37 comments/ 79670 views/ 8 favorites Wenatchee Ch. 03-04 By: coaster2 Chapter 3 Down to Business The Memorial Day weekend was almost upon us and we would close the shop for three days. With luck, I could have the boys up to Orondo for that weekend. If not, I had lots to do at the shop that would keep me busy, so I might work a day or two just catching up. I had been studying up on PLC's in my spare time. I wondered if it was a product we could service. Programmable Logic Controllers were common on much of the packing house equipment now. Packaging machines, color sorters, weigh scales, conveyors, washing equipment; they all required some kind of electronic control to integrate their actions into the continuous flow of product coming in the door. The packing houses were a hostile environment. Water was everywhere, along with refrigeration. The fruit, coming in from the hot air of the valley and loaded in totes, needed to be cooled quickly to preserve freshness. Water and cold were common enemies of electronic controls. Some of the older systems needed to be replaced with more modern, sealed units that were designed for this application. I hadn't made up my mind if we were a fit in that market. Terry left it in my hands to decide, then we'd discuss it. I don't remember a time when we didn't have plenty to do. Terry jumped on my suggestion that we hire some part-time summer help from the college to do some of the simpler tasks. That tedious job of unscrambling the hard drive of the computer I was working on last week would have been ideal for a student. They had just completed their year and we had posted a notice on the computer studies bulletin board looking for applicants. We had over a hundred replies. "Well, Mr. Hot Shot, what do you do now?" Terry laughed. I groaned and shook my head. "I guess I'll go through them and weed out what I think might be the best prospects and start calling. We hire the first two good ones we find, but keep the résumés in case one or the other doesn't work out." "Yeah, that should work. We should have a couple of people in here by August for sure," he chuckled. "Tell you what, Terry. I'll bet you a dozen MGDs that I have at least one, if not both of them by Monday of next week." "You're on. Just remember, bottles ... not cans," he laughed again. I waded through the stack of applicants and was able to winnow the list down by over twenty. Several of them weren't qualified, and a couple hadn't realized it was a summer job, not a full-time job. Then I had a brain wave. On Tuesday morning I called the college and asked for the computer sciences department head. Luckily, a Mr. Drummond was still around. "Mr. Drummond, I'm looking to hire a couple of your students for a summer job. I've got almost eighty applications. I need to cut that down. Could you please give me the names of the top candidates in your classes?" "I suppose so. If you'll give me a minute, I'll pull up my records and see what I have." It didn't take him long to provide me with an answer. "Tell you what, Mr. Nelson. It's highly unusual, but I'll e-mail you a list of the top ten students, but I won't include their grades. Just their names. I take it you can match those to the applications?" "Yes. That will work just fine. Thank you for your help, and I'll keep this information confidential." "Good luck. I hope you find what you're looking for," he said before hanging up. Ten minutes later, a list of ten student names with their grades blanked out popped onto my mail screen. I printed it out and began the process of matching names to applications. Not all the entire top ten applied for the jobs, but seven did. That case of beer was looking closer and closer to being mine. I began calling the students that morning. I decided to interview two each day through Thursday, then the last one on Friday. I called the first two Tuesday morning and set up the interviews. By the time I had finished talking to the last applicant on Friday morning, I was convinced that at least five of them could do the job and would be an asset to the company. Now, it was decision time. I had video recorded each interview with the candidate's permission. Seven all told, with about forty to fifty minutes on each. I put the seven DVD discs and my notes in my briefcase and headed up to the cottage. That evening I decided to watch the interviews with the two candidates I thought were the weakest. I got a surprise. The first one was a young man who was pretty damned confident for a guy with no experience. I didn't have to ask very many technical questions before he realized he still had a lot to learn. Watching the interview once more convinced me that he needed some seasoning, and we didn't have the time or manpower to provide it. It was the second interview that opened my eyes. I watched it, then went back to my notes, then watched it again. It was a young woman ... a girl really. She was painfully shy and I found I was struggling to bring her out and find what she knew and what she could do. At one point, I thought she might burst into tears as the pressure of the interview began to take its toll. But, as I listened, she knew her stuff. She just had a hell of a time expressing herself. I took the disc and parked it to one side. By the time I had looked at all seven discs, it was almost one o'clock and I