Chuck
I woke up at home early Sunday morning after a wonderful evening of loving enjoyment with all of the ladies. We spent a long time making sure we were all very happily satisfied before falling asleep. I ended up with Brandy and Tiani sleeping on my shoulders.
This morning, all the ladies were sleeping peacefully and there was no reason to wake them yet. My body clock was all screwed up, but I was awake just a little earlier than most days.
After making coffee, I went out on the grass to enjoy my internal music and stretching into form after form. The first presence I felt was Wanda, then a few minutes later, Lisa and Marie showed up. They were all up extremely early on a Sunday.
I thought over the intense week I had just experienced, and about how nuts John and the Marshal were getting about violence and their fear of the DC bureaucrats. Some things just have unhappy and violent endings, and nothing can be done about it.
My mind wandered to Sam Nightfox and his statement that he was transferring to a station around here. I wondered what that would mean, as Sam was a very intense man. He was very likeable, but I was apprehensive that he could become a little clingy. Perhaps I could get him captured by one of the women that seemed to be in abundance around here.
After I closed and the others followed, we leisurely swam laps until we tired. By the time we finished swimming, the pool was filled with nearly everyone from the house. We showered and dressed, then met in the kitchen/family room area to discuss whether we wanted to go out to the patio for Sunday breakfast.
Brandy said, "I want to go out so Chuck can see how the house is coming. They are really moving along. We're going to be in it soon. They finished the garage and the four cottages you wanted. I mean they are done with those. The wind generators are up and are already supplying power to the buildings. The studio is complete, but the electronics Lisa wants aren't installed yet. Some technicians are coming out to begin working on the computer system and recording equipment. Anyway, Chuck, you have to see it to believe it. Besides, I think we all love the Sunday food and show out there.
Brandy held up a semi-opaque short gown and said, "See, we all have new gowns and they're a little more conservative than the others."
I told the girls, "Let's go then. Do the rest of you want to come, or do you have other plans?"
Wanda said, "John and I are coming. We want to see the house."
Dennis commented, "Marie has shown me the house daily so I know how it's coming. We're going fishing out on the boat with mom and dad today."
Jan said, "Don and I are going with Dennis and Marie, and I think Lena and Ben are coming with us."
Tina was standing beside me and said, "I'm with you, but I have to go in this afternoon for an overnighter in the ER. Let me take my car so I can come home for a short nap before work."
We arrived at the patio and had a great time with the rowdy and sexy group. We were having a good time when Terrel cornered me and said, "I think we'll be mostly done this week. We'll need to punch it out and get the landscaping finished, which may take another week. The electronics guys from your service came by to help us set up the video security system. They really know their stuff."
Terrel suggested, "Your ladies are going to want to begin decorating this week. I think they already have an idea of what they want. Lisa told me her mother and sisters from Atlanta are moving into the cottage nearest the studio. She can bring them anytime, since the cottages are done. They need decorating, but that's all."
He paused and added, "The guys have all enjoyed working on your place. I used it to show a couple of people thinking about building so they would know what we're capable of. We've already signed four nice contracts for some really big homes. One is even bigger than yours."
"Thanks, Terrel. We didn't have a chance to talk over in Hawaii, but the work you did over there is perfect. Did you take a lot of men from here?"
Terrel said, "Not really. I sent Frank Stuart over there to supervise the jobs. He's been a hell of a foreman here and I felt he could handle what I wanted over there. He hired all local labor and you saw what he did. He's assisted the contractors on the hotel remodeling and the new construction they have put up. I think Frank has earned a place over there. He wants to start a division of S&S construction over there, but wants to stay mostly in commercial."
"What does Steve think of expanding his construction company?"
Terrel grinned, "Steve's always for something new, but Tiny is making Frank get him figures on a thousand different things so he knows how to advise Steve. So far, it looks like Frank might be able to make it happen."
I said, "Then that's neat. It's always fun to watch how Steve expands. You're going to be busy here with the T-shirt factory as well as the new factory that Sue wants."
"Both are already started. Darnel is working on them. When your house is done, all the men will be shifted to those other jobs. I kind of wanted to see how fast we could build a first-class home. You'll like how none of the woodwork looks like it's been rushed. Everything fits perfectly and it really does look great. The rooms for each of the ladies are really very nice and comfortable looking. You'll want one for yourself. Deana already said she wants me to build something like that in our house so she can have some solitude sometime."
"We're going over to the house after breakfast this morning. I think some of the girls' parents are coming to look at it too. I'll tell Lisa to begin getting her momma down here. She'll really get excited over that."
Steve and Tiny had seen me get mad at John and the Marshal. I don't lose my temper often, but I did that time. I was a little embarrassed, but had gone to greet them when I had come into the patio. As Tiny handed me a tall glass of Bloody Mary, he asked, "Are you flying today?" When I said 'no, ' he took that glass and handed me another. "You can handle the real stuff then."
Steve was just as friendly as ever, and neither one mentioned anything about my outbursts. I guess I can let that go and forget about it. These people had become my close friends and we're now also business partners. It was then that Terrel had approached me.
After breakfast, half the patio went over to the new house. We had to tour the new garage with the unfinished upstairs. We looked through all of the cottages, noticing a little different design within each one. Lisa thought the one for her momma would be perfect. I was amazed at the studio building. There were electronics being installed everywhere. There was even a little alcove dedicated for the sound and video servers. Lisa was really proud as she had contacted the big producers to help her design the studio.
