Season of Joy

The interview was more fun than Joy expected. She always enjoyed talking about the arts and the positive influence they have on a community. Wenoka, as it turned out,was very supportive of the arts, maintaining support for theater, music (instrumental and choral) and dance. The board recently committed to build a viable semi-professional community opera as part of their 'curriculum'.

The four members of the board were most interested in her volunteer work during her years as a non-professional, directing and producing children's plays, community musicals and amateur choirs. They were very friendly and energetic and positive. When the interview finally came to an end 90 minutes later, Joy was excited at the prospects of a new career.

Three days later she had not heard anything from the board, and she fought the unsuspected disappointment in her heart. In spite of trying to keep her hopes in check, she couldn't help visualizing herself in the new position and the challenges ahead, but now she began to doubt she would be hired.

The weekend came with still no word. Her mom tried to distract her by insisting she join her friends for their book club meeting. Joy chuckled as she listened in because the book club seemed to be more of an excuse to drink wine and gossip than discuss a book they were all reading. Oh, they at least mentioned the book, but they were all at different places in the text so discussions were rife with spoiler alerts and errant revelations.

Monday morning arrived and still no call. Joy consigned herself to the realization that the job went to someone else, probably someone much younger. She fought the urge to call for an update, then again, she would argue, that she should show interest by calling. The internal debate went on for two more days.

Wednesday morning as she dressed for her daily run, her phone rang from a number she didn't recognize.

"Is this Joy Harrison?" came the pleasant female voice.

"Yes?"

"This is Allison Jennings of the Wenoka Municipal Arts Commission. I am calling to inform you our board has decided to offer you a one-year contract for the directorship with an option to extend that indefinitely. Congratulations, Ms Harrison!

Joy fought the urge to squeal, "I would be glad to accept your offer. When do I start?"

"When can you get here?"

"I will need to make some arrangements but I can probably be there ready for work on Monday morning."

"That would be great...Call me when you get into town and someone will show you around. We can help you find an apartment if you need to find a place.

"I'll be staying with a family member for a few weeks until I can get established."

"Okay, then let me know if there is anything you need, do you have this number?

"Yes, I'll add it to my contacts."

"Good, I look forward to meeting you soon."

"Me too. Thank you." Joy pushed the end button. Jumped up and squealed

"MOM! I GOT THE JOB!

3.

Joy drove over the mountain pass to Eastern Washington on the way to Wenoka astounded by the beauty of the fall foliage. The varied deep greens of the evergreen pines, cedar and spruce served as a backdrop for the birch, maple and various other underbrush that were in full color.

Shear valleys in the mountainsides where snow or land slides hewed away the timber over the years, left only deciduous underbrush with vivid hues of bright yellow, purple, gold and shades of red. These swept like brush strokes in long vertical swaths of color from peak to foot spilling into large pools of mixed colors on the mountain's flanks.

Massive jutting cliffs pushed up from the valley floors, cracking the clear blue sky. Here and there on the face of the exposed stone, trees and brush somehow took seed in a small crack or cranny and clung tenuously to life in their own micro habitat.

A skiff of snow appeared on the summit of the highest peaks boding the coming winter.

"I'm glad there is no snow on the road yet," she said to herself while inwardly thrilled to the prospect of a winter with snow instead of rain.

Many people don't realize that there are three distinct climates in Washington state that are starkly different. The Olympic Mountains on the northern potion of the peninsula with the same name is a temperate rain forest with 100 to 170 inches of annual rainfall!

The rest of Western Washington with Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, and Everett is green due to 30 - 50 inches of rain a year, Eastern Washington, on the other hand, is a semi-arid desert with less than 12" a year.

Wenoka is a small city in Eastern Washington nestled between the foothills of the Cascade Mountains and the Columbia River.

Separated from the coastal areas by the great Cascade Mountain Range that creates a rain shadow, the Columbia River valley and the central Washington plains were originally covered with sage brush, tumbleweeds, and scrub brush.

The whole area is much less populated and would be a virtual wasteland but for Grand Coulee dam and the accompanying irrigation system that waters about a third of the state.