was tired. I brushed my teeth and crawled into the comfortable soft bed in the cottage bedroom. I don't think I was awake for more than a minute. The next morning was Saturday, and I was not expecting either Terry or my sons. The boys might show up Sunday, but today was already planned and they apologized to me for not coming up to see the cottage. I don't think they realized what a great place this was, but they would soon find out when they did come. I ate my breakfast of juice, banana, and cereal while the coffee percolated. Once again I loaded the disk of the young woman in my laptop and watched the interview once more. I wondered if her visual appearance was off-putting. Was I making a decision based on a seemingly homely girl dressed in baggy, ill-fitting clothes of dull, earth-tone colors? Her shyness wasn't so important on this job. She would have little contact with the public, but just the same, communicating with Terry and me would be important. When I looked up her name on the list, it was at the top. The names weren't listed in alphabetical order, so I guessed that it was in order of their marks. If so, she was the top performer of all those who applied. Jana Ardien was nineteen years old, and I wondered what else I could learn about her. I decided to take the bull by the horns and phone Mr. Drummond. I looked up the name in the local phone book and found two Drummonds. I noted the numbers and decided to call. "Good morning, Mr. Drummond. If I'm not mistaken, you are the instructor for computer sciences at the college." "Yes ... that's right." "Good. It's Geoff Nelson again, sir. I'm calling about a particular student; Jana Ardien. What can you tell me about her?" "This is highly irregular, Mr. Nelson. I don't usually discuss my students with people I don't know." "I understand, but I'm trying to get a little better insight into her skills. Her interview didn't go very well, but she appears to be very talented when I could get her to talk a bit. Am I right in thinking she was at the top of your class?" "Yes. She's quite shy ... almost phobic in fact. I can't find out from anyone why, but nonetheless, she's borderline brilliant." "I almost dismissed her after the interview, but I thought afterwards that I was missing something. Is she a stable personality? I mean ... can she operate in a work environment?" "Yes. You don't have to worry about that. She keeps to herself and has very few friends, but she's quite compatible among her peers." "That's good to hear. I'm thinking I might take a chance on her. She didn't shine during the interview, but your comments have made me think I might have a gem in the making." "I think that's very perceptive of you, Mr. Nelson. I don't think you'll be disappointed in her. In fact, I think you'll be very surprised." "Thank you again for being so candid, sir. I appreciate it. I'm sure you'd like to know how your students worked out this summer, so I'll contact you later on to let you know." "That would be very helpful. Thank you, and again, I would appreciate your confidentiality." I hung up with a smile on my lips. I wondered just how helpful Jana Ardien would turn out to be. When I viewed the balance of the six discs, I had little trouble in choosing the second candidate. He was a prototypical nerd. The only thing missing was the pocket protector and horn-rimmed glasses. Jimmy Rideout would be Jana's partner this summer if I was correct in my assessment. I was fairly confident that they wouldn't rub each other the wrong way. In fact, they may not rub each other at all. When I walked into the shop on Monday morning, Terry was already there. "Okay, Terry. Put that dozen MGD in the fridge. I'll collect it Friday afternoon on the way up to the cottage." "You sound pretty dang sure of yourself," he grinned. "Yeah. I short circuited the process and got the instructor to e-mail me the names of his top ten students. From there, after the interviews, I culled it down to the two I want to hire." "You goin' to let me in on who they are?" "Sure. The girl is Jana Ardien, who just happens to be the top computer science student in the class. The boy is Jimmy Rideout. He's a natural. I think both of them are going to be just fine. You want to talk to them first?" "Naw. You know what you're doin'. Besides, they're going to be working with you more than me. So go ahead, give them a call and let them know they got the job. They can start tomorrow if they want." I gave Terry and big smile and a thank you. After two phone calls, both would both be in the shop by one o'clock for an orientation session. It felt good to get that done. With the work on hand and the selection and interviewing process, I hadn't been dwelling on my personal situation in the past few days. That was a relief, because I hadn't heard from Pete and when I thought about it, it was a week since we'd last talked. I was almost finished the orientation tour with my two new hires when the phone rang. It was Pete. "Hi Pete, you must be psychic. I was wondering when I'd hear from you." "Well, here I am. Can you come to the office for a meeting? I've got some very interesting things to talk about." "When?" "Can you come now?" "How about half an hour. I'm just finishing up an orientation with two new employees." "Sure. See you then." I wondered what Pete meant by "interesting." The