The house looked done to me. We went over every inch. Every drawer was pulled out in every bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. All of the private rooms for the girls were really nice. They were larger than I had envisioned, but they would be perfect for some privacy. The cedar paneling and flooring smelled so good. It was like aroma therapy in there. Terrel, Tom Parks, or someone else, had designed in separate air conditioning zones for each of the little rooms so the user could regulate their own temperatures. That was really smart.
The kitchen and giant family room were really beautiful and open. The entire glass wall between the house and the patio and pool opened completely to enjoy the outdoor feeling even more. The pool had been filled and was beautiful under the huge cage.
I did notice a large grassy area between the pool and the studio, and between the pool and the driveway on both sides. These would be perfect for morning exercises as well as in the future for little ones to play on.
Going from the kitchen/family room area to the front door were the formal dining and living rooms on the left. To the right was the gigantic office my girls had built for me. It was big enough for the beautiful desk that was already there, a couple of leather couches, and a table and six chairs for conferences. There were also two very nice leather chairs in front of my desk that I tested to make sure you didn't sink down in them.
To the left of the wide entranceway was also the hallway to the apartments. Each apartment was a little different, and each was really special. They had their own small kitchen, as well as living room area. Each had two bedrooms that would be good for visitors or offices. Wanda made a point to tell me how perfect the place was going to be for John and her. Dennis and Marie showed us their apartment and how much they really liked it. Don and Jan got me aside and Jan said, "We almost decided to get our own place, but we're glad we waited. This is a special place and it's all ours. This is better than being away on our own. Thank you, Chuck, we are very thankful."
The other apartment sized area downstairs was the huge exercise room. The place was really special and had some equipment, but also had the spaces for the equipment we already owned.
When I asked Terrel what wasn't done yet, he said, "I have the upstairs area to complete. We have it in two individual very large units now, but it can be easily remodeled to be just like this is. The girls say it will be for their parents if they needed to be taken care of, but I think if that were so it would be better if they were smaller units. What do you think?"
I said, "I think the smaller units would be best as there is no way any of the parents would hide from the rest of the household if they lived here. They wouldn't need that much room anyway. If they did, we could put them in a cottage or over the garage."
Terrel smiled and said, "I'll do the four apartments up there then. I was right about that point of deciding what to do. We'll have those done by Tuesday, painted and floored by Wednesday. We'll punch it all out with the girls and finish the landscaping. You might want to begin moving in by Friday. We can finish anything else we need to later."
"Holy shit. That was really fast. How did you do it so fast?"
Terrel said, "With over two hundred men on the job that are all good, it was easy. Everyone had a job to do and they did it. They all worked together and you see what kind of work they do. They are proud of what they build."
I gathered all my women in the family room/kitchen area and had them sit on the tall high backed chairs there. With Terrel standing beside me and a lot of interested folks from the patio observing, I asked my ladies, "Can you ladies get this decorated by Thursday?"
There was a collective gasp and Brandy said, "My mom will help and I know Tiani's and Nancy's mothers will help. What do we need to decorate?"
"You will need to decorate the whole house." Again more gasps and sighs from the audience. "Jan and Don, John and Wanda, Dennis and Marie, you are in charge of decorating your own spaces. Lisa, Brandy, and Frieda are the money managers, so just have them tell you where to go to get what you need. The decorator Brandy has should do any window treatments. That way everything will be installed correctly. You girls have to decorate the rest of the house. You don't have to do the formal rooms, but I'm sure you will. Furnishings should have already been picked out, and of course, a lot will come from our house."
Brandy asked, "When should we plan on moving?"
I said, "Have a couple of moving companies bid to move us on Friday."
All of the girls mouths dropped open and the squeals began. Brandy said, "We can do that. We'll be done no later than six on Friday. I'll get this organized and we'll be in our new home Friday evening." She turned to all the people standing around and said, "This Friday, we will serve you folks in the formal dining room and everywhere else you can find a place to sit. We are showing off Friday."
This seemed to be what the bunch of them was waiting for, as they huddled together, then pulled Terrel into their huddle. They broke up and Frieda said to me, "Can you come home with us now, because we have to get our plans and head to a couple of stores?"
I nodded okay as Judy and her rounded belly came up and hugged me. With some tears in her eyes, she looked up at me and said, "This is so good. That you want me and want our baby enough to give all this to us is so overwhelming. I promise to be the best wife or harem girl you could ever want. We're going to have a wonderful baby."
I kissed Judy and held her until Brandy pulled her from me, heading for the car.
Lisa was beside me walking out, and I asked, "Do you think you should decorate the cottage or should you wait to let your momma decorate for herself?"
"She'll want to do it and the kids will have a great time getting their own furniture. When should I bring them?"
I said, "Tomorrow, Tuesday, Wednesday, or any day you want, as long as it's soon."
Lisa was really grinning and said, "I'll call her. She sold the restaurant and is ready to move. I'll go get her tomorrow."
At home, the girls got their notebooks out and compared what they were to do. Brandy said, "I'll have the movers begin packing tomorrow so we can easily make the move. I'll make sure the apartments get moved too so everyone will have enough time to get organized. She turned to me, "Chuck, can we move the gym early? That would be one more room completed."
I said, "Sure, move what you need. I don't have a lot of personal stuff and will move what little I have easily on Thursday or Friday."
Brandy said, "We might have to stay at the hotel Thursday night because our bed will probably be out there by then. I think we should wait until Friday to officially move in."
