“She just needs attention. You’re at work all day so she’s got a lot of pent-up energy.”
“Well, we’re trying to get this done, so tell me again, before we start, what’s our goal here?”
I take a breath and do a trial run with the prompts she gave me. “Everybody bring your children ages zero to six to the San Antonio University’s Early Childhood Center for a free gait analysis. It doesn’t matter if your child’s not even walking yet, they can screen them for all kinds of developmental issues, from dysplasia to ankle instability, from scoliosis to hypermobility.” I pause to try to remember the next part. “All of these conditions are often easily treatable with early detection, so come out on May 14th to the Crest building on campus to join in the fun. There will be games and prizes and—” I chuckle because Miley’s licking my elbow again.
Charlotte moans, covering her face with her hands, but I can see from the way her chin dips down under her hands that she’s smiling. She’s not meaning to, but she is.
“I’m sorry!” I laugh. “It’s Miley.”
“You were so close,” Charlotte laments. “Okay, you know what?” She steps to us and gathers the cat in her arms. “I’m going to put Miley over on her cat tree, entertain her with a treat and hopefully we can get this done.”
We’re not doing a bunch of takes. I convinced Charlotte to film a live video on social media. My publicist and social media for the team say that going live increases your chances of being seen, and we’re just trying to do all we can to get the word outabout her free gait analysis night for kids. It’s her final big act at this job and she cares a lot about it. So of course I offered to help.
I can’t give her what she wants. I can’t donate a sizeable sum of money so her center can keep going because, like Raj says, my foundation’s money is tied up in the Sports Medicine Institute. Spreading the word about her gait analysis thing is the least I can do.
Miley’s relaxing on the top level of the blue, carpeted cat tree, chewing on a snack. For once, she seems content, like she just might stay put so we can start the live.
Charlotte looks just as surprised as I do that Miley might be occupied. She rushes over behind the phone and tripod.
“Okay, are you ready to go live?” Charlotte asks, glancing back over at the cat one more time.
“Ready as I’ll ever be. Unless you want us to make up some prompt cards real fast? That might help me.”
“No, you gotta be casual.” Charlotte motions with her hands. “Like you just had this thought and wanted to share. Which means if you mess up or forget what you were saying, just run with it.”
“Show me what you mean.”
Her brows go in the air and she tucks a stray strand of hair back into the clip near the bun at the base of her neck. She always wears her hair pulled back, but I really liked it the other night here at her place when we rescued Miley, when it was all down and shiny.
“I don’t know.” She shrugs. “I’m not in the spotlight all the time like you are. Don’t you have PR people who tell you how to be?”
“Sorta. But not for this kind of thing.”
“All I know is, it can’t look like an ad. I mean, you’ve got to share the basic info, but other than that, just be…normal.”
I pull a face and cross my eyes. “Like this?”
Charlotte busts up laughing but reaches over to push a button on her phone. “We’re going live in three, two…” Then she holds up one finger and points to me.
I quickly rearrange my face into what I hope is a normal expression and take a deep breath. “Hey, Wolf Dawgs! One thing we take for granted most is our ability to walk, right? I mean, most of us can just stand up and walk without issue. Except for me after a huge lineman tackles me. Amiright, Aiden Hutchinson?”
I cringe at the memory of the player for the Detroit Lions’ bone-crushing sacks. “Anyway, it’s a privilege to walk—one that we don’t even realize how fortunate we are to have. Some aren’t so lucky. Issues with gait and frame, like hip conditions and such, affect a lot of our kids, and some parents don’t even know until more invasive and costly procedures are necessary to fix the problems.”
Glancing at Charlotte, I give her a brief nod. Her face is white and her hands are at her mouth, like she’s terrified for me. Great. Thanks. “My friend, Charlotte, is an occupational therapist who is hosting a free gait analysis night at her clinic on SAU’s campus on May 14th. We’ll put the details in a comment below after this live, but please, if you have any questions about it now, drop a comment and I can answer them right now.”
A sandpapery, wet tongue runs across my elbow, and I flinch, my face freezing as I try to figure out what to do here. Charlotte rolls her pointer finger in the air, so I try to keep going.
“Well, look who we’ve got here. This wasn’t planned,” I say to the camera. “But this is Miley. Miley, say hi.” I pick her up, and she gives the loudest meow known to kitten kind. “We actually rescued Miley a bit ago and…” I laugh as she swaths my hand with her tongue. “…and she’s highly affectionate and as you can see, extremely cute. And I think she just wanted to jump on herewith all of us to encourage you to bring your kids, ages zero to six, out to the gait analysis.”
I turn to the side and lift Miley in the air, sort of Lion King style, and speak right to her. “It’s free and there will be games, prizes, and other fun things for the kids to do, huh, Miley? It’s really important.” I set Miley down carefully on the sofa next to me and she sits tall, gazing at me expectantly. “Even if you’re pretty sure your child doesn’t have any problems like this, come get them checked out just in case.”
I can’t control another laugh from escaping, and as I gaze down into Miley’s wide, trusting eyes, and feel a little tug on my heartstrings. I don’t know how she came to be under Charlotte’s front porch, but she’s stolen my heart. Big time.
“Let’s answer any questions you guys might have.”
I look up at my phone on the tripod and then over to the laptop. Charlotte’s rigged her laptop up on a table next to her so we can see any comments coming in. She rotates it closer to me.
There are comments…a lot of comments. And they’re mostly about the cat.
