Chapter Thirteen #2
Mei felt a funny flutter in her stomach. Was Alexandre wishing he were camping with her? Not at Livinpalooza, of course, but somewhere beautiful, like the California coast. They could sip hot cocoa and watch the stars come out.
Joey! She and Joey could do that!
Mei quickly replied to her fiancé’s message.
Miss you, too!
Then she typed back to the group chat.
Having a great time!
Mei attached the photo of her and her teammates. In it, she was grinning broadly, the setting sun haloing her with a golden glow. With a satisfied nod, Mei hit send.
· · ·
The tinkling chimes of Mei’s alarm roused her at eight the next morning.
She reached for her phone and opened the weather app.
A red banner slowly appeared: “A HURRICANE WARNING is in effect for this area.” Overnight, a tropical storm had gained strength and speed and was heading inland.
Hurricane Theo was approaching the Carolina coasts and would travel north, hitting the Hudson Valley the next evening.
Mei checked her email and Slack. No word from Livin. A few texts arrived, though.
Alexandre: I just saw the hurricane alert. Are they calling off Livinpalooza?
Ali: Should we come get you? Luc is picking up Kaia at 3 and I have a staff meeting, but we’ll figure it out.
Alexandre: I’m around, if that helps. My last class ends at 1.
Joey: Babe! I saw the hurricane alert! That means you’re coming home, right? The apartment isn’t the same without you.
Mei frowned at Joey’s text. Why was it all about him? She replied to Ali and Alexandre.
No news from Livin yet. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear. Thank you for offering to get me!
Mei threw on a T-shirt and leggings, then hurried to the main grounds to meet her teammates.
“Mei!” Kaden called. “Do you know what they’re planning to do?”
“No. Let’s hope Julian says something now.”
They settled on the lawn in front of the stage. Around them, everyone speculated about the hurricane.
“My ex was named Theo. If the storm is anything like him, we’re screwed.”
“I kind of hope a hurricane hits. It would bring some excitement to this Snoozapalooza.”
“If they don’t cancel this, I’ma break outta here. I’d rather be fired than dead.”
After a slick hype video, Julian took the stage. “Welcome to day two of Livinpalooza!” He smiled his trademark grin, then launched into an inspirational speech about how employees could harness their superpowers to reshape humanity.
Restless chatter rippled through the crowd. Julian kept talking. The crowd rumbled louder.
Finally, Julian paused. “My friends. My Livin family. I know many of you saw a hurricane warning. Rest assured that we’re monitoring the situation. All of today’s festivities will go on as planned. Attendance is still mandatory, like our commitment to changing the world.”
“That’s all?” Tamiko exclaimed. “Do they not understand that a hurricane is coming tomorrow?”
Mei struggled to concentrate as Livin’s chief sustainability officer took the stage and detailed the great lengths he’d taken to make Livinpalooza a green event.
“We have bamboo utensils instead of plastic,” he said. “Boxed water instead of bottled. Our vegan menu cuts down on greenhouse gas emissions, and we’re donating all your camping gear to the homeless.”
Mei swallowed her discomfort. She pictured the skepticism on Alexandre’s face when he’d questioned Livin’s sustainability claims.
After the morning session, Mei got barbecue jackfruit sandwiches with Kaden, Bryce, and Tamiko, then split off. She did a round of gentle yoga and made a flower crown at a craft station. As the hours passed, Livin remained silent about the hurricane.
Mei was walking to a ukulele painting session when she ran into Ayanna.
“How are you doing?” Mei asked. “Do you have any hurricane intel?” Ayanna and her team were holed up in the social media trailer, strategically posting and monitoring all content related to the event.
“I’m hanging in there. Trying to make the most of our all-white male speaker lineup. You’d think that in this day and age, they’d have POC and women speaking on topics besides diversity and belonging.”
Mei grimaced in agreement.
“As for the hurricane, Julian’s been throwing fits all day about how many millions he’s spent on Livinpalooza and how he’s not calling it off.”
“So we’re stuck here?”
“No. Julian finally came around. The public affairs team pointed out that it would be a PR nightmare if employees were injured—or worse. We’d never go public.”
“That’s what changed his mind?” Nausea rose in Mei’s throat.
“Disgusting, right?” Ayanna checked her phone and sighed. “I need to get back. Julian will announce the change of plans at the evening session. We’re all out of here tomorrow.”
