How Green Becomes Wood

Daizi wore a midnight blue sun dress and comfortable heels, and Dark matched his shirt to her dress, as well as his cufflinks to her necklace, although since his sleeves were rolled up they aren't particularly obvious. When they arrived in the town square, Dark was shocked at how many people were around, and wondered if it was better they had brought the stroller or if it would be better if he put Ivy into the sling. He didn't know what would make her less likely to get bumped into.

"My coworker is here?" Daizi asked, surprised, holding tight onto Dark's arm so they weren't separated in the crowd and since he spotted Sally, he led her that way, not recognizing the mayor.
 
"I think so," Xander said. "I guess Peter called the museum, too."

Peter spotted them as they approached and excused himself before hurrying over to meet them at the dividing rope. A man with a security short watched them suspiciously, but considering Dark was nearly twice his width, it was a rather hilarious scene.

"You guys came!" Peter grinned. "This is great!" His Australian accent was out in full force due to his excitement.
 
"I wonder why they didn't tell me he was coming," Daizi remarked while Dark stared down the secure guard as they walked by. "I wonder if any of my other coworkers are here?"

"Hello, Peter," Dark nodded to the teenager when he approached them.

Daizi was, naturally, far more happy to talk to him, "Of course we came! This is quite the spectacle!"
 
"I am so glad you all came. Hi, Ivy!" Peter made sure to greet her. "I am so nervous! I hope this goes well and that we all remain friends."

"What the hell are you talking about and what have you done?" Xander demanded.

Peter laughed. "Oh, it's way too late to spoil anything now. I've tossed the snowball down the mountainside. So! Make sure you are all right up front, okay? Dr. Wahid, I hope you don't mind but I asked your coworkers to be present, too, and if they wanted to invite your friends. I don't know how many of them showed up." He glanced over his shoulder. "I have to get back now. We're about to start. Remember! Front and center!"

"But why?" Alec pleaded, but Peter just winked and shook his head.
 
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"It's kind of you to invite so many people I know, thank you." Daizi said warmly, although she found it strange he had gone through all of that work for her.

Dark frowned slightly at Peter. The adamant demand for being front and center reeked of audience participation which was not to his preference. And he was suspicious, too. Why would Peter invite so many people he didn't know personally? And specifically Daizi's friends and coworkers? He couldn't figure out the intention behind it, but that was too specific to be meaningless.
 
Alec tugged lightly on Dark's sleeve. "Come on. We'd better get to our spot!" he grinned. "This is going to be good."

"As long as no one asks us up on stage for any reason," Xander grumbled, glancing between Daizi and Peter. His thoughts were much along the same lines as Dark's, and he couldn't for the life of him figure out why Peter would be doing... whatever he was doing for his mother.

"I wonder if Sloan was able to come," Alec wondered aloud, ignoring Xander's skepticism and making his way toward what looked like a more or less front-and-center spot. He scanned the crowd as best as he could, trying to pick out anyone he knew. He knew a surprising number!
 
Sloan did arrive, although through the crowds it took her a little while before she spotted the twins, and when she did she hurried over, "This is crazy!" She said after the initial greetings, "Peter and his family must have more money than god or something. Who would've expected this is what he was so focused on?!"

Daizi didn't really put together any significant meaning between the people who were invited for her. It was a little weird, sure, but there was no way she could guess it was somehow related to her. And when Cooger showed up, that just seemed normal: Knowing him, he probably helped set the whole event up--Literally. He probably helped to build the stage, she guessed. Still, she, and more so Dark, were very much glad he was there.
 
"I still don't know what 'this' is!" Xander grumbled to Sloan.

"Whatever it is, it's fantastic!" Alec said gleefully.

Xander rolled his eyes. "How can it be fantastic when you don't even know what it is?" He lifted his hand in greeting to Cooger.

The mayor mounted the podium and tapped on the microphone. "Is this on? Good. Hello, everyone, and welcome!" He smiled, waiting for everyone to settle while the Hollis family stood at the back of the podium, beaming. "It is so good to see such a crowd today. Now, I am sure you are all eager to see what it is under this tarp, so I will not make you wait long." He gave a cheery wink and waited. He was rewarded by a few uncertain laughs. "Today, I am very, very proud to announce that all of this is due to the hard work, ambition, and, most importantly, compassionate heart of one of our very own residents, Peter Hollis."

