Free Me vs. Me by Sarah Mlynowski

not surprised he knows who I am, but the familiarity of my nickname catches me by surprise. “Thanks, Ronald,” I say, trying to sound smooth and praying I don’t stutter. “It’s a pleasure to be working for you.”
    He smiles, and I’m surprised to see that he has two dimples. “How do you feel about the cold, Arizona? No dry heat here, is there?”
    He’s so sweet. And what a cute new nickname. “It’s a bit of a shock to my system.”
    â€œWait till January. You’ll be wanting to get on the first plane back to Phoenix.”
    I don’t need a plane for that. I just have to fall asleep. “I doubt that,” I say, smiling. I am bantering with Ronald Grighton!
    â€œWow, what a great smile,” he says.
    My smile gets even bigger.
    Curtis rustles through her portfolio. “Welcome to Ron’s Report , Gabrielle. Now let’s get started on today’s show. Since we can’t get the kidnapped girl—I just heard she’s talking to Paula Zahn—”
    Groans from the table.
    â€œâ€”I think we should stick to our program. We’ll do the segment about the elections first. Then the hurricane in the Bahamas. We have the director of the National Hurricane Center and the governor-general scheduled. Then we’re supposed to go to—”
    Suddenly my bag begins to vibrate. What the hell?
    In a split second, everyone at the table whips out his or her BlackBerry, apparently the cause of said vibrating.
    â€œThey lost the Cookie Cutter,” Curtis says.
    Murmurs around the table. The Cookie Cutter is Jon Adams, heir to Cookie Creams, the chocolate-chip dynasty, who was arrested for raping and fatally stabbing three women in Spanish Harlem. “How did that happen?” asks Michael, an associate producer. “He was in custody.”
    â€œHe jumped bail,” she reads. “We have to run a story on this today.”
    Ron sips his coffee. “Who can we get to talk?”
    â€œThe district attorney is doing a press conference at noon,” Curtis says. “We’ll need to cover that. Let’s speak to someone from the defense team. Do you think the Adams’ parents will talk to us?”
    This all happens so fast, I barely have time to think. I need to add something. What can I say? “What about interviewing the victims’ families?”
    Ron grins and taps his mug on the conference table. “Definitely.”
    Wahoo!
    Curtis continues flicking through her BlackBerry. “The mothers are Puerto Rican and Dominican. Who speaks Spanish?”
    â€œI do,” I say quickly. You don’t live in Arizona without learning the lingo. Some of it, anyway.
    â€œGood,” says Curtis, nodding. “Go to it.”
    My hands stop shaking. I’m going to do fine. No, I’m going to do great.
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    â€œThe chicken pad thai,” I order at the Thai restaurant counter. “To go.” I’m starving. All I had for lunch was coffee, coffee and more coffee.
    What a day. What an amazing, incredible, exhausting, overwhelming day.
    The show went smoothly. My segment went perfectly. I called the mothers and convinced them (in Spanish) to come on the show, where I got them a proper translator. Both Curtis and Ron praised me for a job well done.
    When my meal is ready, I return to my apartment. My doorman informs me that my mattress and frame are waiting for me. Micha, the porter, helps me carry them up to my apartment. I give him a twenty and then sink into the couch, turn on the news and dig into my chicken.
    Heather is in her room, chatting on the phone, and doesn’t come out to say hello. If I weren’t so damn tired, I’d be insulted.
    A picture of the kidnapped kid flashes across CNN and I feel a pang that she went to Paula Zahn and not us. My BlackBerry buzzes a few times, but it’s only sports scores. When I’m done eating, I strip off my clothes, wash off my makeup,