Steve
I was sitting in the kitchen having a cup of coffee before going to bed. Sometimes it's nice to just be by yourself for a few minutes to gather your thoughts.
There seems to be all kinds of things happening at once. Wes was bringing an aircraft in at the targeted price, Jeff, Abe, and Chance were creating a show of our new material for the military, there's Mark's new wind generator that appears to be the most efficient yet. Of course, hidden among all of these accomplishments is Gerry's translucent composite that is similar to Lexan, but a hell of lot cheaper to make.
Jeff and Gerry were able to make the cockpit windscreen and hood for the LSA air coupe with new material by creating a formula that was similar to the Transition and Polaroid glasses that tinted darker in the direct sun. Gerry said that although the material was now perfectly clear, she needed to work on the thickness so it wouldn't distort at certain angles. It looked pretty damned good to me on the new military vehicles. I would be very happy to supply a vehicle with it that could take on an IED in Afghanistan or Iraq.
The new man from Sue's accounting group helped Abe arrange a military showing of our product. We would display them in the showroom, then outside in the open air. After seeing the internal workings, we would take the visiting dignitaries to the bombing range by helicopter and really show off. This meant showing multiple completed vehicles.
The big shots were due in at the Air Force Base at ten. We would ferry them to the shop, demonstrate the vehicles and show off our tests results, feed them something special in our cafeteria, then ferry them out to the bombing range.
Chuck had suggested that we use the 206L for our guests, while our staff could ride in the other Bell 206s out to the bomb range. If we wanted to all ride together, he said for us to enlist the help of the Air Force. Chuck's first suggestion is what we went with, except that we wanted to bust up the military people and put them in different helicopters for safety reasons.
Because of charters and scheduled lessons, I had to ask Chuck to be one of our helicopter pilots. He readily agreed and said it could be considered his duty to help escort other federal dignitaries. There were two Department of Defense civilians along for the ride to help evaluate what we were showing.
As I sat there sipping coffee and contemplating everything, I was very satisfied with life and how everything had been working out for the company. Yes sir, I have it good. Now on with the day, and the week.
When I woke on the day of the showing, I did have some butterflies in the stomach as it could be worth a lot to our company. It could keep hundreds of people working and probably put hundreds more to work. It would all depend upon what we sold. Would it be only components, whole bodies, or complete vehicles? If we had the right information, our prices were going to be the best these men had ever seen and, even better; it would be for a superior product.
Abe, Jeff, and Chance were at breakfast with Tiny, Chuck, and me. We all reviewed our plan and the presentation. We smiled at each other and I said, "Let's go get 'em. Chuck's flying them from MacDill to the shop. We need to block off the front parking area for the helicopters to land. We'll bring the other three birds over after we get these men on the ground."
Chuck left us to go get the 206L. I had heard he had been practicing flying that particular aircraft just so he would give his dignitaries a good ride.
At the shop, Tiny had some mannequins dressed in fatigues from Quality Wear, complete with a sign saying "Quality Wear clothing, military supplier." We had to go out on the market to buy the beige boots. The showroom was really looking good. We had one of the open frames hanging from the ceiling above the completed vehicles, and a series of plates that had been shot by various weapons, including RPGs and fixed position rockets.
Outside, on the side next to the rebuild shop, was our selection of vehicles that showed what they look like and to give the dignitaries an opportunity to ride in them. We had to buy special license plates so we could drive them on the roads. The tracked vehicle couldn't go out of the yard, but we were planning on a road test demonstration of the rest of them.
At nine twenty, Chuck was hovering in front of our showroom window, setting down so the men could exit directly into the building. It was a beautiful day, so the men were going to enjoy our Florida sunshine.
I introduced our crew and myself, describing each of our responsibilities. Chance began the presentation by describing what our goal was for each vehicle. He would open a door, or flip a hood up, while he described how each vehicle would fit military use.
Jeff then described how the composite material had been created. He introduced Gerry, and let her describe the technical part of the translucent windscreen material.
Abe took over and showed each of the panels, describing the weapon used on it, right down to the fifty caliber rounds stuck in the material.
Abe walked over to the tracked vehicle and said "The M1A1 is almost seventy tons. This vehicle is only a little over fifteen tons, fully loaded with about the same fuel and armament. The vehicle can travel near fifty miles an hour and is considerably more efficient than the Abrams."
Abe looked at the men and said, "I'm not suggesting you replace the Abrams with this unit, but that you can augment the group with a lightweight unit that can withstand almost as much firepower as the Abrams."
Abe continued by describing his contribution of the new style diesel engine. He described why he created it, and how it was powerful enough to propel all of the vehicles shown.
I think the people seeing our presentation didn't believe us. '
We took them through the shops, described what each group did, then went outside to play with the vehicles. They thought our version of a utility vehicle was neat since it appeared to be low to the ground, but had pneumatic cylinders to raise it for additional clearance when necessary. Abe explained that was an option and that the standard clearance was fourteen inches.
We offered to give the men rides. We drove out of the yard in all the vehicles and around the business complex. We stopped to allow each of the visitors the opportunity to drive the vehicles. We even took them behind our buildings where there was a drainage creek they could drive through to show how easily the all-wheel drive trucks navigated hazards such as that. We promised to show them some abuse of the trucks when we got out to the bombing range.