The depression era projects yielded large flat farms where fruit orchards, potatoes, corn, alfalfa and many other kinds of produce, as well as beef cattle flourish on the rich volcanic soil.

On the flanks of the Cascades, apples and pears found the ideal climate to produce the largest and most delicious fruit in the world. The economies of the small towns in the area started out mostly agricultural but hydroelectric power attracted industry and, more recently, large tech companies that sought cheap and abundant electrical power to build huge server farms.

The reservoirs behind the dams attracted tourism for water sports in the summer, and the mountain slopes are favorites of skiers and snowmobilers in the winter. Home prices are below the prices in larger metropolitan areas attracting retiring couples from California, and the east coast. The retirees need medical care so Wenoka became a center for a large and up to date medical center and hospital.

All these things combined to make a flourishing arts community perhaps a little more robust than the size of the city warrants.

The city underwrote a modest civic center and convention center that includes a medium-sized theater where the Symphony Orchestra, Community Chorale and City Music Theater perform as well as out of town professional groups and artists on tour who are booked to sold-out houses.

This is the small city into which Joy Harrison would try to start her new career.

She struggled to contain her excitement as she drove. As she pulled onto Interstate 90, she popped her favorite opera into the CD player. She listened and sang all the parts to 'La Boheme' as she drove with the volume turned up as high as she could stand. There were two things she needed to do as soon as she arrived in Wenoka, she decided, meet with Gerome Valducci, and buy a car.

Gerome Valducci was the first call she made shortly after learning she got the job. She made arrangements to meet him at the rehabilitation facility where he struggled to overcome the serious injuries from his accident. As soon as she settled herself in Edith's spare bedroom, she called him and set a time to meet him during lunch.

"Mr. Valducci, I am so glad to meet you." She extended her hand to shake his before she realized he could barely move his arm, "I....I. am so sorry, I didn't r.... realize the extent of y....your injuries." She blushed and stammered wishing she could crawl into a hole.

"No offense taken," Gerome laughed, "please don't be embarrassed. I have great prospects of a full recovery, er... or at least to be able to walk and live a normal life."

"I'm so sorry," Joy said again dropping her eyes.

"Are you getting settled in?" Gerome asked with a smile.

"I am staying with my elderly sister-in-law for now. I'll look for an apartment over the next few weeks, but learning all about this job is my first priority."

"That is truly admirable, though if it were me, I would find an apartment first." He smiled and his body jerked involuntarily. He ignored it as normal. "So what do can I help you with?"

"First of all, is there a staff?"

"One assistant, Allison Jennings"

"I think I talked to her on the phone."

"Yes, she could pretty much run the Commission herself. She's great ...and grossly underpaid! Get her a raise if you can. Most of the other work gets done by volunteers and amateurs and your job is enlisting their assistance, delegating the tasks and keeping them motivated," He tried to gesture like all Italians but a deep hurt somewhere made him grimace and stop talking.

Joy waited until the pain passed, "Are you okay to go on?"

"Yeah, sure. It will pass ...nggghh ....go on."

"Okay, what else do I need to know?"

"Allison will fill you in on what needs doing, like I said she pretty much runs the place. She will be able to tell you about what is in the works now and in the future. I'm sure you will do fine."

"Anything I should watch out for?"

"Some people on the board have been around a long time and can be hard to work with. For instance, Gere Dawson, he is a big shot in the arts in this town and has a lot of sway. He is on the board and a bit stubborn. I hear he voted against hiring you as the new director but...," at that moment a pain seized him, and he once again grimaced. With some effort, he pushed a button on his chair and jerked again.

"Listen, I won't bother you anymore. I hope you recover soon." She left his room as attendants came to his aid. She sympathized with him for his terrible injuries, and hoped his relative youthfulness would work in his favor.

Joy entered the office address into her phone and followed the GPS directions to her new office, hoping to meet Allison Jennings face to face.

She found the office open and entered slowly looking about the outer office. Not much larger than a closet.

