her mother didn’t just ambush Ellie, she assaulted her. And I don’t like it, even if Ellie did hold her own.
A waiter comes around, asking if we’d like red or white wine with dinner. When Ellie waves an uninterested hand and accompanies it with a weary, “Red, thank you,” I give her a questioning look. “It’s just easier this way,” she says in a low voice. “Wine is the last thing I’d ever drink. You don’t have to worry.”
I nod, and then follow her lead, all the while wondering what would happen if I asked the guy to scrounge me up a Coke from somewhere.
“What brings you here this evening, dear?”
Turning to the voice beside me, I find an older lady with snow-white hair, wearing enormous dangling sapphire earrings that pull heavily at her lobes. Her question leaves me a bit stumped.
“What brings me here?” I stall, adding what I hope is a distracting grin.
“Yes, Elizabeth was one of my closest friends. Honoring her memory is the least I could do.”
Uh oh. “Elizabeth?” I ask carefully.
“The Elizabeth McCarthy foundation is hosting tonight’s gathering.” She seems affronted that I don’t know this.
“Right. Sorry. It’s actually my girlfriend,” I sit back in my chair and gesture to Ellie, who’s talking to the man on her other side, “who has the passion for helping people. I’m just here to make sure another man doesn’t steal her away.”
The lady’s hostility dissolves. “Oh, my. How gallant.”
I decide if I have to chat, I may as well sound her out for a job for Ellie. It can’t hurt, right? “Ellie is going to graduate from Stanford soon and she’ll be in the market for a job where she can really make a difference.” My ears ring with how corny that sounds even if it is the truth. The old lady eats it up though.
“Really?” she says with enthusiasm as we both sit back in our chairs so the first course can be put in front of us. “Perhaps I could introduce her to Richard, he’s Elizabeth’s husband. Or was. I tell you, her passing last year was such a shock to us all.”
From there, I only listen politely as she goes on and on about people I don’t know. But I’m happy because an introduction to the guy in charge of this whole thing can only be a good thing for Ellie.
When dinner is done – I won’t complain about that, because it was pretty good – the speeches start, which turn out to be a total snooze fest. Ellie barely keeps a straight face when I give her my best long-suffering look.
“Oh, that’s him,” the old lady whispers, calling my attention to the stage. “That’s Richard.”
Again, I nod politely and hope that Dick will be able to do something for Ellie.
Finally, we’re able to get up and stretch our legs and ‘mingle’. After I introduce Ellie to my dinner mate, they chat for a bit. Ellie charms her with such casual ease that I can’t help but be impressed. By the end of the short talk, they’re all smiles and agree conspiratorially to wait for a time to catch Richard, or Mr. McCarthy, as Ellie calls him, when he’s not surrounded by so many people. Then Ellie and I spend a good hour working the room. Well, Ellie works the room and I watch in awe as she wheedles her way into conversation after conversation without seeming to intrude. She’s a natural; articulate, knowledgeable and charismatic.
We manage to hit up most of her targets, including some woman who invites her to send her CV. She squeezes my arm. “I would love to work for her,” she gushes. “I’m so glad this hasn’t turned out to be a waste of time. Thanks so much for coming with me.”
“I’m not really doing anything,” I protest.
“You are,” she assures me. “It’s pretty hard to loiter, waiting for a chance to jump into a conversation when you’re standing alone. Plus, if you weren’t here, guys would be hitting on me and I wouldn’t be taken as seriously.”
I tsk. “What?”
“I’m serious. So I appreciate you doing this for me. I know how bored you are.” Before I have a chance to answer, something past my shoulder catches her eye. “Shit,” she murmurs. “We have incoming.”
I start to turn but she takes hold of my arm to stop me. “It’s my mom again. Why don’t you run to the bathroom or something? I’ll handle this.”
“El, I don’t want –”
“Please? For me?”
“Are