two kids were going to be just fine, I thought. They asked lots of questions, but they were good, smart questions. I showed them what we were doing with a number of jobs in the shop and they understood the process and procedure. I talked about the contract work with various clients and the site work they may become involved in. Jana looked a bit apprehensive at first, but I explained they wouldn't be on their own until I was satisfied they could handle the work. I was at Pete's office just before five pm and once again the receptionist called Pete to announce my arrival. He was out of his office immediately and welcomed me as he always did. This time we went to a small meeting room for our session. "My office is a mess ... covered in papers. Let me get your file and a coffee. I'll be right back." He was as good as his word, arriving with two coffees and a file tucked under his arm. "So, how have you been this past week, Geoff?" "Busy, thankfully. I hired a couple of students for the summer and that meant a bunch of interviews. Just as well, otherwise I'd be worrying about this," I said, pointing to the folder. "Yeah ... well ... I have some news for you. I know you said you didn't have any idea of how much Joyce earns at Koch Motors." "No ... I don't. I'm guessing it would be about forty or maybe fifty thousand a year. She's in management now, so I assumed it would be a decent salary." "Decent isn't the right word for it. Your wife earned something close to eighty-seven thousand dollars last year including her bonus, and is likely to top that this year." "Holy shit! Are you kidding me? Where the hell did it all go?" "That's a good question, Geoff ... a damn good question. On top of that, that car she supposedly leases costs her nothing but the taxable benefit portion, and she writes some of that off when she uses the car for business purposes. It looks like Joyce has been holding out on you, my friend. Not exactly the actions of a trusted and loyal wife." "I'm amazed. I would never have guessed. Has this been going on for some time?" "That's my guess. Her salary has been augmented by a performance bonus based on the number of dollars she puts through the credit granter and the interest rate she's able to charge. With the volume her dealership puts through annually, even a half of one percent can make a big difference in their bottom line. The credit operation is a separate profit center. A very good profit center. Her bonus last year was eighteen thousand dollars, less taxes." "Oh my god. Who is that woman?" "Joyce Nelson is a well-paid businesswoman with a very bright future in her job. She's going to be moving up, I'm guessing. She'll be earning six figures ... if not this year, certainly next year. She just isn't too keen on sharing it." "Well, I guess that explains a lot then. I was becoming unnecessary. An inconvenience. An obstacle to her ambition. Doesn't do much for a guy's ego, does it?" I moaned. Pete shook his head. "I've got to admit, I've never come across this before. This is so cold ... so calculating, that I don't know what to say. One thing is for certain. This is going to change everything when we sit down with Joyce and Ocsana to get an agreement. She's going to be paying you alimony. How's that for a start? Second, she's going to have to account for where all the money went. If she's got it stashed somewhere, she's going to have to declare it or she'll be in deep shit with the court. This could get ugly, Geoff." "Surely her lawyer will tell her that we know all this. She's not going to be able to hide anything is she?" "No ... you're right about that. She paid taxes on all these earnings according to her returns. There are some questionable deductions and allowances that might not pass the scrutiny of an audit, but at least she's declared all the income Koch gave her. Anything else, we don't know about." "Anything else?" "Income from other sources." "What other sources?" Pete shrugged. "There was a time when people paid kick-backs for pushing business their way. I doubt Koch would condone it, but if Joyce was greedy enough, she might try it on her own." "How would we know?" "We wouldn't ... but ... I might be able to put a scare into her if she is doing something like that. You leave that to me for now. In the meantime, I think it's time we had a meeting with Joyce and Ocsana." "Sure. The sooner the better. I want to see the look on her face when she has to admit she has been holding out on her family." "Geoff ... this is one meeting where you are going to have to be mute. It might get heated, but you cannot ... I repeat ... cannot ... let your emotions get the better of you. I am going to take Joyce apart at this meeting and it isn't going to be pretty. You're going to have to sit there and listen and not say a word. Do you understand?" I nodded. "I just hope I can do it without blowing up or smacking her one." "I don't have to tell you what the consequences of that would be ... do I?" "No ... no ... you don't. But the inside of my mouth and tongue are going to look like hamburger meat when it's over." Pete smiled. "Okay, that's enough for today. I'll call you when I have the meeting set up. Can you get away during the day? I want to make this inconvenient for Joyce." "Yeah ... sure. Terry is with me all the way on this. By the way, did I