The next morning, the girls had everything transferred between boats by eight. John and Marshal showed up about nine, with a third man who was an experienced captain that trained people to sail. The man John brought along drooled over the Magellan made sailboat, but really liked our sixty-five footer. He said the electronics array was superior to any he had ever seen. I told him to compliment John on his selection.
Money was transferred and Sue made sure the training captain had our telephone number so we could keep up with Marshal's training and he could be paid. John tossed his bag into the lounge, where Sue had stacked several things in front of the stairs, so Stevie couldn't fall down the ladder.
John sat down on a built in lounge chair near the helm and watched as Juanita was aft and Mercy was at the bow, untying the lines. Once loose, they coiled them the way they had learned, waited till we cleared the berth, and then pulled the bumpers.
We motored out of the harbor, and as soon as we were in deep water, I began raising sail. We were heeled over a little, but were moving rapidly in a southerly direction. The GPS didn't have very good port descriptions, and didn't include Dunedin, so I set it up for Clearwater and figured I could watch as we got close.
John said he had called the Dunedin yacht club to advise them we were bringing a hundred and ten-foot craft in. They said we should put it on the end and they would have us berth there until they had a longer slip built. They were also moving the other tenant so we could berth the cruiser next to it.
Mercy was standing on the bow, enjoying the wind in her face. The girls brought the kids on deck and had Stevie in his little life jacket. This boat had an enclosed railing around the entire boat so little Steve was a little safer on this than the other boat. We figured the railing gave us an extra couple of seconds to grab him if he were to get loose and head for the side.
About seven, I had dropped the sail and started the motors, heading into the harbor area at Dunedin. I eased up to the long dock they wished me to berth at. An attendant had seen us coming in and took the bowline that Mercy threw him. Once tied up, the attendant helped us connect shore facilities. I told him the boat wouldn't be going out soon, as it needed to be outfitted before sailing again.
During the trip back, John and I had made an extensive list of what we wanted. An important desire was the dual control for the main and weather helm. I also wanted to have a cistern built onto the top of the lounge similar to Dewey's so we could catch rainwater. John said we wouldn't need the cistern as this boat had a desalination system. Sue had some plans drawn out for where to put a washer and dryer. She had modifications to the galley so it would be larger and wanted TVs in all four of the staterooms, the galley, the below deck lounge, and the main lounge. She couldn't understand why they had such a luxury yacht, but only had one big head and one dinky one for the other three staterooms. John said he would get the ships plans and see what could be done. Sue said that the dining room could be smaller, the below deck lounge wasn't important to her, and if the space were needed, that one of the staterooms could be done away with too. John said the conversion would take at least two weeks and he would try to get Magellan people to come up and help.
Sue called a local taxi service and asked if they had any taxis that were SUVs. They sent a Caravan that had enough seats for the kids' seats and us. We didn't want to call home, since everyone would want to trample all over the boat before it was ready.
When the taxi stopped in front of the patio, people poured out saying, "Why didn't you call us, how come you didn't?"
Once inside, Mercy excitedly began telling everyone about the end of the trip, instead of any of the in between. All she could do was to talk about the big new boat we had traded for.
Tiny asked, "How come you didn't call me to transfer money? You can't gain forty-five feet of boat without it costing you a lot."
"Here, Tiny," I said, handing him the check. "This is twenty-five grand for the difference, but I have to pay an instructor captain for a month or so to train the new owner of our old boat."
"What do you mean the difference? You should owe that guy at least a million difference," Tiny said, disbelieving.
"You're right, I agree, but this is the deal the guy offered, and this is the deal we'll have to live with."
Tiny looked at me warily, "Does the boat float? Is it worth anything?"
"Hey, it's almost brand new. It's only a few months old and it's only been sailed from Miami to Panama City and then down here. We took it out for a couple of hours to see how it sailed, but other than that, the boat is new."
Tiny squinted at me, "What's the catch? What aren't you telling me, or is this another case where that horseshoe stuck up your butt is working?"
Sue came over and said, "It's probably the horseshoe, Tiny. He does come up with some of the strangest, most lopsided, deals."
Tiny smiled, "So all this is really true. You traded your sixty-five foot boat, that you damn near stole, for a brand new hundred ten foot boat, and received twenty-five thousand to boot?"
