Riley Begins to Thrive

Riley Franklin had no intention of being fired.  Therefore, she stayed well away from the cabal in the superintendent’s office who tended to make what would be considered inappropriate comments about her boss, Richard Wu.  She didn’t call them on it, but she also didn’t participate either positively or negatively.  “Chairman Wu” was not as offensive as “Fu Man Wu,” or, when there was a problem calling it, “Big Trouble in Little China.”  Let’s not forget “Dr. Inscrutable.”

Her first month as Dr. Wu’s executive assistant had been rough because she had to set down ground rules.  Like he asked her to bring him a cup of coffee.  Hell no.  She told him it was self serve.  Then it was a request to pick up his dry cleaning.  Really?  “I’m sorry.  That’s an impossibility.”  When he asked her why, she told him, “It’s inappropriate and could get us both into trouble.”  She thought that was diplomatic enough.

It took a while to find the right balance with Dr. Wu.  Unlike her friend Dotty, who recruited her, Riley didn’t have her own fiefdom.  Yet.  Also, to be empathetic, she thought Dr. Wu was still trying to find his own footing in Pittsburgh, dealing with the politics of the city and the various school boards.  It would be a step in the right direction if he had a stake in the community schools, but both his children were attending the Falk Laboratory School, run by the University of Pittsburgh school of education.  Not a glowing endorsement of his belief in the schools he oversaw.

In a way, she found herself in the same sort of situation she was in at Thomas Jefferson, dealing with calls Dr. Wu didn’t want to take.  She began to fashion a persona as the human face of the superintendent’s office, pleasant, engaging, happy to hear from everyone and listen to their problems.  While Dr. Wu spent most of his time schmoozing with the city’s top officials, she found herself out of the office so much of the time, which actually saved her from any more confrontations about dry cleaning and the like.  Part of her job was visiting on a rotating basis all the schools the office oversaw.  And it wasn’t just eight to five.  A lot of the meetings took place at night.  But she felt invigorated by the work, sensed she could really make a difference—if there was money enough, and of course for public schools there was never enough money.

Crisscrossing the district she frequently came in contact with Mary Ahern from the mayor’s office, who had the education portfolio.  They took an instant liking to one another.  Perhaps it was similar eye rolls at some of the statements they had to listen to, or the surreptitious passing of notes when an eye roll might be noticed.

Mary was about her age, married with two kids—“Stopping there,” she assured Riley.  Her husband was actually a high school math teacher, so he could take care of the kids when she had to attend these evening meetings.  “But not without complaint,” Mary stressed.  “Still, he’s a good Joe, although his name is Sven.  Yep, mixed marriage.  But he’s not as dour as most of his family.  Don’t get me started.”

Often after evening meetings, she and Mary would escape for a late night sandwich at one of the Primanti Brothers restaurants.  It seemed at every location they’d run into one of Mary’s brothers, cousins, nephews, whatever.  “Big Irish family and we keep growing,” Mary explained.  They were pleasant company and always good for a laugh.  Soon they were calling Riley their adopted sister, cousin, aunt.  After all, her name was Riley, so there must be some Irish somewhere.  It felt like being part of a family, even if she wasn’t.

But then, to spoil it all, Mike Ahern, Mary’s brother, asked her out.   On a date.  To see a band that came in from Ireland.  “It’ll be great fun,” he assured her.

Riley had met Mike a few times, very casually.  She knew he had gone to Carnegie Mellon and was a civil engineer, working for the department of public works.  While Mary could be a picture postcard for Ireland, Mike was what Mary called black Irish, adding, “We have no idea where he came from and my mother’s not talking.”  But this was said with a laugh, sort of.

Riley was doubtful about going on a date with Mike.  Oh, she knew, as he said, it would be great fun, but—  She didn’t want any awkwardness between her and Mary and the rest of the family because she had an official date with one of them.  But then she imagined that maybe a lot of the Aherns would be there to see the band anyway.  So she said, “Okay.”

And to be sure, not Mary, but a bunch of the Aherns were there.  It was what once was called a rollicking good time.  She spent most of the evening laughing, singing along, and, when the musicians were on a break, throwing darts.

Mike drove her home very late at night—for her—in his extremely comfortable Audi.  They sat in front of her new townhouse; and she listened while he told her a story of the time his mother tried to keep chickens in the backyard and how fortunate it was that his uncle was on the police force when the neighbors complained.  She laughed and said, “This has been a great night.”

“Shall we do it again?” he asked.

She still wondered but, hey, if he wanted to and she wanted to, where’s the harm?  “Why not?”

He looked at her then and said, “With the new rules, I must ask—may I kiss you?”

She bit her lip, then leaned closer to him.

The kiss lingered, his hand went to her breast and she didn’t push it away.  But she sure as hell wasn’t going to invite him into her townhouse.  At least not tonight.  He pulled away.  “Do you play trivia?” he wondered.

That was a puzzling response to a kiss.  “When I was a kid.”

“Our team’s down one.  Monday nights.  At the Erie.”

“Oh, Mike.  I can’t make any time commitments because of my job.  It sounds tempting and fun, but what if I couldn’t be there?  It would be unfair to the team.”

He shrugged.  “So show up when you can.  Mondays at six.  We all come straight from work, eat greasy food and viciously see who’s going to score the highest.  I gotta warn you.  We’re usually near the bottom.”

She laughed.  “Well, I’ll see if I can make it. At least once.  I don’t even know if I could help you out.  I’m not a font of esoteric knowledge.”

“So you’d fit right in.”  He got out of the car and went around to open the door for her.  Then he watched as she climbed the steps to her front door.

She stood inside her hallway and wondered.  Could she even hazard a dream of romance—but no.  It was a date at a pub, where there were tons of people Mike knew.  She was just one of them.  No more, no less.