We came back to the shop in time to escort the men through the food line, where they were served some of the best meatloaf or pork chops known to man. Everyone ate heartily and finished with some of our great coffee.
I advised the men that we would take helicopters out to the bombing range in order to save time.
The other helicopters had landed and were ready for passengers. I explained that I wanted to break up the party and have the dignitaries in separate helicopters. The highest ranking officer thought that was a good idea. He wanted to ride in front with Chuck and climbed right in. Chuck grinned at me and rolled his eyes.
When all the passengers were secure, Chuck led us out of town and across the countryside to the Avon Park bombing range just north of Sebring. We landed near some tents that were set up for the visitors to sit under while we demonstrated the vehicles.
First, all of the vehicles drove over hazards and very rough terrain, increasing speeds until the trucks were bouncing five and six feet off the ground.
We showed off the tracked vehicle by having it climb near straight up and then go straight down. We didn't show a rollover, but said we had done several rollover tests and found that the vehicle could easily be righted by another vehicle.
Just about the time Chance was saying this; the tracked vehicle was driving sideways on a steep incline and rolled over onto its side. The operator got out and had the APC come over and used a steel cable to attach it to the tracked vehicle. It was pulled over and the operator got back into the tank, started it, and drove over to the firing range.
The armed vehicles fired several rounds, demonstrating their ability to fire military ammo. Even the utility vehicle, with dual fifty calibers mounted, fired to show what it was capable of.
Then I said, "Now, we are going to show you something you haven't seen before. We're going to try to blow up these machines. We'll first blow up a small utility vehicle and the wheeled APC with what would be the force of the strongest IED currently used in Iraq or Afghanistan. We're going to do this without people in them, but I think that we will make our point."
Two Air Force technicians took some charges out to two of our demonstration vehicles that were about a hundred yards out, and set them under where they would do the most damage, directly below the engine and front passenger compartments. When they came back to stand by the rest of us, you could hear us all hold our breath.
Kaboom!
Kaboom!
The light utility vehicle bounced high into the air but came down on its wheels. The wheeled APC also rose, and came down with a flat tire.
Two of our men wearing fatigues, ran out, jacked up the APC and changed the tire. Another two men got in the vehicles, started them, and drove them back and forth in front of the observers. The men under the tent actually applauded.
Next, we put a utility truck out at a hundred yards. A couple of Air Force guys began shooting rifles at the vehicle. Then they brought out a fifty caliber. First the conventional round was shot at the side, then the explosive round. Next was an RPG that rocked the vehicle considerably.
When that was done, a man ran out, started the vehicle, and parked it so that it was facing the observers.
The Air Force technicians fired all their toys at the vehicle again. The fifty caliber round stuck in the windshield, just like always, but a second explosive round couldn't dislodge the first. Abe pulled his trick and had Gerry run out, get in the vehicle, and drive it next to the tent so everyone could see the results of the firing.
They all went over the vehicle, rubbed where small indentations were, and looked at the glass where the fifty caliber rounds were stuck in them. One of our men came out and changed quickly both windshields, showing how easy it was to work with our design.
Chance said, "I have one more demonstration for you, but this has to be done at a greater distance. If you notice, we're taking the tracked vehicle and the APC about a half mile out. The third vehicle is to bring the operators back. We don't test live fire with humans in the vehicles. We have a group of crash dummies that record what the impact is inside when they are hit.
When the operators were safely back, the Air Force Captain on the ground radioed for the strikes to begin.
The first thing two F-16s did was to do two separate strafing runs across both vehicles. We could see the APC rock from the hits. The two jets came roaring back, firing rockets that both had direct hits on the two vehicles. They came back around and did it again, flying overhead so low that we could see the rivets in the bottom of the aircraft.
You would think the two vehicles would be toast, however, two utility trucks with several men, went out to the vehicles and had to replace all four wheels on the APC and had to remount the track on the tracked vehicle. Two operators climbed into the vehicles, started them up and drove them both back to the tent.
Our guests were sitting with their mouths open and their jaws on their chests. Chance invited the evaluators to inspect the damaged parts they had replaced, and to check out the interior of the two vehicles.
Abe had a shit-eating grin on his face as he watched the men swarm over our damaged, but still running, vehicles.
One officer came over to me and said, "If I had not seen it in person, I would have bet the film was doctored. That was an incredible demonstration. You do know, Mr. Sharp, that we can't simply blow off the contracts that we have with our suppliers."
I said, "I know that, but you can specify what materials are used and that our material meets the criteria to protect the bottom of the vehicles and the occupants. If you need some extra APCs that are not already contracted for, call us and we'll bid. If you need more utility vehicles, call us and we'll bid. We know that our bids will create a problem with your other suppliers. We also know that we will beat any delivery given by your other suppliers. That's why I'm suggesting that you can have them use us to supply them with the products that will protect our soldiers in the field."
He said, "You gave that to us in the information we received this morning. I was wondering if you really meant that. I'm curious though as to how you will protect your patents on the products if you give them the means of creating the product."
"We won't give them the formulas, we'll only supply finished product. Like I said, we want to supply your vendors with better product. You can specify it and even suggest where they can obtain it. We'll do the rest."
