“Oh my goodness, well, what about you?”
“What about me?”
“Money for your time? That’s a lot to take on, Kim.”
“This is nothin’ for me, Martha, because I know what I’m doing, and I know how to get the ball rolling, and keep it moving. As for pay, no baby.” She let her wrist go limp as she shook her head, giving the woman an expression that brooked no argument. “I don’t need monetary compensation. I will do it free of charge. Giving back to the community is my pay. The arts are growing here in Fairbanks, but it’s nowhere near what it should be. The awesome part is, I believe the interest in such things is great here.”
“I do, too.”
“Good! See, there’s an open market here, and an opportunity. People don’t know what they like until they try it.”
Martha nodded in understanding.
“I know you don’t want to bombard me with details, but this sounds so exciting. How do you plan to do this?”
“Okay, so this is how it would go down. This program would give kids something to do a few days out of the week, which also helps keep them out of trouble. And parents of course would be more than happy to pawn their kids off to someone else for a little bit, all while their minds and bodies are being nurtured. Free time from children is always met with open arms.” They both had a chuckle at that. “I don’t have a teaching license for Alaska, but I have the credentials where it’s legal for me to host some classes, and since this is non-profit for me, the paperwork should be pretty straight-forward. There are so many benefits to this idea, that after we give it a go—if it works out of course and I have no doubt that it will—this could be an annual thing, maybe even more than that. When I’m passionate about something, I sink my soul into it. I got you, honey. That’s the plan. Cool?”
Martha’s face lit up like the brightest, biggest, most beautiful Northern Lights, ever.
“Oh, my goodness, Kim! You’d do all of this? This is a great idea!”
“Sure I’d do it. It would allow me to stretch my dramaturgy muscles again, and benefit this community, too. When I tell a friend I want to do something to help them, I mean it. You’ve been so wonderful to me, Martha, like a big sister, and I understand how important it is to pour back into the people and help those who need it and especially, those who deserve it. I told you before, women’s issues in particular are very dear to me.”
She placed her hand on her chest, right over her heart. “That’s one thing I learned from Angelique, my mother, that stuck with me all of these years.” She blinked back a few tears, but not for the reasons she was certain Martha thought. “Anyway, you put together a list for me of your friends and family who you think would be interested. We can start with them. Once we get a big enough group, I’ll move forward. Let me work out the logistics, and we’ll be good to go.”
“I will do it! I’m so excited.” The woman clasped her small hands together and bounced up and down with glee.
“After that’s settled, I’ll follow up with you in a few days.”
“No one’s ever done something like this for me!” The woman was crying streams now. “Oh, Kim, I love you! What a heart of gold you have!”
Martha raced around her car and slammed into her like a Mack truck. The woman hugged her so tight, smooshing her against her bosom, she could barely breathe. If there was ever a moment to not take a breath and be glad for it, this was it…
Standing in front of the large freezer in the garage, Jack slid off his scarf from around his neck, and sighed, briefly closing his eyes. There’d been a drowning averted, and it took him and five others to get the two people to safety. They had no business being in that part of Ballaine Lake. The ladies had been drinking on the shore, getting high and horsing around, and before they knew it, one of them had dropped her phone in the lake. Without thinking, she jumped in to get it—in forty-two-degree water. Then another one had the bright idea to jump in after her, resulting in an almost catastrophic situation. The third one called for help, but in her inebriated state, it took a while for the police to even figure out what was going on, and where the hell they were.
In the interim, he was radioed in for assistance. As luck would have it, he just happened to be nearby, filling in for another ranger at an adjoining park. Before he knew it, he was wading through the icy waters, knocking fish and seaweed out of his way, and hoisting the women back to safety. He’d been soaked from head to toe, and yet, the adrenaline from the ordeal kept him alert and zoned in on the mission. He ran his hand real slow over his face, exhausted. Typically, his days were far less dramatic than this. That day, he had enough excitement to last him for the remainder of the year and beyond. He glanced at the clock on the stove and noted the time. His baby was on her way.