Page 13 of Gulfside Girls
Dale nodded, and what had been a nice compliment from Dale to her turned into Jerry grabbing sole credit.
“On that, Ali, can you get Dale and the mayor’s office the swag bags? They all need t-shirts and the goodies!”
The office where they had locked up all the remaining swag bags was across the conference space and two floors up. It was a twenty-minute trip. She also wasn’t about to ask any other staff to do it. They were all tired and working OT to button up the conference space.
Ali was currently managing logistics for four trucks vying to use the two spaces available in the loading dock. Vendors who needed the trucks were lining up, demanding their turn. She had a text, a phone call, and a walkie-talkie conversation going at the same time. She pressed the talk button on her walkie.
“Tell Pam’s Patio Pavers to wait fifteen minutes; if they go first, it will hold up the rest of the row.”
“Ali, did you hear me?” Jerry raised his voice.
“I did. Yes, I’ll get Carrie to send over the swag bags Monday morning.” Ali smiled at Jerry and Dale, and Dale shifted on his feet.
Jerry stepped forward and got in Ali’s face. “I said, go get the bags yourself,now, this is the mayor’s office. We don’t make them wait.”
He was yelling. Straight up yelling at her.
The walkie talkie lit up. “Ali, Pam’s Patio won’t wait. They’re moving in front of T.T.’s Inground Pools.”
“This is your priority.” Jerry poked Ali on the shoulder. He was clearly trying to look like the big man in front of Dale.
Ali’s phone was now buzzing. Another issue. Another fire to put out. She ignored the finger poke to the shoulder and glanced at her phone.
“Ali!” Jerry poked again, his voice louder this time.
Zero respect. Zero appreciation.
“I’m ordering you to help Dale immediately. This is your priority.”
Jerry had no idea what needed to be prioritized to break down the convention space and be sure each vendor left happy, so they signed up next year at a higher rate. Breaking down was just as important as setting up.
“Ali!”
Jerry was doing this now? He wasreallydoing this? Ali snapped. It was the poke on the shoulder that broke the camel’s back.
“Jerry. Get them yourself. I quit.”
“What?”
“Yep, I quit. Get the swag, deal with Pam’s Patio—oh, also the plumbing staff needs to be alerted. Clogged stalls in the second cor—wait. No. Here.”
Ali handed the walkie to Jerry. He’d never once asked her about her dad. He’d expected her complete availability. He’d taken credit yet again for all she’d done here. And now? Now he was yelling at her in front of important people to make himself look important.
“You walk out of here now; you’ll never work in Toledo again!”
Ali put her hand in the air and waved him off like a gnat.
“I’m calling security. Turn in your badge!” His voice echoed in the cavernous space.
“Yeah? What extension are they? And I’m QUITTING Jerry, you’re not firing me.”
She left Jerry to have his meltdown while she had hers.
Her office. She needed to get to her office. She took the stairs two at a time instead of the elevator. The fatigue she’d felt was now burned away by anger, adrenaline, and relief. She unlocked her office and stepped inside. She closed the door behind her. She didn’t want to talk to Jerry. She didn’t want anyone to say, “Be reasonable.” She was operating on pure emotion, instinct,and maybe self-preservation, though it probably looked like self-destruction.
Ali looked around. She wasn’t one to personalize her office space. This was command central. Not her home. She had one framed photo of her kids at her side at Tye’s graduation. She put that in her bag.
Every contact, calendar, memo was in her phone. There was no Rolodex to worry about. She had anyone she’d ever needed to know in her pocket. Her lifetime of efficiency meant this office was easy to clean out.
