Ch.15, Pt.3: “Glad to help,” he said…
“Glad to help,” he said around his mouthful.
“We got along really well that day.” How many more hints does he need? wondered Katherine.
“Yeah, that was a nice day. How’s your pizza? It looks great.”
“It is. Want a bite?” Katherine offered her slice.
“No,” he said quickly, leaning back. “I’ve got plenty.”
“I’ll say.” Katherine smiled, reaching for one of his fries. “I want some.”
“Help yourself. Do you want some on your plate?”
“Oh, I couldn’t eat so much! Besides, I’d rather steal from yours.”
Lawrence glanced around the restaurant, looking as if he was about to say something. Katherine waited with a smile.
“So, do you think the show’s making enough of a shift to the younger demographic?” he asked.
Katherine raised her eyebrows, then frowned. “To tell you the truth, I haven’t given much thought to that lately. How do you think we’re doing?”
“We’re moving in the right direction, don’t you think?” Lawrence seemed eager to discuss this.
“I think we’re doing better than that. I think we’re delivering the right mixture of content for all our listeners.” Katherine automatically slipped into the language of work.
“How will we know, objectively? Is there a plan for a survey?”
It was touching, actually, to see how much Lawrence cared about the show, thought Katherine. “Fundraising gave us some indication. We had pledges made to support Health and Healing. But the problem is that the people with money to donate are older. And older listeners don’t care about – say — a new ashram that opens. Most older people, anyway. It’s the problem of our audiences wanting different things.” How did we get onto this topic? wondered Katherine.
“You’re saying that by definition, Health and Healing is less interesting to younger audiences.” Lawrence topped up Katherine’s glass.
“Obviously! Compared to a rock music station? We’ve been burdened with unrealistic expectations.”
“Is this something you need to discuss with Blaine?”
“He’d just love that,” Katherine muttered. “It might be better if you come to support me. Whenever I’m alone with Blaine, he steers the conversation into personal areas where I don’t want to go. You could protect me from that!”
“Sure. I don’t mind sitting in on a meeting with Blaine. If you think it would help.”
“That would be great. If we need to discuss it. Lately, Blaine hasn’t brought it up at all, so I don’t want to stir things up. Maybe it’s just an idea that will quietly die down on its own.”
Lawrence pushed his empty plate away and leaned back with a sigh. “That was good. Want some dessert?”
Katherine could almost taste a slice of thick, gooey, dark chocolate fudge cake, with its perfect blend of bitter, sweet and cream. But she didn’t want Lawrence to think that she ate a lot. “I couldn’t. I’m full. No room!”
“I won’t bother, either, Coffee?”
“I’ll have a big bowl of café au lait,” Katherine decided.
Lawrence signalled the waiter and gave the order.
He does that so well, thought Katherine. He gets the waiter’s attention quickly and neatly, without drawing a lot of attention to us. He’s pleasant without taking up a lot of time. Katherine gazed at him in approval.
Lawrence looked at her and then glanced away. “So. What are you doing in your spare time these days?”
Katherine’s smile warmed her whole face. He’s going to ask me out, she thought. “Not much at all. But I’d like to get out more.”
“That’s a good idea. And there are a lot of things to do. All kinds of classes and courses and activities. Of course, volunteering.” The café au lait and Lawrence’s regular coffee arrived. “I’ve become a Big Brother.”
Katherine cradled the warm bowl of froth with both hands, puzzling over the shift in conversation. Wasn’t he about to ask me out? “What do you mean, a big brother? Aren’t your parents too old to have a baby?”
Lawrence groaned as if she’d made a pun. “Very funny. My Little Brother’s eight years old, and he lives with his mom, but his father’s in Montreal. They get together once a month, so I fill in some other times. You could consider becoming a Big Sister. It feels good to make a difference in a kid’s life.”
“Yeah. Maybe.” Katherine took a cautious sip of hot café au lait.
“The point is to find something that you’d really enjoy doing,” continued Lawrence cheerfully. “If you’ve got time now, you have all sorts of opportunities. You’re at a crossroads in your life.”
Katherine was losing interest in the conversation. Things weren’t going as she had hoped. She sipped her coffee steadily while he suggested art classes, music lessons, workout programs, even helping out at the recycling centre. How did we get so far from us? she wondered.