Loving Contrasts - Chapter 2.1

After completing his shift as The Big E, Chandler Edenfield headed straight to the break room and refilled his large blue tumbler from the water cooler. He drank from it as he went to the small office that he shared with the nightshift DJ, DJ Treat. The cold liquid felt good going down this throat. When he was on the air, he only drank hot herbal tea because it helped keep his voice clear and potent. Otherwise he preferred cold beverages.

Sitting at his mid-sized oak desk on the north side of the room, Chandler started to search through the cluster of files and documents inside the desk and on top of it. He was looking for the number to the local CASA program. After talking about the program earlier, he decided that it wasn’t enough to encourage others to give more to the community. He needed to do more volunteering himself.

With his social life currently on pause, he had more time for volunteerism. Chandler hadn’t been with a woman since he heard a life-changing, thought-provoking sermon at his parents’ church three months ago. That sermon not only prompted him to receive Christ, but to also start practicing celibacy.

“Finally!” Chandler said when he eventually located the CASA brochure fifteen minutes later in the bottom of his left desk drawer. “I have got to get more organized,” he vowed, though it was unlikely that he’d start today. He had bigger fish to fry right now. With him, mountains always trumped mole hills.

According to the colorful brochure, the CASA program ‘needed dedicated, committed men and women who cared about children and who were willing to confidently stand up for them and make a difference in their lives’. 

Chandler deemed himself one of those people. Plus his own foster care background made him the perfect candidate for the job. He and his siblings were once in those children’s shoes before the Edenfields adopted them.

The brochure went on to disclose that more than 50% of the local children in need were boys. Thus there was a special need for more men to stand up and be counted.

Looks like my help is needed more than I thought, Chandler surmised, wishing he’d known about those statistics sooner. He’d been so caught up with looking for Miss Right over the last few years that he hadn’t paid enough attention to things like this. Well, better late than never.

“Contact Inaya Seabrook for more information,” he read aloud, picking up his desk phone to do just that.

After dialing the number, a pleasant sounding woman answered the line. “Inaya Seabrook speaking. How may I make your day a great day?”

Wow! Chandler was impressed with her already just from that unique greeting.

“Hello, Ms. Seabrook, I’m Chandler Edenfield and I’d like to know more about your CASA program,” he said, wondering if she was as gorgeous as she sounded.

© 2014 by Suprina Frazier

Photo Credit:

https://www.mineralcountyfrn.org/mineral-county-casa.html