The officer asked, "If you don't get big orders from our suppliers, what will you do with your vehicles?"
I honestly said, "Sell them to buyers that want to purchase them. The Israelis have observed some of our tests while they were watching some bombing runs. They have indicated a strong interest in our line of vehicles. They wanted to purchase the designs, formulas, and engine specs, but we don't sell those. We sell finished product."
He asked, "So you would sell your vehicles to foreign governments?"
"Yes Sir, I would, but not to governments that we have trouble with. I would be reluctant to sell to Venezuela, definitely not to North Korea or Iran. I probably wouldn't sell to China or Russia, but I would sell them parts or bodies for the right price. You see, my goal is to keep men working. We need orders for that. You can help us to do that."
He said, "If we do recommend your bodies, that will put some other men out of work."
"If we get the orders, I will need good men to come to work for us. We have some of the best people in the country working here and in our other plants. We can integrate those displaced into our work force and teach them our "perfect" way."
"I saw all those signs throughout your shop. The "Is it Perfect?" signs over the door. That's kind of presumptuous, isn't it?"
"No Sir, we demand that product leaving our shop be as perfect as we can make it. S&S employees work toward that goal every day. Ask them, anytime."
He said, "I might do that. You have an interesting operation."
Chance was telling the observers the demonstration was concluded and that we would be hauling them back to the Air Force Base. We broke the group up into two helicopters and had them take off to bring the men back.
When Chuck showed up at the patio later, he told me, "That general said he thought for sure you were going to wine and dine them tonight. They had to have their aircraft readied as the crew wasn't even on base. I almost suggested they stay overnight and come out for a nice party."
I laughed, "Wouldn't you know it. We try to play it straight and we get the "I want more" treatment. Well, we showed them what we promised. We fed them lunch and ferried them around. That should be enough. If not, next week, we have the South Koreans coming, along with Brazil and Peru. I think we can sell enough to keep men working. The trick will be to get paid by the countries purchasing the equipment. They are so used to handouts from the U.S. that they may think they can get this for free too. It ain't happening."
We all celebrated and ate some great barbecue. The two pigs that were roasted, along with the dozens and dozens of chickens, were all very tasty. I think everyone had their fill.
While we were eating, I told Chuck, "How about coming south to Key West with me so we can finalize the deal on the hotel. Bring everyone you want and we'll go down for tomorrow night."
Chuck went to his group and talked about a trip to Key West. They were all for it. He came back to the group of men all smiles. He said, "The whole contingent is ready. They would pack right now and be at the airpark in an hour if you said go."
"Early tomorrow is good. How about we meet out there around eight or eight thirty? We'll take two King Airs down. You do the 1900D with some of my folks and I'll probably take your B200. We'll stay until late the following afternoon. That'll give the kids and everyone a chance to get some sun and eat some conch fritters."
Tiny said, "You know what we need? We need a big airplane. Hell, some of the movie stars have 747s. We should be able to have something big enough for fifty people in open comfortable seating that is capable of flying to Europe or Hawaii. You know what? I'm going to find out what we would need and get one. I'll bet we can charter it a lot if we promote it."
I looked at Tiny sideways. He grinned and mouthed, "You know we need one."
Will we ever say 'enough?'
Chuck was rounding up his family and suggesting they get home and pack so they would be ready in the morning. I thought it funny that he keeps talking about buying some kind of bus for all the people he hauls around. I suppose that if all those women begin pumping out kids, he's going to need one.
My ladies were excited about going, and the more they talked, the more people wanted to go. When we had a final total, I had to call the hotel to see if there would be room. They said that reservations were down until Sunday. There were lots of people checking in for the week then.
We decided to use all of the King Airs and the 206s. If necessary, we could even use the sixteen passenger G5. Perhaps Tiny had a point. We could sometimes use a big aircraft.
Sue had called her mom, which meant Ben and Beth were coming along. That would be two more. Well, shoot, I guess we would need the G5.
We ended up with so many going that Chuck and I agreed that we would use the G5 to come back and get a second group.
Morning was a total riot as the kids were hyped to go to Key West, but disappointed they wouldn't be home for motocross lessons. Bonita was whining because she would miss her piano and guitar lessons. She wanted all of it, and was upset that she couldn't make up her mind as to which was most important. Kathy straightened her out though, as she said that staying home was not an option.
We were all out at the airport, loading up in every available fast passenger aircraft we had. Only the one G5 with the fancy interior was staying because it had a charter for Saturday and Sunday. The 206s took off first, followed by the King Airs, one Lear, and the G5.
We were only leaving twenty behind so we could use the Learjet and the G5 for the quick turnarounds.
Lisa and Chuck were in the G5 and I flew the Lear. Sue, Jimmy, and Brandy flew 206s, John flew the King Air 1900D, and Star flew a King Air B200. As I flew south, I kept thinking that a big aircraft would be a good thing. It's just hard to justify something that cost upwards of forty million or more. We would have to buy a very used aircraft and rebuild it inside and out. I wondered how many charters it would require to make an aircraft like that profitable. The operating cost on a big aircraft has to be steep. Perhaps if we do something like this again, we'll charter a bigger aircraft.
