“It doesn’t sound too difficult. How long is the other teacher out?” he asked.
“Well, she’s about eight months pregnant and was put on bedrest over spring break, so at least until the end of the school year.”
“And you don’t think any of the other teachers can help? What about custodial staff?”
“They’re great, don’t get me wrong, but they are ‘the AC or heating isn’t working’ type of custodial staff. We have an IT department, but they’re limited to audio-visual support, making sure the Wi-Fi works, and kids can log in to their devices.”
“Don’t parents usually help with that sort of thing? Isn’t there an overachieving PTA president or something? Or do they run bake sales and ban books?”
Abby laughed. “No book bans, thankfully. We’ve got progressive families. And the PTA pretty much just runs bake sales and teacher appreciation day. We have parents who volunteer their time, but it’s a lot of lift and the parents who have volunteered don’t have the expertise we need and the parents who have the expertise don’t have the time to volunteer. Thus, calling around tomorrow.”
“I know some people. Give me a day – I’ll make some calls and see who owes me a favor,” he said.
“That’s really not necessary. Gloria, the Design teacher, gave me some numbers to call. I didn’t mean to unload on you.”
“Abby. I wouldn’t offer to help if I didn’t want to. What time do you need someone there?”
Abby picked at the comforter. It would save her a lot of time and headache if he knew people already. She hated relying on him, or really anyone, for things like this. It always felt like taking advantage.
“Abby? You there?”
“Yes, sorry. Ideally, tomorrow around three. We have a meeting to review the plans we made before the break and to discuss our objectives, do a walk through, and figure out what’s manageable,” she said.
“Alright. I’ll get you some help tomorrow,” he said.
“Thank you.” She didn’t want the conversation to end. It was the first time she’d heard his voice since he’d brought them dinner. “How was your day?”
“Kind of boring. I’m lead for an event, so I’ve been focusing on the security plan for that.”
She snuggled down into her pillow. “What does that involve? I don’t know anything about your job.”
“It’s not anything exciting. Making sure we have enough people to cover the entrance and keep an eye on things.”
“What kind of event is it? Or can you tell me?”
His long, deep sigh came through the phone. “It’s a sweet sixteen.”
“Like a birthday party, sweet sixteen?”
His voice was thick with his disgruntlement. “That’s the one.”
“Who hires security for a birthday party? I mean, other than Beyonce?”
“Rich people who want to show off.”
“That’s ridiculous,” she said.
“No argument from me, but it’s still a job. Sometimes it’s planning security for a birthday party, sometimes it’s storming a castle in Crimea.”
“Storming a what, where?” she asked.
“One of our jobs last year involved infiltrating a castle in Crimea. That is a job I can’t say much about. It’s one of those things that never really happened.”
“So, super-secret.”
“More along the lines of not wanting to pay the legal fees for violating the NDA,” he said.
“Got it. What about VACA. How are you involved with them?” It was a question she’d been wondering for a while.
