They, p.27
They, page 27
Colleen looked nervously at They, who answered for both of them. “We’re dry folks, ma’am. I hear you have a fine hot chocolate here, though.”
“Best in the states,” the waitress declared.
“Then I’ll take one of those with some milk,” They said.
“I’ll have the same,” Colleen agreed.
“I’ll be back soon with the drinks and menus,” the waitress said.
“It’ll be easier than you think, Colleen,” They said once the waitress left. “Almost every person you pass has a need that remains unfilled. Sometimes they’re superficial in nature, sometimes they’re important without being dire, and sometimes they’re dire. All have merit.”
“It can’t be that easy.” Colleen insisted.
The waitress returned with the drinks and menus. They noticed an engagement ring on her finger. “When’s the big day, ma’am?” he asked her.
“What do you mean, sir?” the waitress asked.
“Your wedding,” They clarified, nodding toward her finger.
“Oh, right,” the waitress said, giggling. “We don’t have a date yet. It’s been my dream to get married in front of a fountain like this one, but we haven’t found another good one, and I don’t want to get married at work.”
“Ever seen the one at Kauffman stadium?” They asked.
“Of course,” the waitress replied. “My husband has actually been a Royals fan his whole life.”
“Would that do?” They suggested.
The waitress laughed. “Well yeah, but that’s way out in Kansas City.”
“In a perfect world, if you could go there anytime,” They intoned, “when would be a good time for you?”
“Pointless to think about,” the waitress declared.
“I’m a guest of Mr. Parsons,” They demanded gently. “Humor me.”
“I wouldn’t care when I got married,” the waitress confessed, “so long as all my family could be there.” She looked up at something. “Excuse me, I have other tables.”
“Of course,” They agreed amicably enough, pulling his phone out. “How about that?” he said to Colleen, winking. “Someone who has a need.” He dialed a number and waited for an answer. “Hey, Ronnie. How hard would it be to have a wedding at Kauffman? No, not me. Cool. Oh, just wanting to do something nice for someone, showing one of my students how easy it is to find people to help. Exactly. I’ll call you back with more details in a few minutes.” He hung up.
“I could never make something like that happen,” Colleen managed.
“Maybe not this particular case,” They said, “but I bet there’s a lot of people you and your frat could help that I couldn’t. The opportunities are really endless; all it takes is looking for it.”
“Doesn’t it get overwhelming?” Colleen asked. “There’s so many unfortunate people in the world. We can’t possibly fix all of it.”
“No, we can’t,” They agreed. “My own choice on that has been to stick to helping people I have some sort of personal connection to, for the most part. Also, I don’t use a stranger as a go-between. If I need help accomplishing something, I use a friend.”
“Like Ronnie,” Colleen affirms.
“Exactly,” They agreed. “Someone I can trust. One of the perks of helping people is they’re usually perfectly willing to assist you in helping someone else later. Eventually you have a sort of charity network.”
“How long have you been doing this?” Colleen asked.
“Since I was twelve,” They said.
The waitress returned. “Have we decided what we wanted?” she asked.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, I never got your name,” They said.
“Gloria. Gloria Edwards. Though I’ll to be Gloria Chadwick soon,” she replied.
“Colleen, would you go get Mr. Parsons for me?” They asked, pulling his phone back out.
“Sure,” Colleen replied, leaving to fetch him.
“What are you doing?” Gloria asked.
“You’ll see. Have a seat and join us a moment,” They offered, indicating the chair in front of her.
“I have other tables,” Gloria said.
“That’s why my date is fetching your boss,” They explained. Colleen returned with the owner. “Danny, could you make sure Miss Edwards’s tables are covered? She’s going to be indisposed for a little while.”
“Sure, They. I’ll cover them myself,” Daniel replied. “How long?”
“Yet to be determined. Thanks,” They said.
“Not a problem at all,” Daniel insisted, leaving to do as he’d offered.
“There, now you may join us,” They told Gloria, pushing the chair out with his foot.