Chuck and I quickly made the round trip and the trip back to Key West. We didn't miss much and were out on the beach with the rest of the families by noon. The kids were having a blast and didn't want to quit having fun for lunch.
The hotel helped as they set up tables outside for us so the sand caked kids could just rinse off under the outdoor showers and sit down to eat. In the afternoon, Ben had Chuck and me meet with the former owners who were selling out their share of the hotel. When the papers were all signed, Chuck said, "In some ways, this is better than the places in Hawaii. It is close and we can come more often. You know you can use this place for one of the benefit weekends you provide your employees, Steve."
"I have been doing that, Chuck," I said, as we were walking back to our group. The adults were trying to get a little less sun by the middle of the afternoon. Chuck's two dark women both said they had already got sunburned.
By five, the kids were so tired that they were almost falling asleep on the beach, so we rinsed them down and took them to our rooms for a good cleaning to get them ready for supper.
A lot of people wanted to go out barhopping along the beach, but someone needed to stay with the kids. Chuck said, "I think I'd like to stay and watch critters tonight. Most of my crew would like that too, so let us be the babysitters tonight."
Glenda said, "Martin and I will be here too, but we're both so worn out, we might need babysitting ourselves."
Chuck, Lisa, Nancy, Judy, and Frieda were going to watch the kids while the rest of us went out to run amok on the Key West beach bar circuit. The folks staying in elected to order room service with the kids and have all of them have a fun sleepover in the big owner's suite.
The first place we hit was a restaurant where Sue had made reservations. Since we were such a big group, the only way to get served at once would be by reservation. We were a little early, which meant everyone needed to have at least one Margarita in honor of the redhead.
Charlie and Shawna were half in the bag by the time we finished eating, but insisted they accompany us on our quest to drink Key West dry. They did switch to beer, and that seemed to slow down their quick rise to a drunken state. It was good to have so many of our friends with us as we partied on the beach.
Sometime during our travels, the local police cautioned little Tiani about chasing chickens. She was getting a good load on and was being crazy. Brandy tried to control her, but that was near impossible. Tiny resolved the problem by picking Tiani up and carrying her under one arm while holding a staggering Ruth with the other.
Around two in the morning, we were near the hotel and all agreed that we couldn't drink the island dry. We had tried, but it was not possible.
Back at the hotel, all of the parents checked on their kids in the big suite. All of the kids were on the floor with blankets over them. Lisa and the three pregnant women were on a pullout bed, and Chuck was asleep on a couch on the other side of the kids.
When we came in, Chuck woke immediately, saw it was us, and went back to sleep. Tiani and Brandy crowded into the pullout bed with the other four girls and were instantly asleep, clothes and all.
My ladies were more than a little happy this night. Juanita even had a few too many Mojitos. Some of our revelers went back out to the hotels big hot tub to party some more, but my family snuggled up in a king size bed and quickly fell asleep.
Oh my. I could tell that I had too much to drink last night. The clock on the hotel nightstand said eight, but it felt like it was still too early to get up. I got out of bed and took a shower, shaved, and brushed my teeth. I was almost human again. When I came out of the bedroom, the kids were all awake and in their swimsuits, ready for the beach. Chuck, Lisa, Nancy, Judy, and Frieda were following Glenda's lead in getting the kids to eat breakfast.
Chuck handed me a tall glass that appeared to be a Bloody Mary. I waved it off as I said, "I have to fly today. It's a good thing it will be this evening or I would be in trouble."
Chuck said, "Not to worry, this is virgin. I thought it might help, even without any of hair of the dog that bit you. There's aspirin on that tray over there. Drink that and have some coffee and food. That will straighten you out. You'll also want some sun today to sweat that stuff out of you."
As people woke up and staggered into the main living room area, most just hugged a tall Bloody Mary glass and sipped with closed eyes. All of the people piloting were directed to the Virgin Marys and coffee.
As we ate, more food was delivered. Chuck explained that he had ordered multiple breakfast setups to be delivered every half hour, for a couple of hours, so the food wouldn't get cold.
Soon Glenda, Martin, Chuck, and his ladies took the all of the kids out to the beach. The kids were instantly splashing in the surf and exploring for shells up and down the beach. The adults were doing a good job of watching the various groups, keeping the kids that were in the water near shore.
By ten, everyone was awake and ready for the sun. The hotel said the owner's suite was good until tomorrow, but the other rooms had to be vacated by noon. We had everyone bring their bags to the owner's suite so their rooms could be made ready.
After lunch, a lot of the ladies wanted to go shopping to get things for those that couldn't come. All the men said we would watch the kids and have fun with them. The hotel had volleyball nets set up and we tried to organize some games, but they ended up by just batting the ball back and forth.
Some of the little kids were building big sandcastles and other buildings that were sort of recognizable. The important thing was they were having fun. The lifeguards came around and told every one that there were shark sightings near shore and would prefer for us to stay out of the water. All the kids would go out to the edge of the surf, stick their toes in the water, then run screaming away from the ocean.
The ladies returned with many bags around four-thirty. We decided it was time to clean up and begin our migration back to Tampa. We did it pretty close to the way we came down, leaving a bunch at the hotel to pick up after we had delivered the first group home.