Lisa said, "The studio has its own alarm system and telephone line so you can put your instruments out there anytime. I'll get all my stuff out there too. I still have some out at Tom's and Zena's and more still in Atlanta, but that will all be taken care of this week. Let me call Momma to tell her."
The girls said they would be back and they left in two cars, going in two directions.
My cell phone rang and Metarie said, "My goodness, what have you done to them this time? Brandy was nuts on the phone. I just told her not to worry about it as the windows would take care of themselves."
"We're moving into the new house, Metarie. They just found out we can move in on Friday."
She said, "Oh, no wonder. They have talked of nothing else since the house was thought of. When can we see it?"
"The girls are planning an open house Friday night. That will be a testament of their organizational abilities; plan on it though, because knowing that group, it will be done."
"You're right, it will be done. Brandy promised to send whoever she could to work all week, but said she would probably be out. Well, Chuck, I'll see you Friday. Good luck with that bunch."
I loaded up some boxes with the stuff from my office and then loaded the car with a lot of my instruments. At the house, I used the key Terrel had given me and carried the boxes into the office area.
I looked at the office again to see how nice it was. This was sort of like my office at work, but the woodwork was more ornate. Behind closed doors was a giant flat screen TV. Other doors concealed a wet bar with a mirrored back for glasses and bottles. There were nice bookcases for hundreds of books and to display toys. The room did look masculine, and did sort of reflect me. It was very nice.
After putting all of my office stuff away and arranging the few items on the bookshelves, I went to the car to begin bringing equipment into the studio.
I noticed the studio windows all had good blinds on them and figured curtains might be added later. Over the two doors of large storage closets with big shelves, were the names, 'Lisa' and 'Chuck.' I put all my stuff into the closet marked 'Chuck, ' but took out the blues king and strummed it throughout the building to see how the acoustics were. In the glassed in recording studio, the sound didn't echo at all. It was perfectly flat. A lot of care and research had been put into the construction.
Once that was done, I had a choice. I could visit at the patio, go home and prepare to bring some more out here, or go to the airfield. I didn't feel like any more airfield stuff, and didn't know whether or not I wanted to go to the patio. I just went back to the house and finished loading all of my instruments and musical electronics. I even put the small file cabinet full of music into the car.
After putting the rest of my instruments and music in the studio closet, I looked around for the alarm information. It was in the computer alcove. The code was LC1369 for right now, so it was fairly easy. The place looked shipshape, so I set the alarm and locked it up.
I did go to the patio this time. Kathy came out and said, "They all went over to play with the big boat today. They were going to begin making lists for what they want to take with them."
"How come you didn't go?"
Kathy smiled, "I kind of wanted to be around so Ben and Lena wouldn't be left totally alone. They need some supervision. I know they're fooling around, but they still need to be watched a little."
"I guess, Kathy. I never had that problem because by the time I was their age, I had Uncle Sam for a chaperone."
She laughed and said, "I guess he is a good chaperone. J.J. and Carl are both so busy they don't have time for anything else. Did you know J.J. was in Afghanistan for a couple of weeks and is now getting ready to rotate over there again?"
"Really, I didn't know he was through with training yet?"
"He isn't, but they need troops and they are sending a bunch of men from training over to fill in on garrison jobs while the seasoned troops are in the field. He's had enough training that he'll be fine. Steve had some long talks with him and feels J.J. can defend himself."
I said, "Still it's scary to have one of your own over there."
"I know," Kathy said, "It was the same when Jake went. I know it has to be done and I know my J.J. is a good man for it. I'll just pray a little more about it. Mercy says he'll be fine and she does seem to know things."
Ben and Lena came in while Kathy and I were having a beer. Lena almost asked for a beer, but decided to have a soda. I smiled at her and nodded my approval. Ben went with the program and had a Coke with her. They didn't stick around long and left.
Glenda came out from the kitchen and asked, "Do either of you want something for lunch? There is some leftover soup in the big fridge and plenty of sandwich makings. I think I'm going to lie down with Martin for our afternoon nap. I'll see you two for supper."
When they were gone, Kathy said, "They are both getting a little on the frail side. Glenda won't quit and Martin is still out every day trying to help folks. He doesn't have to do it, but he likes to be busy. That Shirley lady that is a friend of Mark's and Caroline's is beginning to come over a lot to be with Glenda. She says she likes to have the time to gossip over here with the other ladies. Her friend, Betty, is getting frail too and has been staying pretty close to home."
"Folks get older, Kathy, we can't stop it. That's one part of nature that is hard to accept."
I said, "I think I'll head home. I might get the bike out and ride a little later on. I might be back."
Kathy said, "If your ladies have anything to do with it, you'll be back."
At home, I toured the whole place and decided that there wasn't that much to take to the new house. The girls would have a lot from their house, but that could be done over time. I figured we wanted this one emptied and ready for the guy from the employment office to move in as soon as possible. I figured that if the guy couldn't qualify for a loan, I could either carry the loan or rent the house to him. Either way would be okay with me.
I decided I should work out and put on shorts and my sports leg to use the dreaded treadmill for a while. After forty-five minutes on the treadmill, I used the weights for a half-hour, then went to the pool to swim. Back inside, showered and dressed, I was about to have a beer when my cell went off.
I could tell whoever it was, was on a sat phone. Lisa said, "Meet me at the airpark in about a half hour. I have momma. They don't have a lot, but it'll stuff your car. We might borrow one of the luggage vans."
