SUNSHINE AND PABLO AND THE PRESENT

[Mahlena wrote this short story. Tell a Friend. 🙆🏾]

“I was mean and ungrateful, and I apologize with this gift that I wrapped in a navy blue box to celebrate your masculinity in case you thought the book inside was patronizing. It's a book. It was supposed to be a surprise.”





October 2016


Next to the café's stenciled window, Pablo scooted his white chair in closer to open Sunshine's box. “What Color is Your Parachute? Golden?”

“When, or if,” she emphasized, “you decide to go into sports management, Richard Nelson Bolles can help. His words can. He wrote the book.”

“What a coincidence.” Pablo flipped through the pages. “For two reasons. One, I brought you a present, too.” He gave Sunshine a tan gift bag stuffed deep with pink tissue paper, which she immediately started digging through. “You can open it later. At home.”

“How about now?” Through the large window, the pedestrians on the sidewalk watched her litter the café floor with debris. “Why is there so much wrapping?”

“To stay cushioned. It’s a toy.”

“Like a doll?” Sunshine removed the last scrap of paper and peered inside the bag. Then she looked up at Pablo. “Is that a rabbit?”

“Yes,” he whispered, “and it’s already charged, so you don’t have to plug it in at home before you use it.”

“I don’t need to find another outlet while we’re here?” she confirmed, checking the room. “Because I could ask a waiter for an extension cord. Am I embarrassing you?”

Pablo hid his face. “I should’ve rethought my purchase.”

“What the second reason?”

“Hmm?” he muttered from behind his hands.

“The other coincidence.”

“Inspired by our conversations, I contacted my old university. They have a new push to help mature students complete their degrees.”

Sunshine gasped. “You’re mature,” she said quietly.

“Thanks for the reminder.”

“Are you going to—”

“I’m getting there, let me finish.”

Sunshine wiggled in her seat.

“I enrolled in two classes at South Valley Community College for the upcoming winter semester. And combined with some online requirements I can take directly from the university, I’m on track to graduate with a bachelor’s in Business Management. I can walk in the ceremony in May at the campus. You can say something now.”

Sunshine applauded. “That’s amazing.”

“I’m working hard to reach your level.”

“Well, “ she cocked her head, “for that you’d need a master’s degree in Business. “

“I’ll get there,” Pablo said with confidence.

“Only if that’s what you want,” Sunshine replied. “I’m proud of you, Pablo.”

He beamed. “Before my head gets too big from your praise, I have a separate, education-related question.”

“Do you need help with your homework?”

“I’m sure I will at some point. But this is about Tiburon.”

“Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. But her school…” Pablo sighed. “Where I grew up in Texas, we went to the school closest to my house. I don’t know if that’s the best choice for my daughter here in California, though. But I don’t want to be one of those parents. You daughter seems pretty smart. Would you say that’s because of her school? HP Charter, is it?

“Yes, I would attribute her intelligence entirely to her school and nothing else,” Sunshine deadpanned. “Honestly, though, she loves it, I love it. Which leads to another coincidence…” Outside the window, Sunshine noticed two of the passersby slow down. “I don’t know exactly where your mother’s house is located, but based on the nearby landmarks you’ve described—”

“Are you sure you’re not working for the Hennessey Park Police Department?”

“I’ve watched a lot of Law and Order. My point is, HP Charter might be closer to your house. It’s definitely a better performing school than the one in your…” Sunshine saw the two women on the sidewalk stop and point and gesture to her.

Pablo watched Sunshine shake her head at the women, who were making their way to the entrance.

“Friends of yours?” he asked.

“Unfortunately, I would classify them as such.”

They barreled through the front door and appeared at the table. 

“You haven’t been answering your phone.” The short woman with a tight, brown ponytail started in on Sunshine.

“We didn’t want to interrupt,” her curly-haired, more gracious compatriot said to Sunshine and Pablo.

“Speak for yourself.”

Sunshine intervened. “Pablo, this is Priya,” with the ponytail, “and Charm.”

“The detective,” he said, rising to shake Charm’s hand.

“I’ve been trying to stop Priya from blowing a gasket. The three of us are on a fundraising committee for the PTA,” Charm explained to Pablo, “and the event is falling apart.” 

“Last night, Sunshine told us she had a plan to fix our team, and it required a delicate maneuver, but then she went off the grid.” Priya sidled up next to him, “Do you play football?”