By eight, everyone was back in Tampa, Lisa and Chuck were cleaning up the G5, and I was cleaning up the Lear so the two aircraft would be ready for Monday.
At home, all of the kids were over tired from playing in the sun for two days. They ate a little pizza, took a bath, and were in bed before nine.
Chuck and I had a beer together, discussing how I had conned him into being a part owner of a helicopter charter company. He kept trying to tell me that it was better if he was just a friend of the owner. I finally told Chuck, "Look, the helicopter charter company is still an S&S company, but you're half owner of that separate entity. Tiny will get with you for some money to pop for your half of the original purchase price of the company I bought out. I want you as a partner for this and we may have to have you as a partner on the fixed wing side. We'll see about it in time. Right now, you are a half owner, I'm a half owner, and the S&S 401K fund is about a forty percent owner. That means you and I only own thirty percent each. You will still receive income from the helicopters, but you have to pay maintenance and hangar fees for them. You see, you and I and the S&S 401K plan own two helicopters and some parts inventory. The rest of the aircraft are owned by you right now. As we have income, we'll buy some more and own them the same way we own the original two."
Chuck said, "Do I really want to be a business owner?"
I told Chuck, "You do, and you'll be happy you are. This is a way to get into something besides law enforcement. Have your avocation become a vocation. Besides, you're going to have to begin teaching pretty soon. You've been dodging the fixed wing training, but you can't dodge the helicopter training."
Lisa was sitting by me and asked, "When are you going to teach me rotary wing. Brandy wants to learn too. She says she has had an introductory flight and is scheduled for a lesson with Tank next week. I want you to teach me. Now that you're checked out on all the helicopters except the big one, you can teach me and check me out. I know it's expensive to fly helicopters for practice, but I don't spend any money anyway. Come on, Chuck, say you'll do it."
Chuck couldn't refuse and just nodded, saying, "Of course, I'll teach you. We'll work on it in the evenings or mornings depending on the time you have."
Then she said, "You have to teach Charlotte too. She's dying to get to know you better anyway. While you were gone the last time, I brought her home overnight and all the girls really liked her. They think she may be a candidate to be one of their toys, which means she could be your and my toy too."
Chuck looked sternly at Lisa, "Enough women. I have too many already. How could I possibly pay any attention to another lady with the group I have as it is? Please, Lisa, no more women."
Mercy came over to Chuck and Lisa and said, "Perhaps you could send her here so the four of us could evaluate her."
Lisa said, "Oh Mercy, Charlotte is just a cute little country girl that hasn't made up her mind what park she wants to play in yet. Leave her be. She'll make up her own mind."
Soon Chuck and his extended family began getting ready to leave. They all thanked me and the ladies for inviting them to come along on the weekend trip. I don't think they put together that Chuck and I were partners in the resort hotel yet. When they find out they can go down and stay in the owner's suite anytime they want, I imagine they will be flying down there often.
As the evening drew to a close and the patio was cleaned up and put back together, I sat outside with Mercy on one side and Sue on the other. I said to them, "You know, having Chuck and his family here in the park with us is going to make this place very busy. I'm sure you notice how he doesn't seem to want to play adult games like most of the others out here. We might have to go easy on him."
Mercy said, "He may not, but his women want to play with all of us women. They're not really interested in other men, but they do enjoy the ladies. Chuck thinks the world of all of us, but doesn't necessarily enjoy the wide open life style. I think he thinks he's giving something of his ladies away and he thinks he's stealing something from you, Steve. I know we've all told him many times how we enjoy sharing with him. We've even had him in our bed. He still feels that way. Sometimes his hormones get the better of him and he goes nuts. The rest of the time, he enjoys us all, even loves us all, including all of the kids, but he doesn't necessarily want a wide open sex thing."
Sue hugged me and said, "He doesn't mind his ladies doing things, just like you. He just doesn't think he needs all of the sharing we've done in the past."
Kathy and Juanita came out. Kathy picked Mercy up and sat Mercy on her lap as she sat next to me. Juanita sat on my lap. Kathy said, "I'm kind of getting that way in my old age. I loved all the wild parties up at the hot tub when Jake was alive and then when you came along, Steve. But the last year or so, I think all of us have toned down a little. I enjoy being with just my family, and of course when Sue brings some extra girl loving around. I like Chuck and love the way he makes me and all of us feel, but I'd rather Steve be my guy."
Juanita was smiling, "I was afraid Chuck would steal Mercy from us and it wasn't that way at all. I think that Chuck was resisting Mercy's sexuality but enjoying being able to communicate with her. The more I'm around Chuck, the more I know he loves and respects Steve and would never try to take one of us away."
Sue said, "You see, that's why we all love him. He's so respectful but so gentle to all of us. He treats us so delicately whenever we're around him. He does that with his women too. He's going to be like Steve and be a good dad to his kids. You have to feel a little sorry for him as there are going to be a lot of kids."
Kathy said, "He may not reach Steve's number for a long time. Lisa may have one, and maybe Tina, but probably not for a long time. Brandy will be good for one or two, and Tiani, probably just one. Nancy may quit with one, but will probably have another. Judy though wants a bunch. Frieda will probably stop with her twins. So you figure that's only about ten. We've got them beat with only four us and only three producers." That caused some laughs.
