by Ashley Blake
“Hey, I was wondering if I would see you here because I hadn’t seen you all week.” I smiled at her as she got settled in her space.
“It’s been a crazy week, I had the flu so I missed all of my classes this week. Today is the first day that I felt okay to come to school. My doctor seems to think that I am on the mend so don’t worry, I’m not contagious.”
“That sucks that you were sick, but I am glad that you’re feeling better. Ready to tackle this crazy year?”
“I am so ready. I was pissed that I was sick and I was worried that it would put me behind but, thankfully it didn’t. Hey, I was thinking about our conversation at the party and how we both are on the same career track. Do you want to see how we work together and maybe we can just partner up all the way through?” Marta sounded cautiously optimistic and I thought it was a great idea. We really seemed to hit off quickly and I liked her vibe.
“Yeah Marta, absolutely. I think that would be awesome if we could work together. We’ll have to see if our work styles are similar and if they are, then I think we will be set.”
“Great. So, Emma, do you know anything about the professor for this class? I have been looking forward to this class more than any of the others.”
“Oh my gosh! That’s so funny, so have I! I don’t know anything about this professor, but my classes so far this week have all been awesome so I’m sure this will be great too.”
Our professor walked in and he seemed really cool and laid back, which I liked.
"Okay everyone, let's get started. I am Professor Jansen and this is going to be the most interesting and challenging design class you have ever taken. I believe in a very open teaching environment and I expect all of you to work together to help each other create your best work. A little bit about me, I have traveled all over Europe and I have studied and taught art in Paris and Milan to name just a couple of places. We will have a different guest speaker every week beginning next week so feel free to ask them any questions you may have.
The class was really cool and it looked like this was going to be my favorite. When class was over, Professor Jansen gave us an assignment for the following week and told us to partner up with someone in the class. Since Marta and I had already discussed being partners, we decided to work together and made plans to get together over the weekend to work on our assignment. Marta quickly gathered her things after class and told me that she was going to go home to lie down and rest to shake the rest of her illness, and I told her that I hoped she felt better.
Kelly and I went out to dinner that night and I told her all about my day and how Marta was in my class and we decided to partner up.
“Kelly, you have no idea how happy I am that Marta I get along and how happy I am that I met her at that party last weekend. I knew ahead of time that working with a partner is basically a requirement in advertising, and it was the one thing that I was really stressing about. We had to work on a group project in class yesterday and she and I work together so well and so similarly that it's almost as if it was a match made in heaven. I am so psyched to move forward in this year with her as my partner because I really think that we will be able to get a lot accomplished.”
“Emma, I am so happy for you that you found your perfect partner, I know how important that is.”
“Yeah, it’s a huge relief and she seems pretty cool. Tell me about your day.”
“It was a cool day, we have to design and sew a simple dress that can go from day to night and it is due next Friday.”
“Oh wow, do you think you’ll be able to get it done that quickly?”
“Oh yeah, no problem, it’s actually a pretty easy assignment.”
Kelly was such a talented designer and always had been. I remember telling her years ago when we were in eighth grade that, one day, I wanted her to design my wedding dress.
“Maybe you can make a summer dress for me or something that I can wear when it gets warm. That would be so cool Kelly, I would have the very first Kelly Olsen original.”
“Actually, a simple summer dress could be part of my final collection so I think I will use you as my model. My whole line will be for women who wear our size.”
“Wait a second, model? I don’t know about that, but you can use me to fit the clothes. I wouldn’t have to walk down the runway or anything, right?”
“No, you wouldn’t have to walk down the runway, unless you really wanted to.”
“I think I’ll pass on the whole runway model thing, unless you really need me.”
“Thank you my friend, I’ll let you know.” Kelly smiled at me and then sipped her cocktail. “Oh yeah, I’ve been meaning to ask you, when are you going to start volunteering?”
I had found an organization in Chicago that I was really passionate about and I had been donating to them for the past few months. I had always known that philanthropy would be a big part of my life because it was important to me that I gave back to society in some way since I had been blessed with so much. The next day would be my first day there. I was going to volunteer every other Saturday for five hours with Friends of Seniors, a nonprofit organization that focused on providing social interaction for elderly people who would otherwise be lonely. I was really looking forward to getting started there.
“I start tomorrow and I’ll be there from 9:00 until 2:00. Everything has been so crazy with my move, getting settled and starting school, that I guess I forgot to tell you, sorry about that.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. I think it’s awesome that you’re doing that Emma, and I’m sure you’re going to have a great time and brighten a lot of people’s day.”
We finished our drinks and then I went home and Kelly went over to her boyfriend David’s place. I wanted to get a good night’s sleep so that I would be alert and ready for my day with the new friends I would be meeting the next day.
