Last night’s fire could’ve turned into a complete disaster. We were lucky the wind was calm. We could have lost that whole side of town. Who knows how many bodies we would be burying this week if that had happened?”
“Deacon, everyone is working extra hard to get civilization back on track, but the priorities are difficult to determine and manage,” pleaded one of the gentlemen. “We’re working down our list, but people don’t always agree which is the most important task. It’s impossible to override the opinion of others when everyone is a volunteer, and there’s no structure or hierarchy of authority.”
Nodding at her visitors, Diana stood and moved around her desk – a signal the meeting was over. “Okay, gentlemen, thank you for stopping by. I’ll not keep you any longer this afternoon. If anyone has any suggestions on how to improve our situation, please, please bring them to me.”
The three elders pushed back their chairs and executed the proper social amenities. Hands were shaken, Nick was robustly thanked for his heroism, and his health was verified.
Returning to his perch on the couch, Nick studied Diana as she escorted the three men from her office, trying to determine her frame of mind. Obviously, the pressure and workload of running a small town was an extreme burden, but he detected something deeper was troubling her.
The deacon-turned-city-mayor returned, avoiding eye contact with Nick. She hurried past without a word, silently returning to her desk where she unfolded her laptop and focused on the display.
Nick let the tapping of Diana’s keystrokes dominate the room, sipping his coffee and staring at nothing. After a few minutes, he decided Diana needed solitude and rose to leave.
“We’ve got to change something. This isn’t working,” sounded a cold voice from behind the computer.
Nick paused mid-step, unsure of Diana’s meaning. “What isn’t working? Us? The town? Your computer?”
Pivoting to face the woman he loved, Nick’s face exposed more concern over the potential answer than he intended.
Diana reached up and closed the laptop’s cover, her eyes locking with his. “Oh, don’t be silly. I’m not talking about our relationship. Unless you’ve found some hero-groupie on the side, I’m as much in love with you as ever. I’m talking about the town… our society… how we’re rebuilding Alpha.”
A sigh escaped the big man’s chest, his eyes mel lowing. “You had me worried there for a sec. I thought you were still mad at me over last night.”
Grunting, Diana waved him off. “Oh, I am, but not super-duper mad. That was a reckless stunt you pulled. It could’ve turned out badly. I’ve already lost my son and my father because of this mess – I’m running out of loved ones to donate to the cause.”
Diana sauntered over to Nick’s side of the room, extending her arms for an embrace. He welcomed the invitation, holding her close and relishing the moment. With her head against his chest, the deacon summed up her current municipal dilemma. “Everyone’s heart is in the right place, but we’ve got to change how we’re organized. There needs to be leadership, structure, and guidance.”
“Go on.”
Looking up, Diana continued. “The fire truck was listed as a critical project weeks ago. The reason why half the town almost burned down last night was that no one had the authority to follow up. No one pushed here and pulled there. Our volunteer force ultimately isn’t accountable to the town.”
“I don’t know about that. It looked like those three gentlemen were answering to you just a bit ago. They all left here with their tails between their legs; at least it looked that way to me.”
“That’s just the problem, Nick. I’m not officially in charge of anything . I am just leadership by default. There are groups of people who are starting their own projects that the church elders and I don’t even know about them. There’s a vacuum of
“Deacon, everyone is working extra hard to get civilization back on track, but the priorities are difficult to determine and manage,” pleaded one of the gentlemen. “We’re working down our list, but people don’t always agree which is the most important task. It’s impossible to override the opinion of others when everyone is a volunteer, and there’s no structure or hierarchy of authority.”
Nodding at her visitors, Diana stood and moved around her desk – a signal the meeting was over. “Okay, gentlemen, thank you for stopping by. I’ll not keep you any longer this afternoon. If anyone has any suggestions on how to improve our situation, please, please bring them to me.”
The three elders pushed back their chairs and executed the proper social amenities. Hands were shaken, Nick was robustly thanked for his heroism, and his health was verified.
Returning to his perch on the couch, Nick studied Diana as she escorted the three men from her office, trying to determine her frame of mind. Obviously, the pressure and workload of running a small town was an extreme burden, but he detected something deeper was troubling her.
The deacon-turned-city-mayor returned, avoiding eye contact with Nick. She hurried past without a word, silently returning to her desk where she unfolded her laptop and focused on the display.
Nick let the tapping of Diana’s keystrokes dominate the room, sipping his coffee and staring at nothing. After a few minutes, he decided Diana needed solitude and rose to leave.
“We’ve got to change something. This isn’t working,” sounded a cold voice from behind the computer.
Nick paused mid-step, unsure of Diana’s meaning. “What isn’t working? Us? The town? Your computer?”
Pivoting to face the woman he loved, Nick’s face exposed more concern over the potential answer than he intended.
Diana reached up and closed the laptop’s cover, her eyes locking with his. “Oh, don’t be silly. I’m not talking about our relationship. Unless you’ve found some hero-groupie on the side, I’m as much in love with you as ever. I’m talking about the town… our society… how we’re rebuilding Alpha.”
A sigh escaped the big man’s chest, his eyes mel lowing. “You had me worried there for a sec. I thought you were still mad at me over last night.”
Grunting, Diana waved him off. “Oh, I am, but not super-duper mad. That was a reckless stunt you pulled. It could’ve turned out badly. I’ve already lost my son and my father because of this mess – I’m running out of loved ones to donate to the cause.”
Diana sauntered over to Nick’s side of the room, extending her arms for an embrace. He welcomed the invitation, holding her close and relishing the moment. With her head against his chest, the deacon summed up her current municipal dilemma. “Everyone’s heart is in the right place, but we’ve got to change how we’re organized. There needs to be leadership, structure, and guidance.”
“Go on.”
Looking up, Diana continued. “The fire truck was listed as a critical project weeks ago. The reason why half the town almost burned down last night was that no one had the authority to follow up. No one pushed here and pulled there. Our volunteer force ultimately isn’t accountable to the town.”
“I don’t know about that. It looked like those three gentlemen were answering to you just a bit ago. They all left here with their tails between their legs; at least it looked that way to me.”
“That’s just the problem, Nick. I’m not officially in charge of anything . I am just leadership by default. There are groups of people who are starting their own projects that the church elders and I don’t even know about them. There’s a vacuum of
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