Four Weeks In Cedar Bay

CHAPTER NINE

"Actually", Amy began, "I really wish I had a car to drive around in today. I have a few places I need to go and riding the pushbike isn't an option". Clara being Clara bombarded her way into a solution. "Roy's not doing anything today. He can drive you where you need to go". Amy looked at Roy but couldn't get a read on what he thought of Clara's suggestion. Turning back to Clara, Amy tried to refuse, "Oh, that's fine, I'm sure he has better things to do than be my taxi service". "Nonsense", Clara continued, "He'd be more than happy to drive you around". Amy looked to Roy again and all he did was shrug his shoulders. 'Great', Amy thought, 'He could at least say something, like reject Clara's recommendation'. But Amy knew she had no other choice. She was actually going to need Roy to drive her around, whether she liked it or not. She sighed and conceded to the idea.

Turning to Roy, Amy said begrudgingly, "So. Are you up to it?". Roy developed a very cheeky grin as he said, "Sure thing. My truck is your chariot". Amy wasn't pleased with the circumstances, but what was she going to do? "Right! Well, we better get going, I've got a lot to do, and I can't afford to waste time today", Amy stated as direct as she could. "Give me five minutes and meet me at the truck", and Roy left the Inn towards the cottage. With Roy gone, Amy took the short time she had to propose something to Clara, her idea of a donation of two nights at the Inn for the raffle. To Amy's relief, Clara agreed. With a huge hug for Clara, Amy was ready to head to the truck parked out at the cottage.

When Amy walked through the alcove, she saw Roy leaning against the truck in a relaxed kind of way and acting very smug. "Where to then?", he said. Amy headed for the passenger's side, "Bomber Airfield". The look on Roy's face changed a little, but Amy didn't care, she got in the truck, shut the door and waited for Roy to get in and start doing the job he was assigned to do, be her chauffeur. Ignoring Roy as he got in, Amy thought through what she was going to say once they arrived at the airfield. There was a lot riding on this visit to the airfield, Amy was hopeful she was about to secure her major prize for the raffle.

Amy walked through the entrance of the office at Bomber Airfield with determination in her steps. But that determination faded when she saw no one was around. A door leading to another room on the left caught her attention when she heard voices and laughing. Following the voices, she entered the room. It was a large room, almost like a locker room, bays and metal lockers lined every wall, but unlike a usual locker room, this room was fully carpeted. Three men were central to the room, talking and laughing as two of them appeared to be gearing up in harnesses over their jumpsuits. Feeling brave, Amy approached the men. "Excuse me, sorry to disturb you, but I'm looking for the owner".

The three men didn't see Amy walk in and they all turned to her with a little surprise on their faces. The older and shorter of the three men, and the only one without a harness, stepped forward, "I'm Bob, how can I help you lovely lady?". Amy was unsure if this man should be the person to talk to but ploughed ahead. "Hi, my name is Amy, I'm hoping to discuss a donation for the raffle to raise funds during the festival next week. There will be an opportunity for free advertising for your business as your donation would be the major prize. Am I talking to the right person?". Amy didn't want to waste too much of her campaign on the wrong person.

"You've got the right person. My military name is Bomber, but everyone calls me Bob. I own and run this airfield. What kind of prize were you hoping I'll donate?". Amy continued with a sigh of relief, "I was hoping you would be willing to donate one tandem skydive. We will have a booth at the festival and if you have any advertising, like signs, or a banner, we can advertise your skydiving at the booth. It will draw a lot of attention and you never know, whoever wins the prize might have friends that want to come along for the dive as well, generating more business for you. Then they might tell their friends, who tell other friends about your company. By making this donation, it could have a knock-on effect, and be good for business".