tell you I'm living in his summer cottage in Orondo? It's great. A half-hour commute, but a beautiful place on the river. The boys are going to love it." "Good to hear it, Geoff. Beats the hell out of an apartment. I wouldn't mind seeing it myself. Sue and I have been thinking about a summer place up river. Lake Chelan is getting too expensive." "Let's do that when this is all over with. We can have the victory party there," I said with a rueful smile. "Yeah ... well ... remember ... in divorce, there are no victors. Everyone loses." I nodded solemnly. He was right. Everyone loses. Pete called on Wednesday to say that he was having trouble getting Joyce and Ocsana to come to the table. He said he was suggesting to them that maybe it would be best if they took the matter to court. That got an immediate reaction from Ocsana, promising a firm date within the next day. Pete called back within the hour to say that the meeting had been scheduled for Friday afternoon at three pm in Ocsana's office. "How come at her place?" "I don't think it matters, but it's a bit of gamesmanship on her part. Wants us to be on her home turf, so to speak. I'm not concerned. We have what we need to make the meeting go our way." "Okay, I'll meet you at her office just before three. Do we need to huddle?" "Only for me to remind you to be calm and be quiet," he chuckled. "Seriously, Geoff. I don't know how this is going to go, so keep your cool at all costs. We are the good guys ... remember?" "Yeah ... the good guys. Thanks, Pete." Friday afternoon at two-thirty I was standing in front of an espresso joint across from Ocsana Dirovich's office. I was trying to sip my decaf coffee slowly, but not having much success. I had been useless at the shop this morning, constantly thinking about what might happen at the meeting. I wondered if I would be able to keep my temper. I couldn't quite get my head around what Pete had told me about her holding out on us ... on her whole family. Was it greed? That's what it seemed to be. When I thought of all those years we scrimped and saved to take our vacations and buy our home and put some away for the kids going to college. It all seemed so pointless now. Ch. 4 Showdown Time I was watching for Pete when I saw Joyce walk toward the entrance of the law firm. She looked very professional, very upright and confident. I wonder if she realized what Pete had in store for her. Surely Ocsana had briefed her on what her tax returns had revealed. Maybe Joyce was holding out on Ocsana, not telling her just how little she contributed to our household. That didn't strike me as possible, but I would soon know. I was lost in thought when I felt a tap on my shoulder and jumped as I turned toward Pete. "Jesus, Pete. Don't do that. I nearly had a seizure." "Sorry, Geoff. I saw Joyce just a couple of minutes ago. I take it she's gone in to the offices?" "Yeah. I saw her too. She looked pretty confident. That surprised me." "Maybe just a ploy. She might have spotted you and decided to put on a show. Hard to say." We walked across the street and with Pete watching our timing, rode up the elevator to the third floor and the offices of Wendler-Milton. With the instincts of a practiced professional, we entered their lobby at exactly three o'clock. "Mister Mahoney and Mister Nelson to see Ms. Dirovich," Pete announced. We waited for five minutes before a fifty-ish woman with gray hair and a stout figure appeared in the lobby. "Hello, Pete. Nice to see you again. And you must be Geoffrey Nelson," she said, turning to me with her hand out. I shook it and nodded, but said nothing. I was going to obey Pete's instructions to the letter. He turned to me and grinned, acknowledging my willingness to follow his direction. Wenatchee Ch. 03-04 We entered a very nicely appointed meeting room with an oval shaped table suitable for eight or ten people. There would be only four of us today. As I entered the room, I saw Joyce already seated at the near side, but not looking up to acknowledge me. Okay, if that's how she wanted to play it. Ocsana and Pete exchanged a few pleasantries and then got down to business. "I'm sure you must have explained to your client that concealing her income and holdings is improper, Ocsana. Mrs. Nelson's income over the past three years has been in excess of two hundred and thirty thousand dollars, not including the benefit of her company car. She has contributed seventy-eight thousand dollars to the household over the same period. It begs the question ... where is the remaining one hundred and fifty-some thousand dollars?" "Mrs. Nelson has disclosed her income tax returns in full and is holding nothing back in the way of information on her earnings." "That doesn't answer the question. Where are the rest of her earnings? Mutual funds? Savings bonds? Stock market? "Mrs. Nelson is reluctant to disclose that information," Ocsana said carefully. "Have you advised Mrs. Nelson that we could have the court oblige her to reveal that information?" "I have." "And?" "She does not wish to reveal that information." "Then ... I see no option to take this matter before the court," Pete said in an even, controlled voice. "What is it you want?" Joyce suddenly snapped. "I earned that money legally. I paid taxes on it. I don't owe anyone anything." Her face was red and she was looking at