Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
SAbrINA
T he bad press was getting worse for both me and Cal. Paul clicked through various tabs on his computer, tsk-tsking and shaking his head. I had read a few. Most of the articles about Cal were much of the same—slamming his company and the app and throwing shade on what had happened in Peru—all designed to discredit him.
The articles that included me were about my dad and speculation about the life of a professional gambler. They tried to make it look terrible by saying we moved a lot, and I had grown up in casinos—which wasn’t a lie. After Mom died, we had moved a lot, and I had spent a lot of time in casinos, but I’d also learned to ride horses and had become a strong swimmer. When I was old enough, I worked at some of the casino hotels as a lifeguard. I also graduated from high school with excellent grades, but of course, that wasn’t mentioned at all.
The beta test of the app was slogging along. There had been an initial mass sign-up in the low hundreds, not in the thousands like Cal had expected. But the sign-ups had slowed. Cricket’s article about our date and using the app had gotten buried under my adoption story.
The reporter from the press conference who had irritated me with his innuendos was Jonathon Smith. He had dug up some college classmates who’d verified that yes, Cal and I had dated, but we’d broken up and instantly dropped out of each other’s lives. The questions regarding our breakup were paired with creative sentences that hinted at an ugly undercurrent of abuse and cheating. It didn’t matter that the reporter left the assumptions open for the reader to make. And his attack on my father was just as ugly. Accusations of card counting, underreporting winnings, colluding with dealers to fix games, and even using technology to spy. The last one was laughable. Dad was the least techy person I knew. He’d never upgraded from a flip phone and, up until his death, still handwrote letters and used snail mail. What bothered me the most was that Dad wasn’t able to defend his reputation, and I knew that even if all this was retracted by the paper, some people out there would believe it regardless. That alone made me want to weep with regret. This was happening because of me.
I found a silver lining in the fact that Dad wasn’t here to see it. I’d been raised to believe justice would prevail, and that same belief was applied to truth. The truth would come out. I had nothing to fear there.
Cricket sat across from me and chewed the end of a ballpoint pen. She was waiting for an answer. The question was, how did I want to respond?
“I’m just not sure,” I told Cricket. I’d been asking myself that same question for the last sixteen hours. I’d only slept out of sheer exhaustion. I picked up a paperclip off Cal’s desk and started to unwind it. “I’m too close to this, too emotional. I need distance.”
“How do you get that? Because the sooner we respond, the better.”
Paul agreed from across the room. He was reading articles and scribbling notes. At least he had ideas on how to respond to the articles about Cal.
“Usually, I go for a ride or a drive, but the weather…” I pointed to the window, which showed dark clouds and a steady rain. “Let’s talk about something else. Maybe if I distract myself that way…”
“I went on my first date—you know, the one I got by using the app.”
I threw up my hands in frustration. “Why didn’t you tell me? How was it? What was he like? Will you do another?”
She laughed. “I didn’t tell you because you have been having a rough few days. But Paul, Cal, and I did a short interview about it, and it’s getting good traction on Instagram. I had a nice time, and I’m thinking about a second date. He’s already asked.”
Encouraged, I turned to Paul. “I don’t think you need me for this app.” Cricket had found success, even if it was just one date, without my intervention.
“Actually, that guide you created on how to build a profile was great,” Cricket said. “I built it, then read the guide and completely changed it based on what you said. I would have never thought about putting some of those keywords in my profile. I think that’s why this match was really good.”
“Now, if we can get some good press on it, that would be great.” Paul sighed.
Cricket slapped her hand on the desk. “I have the best idea!”
She had our attention.
“Okay, Sabrina needs to do something physical to work out her thoughts,” Cricket continued. “Cal needs to be out there doing his job, and you two need to be seen together. Plus, there’s the app work. It’s Saturday, and people are stuck inside. Why not host an impromptu self-defense class at the community center this afternoon? We have a fair number of single women and older women who can attend. We can get students, shop owners, and whoever. We can even set up a babysitting program for those with no childcare.”
Paul stood and gaped at Cricket. “Can you pull this off?” He looked at his watch. “And get people there, say, by three? Enough people, Cricket, not ten. We need numbers.”
She nodded. “Yes, because we need something like this in this community. We’re not free from the ills of society just because we’re a small town. I bet I can even get people from Bison’s Prairie to come over.”
“I actually love the idea. Cal needs to get back to doing what he loves. This in-between is eating at him,” I said. Paul was nodding.
