When Love Calls (7 page)

“We have a congressman and a senator whose mothers had their identities stolen a year ago, were victims of credit-card fraud, had their checking and savings accounts emptied, the whole nine yards. We’re using them as our in. We’ve already reached out and they’re both hot on the issue.”

“Excellent. Okay, let’s keep on top of that, shall we. We might want to make that a hot topic in September.” Everyone nodded. “Also, a special side note of thanks to Alyssa, who again managed to fix the printer and save us another call to Computer Fixers on Call. It’s working beautifully. Thank you again.” Applause again. She blushed.

“All right, folks, any questions? Let’s get started,
carpe diem,
seize the day.”

With that, the day began. The staff scattered in several directions. Most left for meetings with politicians while others manned the phones and contacted volunteers.

Alyssa was an inside worker, which was just fine with her, particularly after last night. Her one and only attempt to get out ended miserably and she wasn’t ready to repeat that embarrassment just yet. Luckily Nina was the only one who knew about it and she intended to keep it that way.

“I got a lead on Senator Randolph Kingsley,” Nina said as she hovered over Alyssa’s desk, smiling down at her.

“What is this, déjà vu all over again?”

“No, I got another lead.”

“No, thanks. Been there, done that. Went to jail, remember?”

Nina chuckled. “Come on. You said you wanted to get out there and actually do something to help. Here’s your chance. You said that you were tired of being in the office and not seeing any action. You said you wanted Alzheimer’s disease on the list of hot topics next year. You said—”

“All right, all right. Yes, I know what I said, but that was before.”

“Before what?” Nina asked.

“Duh, Nina, before last night, before actually meeting the man who sat in a police station, babysitting me at midnight.”

“Oh, don’t be so self-conscious and don’t worry about all that stuff before,” she said, waving her hand. “I can personally guarantee that you made a lasting impression, and as for him being there last night, he seemed to be enjoying himself, laughing and talking with the policemen, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, well, that’s what I’m worried about—the lasting impression,” she said, but of course, kept to herself the passionate kiss she and the senator had shared right there in the office. A shiver flashed through her body as she remembered too vividly his lips pressed to hers and his arms wrapped around her, holding her tight.

“You got his attention, right? And isn’t that what Pete always says: get a politician’s attention, then get our agenda out.
Carpe diem!
”

“That’s just it, I didn’t get our agenda out.”

“Yes, you did, I heard you.”

“I got two words out,
senior citizens.
That’s it. How is that a big help?” Alyssa dumped her chin on her palm and slouched on the desk. “Maybe I’m just not cut out for the one-on-one lobbying thing. Maybe I am just an inside worker after all.”

“Alyssa, look, we both said that in order to make a difference, we had to get out there and do something, sometimes something drastic. Well, this is it.” She leaned over and picked up the phone. “So today is that day, right?”

“Drastic?” Alyssa asked.

“Yes, drastic. Here, you have his card, call him.”

“Call who?” she asked, and then realized who Nina was talking about. “Oh, no. Don’t even think about it.”

“Yes, call him,” Nina insisted.

“No, absolutely not.”

She leaned in closer and smiled knowingly. “I saw the way he was looking at you last night. If you were a sandwich, he would have gobbled you up right then and there.”

“Last night was last night. The senator meets millions of people every day. I bet that he doesn’t even remember me.”

“Oh, please, the man stared at your mouth every time you opened it. I swear, if there was nobody else around, he would have seriously kissed you right there.”

Alyssa’s heart jerked at Nina’s intuitive nature. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Senator Kingsley looked at everyone the same way. He has an intensity in his eyes that makes it seem that he’s staring.”

“Uh-uh, I don’t buy it. No way, the man stared at you the whole time. Why do you think he came over after you bumped into him? I was there, too, remember. Then Oliver told me this morning that he saw him. He was actually searching and looking around the room for you. Girl, whatever you did or said must have rocked his boat ’cause you got him hooked. Hell, he even stayed at the police station, waiting with you. Don’t you think that means something?”

“Yes, it means he’s a nice guy.”

“Yeah, he’s a nice guy, all right, a nice guy who is very interested in you. You seriously need to call him.”

“You’re reading too much into all this.”

