“He is, like, the best. I can never thank you enough for breaking the ice.”
“Well, it hasn’t been very long, so, you know, let’s see.” Even as Jane said this, she regretted it. Why was she such a killjoy?
“Yeah, true. I don’t want to get ahead of myself.”
“No, actually, Lindsey—go for it, get ahead of yourself. Better to be ahead of yourself than behind yourself, right?”
“Huh?”
“Just have fun!” Jane exhorted.
“Thanks, Jane! I know it’s been weird with Teddy and all, I didn’t mean to be insensitive in any way...”
“Not at all, Lindsey. I’m happy for you.”
Jane looked up at the house they were about to enter, a severe modernist structure, lots of slate and glass.
“Shall we see what we’re in for today?”
“Yes! I’m ready for anything!”
Maggie, a careworn woman in her fifties, ushered them in. She was a professional event planner who worked mostly from home and was really, really busy. Her best friend had given her a day of organizing as a birthday present in June, and she had scheduled it a few times, but kept having to cancel because of the demands of her work. Now it was December, and her friend had insisted that Maggie get it done this year. She’d wanted to do some organizing herself first, but could never find the time, so—even though she wasn’t ready—she’d booked them to placate her friend.
A reluctant client was never auspicious.
Maggie’s house, decorated with stark modern furniture, had the feeling of a big office. There were piles of papers and files everywhere—even in the primary bedroom, where, oddly enough, there wasn’t even a bed, only an expansive glass desk laden with more towering stacks of papers and files. Maggie insisted that even though it might look like a mess, she knew exactly where everything was.
Jane and Lindsey furtively exchanged a worried look. At least Jane would not have to hear Lindsey cooing how cute everything was all day.
“My bedroom has the best view,” Maggie informed them. “I put my desk in here, since I’m always working and it’s nice to max out the view.”
It did in fact have a beautiful canyon view.
“Yeah, it’s gorgeous! What a perfect place to work!” Lindsey gushed.
“So then, where is your bedroom?” Jane wondered aloud.
“I don’t really have one. I sleep in the living room—I liketo pass out on the couch at the end of the day, so why bother moving stuff into another bedroom?”
“I feel that,” Lindsey said supportively.
“I don’t want to take one of my kids’ bedrooms—they’re grown and don’t live here, but they like to have their space, and I like having space for them.”
Maggie punctuated this with a rueful laugh, something she did after almost every sentence she spoke. Was it nervousness or exhaustion? She was probably once a very attractive woman, but she clearly wasn’t big on self-care. She had dark circles under her eyes and unkempt hair that looked like a manifestation of a pattern of masochistic self-denial. What was she punishing herself for?
“So, Maggie, what can we do to help you?” Jane asked.
“Well, Jane... I have so much work, I’m planning different events all the time, and some are over a year out—weddings, bar mitzvahs, anniversary parties, graduation parties, divorce parties... and of course, this time of year, Christmas parties. So it’s a lot of stuff. I really should turn down some of these jobs, but, well, I have a lot of expenses, so...”
“You need a shoulder massage!” Lindsey blurted.
“That’s sweet. You know how brides get—and now grooms, too—and then gay weddings with two grooms or two brides are a whole other thing....” Again, Maggie emitted the rueful laugh.
“What a fun job! You get to go to parties all the time!” Lindsey enthused.
“Oh, I’ve never really liked parties. I’m there to work, not play. It’s actually pretty stressful.”
Jane could not imagine a less festive party planner, but Maggie seemed like a detail-oriented perfectionist, so she was probably quite good at it.
