A. Emeritus

Chapter 14

Thanks to the past month's strict schedule my morning started at 6:15am. The only time I could get my dad to agree to. Looking around I realize I'm back in my room, and notice the table placement chart on my table. As my feet hit the floor I rub my face and head to the bathroom to start my new morning routine. Brush teeth: two minutes with normal toothpaste, two minutes with extra fluoride toothpaste; brush hair and pull it back, do make up, today I leave my hair up in a high ponytail today. With that I head into my closet and throw on my comfy, highwaisted, periwinkle yoga pants and cropped, moss tank top, topping it all off with my gray indiscriminate sport shoes. Grabbing the layout plans and my phone I turn and head out of my room to my dad's office. As I jog toward his office I check my phone. It's a quarter after seven, I don't know if the floors will be ready yet or not.

"Good morning." I hear walking into Dad's office.

"Morning." I mumble as I sit in my chair. "Do you know if the floor is ready to have stuff placed on it?"

"Valentino is already down there, he said they're fine." I'm told. I look over at my dad and see he's going over the plans for Devil's Night mass. On my way to the door I decide to give him some encouraging words.

"Don't worry about tomorrow night. You're a natural and I can't imagine mass tomorrow as anything but perfect." I offer with a smile. When I get no response I leave the room and make my way to the ballroom. Brothers and sisters alike pass around me as I near the ballroom. I decide to start jogging, because I know things would be fun if Gizio was there. Once I enter the ballroom, I look around and see Gizio 'ordering' people around. Breaking into a full sprint, I run at Gizio and engulf him in a hug. He stumbles back a little and laughs.

"Good morning, piccola principessa." He says as he wraps his arms around me. "I was told you have big plans for the soiree, and that you included my favorite color in the plans." He boops my nose and I giggle.

"Only because your favorite color is one of the main Halloween colors." I pull back and finally notice what he's wearing, "You have casual clothes!" I exclaim, staring at his outfit. He raises an eyebrow.

"Did you expect me to carry stuff around in my nice clothes?" He overdramatically poses. "Where did I go wrong, piccolina?" I'm pulled into a tight hug as he pets my hair protectively. After a few minutes I finally wiggle myself out of his grip and hand him the plans for where the tables will go.

"We're doing cocktail dining tables with the high chairs, right?" I ask as Gizio looks over the plans. He nods, still reading the chart, and I feel someone grab me from behind and I let out a scream. A hand clamps over my mouth and I hear laughter in my ear. Fire lays his head on my shoulder and pretends to wipe tears from his eyes. I whip around and punch him as hard as I can and cause him to fall on his ass. "Don't scare me like that!" I whine. He looks up at me from his spot on the ground and laughs.

"Dude, I actually felt that. That was a good hit." As Fire picks himself off the ground and Gizio shakes his head.

"I'm going to get gray hair before I'm forty because of you two." He says to himself. "I think it would be best if we had everyone clear out for now and mark the table spots with tape to make set up easier." Fire nods and asks the question I didn't want an answer to.

"Who's gonna order everyone around?" Quickly I point at Gizio, and both guys point at me. My jaw drops.

"Why me?!" Voice hitting a new octave. Fire shrugs and we look at Gizio.

"Papa said you were in charge." He tells me.

"I can't, I'm too short to get everyone's attention." As I back away trying to avoid being in charge I feel a set of hands grab me.

"Hold onto my shoulder." Fire whispers as places one hand on the back of my knee and the other on the top of my foot. He nods to Gizio who quickly mirrors him. "Hands on shoulders." Fire says and I quickly grab their shoulders, this is happening whether I want it to or not. They whisper a countdown before hoisting me into the air and holding my feet at chest height. As I feel myself start to tip back they both move their grip as high as they can on me.

"Speak now before we drop you." Gizio hisses.

"Just wing it." Fire growls. I take a deep breath, time to wing it.

"WHAT'S UP, MOTHERFUCKERS!" I yell, and everyone freezes and looks around a little. "Up here." I call out and their gazes follow the sound to me. "Apparently, I'm in charge. So, I need EVERYONE that isn't myself or one the the two people holding me to file out of the room. While you are out of the room, I and these two lovely men will mark where the tables will go. I don't care what you do as long as some of you guys are still around when we come out and are available and willing to help set up tables. I expect this room will be empty by the time my feet hit the ground... NOW!" I direct everyone. As I shout now Gizio and Fire release their upper grips on me and let me fall into the waiting arms. Once I'm back on solid ground I look around and see an empty room.

"I can't believe that worked." Fire pats me on the back and pulls me over to the box of supplies Gizio was kneeling at. Fire and I were both handed rolls of tape and Gizio stood and walked to the farthest end of the room. Where he points the toe of his shoe at the ground,

"Right here." He says in a bored tone. I race Fire over to him, only to lose to Fire. As Fire makes a tape 'X' on the ground, Gizio walks a few feet and points his toe. "And here." I place a mark on the floor while he and Fire move to the next spot.

It took around twenty minutes but we got the marks down and I went to the hall to call anyone still around back in. Most everyone was still there or wandering around nearby, which made placing the tables and chairs quick work.

As the morning became afternoon we all took a break to get lunch, some congregation members asking to come back and help with the decorating.