“No, I’m not. You need to call him.”

“No,” Alyssa said flatly, hoping to end the conversation once and for all.

“Fine, then I will. Where’s his business card?”

“Fine, then go ahead,” Alyssa dared her as she pulled the card out of her purse. “Here, you want to call him. Fine, do it.”

Nina picked up the business card, then checked the registry taped on every desk, dialed the main number to the Senate Building, then asked to speak with Senator Randolph Kingsley. He wasn’t available, so when asked if she wanted to leave a name and number, she didn’t hesitate. “Ah, yes, I’ll leave my name, Sundari Adia Nomalanga, thank you.”

Alyssa’s mouth dropped.

Nina smiled, then walked back over to her desk.

“I can’t believe you just did that,” Alyssa said, watching as Nina sat back down at her desk and began typing. “What am I supposed to do if he calls me back?”

“Drastic times call for drastic measures.”

“Oh, great, more drastic measures…” Alyssa stood and walked over to stand behind Nina. She leaned in closer. “What are you doing now?”

“I’m drafting an e-mail…” Nina said. Alyssa nodded, then walked away, thinking she was getting back to her job. “To Senator Randolph Kingsley.” Alyssa stopped and turned just as Nina finished and sat back reading the screen, then pressed the send key.

“I’m sure that had nothing to do with me.” She glared.

“Not at all,” Nina said happily. “But Pete always said that we have to look beyond our fears and step up for those who can’t do it themselves. Alzheimer’s disease ravages thousand and thousands every year. It’s time we stood up and looked at ways to change that. We need to help the caretakers to relieve the burdensome load. We need to help the research scientist find new cures. We need to help the public at large to understand that this is a silent killer that wipes away lives every day. We need to—”

“Okay, okay, jeez, what is with you today? You sound just like Pete.” She paused and squinted a glare at Nina. “Wait a minute, what do you mean, Oliver told you that this morning?”

“You’re changing the subject,” Nina said, then placed a small piece of paper on her desk. “He’s got an early meeting this morning on the Hill, and then he’s back in the office after that. Maybe you could meet him on the run in between.”

“Oliver is on the Hill? Why would he be—”

“No, not Oliver, Senator Kingsley is on the Hill this morning.”

“Nina, I told you, I’m just not ready to press flesh and do the suck-up dance again.”

“You’re ready. You just need to get back on the horse and try again,” she said, looking over as her desk phone began ringing. “So just do it.” She pushed the small paper closer, then hurried to her phone.

The small piece of paper sat there taunting Alyssa all day. She ignored it, worked around it and did everything except set it on fire with her eyes. But still, it sat there unmoved and untouched. By the time six o’clock came, she gladly tore it up into little pieces and tossed it in the trash.

Finally, with the day well behind her, Alyssa got into her car and drove to her standing appointment. Fridays meant stopping at her grandmother’s house and hanging out. She usually picked up dinner and brought it in. Chinese was the favorite. Cutting through the streets mapped out in 1790, she turned southwest following Benjamin Banneker’s historic layout. From there, she curved through centuries-old streets with homes that had been around for just as long. Then she passed by newly built apartments until she arrived at her grandmother’s home.

She parked in front of her house and climbed the steps to the open porch. Midway up, she turned, hearing someone call out to her.

“Hello, hello, excuse me,” a petite young woman, barely out of her teens, called out as she ran down the pavement toward her. Long dark hair bounced as she approached, her light eyes sparkling with friendly anticipation.

Alyssa stepped down a few steps, expecting that the woman might need directions, since it was obvious that she was not from the neighborhood. “Do you need directions?”

“No. Hi, are you related to Mrs. Granger?”

“Yes, what can I do for you?”

“Oh, good, may I ask you a few questions?”

“About what? Who are you?” Alyssa asked, presuming that this had something to do with her grandmother’s medical insurance.

“Oh, right, sorry,” she said, giggling nervously. “My name is Gayle Henderson and I’d like to talk to you about your grandmother and Senator Vincent Dupree. I’m a grad student at Georgetown and I’m doing a paper on senatorial scandals and I’d like to interview you and your grandmother.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“No, really, I have all this information but I need—”

“Goodbye,” Alyssa said, then turned around and walked back up the steps to the porch.