"My goodness, what are you flying?"
"The Phenom. This thing has plenty of cargo and interior room to stuff. Anyway, get on your horse and meet us."
"Click"
My goodness, how did she get up there, get them out to the airport with all their stuff, and fly back already?
I drove to the airport and saw Lisa's car. Inside the office, Charlotte, the pilot was watching the desk. She asked, "Are you here to give some lessons?"
I laughed and said, "No, I'm here to haul Lisa and her momma home. She's coming in on the Phenom and should be here any minute."
Charlotte leaned over and turned up the airport approach and field radio receivers.
I asked, "Who do I ask to borrow a luggage van?"
Charlotte smiled and said, "I guess you'll have to bribe me. I have the keys."
As she handed me a set, she said, "Both are in good shape and should be full of gas. This is the one four truck. The last two digits of the truck number are one four."
"Thanks, Charlotte, I'll move it close to where the Phenom parks."
When I had the truck moved, I heard the thrust reversers make their loud noise, then heard the plane begin to taxi this way. Through the front window of the Phenom, I could see Lisa and one of her sisters. Both had huge grins on their faces.
Lisa parked the plane to be refueled and then moved into the back of the aircraft. When she opened the door and let the hydraulics let the stairs down gently, I held out my hand for the youngest sister, Sheena, and then the older one, Timetra. Big Momma came to the door and it looked like she had lost a lot of weight, like maybe a hundred pounds or something like that. She came down the stairs, with my hands ready to catch her, and took me into her arms and hugged me so tight, I was losing my breath. She held me back and said, "It is so good to see you and to know you want us like you do. I promise, you'll never regret this. You're saving my babies' lives. Mine too, probably."
Lisa came out of the plane with the first arm load of stuff and said, "Take momma and the girls into the office so they can use the restroom. I'll begin unloading."
I took them into the office and introduced them to Charlotte. Charlotte was surprised that Lisa's momma and sisters were very dark, but she was perfect with them. I said that she should keep them until Lisa and I had the plane unloaded.
With my help, we had everything off the plane in minutes. Lisa said, "This is all momma had. She said she would let me get her and the girls some new clothes down here. She said she sold or gave away everything else. The people who bought the restaurant are not very nice and were glad to get rid of the girls and momma."
As she gave me a hug, I told Lisa, "How about having them come home with us or stay at the hotel for tonight? There isn't any furniture or anything in the cottages yet."
Lisa said, "There is my room that John and his wife were staying in. The bed is big enough."
I said, "We can do that, but we need to put this stuff, except the clothes they will need, into the new cottage. We'll go by the patio, introduce them, then take them home."
Lisa nodded and said, "We can do that."
"You drive my car with them and I'll follow with the van. We'll bring the van back and go to the house or plan for supper."
We went to the new house and introduced them to their new home. You would have thought it was a castle the way they were making over it. Lisa and I had everything in the cottage except the clothes they needed for the next day or two. We locked up the cottage and I gave the keys to momma. She said, "My goodness, keys and all. This is so enormous, so unexpected. This is a dream come true for all of us."
Lisa hugged her and said, "Me too, momma."
A minute later, we were at the patio. The reception was perfect as my five were all there, along with Deanna and her little ones. Kathy was first to get to us and said, "So you're Momma and these are Lisa's sisters." Kathy hugged the big lady and smiled. "Welcome to Florida and welcome to the patio, the meeting place of friends out here."
Glenda was next and said about the same as she gave Momma a hug. The big lady had tears running down her cheeks. My ladies were equally as loving, but had met the lady and girls before. Alice and Abe came in and were happy to meet her. I found out Momma's name just then as she said, "They all call me Momma, but my given name in Minnie. So it's not far from what I'm called today. I think everyone has called me Peaches most of my life. I'll answer to any of them. I kinda like Peaches though."
I said to Kathy, "Momma or Peaches makes some great Cajun food. You'll love it as she knows how to make it spicy."
"Oh my yes," Momma said, "I love to cook and can't wait to cook for my new family."
That's when Glenda said, "You know you eat here most of the time and that we all eat together. A bunch of us ladies cook supper every day. You'll love all the people and the good time we have. Your girls will have friends here in no time, and you will have all of us ladies to gossip with and play cards with. You might not want to lie out in the sun with us, but we do that almost every day too."
"My oh my, you sure are busy out here. I'm going to just love it." She looked around and said, "I'll need to get my girls into school tomorrow. Will you all help me do that?"
Lisa said, "I'll help do it all in the morning, Momma. I told you it would be wonderful here."
I suggested, "We need to take the van back to the airfield. Let me take it back while you visit. I'll be right back."
Lisa gave me her keys and I left for the airpark, turned in the van with a full tank of gas, and drove Lisa's car back to the park. When I got there, all my girls except Nancy, Frieda, and Judy were gone.
"Where did they vanish to?"
"Furniture shopping. They were out of here before the dust settled from the van. Talk about excited," Kathy said.
Frieda said, "That is so nice for you to do this with Lisa's adopted mom. I don't think anything is official, but I'll bet we can do something so she can take care of the girls if she needs to. Lisa has said her momma was losing a lot of weight and she didn't know why."
I said, "Well, that's another thing that needs to be taken care of right away. We'll find out."
I had a beer and the three pregnant women all had sips from it while it was cold. We talked about the new house and what I had done so far today. The three lamented over how hard it was going to be cleaning out their present house.
