Chapter Seven:
I looked around our patio area, enjoying the new feel Seth’s work gave the space. “I can’t thank you enough for what you did here.”
“No problemo, Phebs. After all, what’s an honorary big brother for?” he asked as he slung an arm over my shoulder.
“Seth! Eww, you seriously need a shower. And I’m pretty sure I need one too, thanks to you!” I laughed, shoving his arm off.
“You know you love me,” he clutched at his chest. “Don’t deny it.”
“Keep it up, Seth, and I won’t invite you to the next Thorson family dinner. Oh, wait,” I pause as if in thought. “I’ve never asked you to one.” I smiled at him sweetly.
“So, what’s the plan for this place?” he asked.
“There’s a real sweetheart of a cat at the shelter who loves attention. With the change in leadership and the stress from some of these stories we deal with, having Tiger here will help.”
“Yeah, I hear you. I know my dog helps after dealing with some customers. ‘The customer is always right’ isn’t the easiest policy, especially when they are being outrageous.”
“Completely off the record, Seth, what’s the most outrageous request or complaint you’ve received?”
“Well, you know I work at my granddad’s Christmas tree farm in November and December?”
“A North Family Christmas Tree is a Thorsonville Tradition.”
“Well, last year, we got a phone call.”
“That is outrageous!”
“Not the phone call, Phebs. It was that they wanted two identical seventeen-foot trees.”
“Identical live trees? And seventeen feet tall?”
“Yes, I couldn’t get them to understand that live trees are never identical, no matter the size,” Seth sighed. “I really needed Ralph that night. A good game of fetch sets everything to rights.”
Laughing, I shook my head. “I think an article about the uniqueness of each tree should go on my schedule for Thanksgiving week.”
“That’s almost six months out!”
“I like to plan ahead,” I shrugged. “I’d like to send one of my reporters out to get some pictures and interview you and your granddad. Do you think your granddad would agree?”
“He would love it! He’s always ready to talk about his trees.”
“Great, I’ll give him a call in a month or so and get something set up,” I pulled out my phone to set myself a reminder.
“Don’t forget to bill me, Seth. Remember, I know where your mother works.”
“I wouldn’t think of it, Phebs.”
One Week Later
“Josiah, do you have a minute?”
“Sure, what do you need, Phoebe?’
“Let’s take this into my office.” I smiled to reassure him that nothing was amiss. “I just wanted to review the Memorial Day edition with you.”
“Oh,” his voice took on a wary tone.
Laughing, I assured him, “Don’t worry, I just have a few questions before you head out of here for the Honor Flight.”
The tension left his face as he sat in the chair across from my desk. “What do you need to know?”
“Well, with your Then and Now interviews, you sent the achieved interviews and your follow-up as separate pieces. But I wanted to know if you’d like to mix it up a bit.”
“What do you mean, Phoebe?”
“I liked how you asked the same questions as the original interview. Grandpa would have loved that, by the way.”
“Thanks.”
“But back to your interview. I was thinking we could do it like this,” I said, turning my monitor towards him. “We’ll have the question and then follow it with both answers.”
He briefly examined my screen before replying. “I like the format, especially how you identified the answers with the year. It shows how Phil’s thoughts have changed over the years. I wish I had thought of this.”
“No, your job was getting the interviews and the Remember When articles you wrote.”
“I’ll keep this in mind for future articles.”
“I do have one other thing to address. Some of the articles you wrote don’t sound like you.”
His face flushed as he shifted in his chair. “Yeah, about that.”
“Casey?”
“Yeah, I told him he needed to put his name on them, but he didn’t. Basically, he said my original idea sparked the assignment, and he was only assisting.”
“Technically, that’s true. But as Editor, I’d rather be the one making those decisions.”
“Sorry, Phoebe.”
“It’s okay, Josiah. I know Casey. I’ve seen him talk people into things before. But you should know that Casey’s style is different from yours. You both connect with the reader but in different ways. You connect emotionally, while Casey’s has a more educational tone. I can’t let this go under your name. Our readers are discerning. They will notice the two distinct styles. For the ones Casey wrote, I’ll give him the by-line and list you as the archival researcher.”
“Thanks, Phoebe. I didn’t know what to do. I’m glad I have a discerning editor.”
“The edition is mainly set. We’re waiting for what you can send me from the flight and D.C. There’s a section on the front page reserved for a photo. I want a moment’s shot. Something that makes me feel the emotions of seeing the memorial. So send me any pictures you take.”
“Got it. Take lots of pictures, and you will decide which to use.”
“When you return, we’ll review the response to the edition and decide how to proceed.”
“When do you want to meet?” He pulled out his phone.
“Let’s plan on Wednesday. Even with a flight delay, it’ll give you time to settle your grandfather.”
“I have it in my planner.” He brandished his phone before returning it to his pocket. “By the by, what’s the story with the patio, Phebs?”
“Promise you won’t say anything to anybody?”
