CJ murmured a quick ‘thanks’ got to work beside him, arranging the various plates and bottles across whatever available surfaces they could find. Namely, the scarred and paint flecked coffee table that’d been that way since she bought it secondhand and… well, the floor. That’s where she chose to sit a minute later when, already going for a piece of fried chicken, herself, CJ looked to him with the faintest smirk. “Did you actually just apologize for being eager to get involved?”
Oh— if only he knew how long she’d waited for someone beyond Matt or her closest friends to show even the smallest inkling of interest in what she aimed to do.
“I haven’t figured out an exact goal, yet, but probably at least a few grand? Enough to fund a fence at the playground in Kingston, take care of general expenses like the website… that sorta thing. If you want, I’ll gladly take the help.” In whatever form he wanted to offer it, too. A charity chess tournament, set up or clean up, covering the cost of rental equipment or promotional materials— the list could go on for miles. In fact, if you considered the state of her notebook, it probably did. Claudia didn’t lack ideas and aspirations, just the resources or manpower to pull them off alone.
Now that Matt, Lauren, and Daniel stepped up to the plate…
A grin threatened to overtake CJ’s face. She actually had to bite against the inside of her cheek to staunch it.
“I’ve been—” Every word she could think of seemed too vague, or totally false. “The same as usual, I guess? Busy between the diner and the tavern and the podcast and all of… this.” Never let it be said she was a woman who sat around on her ass. No, she had to constantly be moving, constantly doing something. “Which is fine, I like where I work and the podcast is my baby, but—” There went her teeth into her cheek, again. “I dunno. You ever feel like you’re alive but you’re not actually living? Or like not matter what you’re up to you should be… doing something else? ‘Cause it’s been a little like that lately.”
Daniel couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable. He didn't know how much she knew about his past, and it wasn't something he went around sharing with just anyone he ran across. “Hey how are you, by the way I embezzled missions of dollars from innocent people,” was never at the forefront many, if any conversations he had. He had spent the last few years trying to avoid those types of conversations. It was safer this way... for everyone involved. As much as Daniel wanted to trust people, he wanted to be able to trust again too, because it seemed like such a waste not to have real friends outside of the few he had.
“Yea, I guess it did come out that way. I’ve got reasons. Maybe I’ll tell you about it one day,” he answered. Because he didn’t want to take away from her excitement of her event, he pushed on to any topic other than himself.
“Sold, I’m in...you had me at Kingston. That playground meant a lot to me growing up. It’s been pretty neglected over the years. A spruce up would be perfect. And you know what? I would love to see the old basketball courts restored. Put up some swings, maybe throw in some picnic tables so neighborhood families can sit and round and chill together,” he said, reflecting on when times were way different. “Okay so maybe I’m getting a little ambitious with what we can actually, or what you want to do but my point is, I dig your idea. I feel like you’re on to something hot here. Tell me what needs to be done and I’m there.
Daniel nodded, quietly listening to CJ, astounded by some of the sentiments she shared. He’d been dealing with a lot of the same feelings for a while now. For himself, he had attributed that feeling to needing to find a purpose, some real and tangible goals outside of finding ways to attain more stuff. He had those thoughts plenty of times but hadn’t had any real success in rectifying them so he felt a little inept in his ability to offer any tangible advice. “Yea, to be honest. All the time. Seems like you’re on the path to resolving that feeling though. Pulling off an even this big has got to be satisfying. I think that’s one of the reasons I got so excited when you told me about it,” he answered, gaze lingering on her profile a bit. “Who knows....maybe this is just the start of something...” He felt like there was potential to be, anyway. He envied her for it too.