“Excuse me, this isn’t just for me and my paper. We can help each other. By my writing your grandmother’s side of the story, all the public questions can finally be put to rest.”

“Goodbye, Ms. Henderson.”

“Fine, I guess I’ll just have to write whatever I want to. After all, it doesn’t have to be the whole truth, does it?”

“Is that supposed to be a threat?” Nina asked.

“Take it however you want. But if I were you, I’d talk now before it’s too late.”

“Then I guess it’s a good thing that you’re not me, so take your best shot. I just hope you have a good attorney to handle a slander civil suit.”

“My daddy’s an excellent attorney,” she said in a typical spoiled-rich-girl way.

“Good,” Alyssa said as she watched the young woman quickly hurry back to her red BMW and drive off.

Exasperated by the nerve of some people, Alyssa gathered the mail from the small wrought iron box attached to the front of the house and flipped through, separating the junk mail from the important mail. Afterward she glanced to see Mrs. Watts, her grandmother’s next-door neighbor for over fifty years, outside sweeping her porch.

“Hi, Mrs. Watts,” Alyssa said loudly, since she knew her hearing had always been a problem. And since Mrs. Watts insisted on not wearing a hearing aid, conversations with her always tended to be on the loud side. “Hi, Mrs. Watts,” she repeated when the older woman turned to face her.

“Oh, hi, Alyssa,” Mrs. Watts said, leaning on her broom. “How are you, baby? I saw you talking to that little mouse a few minutes ago,” she yelled. “Was she bothering you, too?”

“Has she been around before?”

“Oh, heavens, yes. Allie told me that she called her at least ten times last week and now she’s even started coming around. Don’t know what the little pest wants, but you can bet she’s trying to make a name for herself. They all do.”

“What do you mean, they all?” Alyssa asked.

“Oh, this isn’t the first time a hungry rodent has come sniffing around here. They crawl out of the woodwork every now and then, trying to get a piece of something to gnaw on, then go back and write about something totally false. Just a bunch of liars telling lies. Allie once tried talking to them a while back, but it turned out terrible. I warned her, you just can’t talk to garbage, ’cause you get garbage in return.” She paused and nodded coolly. “Are you still setting the world on fire at that place of yours?”

“I’m doing my best,” Alyssa said, happy to drop the conversation as a few people walked by their side-by-side houses and looked up at them and smiled. “Oh, I ran into Oliver last night.”

“Yes, yes, he told me when he called earlier, said you look just the same. ’Course, I knew that, since you stop by to visit Allie all the time. I told him that he needs to come visit me more and stop dashing around the world with his paintbrushes.”

“I don’t know, Mrs. Watts, I went to Oliver’s show last night and his work is amazing. It’s powerful and moving and the art critics love him. He’s a very talented artist.”

“Yes, just like my father, his grandfather. Must have skipped a generation ’cause I can’t drawn a stick figure without a ruler and six erasers.” She chuckled. “I attended the private opening a few nights ago. It was packed and you’re right, they love him. He sold two paintings before the show opened to the public. I’m so proud of that boy of mine. I just wish he’d stop playing around and find himself a nice girl to settle down with.”

“When the time is right, I’m sure he will.”

“And what about you, missy, when am I gonna be invited to your wedding? I’ve been practicing my electric slide every week, ever since you and Oliver taught me.”

“I bet you have,” she said slightly louder, while laughing. “You got any other moves?”

“Oh, child, I got all kinds of moves up here,” she said, pointing to her mind. “I just got to get these old feet moving in the right direction and hear some good music and I’m off. Give me some Jay-Z, some Kanye, some Chris Brown and some Nelly and I’ll show you my moves.”

Alyssa howled with laughter. Peggy Watts was one of the hippest, coolest older women she knew. She made it a point to stay on top of everything, and when she played her music it was just as loud as the teenagers did, but of course, mostly because she was hard of hearing.

“All right, Mrs. Watts, you keep doing those moves. I think I might have to pick up a few from you now.”

“Come on over anytime. I’ll show you what the kids down the block taught me last week,” she said, then started gyrating her shoulder and snapping her head.