"We have to spend a chunk on out fitting it with electronics and doing a little remodeling. When you see it, you'll croak. This thing is a monster and is going to be pristine. We need to name it though, as it's not been registered with a name yet.
I looked at Sue and said, "The only thing we can name this thing is the "Have Mercy."
Sue smiled, "Perfect. I like it. It's really her boat. She just lets us ride along."
Tiny grinned and said, "You and your women, are you going to adopt Juanita too, or is she already a part of the family."
Sue said, "You know she's family. She's a good sailor and great with the kids, so she's part of the crew."
I looked at Tiny, "Say Tiny, what's this about my office out at the Aero Park charter office?"
"You weren't supposed to get that call. Terrell didn't understand it was going to be a surprise. Now I guess I'll have to tell you. You need another place to go to when you just want to think or where you can take someone to work on a deal away from everyone. Now you have it. Terrell told me about you suggesting stairways to each hangar using a walkway between the doors." Tiny took a breath. "I don't know why the architects didn't think about that when they planned the building. The place is almost done. The offices are furnished so you'll have to go see."
"I guess we can use an office out there," I said. "It can be for all of us, not just me. If someone flies in to see us, we can use the office to make whatever deal we want to make out there instead of in the shop."
Sue came out and told me to go give the kids a goodnight kiss and hug. I went into their bedroom and kissed each one. Lizzy and Mike were already asleep, while Stevie was almost asleep. As soon as I kissed him he closed his eyes. I patted him and left, leaving the door open a little for light for the cameras.
We all had a drink, happy to be home among our friends. It was a Thursday night, so tomorrow would be a week's windup. I got a hug from Glenda before she and Martin went home for the night. Susan gave me a hug as Kevin took her home. Juanita was staying with us tonight, so she didn't have to contend with opening her musty smelling home tonight.
Once the four of us were all showered and ready for bed, we were all tired. I was placed between Juanita and Sue, while Mercy was hugging Sue's back. We were asleep in minutes.
I was on my back and someone was laying on me, kissing my neck, while wiggling around on me. I felt a hand take hold of my growing interest and place me at the entrance of a warm moist channel. I was slowly eased into the channel and I recognized Sue's groan as she bottomed out on me. Sue would thrust four or five times, then shivered. She kept this up until she froze, then relaxed, thanking me for loving her up in the middle of the night. As she slid off me, Mercy pushed her back and buried her face into Sue's center.
My interest had not been appeased and was being attacked by the brown Cuban babe that was lying next to me. Juanita climbed on me and seated herself. She rocked and rolled until she groaned and moaned. I almost couldn't hold it any longer. When Juanita laid to my side, Sue followed her, and started doing what Mercy had done to her.
I rolled Mercy onto her back and brought my body to cover hers. I found her center, using my hands, and slowly sunk into her soggy center. I thrusted and she thrashed for several minutes; until we groaned together when I filled her with my seed.
A few minutes later, we were all sleeping gently in the afterglow of some spontaneous lovemaking.
I woke with my face surrounded by the familiar globes of my wife. Some more breasts were pressed into my back. I recognized the large softness, with the erect nipples, as belonging to Juanita. Just the thought of the smiling brown beauty had me growing a morning woody.
As I raised my head, the little head acted like a heat-seeking missile, and found a moist home to lodge within. We both groaned as I sunk into her, rolling over to gain leverage, to fill her over and over again. As I was thrusting into her, a black head of hair came between me and Sue's breasts. Sue grunted from the additional stimulation, causing me to gasp and release a torrential flow of me into her. It had only been a couple of hours since I filled Mercy but it seemed as if I were really filling Sue up.
Sue hugged and kissed me, telling me how much she loved me as I sagged into her. Juanita had pulled her head out and was kissing us both, excited to share in our love.
I whispered to Sue that I had to get up to use the toilet. I climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom. There, I released a river into the toilet until finally it trickled to a stop. As soon as I shook myself, Mercy sat on the toilet. I looked back to be surprised by Juanita, with her face between Sue's sloppy thighs. My women were really into each other. They were something.
I got into the shower, and just had the water temperature correct, when Mercy came in with me. She grabbed hold of me, stroking me into hardness again. We kissed some, then she turned to lean into the wall, fitted me into her from behind, and immediately began rocking back and forth. I didn't do her. She did me. We thrusted frantically, until she finally groaned and became weak in the knees and sagged. I held her up, supporting her under the spray, until she recovered to stand.
