Gold for the Good - Page 2

One by one, the speakers participating in the Gold for the Good of Our Country campaign, hosted on the local level by the Pillars of Society Club of Guava City, were led to the conference room by an intern wearing an identification badge. The local radio station crew had set up a mobile transmission unit in the conference room and had placed a sign reading studio outside the door. All speakers, including Leona, had badges hanging from their necks, indicating the business or institution they were representing. If others got close enough to Leona, she could read their badges. The Fire Department. Saint Lazarus Public Hospital. The Armed Forces. The Military Police. Everyday Bread Bakery. High Profits Banking & Investments. Tireless Tires Rubber Corporation.

As soon as she read Tireless Tires Rubber Corporation, Leona jumped down from the armchair. That was the tire factory where her uncle Joel was working! Braving the barrier of grownups, she nudged her way toward the scale and the metal box of treasures her mother was busying herself with. She crawled up on her lap.

Susi was taken by surprise. “What are you doing here, Leona?”

“Mom, someone from Uncle Joel’s factory is going to do a speech!”

“So?”

“Uncle Joel should be the factory’s speaker! That way he’d be here already!”

Susi’s attention turned to a well-dressed gentleman approaching the table. He handed her a shiny golden watch. His badge read Beaver Dam Real Estate. The watch moved the scale pointers enough for Susi and her friend to let out two impressive chirps. Susi’s friend regally placed the watch in the metal box.

Leona told her mother that she wanted to help her and her friend. She wanted to weigh gold pieces too, and to yelp, like they did, whenever the scale pointers moved a little more than usual. But Susi wanted none of the child’s help, let alone her high-pitched shrieks. Susi was too busy. She was juggling two demanding tasks simultaneously, not the least of them the flirting with handsome donors who had shown up neither wearing a wedding band, nor had donated one, and who might be discouraged from flirting back, upon the immediate realization that she had a daughter. Worse yet, some pervert might pretend to reciprocate Susi’s attention and try to get close to her, while secretly plotting to do God-knows-what to her innocent little girl. Susi told Leona to go back to her armchair.

“I don’t want to stay there on my own,” the girl said. “It’s boring.”

“But you’re not alone! Your teacher and I and these two policemen here are watching you all the time. Go back and hold on a little. People can hardly wait to hear your speech.”

“Then why can’t I do it already?”

“Because you’re the main attraction, silly!” Susi fibbed. “The radio guys want to create some suspense before your act.”

Leona frowned. “Is that why Uncle Joel hasn’t come yet?”

“Your uncle is probably listening to the speeches on the radio with his friend, Douglas. I’m sure he’ll be here in no time.”

Leona yawned.

“Are you thirsty, honey? Do you want me to take you to the bathroom?”

Leona shook her head no.

“Great. Do you remember what I told you about guarana soda and Coca Cola?”

Leona nodded.

“Okey dokey.” Susi got some old Disney comics out of her bag and handed them to Leona. The girl had already read them a million times and knew many passages by heart. She took them half-heartedly. “Now go back to your armchair and enjoy yourself,” Susi ordered. “And stay put! We must always know where you are.”

Leona reluctantly did what her mother told her to do.