The next morning I arrived right on time and people were already setting up for a birthday party. I found Jean, the coordinator, and she introduced me to all of the volunteers that were there and told me that it was Mary’s birthday, a longtime member of the center, and she liked the color pink so we needed to blow up 75 pink balloons. I found the helium tank and started my project. After I had completed the balloons, I went into the kitchen to see if they needed help preparing lunch. I was told they had everything under control but I could help set the tables, so I grabbed a bunch of napkins and utensils and got started setting places for everyone. People were supposed to start arriving at 11:00 and it was about 10:15 when I heard Jean frantically rushing around trying to find the cake. I went over to her to see if I could help.
“Jean do you want me to look somewhere else besides the kitchen? Maybe someone put it in an office or something. If you tell me where to go, I can go look for you.”
“Thanks Emma, I appreciate that but I just remembered that no one picked the cake up from the bakery! Can you believe that? We’ve been so crazy busy around here that is just slipped our minds!”
“What slipped your mind?” I knew that voice but I couldn’t quite place it. As I turned in the direction of where it was coming from, I could not believe my eyes.
“Oh Caleb, thank goodness you’re here! We forgot to pick up Mary’s cake from the bakery! Can you believe that? Oh, I’ve been so crazed around here! Can you be a dear and go pick it up? Mary will have a fit if we don’t have her strawberry whipped cream cake for her.”
“Of course Jean, no problem at all.” Caleb stood looking at me with a slight smirk on his face as his eyes held mine.
You have got to be kidding me, there is no way this is really happening. I cannot believe that he is here!
“Oh, how rude of me! Caleb this is our newest volunteer Emma. Well, I guess you’re not really new Emma, right? You have been providing your support for the past few months.”
“Oh Jean, Emma and I go way back.” Once again there was that sexy little smirk of his.
“Oh how nice, actually, Emma, if you could go with Caleb to
pick up the cake that would be wonderful because there isn’t any parking around the bakery and he will probably have to double park, so one of you will have to stay in the car. It will just be much faster this way, I hope you don’t mind.”
“Oh no Jean, I don’t mind at all.”
“Oh my goodness, where are my manners? Caleb I hope this is okay with you as well.”
“Of course Jean, you know I would do anything for you.”
He winked at her and I saw her blush like a teenager and Jean had to have been at least 60 years old. He was very charming and it was obvious that he had an effect on all women, no matter their age.
“Oh, thank you dear, now you two hurry along because everyone will be here in about 40 minutes.”
It all happened so fast that I barely had time to let it register that Caleb Morgan was a volunteer at the same place I was now a volunteer, and not only that, we were about to be alone together in his car. This was crazy, stuff like this did not happen to me. I tried to contain my excitement and act as nonchalant as possible as we walked to his car. I didn’t want him to see that I was jumping up and down inside like an excited child.
We walked to his SUV in silence and once inside, Caleb put the keys in the ignition but did not turn the car on and turned to look at me.
“How is it that you keep popping up in my life?” His sexy smile nearly made me tongue-tied and I began to feel uncomfortable under his gorgeous, but intense, gaze.
“I think you have that backwards, it appears that you keep popping up in my life.” I attempted a flirtatious smile, but I feared that it looked more like a panicked strained look as I found myself in completely unfamiliar territory with this absolutely gorgeous man.
“You know, we never formally introduced ourselves to each other. Hi, I am Caleb Morgan. And what is your name?”
I thought it was cute that he wanted to formally meet each other, so I played along. “It is very nice to meet you Caleb, my name is Emma Blakely.”
“Very nice to meet you as well, Emma. Okay, so now that we have the formalities out of the way, what do you say we go pick up Mary’s cake?”
“Sounds good.” Is this really my life right now?
“So, Emma, tell me about your hometown. Where exactly are you from? Where did you go to college? Any brothers, sisters, are your parents still married? Tell me, I want to know everything.”
He wants to know everything? About me? I am so in heaven right now.
“I am from New Holstein, Wisconsin which is a small town not too far from Appleton, Wisconsin. I went to college in Appleton and I am the oldest of four girls, and yes, our parents are still married.”
“New Holstein, Wisconsin? I’ve never heard of it. How big is it?”
“It’s pretty small, we have around 4,000 people in our town.”
Caleb raised his eyebrows and I could tell that he looked shocked. “Four thousand people! Well moving here must have been a huge culture shock for you, I can’t imagine what that must be like. Do you think you are adjusting okay?”
“Oh yeah, absolutely. I love it here, I really do. My aunt and uncle used to live here so I’ve been here before and I kind of knew what to expect. It wasn’t that much of a culture shock, believe it or not. And what about you? Same questions for you.”
“I am from New York City, born and bred, I went to Yale and I have one younger brother. Parents are also still married and living in New York.”
“Yale? Wow, how impressive.”
“Really? Why?”
From what I had been told about him, I just did not imagine that he was the type who would have an Ivy League education. It was another pleasant surprise that quashed my preconceived notions about him.
“You strike me as a free spirit and I just don’t see you as the buttoned up, Ivy League type, that’s all. You must be very smart.”