Mei exhaled with relief. “Thanks, Ayanna. Stay safe.”
Ayanna gave her a quick hug. “You too, gal.”
· · ·
As dusk fell, Julian took the stage with a somber air. “My friends. My Livin family. I have sad news. Livinpalooza will end tomorrow. We made this heartbreaking decision out of an abundance of caution for your safety.”
And your IPO, Mei thought.
“For New York employees, we have buses back to the city. For all other employees, we’ve made hotel accommodations. You can also arrange for your own ride to arrive between nine and eleven tomorrow morning.”
Around Mei, everyone whipped out their phones.
“Ending Livinpalooza early only means one thing.” Julian’s green eyes glinted. “We’re going twice as hard tonight! We’re not stopping until the drinks run dry.”
The DJ turned up the tropical house music. Julian bopped offstage.
Mei texted Ali the update. The clock icon appeared next to her message. Shoot. The network was overloaded with everyone trying to get rides home.
Mei walked away from the main grounds. Up the hill near the entrance, her message finally went through. Text after text appeared.
Joey: What’s the latest? You on your way home?
Ali: So glad they finally canceled! But ugh, my car has a flat and Luc’s van is in the shop! I’m so sorry! Alexandre, can you give Mei a ride to our place?
Alexandre: Of course! Mei, let me know when to get you.
Mei tapped out a reply but stopped before hitting send.
Today was Friday. Joey wouldn’t be leaving for Virginia until Sunday.
Should she take the bus home to be with him?
The thought of riding a cramped bus for hours, surrounded by unwashed coworkers and rah-rah Livin spirit was excruciating, compared to the peace of Alexandre’s car.
Mei chewed her lip. Luc drove her places all the time.
Why did it feel different with his brother?
Her phone buzzed, shaking her out of her thoughts.
Joey: Babe! Have you heard yet? I’m so lonely.
Mei inhaled through her nose. She clicked away from Joey’s text and replied to Alexandre.
Thank you so much for the ride! Can you meet me at 9 a.m. tomorrow?
She was sticking to the original plan, just one day earlier. And now she’d get extra bonus time with Ali. Mei hit send. Her message timed out. She walked farther and farther until she reached the chain-link fence surrounding the perimeter. Finally, her text went through.
Alexandre replied a minute later.
Yes! See you at 9 tomorrow.
The tension in Mei’s jaw released. She had no doubt Alexandre would be there right on time. She texted him directions, then squared her shoulders and sent Joey an update.
Car doors slammed. Male voices sounded nearby. Mei squinted into the parking lot. James, the chief sustainability officer, and other execs boarded a fleet of glossy black SUVs.
“See you back at Castle Ridge,” the CFO called to the others.
“I’m ready for a bourbon and a steak,” James replied. Everyone laughed heartily.
Mei’s face burned. Of course the execs were staying at Castle Ridge, a luxury mountain resort where rooms started at a thousand dollars a night. Mei pulled out her phone, ready to ask Alexandre to get her now.
Then she paused. Anyone who left Livinpalooza early faced termination. She couldn’t risk her job over this.
With a resigned sigh, Mei pocketed her phone and trudged back down the hill.
· · ·
Mei’s hand splashed into a puddle, jolting her awake. She snapped on the headlamp hanging from the top of her tent, even though she knew what she’d see. Her sleeping bag was submerged in water. She was completely drenched. Rushing rain filled the air.
Mei swiped water from her face and peeked outside. People crawled from tents, equally soaked. Some shouldered backpacks and ran barefoot from the campsite.
Frozen in place, she took in the chaos. If she ran, would she get hit by lightning? If she stayed put, would a tree fall on her? Dying at Livinpalooza was not how she wanted to go.
Her phone chimed, shaking her out of her stupor. Mei fumbled in her backpack for it. Alexandre had texted.
Mei, I’m in the parking lot. Can I meet you in there?
She glanced at the time. Seven a.m. He’d come for her? This early? She drew a shuddering breath and tried to think.
I don’t think so. This place is huge and my campsite is so far. There are fences all around.
Alexandre replied a second later.
Got it. Be safe and let me know if you need me. I’m ready to bust in there for you.
Mei exhaled shakily with relief. She pulled on her wet sneakers, grabbed her bag, and ran into the storm.