We were washing each other off when Juanita came into the shower. I had not come with Mercy, so my wanger was still waving a little. Juanita saw this and repeated what Mercy had done, turning away from me to be entered from the rear. This time, after thrusting until Juanita was near screaming, I flowed into her with enough tadpoles to repopulate New York City. Now I was the one with the weak knees.
Sue got in and we all washed her, giving her lots of attention, making sure each nook and cranny had been cleaned.
Once we were clean and dried, I dressed quickly before we became involved again. I love having all that attention, but I need some strength for the rest of the day.
Surprisingly, after all that I still beat Glenda to the patio. It was just six o'clock. Once the lights were turned on, I poured myself a cup of coffee and went for the newspaper. I had just read the front page when Glenda walked in saying, "Sure is nice to have you home for a bit. We all miss you guys when you're not here. Between missing the four of you and your three kids, we were lonely for you all."
Ruth had come in and agreed with Glenda. Ruth said, "Tiny doesn't know what to do next, without having Steve handy to run it by first. He's perfectly capable of doing everything that needs to be done, but he likes to tell Steve about it first."
Shawna was holding her little girl, with CJ at her feet. "You know, I don't need Steve to tell me what to do in the shop, but I enjoy having him looking over my shoulder all the time. He makes his tour through the place, looks at what everyone is doing, then goes off to start something else. When he's not around, we need someone who does nothing but walk around and stick his nose into what we're doing, just so we feel like the boss approves."
"None of you guys really need me. I just poke around to make sure you have everything you need. There's nothing I can do. I pick up a screwdriver or a wrench occasionally, but I don't do anything on the floor anymore. Everyone has it under control."
Kevin and Susan came in. Kevin hollered, "Hey Boss, you need to come over to the RV store and look at the new display. We made up a comparison of the four brands, using the analysis that Abe wrote up. So far it's answering questions for the lookers better than an individual can. Come on over, you'll like it."
Tiny walked in and grabbed a cup of coffee. At that moment a young man came into the patio carrying a big box of donuts and another big box of breakfast sandwiches. He sat them on the middle big table and left without saying anything.
I looked at Tiny and he smiled, "That's one of the bellhops at the hotel. I pay him to pickup the sandwiches and donuts every morning then drive them over here. He uses one of the hotel's golf carts and does the whole trip in about thirty minutes. We tip him well enough that he loves the job."
Dennis and Tina showed up, gobbled down some food, and left for school. Tina preferred to ride with her brother, rather than drive her Mustang to school. She said she's afraid someone will scratch it.
The place was going full force. Terrell, and the pregnant Deanne, were eating with Tom, Al, Betty, and Joan. They were having a conversation about the coming weekend when Darnel came in with a tall very dark lady. He brought her over to Sue and me and introduced her as Sheena, saying they were engaged and would be asking to be married out here soon. Sheena had a warm smile and seemed to be about the same age as Darnel.
Sue smiled and said, "Welcome to our crew, Darnel and Sheena. Do you guys live out here?"
Sheena blushed and said, "Darnel and I bought the double wide that Nelda used to have. I just loved that lady so much. The estate sold us the house just this past week. We love the way it sits close to the ground and doesn't have all those steps up into it."
I had forgotten about Nelda's estate and thought I should call the attorney. I pulled my little notebook out and wrote reminders to check out the display at the RV store, to make a personal tour through the shop, and to call the estate attorney. Sue looked over my shoulder and said, "Put down lunch, gym, and swim with Sue, Mercy, and Juanita." I added to check out the construction at the Aero Park too.
I left in my truck, stopping by the RV store. Crystal saw me and came over to walk in and look at the big display with me. There were handouts for each big RV that included Abe's appraisal of each one. Abe had added more information to the reports as he had used them, advising which unit cost more to maintain if used on the road, or which one cost more to maintain if it was parked in a park most of the time. There was something for everyone.
While I was reading these, I had an idea. I didn't know much about publishing but I knew someone who did. I wrote a note in my book to call Dewey.
I congratulated Crystal on the display, but she deferred to Kevin, saying it was his idea, and that he had designed and helped build the whole thing. She said that it had been directly responsible for at least two sales.