It was Mercy that had the final say, "But if he lets Lena and her sister, Tina, become part of the family, he could be in trouble. Those two come from a big family and will want to have at least four each if they can. That will put that group in the insane asylum category."
All the talk about babies had the girls wound up and it took me a long while to calm them down. Actually, it took them a long time to calm each other down, as I was done the first time through the batting order. Those ladies were getting better the older they got.
I love Monday mornings. It's a new day, a new week, lots of things to do, places to go, and people to see.
Sue had told me she needed to get an early start, so I kissed her awake, which woke Mercy and Juanita too. The five of us had a fun shower and were ready for the world by six o'clock. I turned on the light and had coffee going while Juanita and Mercy began making some breakfast biscuits. It's easy to include about six dozen biscuits while you make up batter for pancakes for the kids.
Glenda came over in her big robe to get her hug and have coffee with me. We chatted for a bit, while Kathy, Sue, and Juanita were getting the kids up. By six thirty, the patio was full and buzzing with activity.
Mickey and Samantha came to me and asked if we could talk privately. Samantha said, "I've been offered a job in New York City with the Times. They want a traveling reporter and photographer. The money they're offering is obscene compared to what I've been paid down here, and it is an opportunity of a life time."
I said, "Congratulations, Sam. That's great, sort of. But what happens to Mickey?"
Mickey said, "That's part of what we wanted to talk to you about. Sam and I have been close for a few years now, and although we both are more into each other and girls, we have always liked you, Steve. Samantha is going to be too busy to do anything but her job for a long time. Me on the other hand, I'm going to be here. I could go back to live with my folks, but I don't think so. I've been gone long enough that I like living out here."
"What can I do for you, Mickey?" I asked sincerely. "How can I help?"
Samantha said it, "We want you and your ladies to take Mickey in sometime. We want you to love her, make her feel special and help her not be lonely. We've already spoken to Sue and Mercy and they are all for it. You know how they are. We just want you to know that we want that from you too."
"I'm honored you two think of me that way. I can't promise that we'll have the blazing times we did back when you first came here, Mickey, but you're welcome to share our warmth anytime."
Sam said, "Mickey will meet other people. She might even meet a guy one of these days that will ring her bell the way you do, Steve. I hope so, anyway."
Mickey hugged Samantha and had watery eyes. She said, "We have been the best of buddies for a long time. We've gone through a lot together and shared a lot."
Sam said, "Mickey has helped me through the time I had no work, and while I was still going to school. Without her and her encouragement, I would have never finished. I'm glad I can leave here and still have you all as my friends, as well as know that Mickey will be among friends and will be taken care of emotionally."
Mickey said, "I have to get to work. I'll see you this evening."
Samantha gave Mickey a big kiss and the two clung to each other a few seconds. When they parted, Mickey left hastily, and Samantha sat down with me with tears streaming down her face. I asked, "When are you leaving, Sam?"
"This morning. I'm all packed. I'll try to get a place up there but if not, I'll store my stuff down here. I don't have that much. My clothes, my cameras, and my laptop go with me, so I'll be set. You know me; it doesn't take a lot to keep me busy and happy."
"Damn, does everyone know you're going?"
Samantha was drying her eyes now and said, "I think so. I've tried to tell everyone, but haven't approached you yet because Mickey wanted it that way. Thank you, Steve, you've been the best friend a person could have."
"Come back to us, Sam. One of these days you might want to relax from the rat race. Remember us. There will always be a place for you here."
"I know, Steve, thank you. Now let me cry some more as I say one last round of goodbyes."
When Sam left, Mercy sat down with me and said, "It is sad that for her to reach some of her goals she has to leave someone she has been so close to. But you know what; I don't think they were ever thinking that they were partners for life."
"That's what it sounded like to me too, Mercy. I think they are both still looking."
Mercy grinned at me and said, "We'll take care of Mickey though, won't we?"
I grinned and she leered. This caused us both to laugh. She said, "Sue and I need a new toy for a while. We'll take care of her for you. You may have to finish her off for us, but we'll do all the up front fun stuff."
If I could have caught Mercy, I would have turned her over my knee and spanked her at that moment. She ran away, giggling like a little girl. Her "triples" were chasing her trying to find out what was funny.
Kathy brought me a breakfast sandwich and a fresh mug of coffee. When she sat with me, she said, "So the splitting couple finally told you. I thought for a while that Sam was just going to leave and not tell you. She was hesitant to tell you as she thought you would tell her to stay. You know she would have stayed if you told her to."
I said, "I couldn't do that. This is a big opportunity for her. This is a lifetime career changing event. I'm proud of her and how hard she has worked to make ends meet while she went to school. You know she has paid Mickey back all the money she borrowed and caught up with her share of the rent. That's something and it is real determination to do right. Mickey didn't even want her to do it, but Sam insisted."
Kathy said, "Yeah, Sam is a good kid, I'm sure she'll do well."
Kathy suggested, "You should see how fast Chuck's place is going up. I think there must be a hundred men working over there. They are really going to town on that place."
"I'll stop in on the way to work this morning. I need to stop in to see Dennis at the R&D center anyway. Your Ben has been a big help over there, even though he's in school. I can't believe the contributions he's made helping Dennis, Mark, and Gerry. They are constantly coming up with new items and improving stuff we already have."