Gloria sat down. “What’s going on?” she asked, flummoxed.
They just held out a finger as his phone returned to his ear. Gloria gave Colleen a nervous look, Colleen returning a warm smile. “It’s OK,” she mouthed. Gloria nodded and looked back at They.
“Hello again, Ronnie. Yeah, twice in one night. I actually have my friend right here who’s getting married. Her name is Gloria.” They nodded at Gloria, who was still somewhat stupefied. “She’s always wanted to get married in front of a fountain, and her fiancé’s a lifelong Royals fan. I figured it was the perfect place. That would be incredible. I’m not sure. You’d have to ask her. She’s right here. I’ll let you tell her. Whatever you agree to, just send me the bill. No, I insist. You’ve done enough for me, Ronnie. Well, when you put it that way… Anyway, here she is.” They handed the phone to Gloria. “It’s for you, dear.”
Gloria took it with shaking hands. “H-hello? Hi, Miss Grayson. OK. Yes, I am. That would be absolutely amazing! How about Valentine’s Day? Sure. I’m not sure. We wanted to know the venue before we started figuring out guests. No, not that many. Maybe a hundred total. Mostly couples. What? Oh, that’s too much, Miss Grayson. Are you sure? Yes! Yes! Oh my goodness!” She was tearing up now. “I can’t wait to tell my fiancé. Yes, I do.” She rattled off a phone number. “I will. Thank you so much, Miss Grayson.” She laughed. “Then thank you, Ronnie. Oh, I will.” She put the phone on the table and popped up to hug They before he could blink. They chuckled and returned the hug. “Thank you, sir! You’re so amazing! I’ll find some way to repay you for this, I promise!”
“You want to repay me?” They asked as they parted. “Love your husband every single day. There will come a time when he says something or does something that makes it hard to love him. When that day comes, remember today and love him anyway for my sake.”
“I will, sir,” Gloria promised, pulling out her own phone. “I have to tell Ricky! Oh, can I get Miss Grayson’s number? She told me to get it from you.”
“Of course,” They replied, pulling up her contact info on his phone. “She and I are old friends, so she always picks up for me. But the best time to call her would be in the morning or on weekends.”
“Oh my goodness! I’m getting married at Kauffman!” Gloria exclaimed. “Would your date let me kiss you?”
“Yes, she would,” Colleen affirmed, winking at They.
Gloria gave They two quick kisses, then ran off to presumably call her fiancé. Daniel came back over. “So when do I get my waitress back?”
“I’d maybe let her go home,” They suggested. “She just found out she’s getting married.”
Daniel chuckled. “What did you do?” They put a finger to his lips. “Alright, I’ll send her home and bring another server to your table.”
“Thanks, Danny,” They replied.
Colleen couldn’t remember what they ate that night, nor what else they talked about. She did remember They walking her to her truck, though.
“I have to admit, I enjoyed that very much,” They told her. “You make a wonderful date. Maybe we should do this again.”
“Of course we should,” Colleen agreed. “I liked being with you, too.”
“Well, I’ll see you in class on Tuesday. Goodnight, Colleen.”
He started to walk away when Colleen called out, “They?” He turned back to her. “Do you think my date would let me kiss you?”
“I’m certain he would,” They said, smiling, “but his employer might not. I’ll look into that and get back to you.”
Colleen nodded. “I understand. Just remember, you owe me one.”
“I won’t forget,” They promised.
●●●
Ella woke up Saturday to find her daughter in her bed, curled up against her. She hadn’t done this since she’d started school. It broke Ella’s heart that her daughter was hurting so, but she’d missed snuggling with Chris. She brushed her hair from her eyes and realized she was awake and crying quietly. She started covering her face in kisses, which soon became a silly game of who could kiss who more. By the time they stopped, both mother and daughter were giggling.
“Oh, I love you baby,” Ella cooed. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too, Mom,” Chris said. “Don’t ever leave me, OK?”