Alec cheered at Peter's name, earning him a grin from his friend. The mayor gave just the slightest pause, clearly not have anticipated the cheer, and then went on.

"Though he has not been here long, less than two years, as it happens, young Mr. Hollis saw a need in our fair town, and he sought to fill it. He did his own research throughout the school year and then turned his impressive mathematical skills to earning money and securing the pledges from many, many businesses - their names are there on that board - to secure the funding for this very special project. But who better to tell you about this project then the man himself? Please, Peter, come tell us all about it!" The Mayor stepped back, clapping, and let Peter step forward.

Peter looked more nervous than the twins had ever seen him before, but he stood straight and smiled broadly as he waited for the smattering of applause to die down.
 
Dark and Daizi, now joined with their best friend, quieted, listening the Mayor's presentation, intrigued but confused. It was really impressive how much a sixteen year old managed to accomplish, it made all three of them feel a bit... Well, when they were all sixteen, they were depressed, smoking weed, and drinking underage. Their teenage experience was definitely focused on other things, and Daizi couldn't imagine how proud Sally must be to see what her son had accomplished.
 
"Hello, everyone," Peter greeted them, deliberately trying to lessen his accent and sound more American. It mostly worked. "I did do a lot, but I wouldn't be here without the support of my parents first and foremost," he smiled at his parents, and Sally looked ready to cry happy tears, "and my friends. Especially Sloan Applebaum, and Xander and Alec Cunningham. They have no idea how much they supported me and how much they did to fuel my desire to see this project through to the end no matter what hurdles I faced."

"No idea is right," Xander muttered and promptly got elbowed by Alec.

Peter turned and nodded to the security team standing near the tarp-covered car. They reached up and pulled the tarp off the car. At first, it looked like a car. Just a regular car, but with a professional decal on the side like a taxi or business car. Then, on closer look, some of the specializations became apparent.

"The Wheels For All Transportation System," Peter announced. "A fleet of specialized vehicles designed to transport people with any disability, any medical issue, and any financial situation, driven by professionals trained to handle a wide range of medical problems. Whether you are mobility challenged, visually challenged, neurologically different, or a mother without access to transportation, Wheels For All is there to help. Of course, service animals are welcome in every vehicle! Every car comes with transitional car seats as well as attachments if you want to bring your own and removable seats. Some of the businesses that have pledged their help to those who are financially challenged, offering a minimum of one free ride per month per business." He named a few essential places like a grocery store and a couple of medical facilities. "No one should be left behind, no matter what their situation. No one should feel trapped or left behind just because they are a little different than quote unquote normal people or because they happen to have an extra companion with them."
 
All at once Daizi understood why she was there, and she squeezed Dark's more tightly. It was unclear how many people in the crowd needed a service like this, but it meant the world to her. Although she still wished she could be totally independent and not need to rely on a ride service, she knew that would never be an option for her. This service Peter had organized gave her more freedom than she had enjoyed in months. She would be able to go places again, without relying on her friends or family.

Dark kissed her hair, quickly, because he knew how important this was to her, and tried to tell himself not to be irritated that in their day and age, this stuff wasn't already in place. Now wasn't the time, he was grateful, for Daizi's sake, it was enacted at all.
 
"Currently, we only have five vehicles in active duty right now, but we are working to fund at least five more with a goal to have twenty vehicles in service so we can rotate through them and always keep them clean and well-serviced, as well as train more drivers. Right now, our services only run during typical business hours, but we do have two drivers willing to take emergency calls. Once more drivers have been trained, we will be able to make more hours available." Peter took a deep breath. "Sadly, those with disabilities of many different types get left behind in society, now and in the past. Maybe someday services like this will not be needed, but until then, it's up to each of us to try to fill the needs we see around us every day. Sometimes,we need things as big as an entire transportation system, but most of the time what is needed is for each individual to make those small choices that impact others. Learn about what you can do to better interract with your fellow humans every day. It can be as small as knowing when to explain the surroundings to a sight-impaired pedestrian, or as small as knowing to not overstimulate an Autistic friend. I hope that what you will take away from today is not that you need a lot of money to make a change, but that all you need is the determination to do what you can with what you have. Thank you, and I hope you all have a wonderful day! Those interested, please form a line right there," he indicated where Dark and Daizi stood, "if you'd like an up-close and personal look at the cars. Have a good day!" He quickly retreated back to his parents.

