Reflections on the Third Week of Winter – Meadville Vicinity Pennwriters Kicked Out of Tim Hortons

      Yesterday, determined to run an efficient MVP (Meadville Vicinity Pennwriters) meeting, I walked into the Tim Hortons on the outskirts of Meadville. Two members sat at the corner table covered by folders and papers. Catherine, with an attractive maroon sweater and flattering new hair cut grinned. She pointed her pen at me and said, “Where have you been? We thought you weren’t coming.”

    I glanced through the window to check the time on bank sign across the street. It read 19º. No help. “It’s only one o’clock,” I said.

    “But you’re the group leader. You should be here five minutes early.” She laughed.

    I shrugged, figured I’d skip getting my usual cup of peppermint tea, and organized my papers to start the meeting.

    Kelly, whose long dark hair framed a face glowing with vitality as if the holidays had refreshed her, left the table to order lunch.

   Okay. The meeting wasn’t starting.

   I followed Kelly to the counter and ordered tea from a high school student with freckles across her nose and cheeks. She said, “This is my first day back after two weeks off so I’ve got to learn everything over again. I’ll try.” Standing silently behind her, another teen watched. The freckled teen must have done something right. My tea appeared in a minute.

    Kelly returned with her lunch five minutes later. “Do you get the feeling the teenagers don’t really want to be here? What an attitude!”

    Kelly shared a flier requesting donations for the art show and silent auction that she is organizing to raise money for The Arc, a building and an organization for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

    Catherine said, “I could arrange a basket of yarns.”

    “Would you want photos I entered in the Cochranton Fair?” I asked.

    Kelly beamed. “Both would be great. Bring them to the February meeting.”

    I glanced at the bank sign which now read 1:20. Okay all the fliers, newspaper ads, and emails weren’t going to bring any more writers. Time to get on with Catherine’s Point of View and Viewpoint presentation.

    Catherine said, “It doesn’t look like anyone else is coming. Do you want me to start with the omniscient presentation?”

    I nodded.

    She gave us handouts, differentiated four types of omniscient with graphics, and started to list benefits of each when the young teenager with freckles stopped at our table.

    Clasping her hands behind her back, she said in a soft, calm voice, “We’re having an emergency in the kitchen. You have to leave right away.” Over her shoulder, she addressed the shadowing teen, “You can smell gas in the kitchen. I’m not supposed to turn any switches.” They walked away.

    We stood.

    I stuffed my arm into a coat sleeve and said, “Where can we go? To a restaurant?”

    “I’ll take you to The Arc,” said Kelly and hustled to the counter to fetch a drink holder for her cup of coffee, cup of ice, and cup of chai.

   Catherine pulled on a lime green and black hat that matched her scarf. “Where’s The Arc?”

    “Downtown on Chestnut Street,” I said.

    “By the mall?”

    “Yes.” I picked up my bags, and we left..

    In separate cars, we drove past a huddle of teens standing in the far corner of the parking lot and staring at the building.

    Kelly let us into The Arc.

    “Weren’t you scared there was a gunman in the kitchen?” she said.

    Catherine and I looked at each other’s blank face.

    “No,” Catherine said. “The teen was speaking calmly.”

    “She mentioned smelling gas, so I figured it was a gas leak,” I said. “We had time to get out before the kitchen exploded.”

    Kelly shrugged and led us into a conference room with a skylight. Sitting in comfy chairs, we spread our papers. Catherine continued her omniscient talk.

    I thanked Catherine, put her materials away and got out papers needed for feedback on the writings we’d brought.

    “Do you want to talk about movies,” Kelly said.

    Catherine did.

    They were off. A “Have you seen this one” and “No what about that one” discussion ran until Kelly said, “We should go to a movie together then talk about it.”

    Catherine agreed. “Movies are great at illustrating story structure.”

    The discussion shifted to times on Tuesday, the discount price day.

    “I swim laps but could go to a one o’clock show,” I said.

    “I like to go to the movie as early as possible in the morning because I don’t want to catch germs,” Catherine said. “There’s that math movie this week.”

    “I want to wait for the new Beauty and the Beast. It’s not out yet,” Kelly said with a faint pout.

    The conference room clock chime three. Yikes. We needed to get moving. Catherine hadn’t brought a writing for feedback, but Kelly and I had. I said, “Okay. Watch for the movie to come out, Kelly, then we’ll arrange an outing. It’s time to read Kelly’s writing.”

    Kelly shared an article from her Arc collection about a co-worker who was a model of inspiration. He daily approached every Arc participant with respectful attention to make each feel important.

    I turned to Catherine. “Isn’t this a perfect omniscient narration?”

    She nodded. “You should enter one of your Arc pieces in the Pennwriters Writing Contest, Kelly.”

    After we gave feedback on the details in Kelly’s article, I passed out my short story for the Pennwriters Contest, “Talk to You Tomorrow.”

    Catherine provided technical help. “The cause and effect on at the top of page two is off.”

    Kelly offered human nature observations, “An eighty-eight year old woman wouldn’t sound that spry right after an operation. Her speech would be slow and slurred.”

    Both advice helped.

    We ended a half hour late–not bad for having been thrown out of Tim Hortons. I left The Arc invigorated to revise my story, yet again, and positive we’d all remember that MVP meeting.