It contained a small desk with a laptop, that lit the face of a pleasant looking woman of about 40. Her black hair, which she wore in a long wedge, framed her round face. Slightly pudgy but with a beautiful complexion, she wore reading glasses with rose colored frames attached at the temples with a golden chain that hung about her neck. When put to use, she wore them near the tip of her nose. She wore a light blue cotton blouse and black slacks. Attractive, though not quit pretty, Joy decided she liked.

She stood as Joy entered the room and came around the desk. Allison stood somewhere around 5' 6" taller than Joy by half afoot. Rather, well-endowed with large breasts, she jiggled inside her blouse as she reached her hand to take Joy's.

"You must be Allison, I'm Joy Harrison," Joy strode forward several steps with her hand outstretched and shook Allison's hand.

"I am so glad to meet you!" Allison answered with a smile, "I am excited to work with you. Are you here for a while today, or...?"

"Yes, I would like to jump right in and get started. I also want to ask about what projects are in the queue."

"Of course, I expected as much so I pulled some files out to show you. Now where are those..." she said more or less to herself as she began looking for files and papers on her small desk.

Joy soon discovered that though she purposely gave the impression of being unorganized, she actually had extraordinary skills, She fought a never ending battle to keep order among all the files and projects that simultaneously needed her attention on a desk too small.

"With the Holiday season coming there are quite a few things going on. First is a Halloween Dance in the convention grand room next week, and a few charity costume parties sponsored by local businesses. There are rehearsals beginning for both Symphony and the Chorale for the Christmas "Messiah". The Ballet is beginning practices for the Nutcracker and right after Halloween the Opera will begin rehearsing "Amahl and the Night Visitors", there is also a Singing Christmas tree that is located at the mall in another part of town. Add to that corporate and private Christmas parties... etc. etc.... Busy, busy, busy!

"Wow," Joy sighed as Allison handed her file after file. "Eh...do I have a work station? " Joy glanced about, anxious to give the impression they were a team.

"Oh! Of course, right through here." Allison opened the door that contained an obscure-glass window with Gerome's name painted in small black letters. Her office appeared to be about triple the size of the reception office but could not be called anything but small. On the desk, small piles of documents were neatly organized in 3 rows on the left side of the desktop computer. To the right of the computer a black phone found a place carefully positioned to be reached easily.

"Gerry is well- organized and meticulous. These piles are projects for this week...."

Allison looked at Joy and realized that she inadvertently overwhelmed her.

"Oh, honey, there's the 'deer in the headlights' look on your face!".

Joy shrugged her shoulders and nodded her head.

"I can tell this is a bit overwhelming for you, but soon you'll be on top of everything. I tell you what, why don't we just concentrate on tomorrow and Wednesday for now.

I'll give you a schedule for the week and make sure you are up to speed on the meetings and calls for those two days, and we'll take it a few days at a time until things are under control, Okay?"

"Yes, please." Joy signed with relief, "I began to think maybe I bit off more than I could chew here."

Allison took the pile of files from Joy's arms and put the top two on Joy's desk. "These need immediate attention and the rest can wait 'till later. Do you need anything else?"

"Is the coffee right over here?"

Yes, in that cabinet beneath the coffeemaker, two scoops unless you like yours strong."

Joy made coffee and sat at the desk. She turned on the computer and immediately their home screen popped up. She checked the emails and deleted the ads. Some of the emails were for Gerome and some were for the Commission, and a few were for the director. They were ignored for over a week so there were quite a few.

When the coffee finished brewing, she called out the open door to ask Allison if she wanted a cup.

Allison smiled and acquiesced. "Gerry never asked if I wanted any, I usually made my own," she nodded at a small pot on the counter by the window.

Joy brought the urn in and filled Allison's cup for her. "Do you have the calendar ready yet?"

Allison picked up a printout from the printer located behind her chair. "Here are the activities for the week. Today...," Alison pointed her pencil to a column labeled 'today' as she continued, "I cleared and re-scheduled all the meetings for today, I figured you needed a day to settle in, then tomorrow we can get serious."

"I thought maybe it would be a good idea if I called some of the directors of these organizations and introduce myself."

"Yes I agree, that would be a good idea, The contacts are on the computer.