Pete, not me. She hadn't looked at me since we had arrived. "On the contrary, Mrs. Nelson. It is part of community property. It was earned while you were married to Mr. Nelson and living in the same household. Surely Ms. Dirovich has explained that to you." "No! It's my money. I don't have to share it with anyone. I earned it and I'm keeping it." I was shocked at Joyce's outburst. Her lawyer had tried to get her to be quiet, but she was having none of it. At least now I had an inkling of what was going on in her mind. I didn't like what I was seeing in my wife at that moment. "Well, Ocsana, there seems little point in continuing this meeting. I will contact the court and we will set a date for a formal hearing. I wish you could convince your client that it is not in her best interest to refuse our request. The court will take a dim view of her attitude." Ocsana said nothing but smiled faintly and nodded. She understood, but clearly had no control over Joyce at that moment. As Pete and I exited the elevator and walked out into the early June sunshine, I turned to him. "Who the hell is that woman?" Pete shook his head and shrugged. "I'm proud of you Geoff. You didn't rise to the bait. As for Joyce ... I can't answer your question. She seemed completely irrational and Ocsana must be just as frustrated and unhappy as I would be in the same circumstances." "What now?" "Well, I can file for a hearing with the court. God knows when that will happen. However, once the notice of hearing is posted, Ocsana will get a copy and then it's showdown time. We can cancel the hearing at any time, and I'm hoping that Ocsana can talk some sense into Joyce before she gets herself into real trouble. If not, we go to court and the whole thing gets played out in public. I doubt Koch Motors will be very pleased with that." "So ... maybe with a bit a leverage at Koch, and some more pressure from Ocsana, we can get this done without the court?" "You're pretty good at strategy, Geoff. Yeah. That's my thinking." When I got back to my car, I called Matt. "Hey, Matt. How are you?" "Fine, Dad. What happened at the meeting today?" "You knew about that?" "Yeah. It's all Mom talked about for the last few days. She was upset about something, but she didn't say what." "I think your mother is heading for some trouble, Matt. She won't listen to her lawyer's advice and it's going to end up in court and she's going to lose. It could be real bad news for her." "Jeez, Dad, it's bad enough around here already. Do you mind if we come up to Orondo this weekend. We want to get out of here for a couple of days. Mom's driving us crazy." "Sure. It's the long weekend, so you can have three days of fun and sun. Just make sure you let your mother know where you're going and then meet me at the store on Friday afternoon about five. Bring some clothes for the weekend and don't forget your swimsuits. You're going to love the place." "Great. Thanks, Dad. It'll be good to be with you again." If Joyce wasn't listening to Ocsana's advice at the meeting, she was listening when she was told not to contact me directly. I heard nothing from her about the boys coming up to Orondo on the weekend. I was certain Matt would tell her, so I assumed they had at least grudging permission. Maybe a weekend alone in that big house would have some affect on her thinking. I told Terry what had happened at the meeting and he was all for having the boys at the cottage that weekend. He wasn't able to be there, but said it would be important for them to get away from the hostility and tension at home. We talked about the possibility of them staying with me if things got too ugly at home, and he had no problem with that. I phoned Pete and asked him about getting permission for the boys to be with me for the summer. He said he'd talk to Ocsana about it, but not to get my hopes up. He didn't like Joyce's attitude at the meeting and wondered if she would put up roadblocks. He'd get back to me with an answer. In the meantime, he had filed with the court for a formal hearing on the divorce. It looked like we would be going to court after all. I heard nothing from the boys or Joyce for the rest of the week. Just as well since I was busy getting Jana and Jimmy settled in their jobs. Happily, they didn't require a lot of supervision or instruction. They caught on very quickly. Shortly after four on Friday afternoon, the boys showed up at the shop with a couple of gym bags. "Everything okay with your mom and this weekend," I asked Matt. "Yeah. I don't think she was thrilled, but I got the impression she would be just as happy to be alone for a while. I wish it was longer than just a couple of days, though. We can hang around the house most of the day when she's at work, but sooner or later we have to be there with her. It's like we're a pain to deal with." "I'm still thinkin' she's got a boyfriend somewhere," Ross added. "Any reason to think that?" I asked. "Naw. Not really. It's not like she's goin' out at night or getting funny phone calls. Just ... she's actin' so weird. Ever since you left, she's not the same. Maybe she misses you and doesn't know how to deal with it." "Well, when she was at the meeting the other day, she never looked at me and never said a word to me. She just yelled at Pete, my lawyer. I'll tell you about it this weekend, but for