Sheila Connolly: Let's Play Dead

The office was across the hall from Melanie’s, a small room tucked around the corner from Carrie Drexel’s desk. Carrie was membership coordinator, and would be working closely with Shelby to keep membership records up-to-date, to generate contribution letters and thank-yous, and to file the paperwork that even the electronic revolution hadn’t managed to eliminate. Carrie was just arriving, a few minutes late, and didn’t meet my eye as she hung up her coat.

“Sorry, Nell-there was some hang-up in the trains.”

That was an excuse I knew only too well, having had to use it many times myself. The regional rails were old-both tracks and cars-and notoriously prone to delays. “Don’t worry about it. I wanted you to meet your new boss, Shelby Carver. She’s taking my old job, so break her in easy.”

“Hi, Shelby!” Carrie stuck out a hand. “Let me know when you want me to show you the database.”

“No rush,” Shelby said. “I’m sure you’re doing a great job.”

Carrie beamed, then turned back to her computer while I led Shelby to her office.

Inside, she cast a critical eye at the peeling paint, shabby filing cabinets, battered chairs, and uninsulated window-I could feel the steady trickle of cool air from where I stood in the doorway. “Nice fireplace,” was all she said.

“It is that. It came from somebody or other’s mansion-I think there’s a plaque there somewhere. It’s not connected to anything.”

“I didn’t think to ask yesterday, but meeting Carrie reminded me-are there other people who I’m supposed to be managing here? And am I going to have any problems with her?”

“You mean, did Carrie want your job? Nope. She’s a good kid and she gets the job done, but she doesn’t see this as a career path. She’s been here a couple of years, but I won’t place any bets on how long she’ll stay. Anyway, Carrie and our database manager, Daphne Smith, both report to you, and you report to me.”

“Got it.” Shelby looked around the office. “Well, where do you want me to start?”

“I’ve give you a little time to familiarize yourself with our records and collections. The only pressing thing is the member newsletter, but Carrie’s been handling that. We usually all get together to stuff and seal.” I stifled a twinge: the last time we’d done that, it had been to notify our members of an unfortunate death. I hoped this time around the news would be more pleasant.

“How many?”

“A couple of thousand. It takes most of a day. I know-it seems old-fashioned. We’re thinking of going to an electronic newsletter, but a lot of our members are older and they still like a paper copy.”

Shelby nodded. “I know what you mean. Anyway, I’m a quick study. What say I do some reading and looking through the files this morning, and later you can take me around downstairs, once I figure out what I’m supposed to be seeing? I don’t want the library people to think I’m a dithering idiot.”

“Don’t worry, they’re good people,” I assured her. “Overworked and underpaid, but they care about what they’re doing. I’m sure they’ll welcome you. Why don’t we plan to have lunch, and then I’ll finish the tour?”

“Sounds good. Thanks, Nell. I’ll try not to drive you around the bend with dumb questions.”

“You’re allowed a few. See you later!”

I went back to my office, which I still had trouble treating as mine. I was afraid to mess it up-I was supposed to represent a prestigious institution, and clutter was not the image we wanted to project. Not that I’d had many official visitors yet. Were my peers giving me a little breathing room to get things sorted out, or was the Society so tarnished by recent events that they didn’t want to be contaminated? Maybe I should have a “Welcome, Me” reception and invite all my colleagues, and face the issue head-on. Hmm… maybe that would be a good dry run for Shelby. Since event planning was part of her job description, putting together a cocktail party for a couple hundred people on short notice would be a good test of her abilities. And at the same time we could prove quite publicly that life was going forward at the Society. I liked it. I’d have to bring up the idea at lunch and see how Shelby reacted.

I could hear a ringing phone. I looked at the one on my desk: yes, a light was flashing. But the ringing came from the phone on the desk of my nonexistent assistant, who was supposed to be screening my calls and keeping track of my interviews and all that good stuff. I needed to remind Melanie to put finding me an assistant at the top of her priority list. Oh, right, the phone. I picked it up on the sixth ring.

“Nell Pratt,” I said, more brusquely than I intended.

“Hi, Nell!”

Luckily I recognized the distinctive voice (no caller ID on my aging phone): Arabella Heffernan, the president of Let’s Play Children’s Museum. “Arabella! How nice to hear from you. Can I do something for you?”

Arabella loosed a peal of silvery laughter. “Oh, no, my dear. I’m fine. I’m so sorry I haven’t been in touch sooner about your elevation, but we’ve been so busy here, trying to put together our next exhibit while keeping the rest of our place open, that I haven’t had time to turn around. Congratulations! I’m sure you’ll do a wonderful job. I know it’s short notice, but how would you like a teeny behind-thescenes peek at our new exhibit before it opens to the public?”

Let’s Play was a children’s museum. I had no children. I had no near relatives who had children. In all my years in Philadelphia, I had had few reasons to enter the portals of Let’s Play. Arabella was the first person to extend a welcoming hand to me, and it would be rude of me to turn her down. “I’d love to. When did you have in mind?”

“Oh, how grand. Perhaps later today?”

While I didn’t know Arabella well, I knew enough to realize that she was a slightly otherworldly person, the kind to whom details like time management were of little importance. I’m sure she never considered that perhaps I might be completely crazed and hip deep in a difficult transition; in her mind she was making a kind gesture, and I appreciated that. “I could probably get away around four. Would that suit you?”

“Perfect! And we can have tea! I’ll see you then, my dear.” She hung up with no further ado, probably to start brewing tea.

I sat back and smiled. Arabella was a sweet and charming lady-and ran a good institution, much beloved by more than a generation of Philadelphia children and parents. And touring an exhibit aimed at small children would be a welcome change from the very serious documents that the Society housed.

Despite the disruption to my schedule, I found I was already looking forward to that afternoon’s excursion.

The next time I looked at the clock (a handsome,Philadelphia-made eighteenth-century number with a rather ominous face that looked disapproving to me), it was well after one, and I remembered that I’d promised Shelby lunch. That was happening more and more often: I kept losing chunks of my day. Too much to do, too little time. I stood up and gathered my coat from the closet outside my office, and went down the hall to retrieve Shelby.

I found her at her desk, file folders covering its entire surface. That made me feel better, since in my day (was it really only two months ago?) it had often looked like that, covered in piles of paperwork. I rapped on the door. “Shelby, are you starving?”

She looked up and slid off a pair of reading glasses. “That time already? My, time flies when you’re having fun, doesn’t it?”

“It does. Would you rather not interrupt what you’re doing?”