Amanda Sutton spent the evening into the wee hours working on the website for their new freelance scuba diving business. About an hour after she started work, a friend of hers, Cheryl Kaszkowski, IM-ed her.
“Amanda. Donna has called in sick with the flu. I really, really need an assistant coach to help me with this swimming competition at Barnes Pool. Could you possibly help? I’ll need you all this week if at all possible.”
Amanda was a volunteer for the aquatics division of the local Special Needs Kids Sports Foundation. As far as Cheryl knew, she was still in Miami, and not 50 miles away in Bimini.
Amanda did not hesitate.
“Sure, Cheryl. I can meet you at the pool by 1 o’clock tomorrow, and I’m available all week.”
“Amanda, you’re a lifesaver. Thanks!”
“No prob.”
Cheryl signed off, and Amanda stood up from her computer.
Chelsea had returned a few hours ago, and when Amanda padded out to the living room for more cake, she saw the twins sitting on the couch, watching The Abyss together.
“I’ve got our first client,” Chelsea informed her. “I’ve been telling Stacy. A guy wants a guide to the Bimini Wall. He’ll be here at noon tomorrow.”
“Well done, Chelsea,” said Amanda, eyeing the cake with a practiced eye and cutting off a large slice. She took it, and a glass of milk which she fetched from the refrigerator, to the couch and sat down to watch a few minutes of the movie with her sisters.
“I need to head back to Miami tomorrow,” she said. “This week there’s a Special Kids Sports swimming competition. One of the assistant coaches has come down with the flu, so I said I’d help out.”
Chelsea nodded. “How are you going to get back, fly?”
While it was possible for a single personal watercraft to make the journey between Bimini and Miami, it was not a good idea. If mechanical problems occurred, the rider of a PWC…bobbing alone on the ocean waves…not a good idea.
“Normally I would..but I have to be at the pool by 1 o’clock. I figured one of you could take me back in the *Scylla and Charybdis. Early, of course, before Chelsea has to be out at sea with her Bimini Wall guy. Then I’ll fly back at the end of the week if you need me, otherwise I’ll stay in our apartment and do some networking and try to line up more clients.”
“Sounds good,” said Stacy. “I’ll take you over…leaving around 7 o’clock or so. That way I’ll be back in good time for Chelsea to take her guy out to the Wall.”
II.
The next morning, after the sisters shared breakfast with their parents, Stacy and Amanda set out for Miami. Stacy held the throttle wide open, and the seas were calm. They sighted land in an hour and a half.
Rather than go through the fuss and bother of taking the big yacht into one of the busy harbors along the coast, Stacy lowered the Zodiac – a motorized dingy which all large craft carried - and Amanda climbed into it. “Thanks, Stacy,” Amanda called from the bobbing boat. “I’ll see you later.”
Stacy waved, then watched as Amanda fired up the Zodiac and headed it toward shore. After waiting a few minutes for her to get well-clear, Stacy made a U-turn in the *Scylla and Charybdis and headed back toward Bimini.
Amanda took the Zodiac in to the Sutton family slip at the harbor, and jumped onto the quay. She glanced at her watch…she was cutting it a bit fine. She should have told Cheryl one o’clock, that would have given her a cushion she dearly needed. She hated being late.
Well, not to worry. She’d call Cheryl on her cellphone, make her apologies, and be there by one pm.
Amanda climbed into her Mustang, and made the call before she started the engine. She never talked on her cellphone while driving. Cheryl didn’t pick up so she left a voicemail.
However, traffic lights were with her, and she made it to the Barnes pool at exactly 11.55 am. Five minutes early!
Feeling pleased with herself – she so hated being late, even by a minute – Amanda strode into the pool and looked around for Cheryl. The whole area was a bustle as dozens of special needs kids competing in the event, and their family and friends, milled about.
There was Cheryl, talking to a tall, slender man she didn’t recognize.
Amanda walked up to her. “I have arrived,” she announced with a grin.
Cheryl turned and smiled at her, then looked at the man. “Teague, this is Amanda. She…”
The man she called Teague turned to her, frowning. “You look pretty happy for someone who is four hours late.”
Amanda looked at him. “I beg your pardon?”
“You may think just because you’re a volunteer you don’t need to be on time, but that’s not the case. We deserve to be treated just like any other organization. Four hours late, that’s pathetic.”
“Teague,” began Cheryl, but Amanda forestalled her.
“I’m very sorry,” she said. “Won’t happen again.”
“You say that so easily,” Teague said. “As if being late today …four hours late… doesn’t matter.”
*So much for a soft answer turning away wrath, thought Amanda ruefully.
“Won’t happen again,” she repeated.
Teague glanced at Cheryl, said, “See that it doesn’t,” and walked away.
“Who the heck is that guy, Cheryl?” Amanda demanded.
“Patrick Teague. He’s new since your time. Co-ordinator for the aquatic events. He’s a bit…abrasive, as you see. Doesn’t like it when people don’t take things seriously.”
“You don’t say. What’s this about me being four hours late?”
“Well, the coaches were supposed to be here at eight o’clock.”
“But I told you I couldn’t get here until noon today.”
Cheryl stared at her, sudden horror in her eyes. “Oh, Amanda, I’m so sorry. I’d forgotten. Normally, you were always here so early, I’d just…it slipped out of my little mind, what you said…Jeez. Well, I’ll go tell Teague it was my fault…”
Amanda held up a hand. “And get you on his bad side? Don’t even worry about it, Cheryl. I wont’ be late again, so it’s a moot point.”
“But I don’t want him thinking…”
“Cheryl, I said don’t worry about it. If one of my volunteers was four hours late I’d be ticked off, too. And let them know. Perhaps not as …abrasively as Mr. Teague did, but…”
“I know you would,” said Cheryl with a grin.
The two women looked up from their grins to see Patrick Teague across the vast room, glaring at them.
Cheryl touched Amanda’s arm. “We’d better get to work.”
“Yeah,” said Amanda, turning away from Teague’s glare. “Let’s go.”
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