The Sporty Sister

The End and Beginning

Christi took a deep breath as she checked her appearance. 

"Baby, you'll be fine. We planned this down to the last detail."

"Well of course, you say that. You support me in everything I do." Danny laughed as he stood behind her. Christi could see his bright smile in the mirror as he grabbed her by the waist. 

"I know. I am such a good boyfriend that it's bad."

Christi huffed as she brushed her hair to the left instead of the right. It was the third time she fiddled with it. She knew the town council would not make a decision based on the part of her hair. She just needed to be in control of something. 

"It's just a meeting."

"Says the businessman. I don't do meetings. I am not a people pleaser like Fiona. I can't read them like she can. I was the headstrong, impulsive one. I just did it and people followed along."

"So that is what you have to do. Get them to follow along. Christi, I know you can do it. Just prove it to them." 

Christi turned around from her reflection to look at Danny properly. He had been all in since the beginning. Christi wondered if he was behind in his own work because he was always there. He helped her finalize the business plan and edited her speech for the proposal. He even asked for a favor from CFO Richards on potential financial numbers. He never asked for anything from Christi in return, but her time. 

"Thank you. You did so much for me. From couch potato to now." 

Danny leaned in for another kiss. "I didn't do it, baby. It was you. I just pulled it out and polished it up a bit."

"Whatever. I just want to let you know. No matter what happens, I love you."

Danny's smile lit up his face as he gripped Christi's hands. 

"I love you too. I never stopped. Now, enough of that. You have an important meeting to attend."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Christi didn't know what to expect when she walked in the town hall meeting. It was packed with people. The town council sat at a long table in the front, presiding over the crowd like royalty. Jose saw Christi and waved her over to where he and his mom had saved her a seat. 

"It's crowded, right?"

"Well, my mom might have let it slip that you would be contributing to the proposals."

His mom looked very sheepish in response. "The neighborhood knows how you play with the kids. They are looking forward to what you might bring."

The town council continued the meeting as normal starting with the simpler matters first. After thirty minutes of back and forth over minor issues, a man in the back stood up. 

"Can we talk about what we actually came to see? What about the old high school?"

The mayor or head of the council pushed up his glasses. "I guess it is time that we move on to proposals for what to do with the old high school."  He spoke as if he had thought of this idea all on his own. 

The mayor stood up and waved his hand at two men in suits sitting in the row across from Christi. 

"First, we have Mr. Grant from Heathcliff Industries."

The man looked slick in his well made tailored suit. Christi actually saw one man yawned as soon as Mr. Grant began to speak. 

"Hello, my company would like to create an apartment complex on the property." He then pulled out a poster with an etching of said apartments.  "They will be modern and state-of-the-art. It could bring in fresh blood to your neighborhood." 

Mr. Grant continued to talk about the amenities that would be available, but not the fact that this would not be open to all residents of the neighborhood, only those in the complex. He sat down to silence. 

The mayor stood up and introduced its next proposal. 

"Mrs. Anderson for Anderson Retail Services."  

"Good evening. I'm here to talk to you about turning the old high school into a shopping center. We would have to tear down the building just as Mr. Grant would, but this center will be open to all and bring in money for the city. We know that the high school was used as a playground for local kids. So at our shopping center, we will include a playground and outside lounge area for the kids to use." 

She brought out a rendering of said building. When she sat, there was a smattering of applause. 

The mayor then opened the floor to any other proposals. Christi stood. This was her moment to shine. 

She adjusted the blazer over the dress before walking forward. Danny followed quietly behind her with the necessary materials. She stood facing the council first. 

"Good evening. My name is Christiana Delafield. I have not grown up in this area, but I did grow up in an area just like this one. So I understand the locals. And I know they want this space for them."

A sole cheer went up in support. Christi stood a little straighter. 

"I agree with you that the school can't sit vacant like it is now. It may bring problems of squatters and such, but we can give it back to people in a different way."

She gestured to Danny. He knew exactly what to do. They had practiced this so many times that they just could read each other. She moved slowly, but surely to face the crowd. 

"I know you have been looking at renderings of different buildings already, but bare with me. My proposal is for a community center with a focus on sports. The school already has fields that just need a little  maintenance. We could refurbish the building, rather than tear it down. We can use the rooms for job training, classrooms or even a gym. I have a few ideas, but as I said before, I am not from here. I am open to suggestions on what is most needed in the community."

There were murmurs passing through the crowd, so much that the mayor had to bang the gravel to get attention. 

"How would we pay for this? There is a reason we built a new high school rather than bring the old one to code. The other proposal could give us money now to pay for all the things you propose. They may bring us new residents and other benefits. Community centers bleed money."

"Right, of course. I had a trusted financial adviser pull some numbers. Well, I have some initial investors. I would contribute as well since it is my idea. I asked some of my contacts in the soccer world to support us. Lots of teams have a charity that they like to support. They would provide volunteers, publicity and maybe even donate. If we decorate the auditorium well, we could even offer the auditorium as an event space to rent out. The most important source of support will be the community."

"I would support it. I've seen her work with my Camelia," said an older Hispanic woman. 

"Sounds better than the other choices to me," said an older woman. Her perfectly coiffed white hair bounced as she nodded her head in agreement. Though she was older, her green eyes still sparked brightly with intelligence.  More and more people began to agree. 

With the support, Christi outlined the rest of her plan. She fielded questions from the residents with ease. The people could see the passion in her eyes. They already knew that she would follow through. 

It was up to the city council.