“Never,” Ella promised. “No matter what happens, Chrissy, you’ll always have your mother.”
“You won’t leave like Daddy did?” Chris pleaded.
A twinge of guilt coursed through Ella, but she dismissed it. “I promise, Chrissy,” she whispered. “I’ll never be like your daddy.”
Chapter 35
Colleen arrived for her next Poetry Appreciation class at 4:30. They wasn’t in the room, but she found him in his office, studying something intently. As before, she found herself admiring him for a few moments.
(“I’m sure you’ve heard it mentioned before,” Colleen told me, “but he had this incredible intensity when he was absorbed in something. It was like his whole body was helping him study it. I have to admit, every time I noticed it, I imagined what it would be like to be looked at so intensely.” Her cheeks turned pink as she shivered, her breathing getting slightly heavier. “Even thinking of it now affects me. Forgive me, Gabe. I lost myself for a moment.” I assured her it was alright, as she’s a grown woman who’s allowed to find men attractive. I met her two days after her 36th birthday, and she still looked like she could be in college.)
Eventually, They did look up to find Colleen watching him, at which point she rapidly looked away. “Hello, Colleen. Enjoying the view?”
“Busted,” she said, sitting down. “May I ask what you find so fascinating?”
“Oh, just keeping up on the Royals. You watch baseball?” They asked.
“Sure do, though I’m a Rockies fan,” Colleen replied. “Same with all other sports, for that matter. Denver is my city.”
“That’s cool. Well, KC looks like they’ll get Texas first round, which should be a cakewalk. Kauffman’s too far to catch a game, but maybe they’ll meet the Mariners in the ALCS, and I’ll be able to catch a game,” They mused.
“Only if you take me with you,” Colleen blurted. When They didn’t answer right away, she continued. “I’ll pay my own way. Please?”
“Seattle’s a long way,” They warned. “We’d probably have to fly and spend the night.”
That made Colleen’s enthusiasm falter. “I could probably still swing that,” she said, even though she was sure she didn’t have that much saved up.
“Oh, Colleen, I don’t mean costs. I meant if you could stand being around a stuffy, old teacher for so long,” They said, chuckling.
Colleen laughed, mostly out of relief. “Probably not. But since you’re neither stuffy nor old, I’d be fine.”
They pondered a moment. “It may all be moot. The Mariners will certainly make it, but I don’t know if the Royals will. If the opportunity arises, I’d enjoy your company very much.”
“Wonderful! Keep me posted,” Colleen beamed.
“And I’ll cover the costs,” They declared. “Don’t fret.”
“No, They, I asked to come,” Colleen insisted. “I can pay my own way.”
“Nonsense. You need your money more than I do. Besides, one call to Ronnie and she’d probably arrange the whole thing for us.”
“She’d do that for you?”
“Both she and her father have said many times I have a seat in the owner’s box of any game I ever want to attend,” They replied.
“Alright, I’ll let you take care of it,” Colleen said. “But I’ll pay you back somehow.”
“If you must pay, pay it forward,” They insisted.
“That reminds me, any suggestions on where to start looking for people to help?” Colleen asked.
“I would start by just talking to people, or at least listening when others talk,” They suggested. “Most people will mention their needs without being asked. Just friendly chitchat and an attentive ear will reveal a lot of opportunities if a person seeks them.”
“It can’t be that simple,” Colleen insisted.
“Try it sometime,” They countered. “You’d be surprised.”
●●●
The next day Colleen decided to test They’s theory. She went down to the snack bar, which was a fairly common hangout spot. She took a seat in one of the armchairs and put headphones in to seem like she was listening to something. She also brought her laptop, though all she was going to use it for was taking notes.
Her idea was rewarded after only five minutes. A pair of guys sat down on an adjacent couch and started talking about their families.
“How’s your mother doing?” one of them asked.
‘Fantastic for the most part, except she’s getting a bit worried about winter. She’s still in the house I grew up in, which has a wood stove, and she can’t afford a lot of firewood. I’d cut it myself, but with school I don’t really have time anymore. She hasn’t quite figured out what she’s gonna do yet. I bet she misses Dad a lot more this time of year.”