"Just have movers do all the heavy stuff. You sit or stand there and tell them what to do with it. You won't be pushed, and you'll have plenty of time to get it in place. Do it slowly and have a good time doing it. If you guys have to, take a leave of absence. I'm sure they will give you the time you need because you are going to be moms very soon."
The three were smiling with me, and Nancy said, "Oh you, you just make it sound so easy. I hope it is."
Judy said, "Everything I own in life is either at our house, or your house, which is our house too. It will be good to get everything in one place. I'm going to love the new house."
"What do you think, girls, should we go home or stay here?"
They said, "We'll stay here. The ladies are going to play some cards in a few minutes and we want to play."
I let them go to the table where the card game was going to start while I got a beer. Abe said, "How about playing a couple games of eight ball? I haven't played much lately."
Abe and I played until Martin came and he played for a while. A guy named Jack, with his wife, Kate, came with a couple of kids. Kate played cards while the kids played with a couple of other kids in the house. Jack and Abe became partners and Martin and I partnered up in several games of doubles eight ball. By the time it was beer and food time, I was getting to be a better shot. The three I had been playing with were pretty good.
Just as we had filled our mugs, people began coming home for the evening. A group of motorcycles came up and parked on the grass outside the patio. Steve, Sue, Mercy, and Juanita came, with a couple of dozen kids in two cars, along with Sue's mother and the little girl who was the Sheriff's department forensic person. I think it was Mickey.
My girls with momma and her girls arrived, and came into the patio very excited. Lisa was really smiling and said, "I put a lot on your credit card today. You said for me to do it, and I sure did it. We bought all the furniture we need, all the bedclothes, and a pile of school clothes. We'll get more later when they see what the kids are wearing here. Momma is so happy, we have towels and curtains and a bunch of the bathroom stuff she'll need. We'll get more, but I think she can move in tomorrow when her furniture gets here."
"Wow," I exclaimed, "You were really busy. I'm surprised you were able to get so much done."
Brandy said, "I'm not, I know how to push people through a store. There wasn't any dawdling, and at the furniture store we only looked at the good stuff, so there wasn't a bunch of chintzy stuff to paw through."
Tiny and Ruth came in the door with stacks of pizza boxes. Steve and his women went back to Tiny's big SUV and brought back buckets of wings and calzones. Supper was served.
While we all ate, Momma said, "This is probably one of the most exciting days of my life. I've been so nervous and worried about everything and now I feel relieved, relaxed, and safe. This is the first time I've felt safe in over twenty years. This is nice."
Lisa hugged her momma and explained to those around how Peaches had become her momma. She told of that terrible day the child welfare people had come for her over a year after her father had passed away. She also told of her push to get her pilot's license and the years it took to achieve her air transport rating. She said, "If not for Momma, I wouldn't have had the guts and will power to get it done. She encouraged me and here I am."
We had a great evening. Steve, Sue, Mercy, and Juanita were warm and huggy with Peaches. They made her feel right at home. It didn't hurt to have Deanna and her kids there either. Darnel came over and welcomed her and said, "I have to introduce you to my dad. He's been alone for a lot of years and you two might enjoy going to a movie or out to eat sometime."
Momma said, "Are you matchmakin'? Isn't that something? My first day in this place and a nice young man is trying to get me to meet his daddy."
Nancy told her, "We're good people here, Peaches. We aren't as mean as some city people and these folks don't see color very well. You'll see."
As it grew late, I encouraged my group to head home as tomorrow was a workday for some of us. At home, we settled momma and the girls in their room, but pulled the couch out for the two girls.
In the kitchen, as I was having a drink with a snack of cheese and crackers, I told Brandy, "I've had a talk with Metarie. If all the girls are not needed to get the house ready, send some to work. If you need them all, she said that would be fine, and she would see you in a week or so."
Brandy said, "I was planning on begging the time off, so thank you for getting that done. This is really one of the most exciting things that I've done. My mom has been going nuts over the house and will help. Nancy's and Tiani's mothers are going to help too. Sue, Mercy, Juanita, Beth, Betty, and Joan are all going to help, so it should be easy. We'll make sure our mothers to be aren't overworked."
I told them I had moved my office and instruments. I told Lisa, "The code for the studio alarm is LC1369 until we change it. They monitor it at the gate for the park."
Lisa said, "I can't wait to play out there."
Momma was sitting at the table and said to Lisa and me, "I didn't tell you yet, but Pop's had to close. Some kids tried to hold him up and shot him. They didn't kill him, but he was in the hospital for a couple of weeks. Rags went on a rampage and was about to be arrested, but he has sort of settled down. He says he might close as well. When I told them I was selling out and moving down here with you, they asked me to find them a place down here for both of them. Do you think that's possible?"
She was looking at me so intently, as if desperate, and I said, "I'll tell you what. I will have someone I know work on that. I think a real classic jazz and blues club would be good down here. If we located it kind of in between the city and county, and made sure the club or clubs was known for mixed musicians and patrons, I'll bet you could get a decent draw. I'll look around."
Inwardly, I was smiling as this was just what some of the money I had was for. I know Steve has an interest in a club and restaurant, so I'll get that manager to help me put something together. Ben likes all that glitz stuff, so I'll let him help me too. I'll bet I can get a lot of this done with cash, and I knew where to get that.
