Nov 25
Her greatness lay in doing what everybody could do but doesn't. She was unexpected. She was untitled. (She was) an improbable warrior that was leading an unlikely army of waitresses and street sweepers and shopkeepers and auto mechanics.
Jennifer Granholm, Michigan Governor at Rosa Park's funeral, , 11-02-05
Cynthia did a mental calculation of how much she had collected and how many more people she could ask.
Despite being on her lunch break, she was still hard at work. But this work wasn't directly related to her job, though she felt it was more important.
Agent Dowswell had been killed by a suspect in the line of duty yesterday. The entire Navy Yard was in shock; he had been a lovely man who made everyone laugh and told sweet stories about his new wife. While the agents were in shock and fumbled with what to do, Cynthia had decided to organize some help for the widow, Wendy.
Already, several people in Finance had agreed to cook casseroles and take them over in the next few days. Jefferson in Legal had promised to look into Dowswell's affairs and check everything was in order. Half of the ladies in the evidence garage were sorting out a vague rota for who would spend their evenings with Wendy to support her.
Cynthia herself was busy collecting money for a floral tribute to Dowswell. So far she approximated she had enough for a large bouquet for Wendy, and was slowly but surely collecting enough for the funeral.
She knew everyone would rally round if encouraged. And she was just the person to do it.