Allison answered the phone which began ringing as she spoke, and Joy retreated to her office to peruse the emails again. First of all, to her pleasant surprise and gratitude, Allison already set up an email account for her including a generic password. She stuck a digital sticky note on the page that said: 'Joy, go to settings: passwords and change the password to whatever you like. Allison <3

Allison impressed her with her abilities09. like her to transition into the job. She opened the email account. There were only a few that seemed of some significance but the rest were unnecessary. She put them in a file just in case and deleted them from her mail box, from here on out the account and the job belonged to her.

She called the people she would be meeting in the coming days to introduce herself. Her calls were met with friendly greetings, offers of help and genuine passion for what they were all doing in the community.

Allison ordered salads for their lunch. While they waited for the delivery. Alison made a few personal calls.

Joy took the free moments to look out her window and observe the citizens of Wenoka walk through the busy streets. She marveled at the bustling sidewalks. When she visited Wenoka on vacation as a little girl, the town would be described as decidedly rural. Now the traffic and hubbub reminded her of any other city, just on a smaller scale.

Near quitting time, the intercom coughed with Alison's cheerful voice, "You have a call on line one from someone named Jack Harrison."

Joy's heart sank. She thought he accepted she had no interest in him. She didn't want to talk to him, but, unfortunately, Jack was her brother-in-law.

"Thank you, Allison, I will take it." Joy stared at the blinking button on the phone, took a deep breath and reluctantly pressed the button to connect the line.

"Hello Jack, why are you calling?" Joy asked coldly.

"Woe, that wasn't at all friendly!"

"I'm sorry, Jack this is not a good time. I..."

"I wanted to welcome you to the valley. I am overjoyed that you are moving here."

"You are living here in Wenoka?"

"Yes, a little north in a gated community. Can we get together for dinner?"

"I'm sorry, Jack but I told you before that I'm not interested, and I really wish you would believe me."

"It's just dinner, and maybe a movie...I'll show you around."

"I don't think that would be a good idea, Jack, I got to go. There's a call on the other line."

"Wait...wait! Don't hang up yet."

"What?"

'I'll be joining you and Edith for dinner tomorrow night. We'll catch up then. Bye."

She sunk in her chair and fought the urge to throw the receiver, but instead mashed her finger on the red 'end' button hard enough to break a nail.

"Shit!" She spit the expletive as if spitting out an invasive bug! She reached for her nail clippers and file.

Allison cautiously put her head in the door, "Is everything alright?"

"No!" Joy glowered, "Please don't accept any more calls from Jack Harrison."

"I'm sorry"

"Oh, its alright," Joy softened, "You didn't know."

"Wha...what is the deal with him, if it isn't too personal" Allison ventured.

"He's my brother-in-law and a big creep! He's been hitting on me since I started dating my husband and won't take 'no' for an answer. Every chance he gets he gropes me even at my wedding reception, for Christ sakes.I thought I finally convinced to leave me alone and that I wasn't interested. Now I fear that he may think that because I came to live here, Its open season again...Shit!"

"He's a stalker!"

"Nooo....well, maybe! Shit! What can I do?"

"Tell him you're a lesbian now."

Joy looked at Allison and suddenly burst into laughter and Alison joined in.

"You know that could just work! He isn't at all sympathetic to the LGBTQ community. I love the way you think." Joy dabbed the tears of laughter from her eyes.

"Hey Joy, my husband is out of town the next few days, so I don't need to go home, do you want to take in happy hour over at Jared's Classic Bar and Grill.

"Why, that sounds like fun, I'd like to get to know you better anyway. Do they serve good food?"

"Yes, there are better restaurants but Jared's offers a decent grill, their burgers are great and their Jo Jo fries are to die for! Besides, it is just across the street, and we don't need to drive!"

"I'll be ready in 10 minutes!"

"Me too."

Joy checked her email one more time and grabbed her satchel and purse. Allison emailed a PDF of her schedule for tomorrow which she forwarded to her phone, then shut down her computer and turned the timer on the coffee maker and shut off the lights.

Allison followed a similar procedure in her tiny office, gathering her coat as Joy stepped from her office.

"Ready?" Joy asked.

"Ready." Allison replied. "This will be fun!"