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“That would be great because then they will be ready when it’s their time and won’t spend half their time putting on skates. We will have to make sure they are wearing appropriate attire.”
She jots down our ideas. “And then after the skate event, fans can fill the stands for the live raffle for the signed pucks.”
“Will you be announcing the auction winners after the raffle? How will they know when the date with a player will be?”
It would be nice to win a date with Joseph, but I don’t want everyone to know if I bid on him.
“I don’t think we should broadcast the winners live because they will be spending a lot of money. We can send the winner an email that they’ve won and the time and place of the dinner. It will probably be a couple of weeks to a month later when the guys have a string of at home games.”
Moving onto the reason she wanted me in here, I say, “We can use the normal security and local police we would for a home game. They are familiar with the arena and the crowds and will probably appreciate the extra money.”
“That’s perfect. To the fans, it won’t seem abnormal or excessive because security is here every game.”
“Great, so I guess I should leave you to plan these events. I’m going home to finish packing.”
I haven’t started packing yet. I don’t own that much, so I waited until the last possible minute. Plus, I was hoping things would settle down and I could keep my apartment, but all week, Joseph and Arturo kept asking how packing was going.
Francesca digs inside her purse and hands me the other key to her apartment that was in Rhett’s apartment. “Do you need help? I can work on this from home later and come help you pack.”
“Thanks, but it’s not necessary. There isn’t a lot to pack since the furniture is staying. I’ll be done in no more than fifteen minutes.”
She gives me a worried glance. “If you’re sure. My apartment is on the second floor. I decorated the door for you, so it’s not hard to miss.”
“Thank you.”
We say our goodbyes and I head downstairs to grab a couple of empty boxes before heading to my car.
Six boxes should be enough for all of my stuff.
Traffic is much lighter than normal, so it only takes a few minutes to get to my apartment.
I park in my assigned parking spot, grab the boxes from the backseat, and make my way to my bottom floor apartment.
I’ve never been happier to live on the first floor than I am right now. At least carrying the full boxes to my car will be effortless.
Grabbing two of the boxes, I head straight to my closet. I fill one box with my dressy, professional attire and fill the other box with the rest of my clothes. Grabbing a trash bag, I throw my four pairs of shoes inside and place the bag in the second box.
I should be surprised that all of my clothes fit in these two boxes, but I’m not.
I moved to Savannah with just a backpack. I was living on the streets until I got the job with Arturo. It took me three months to get this apartment and a year to buy a car outright.
For the past year, I’ve been saving as much as I can in case I need to run away and start over again.
I carry the two boxes to the living room before returning to the bedroom. I grab all of my personal items from my end table and throw them in my purse.
My bathroom items take up less than half of the box. I add my cleaning supplies and the few pictures I have from my childhood.
I sit on the couch as I stare at the naïve, young girl in the photograph. She’s smiling and having the best day of her life.
Little did she know that in just two brief hours, her life would turn into a living nightmare.
The house she grew up in would become a distant memory. Her bed, toys, and friends would be a thing of the past.
She would learn about the horrible world of drug and gambling addiction and how it affects everyone around the troubled person.
She would see her father lose all control and give into his anger. She would become helpless to protect herself.
My vision blurs as tears sting my eyes. I haven’t been helpless for a long time. I’m stronger now and independent. No one will ever make me feel that way again.