“Excuse me?” Pablo replied with an eye on Sunshine.

“Rugby? Soccer?” Priya pressed. “I’ll take any sport with a ball at this point.”

“Back up,” Charm commanded, pulling Priya out of Pablo’s personal space.

Priya gained her footing. “He’s an able-bodied man who looks like he could toss a pigskin, without pulling a muscle like our last quarterback did.” She poked her nose in Pablo’s direction. “Do you have a kid? Do they go to HP Charter?”

Seeing Sunshine’s growing discomfort with her friends’ causing a scene, Pablo was amused. “That was our current topic of discussion.”

Charm was surprised. “Wonderful. We’ll leave you two alone, then.” She directed Priya by the hand to the exit.

“Call us!” Priya demanded, before Charm nudged her out the door.

Pablo crossed his arms, thoroughly entertained by the ordeal. “Are you recruiting me for your pee-wee league? Because I doubt I’ll fit into the uniforms.”

“Now I’m embarrassed. I had intended for this to go differently.”

Pablo listened. 

“The HP Charter Parent/Teacher Association has a fundraiser in the fall, winter, and spring. The fall one is the Football Rumble, a game against the St. Francis of Assisi Academy, which we always lose. The spring one is also called the Fútbol Rumble against St. Francis, but it’s fútbol with a U. Soccer. The Winter Ball brings in the most money, but it isn’t relevant to our discussion. 

“Last year, I ran the fall Football Rumble committee.” Sunshine guzzled her peach tea. “This fall, Priya’s the leader, and she’s locked in a battle of wills with Cappie, the PTA President, to prove her ability to run the event, even though this is Priya’s first year at HP Charter. Charm’s, too. Cappie’s had children at the school for 20 years. She’s been President for the past 10. Her youngest daughter is in Kindergarten, so she has eight more years before she has to relinquish the throne.” 

Sunshine drifted back to a bemused Pablo. “Long story short—”

“Too late.”

“—Priya enlisted my expertise, then our team lost our star player when he sprained his entire body at practice, ticket sales are sluggish, and our reserved stadium recently became a sinkhole. I was going to ask for your help with one of those things. In a more elegant manner.”

“So if I play in your Fútbol Rumble, them Tiburon can attend your charter school?”

“The Football Rumble,” she corrected. “The Fútbol Rumble is in spring. And you have the quid pro quo arrangement flipped. If Tiburon moves to HP Charter, then would you be available to join? You have to be a current school parent to play. Even if you don’t want to be on the team, she would still have a space available for her. The administration likes to keep the classes filled to capacity. Kinder and First Grade stay waitlisted, but Third Grade has empty seats. I rehearsed what I was going to say in the mirror before I came so I wouldn’t sound predatory or opportunistic.”

“Anything else?”

“That is the extent of my botched proposal.”

Pablo uncrossed his arms. He thought for a moment.

Sunshine waited.

“Besides Charm,” Pablo said, “and Addison, was that her name? Who knows about how we first met?

“Charm knows who you are, but not what you do.”

“Okay.”

“Addison doesn’t know you’re the person I met through the agency.”

“All right…”

“Priya is Addison’s wife.”

“Huh.”

“And Addison’s ex-husband is the coach for the St. Francis team.”

“Are you kidding me?!”

“Relationships get sticky quickly here in Hennessey Park. Everyone knows everyone and their business. That said, it’s also one of the best places on Earth.”

“With the best people?”

“I’d say so.”

Pablo let out a groan of conceit. He rubbed the Parachute book. “I accept your apology and your proposal, and I want to be on your team, Sunshine.”

“Really? You do?”

“I do. But before I enter your world of PTA imbroglios, we need to figure out us.”

“What would you like, from us?”

“I want us to be regular people without a professional arrangement,” Pablo said. “I’m okay with you being someone else’s client, because you deserve everything you want.”

“I’m still okay with your having other clients,” Sunshine replied believably. She held out her hand for a shake. “Regular people.”

They shook on it.

Pablo whipped out his phone. “I’m clocking out, making this official. Done. Hi.”

“Hi. Welcome to Hennessey Park.” Sunshine collected her mess into a to-go pile.

Pablo helped with her load and picked up his book so they could depart. “Let’s start the paperwork.” 

FIN

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