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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Family & Friends
- Subject: Family
- Published: 03/09/2021
Ad Hoc Committee
Born 1944, F, from Melbourne, FL, United States![Ad Hoc Committee](/storage/story/755E980B-E30A-21DB-4E2B-FC7928960494_1615315445-image(180x285-crop).jpeg)
Ad Hoc Committee
by
Valerie Allen
“How did the project turn out?” Alicia asked. She set her lunch tray on a table in the employee cafeteria and then slid her briefcase from her shoulder onto the bench seat. She sat across from her friend and coworker, Brenda.
“Turn out?” Brenda echoed.
Alicia set her napkin on her lap. “From the look on your face and the tone of your voice, my guess is, it didn't go well.”
Brenda opened the top button on her suit jacket and reached over to arrange her sandwich plate and silverware on the table. “The project's not done yet, but it's still a 'work in progress'.”
Alicia leaned toward her friend and lowered her voice. “'A work in progress'” is better than 'let's put it on the back burner'.”
Brenda nodded. “True, which is better than 'let's table it for now'.”
Alicia frowned. “All euphemisms for 'we're not going to do it.”
Brenda looked at her friend and shook her head. “I think you hit the nail on the head.”
“What's the real problem?” Alicia asked.
“Men!” Brenda let out an exasperated sigh. “What is ever the problem when you try to get something done—when you try to get anything done?”
Alicia leaned in. “I thought it was brought to the discussion table weeks ago and everything was a go.”
Brenda frowned. “We did discuss it and it was a go but, of course, we had to form a committee to discuss it again.'” Brenda rolled her eyes. “You know, all those 'details' to be worked out.”
Alicia threw her hands into the air. “What details? You had a great idea.”
Brenda nodded. “Yes, and that was the first detail we had to work through, 'whose idea was this'?”
Alicia added dressing to her Chicken Caesar Salad and poked it around with her fork. “That's one of those trick questions.”
Brenda raised her eyebrows. “Exactly! You never know if you're going to get credit or take the blame.”
“I can't believe it was such a big deal,” Alicia said.
“I can't either. I thought we already talked it to death—all the pros and cons. We figured in all the costs, the manpower needed, the starting date, and the timeline to complete. We even included a 'bad weather delay' clause.”
“Oh, you are kidding me!” Alicia said.
“Oh, no I'm not,” Brenda said.
“How ridiculous can it get? This isn't a million-dollar project,” Alicia said.
“I agree, but I've learned to play the game in these high-stakes negotiations.”
Alicia tapped her finger against the side of her temple. “You have to use your brains, not only to get things done but get them done your way.”
Brenda took a deep breath. “We finally reached an agreement. The materials were ordered, paid for, and delivered.”
“So, what was left to talk about?” Alicia asked.
“Beats me, but talk we did—on and on and on—to the point I wasn't interested in this project anymore. It was a great idea I wish I had never had,” Brenda said and criss-crossed her two index fingers as if warding off evil.
Alicia moved forward. “Well, if you throw in the towel now, it makes it much harder to have your voice heard the next time.” She sighed. “If you give in, just try to get anything done in the future.”
Brenda nodded. “Sadly, you're right.”
“So, what's next on the agenda?” Alicia asked.
“Another meeting that I'm sure will be a tie vote.”
“Another meeting?” Alicia asked.
Brenda leaned toward her friend and lowered her voice. “I have an idea.”
“What's that?” Alicia asked.
A smile spread across Brenda's face. “Why don't you join the committee and be the tie breaker—in my favor, of course.”
Alicia stared at her friend. “Don't you think Toby would catch on to what we're doing?”
“He might, but if it gets him to build that darn dog house, who cares?” Brenda said.
# # #
Thank you for taking the time to read "Ad Hoc Committee."
If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends and posting a review on Amazon.com or other online sites.
Word-of-mouth referrals are an author's best friend and much appreciated.
Ad Hoc Committee
by
Valerie Allen
Copyright by Valerie Allen 2019
Amazon.com/dp/B07TLDXGHW
All rights reserved
For more information, please contact:
Valerie Allen
VAllenWriter@gmail.com
ValerieAllenWriter.com
Amazon.com/author/valerieallen
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events, is entirely coincidental.
Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved. No part of this story may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author.
Short Stories
by
Valerie Allen
A Good Thing on a Bad Day
A License to Practice
A Marriage of Convenience
A Mother's Love
A Tooth for a Tooth
Ad Hoc Committee
Best Wishes
Brotherly Love
Conditional Love
Doggie Tales
Father's Day
Fire Engine Red
Fireworks on the 4th
First Love
Fit for Life
Future Plans
Holiday House Rules
Holiday Traditions
Home for the Holidays
I Remember Momma
Just Be Cos
Ladies in Waiting
Leisureville
Love is in the Air
Match-maker
Mother Knows Best
No Goin' Home
Potty Talk
Puppy Love
Queen for a Day
Second Chance
Small Steps
Split Second Timing
Thank You! Mr. Jackson
The Big Winner!
The Garden of Love
The Lonely Life of Amanda Miller
The Penalty Box
Words of Wisdom
Valentine's Day
Visiting Day
~ ~ ~
Amazon.com/author/valerieallen
Ad Hoc Committee(Valerie Allen)
Ad Hoc Committee
by
Valerie Allen
“How did the project turn out?” Alicia asked. She set her lunch tray on a table in the employee cafeteria and then slid her briefcase from her shoulder onto the bench seat. She sat across from her friend and coworker, Brenda.
“Turn out?” Brenda echoed.
Alicia set her napkin on her lap. “From the look on your face and the tone of your voice, my guess is, it didn't go well.”
Brenda opened the top button on her suit jacket and reached over to arrange her sandwich plate and silverware on the table. “The project's not done yet, but it's still a 'work in progress'.”
Alicia leaned toward her friend and lowered her voice. “'A work in progress'” is better than 'let's put it on the back burner'.”
Brenda nodded. “True, which is better than 'let's table it for now'.”
Alicia frowned. “All euphemisms for 'we're not going to do it.”
Brenda looked at her friend and shook her head. “I think you hit the nail on the head.”
“What's the real problem?” Alicia asked.
“Men!” Brenda let out an exasperated sigh. “What is ever the problem when you try to get something done—when you try to get anything done?”
Alicia leaned in. “I thought it was brought to the discussion table weeks ago and everything was a go.”
Brenda frowned. “We did discuss it and it was a go but, of course, we had to form a committee to discuss it again.'” Brenda rolled her eyes. “You know, all those 'details' to be worked out.”
Alicia threw her hands into the air. “What details? You had a great idea.”
Brenda nodded. “Yes, and that was the first detail we had to work through, 'whose idea was this'?”
Alicia added dressing to her Chicken Caesar Salad and poked it around with her fork. “That's one of those trick questions.”
Brenda raised her eyebrows. “Exactly! You never know if you're going to get credit or take the blame.”
“I can't believe it was such a big deal,” Alicia said.
“I can't either. I thought we already talked it to death—all the pros and cons. We figured in all the costs, the manpower needed, the starting date, and the timeline to complete. We even included a 'bad weather delay' clause.”
“Oh, you are kidding me!” Alicia said.
“Oh, no I'm not,” Brenda said.
“How ridiculous can it get? This isn't a million-dollar project,” Alicia said.
“I agree, but I've learned to play the game in these high-stakes negotiations.”
Alicia tapped her finger against the side of her temple. “You have to use your brains, not only to get things done but get them done your way.”
Brenda took a deep breath. “We finally reached an agreement. The materials were ordered, paid for, and delivered.”
“So, what was left to talk about?” Alicia asked.
“Beats me, but talk we did—on and on and on—to the point I wasn't interested in this project anymore. It was a great idea I wish I had never had,” Brenda said and criss-crossed her two index fingers as if warding off evil.
Alicia moved forward. “Well, if you throw in the towel now, it makes it much harder to have your voice heard the next time.” She sighed. “If you give in, just try to get anything done in the future.”
Brenda nodded. “Sadly, you're right.”
“So, what's next on the agenda?” Alicia asked.
“Another meeting that I'm sure will be a tie vote.”
“Another meeting?” Alicia asked.
Brenda leaned toward her friend and lowered her voice. “I have an idea.”
“What's that?” Alicia asked.
