It had a 906 area code, so she had no idea who or what tried to reach her. She figured it was a spam call and headed to the shower.
When she returned to get dressed, her phone was ringing and about to vibrate its way off the bedside table when she answered.
“Hello?”
“Hi, is this Vicki James?”
“Yeah, who wants to know?”
“Oh, yes. Excuse me, I’m Jack Jackson with WIRN in Ironwood, Michigan. Do you have a few minutes?”
Curious, Vicki replied, “Sure, I don’t need to be in for a few hours yet. How can I help you?”
“Vicki, I’m not sure if you knew this, but recently Pete and Kevin were up in Ironwood to help us through some strategic planning. It was a great exercise for us, and we’re instituting some changes. Which is why I’m calling you. We’d like to talk with you about becoming our Radio & Video Content Director.”
“That’s a title I’ve not heard before. I just recently became Program Director here at WRSE, so I don’t know if I have the experience you need.”
“I know a little bit about you, Vicki. My uncle was Steve Jackson, who you worked with at the station. He told me about you a few times and when Pete and Kevin were here; I learned more about how you worked your way up the ladder. We plan to change our FM to all-request like you guys did in Roseville; become more locally oriented on the AM side; and develop several streaming opportunities in the community. I can’t do all that and think we need a young mind to steer this thing, are you open to coming up here for an interview and look us over?”
“Well, sure, Jack. That sounds nice, I appreciate you thinking about me.”
“That’s great. I’ll send you an email later today with details.”
“OK, thanks. Bye.”
---
Across town, Ken was getting dressed. He was looking forward to returning to the station for the first time in weeks.
Dr. Max Straw and Pete Moss have been handling most of his on-air work, including “On the Records” and the COVID-19 related health advisories and weekly talk show.
Returning to work also meant Rachel was cutting back her hours. She told him there would still be visits each evening to review his progress and continue with a round of physical therapy, but after Friday he would graduate from P.T.
At this point, returning to the station meant sitting at his computer and using the microphone and dedicated line the station installed, he didn’t care about that, he was glad to get back on the air.
Before potting up the mike, he texted Pete to let him know he was ready. A second later, he heard Pete’s voice through the headphones.
“Hi Ken. Glad you’re here. How are you feeling?”
“Feeling good, Pete, thanks. What’s up first?”
“Max and I will open the show here after the top of the hour news, take a break, and when we come back, we’ll introduce you. When we ask how you are, please take as much time as you want to talk about your time away, the illness and the recovery. If you need a break, you can do that, or just pause naturally and we’ll pick it up.”
“OK, Pete. That sounds good. Why don’t we do that. When I’m done, I close with something like, ‘back with more of Dr. Max and Pete after this.’ If you guys jump on the talk line during commercial, I’ll let you know if I need a break before continuing.”
“Sounds good. Sit tight, you can toggle between on-air and studio line on your computer. You have five minutes before we’re live. I’m glad you’re back, Ken.”
“Thanks, I’m pretty happy, too.”
Ken ate two pieces of buttered toast and drank half his cup of tea while listening to WRSE. He brushed crumbs off his shirt during the weather and finished the tea as Pete and Max went on the air.
He cleared the desk during the commercial break, so it was just him, the microphone, pre-amp, a notepad and pen, plus a glass of room temperature water.
He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking about his coronavirus journey. He was plenty sick, but knew he was blessed to recover and return to work. He was thankful Pete and his friends at work didn’t abandon him. He thought about the people he saw in the hospital who didn’t go home. He said a short prayer and listened as his friend, Dr. Max Straw, introduced him.
“Pete, this is a day we’ve been waiting for a while now. I’m glad to say Good Morning, Ken. How are you?”
“I’m fine, Dr. Max, thanks. Good morning, Pete and good morning, friend. As I was waiting for Pete and Max to get around to introducing me (Pete and Max could be heard chuckling in the background), I thought how thankful I am to be back.
“WRSE set up a studio here at home so I can be on air while I continue to regain my strength. I’m thankful for that, too. But, friend, I’m thankful for you. You sent cards and letters with your thoughts, prayers, and memories. You sent so many flowers my room looked like a funeral home and I’ve heard how you sent gifts to the hospital to make sure everyone in Rose County can get the tests and treatment they need. Thank you.
“I was plenty sick. I was never put on a ventilator, but there was a three-day stretch where it felt like every doctor, nurse, and nursing assistant were gathered around my bed. Those folks are heroes. They are everyday heroes. They take care of us, putting their lives at risk so we can get back to our families and our friends. Thank you.
“After the worst of it passed, then another crew started working with me. While I was never an Olympian, I thought I was in good shape, but after a week of the virus, I couldn’t stand up for a minute without help. The therapists pushed and encouraged me as I worked on standing and getting in and out of a chair. Then they let me walk to the door! There are so many people who helped me get back to this microphone, I can’t begin to thank them all. Most recently, Rachel has been an excellent aide. She’s working as a nursing assistant now, but I expect we’ll see her as a nurse in the future. Rachel’s job is getting me across the finish line, which is being able to take care of myself again. I’m not quite there but getting close. Thank you, Rachel.
“That’s enough about me for now. I’ll give you updates as we go along here. In the meantime, if you have had any of the symptoms associated with COVID, get tested and get treatment. If you don’t have the symptoms, act like you do anyway. If we all wear masks and exercise some common sense, we can gain ground against this killer.
“Whew, I’m kind of tired from all this talking, let’s take a break. We’ll be right back with Pete and Dr. Max.”
---
Pete and Jean met for lunch at Karen’s Kandies. Jean was sitting at a table on the patio when Pete joined her.
“Hi, honey! How’re you?”
“Doing great, that was a nice show with Ken this morning. He sounds weak, but it was great to hear his voice again.”
“Yeah, I thought he did a nice job. I talked to him a bit after the show and he was going to rest a bit but was excited about getting back on in the morning. So, did you hear anything from the realtor?”
“Yes, I did. She said we have four appointments to tour your place set up over the next two days. And I talked to my accountant and have a plan I think will work out for Jake and Emjay if they want the place.”
“Do you think they won’t want the farm?”
“Well, I don’t know for sure. They may have other goals and they don’t have to live there because I’m offering it to them. I hope they do. I’m having them over for dinner tonight, so we’ll see what happens. Do you want to come over?”
“Thanks, Jean. I’d love to, but I know you don’t need me. You told me this was something your husband wanted to do some day, this way you can do what the two of you dreamed of. Call me afterwards, OK?”
Jean brushed her eyes. “Thanks, Pete, that’s very nice. I’ll call and let you know their thoughts. So, what do you want to eat?”
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