Next, I went to the shop and did a tour through the whole place. I actually stopped into the motor shop last so Shawna wouldn't think I did it only because she had mentioned it. Everyone in all the different work areas was happy that I paid attention to them. The place was still putting out perfect work.
I had some time before I had to go home for lunch, so I went up to my office and called Dewey. I caught him in his home office. We talked a little, then I told him that I needed to talk to someone about a possible magazine and what it would take to start one up. Dewey said he would have his publishers give me a call, and perhaps we could even use his people to help put the magazine together.
When that was out of the way I told him about the trip we just took in the sixty-five foot sailboat. He was excited that we had bought one. Then I began telling him about trading it on the hundred ten foot Magellan. He couldn't believe it. "I have to see this thing. It's probably a wreck. I'll be down tonight. I'm calling for the plane right now." I heard him yell at Sheila, then he came back to phone. "We're out of here in an hour. We'll see you this evening." He hung up on me. Dewey is so strange.
I called Sue to let her know that Dewey, Sheila, and little Dewey were on their way. She was excited. About two minutes later, Mercy called and asked if she could call Dewey to see if he would stop by and pick up her Mom and Dad. I told her to go ahead and that I was on my way home.
I waved bye to Deb, said I would see her this evening, and headed for home.
At home, Glenda was in the kitchen with a heavyset older lady. Glenda introduced her as Margaret, a friend of hers who lived in the park during the winter, but had never wanted to come over to visit with us. Glenda said that Margaret finally asked Glenda if she knew where she could get a job doing some light housekeeping, or just helping to take care of a family.
I welcomed Margaret, noticing a ring on her hand. "Bring your husband with you tomorrow, Margaret, he would enjoy the patio or perhaps the pool table."
She looked at me with a tear in her eye, "I buried my man last month. I miss having him around, even though he didn't do anything. I need to be taking care of someone. Thank you for giving me a job. I would do it for nothing so I have something to do."
"I'm sorry to hear of your loss, Margaret," I said, as I walked over to her and gave her a good hug.
She looked up at me and smiled, "Just give me one of those hugs everyday and that'll be pay enough."
Sue had heard the conversation and walked over to her and hugged her, "We'll all give you a hug everyday, Maggie. I've heard the neighbors talk about your loss."
I gave her another hug and said, "I hope you like "Maggie" cause I like that. It fits you. Maggie is a great name."
Maggie was beaming at Glenda as they prepared soup and sandwiches for all of us.
Martin came riding up on his cart, saying since he has a cart now, he has been able to get around all over the park to help people. Maggie heard him and said to me, "Martin is the best man. He is always helping me or some other widow woman out here. He is a good man."
Glenda said that I would probably recognize most of the widows, as they were the ones at the pool most of the time when Sue, Mercy, and I swam and sunned.
We ate lunch, then Sue, Mercy, Juanita, and I went to the gym. An hour and a half later, we came back to change into swimwear and head to the pool. This time we took the little ones with us. When we reached the pool, I almost had a heart attack. Stevie ran straight at the pool and jumped in. As I raced toward the pool, he surfaced and swam back to the side where the big slide was. In seconds he was out of the pool climbing the slide to squeal all the way down until he splashed into the water.
I looked at Sue and she said, "Glenda and Mercy said we should teach him to swim so they did. I try, but they are better able to get across to him what to do. As you can see, he's doing well."
Sue was holding Liz, and Mercy holding Mike, as they let them use their arms and legs to keep their heads above water. The pure survival instinct worked for them as they managed to not flounder around. When Sue let go of Lizzy, the little one moved her arms and feet around then rolled over to her back and floated. Sue did this a couple of more times and each time Liz just rolled right over onto her back and floated. She hollered out a couple of times, but was able to float on her back easily.
I was truly amazed. Mercy said, "Watch this."
Mercy took Mike and tossed him into the water, he sunk down, then using his arms and legs, rose to the surface and turned over onto his back. Instead of crying loudly in panic, Mike rolled onto his back and I swear, he giggled while floating and began calling, "MamamamamaDadadadadada." Lizzy heard him and began calling the same.
"Wow, you two have done wonders with the kids. What a great thing to do so they won't drown if they should accidentally fall in."
