He sighed. “Don’t want to miss a minute of it.”
I took out my phone and pulled up a picture. “I’m glad I ran into you. My company is working on the vests for the riders with the logo. I wanted to make sure you approved before they ordered them. If we order today, they should be ready by next weekend’s shows.”
He barely glanced at them. “Did I ask you to do that?”
So apparently, the thumbs-up email reply he had sent me meant he didn’t read it. I tried my best not to lose my patience. “Oh, yes, sorry, I should have given you a call. I sent you a long email about what my next steps were. I hope that’s okay. We are also going to have a demo booth at the next rodeo, and I was hoping you had some workers that would be interested in-”
“Can we talk about this at the next meeting?” His voice was distant.
I had at least an hour’s worth of things I wanted to go over with him at that very moment, but, as long as I was working for Agri-Corp,, he was my boss. I nodded. “Of course! I’d better get back there to see if I can get some cowboys to talk to me. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”
My cheeks burned with embarrassment as I left the stands and made my way behind the chutes. The environment was much calmer than the last time I had been behind the scenes.
“Miss Ford?”
I waved at the young girl with the huge video camera over her shoulder and a digital camera around her neck. “You must be Billy. Thanks for coming on such short notice.”
She was practically adorable. Just a kid with big round glasses, her face covered with red freckles, and messy auburn hair under a worn cap. “Are you kidding? Thanks for calling!”
I hired her because on her self-made website, she had gone on and on about “capturing authenticity.” That’s exactly what Agri-Corp needed. “Well, if you’re interested, I need a full-time content specialist.”
Her jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”
I nodded. “Let’s see how today goes, and if we really love how it turns out, I can get you on the rodeo schedule and travelplan.”
She shoved her hand out toward me and shook it hard. “Oh, Miss Ford. I would love that more than you could ever know. Ya know, I’ve been trying to get into the business for two years, and I just can’t get that break I need. I shot a few weddings, a birthday party, a house-”
After being with Billy for only a few minutes, I could tell she was going to talk until she was cut off. “Well, let’s get started so I can see you in action.”
I looked around, my hands suddenly sweating at the idea of approaching these contestants in their environments.
“What’s the plan here?” Billy asked.
I wasn’t quite sure. I wanted some authentic footage to post to gear up for the next city, but my mouth was dry, and my mind was blank.
Why was I freaking out? Six months before, I had spent a full lunch interviewing the prospective mayor of New York City. Not once had I freaked out or wanted to leave. Where was the fearless Allegra I needed at that moment?
I was still her, no matter how deep into this rodeo life I got. I had to be.
“The plan,” I said, forcing my professional voice to take over, “is to focus on the bull rider first. It’s the most dangerous event, which means the trust in his gear is crucial.”
Jimmy Nash was standing by himself, leaning on the fence and watching barrel racers practice.
I pointed to him. “We approach, we get a few clean answers on camera, we get the information we need, we move on to the next rider.”
She was practically bouncing on her tiptoes. “This is so exciting!” She shouted as we approached Jimmy Nash.
“Good afternoon! My name is Allegra Ford, with Apex Strategies. We are working with Agri-Corp to grow their sponsorship this rodeo season. I was wondering if I could quickly interview you?” I said without taking a breath.
He glanced at Billy, who raised her camera and took his picture without asking. “Yeah, sure. I got about ten minutes.” His accent was thick, just like his brother’s, and stronger than his dad’s.
Jimmy was tall and lengthy, no doubt making riding bulls that much harder. He looked so much like Dennis, I had to do a double-take.
I nodded at Billy, who lifted her video camera and started shooting. “When you’re climbing on your bull, you have seconds to prep. What is running through your mind?”
He laughed and crossed his arms. “Oh man, what a question. I think you’ll get the same answer from almost any rider, that you want your mind to be completely blank. You just hope your muscle memory will kick in.”
It was an authentic answer, just what we needed. “How much does knowing your gear, the ropes, gloves, chute setup, contribute to that mental preparation?”