Timetra and Sheena were so glad to be in a nice safe home with new clothes and lots of friends, that they were almost overly excited. Tiani had them put on borrowed swimsuits and took them outside to the pool to swim their excitement off. Lisa said, "Get your trunks on; I need a little exercise too."
In a couple of minutes, everyone was in the pool, dressed for a change, with Peaches sitting on a towel on the steps, with her feet in the pool. We all swam until we were tired and got out to dry off. I helped Peaches, or Momma, up and we went into the house. The lady gave me a hug and said, "You are the man for my Lisa. Take care of her and my babies if I'm not here."
I told her, "Don't talk like that. Tomorrow you will see my doctor and we'll find out if there's anything wrong. Don't worry though, as we will take care of you. You're ours now, Peaches, you're ours."
She hugged me so hard it hurt my heart. Some people do have it so hard in life. At least I can help this time.
After Peaches and the girls had gone to bed, I was sitting with Lisa, planning her day with her Momma. I told her, "I'll get her in to the doc early so you can be back at the house to place the furniture and direct the decorators. Make sure she does all the tests and find out what other tests she needs. We'll take care of her, Lisa, Honey, I promise." I had to hold her while she shook through a couple of tearless sobs.
Later in bed, the girls were all talking. Judy said, "You know, I was thinking that we should probably spend a last night at our house, but I don't want to be away from Chuck when he's home. Isn't that silly?"
Tiani said, "Not at all, Judy. I've thought of the same things, but I can be in bed with two of you between me and Chuck and still know that I'm where I'm supposed to be. I've kept thinking we would find men of our own that I didn't have to share, but I keep coming back to 'I want Chuck' all the time."
I kissed each one and rubbed the big bellies of the mothers to be. They were all so special. The idea that I had contributed to the babies within them was very inspiring. I think Tina, Lisa, Brandy, and Tiani were as much in awe of the process as I was. The coming babies bonded us tighter than I could have imagined. That inspired me, and I thought I needed to go see a jeweler I knew in Miami.
We actually went to sleep without any sex, but we did lots of kissing until we drifted off.
When I woke up in the morning, I had a nagging feeling that I was forgetting something or that I needed to do something. As soon as I was up, I worked out in the gym room as it would be empty by tonight. When I headed for the pool, dropping my drawers along the way, Lisa caught up with me, carrying my swim suit.
I laughed and said, "We'll have to break the girls into our open ways in the morning."
We swam hard and showered under the outdoor shower before going in and dressing. Our five roommates were sleepy and didn't want to get up until I said, "You have furniture being delivered." They all got up and got going fast.
Lisa figured she had flights today and dressed for it but then called in to see if she could be off to take care of personal business. She could and she changed. I called my doctor friend's private number and explained about Peaches and also said, "I have a new hole that I promised to have checked today. Can we do both real early?"
The doc said, "I don't have any hospital visits this morning, so be here at eight. I'll do your lady, and my nurse will attack you. She's been wanting to anyway. Be here, Chuck, and we'll take care of you."
I told Lisa and she told Momma to get ready. The girls were going to go with us early today and then go to transfer schools later. They were going to be busy.
Lisa and I hauled Peaches to the doc and he took her into an exam room right away. The nurse had me strip my shirt off and opened the bandage. She checked the wound, asked about it, and said, "I saw that on the news. That was you, huh? ABC was commenting that it was too bad you killed the guy. CBS said that you should have given the man more of chance and NBC said you were overly aggressive and he might only have killed three or four others if you had just taken his gun away and subdued him." She laughed, "Fox news said you should have shot him earlier."
She said I looked good and that it was healing fine. I had to agree and she gave me some more goop and bandages. About twenty minutes later, the doc came out and said, "I can't find anything to be worried about. I took a lot of blood for tests and we'll get a urine sample. We'll run all the tests and see if she settles down now that she isn't under so much pressure. That she's losing weight is a good thing. That she's concerned isn't. If necessary we'll give her a full body MRI just for fun. They are really something."
Both Peaches and Lisa were feeling better when we left. We got to the new house before the furniture truck. There were workmen everywhere. Several landscaping guys were digging in a sprinkler system and some were already laying sod. They had planted some trees in the back and front of the property, but none around the house. The idea was that the tree roots could undermine the house, driveway, and sidewalk.
When the furniture truck arrived, all of the women accompanied it to the cottage. The poor men didn't have a chance, as the women were directing their every move. Each piece was arranged just so.
While that was happening, there was a torrent of activity in the house. Decorators and workmen were hanging drapes and the decorators were trying to decide the exact placement of art and objects.
Two huge vans pulled up from two different furniture stores. I walked back to the cottage to get Brandy. She announced to her group, "Come on, our stuff is here. Let's move."
They vanished, but Lisa stayed to help Peaches get stuff arranged. The two girls were decorating their room the way they wanted, so they were very happy.
Lisa said, "I'll take the girls to school in a little while to get them signed up. We'll hang around to get an idea of what they're wearing, then do some quick shopping. We should be back by four or five. What do you have going?"
"I have a couple of errands and will be back early. You should also help the girls up front. Tina won't get a chance at this."
Lisa said, "Tina listed several things she wanted done as far as decorating. She's no wallflower. She tells everyone what she wants. She's a good leader like Brandy is."
I left them and checked in with Brandy. The girls were all standing with hands on their hips as furniture was placed in the formal living room. The place looked very nice with the fancy drapes up. The dining room already had the table and chairs, a fancy buffet on two walls, and very nice paintings hanging on the walls.