While the girls sunbathed, I swam as hard as I could for fifteen minutes, until I couldn't go anymore. When I was done, they slicked me down with oil and I played with the kids in the water for a few minutes until it was time to go home.
We really didn't need the sun as we had gotten brown sailing out on the water. The exercise and the kids swimming were good though. I'm glad the girls were doing that with the kids. I was really impressed with the way Steve played in the water. We would definitely have to watch him while on the boat.
When we got home, the rental company was erecting the big tent. There would be a bigger than usual gathering tonight, I wonder what was up. I showered off at home and redressed then headed to the Aero Park.
The girl from operations hollered at me to come inside. When I went in she handed me a stack of stickers for vehicles so we could park out by the hangars. She said that without the sticker the attendants had vehicles towed. I thanked her, as I had planned on just parking in front of the ops building and walking across. She told me to watch for the light and to be sure to stop if it was red. I told her to make sure she brought her husband over tonight for the party. I said I didn't know what it was about, but it should be fun.
I put a sticker on the left lower side of the front windshield then drove over to park in front of the new building. Inside, Dede and Star were putting address labels on mailers. They said they were sending information to all of the major companies in the greater Tampa Bay area. I didn't know we hired them both, but oh well. Upstairs, I looked in both offices and recognized which one would be mine by the picture of Sue, Mercy, Steve, Liz, and Mike. The office was nice and had big windows looking into hangars on each side. On one side there were two 210s and a 200 that didn't have the logo on it. There were also three 172s and an A36. The hangar was big enough to hold another half dozen small planes.
The other hangar had my attention. There was a brand new Gulfstream V, and a fairly new looking Lear. Oh my. The floors and walls of both hangars were painted white with the logo in the middle of the floor, as well as on the back wall. I was impressed.
Curious, I went out the door of my office then down the stairs to the floor where the Gulfstream was. I walked over to the stairs and climbed into the cabin. It was nice, but not as nice as Dewey's. I guess you have to have his stuff installed special. I looked into the cockpit then went back down the stairs. Still curious I did the same in the Lear. It was surprisingly small. I think the 200 carried more people. The 200 didn't go as fast but it had at least the same range. The Lear was an ego thing. Some people just wanted to show off. While I was getting out of the Lear, the big doors began sliding apart. A couple of men came out of a door marked men's lockers. They walked up to me and said, "Glad to meet you, Mr. Sharp. I'm Don Baker and this is another pilot, George Markham. We have a charter and are here to get the pre-flight done. A mechanic is on his way to get us ready. Are you going to learn to fly these two planes. They are fun, but I'm not sure they're any more fun than the 200. I really like that little plane."
I told them I had not decided whether I would fly the big ones or not. I told them I wasn't all that enamored over the cost of flying the Lear for personal use, but there were times I might want to fly a lot of people in the Gulfstream.
"Well, you can use us if you need. We'll give you right seat time so you can log some hours. It takes a while to fly one of these but it isn't that much different than flying the Beech King Air."
I walked across the tarmac to the other two hangars that were still under construction. It looked like they were just about done. The floors had been sealed already and the walls and ceiling were already painted. I wondered if the side where the helicopters were going was going to be successful.
As I turned, there was an attendant with a tow motor, with an S&S insignia on the side, backing in to pull the Gulfstream out to the tarmac. The other hangar doors were open too and two of the 172s were being pushed out. I recognized the instructor who had taught me instruments pushing one of the planes. Another guy, I assumed was an instructor, was with what must have been a student pushing the other plane out.
I walked back into the office to see Star with three groups of papers. She looked up to me and pointed to the larger stack, "This is for the Gulfstream charter. They are flying to Jacksonville and picking up eight people to take them out to Los Angeles. These are for the student rentals. We actually have another student rental and a charter for the remaining 200 and a 210 this evening. Tomorrow, Saturday, we have a full day of student rentals, plus a charter for the Lear. You're going to have to get some more airplanes. We have more charters than we have planes."
DeDe was putting some items in a small bag. She turned and said, "This is great, I have a student coming in for the 210 in an hour. I'm finally doing everyday what I've dreamed of doing."
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This was too much. Actually it was Tiny's and John's deal, not mine. I didn't have to worry about it. I thanked the girls then headed to the operations building. I asked the Aero Park owner how he felt about me having so many planes.