A smile spread across Brenda's face. “Why don't you join the committee and be the tie breaker—in my favor, of course.”
Alicia stared at her friend. “Don't you think Toby would catch on to what we're doing?”
“He might, but if it gets him to build that darn dog house, who cares?” Brenda said.
# # #
Thank you for taking the time to read "Ad Hoc Committee."
If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends and posting a review on Amazon.com or other online sites.
Word-of-mouth referrals are an author's best friend and much appreciated.
Ad Hoc Committee
by
Valerie Allen
Copyright by Valerie Allen 2019
Amazon.com/dp/B07TLDXGHW
All rights reserved
For more information, please contact:
Valerie Allen
VAllenWriter@gmail.com
ValerieAllenWriter.com
Amazon.com/author/valerieallen
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events, is entirely coincidental.
Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved. No part of this story may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author.
Short Stories
by
Valerie Allen
A Good Thing on a Bad Day
A License to Practice
A Marriage of Convenience
A Mother's Love
A Tooth for a Tooth
Ad Hoc Committee
Best Wishes
Brotherly Love
Conditional Love
Doggie Tales
Father's Day
Fire Engine Red
Fireworks on the 4th
First Love
Fit for Life
Future Plans
Holiday House Rules
Holiday Traditions
Home for the Holidays
I Remember Momma
Just Be Cos
Ladies in Waiting
Leisureville
Love is in the Air
Match-maker
Mother Knows Best
No Goin' Home
Potty Talk
Puppy Love
Queen for a Day
Second Chance
Small Steps
Split Second Timing
Thank You! Mr. Jackson
The Big Winner!
The Garden of Love
The Lonely Life of Amanda Miller
The Penalty Box
Words of Wisdom
Valentine's Day
Visiting Day
~ ~ ~
Amazon.com/author/valerieallen
- Share this story on
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![](/storage/users/C39E7500-C795-8696-8505-FD6330063036_1633819580-image(212x212-crop).jpeg)
Gordon England
03/13/2021You figured out a way to get around a bureacracy. Ha Ha. Nice Valerie
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
![some-data...](/storage/users/A4543371-1E62-2385-EF62-EC1DC894E054_1692316512-image(212x212-crop).jpeg)
Valerie Allen
03/14/2021Gordon ~ I knew you would get a kick out of this story! Sometimes it takes great wisdom to outsmart the boys in the room ~
Help Us Understand What's Happening
![](/storage/users/5409FB9C-B08D-404A-AEB5-1656E97B7D38_1544319328-image(212x212-crop).jpeg)
JD
03/12/2021I think we need to form a committee to discuss the ramifications of your story. Then again, maybe we should just build the dang thing and stop talking about it. Either way, that was another great story with a lot of insights into the difference between the sexes, and a great laugh at the end. Thanks Valerie! Happy short story STAR of the day! : )
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
![some-data...](/storage/users/A4543371-1E62-2385-EF62-EC1DC894E054_1692316512-image(212x212-crop).jpeg)
Valerie Allen
03/13/2021Sylvia ~ Yes, we ladies have been behind in the corporate world, as well as in many other areas. I thought this would send the message with a humorous slant. I certainly know about "Gloria" and MS. Magazine. This was almost considered a scandel in the USA when it came out! Thank you for reading my stories ~
Help Us Understand What's Happening
![some-data...](/storage/users/default-image(212x212-crop).png)
Sylvia Maclagan
03/13/2021Hello Valerie, I've enjoyed your story, especially about the difficulties we women have with male staff. I recently saw the movie "The Three Glorias", about the life of Gloria Steinman (not sure I've spelled it correctly). She finally edited her own magazine, Ms. I'm sure you know more about her than I do, as I live in Argentina.
I see you are a prolific writer, so I'll try to read more of your work, as this story is so good. Congrats on being short story STAR of the day! Best wishes, Sylvia
Help Us Understand What's Happening
![some-data...](/storage/users/A4543371-1E62-2385-EF62-EC1DC894E054_1692316512-image(212x212-crop).jpeg)
Valerie Allen
03/13/2021Always an honor to be named Story Star of the Day. Glad you enjoyed this story. Many women seem to have a full understanding of this situation ~
COMMENTS (2)