Cricket picked up her phone and did a quick text. When she finished, she smiled up at them. “We should have an answer in less than five minutes.”
I was about to ask who she’d texted when her phone chimed. She glanced at it, then beamed up at me and Paul.
“Fort just gave the thumbs-up. He said he will call Cody, who manages the community center, and get it set up.”
“Fort?” Paul asked.
“The sheriff,” I said with a smile. “Cricket, you are a genius.” I leaned across the table, clasped my friend’s face between my hands, and kissed her on the forehead. “An absolute genius. I love this idea. What do you need me to do?”
“I’m going to prep Cal.” Paul hurried from the room.
I waited for Cricket to tell me what to do.
“Start texting people and let them know what’s going down. Start with Meredith. She can text people over there, and maybe they’ll drive over. I’ll put it on the website and send out notifications.” She reached for her bag and laptop.
We had a plan and were putting it into action.
At three in the afternoon, Cal stood in front of a crowd of fifty or more, a mix of all ages and genders. Cricket had been right. People from neighboring towns had driven over to attend the class. I was excited to watch Cal do his thing. I wanted to know this other side of him. He was dressed casually in dark jeans, running shoes, and a blue jacket over a gray T-shirt. He looked almost nondescript, and I wondered if that was by design.
Cal explained who he was and what he did. He talked briefly about the app and how they could use it for personal safety. Then he ran through some scenarios and asked the crowd how they would respond. This got them really engaged.
“What do you do when it’s nighttime, and you hear something outside?”
“Make sure it’s not a bear!” someone hollered.
“Once you rule out that it’s not a bear,” Cal said. “Because sitting there paralyzed and waiting to see what happens may not be the best response. What do you do when you’re walking to your car, and it looks like you’re alone, but you can sense someone nearby? Or how about when the person walking toward you gives you a bad vibe?”
“What exactly is a bad vibe?” a guy in the row behind Sabrina asked.
“All the women in this room know what I mean about a bad vibe. Intuition. We develop that over time, but society has a way of trying to make people feel bad for listening to it. Often, women ignore that bad vibe because they feel their response isn’t socially acceptable. Let me give you a few examples.” He walked over to a woman in scrubs. “Ever have to stay late at work with a coworker you distrust? Or work with someone whose ego does not accept ‘no’? And your gut keeps you on high alert?”
She nodded.
He moved to a young girl, a high school student. “Ever feel pressured to take a drink from someone you don’t know or who gives you the creeps? Or maybe you feel pressured to get into a car with a friend of a friend, despite feeling uneasy.” She nodded and swiped a finger under her eye as if Cal had struck home with that one, bringing her to tears.
He stood near a middle-aged man. “Ever tell your kids to give someone a hug, like a relative they barely know, and they resist but you make them? That’s teaching them to ignore their instincts. That’s teaching them that being uncomfortable is just something they have to live with. And it’s not.” He moved back to look at the crowd. “When I was a young teen, my dad’s mother passed away. At the funeral, he made my sister and I go up and kiss her goodbye. It was open casket.”
Only a few people in the group gasped. One person called out, “Yeah, but that’s creepy because she was dead.”
Cal nodded. “Yep, that was part of it. The other part was that my grandmother was a mean-spirited woman. She looked for reasons to hit us. Even animals avoided her. My mom said the first time my grandmother held me, I wailed uncontrollably. Same for my sister. That’s intuition. There’s an observation part to that as well, but I’ll get to that. My point is if your first reaction is to back up, say no, or run—listen to it.”
He walked over to a mother who was cradling a baby. “Ever been loading up groceries and strangers come to help?”
She nodded and smiled. “All the time. People in this town are so kind.”
“Ever been worried about it? Ever got a bad feeling as it was happening?”
She shook her head. “Of course not.”
“What would you do if you did?”
She shrugged.
“That happened to me,” another woman said. “I was in the city and stopped by a big-box store. I had my kids with me, and this guy, I had seen him in the store and felt like he was following me. But that made no sense. Why would he do that? He checked out when I did. At my car, he stopped to offer to help me unload. I didn’t know what to do. Should I let him while I put my kids in the car?” The woman rubbed up and down her arms as if remembering he was giving her the creeps. “I said ‘No, thanks,’ but he insisted, said he knew how hard it was to do these thing with kids, and he just wanted to help. If the couple in the truck next to us hadn’t come out, I don’t know what I would have done. The stranger loaded my car but didn’t leave, and I had two littles still sitting in the cart. Thankfully, the gentleman next to us heard me telling the stranger thanks and that I could take it from here. I’ll admit I said it pretty loud.” She paused to take a breath.
