37. Just One More Broken Promise

Stassi

S tassi ran the vacuum in Sage’s living room. She believed if she was living there, for the most part, she should do her part of the house chores. So she vowed that when Sage was working, she would do any dusting and sweeping that needed to be done. She wiped her brow as sweat dripped. It was a sweltering day outside, and the AC wasn’t doing its job of keeping things cool.

She turned the vacuum off and went over to the window. Stassi unlocked the window and let in a fresh breeze. As she went back to the vacuuming, her phone rang. She grabbed it from her pocket and spotted Sage’s name. She grinned.

“Hello. How’s work going?”

“Work is dragging. Mainly because you’re not here.” There was a light and airy laugh echoing through the phone. “But I have some fabulous news.”

“Oh yeah?” Stassi sunk down in the couch. “What’s that?”

“Just spoke with Lena, and we have two hundred and seventy-five signatures. Only twenty -five to go. I personally think that we might get those signatures at the gala on Saturday.” She hesitated. “Unfortunately, I don’t think there are going to be as many people able to attend.”

Stassi frowned. She hadn’t heard from her dad since he mentioned that there might be vouchers that people could claim, in order to get into the gala.

“People just can’t afford it. Most of the staff don’t have emergency funds they can switch to or a savings account to rely on. And even then, spending that money on a gala seems wasteful. So, they’ll be left out in the cold.”

“Yeah, that’s too bad,” Stassi muttered. Mentally preparing her next phone call. “But, that’s good to hear about the signatures Lena does have. Perhaps you can look at putting up a table in the cafeteria. Or sending out mass emails. I’m sure not everyone realizes that a union is even a possibility. There’s word of mouth, but people are easily able to miss it.”

“That’s not such a bad idea. I’ll have Lena talk to the cafeteria staff and see if they’ll support it. It can easily go undetected. I better get back to work. My next patient is in, but I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Stassi disconnected the call and dialed her dad. At first, given the number of times it rang, she thought it would ultimately go to voicemail. However, just before that happened, it was answered.

“Hello.”

“Hey, Dad. How are you?”

“Been good. No complaints here. I have to run into a meeting soon, but I thought I would grab your call. So here I am. What’s going on?”

“I was kind of wondering the same thing for you.” Stassi didn’t know how to broach the subject. He tended to get defensive, and she didn’t want him to think that she was coming at him, when she just wanted answers to questions that she deserved to ask. “When we talked last, I mentioned that people aren’t able to afford the gala, and you said that you would work on getting vouchers for those that didn’t feel they could make it for financial reasons. I hear the representation for the hospital is down, and it’s because there are staff members that can’t afford it. Did you get the vouchers put together?”

“No, but there’s a very good reason for that.” Stassi sighed. She was sure that she was ready to hear a plethora of statements that never truly explained the situation in full. “Over a thousand tickets have sold already, and there could possibly be double that by the time the gala takes place. We’re averaging three hundred purchases a day. The support is there for the people that are able to spend the money. I think that $70.00 is very generous, and frankly, it would be a shame for this to sell out just because we provided vouchers to those who aren’t able to dig in their purses. If we sell out, then I would say we achieved greatness, and we’re looking at that distinct possibility.”

Stassi cringed. So it all came down to the all-mighty dollar once again. “Dad, I think you’re making a mistake. The people that aren’t wealthy should deserve the opportunity.”

He snickered. “It’s the unwealthy that we really don’t want there. We want to show that we can get the heavy hitters, and it’s those people that are going to spend the big bucks in donations. Trust me, I’m a businessman, and this is what I do.”

You’re also an investor, and you can lose just as easily as you can make money. “But, Dad,” she argued.

“I don’t have time to debate this with you. Trust me when I say that I know what I am doing, and we will get through this. Just be patient, and it all will work out. I have to go.” The call was disconnected, and Stassi stared at the blank screen of her phone.

How could she trust him when he refused to try to make a difference? She felt like her trust was fading slowly and there wasn’t much possibility that she would be able to trust him again after this situation had gone from bad to worse.

Stassi flicked a tear from her eye and tossed her phone to the side. If the hospital could be saved, then that was fantastic, but shouldn’t everyone have equal opportunity when it came to going to the gala? Stassi went back to work, her dad’s conversation still heavy in her mind. If there were anything she could do to just to allow everyone in for celebration, she would. Sadly, she had to let the thought go and hope that the employees who couldn’t afford it wouldn’t have gone anyway. At least that would make her feel better.