The Definition of Fate

Chapter 16

To know that I miss you

so much when you leave;

to know that I need you

like the air I breathe.

To know that I want you

With a passion so blind

is to know that I love you--

with no doubt in my mind.

- Lang Leav

When I come into work on Monday, July is in full swing and the humidity has to be at an all-time high. My hair is a frizzy halo around my head and I've already sweated through my first layer of deodorant by the time Chloe and I enter the front doors of the Post.

I've spent the entire weekend--outside of work--researching for the article Mr. Fitzpatrick described in our meeting last week. I found out that literacy rates for adults in the Columbus area are significantly lower than the national averages and even worse among recent immigrants, like the Somali women Hina worked with. Assuming the sources Halle gives me are helpful, I'm convinced that this article is going to be my big break.

I race past Alaina and head for my desk, ignoring her chipper greeting and Quentin's glowering stare. I can't afford to be distracted, not when I have this one huge chance to impress Griffin. I have to make this count. I pull up my inbox and find Halle's e-mail.

The subject line reads: National Literacy Council Source.

The e-mail gives me no real information except for a name, Teresa Ortiz, a phone number, and an address. I google the address and find it's for a summer camp, "Round Two Ranch," which hosts the National Literacy Council's new adult literacy education program. I call Ms. Ortiz and let her know that I'll be stopping by this afternoon and spend the rest of the morning scrutinizing the website and learning everything I can about their work. This is the story I've been waiting for.

After a lunch spent in front of my desk, I gather my copious notes and head for the car. Miss Ortiz has agreed to let me sit in on one of their training sessions with the volunteer tutors so I can get an idea of what the tutoring program will look like, and I've even packed a spare camera to grab a few shots in case by some miracle my article gets featured.

Round Two Ranch is situated in an old park that was sold to the private sector a few years ago, and as I get off of the interstate and head towards it, I see a huge grove of trees along the Scioto River. It's amazing that such a picturesque window to the outdoors exists in the middle of the booming metropolis of Columbus, but it's perfectly situated for a literacy program like this.

I see a big wooden sign that reads "Round Two Ranch" and I pull into the packed parking lot, giggling a little at the name. The parking lot is filled with preteens and their parents unloading bags full of outdoor paraphernalia--water bottles, bandanas, sleeping bags, and way too many pairs of cargo shorts. It takes me back to my freshman year of college when I embarked on a similar adventure, the first time I met Josh.

I climb out of my car, feeling self-conscious in my business casual attire, and follow the flow of people towards a huge stone edifice at the end of the parking lot. I can see the rest of the camp behind it: a small lake, ropes course, sports fields, barns, all carefully packed into the space of the old park and shaded by ancient hemlocks. I breathe a little easier already in the clear, wild air; Columbus feels crowded and musty, but this little ranch reminds me of happier days.

Inside the lodge, I am nearly run over by the preteens rushing to meet their counselors and find their bunkhouses. It takes me five minutes to find an employee who can direct me to Miss Ortiz.