“You should never judge a book by its cover because you never know what’s inside. Yale was a perfect place for me believe it or not.”
I decided that I wanted to ask him about his parents, to find out what kind of people they were. I had been told at the party that they were hedge fund managers, but I wanted to know from him who they were as parents and what his relationship was like with them.
“So are you close with your parents Caleb?”
I saw him set and then clench his jaw and it seemed as if I had hit a nerve, which was not my intention.
“My mother and I are very close, and my father and I have a complicated relationship but I love him very much. He’s not very supportive of my love of art, he would prefer that I work with him. He doesn’t understand my need to be artistically free and that art is my passion.”
“You may not believe me, but I can kind of relate to that. My mother and I are pretty close and my father and I, not so much. I love him but we also have a complicated relationship as well. He doesn’t really understand me and I know for a fact that he favors my younger sister. But it’s fine, I know that he loves me and I do whatever I can so that I don’t rock the boat. It just makes things easier for everyone.”
“You sound as if you are describing my life. Maybe your father and my father should get together and talk and figure out how to communicate with their children.” He chuckled after he said that but I could tell that his relationship with his father was something that weighed heavily on him.
I giggled to lighten the mood. “That actually is something that might work!”
He smiled at me and then I noticed that the car was slowing down. “Here’s the bakery. Do you want to go inside and get the cake or do you want to stay in the car while I go inside?”
“Oh, I’ll just stay inside since this is my first time actually volunteering with Friends of Seniors. You probably know who to ask for and all of that stuff.”
“Okay, I will be right back.” He hopped out of the car and once he closed the door and I sat there alone, I was almost numb with shock that I was sitting in Caleb’s car. We just had an awesome little chat and he opened up to me. This cannot really be my life!
I had to admit to myself that I was surprised that we were able to talk to each other so easily. I didn’t feel weird at all telling him about my dad and I hoped that he didn’t feel weird telling me about his dad. It felt very natural to talk to him and I really liked getting to know him. He was much different than I originally thought he would be and it was refreshing.
A few minutes later Caleb was back in the car with the cake and we headed back to the center.
“Caleb, how many people do you think will be there today?”
“We usually have around 40 or 50 people show up for the birthday parties and it’s a lot of fun. You’ll see how awesome the energy in the room is because these are people who are just happy to have someone to talk to, and they really appreciate everything that we do for them. It’s so nice to be around people that don’t want anything from you, they just want your company.”
“How long have you been volunteering there?”
“Four years. What made you decide to volunteer there? I heard Jean say that you have been contributing for a few months, how did you pick this place?”
“I decided a while ago that I wanted to volunteer and give financial support somewhere and I wanted to spend my time and money helping a hands on organization that fulfilled a need for people. I have always had an affection for elderly people and when I found out about this organization, it seemed like a perfect fit for me. Then, when I found out it was so close to my apartment, it was a no-brainer for me to volunteer.”
When I glanced over at Caleb he had a look of appreciation in his eyes but also a puzzled look on his face and I don’t think he expected me to give that kind of answer. I raised an eyebrow at him and had to ask him why he looked so confused.
“Is there something wrong with my answer?”
“No, not at all, I have completely misjudged you. You have more layers than I expected Emma Blakely. When I saw you at the party I thought you were the kind of g
irl who just wanted to have a few drinks and have fun. But then I see you here and I find out about your dedication to this organization and it is a nice surprise. You are just out of college and, according to Jean, you've been sending money to support the facility for a few months, I can't imagine what that does to a college girl’s budget but that is so impressive that you would want to give in that way, and then continue to give by actually volunteering. It’s not often that I am wrong about people, but in this case it looks like I was wrong about you and that is a good thing.”
I didn’t want to give him the impression that I was a poor, struggling college student who sacrificed money for this charity because, if and when he found out the truth about my family, I didn’t want him to think that I had lied to him. So I decided to tell him about my parent’s business.
“Hmmm, judgmental. I think someone just scolded me about not judging a book by its cover.” I gave him a sly smile and he chuckled.
“You’re right, you’re right, my apologies.”
“Um, about your comment about a college student’s budget. I don’t usually talk about this, but I don’t want you to think that I was portraying myself to be someone I’m not. My parents own a bunch of car dealerships throughout Wisconsin so donating money to Friends of Seniors wasn’t a hardship for me. I’m only telling you this because I don’t want you to think I was hiding something from you.”
He turned to me and the look of appreciation on his face was priceless. He stared at me for a few seconds and it seemed as if he was trying to figure me out.
“Thank you for sharing that with me Emma.”
We pulled up to the parking lot and I was a little bummed that our alone time was over but we had to get the cake inside before Mary arrived. Caleb turned off the car and looked at me for a few seconds with his hand on the door.
“You intrigue me Emma Blakely.” Then he opened the door and went around to get the cake out of the back seat.
