Chapter 5
Five
Ali
Ted was smart enough to stay out of Ali’s way. That was the best he could muster in terms of love and affection. It had dawned on her in the last few days how much she didn’t need this man in a practical sense. The man she’d spent her entire adult life with would only slow her down right now. She had things to do. The business of closing out a man’s life was full-time work, and Ali already had a job.
They didn’t really have any additional words or a fight about the cheating.
Ted had called in a rage about the car, but then she’d trumped his dirty car with her dying dad.
“My Dad has hours, Ted. Call a car detailer and send Star the bill.”
Ted had made respectful appearances at her dad's funeral services. He’d made himself scarce when she packed a bag so she could live at her dad’s place for a few more days. It just made sense. She did not want to be near Ted, and she had a lot to do to pack up the old house for sale.
Eventually, they’d need to talk. Ali knew this. But she didn’t have the emotional bandwidth for it.
She’d managed the funeral, spent a little time with her sweet sisters, but then rolled right into the home show. She knew Jerry couldn’t manage it without her, so she was there.
By Sunday afternoon, after a week of nonstop competency in the face of disasters, Ali was cooked. Death, divorce, and home show mini disasters had frazzled her usually very patient nerves. She hadn’t gotten more than four hours of sleep a night for a week.
The last of the home show booths were finally being packed up when Jerry and the Chief of Staff to the Mayor of Toledo, strolled through.
“Huge success, huge!” boomed Jerry.
The Mayor’s Chief of Staff, Dale Zarecki, had ushered the mayor in and out for handshakes on the final day. Zarecki wore a Strong for Toledo t-shirt with the mayor’s name on the back. Election season was never over, she knew. This event was successful, so somehow, the mayor’s office was going to add that to their list of accomplishments. Even though Frogtown was privately owned, politicians liked to call Frogtown their crown jewel. Whatever.
Ali didn’t have time to shmooze. She couldn’t remember when she’d last sat down to eat a meal since the pizza with her sisters. She needed to get out of here sooner rather than later. Let Jerry deal with the bigwigs.
“I hear Ali here signed a record number of builders,” Dale said. “Impressive!”
“Oh, Ali, ha, well, she is a great assistant and executes my vision,” Jerry said to Dale.
Dale nodded, and what had been a nice compliment from Dale to her turned into Jerry grabbing sole credit.
“On that, Ali, can you get Dale and the mayor’s office the swag bags? They all need t-shirts and the goodies!”
The office where they had locked up all the remaining swag bags was across the conference space and two floors up. It was a twenty-minute trip. She also wasn’t about to ask any other staff to do it. They were all tired and working OT to button up the conference space.
Ali was currently managing logistics for four trucks vying to use the two spaces available in the loading dock. Vendors who needed the trucks were lining up, demanding their turn. She had a text, a phone call, and a walkie-talkie conversation going at the same time. She pressed the talk button on her walkie.
“Tell Pam’s Patio Pavers to wait fifteen minutes; if they go first, it will hold up the rest of the row.”
“Ali, did you hear me?” Jerry raised his voice.
“I did. Yes, I’ll get Carrie to send over the swag bags Monday morning.” Ali smiled at Jerry and Dale, and Dale shifted on his feet.
Jerry stepped forward and got in Ali’s face. “I said, go get the bags yourself, now , this is the mayor’s office. We don’t make them wait.”
He was yelling. Straight up yelling at her.
The walkie talkie lit up. “Ali, Pam’s Patio won’t wait. They’re moving in front of T.T.’s Inground Pools.”
“This is your priority.” Jerry poked Ali on the shoulder. He was clearly trying to look like the big man in front of Dale.
Ali’s phone was now buzzing. Another issue. Another fire to put out. She ignored the finger poke to the shoulder and glanced at her phone.
“Ali!” Jerry poked again, his voice louder this time.
Zero respect. Zero appreciation.
“I’m ordering you to help Dale immediately. This is your priority.”
Jerry had no idea what needed to be prioritized to break down the convention space and be sure each vendor left happy, so they signed up next year at a higher rate. Breaking down was just as important as setting up.
“Ali!”
Jerry was doing this now? He was really doing this? Ali snapped. It was the poke on the shoulder that broke the camel’s back.
“Jerry. Get them yourself. I quit.”
“What?”
“Yep, I quit. Get the swag, deal with Pam’s Patio—oh, also the plumbing staff needs to be alerted. Clogged stalls in the second cor—wait. No. Here.”
Ali handed the walkie to Jerry. He’d never once asked her about her dad. He’d expected her complete availability. He’d taken credit yet again for all she’d done here. And now? Now he was yelling at her in front of important people to make himself look important.
“You walk out of here now; you’ll never work in Toledo again!”
Ali put her hand in the air and waved him off like a gnat.
“I’m calling security. Turn in your badge!” His voice echoed in the cavernous space.
“Yeah? What extension are they? And I’m QUITTING Jerry, you’re not firing me.”
She left Jerry to have his meltdown while she had hers.
Her office. She needed to get to her office. She took the stairs two at a time instead of the elevator. The fatigue she’d felt was now burned away by anger, adrenaline, and relief. She unlocked her office and stepped inside. She closed the door behind her. She didn’t want to talk to Jerry. She didn’t want anyone to say, “Be reasonable.” She was operating on pure emotion, instinct, and maybe self-preservation, though it probably looked like self-destruction.
Ali looked around. She wasn’t one to personalize her office space. This was command central. Not her home. She had one framed photo of her kids at her side at Tye’s graduation. She put that in her bag.
Every contact, calendar, memo was in her phone. There was no Rolodex to worry about. She had anyone she’d ever needed to know in her pocket. Her lifetime of efficiency meant this office was easy to clean out.
Ali eyed her Toledo Walleye Mug. She did like that. It went in her big messenger bag. She scanned the space again. Oh yeah, her Toledo Mud Hens ball cap. She always kept it on the hook in the middle of her door. It came in handy when her hair wasn’t cooperating after working all night here. She wore it when Toledo’s Favorite Son, Jamie Farr, was the headliner of the M*A*S*H Fan Convention Frogtown hosted a few years ago.
She put the navy-blue ball cap on her head. Okay, yeah, that was it. That was all she needed.
Ali walked out of Frogtown feeling lighter than she’d felt in months.
But with no idea of what would come next.