There were additions to the staff. Two little Asian girls were cleaning where everyone had stepped or carried something through the house. I think they would have preferred if people removed their shoes.
I made it to the car and drove to the airpark. I did check with Wanda and she said there weren't any waves. I checked out the Phenom and flew to Miami. There, I rented a car and headed to the jeweler.
The man was surprised and was trying to apologize for taking so long to confirm the jewelry was legit and for the slow appraisal. I told him that was fine and that it was not why I was there. I said, "I want seven rings. I think they are all this size or smaller."
I had swiped one of Frieda's rings as she had the largest hand. I figured smaller was easier to do than to make them bigger.
"What I need is seven identical rings that could be a set of seven, or seven of only one style and design. I want a ring that could be an engagement ring and could also be considered a wedding ring. If you can do it, make the set of seven plus a matching man's ring for me."
He looked at me real strange, so I said, "I have seven women who want to all be my wife or part of my harem. Whatever it is, I want a special ring for all of them.
The guy was still thinking I was nuts and kept trying to get out the appraisal of the jewelry I had brought him.
"Look, here's a bar of gold to make the settings out of. Keep what you don't use as partial payment. I want each of the engagement type rings to have diamonds. Don't be too chintzy, but don't be obnoxious. Can you design something like that for me?"
The guy was just nodding at me and then pulled the papers out he had kept trying to show me.
"See this? This is the listing of the jewelry you brought me. All of it is classic and hand or custom made. It's all one of a kind. I want to sell it as it is because we can get a lot more for it that way. This one brooch has probably six carats of diamonds, along with the rubies. Something like this is probably worth two fifty or three hundred grand. All told, you probably have six or seven million in jewelry, and I'd like to market it for you."
"Okay, market it, but when can I have a design, so you can make the rings."
He smiled and said, "You know I'm going to sell you the diamonds you brought in here don't you?"
"Sure, that's good business. So what's the deal, when can you give me some designs to choose from?"
He said, "Come back Friday. I'll have the designer and my wife work on something special for your situation. Will there be one of these that will be special?"
I said, "Yes, but I think they all want the same thing. They don't know I will get them rings, and we might get them toe rings or something like that too."
He said, "Fill their fingers with your love. Fill their fingers with gold and diamonds. I can do that for you. The gold you brought can easily make seventy rings. I'll work on it for you."
I left, laughing. I don't think the girls would wear rings on their thumbs. But then, women do some strange stuff. Toe rings would be cute. I think what would be cool would be large gold chokers. They would be heavy, but really beautiful. I might do that for Christmas.
I was back at the airpark quickly, and had the plane checked in and refueled. DeDe was getting around real well now, and asked me to give a lesson. I gave an older guy his fifth lesson. We did all the practice stuff and I had him do the landings as I kept my hands and feet close, but not on the controls. He did fine, but had a lot of trouble with the constant barrage of questions about flying. I'll have to ask John if you should always do that.
The new house was abandoned, and there was no one in the cottage. I drove to the patio and found everyone there. The two girls had met a couple of kids that were in high school. Barb was in the same year as Timetra. Barb was neat, as the two girls went over all the things that were happening here that was of interest. Sheena had found another girl, but this one was Asian. She was tiny, while Sheena was larger, but not heavy. When I sat with Peaches, she leaned over to me and said, "You know what? When I weighed in on the doctor's scale, I'm down another twenty pounds or so. I've lost over a hundred and thirty pounds. Another hundred off this frame and I'll be in good shape. I've been watching what I eat and trying to walk every day. You have that big pool, so I'm going to get in that so my knees won't hurt. I'll be nice and slim and will even turn your head."
I smiled at her and said, "You've already turned my head. I've enjoyed you since the first day I met you."
"Oh, you sweet talker, I love it. Go say something like that to my, or is that our, sweet Lisa."
With a grin, I said, "I do that all the time."
Steve came in from work and we enjoyed a drink with Tiny and Phil. I listened to the business talk and wondered about the variety of things that were going on.
Steve told me, "You know that I really don't have my thumb on everything, but I know what they are talking about and have witnessed enough to stay interested. The key isn't to know everything, but to have managers that know everything about their area of interest. Some areas take more than one manager, but you have to let them handle the details. You make informed decisions and follow up."
I said, "I was wondering about that. There is so much going on in so many different directions. I'm just involved in a couple of things and can't keep any of them straight."
"Just ask DeDe and Betty when you need info on how you're doing on charters. Ask Jimmy on fixed wing maintenance profits. Ask Tank on rotary wing contracts. If you want a big picture, ask Tiny to have one of his people get you a spreadsheet for a specific area, or for the entire charter business. Remember though, that we now own an interest in the airpark so that is going to skew some of the figures."
"I didn't know I was a part of the airpark purchase," I said. "Am I?"
Steve said, "You sure are. Everything out there except Wes' project is partly you. We should probably get you into the LSA project, but that's still a venture. You own fifty percent in everything else out there. Of course, you're paying fifty percent of the salaries and costs too."
Now that is staggering.
"Don't sweat it, Chuck, everything is fat right now. When things get skinny, then we'll figure another way to do it."
This was a special evening for Lisa, now that she had her momma in her new house and nearly settled. I didn't know whether they would stay out here tonight or come with us. When she was sitting with me, Lisa said, "Momma is so happy. The girls have the room just the way they want it and are really excited. They are going to be happy in the house."