Not long after that a couple behind her started arguing. “No, Denise, we can’t go all the way to Florida for Thanksgiving. I know you miss your family, but we just can’t afford it, sweetheart.”
“But you were able to afford a new car!”
“That’s different, and you know it. My last one couldn’t be fixed, and I have to have a car for work. Besides, we’d have to be back by Monday. Even if we could afford the gas, we’d be there maybe a day.”
“We could fly!”
“Can you afford a plane ticket across the country? I know I can’t.”
“Sell your watch!”
“Not a chance,” the man growled. “This has been in my family since before World War I! My great-great-great-grandfather made it himself. It’s mine until my oldest son graduates, then it’s his.”
The woman called Denise heaved a sigh. “I know, Mitchell. I’m sorry for shouting at you. It’s just been so long since I’ve been home. I miss my sisters and my parents.”
“I know, baby,” Mitchell replied. “I promise we’ll go back as soon as we have the means to do it.”
Not long after that, Colleen was given a flyer advertising a canned food drive to help a local homeless shelter, she heard a woman talking about her grandmother living in a nursing home, a woman who had an infant with her because she couldn’t afford daycare, and about a dozen more things. This was enough to fill the whole semester, and she’d only been there two hours! They was right: people in need are easy to find.
●●●
“Did you help all those people?” I asked Colleen.
“Not all of them, no,” Colleen replied. “At least, not directly. But the very first project at Gamma Omega Delta was cutting firewood and giving it away, which was my suggestion. They still do that, too. There’s also now a huge daycare located two blocks from campus. They accept any child, but if a mother or father is a student at U of M, it’s free to them; paid for by Gamma Omega Delta, though they never know that.”
“How many people ended up staying that first year?” I asked.
“There were twelve of us,” Colleen replied. “The boys were Roger, Jordan and Chase. The girls were me, Julie, Teresa, Allison, Caitlyn, Kendra, Tanya, Joselyn, and Naomi. Chase and Kendra are now the house parents at the original site, and Teresa started a chapter at Stanford when she went there for medical school, which she now heads. All twelve of us are still active, though. I was just at Missouri Western last week, helping their chapter set up three scholarships in Kai’s name. It’s the name They would’ve wanted to attach to them.”
“And how long did it take you to discover They was behind it?” I asked.
“Not until the reading of They’s will,” Colleen said. “No one knew who was behind it until then. And even now, only the people at the reading and now you know who currently heads it. Are you gonna tell the world?”
“If she lets me, yes,” I say. (She did let me, but since I’ll have a chapter on the will reading, I’ll save that particular reveal until then.)
As of today (January 3, 2049), Gamma Omega Delta has expanded to over eight hundred active members across twenty-four universities in seven states. The men call themselves the Sons of Thunder, and the women call themselves the Lilies of the Valley. They’re still invitation-only, but if you show a servant’s heart at one of their schools, they’ll eventually find you. Their works are done in secret, but every once in a while a rebellious member leaves behind a calling card: ΓΩΔ
Chapter 36
As any baseball historians reading this will already know, Seattle did in fact meet Kansas City in the ALCS that year. Since the Mariners were the higher seed, the first two games would be in Seattle. They actually called Colleen about a half-hour after she left her ΓΩΔ initiation ceremony to invite her to lunch on Monday to discuss the particulars.
“Alright,” They said when they met. “Game 2 is Saturday, 12:45. Ronnie’s already got our tickets covered, but the rest is still to be determined.”
“Well, I’m easy, They,” Colleen assured him, then turned pink. “I mean, I’m not picky as a travel companion. Besides, if you’re buying, I have no right to be choosy.”
“Nonsense. I want you to enjoy yourself, too,” They told her.
“Are you going to be there with me?” Colleen asked.
“Of course,” They said.
“Then my requirements are met,” Colleen said, smiling.
