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.April smiled her thanks and scanned the screen on her laptop, reviewing the cues that could keep her talking for the rest of the show if no one called in.Three minutes later, she realized she wasn’t going to need any of the cues.She welcomed the first caller.“Hi, Mary Jane.What do you have to share with us?”“This may sound silly, but one of the ways I celebrate life is by completely ignoring all the rules of fashion.”April laughed.“I hope my best friend isn’t listening.You sound like a free spirit, Mary Jane.”The laugh was returned.“Free in Christ.I’m in my sixties, and I’m a watercolor artist.I sell my greeting cards at craft fairs.So of course I love color, and I express that in everything I do, including what I wear.My neon paisleys and purple polka dots are a constant source of humiliation to my daughters, but you know what? I don’t care! My grandkids love me just the way I am, and that’s good enough for me.”“Mary Jane, you just keep on splashing color all around you, and maybe you’ll give some of the rest of us the courage to do the same.Thank you so much for calling.”The hour went too fast.“We’ve got five minutes left—time for two more calls.” She looked at the board.There were three names on the monitor.Frank, Carol.and Seth.She had a choice.She pushed a button.“Hi, Frank.Welcome to Slice of Life.”“Thanks.I’m.glad I got through.” The man sounded out of breath.“I’ve been listening to you on the last leg of a fifty- mile bike ride.I’m in my late thirties, and about a year ago, I took a long, hard look at my life.I was an overweight armchair quarterback, living vicariously through the flat-screen idiot box in my living room.So I did something that almost got me committed to a nuthouse.”April smiled and shook her head.All these fascinating people lived in Pine Bluff? “What did you do, Frank?”“I donated my whole entertainment center to the Sanctuary Program.”“Wow! For anyone who isn’t familiar with it, the Sanctuary Program offers housing and support for individuals and families in crisis.It’s run by Pineview Community Church.Frank, you’re an amazing guy.And what’s changed in your life because of that decision?”“I lost forty-one pounds, I’ve got a girlfriend, and I’m heading to Guatemala on a mission trip next month.”“Fantastic.Any advice to the armchair quarterbacks in our audience?”“Yeah! God didn’t create you to channel surf.Get off your.couch and do something purposeful!”Two names stared at April as she said good-bye to Frank.With a deep breath, she pushed a button.“Hello, Seth.” There had to be more than one Seth among her listeners.“You’re the final caller.What words do you have for us to end the show?” At least to her ears, her voice didn’t lose a bit of its professional calm.“Thanks for taking my call, April.” Maybe there was only one Seth in Pine Bluff.Thankfully, nothing in his tone hinted that he knew her personally.“I’ve just recently been challenged by a friend’s decision to color outside the lines more.I’m a pretty structured guy, but I’m excited about making some changes in my life.”April took a quick sip from her water bottle.“What kinds of changes are you going to make, Seth?”“Well, for starters, next Saturday night I’m going to have chocolate fondue for supper.I’m all in favor of eating healthy, but sometimes you just have to skip the veggies and go straight for the cheesecake dipped in chocolate.So I’ve got reservations for two at The Melting Pot, and even if I end up eating alone, I’m going to enjoy coloring outside the lines.As far as final words, I’d just like to give kudos to the watercolor artist who called in earlier.The world could use a lot more polka dots.”NinePushing the door shut with one foot, April set her salad from Burger King on the kitchen counter.Her second Saturday call-in show had just ended, and she was still basking in the afterglow.The first had gone better than she’d dared to hope.In light of the positive feedback from last week’s show, two members of the station’s board of directors had called Jill, thanking her for “pushing for change” and “believing in that young woman.”She walked over to the fishbowls and pried the cap off the Betta food.“You two are looking particularly ticked off at each other today.” She added a pinch of flakes to each bowl.“Didn’t you guys listen to my show today? Life is too short to spend it mad at each other.” A sudden stab of guilt scrunched her mouth into a grimace.“Do as I do, not as I say.Willy, you want to make a phone call for me?”She’d put it off for a week, jumping each time any of her phones rang.Apparently, Seth was leaving the next move up to her.Thanks to his corny phone number, she couldn’t claim she’d accidentally thrown the note away and lost the number.Staring at the clock, she reassured herself he’d be on set by now and not answering his phone.She dialed and listened, annoyed at the reaction his voice mail message had on her pulse.After the beep, she simply said, “Hi, Seth, this is April.Thank you again for the invitation, but I have to say no [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]