"Wow! That is so cool!" Alec squealed, bouncing up and down where he stood.

Xander looked around. "Wait. He made us the start of the line to go see the car. That means Mama gets to be the first one to check it out."
 
"I suppose that would follow," Daizi said with a little sigh, quite excited with this new program, but glad she hadn't been called on stage. With the fuss Peter had made about them being front and center, she had begun to worry he would make some grand gesture and point her out, and that would have ruined the day for her, because she didn't like her disability to be a spectacle. Once they were allowed to, she walked up with Dark and Cooger to check out the car--- if she was honest, she didn't particularly care about the car itself, it wasn't one of her interests, but it was the polite thing to do.
 
The car was a specialized car, more of a small van, really, and each detail had been carefully thought out. Everything was rounded and padded, though there was no carpet, and Braile in two languages had been added anywhere there could even possibly be a need for it. There were informational pamphlets in the seat pockets and a small white board with a pen was attached with a long string to the back of one of the seats so anyone could use it to write on. It smelled new! There was even a built-in kennel in the back that would fit anything about the size of a German Shepherd or smaller.

"Wow, this is a nice van," Alec said when they'd finished examining it.

"Almost as nice as mine," Xander agreed with a nod.
 
Daizi carefully sought out the details she needed to navigate, although she could really only judge how accessible it was by what she needed, it certainly met her approval and there were no glaring issues she could find with it. "Do you see this car, habibti?" She asked Ivy, kneeling down by the stroller, "This car means Mama and Ivy can go on so many adventures together! Where are we going to go, sweet girl? What does Ivy want to see?"

When they were finished and they walked away, she squeezed Dark's arm and told her they needed to talk with Sally and Peter.
 
Alec smiled at his mother. "I cannot believe this. This is what he was working on?"

"And he got shown on television. He's going to be impossible to live with," Xander sighed, but he was smiling just slightly.

Sally, Jack, and Peter were talking to the mayor still as well as a couple of reporters, but when Jack spotted Dark, Daizi, and the twins coming toward them, he tapped on Sally's arm. Sally instantly ended the conversation politely and stepped away. Peter looked like he was practically holding his breath as they approached.
 
"Well, this is quite a the surprise!" Daizi said, truly amazed, "And to think, you were worried about what he might have been getting up to!" She turned to Peter, "Why did you work so hard to keep this a secret from your mom?"

"This was a very thoughtful idea," Dark told the teen.
 
Peter breathed a quiet sigh of relief and relaxed a little, seeing his efforts hadn't hit a sour spot or been completely off the mark. "I thought the whole thing was going to collapse at any second, and by the time I was even slightly sure I could pull it off, I was in too deep. Plus, I really wanted to do it on my own and not have people say it was just family money," he admitted sheepishly.

Sally smiled and squeezed his shoulder. "He's been talking to as many people he could about what was needed in a vehicle, and calling businesses looking for backers... Oh, I'm so proud of him and his effots!"

Jack just nodded, looking a little misty-eyed.
 
"It's going to look fantastic on your college applications," Daizi told him, "and it's going to help a lot of people in our town." It was going to help her, and everybody there knew it, but she didn't want to say so. It was a strange thing, it was this wonderful move towards accessibility, and even though she never tried to hide or downplay the fact she did need a little extra help, there was something uncomfortable about the awareness that everyone there had about it. She was thrilled about the service, but a little uneasy about being the only one amongst them who really needed it. So she wasn't going to say, 'this is really going to help me.'

Dark nearly suggested it would also be helpful for merit-based scholarship applications, but decided against it: If Peter was able to play the stock market for a few weeks and establish this, he was not going to need to apply for scholarships.
 
Peter laughed. "You know, that's exactly what my dad said!" he said in reference to the college applications. "I'm so glad I did all this for college applications."

"Now, that's not what I meant and you know it," Jack said, trying to pretend to be miffed, but he couldn't hide his glee.

Alec stepped up and gave Peter a half-hug. "This is the greatest thing I've ever seen! So many people are going to have so much opened up to them!"

"Yeah, thanks a lot for making the rest of us look real lame in comparison," Xander said dryly.
 
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