“You know me. My lips will be more secure than Fort Knox.”
“Not as reassuring as you might think, Josiah. But I’ll take it.” I sat back for a moment to think. “You know Casey volunteers at the animal shelter, right?”
“Oh, yeah. Sometimes, that’s all he can talk about.”
“Well, with the new Cocoa’s Corner weekly column, we went to the shelter for materials and photos. In the process, I discovered Casey’s true love.”
“You don’t mean Sarah!”
“No, not Sarah,” I laughed at Josiah’s shocked expression. “I’m talking about Tiger.”
“Tiger?”
“Yes, the way Casey was going on about Tiger, I know he’d adopt that giant teddy bear of a cat in an instant if he could have a pet.”
“Yeah, the guy loves animals.”
“Exactly. So, I had Seth do some remodeling to the patio. We will have a cat room. I’ve arranged everything with Sarah, and the paper will adopt Tiger.”
“So we are adopting a cat?”
“Yes, I’m picking Tiger up after Memorial Day. That’s when the last kitten, who has attached himself to Tiger, will be ready to go home. If not for Leo, Tiger would have moved in two days ago.”
“So, the whole secret project of getting Casey out of the office was a surprise for Casey?”
“Not really. Tiger is the friendliest cat there. Some are skittish and wouldn’t make a good office pet for an office with as many employees as we have. From what I saw and what Sarah’s told me, Tiger likes to spread his affection around.”
“Makes sense,” Josiah narrowed his eyes in thought.
“I know how Cocoa makes me feel. I figured having a Coffee and Cat breakroom for anyone having a stress-filled day wouldn’t hurt. So, the idea started with Cocoa. When I saw Tiger and his friendly, loveable personality, I knew he was the way to bring this project to life. We both know news reporting will never be stress-free. And I know the adjustment between my grandfather and me hasn’t been easy for anyone.”
“So Project Tiger.”
I just nodded. “What time do you need to be at the airport?”
“In five hours.”
“Well, I’ll let you go so you can do what you need to do before you need to get going. Enjoy the time with your grandfather; it’s precious.”
“Thanks, Phoebe.”
Special Memorial Day Edition Pays Tribute to Area Veterans
By Josiah Wainwright
LOCAL VETERAN MAKES HONOR FLIGHT. This weekend, Harold Wainwright, along with his grandson Josiah, made a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Washington, D.C. This journey honors Harold’s service during the years of the Korean War (June 25, 1950 – July 27, 1953), a war between a nation divided following the surrender of Japan during World War II. Harold was but one of nearly 1.8 million American soldiers to serve in this war that never formally concluded and, in the years following, became known as the Frozen War.
While in D.C., Harold saw memorials dedicated to those who had served but never returned home. Reconnecting with fellow soldier Tom O’Grady resulted in the swapping of remembrances of their time overseas, which this reporter found most enlightening.*
The three-day trip to our country’s capital included laying a ceremonial wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which brought a tear to the eye of more than one observer.
*These remembrances can be found on page 4 of section B.
The Military and Animal Soldiers
By Casey Collins
THE USE OF ANIMALS IN WAR IS NO SECRET. For years, horses, donkeys, and mules were used for transportation and as beasts of burden.
Less known is the work of dogs who filled the roles of messengers and were vital to the delivery of supplies.
Over the years, dogs have been pivotal in protecting troops as sentries and scouts.
And that pigeon you toss seeds to could be used as a spy or to deliver troop movements or front-line updates to commanders operating to the rear in a command center.
Local Veterans Jacob Dell and Andrew Gambol share stories of working with military animals during Korea and Desert Storm.
I sat back in my chair; satisfaction filled me. Josiah and Casey had done an excellent job reporting. Now, I could only hope our readers appreciated this extra work on our part.
“You ready to go, Cocoa? Tomorrow, we pick up Tiger.” I grabbed my purse and laptop, letting Cocoa lead the way, before firmly shutting my office door.
“Hey, Phoebe,” Casey’s voice stopped my exit.
“Is there something you need?”
“Yeah,” he shoved his hands into his pockets, “I was wondering if you could meet me at the shelter in about 45 minutes?”
“The shelter?” Did he know about Tiger? “Any particular reason?”
“Well, it has to do with those articles you want me to write. And, um, I wanted to run something by you.”
I studied his face. He wasn’t as confident as usual. No, it wasn’t that. He lacked his cocky, arrogant personality. “I guess I can make that work. I can squeeze in a quick visit with Grandpa afterward.”
“Can I join you? I haven’t seen Theo since before his stroke. I’m not on the list of people approved for visits. Tammy is the only one from the paper approved. Everyone else is family, and I wouldn’t put Tammy on the spot like that by asking her.”
“Yeah, Grandpa would probably like to see someone else for a change. I’ll see if I can add you to the list for future visits.”
“Thanks, Phoebe. I’ll see you at the shelter.”
“See you then.” I couldn’t help wondering what Casey was up to.