Kathy admonished, "That's our Ben, not my Ben. You're his dad."
"I know, I feel that way too. It's amazing how our kids have progressed. Barb is going to probably be leaving for either the academy or for basic training. Now it just depends on her acceptance. Greg is becoming a real ball player and has been rapidly progressing in motocross."
Kathy smiled, "And little Bonita is going to be a rough tough tomboy riding a motocross bike, but then turns into a sweet little girl when she plays music. She is very talented and very smart too. I think she learns her schoolwork quickly so that she has more time to play and practice."
"They are some great kids, Kathy. I'm proud to be their dad."
Folks were leaving for work, so I took my truck and drove up to the new house being constructed. I was amazed. There were block buildings everywhere, and they all had roofs with shingles already on them. There were probably ten bricklayers building a tall fence around an area that appeared to eight lots wide and about sixteen lots deep. Along the back fence, they were erecting four towers that would support wind generators. At the far right rear corner of the property was the battery building with the electric conversion equipment.
When I walked to the farthest building on one side, I discovered it was going to be a huge garage with a big apartment on top. About sixty feet from the garage was a small two bedroom house that was going to be cottage one, and another sixty feet away was going to be cottage number two. Sidewalks were connecting all of the buildings. Sort of in front of cottage two, and out from the main building, was the studio building. This studio was going to be big.
The inside of the main building was too confusing to understand what it would really look like yet. I'm sure it will look more like a house soon. There were electricians pulling wire in all directions to accommodate electric, video, sound, security, voice, and data. I'm sure it was being planned properly, if not, it would be a nightmare.
Satisfying myself that this was a monster job, I went to see the R&D folks.
Dennis was working on the manually controllable pitch propeller for Wes. Wes was thinking he could use this to give the aircraft more power on climb. He figured that on takeoff and climb out, the propeller could have a bigger bite of air, then once at altitude, you could reset the pitch for seventy-five percent power and fly all day.
Dennis and Ben showed me how the control would work. There was another knob similar to a throttle knob that pulled out or pushed in that would be located high on the dashboard while the throttle was low. That should keep them separate.
Wes elected to have a manual control rather than an electronic, as he felt the manual would be easier to maintain.
Dennis showed me a couple of projects Mark was working on that were a little off the wall, but Dennis assured me that they were actually beginning to work. Mark wasn't there this morning as he often stayed home for a while in the mornings. Considering he was receiving a nice chunk of money for the licensing of his two big inventions, he really didn't need to work at all. The man was fixed for life. He was also contributing to the S&S income structure as well. As he kept shrinking the size of his wind generator, he would be generating even more income.
From the R&D center, I went to the airpark for my rotary wing lesson and practice. I had actually been signed off as rotary wing rated, but I flew the small helicopters for practice at least an hour every day of the week. If I kept that up, I should become proficient before long. Sue was doing this as well, but found it as difficult as I did. Mercy was already doing better than Sue and I, and had only been in training for two weeks. Jimmy said we were using the little helicopters so much that he was going to have to pull one down for its 100 hour inspection soon. Considering Chuck bought them with fresh twenty-five and fifty hour inspections, that meant we had put a lot of hours on them quickly.
While I was at the park, I checked in with Wes. He was measuring while fitting a full wing to a bloated fuselage. Wes looked up and said, "This is the camper. Take a look inside. We had the truck shop do the interior for us. This is really slick. They came up with a lightweight foldout bed that is the equivalent of a queen size. There isn't a lot of floor space when the bed is out, but then you don't need it when you're sleeping. The seats swivel around so you have a place to sit while undressing, if you need it. In the overhead and the back there are cabinets for the cover area. When the bed is put away, there is a fold up table with enough room for four, but the aircraft is designed for only two people."
"We were able to save a lot of weight with the new composite, so we can carry three hours of fuel with a half-hour reserve. That will give the little aircraft about a three hundred and eighty mile range."
Wes was like a little boy with a toy. "I had Hank and Shawna paint this one in camouflage, using summer and fall multiple greens, brown, and dark orange. I thought it might attract some of the true hunters and fishermen at the Sun and Fun show. Of course, if they actually fly it into the back woods for hunting they'll want to paint it in Day-Glo orange. Otherwise, somebody will mistake it for a deer and shoot it — and besides, it would be too hard to find in camouflage colors if anything went wrong."
"Wes, this is really fancy. This is going to be expensive, isn't it?"'
He said, "Not really, Steve. The interior adds about four grand to the aircraft and the size of the cabin adds a little. I think this can be delivered fully assembled for under sixty. We've been learning a lot on how to save on materials. Jeff has got the cost of the composite way down since we're making a lot of the stronger type. Your men at your shop can build a frame out of the lightest and strongest metals known to man. They are really good."
Wes said, "Look at the way this wing fits. This model has a one piece wing. The other model we'll build will have two wings that bolt on. It will be as strong. What do you think, Steve?"
"I'm impressed, Wes. How are the retractable pontoons coming? Are you going to be able to takeoff or land on a runway and then put the pontoons down and land in the water?"
