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“Poland.” Donna rubbed her chin, unsure of why this girl was asking her. “My grandpa is from Warsaw and my grandma is from Krakow.”
“I thought so. I saw you at the Polish festival this spring at Holy Trinity Church. Your hair was braided in loops and you wore a fancy dress. I was working the kielbasa stand.” “My mom makes me dance for a folk troupe,” said Donna, recalling her traditional dress – the flowy white gown with embroidery on the chest. “I didn’t see you at the stand. My mom got one with kraut and gravy. I got tomato sauce and green peppers on mine.” “That grill gets pretty hot when you’re frying
sausage and all the trimmings. I was taking a break when I saw you. I thought it was funny how old people are into quirky things like polka dancing.” “I wanted to please my mom. My father died about a year ago. He was only 46 years old. It makes me think abo...
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Kosinski. My main job is with the Chesapeake Bay Coalition.” “I’m Donna Burgess.”
“Us Poles have to stick together.” Jamie held up her hand. “Polish Power!” Donna high-fived it. “Polish Power!”
stored it in the square box. The professor filled five more test tubes in the same manner and handed them to the fellow who inserted them into the slots in the box. “Now we got them! These samples will prove that Glendale Corporation is polluting the water.”
The professor flipped a switch on the radio and called out, “Mayday! Mayday!” “Don’t do that! We’re not supposed to be
“What happened to the life jackets?” “Someone forgot to stock them,” replied the graduate student.
“What do you expect from the government?” scoffed Jamie. “They spackled the hull with a fresh coat of paint, but that boat was probably 30 years old.” “That old?”
That settled it for Jamie. She thought they were victims of the oldest conspiracy going, something Donna’s uncle often ranted and raved about to the brink of delirium: government ineptitude and malfeasance.
Donna felt it was strange that there were no life jackets in the Bay Voyager and that the motor mounts just happened to be loose. Then it dawned on her: A saboteur was somewhere in their midst, whomever that was.
“Right now, we’re planning a fundraiser for yuppies and socialites. We need to raise a lot of money for our campaign against Glendale Corporation.”
“We’re going to file a lawsuit against the company because their landfill is polluting the harbor.”
“their landfill leaks chemicals that kill the fish in Stonehouse Cove. It’s not the way it used to be when I was a kid. You can’t go fishing or crabbing anymore.”
Donna settled on the sofa in the living room and watched Dynasty. Blake Carrington was
“I’ve been in love with you since the day we met.” The revelation hit her stronger than a sonic
Dreams of big sis boyfriend
Donna Burgess felt good later that morning because she was invited to attend an evening fundraiser to save the Chesapeake Bay. Her boss told her and her coworkers that they would be special guests because of the work they did in that regard. Her heart filled with joy because
The Warren’s home, a Victorian-styled house with gables above its upstairs windows, stood on Wood Brook Lane near Lake Roland and was set back from the road on a huge lawn boxed in by green hedges. Larry drove down a gravel
Her shoulders slumped with disappointment because she would be serving the real guests.
People from her neighborhood always seemed to
get the short end of the stick. But...
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her composure and straightened he...
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determined to see this part of the job through. When she strolled int...
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“Let him through,” said John Kendall, outfitted in a dark blue suit and matching tie more appropriate for attending a church sermon or funeral. Her boss was trying to step up into this higher social circle, but looked misplaced like a schoolboy whose jacket sleeves were too short to cover his shirt cuffs. “Your coalition is responsible for this.” The
professor held up the crumpled paper, his face flushed with rage. “The university says I must pay $2,000 to repair the broken motor mounts on the Bay Voyager because the dean of my department did not grant permission for the trip. I know this vessel passed an inspection a month ago. Someone on your staff damaged my boat.”
Another chimed in, “The working class always puts on a good show.”
“We write letters and make phone calls to elected officials, but there’s so much more we could do for wildlife and domesticated animals.” Annette lowered an eyelid over one of her eyes, held it a split second, and released it to expose a splash of hazel color in a classic wink.
“Quite the contrary.” Charles focused his thick glasses on the back of an envelope scrawled with numbers. “63 guests at $75 each. That’s $4,700. Take away the expenses and we net about $3,500. That’s a lot of funds to devote to our campaign against the Glendale Corporation. And you know the old adage, The group that brings in the most money has the most clout.”
Donna filled the empty chair and checked the desk calendar: the Friday evening canvass was scheduled for Harford County. They would hit everybody up right after they cashed their paychecks. She could feel her chin sag thinking about her own paycheck.
“Difficult? What are you talking about?” The man pressed his face so close to hers she could smell the mint flavor of his gum. “You have something that is more powerful than money or material possessions, something that older people like me dream about - your youth.” “What difference does that make?” “Don’t be stupid and squander it. Take on new adventures! Discover what’s inside of you. Don’t sit there! Celebrate your youth before it’s gone!” Willie’s remarks hit the bull’s-eye of her
like those old people who are always talking to John Kendall.” “They don’t care about us. They’re college educated with master degrees and PhDs. They live in the easy-going suburbs outside the beltway and only come downtown when they think they’re doing something important.”
She parked the station wagon. They climbed out. Larry flipped open the tailgate and slipped on a green army jacket. The logo of the Chesapeake Bay Coalition, a blue icon of the bay surrounded by tan coastline, was sewn onto his front pocket.
“Like I was saying, Howard County’s the best,” said Jamie. “Level ground with a lot of rich people. That’s where you pick up the biggest contributions.”
Jamie thrust a clipboard into her hand. It had a tally sheet and a letter of endorsement from Delegate Rawlings, 31st District of the Maryland
General Assembly, attached. “Make sure your photo ID is showing.” She looped a gold chain around her neck and let her photo ID hang over her chest. It simply stated her name: Donna Burgess and in fancy letters Associate, Chesapeake Bay Coalition Donna tagged along and watched as Jamie
Sometimes she handed a person a brochure or asked for a membership donation, of which there were four levels: contributing: $6, supportin...
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Usually they wrote out receipts for any contributions received, but if someone gave them cash and didn’t ask for a receipt? Jamie put the coalition’s money in a leather pouch hooked to her belt. The money she confiscated for herself in her jeans side pocket. It was institutional theft. An easy way to make extra spending money right on the job. “Better than shoplifting,” she bragged.
Instutional theft? Cute, always have a job like that, once in a lifetime....
Donna wondered how much time Tony
would need to get the message that they belonged together.
“No, the bay. Time is running out for the Chesapeake Bay. That’s why I’m giving you this money.” He handed her a $10 bill. “But it could be running out for you. The decisions you make now will affect you for the rest of your life.”
