“Nah. That wouldn’t make enough. How about yummy Krispy Kreme doughnuts?” She laughs, pulling her knees to her chest. “I don’t know. There has to be something we could sell.”
“We need something big. I have no idea how much we need to raise, but it’s more than likely going to be several thousand dollars.”
“I have an idea,” she says, sitting up straight. “Maybe we could pick out the prettiest tree in the Grove and sell the chance to name it. How about we make an appointment with Jeff Vitter—the Ole Miss chancellor—and ask him for permission? We won’t know unless we try.”
“That’s a great idea! Who knows, maybe he would donate his time and let us add a dinner out with him and his wife? I bet all the parents would be willing to buy a ticket.” All this talk is igniting a spark I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to quench. It’s, like, the very thing I’ve been searching for.
“My parents would buy ten,” Ellie says.
“How much do you think we could sell them for?”
Ellie shrugs. “I don’t know. Twenty dollars apiece?”
“Surely, that would be an easy sell. I mean, if there are, say, four hundred fifty girls in the sorority and every parent bought one ticket, that’s nine thousand dollars. That would go a long way.”
All of a sudden Ellie gasps. I mean, I’ve never heard her make a sound like this. Her face lights up like she’s just won the lottery. “Cali! I just thought of something big.” She drums her feet on the mattress as fast as a hummingbird flaps her wings.
“What?”
She squeals. And throws her arms up in a vee.
“You’re killing me.What?”
With elation on every inch of her face, she beams at me. “Eli Manning. We could sell tickets for an evening out withEli Manning!”
I rear back. Look at her like she’s gone mad. “I mean, come on, Ellie, Eli Manning? How in the world are we gonna get him?”
“My dad.He’s met him before. They were both Sigma Nus. Not at the same time, but they’re still brothers.”
“Okay, so what makes you think he can swing something like that?”
“If you knew my dad, you wouldn’t even have to ask that question.”
FIFTY-FIVE
CALI
We head straight to the House to find Selma James. The whole way over from Martin, Ellie and I had our fingers crossed hoping and praying she hadn’t left for dinner. There’s no meal tonight. In honor of Miss Ophelia, Mama Carla gave the staff the day off.
After skipping every other step up to the second floor, we actually find Selma in her room with the door open. She’s sitting quietly on her bed reading. After knocking softly, we poke our heads in and wave. I think she’s surprised to see us. She motions us in, then slides off her bed. “What’s up, you two?” she asks while walking toward us. The first thing she does is give us hugs. “It’s been a hard day, huh?”
“You did such a great job today,” I say. “Your eulogy was beautiful.”
“I was just gonna say the same thing,” Ellie adds.
“Thanks. I wasn’t sure I could get through it. Y’all would have loved her. She was sweet, funny… so loving.” Selma looks off, shakes her head slowly. “I can’t believe she’s gone.”
“I felt so bad for Miss Pearl today,” I say. “I hated seeing her cry.”
Selma presses her lips together. “They were really close. So were the rest of the staff. They all loved Miss Ophelia.”
“That’s why we’re here,” I say.
Selma looks at me curiously, then sits back down on the edge of her bed. “What do you mean?”
I sit down next to her. “Ellie and I were thinking it would be a great idea to do something life-changing for the staff.”
As soon as the last words leave my lips Ellie’s up on her toes and her voice speeds up. “We want to make staff benefits our pledge-class philanthropy project.”