Nancy and Tiani had joined Lisa and me. Tiani asked me, "You know how you guys are always nude when you swim?"
"Uh huh," I said, nodding.
"Well, Peaches asked us if we thought it would be okay if she also swam in our pool without a suit. She says she doesn't want to buy a suit right now. She also said she didn't think there was anything wrong with the human body. I told her that we usually swam nude and she said we should continue."
I asked Lisa, "And what about your sisters?"
Lisa giggled, "They were always running around without any clothes. I don't think its exhibitionism; they just like to be naked. Momma was never very bashful either. You know where I lived for a while, out at the naturist park. I'm okay with it."
I looked at Tiani and Nancy, "And why are you two the ones to ask me? Why didn't Peaches ask me?"
Nancy grinned and said, "She thinks you're some kind of stud and didn't know whether you would object to a heavy lady being naked in your pool."
Tiani suggested, "Maybe you need to give her a treat or would that be a treatment. You could always make love to her and give her thrill."
I closed my eyes, imagining Peaches' smiling face in orgasm and got a hardon. I smiled at Tiani and said, "Might not be a bad idea."
Lisa was rubbing my protrusion and said, "You leave my momma alone. She doesn't need my own man giving her some loving. She'll get plenty once men know her."
I hugged Lisa, then grabbed Nancy and Tiani and pulled them onto my lap. Nancy was holding her tummy, but I was gentle. I kissed the two and said, "You can tell Peaches that she can play in the pool naked all she wants. Be sure to tell her I'll be looking. She might want to wait until the workmen are gone during the day. They will be gone from there in a couple of days."
Brandy brought me a drink and Frieda was with her. Brandy said, "All of the furniture is in the bedrooms except our bed. We'll move that Thursday or Friday. Everything else is moved. We'll bring some of the tables and chairs from the suites at home. I hope you don't mind, but I've made a deal with the new man at the employment office. He's going to get all of our extra furniture, your old office furniture, along with the lawn stuff in the garage. You're getting an extra hundred thousand out of it. They love your furniture and want to keep as much as they can."
I asked, "How does that stack up on what you spent on the new stuff?"
Frieda answered, "Good, we got big discounts from Haverty's and from the fancy furniture store at the mall. We have probably spent less than that on all of our furniture, plus the new stuff for the two cottages. We still have to fill up the upstairs apartments and the other two cottages. You need stuff for the studio, but Lisa said she has it picked out."
"I suppose it really doesn't make any difference, does it? Whatever we need, we'll get it."
Brandy said, "Between my mother and me, we've spent a lot on decorating. The place is really looking nice though. Uh, I sold all the TVs and bought new. They are in and hooked up, along with the whole house music system. I've always wanted music throughout a home and now we have it. There are six channels, so we could have six different programs playing at once, or playing a single program everywhere."
"What have you forgotten?" I asked.
Brandy looked shocked and asked, "What? What could it be?"
With a smile I assured her, "What we need in that house now is all of you and our kids. The place is big enough for us, all of our families, and our friends."
I was pounced on by six women.
Lisa said, "Tina moved all her stuff to her new room today before her tour in the ER. She says that the place is truly wonderful. She's going to sleep at Steve's and Sue's during the day until we get moved. She's so busy we don't get much of a chance to see her."
I suggested, "Let's get Peaches home and then get a good night's sleep ourselves. You girls are probably going to be completely finished out here by tomorrow."
Remembering the two Asian women at the house, I asked, "Who were the two ladies cleaning at the house?"
Brandy said, "Those two were recommended by Sue. They wanted to be domestics and will take care of the house and complex for us. Right now they live in the trailer park, but we might have them move into the house or one of the cottages."
"They don't look very old."
Nancy said, "They are both near thirty. They are sisters who are both widows. There is a story there that we'll have to find out about. Their husbands were killed in some obscure problem in China and the two escaped to live here. Sue had helped them with their immigration status when they worked at her factory. They didn't like the men approaching them all the time and wanted to be domestics. Is that all right?"
I said, "If you think they are good people, and you want them in your home with your children, I'm happy. What's happening with Marie from our house?"
"She's going to work for the new man, but might come out to the park. If she does, she will work for us too. You know we're going to need a lot of help when we begin having a lot of kids running around."
I smiled and nodded, "Brandy, I suppose your mother interviewed the two ladies who are working in the house?"
Brandy grinned, "She sure did; for over an hour plus she had that lady over there at S&S, Ruth, run them and their fingerprints through the federal and Interpol computers."
"I'm still not used to having so many people working for us."
Brandy said, "Get used to it. We girls are going to be pampered now that we have our big new home and babies on the way. We have the money, whether you have it or not. We're going to enjoy ourselves. We won't have a butler or a cook, at least right now, but we will have housekeepers and nannies. We'll be pampered and taken care of."
We took Peaches and the girls home and got them settled, promising to be here to pick them up early for breakfast. At home, the house was beginning to feel a little empty. We had a drink in our family room/kitchen area, and talked about what needed to be done yet.
We went to bed with all of us thinking how we were beginning a new era in our lives. I went to sleep early as we were all quiet, with our own thoughts. Somewhere in there, Lisa was telling me, "We're going to be happy in our new home, and I love you." I was thinking those same things to her as she gave me a squeeze.
Primary editing by Pepere
Proofing by Sagacious
Additional Helicopter and FAA legal knowledge by Old Rotorhead
Last one through — Deenara2000