"That's the plan. It should work fine. We can make it work on the ground, but the tell all will be if we can do it while flying. We've tested the concept when we have the aircraft held off the ground, but who knows what it will act like at a hundred knots."
"This is really an amazing aircraft, Wes. So you think you can bring it in for under a sixty thousand?"
"I think it's a done deal, Steve. Tiny will give me the final figures when I'm done with the modifications. We'll have an option list a mile long, but a buyer wouldn't need any of them. Just load your fishing equipment or hunting equipment and take off. Fly to where you want, land in a field on these big tires, or land in the water. I think we'll add some money in for some lessons on water landing. We should still be under sixty."
"Let me take one of the new aircraft up to get some more time on them. Which needs the time?"
"You won't believe this, Steve, but everyone has been out here flying them and we have the time required. We're going to get a test flight observed and tear them down. The FAA will inspect the parts and we can put it all back together again. Take one up if you want, though. I really like the coupe with the instruments. I also put a big engine in it so it climbs out fast. I think we're going to try the variable prop on it next week."
I pushed the fancy air coupe out of the hangar and used Wes' preflight card to check all of the points before startup. Getting into the aircraft is easy and surprisingly comfortable. I went through the procedures and cranked the engine. While warming after startup, I pulled the canopy down and locked it. The noise was really low. This would be a pleasure on a long flight.
I set the flaps, called for taxi instructions, and was routed directly to the runway. Once cleared, I entered the runway and poured on the power. This little aircraft quickly buzzed out of the airpark perimeter. I flew over to the coast then came back, going all the way up to ten thousand feet. I tried to stall the aircraft and had to get into a radical nose high position before it would drop off. I let the little plane dive a couple of hundred feet before pulling out. There were no creaks or groans, just the low hum of the engine. Coming around to land, I did such a steep bank I almost did a wingover, but held it in a tight vertical position.
The instruments were accurate as I used them to guide me down to set lightly on the runway. When I pulled back into the hangar and parked, Wes said, "I do the same thing. I go up for a half hour to an hour, and stay for an hour and a half all the time."
I looked at my watch and was amazed that I had been up that long. I guess that's how the little aircraft got all their time so fast. I thanked Wes, then stopped to say hi to Jimmy on the way out. Jimmy said, "Dad wants you to bring him some helicopters. He says to go buy some old Hueys and he'll put them back in working order and keep them rented over there. He said there is a need for ten plus passenger helicopters to get between islands. He thought someone could actually make money providing a scheduled service."
I said, "I'll have to have Tiny figure that out. Perhaps one of the accountants we sent over there can do that. I'll get Tiny to talk to them about doing it that way."
Back at home, I realized I had missed lunch so I scrounged some leftover roast to make a sandwich. Everyone was gone, so I had the patio to myself for a while. Since it was very cloudy, I didn't worry about getting any sun, but I did want to go over to the gym.
I did an hour at the gym and came home to shower. It was only three, so I went into the shop to talk to Tiny about Hawaii and to Debbie to catch up on what needed to be done.
Debbie said everything was running well. We had plenty of engine, frame, sheet metal, and fiberglass orders, so all our main shop people were busy. Our rebuilds were a little backed up, but not terribly so. Debbie said, "I think all you have to do is to push the button that says start in the morning and everything runs great, even the utility body people have orders. The T-shirt plant is looking forward to the expansion, and that covers it. You know the RV place is a little slow, but the repairs are up. The truck body shop has enough orders to keep one crew busy and the cart plant is operating at about seventy percent capacity. Not bad."
"Good job, Deb, keeping everything running smoothly."
"It's easy, Boss. Like I said, I just press the start button in the morning and it all works fine."
Debbie said, "I started a new business. We're doing custom painting of vehicles for customers. They want vans, trucks, and cars painted like we have ours. Shawna and Hank have set up a price schedule so the company gets paid for the materials and time in the booths, plus a profit. We charge a lot, so Shawna and Hank make triple time while they work on one of those projects. It's a money making project. Those two now have apprentices that are becoming pretty good cartoon character painters."
Debbie was grinning, "They interview the customer and take lots of pictures of them, their business, and their friends, so they can do cartoons. We have enough orders to keep those two busy for a couple of months."
"That's great, Debbie, that's the way to use your head. Think of another way to make a buck. I'll go back and congratulate those two."
"You might not want to go back there right now. They have three engines they're all working on they need to get out for this weekend's racing. It seems the race teams have been crashing and blowing engines lately. All by being stupid, but still a blown engine isn't going to run."
"I'll let them be and go home. I know when I'm not needed. Oh yeah, Tiny and I may head to Hawaii next week to check out what Crystal and Bear want us to look at. I'll let you know the schedule as soon as I know it."
Home was peaceful until I had multiple kids on my lap and on the couch next to me. I chatted with all of them until they had things to do and places to go. By this time, folks were coming home. Mickey was my sidekick tonight, as we had a few to celebrate Samantha's new adventure.
About bedtime, Mickey disappeared with my women. When I closed up the patio and the house, I found the five of them snuggled sweetly, almost asleep. I was directed to hug Mickey and let Sue hug me. We all were asleep quickly.
Primary editing by Pepere
Proofing by Sagacious
Additional Helicopter Knowledge by Rotorhead
Last one through — Deenara2000