The Love We Choose

Chapter 1

Nestling into her office at the beginning of the day, Lynne Prentice, twenty-eight year-old Business Manager for Eternal Life Academy, sat down at her computer and dove into her inbox.  A total of 38 emails had accumulated since she shut down the night before that needed her attention.   After first checking her online datebook to see what meetings she had lined up for the day, she stretched her arms over her head and shook her limbs loose.   "Let's do this," she said out loud to no one as she opened the first email in her box, read it, and fired off a reply.

Three hours, fifteen phone calls, two cups of steaming hot tea, and more bathroom breaks than she cared to admit later, it was time for the 'Morning Administration Meeting.'  Morning is a term used loosely in this regard because they always seem to get pushed back until noon or later.  However, by some miracle or divine intervention, they were on track to actually start on time, 10:30am.  She pulled her shoulder-length, dark brown, box-braids back with a hair-tie she kept around her wrist, shut down her desktop computer, put her desktop phone on do not disturb, grabbed her leather-bound notebook and fountain pen, then headed to the conference room.   Nodding at the red-headed Administrative Assistant, Francine Slater, whom she shared with the Head of Discipline, she slipped quietly into the conference room and sat down in an empty seat close to the door.  Surveying her co-workers, Lynne assessed that they might get through five of the agenda items before all hell broke loose as per usual.   Such was the norm at Abundant Life Academy, a prestigious, private, parochial KG-12th grade school in New Jersey.   The campus housed four different grade-level buildings (K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and, 9-12th) a pool, a football field, soccer field, baseball field, track, tennis court, a dorm for boarding & international students, and served just under 4,000 students.

"Armand, I'm no longer your assistant.   Stop asking me to type things up for you." Came the annoyed voice of Helen Vogel, the blonde-haired Director of Residential Life. "I haven't been your executive assistant for two years thank you very much."  She hissed at Armand Mendez, the Vice Principal of the High School.

"I'm sorry, but you write so well.   And I have so many to get done between now and December." He pleaded to her softly, hoping his boyish looks would still work on her despite turning forty-two a month ago.

"Tsk. How the hell you qualified as a vice principal when you constantly outsource all of your work evades me." She retorted.

Oh this is going to be good,  Lynne thought to herself as she adjusted herself on her cushioned chair, nonchalantly craning her ears in their direction. Helen took the empty seat two-down from Lynne, Armand sat on Helen's other side.   They continued bickering over the writing of Armand's recommendation letters for the current graduating class.   

Eventually, Ava Docherty, 36 year-old Head of the Fine Arts Department and Lynne's work-wife, sat down in the empty seat between Lynne and Helen.  Gesturing her eyebrow in the direction of the two to her right, "did I miss anything good," Ava asked Lynne in a whisper.

"Naww, not yet. He is still asking her to write his recommendation letters." She muttered low to her so no-one else could hear.

"Nice, maybe they'll get something good going before this meeting starts.   I'm desperate for some actual drama. The students in the Dramatic Arts workshop I just did an observation for leave a lot to be desired."

Lynne let out a breathy laugh at Ava's admonition. Their hopes at a mini episode of workplace drama unfolding before them were dashed when Jeffery Strauss, Head Chancellor of the school, walked into the room and all chatter ceased.

He took his place at the front of the room and loaded the agenda upon the projector screen, cuing his secretary to dim the lights.  "Let us begin."