Page 15 of Running
GRACE: Rawls, leave Connor alone or I’ll start asking questions here about Gretchen.
CONNOR: Who’s Gretchen?
LANDON: Yeah, who’s Gretchen?
RAWLEY: Smooth Gracie.
“I’m sorry, Grace, this proposal isn’t good enough,” Professor Carry says. I’d walked up after class ended as she’d requested.
I’m taking three classes this summer to speed up my MBA and finish after the fall semester. Two classes are going well, but my “Non-profits In Action” class is turning into a struggle.
“I love that you want to volunteer to help the animal shelter,” the professor explains. “However, the assignment needs to include a proposal to impact the organization in a more significant and specific way.”
I think of a counter-argument about how important volunteering is to the shelter, but ultimately retreat into my more comfortable place of agreeing with her. People pleaser side winning out.
“I understand, professor. Can I have another few days to figure out a better approach?”
I’m stumped on where to start. I don’t have the relationships in the community yet to ask for a role that aligns with the project assignment.
And it’s a big deal for me to get this right. The project is all semester long and fifty percent of our grade.
“That’s fine, but we need to finalize your proposal by next Friday.”
Shoot. One week from today. I don’t have anything else I can say in return, so I just nod.
When I go over to Landon’s the next day for dinner, I’m still stewing about what to do. He notices my bad mood and asks what’s wrong.
“I got feedback on a project, and it was bad. Kind of sulking about it, actually.”
He is milling around the kitchen, getting the food out for our meal.
“Oh man, that blows. I’m sorry. Is there anything you can do?”
I have been thinking of one solution. A nuclear option. Drop the class and make up for it in the fall semester.
Maybe extreme, but I don’t have any good ideas for the project. And if I can’t knock it out of the park, maybe it’s best to have a fresh start in the fall.
When I express this idea to Landon, he tries to comfort me in his typical big brother way.
“If it isn’t the right class, there’s no reason to force it.”
I smile at him, though it’s a mask, hiding my unease. I’m torn because I want to earn the course credit this summer.
“I don’t really want to talk about it.” I’m not always so direct with Landon, but my frustration has melted any façade.
Luckily, it’s easy to divert his attention by asking about Rori and his time in London. He takes up the subject happily, and I love everything I’m hearing.
My big brother seems to have found a woman he’s ready to date, for real.Finally.
Landon’s struggled the most with commitment issues stemming from our parent’s divorce. Reallytrustissues. Though, hehasn’t given women more than a couple of nights to build trust—until Rori.
It’s one of the reasons he’s held us so close as siblings.
“We’re the only ones we can count on. We’re never going to betray each other, no matter what happens with Mom and Dad,” he said as our family exploded.
I’m grateful for his stepping up and keeping us glued together. But he also deserves real love, and I think he might be on the way to getting it.
As Landon closes the refrigerator, his doorbell rings. I’m not sure who he’s expecting. He hasn’t mentioned anyone coming by.