"Man, you are a lifesaver. I have more students and instructor pilots than airplanes. If you wanted to, you could have another half dozen of those 172s, and still not have too many."
I'd had enough. This had been enough shock for the day.
On the way home, I wondered if everything Sue and I became involved in grew out of proportion to our intentions.
At home, the party was beginning. The yard already had a couple of horseshoe games going, people were milling around the food and bar in the big tent, and there was a parade of kids on their way to the pool.
Tiny, Phil, Ryan, and Abe looked up as I walked in, and it was almost as if they had been caught doing something. All I could think of was, "What now?"
There were four new couples sitting next to the fearsome foursome that I had not met before. The men were all tanned and rugged looking as if they spent a lot of their time outdoors. I wondered if these folks were going to be a surprise similar to Ryan and Michelle.
Mercy came up to me, carrying Lizzy and Mike on her two hips. I picked up Mike and gave him a big hug and kiss then traded Mercy for Lizzy. Liz giggled her little girl giggle and began a dadadada serenade that calms any father. I found Sue and Shawna with the four older kids, directing rolling a large ball back and forth between them. It would go well until one of the boys would pick up the big ball and throw it instead of rolling it on the floor.
When Mercy and I put our two down with Sean, the three instantly got together, handing each other blocks. Mike was smaller than the two girls because he was younger, but he seemed to be near them in motor abilities.
I went back out to get a drink and mingle. I gave Tiny a chance to introduce me to the new people, but he glazed over them and mentioned that Jeff had some news.
Jeff was playing horseshoes with Martin and some other men, so I went out to see what was up with him.
"Hey, Steve," Jeff hollered. "Come here; let me tell you some news."
When I stood next to Jeff, I asked, "What's up?"
"I've been trying to expand the fiberglass group to make custom parts for other companies and have just landed a good one. We now have a contract with General Motors for the flexible nylon and fiberglass bumpers for the new Saturn. This will expand our crew to more than eighty men. We might even run out of space. Anyway, it's going to increase the fiberglass department's sales by a minimum of five times."
"That is great, Jeff. I didn't know there was such a thing as nylon-fiberglass or flexible fiberglass."
Jeff said, "It's a new technology that has become popular within the automotive industry. It's really nothing special, but companies like General Motors have subcontractors make parts for a division, so they don't have to increase their union membership employees. I'm hoping we can qualify for the new little Pontiac. I think our bid is as good as anyone's."
That was good news. It's always nice to know a division you thought was dormant or maxed could grow.
There was a commotion at the front door of the patio. I heard someone squeal "Merlin, Missy!" Then I knew who had arrived. I made my way to find big and little Dewey, Sheila, along with Merlin and Missy. I put their bags in the house, and joined them on the patio as they each got something to eat and drink.
Everyone was eating and having some good beverages to wash food down with, until Tiny got out his microphone and plugged it in, asking people to gather around.
"Listen up, everyone. Phil, Ryan, Abe, and I have some announcements. I'm going to give Abe the first shot."
Abe took the microphone and announced the fiberglass shop's new contract. He then announced the opening of a second big lift shop in Kansas City, saying that they were already to capacity and were attempting to hire more men.
Ryan was next. "The expansion in Kansas City is a real win, but another great win is the opening of the truck and golf cart sales buildings at all three locations in Chicago. If it looks favorable, we will open an RV store there as well, but only in one location."
This caused a lot of cheering.
Phil was next, "Crystal and Kevin would you two stand up a minute. I have to give these two the total credit for this next bit of news. The two of them just made a huge sale to Paramount Pictures for thirty-two or our best Coachman motor homes. These are thirty-two custom coaches that are each worth a king's ransom. Give these two folks a hand, they deserve it."
I thought about how thirty-two coaches worth at least a half-mil each was probably worth sixteen million in sales.
Phil continued, "I'm going to let Tiny tell you the rest, but I'm dying to let you all in onthe latest of what our leader has been involved in."
Tiny took the mike and said, "Don't give it away yet. Let's talk about some other stuff."
