Lauren Takes Leave by Gerstenblatt, Julie (ebooks children's books free txt) 📕

a movie—which I now sometimes liketo believe it is—here’s what you’d see this minute, flashing across the screen.

You’d see adjoining hotel rooms, in which three women andone man (in their mid-to-late thirties, all rather attractive) franticallyfling their belongings into suitcases. They emerge from the hotel lobby a bitfrazzled and pile into a white Hummer-style stretch limousine. One woman,wearing a huge white sun hat, black Chloe sunglasses, and layers of gauzymaterial, opens the back of the vehicle. She extends a perfectly manicured handout to touch the plain pine box.

After a dramatic pause of a few seconds, she slams thetrunk closed and slides into the limo next to her friends. Collective Soul’s“Hollywood” plays loudly as the camera pulls wide, showing from a bird’s-eyeview the limo as it makes its way along the highway to Miami International Airport.

“Tim made sure they’d hold the plane for you,” the driversays as we reach the airport. I notice that we’re not at the traditionalarrivals and departures gate. In fact, magically, we’re on the tarmac.

The belly of a commercial 747 hovers overhead. We scrambleout of the car and quickly make our way up the steps and into the cool, recirculatedair of the plane. “Thank you!” I call after the driver. “Please tell Tim howmuch we appreciate all of this!”

The driver tips his hat in acknowledgement, before movingthe vehicle out of the way of the giant metal bird.

Because of our distinctly Hollywood entrance and the highwe’re all feeling from the ride, we’re expecting an equally glamorous welcomeon the jet. Maybe applause from the other passengers, or at least somechampagne from the crew. Instead we are greeted with forty-two rows of icysilence. Apparently, people don’t like when their plane is delayed, even if itis for a dead grandma and her unconventional entourage.

Awkwardly, we move past the fabulous people and down thewalk of shame, finding our seats in the middle of coach. Jodi sits by thewindow, pressing her nose to the glass. I assume that she’s watching hergrandmother being lifted into the cargo hold along with all of our luggage,which can’t be easy for her.

“You holding up?” I ask.

“What the hell just happened?” Jodi asks. “I mean, really!”She doesn’t seem upset so much as shocked.

I shake my head with the absurdity of the past twenty-fourhours. “I don’t know, Jo…but it would make a fantastic movie, dontcha think?”

“Gum, anyone?” Kat asks, extending a new pack of JuicyFruit and smiling wide.

It’s only after takeoff that I realize I have no idea whatI’m heading back to.

As soon as the captain announces that we are free to moveabout the cabin, Lenny comes up the aisle from his seat to find us. Hestretches his arms overhead and yawns like a baby lion. His hazel eyes crinklepleasantly and the lines between his eyebrows crease with character. He’sholding that pose to really enjoy the stretch, giving me an unguarded moment toenjoy the sharp angle of his chin and the perfect symmetry of his face. Whenhe’s done, his eyes lazily open and meet mine, looking, as always, like he’sjust heard the funniest joke and he can’t wait to share it.

He really is cute.

Cute from afar, I mean. There is to be no touching.

“So…” Kat begins. “What were you and Tim talking aboutback on the float?”

“I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you,” Lennyjokes.

“Seemed pretty profound,” I add. “Especially since youhated him a few hours ago and then suddenly you’re doing the arm-bump withhim.”

Lenny pauses and considers what to say. He turns to theguy in the aisle seat across from ours. “Hey, buddy?”

The man’s got to be in his mid-to-late twenties. He takeshis headphones off and looks up. A smile of recognition lights up his face. “MCLenny?”

“Yeah, dude, that’s moi,” Lenny says. “Switch seats withme?”

“Cool!” the guy says, grabbing his gear and exiting therow. “You working on anything now?”

“Yeah, actually, I just landed a little project with TimCubix,” Lenny says, winking our way.

“Excellent! Can’t wait to see it, man.”

Lenny moves aside to let the guy through. “Twelve C. I’llmove my stuff in a sec.” Then he sits and stretches his legs into the aisle. Seeingthe three of us staring at him, he adds, “What?”

“Please elaborate,” I say.

“You’ll kill me, but tell all to a random strangerwho just happens to know who you are?” Kat adds.

“Figure of speech,” he says. “Not literal murder.”

Lenny then tells us how Tim’s been working on a project tohelp Haiti recover since their devastating earthquake a few years back. “Hisgoal is to build twenty new schools, to replace some of those lost by theearthquake,” Lenny says. “And to significantly raise the country’s standard ofeducation from where it had been before. Train teachers, recruiting from withinHaiti, and empower the citizens through education. The program is called Builda Better Future.”

“I remember when he made that announcement,” I say. “Itgot a lot of press.”

“Yeah, it did. But since then, the Future program has beensort of forgotten about. What with so many other initiatives in and aroundHaiti. At least, that’s what Tim was telling me.”

“So…let me guess.” I smile, an idea forming. “He wants youto spread the word?”

Lenny nods.

“No shit,” Kat says.

“Actually, Tim wants to create a song with an accompanyingmusic video celebrating the completion of the twenty schools, to be releasedaround Christmastime. Proceeds from the sale will go toward building even moreschools, and other facilities, like homes and community centers. Tim said he’sbeen in touch with a few rap singers and other musicians who agreed to takepart in the work, but no one has stepped up to run the project.” Lennyscratches his head for a moment and then adds, “It’s the craziest thing,but…Tim wants me to spearhead it. He wants me to write the song and produce thevideo.”

“Oh, Len…” I say. My eyes fill up with tears and I feellike an idiot. “No more accounting!”

“I know, right? It looks like Build a Better Future is thebreak I’ve needed to get out of a real job and into a dream one. Saying italoud like this makes it almost seem true.”

“Like ‘We Are the World’!”