A Winter Dream

Chapter


Twenty-four


My winter has too soon been followed by another.

Joseph Jacobson’s Diary





Two days later it was my turn to pick up lunch. I went up front to get Charlene’s order, but she wasn’t there. I found Leonard and Bryce in the conference room.

“Hey, where’s Char?” I asked.

“I think she’s sick,” Leonard said.

“No,” Bryce said. “She called in this morning and said she’d be in late. Something about a meeting.”

“I bet she’s job-hunting,” Leonard said.

“Could you blame her?” Bryce said. “She’s got too much light to be kept under a bushel.”

The thought of her leaving the tank made me sad. “That’s too bad,” I said. “Not for her but for us.”

Even Leonard nodded in agreement. “I was thinking of asking her out.”

Bryce and I glanced at each other but said nothing.

An hour after lunch my phone rang. “Joseph, it’s Charlene.”

“Charbaby,” I said. “What’s going on? We missed you at lunch. We had to listen to Leonard tell us about his date last week.”

“I’m so sorry,” she said.

“I don’t think he had a date. I’m pretty sure he’s just recycling old ones. Or someone else’s.”

“Did the date pull out a hair and floss her teeth with it?”

“How did you know that?”

“Disney Channel,” she said. “Listen, I have some news.”

“What’s up?”

“I just got my job back as Mr. Ferrell’s personal assistant.”

“That’s fantastic.”

“Just like you saw in your dream. On my way in to work this morning, Mr. Ferrell called and asked me to come see him. He said his new assistant is driving him crazy and he wants me back.”

“Congratulations. I’m so happy for you. Not so much for us, but definitely for you.”

“Thanks. I’ll miss you too.”

Bryce walked up, leaning over my desk. “What’s up with Char?”

“What’s going on?” Leonard asked.

“Bryce and Leonard want to know. Can I tell them?”

“Tell us what?” Bryce asked.

“Go ahead,” Charlene said.

I put the phone on speaker. “You tell them. You’re on speaker, go ahead.”

“I got my job back,” Charlene said.

“Yes!” Bryce shouted. “I knew you would. Just like J.J.’s dream. Now I’m next.”

“The dream is bogus,” Leonard said.

“We’re really happy for you,” I said again.

“Make that a double,” Bryce said.

“Thank you. But I’m going to miss working with you all. I hate breaking up the Outasts.”

“We can still get together for Hearts,” I said. “Besides, you never belonged here.”

“None of us belong there,” she said. “Except Leonard.”

“How you mock me,” Leonard said.

“Joseph, would it be too much trouble to have you bring my things from my desk over to my new office? There’s not that much and the last assistant left things such a mess that I won’t be able to get out of here for at least a week.”

“Sure. No problem. What floor?”

“I’m on the eighteenth floor. If I’m not there, just leave the box at my desk.”

“You’ll have it before the day’s out.”

“I owe you,” she said. “When things let up, let’s all get together for lunch.”

“And Hearts,” Bryce added.

“Of course. I better go. Mr. Ferrell just finished his call.”

“Congratulations again,” I said.

“Oh, Joseph,” she said.

“Yes?”

“Don’t stop dreaming.”