He moved away from the bar a little then continued, "You all know our fearless leader likes airplanes, so I've gone out and bought him a bunch of them and will get some more. He can't fly them all, so the company has now opened an air charter and rental service. We have a division that charters flights to anywhere. Anywhere on this earth, plus we have rental planes for student pilots. This is so successful that we need to expand our student plane rentals to double what we have now. And the big news is that S&S now charters a big Gulfstream V and a Learjet. How about that?"
Lots of applause. "Star, stand up. Star is the office manager at the charter office. Her assistant is still at work, as we have several rental planes out right now. You'll meet her another time."
"DeDe, stand up please. You all know DeDe, but did you know she's been taking flying lessons for the last five years and is now a certified instructor pilot. DeDe is now one of the instructors out at our charter service."
Lots of applause.
"Next I wish to introduce these four couples up here. From right to left is Captain Douglas, Captain Francisco, Captain DiGargiano and Captain Mitchell, all accompanied by their lovely wives. These four men are the basis for our new recreational charter fishing addition. S&S just purchased four thirty-five foot fishing boats plus four inland waterway flatboats for these four captains. They have agreed to be a part of S&S, handling our customers. Do you know that they are already booked through the end of the year? How about that?" (Applause and hollering) "Now the good news, those who get attaboys and appreciation cards will have a chance at being drawn for a fishing trip. (Louder applause and hollering.) "We are planning on doubling the amount of captains and boats we have out at a time, so it's looking pretty good that when you guys want to go out fishing, you should be able to get a ride. The company has a forty-five foot Hatteras that we are using for customers and appreciation bonuses now, but that boat may not be available all the time."
"Okay, here is the big one. Our leader stumbled into a great deal recently by being able to buy a sixty-five foot sailboat for a very reasonable price. He took it out for a long sail, then berthed in Panama City next to a man with a brand new hundred and ten-foot sailboat. I don't know what all happened, but this guy called me and asked about our business and Steve. Steve, Sue, and Mercy had worked their magic on the guy and he wanted to do some kind of business with us. He said since he was mostly retired, he couldn't do much, but wanted to do something. Ryan stopped by to see him on his way home Thursday and further impressed the man. The guy couldn't do much, but he did have the United Kingdom purchase nearly a hundred million dollars worth of mobile generators for the UK Caribbean island possessions."
The people were wound up, so the applause and cheering was deafening.
"Every time Steve goes anywhere, the company benefits. Steve benefited too because this same guy traded his brand new sailboat to Steve for Steve's smaller one. All because Steve was nice enough to take him out to sea and show him how to sail the smaller boat and get him some future instruction. Steve's new boat is being outfitted with good electronics and will be available for your inspection soon. That is if Steve isn't out sailing around getting us business.
"I'm not going to give Steve a chance to deny what he's done, but I am going to give Sue a chance to speak."
Sue took the microphone and smiled at everyone. "It wasn't Steve's idea to get a boat, any boat, but Tiny and Phil wanted a big fishing boat, and Mercy found out that she loved to go out on the water sailing. Steve was in the process of testing the sailboat when he stumbled onto the deal for the Hatteras. In the process of an inspection, the Coast Guard confiscated the sailboat he was testing and sold Steve the Hatteras for nearly a song. You know how lucky he is."
Sue did a pirouette and said, "Just look what he got with me." The crowd laughed and applauded.
"The Coast Guard and DEA liked Steve so much that they sold him the sailboat back for about a third of what he was going to pay for it in the first place. We put some electronics on it and took it out for a cruise. In Panama City we met this nice man who was lonely and didn't like his new boat. He wanted to trade, so Steve traded. Now Steve has a boat that Mercy is in love with, and we plan on taking it out soon. Hopefully we can promote some business along the way. Our Steve is one of the luckiest guys you'll ever meet. He's also one of the nicest."
After all the applause, Sue gave the mike back to Tiny and joined Mercy and me. She said, "I told that correctly right?"
I just groaned.
Tiny began again, "Looks like we better get ready for some more business if the boss is going to be traveling. You never know who he'll run into next."
"Since 9/11 we have been doing a lot of government business and hope to continue. The military is getting smart and is going to send their used equipment back to us to be refurbished. From the estimates we have, we need to expand the rebuild shop by at least four to six bays. We have the room to add on to that portion of the shop but it will be the last addition we can have on that side. Terrell has it on his schedule and we have purchased another lot to store the returning equipment before it is refurbished. I just wanted to let you know that our 401Ks are growing and growing. Thanks for coming and we look forward to another great week."