Someone from the crowd asked, “What happened next?”
The woman crossed her arms and gave a shiver. “He wouldn’t leave, and I just got scared, so I told him that. I said, ‘Thanks for the help, but you are making me uncomfortable.’ That’s when the guy next to us turned his attention to me. He asked if I needed help. Thank the Lord he was a big guy too. The stranger took off. The couple watched me load the kids and gave me a piece of paper with the stranger’s make, model, and license number. They told me to drive around a few times to make sure he wasn’t following me before I went home. All I could think about was how there are stretches on the road home that are long and not a town or house for miles. Sometimes you’re lucky if you see another car. I was really scared. Truthfully, I didn’t know what to do.” She shrugged, palms up, looking uncertain, and the woman next to her gave her a hug.
Cal gave her a warm smile. “You did a few things right. And you did nothing wrong. You spoke up. You were loud. You called him out. You got his vehicle information. If you ever find yourself in that situation, listen to your gut. As you’re checking out, tell the cashier your observations and fear. Sometimes they’ll call a manager, and that person will escort you out. Sometimes you can wait at the customer-service desk for the creep to leave. Typically, a good manager will make sure the creeper has driven away before escorting you out. Any decent person would. Better to look foolish than to be dead or sexually assaulted.”
This went on for a few more examples. The crowd was entranced. Cal was good at what he did. He was genuine. He didn’t make people feel bad about their reactions. He simply explained the alternatives and backed them up with real stories. There was a case in Wisconsin about a woman being attacked in a parking garage. He quoted sexual-assault statistics. He wasn’t fearmongering but fact laying.
He was powerful, and he had found his calling. Cal had gone to law school because that was what his dad wanted, and Cal needed to take over the family business. He’d never seemed happy with the choice, just matter-of-fact about it. But this man here, he loved what he did. He came alive. I now saw why saving this app was so important and why we needed one like it. If everyone who was interested in the app could spend half an hour with Cal, there would be no hesitation to join. No issues with trust. He genuinely cared about people.
“Let’s talk about awareness. Ever heard of the Color Code of Awareness? It was created by a former marine colonel Jeff Cooper, and it describes the different states of alertness.”
A few vets in the crowd raised their hands.
“White, yellow, orange, and red. Right now most of you are in white. Totally unaware. Prime targets for a surprise or attack. You aren’t paying attention to your surroundings.” He explained the other colors.
“Let’s get into some basic self-defense.” He pointed to the woman who had shared her story. “You’re on a run or you’re at the store. Or maybe you’re coming off a bad date, and the person will not leave. What do you do?” He took off his jacket and tucked it into a duffel bag, then walked over to me, extending his hand. “Will you be my assistant?”
“Of course.” I jumped up excitedly and took his hand. I, too, had experienced situations like he’d described.
He led me by the hand to the center of the crowd. “Ya’ll, this is Sabrina. We have known each other since college and have recently reconnected. So keep in mind there is some familiarity here, but there is also some uncertainty, which will affect how she reacts. I tell you this because, often, the situation you will find yourself in will be with an acquaintance, at the very least.” He squeezed my hand as he turned to me. “Have you taken any self-defense courses?”
I grimaced. “No, but I run and have decent core strength.”
“Big whoop,” he said. “Chances are you’re gonna need more than that.” The crowd chuckled, and he turned to them. “I am going to show you some basic moves, but everyone really needs to take a more comprehensive self-defense course. If there isn’t one locally, I can do one here at any time. They usually last longer than the time we have allotted today.”
He faced me. “Okay, we’re going to learn the palm heel strike, knee strike, elbow strike, and how to break common holds. I’ll show you how to do each one, and then you get to practice on me.” He gave a quick demo of each move.
I clasped my hands together excitedly. “Oh, this is going to be wonderful” Taking my cues from him, I turned to the crowd. “You know he broke up with me in college, and now I get to hit him, and it’s legal. If this isn’t karma, I don’t know what is.”
The crowd laughed.
Cal gave me a wide smile. “You seem a little too excited to do this.” He glanced at my shoes. “Luck might be on my side because you left your heels at home. Don’t forget I have a wound.” He tapped his arm, where there was now a healthy-looking scab.
“Wound shmound. Let’s start with the knee strike,” I said with a laugh.