Cupid's Contract

Walkie Talkie Time

Eve woke up Saturday morning well before her alarm. It was five thirty and she was sitting up in bed and staring dully at the wall, her mind racing through a list of possible disasters that could occur.

There was relief in knowing Daniel would be there to help her set up, but that didn't stop her stomach twisting as she imagined all the different ways Johnny could ruin today. She didn't know what had gotten into him lately but it was pretty clear he was determined to be the spanner in her works.

Throwing on a pair of denim shorts and a light cotton t-shirt, she pulled on her most comfortable shoes. She had packed a light summer dress and change of clothes for the actual event, but there was no way she was getting involved in the setup of the fundraiser while praying she didn't flash someone every time she bent over to adjust a booth.

With all the time in the world, she was able to make herself a hearty breakfast, which she then proceeded to stare at and push around until the toast was soggy and the eggs more puree than scrambled.

She tried to kill the leftover time with nailing a smokey-eye look, but gave up when her lack of attention and shaking hands made her less smokey and more chargrilled. Having wiped off the drag queen look, she settled on some tinted moisturiser and a winged eyeliner, putting a slick of berry lipstick on and tucking the tube in her bag for reapplication. Anything more would only sweat off her face and she didn't have the energy to spend half the day looking for mirrors to see if she was melting her face mask off.

Despite all of her efforts she was still at the Fundraiser by seven, an hour before Daniel was due, and there was nothing but empty booths and the occasional villager setting up. Clutching a large, iced vanilla coffee, she slurped as she moved between crates and made her way to the stage. She had left the majority of the fundraiser's original plans as before, the addition of the Harper's House company making little difference other than in quantity. But where the impact was greatest was, without a doubt, in the entertainment.

There would be the usual face painting and volunteer clowns and musicians, but there was also the talent show and it had spun massively out of control, under the overenthusiastic dictatorship of Sarah from Marketing. In previous years the staff from Edwin's General Practice would take turns performing random talents, hence Barbara's love of fire and card tricks. This year, Sarah had overhauled the entire structure and created something worthy of the Cirque du Soliel, with none of the talent and even less of the budget.

As long as there were no elephants, it would be manageable, but the slightest hiccup would result in Eve sweating through her calm demeanour and chaos reigning. The line-up left little room for delays, and Eve hoped that Daniel and Laura could keep an eye on it, and Sarah, because she was going to have to focus on keeping Dick Harper entertained. Dick needed to realise the influence his company could have on the many small businesses that would be involved in today's events, and part of that would involve letting him see the company getting involved in the antics.

Eve had arranged for Harper's House to set up a games booth, and her fellow employees would be taking part in its running, all having a go at encouraging people to pay and play, with all of the earnings going towards the Shelter for Battered Women. Eve had come up with random games, from throwing ping pong balls into fish bowls to squirting water guns, and there was even one of those gigantic jars filled with gum balls, where contestants had to guess the quantity to win what was surely a lifetime supply of gum.

Harper's had three booths, and with each manned by a member of staff in one hour shifts, and someone given responsibility of the lock box with the money in it. It was the perfect opportunity for the company to mingle together, Eve having made sure that there was always colleagues from different departments working together, instead of three people who already knew each other working together. She hoped it would have the dual affect of creating stronger inter-departmental relationships, and also that the shorter shifts meant that even Dick would have to take a turn manning the booth.

She spotted Daniel and Laura coming across the field towards her, and she waved cheerily. It was quarter to eight and already hot. The sun was standing to attention in a cloud free sky and she had just over two hours to sort out everything. The caffeine had started to hit the spot but seeing Laura, with her own clipboard and a handbag loaded with supplies, was what really did the trick. Before Eve could even greet her properly, the girl was launching into busy mode.

"Morning, Eve. I hope you don't mind us being early, I underestimated the traffic." Laura was perkier than ever, Daniel wilting slightly at her side, his eyes clouded with sleep.

"No, not at all. We have quite a bit to do, I'm just not sure where to start, if I'm honest."

It was like setting off the Energiser Bunny. Laura was whipping out lists from her bag, handing a page to Daniel and Eve and clipping one to her board. "I've made a list of tasks, ordered by priority. Did you bring a pen?" She didn't even wait for Eve to answer, she was already pulling spare ones from her bag and thrusting them at her before setting off again.

"So, I think it would be most efficient if we divide and conquer. We need to set up for our own booths, and monitor the stage, but Eve you also need to be involved in the actual fundraiser running. I hope you don't mind, but I've highlighted which tasks I feel need your actual support, versus ones that Daniel and I can oversee and report back to you with. Oh, I wish I'd got us walkie talkies! Next year, definitely."

Daniel looked overwhelmed but Eve felt a wave of calm overtake her. Bless Laura, she was the total opposite of Polly and it was a dream come true.

"Now, if you look at the top column, Eve, you'll notice there are a few items in bold. Those are your top objectives, and where you should start, I think. I know some items further down your list are quite significant but I also took the liberty of arranging according to time. Some of those activities you can't tick off until all of the vendors have set up, so it makes more sense to leave them until nine. Much more efficient this way." Laura didn't even look up from her notes, so she didn't note how brightly Eve was smiling at her.

"Sounds good to me, Laura. Thanks so much for this, welcome to the team."

That did make her look up. "Oh, I've just forced my way in and started telling you what to do! Oh no! I'm so sorry, I got a bit excited. I just adore lists, so I sometimes forget my place." She looked nervous, but then even mentioning the word 'lists' seemed to self soothe her, and Eve had a mad hallucination of Laura sitting in a vacant room, beaming and making lists, cackling maniacally.

"I wouldn't worry about it, Laura. These are great," she added, waving her own list about. It was longer than she really wanted to admit to, but there were tasks on it she hadn't even considered, like checking to see if there was an extra allowance for toilet paper to accommodate the increase in guests. She wished she'd hired Laura a week ago. "Let's get cracking, and keep in touch. We can use our phones, no walkie talkies needed."

Laura looked a bit put out by that, so Eve quickly amended her statement. "We'll have to budget for some next year, naturally."

She lit up again and practically skipped off with her own list, leaving Daniel and Eve in her wake.

"Did you know about this?" she asked him, noting his gaping mouth as he looked after his girlfriend.

"Did I know she was mental, do you mean?" He shook his head, and Eve could almost hear his brain shifting with the movement. Then, a big smile spread across his face. "She's brilliant, isn't she?"

Eve couldn't disagree.