The girls had abandoned me for something more interesting to them, so I went to greet the new captains and to get another drink. The one captain, Captain Douglas, asked me about the big boat. When I told him it was a new Magellan, I thought he was going to choke.
"What the hell did you trade him? That boat's worth over two and half million, probably twice that easy."
"We had a fully rigged, fully automatic, very tricked out sixty-five foot Buccaneer."
"Whew!" he said. "Nice boat, but still not what a hundred ten foot custom Magellan is worth."
"The Magellan is being outfitted to become fully automated and we're installing every new piece of electronic gear we can find. We're putting in a new battery array with two backup generators just to be on the safe side. The best part about it is that some Magellan people are up here right now doing the work for me. They like my additions and plan to offer them on their future boats."
"The boat wasn't designed very well for a luxury yacht. It only had one big head in the master stateroom and only one other dinky head. The space was used very well so we're having them rework the boat."
The captain said, "I can't wait to see this boat. I love sailboats but have never been on one over fifty feet. If you ever feel generous, I'd love to go out on it one of these days."
I looked at the four captains and their wives, "How about all of you come out with me for a cruise during the week. We'll go out on a Tuesday or Wednesday so we can avoid all of the traffic. I'll give you some notice so you can do a work around on your charters."
There was a murmur among them, and they were all nodding their heads wanting to go sailing on a big boat.
Mercy had come up to me and said, "Captain Douglas is going to help me get my captain's license. With what you've already taught me, I should be able to finish quickly. It will be nice to have us both qualified to handle the boat. All I will need is experience."
The thought of this diminutive woman handling the behemoth sailboat by herself was frightening. If anyone could do it, it would be Mercy or Sue. They were so strong willed that they could be frightening.
I finally got Tiny off to the side. "What kind of deal did you get on your boats?"
"Not as good as you did on the Hatteras, but very competitive. The dealer couldn't deal me with fast enough when I wanted to buy four and found out I wasn't kidding. The next four aren't built yet, but will be here soon. I have to find captains for them too though."
"So, Tiny, what kind of deal are you getting on the planes?"
Tiny smiled, "Actually the guy in California that Sue bought her first two planes from is helping me as is the Aero Park owner. I want to get a total of ten student planes, the rest of them will be smaller for beginners. We'll use the 172s for instrument instruction. We'll get four more 210s, 205s or 206s, three or four more 200s, a couple more A36s and perhaps another Gulfstream. Anything else, we'll have to see. I have several crews capable of flying everything we have, so we should get plenty of business."
I had to ask, "Is the rental and charter business that good. Is it that profitable?"
"Yes and no, Steve. It is if you consider that we will be getting rental and commission from the helicopter people, plus our own mechanics will be making money for us. There is enough business for us to stay busy, especially on flights between five hundred and fifteen hundred miles. We'll get longer ones too, but our bread and butter will be five to fifteen hundred miles. Most of the charter services want either two hundred and under, or coast to coast stuff. Our planes will be busy, but on shorter flights."
"I know if you do it, you've looked at the numbers six ways to Sunday. Thanks, Tiny."
Tiny said, "Actually, Henry did the analysis on it as he had done some work with charter companies before. He said we should be green all the way."
We had another drink toasting our successes. Dewey, Phil, and Ryan joined us and we toasted some more while watching the guys toss horseshoes.
Soon people began leaving. A lot of them were taking advantage of the accompanied ride home so they wouldn't drive under the influence. Even Dennis and Tina were working with the kids driving the cars.
Sue, Mercy, and I were sitting on the patio alone relaxing with Dewey and Sheila. Mercy asked, "I hope we can go out soon. I'd like to sail out in the open water with the big boat."
Sue chimed in, "With all the turmoil everywhere, I'd really like to go out too. The peacefulness out on the water sure is nice. Juanita even said she wanted to go out as soon as we could."
Mercy said, "That settles it, I'm going over there to see how they are doing and push them along a little."
I interjected, "Don't push a good tech. Let him do a good job at his own pace. We can go check, but we don't push."
Dewey volunteered, "Those luxury boat techs are really picky. They'll do a great job if no one interferes."
We slept peacefully that night, with all three of us probably thinking of sailing.