Chapter 34 – Alana
Chapter
Thirty-Four
ALANA
After the incident with Bobby a few days ago, I’ve restricted my time at the shelter to just two afternoons a week. It’s enough to keep feeling sane, but the limited hours help stop Alejandro worrying about me.
Today is one of my shelter days. I’m chatting to a colleague in the break room when Kristen pops her head in and asks if she can have a word.
We head to her office, and I sit across from her.
I smile as I look around. I love her office.
She always has the sweetest smelling diffusers dotted around, statues of the Egyptian Goddess, Isis, a collection of Buddhas, as well as dozens of bright green plants.
It feels earthy and natural and spiritual without being too much.
“I’m glad you called me in, Kristen,” I tell her. “I really need to talk to you about Bobby.” She frowns and look uncharacteristically annoyed.
“That was why I wanted to talk to you, too. Mr Conroy’s organization have pulled out. They will no longer be using us to pilot their app, and they’ve also withdrawn their funding offer. I was wondering if you could shed any light on that.”
My heart sinks, and I shake my head. I know things didn’t exactly go smoothly with Bobby and I, but he said he was still going to donate. He showed no signs of backing out. He even ended our conversation saying he’d see me around. What the hell has happened?
“Why would they do that?”
“I have no idea. Someone from their HR department called me and simply said we weren’t the right fit.” Kristen says. She rubs her eyes with her fists, and I see how stressed she is. It was a lot of money and a great opportunity.
I can’t believe Bobby has done this. Definitely one-hundred-percent asshole now. I want to reach out and find out what the hell is going on, but I promised Alejandro I would have nothing more to do with Bobby, and I need to keep my word.
“That’s infuriating. I’m so sorry”
“Well, yes, and I guess I would be feeling much worse right now—except we have a new, mysterious benefactor in place. They’ve doubled Mr. Conroy’s pledged donation and agreed to fund your post indefinitely. It’s been quite the roller coaster.”
“Indefinitely? My post?”
“Yes, and at a much higher salary too.”
“Oh,” I say. I’m certain I now know who the mysterious benefactor is, and possibly also why Bobby backed out. My expression must give me away.
“Do you know something about this?” she asks.
“Probably,” I say with a sigh. “I’m pretty sure our new mystery donation is coming from the Montoya Corporation.”
“Your husband’s company?”
“Yes.”
“But they already donated a sizable amount this year.”
“I know. But…I don’t know how to tell you this, and in all honesty I’m a bit embarrassed…”
She gives me a gentle smile, and I’m reminded of why so many women trust her with their lives. “You know I won’t judge,” she says quietly.
“I know. Okay, so I’ll just lay it all out for you. Bobby Conroy is my ex-boyfriend from high school. I’m not sure that his offer to fund my post and donate to the shelter was entirely altruistic.”
“Oh, really?” Kristen replies. “And he seemed so nice.”
“And maybe he is. But I saw a different side to him last week. He said some things to me that were, well, at best inappropriate.” I shake my head.
She frowns and purses her lips. “In that case, Alana, maybe we’re better off without him. The whole ethos of this place is about empowering women, not about putting them down. And that includes our staff.”
“Thank you, Kristen, that means a lot. But to continue being honest, I suspect the donation has disappeared because of Alejandro. My husband has a touch of the egomaniac to him, and he very much did not want my ex-boyfriend paying my salary. I’d never really considered how much better it would be for you if the post was properly funded, secure, and Bobby’s offer made sense.
So, while I will be having words with my husband later, I’m glad he’s stepped in. ”
Kristen nods. “Well, as long as you’re happy with the arrangement, it works out well for the shelter.”
“It’s all fine by me. But I’m sorry about the app. That sounded promising.”
She shrugs, patting one of her Buddhas on the head.
“Well, we won’t miss what we never had. The most important thing is that women are given better options to escape their abusers, not who has the kudos of working on the app.
I think I’ll try and track Mr. Conroy down and tell him there are no hard feelings.
That app needs to be developed, and if it’s not with us, then sadly I know of many other shelters like ours who would be pleased to take part. ”
I wonder if I should volunteer to contact him, but I stay quiet. That would be too much for Alejandro. I’m annoyed at him for doing this behind my back, but we are where we are. Me speaking to Bobby will only make everything worse.
“That sounds like a good plan,” I agree, before I make my excuses and leave. Hugo will be waiting for me outside. I nod at him and we walk together to my office.
“I need to speak to Alejandro,” I tell him outside the door. “And it needs to be private.”
He nods and stays on duty in the corridor.
It takes a few rings for him to answer his cell, and when he does, he sounds breathless. “Hola, princesa,” he pants out.
“Hi. Is this a bad time? Are you, uh, at the gym or something?”
“Something. But I always have time for you Alana. What is it?”
“Did you warn Bobby off donating to the shelter?” I ask bluntly
“Hang on,” I hear him sigh, and then he barks out some orders in Spanish. A few seconds later, he’s back on the line. “Ask me that again?” he says, sounding exasperated.
“I asked you if you were responsible for Bobby’s company withdrawing their donation to the shelter.” A pause.
“Yes,” he snaps impatiently. “I told you I don’t trust him.”
I’m not sure what to say next. I didn’t expect this to be so straightforward.
“Is there anything else? I’m kind of busy.”
“Yes. Did you offer to fund my post instead?”
“I did,” he replies. “You’re doing important work, and I didn’t want the shelter to suffer because Bobby Conroy has no sense of boundaries. Or because I kill him one day.”
“Oh,” I say softly. I knew it was him, but I’m surprised that this conversation has been so simple. He hasn’t even snarked at me or raised his voice, and he’s only threatened to kill Bobby once. He really must be busy.
“You know it’s about more than just money. Bobby’s world is rich in donors. It could have opened up a whole new world for the shelter.”
I hear a strange crashing noise in the background and decide not to ask. Alejandro is clearly okay and that’s all that matters.
“Look, princesa, I am busy, okay? But I hear what you’re saying. The Montoya Corporation also has many contacts, and many legitimate business partners who I will ensure are made aware of the Maggie O’Malley Center.”
“Okay. Right. I’ll let you get back to your work then,” I say. Whatever the hell that is.
“Good. I’ll see you later.” He’s about to hang up when I speak again.
“Alejandro! Wait. There is one more thing.”
“And what’s that?” he asks, the irritation in his voice clearly audible now.
“Te quiero.”
I hear a soft sigh this time. Not one of annoyance, but perhaps of relief. “I love you too.”