh, that’s why I called. We’re taking in another foster child—a boy, eight years old. His mother is in prison and the his father died last year.”

“Another? You’ve already got two kids.”

“I know, but I was so moved by his story when I went to the latest CASA meeting. Danielle, there are so many kids out there who need love. It’s our duty to do what we can.”

“I know, Mom, but you and Dad don’t have to take in every child you come across. I thought you were coming to Ridgeport for the river cleanup this weekend. That’ll be hard to do with a new kid in the house.”

“Oh, Danielle, don’t be selfish. We’ll try to make it if we can.”

Danielle bit her lower lip and dug the toe of her boot into the wet sand. Adele was an expert at hitting Danielle with the guilty stick. Danielle knew there were kids who needed love and affection. She knew that everyone wasn’t blessed to have two parents like she did. But all her life her parents were busy with the causes they took up after they couldn’t have another child.

“We don’t need our own child. Not when there are so many out there we can shower with love.”

Her dad has spoken those words to her mom when she’d cried after another failed pregnancy. Danielle had been nine when she overheard them. A few months later the various projects started. They’d built houses, feed the poor, championed animal rights, and now were taking in foster kids. They had taught her the importance of serving, but they’d also been too busy with their projects to give her any attention. From bad days at school, fights with her friends, or a choral recital they couldn’t attend, their comments were always the same. There were people out there who had it worse than her.

Danielle used to wonder why they didn’t want to shower their attention on her. Was she not good enough? Even though she was older, the feelings of not being enough for her parents hadn’t gone away.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” she said. “Bring him along. I’ve got to meet my new brother sooner or later.”

“We’ll see what the courts say,” Adele said dismissively. “Even though his mother is in jail, they may grant visitation. You know I like to make sure the kids see their parents on weekends if they can.”

She had her answer: her parents weren’t coming. Eventually, she’d stop caring when they missed something of hers because of another commitment. “Don’t worry about it. As long as you guys make the gala in a few weeks that’s all that matters. It’s the inaugural event. I need to make an impression. It would mean a lot to me if you two were there.”