now, let's just get out of here and head to the cottage. Like I said, you're going to love it up there." They threw their bags into the back and we took off for Orondo, stopping at the local Safeway for some groceries. I was feeling good about having my sons with me even if for only three days, and it would be a good test to see if I could manage with them around for the summer. Even with the rush hour pre-weekend traffic, we were at the cottage by five o'clock and put away the groceries before I showed them around. I gave them the option of sharing the double bed in my room, or one of them on the sofa bed on the porch, and they chose the latter. No surprise. I moved into Terry's room, taking just what clothing I would need for the weekend. When I pulled out the barbeque, the boys noticed an aluminum boat with outboard motor and wondered if it was okay to use it. It was, but only with me along. I wasn't sure just how skilled either of them would be with a power boat like Terry's. On the other hand, I knew there would be some serious bikini watching tomorrow as the day warmed up well into the seventies. Matt grilled some steaks, while I made a tossed salad, and Ross microwaved potatoes. I had a beer while the boys settled for sodas. I didn't think relaxing the rules was a good idea just now. As the boys looked around and began to explore the area, I could see they were happy with being here. There was a beach in front of the property, but in truth, the river was still too cold for swimming. We had a great weekend together and it was almost a shame that I had to return them home on Monday evening. I wondered how much luck Pete would have in getting permission for them to spend the summer with me, but I said nothing to the boys so that they wouldn't be disappointed if it didn't happen. When I dropped them off at the house, I could see Joyce looking out the window. I wasn't sure if she was watching them or me. She didn't move or make any sign, so when I saw them safely at the door, I waved to them and drove back to the cottage. The place seemed lonely once again without my two sons. There had been noise and activity and laughter and conversation over the time we were together. I began to realize how lonely my life had become without my family. There had been something bothering me for a week or so that I couldn't get out of my mind. Joyce's behavior at the meeting was so uncharacteristic of her that I couldn't quite get over it. Even the day before she presented me with the divorce, she wasn't displaying any signs of the coldness I saw that fateful evening, or at the meeting at Ocsana Dirovich's office. It was as if she was two different people. I began to wonder if she was suffering some kind of mental breakdown. I had to admit I was obsessing about my situation. That we would divorce seemed to be a certainty. I was fairly sure the boys would choose me as their principal caregiver. I didn't feel that the divorce would leave me destitute as so often seemed to be the case. But I missed Joyce ... or at least the Joyce that once was. I missed the warmth and scent and loving that we had shared for all those years. I missed the companionship of just being together, sitting watching TV, or on the back deck in the evening. I missed our friends, who would come to our house or we would go to theirs. I'd shed many a tear in the last three weeks. I began to despair I would ever be happy again. I arrived at the shop at my usual time on Monday morning to find both Jana and Jimmy waiting for me. "Hi. Good morning. Did you have a good long weekend?" I asked them both. I got a yes from Jimmy and a nod and a smile from Jana. Well, that was progress for her, I suppose. "Any problems you need to talk about?" I asked, looking at both again. "Nope, everything's pretty cool," Jimmy replied. "Can we have some more work?" Jana asked, surprising me. "Are you finished what you've got already?" She nodded. "Yes. It wasn't very difficult," she said shyly. "What about you, Jimmy?" "Yeah ... I'm pretty much done. Maybe another hour. Jana's too quick for me. She's always been the big brain in class," he grinned, looking at her. She smiled faintly and looked away, embarrassed. "Okay. I'm sure I can get you two started on some new projects. Maybe something a little more challenging this time. Have either of you had any experience with networks ... commercial sized ones I mean." Both shook their heads. "Well, here's your chance. Let's sit down and I'll give you an idea of how they work and what needs to be done to add or modify them." I got an enthusiastic smile from both and over the next hour I told them what I knew about commercial networks and the best way to configure them. To say these two were bright would be an understatement. They were very quick to learn. Mr. Drummond had been right. They would be an asset and I was already wondering if we could find a way to keep them year-around. This was only the beginning of their second week on the job, but already I knew we had made a good choice. It was going to lessen the workload on both Terry and me and that would mean we could scout out some new business without worrying that it would swamp us. It was Thursday afternoon that I got a call from Pete Mahoney. "Hi Geoff. Good news. I got an okay from Ocsana for you to have the boys stay with you during the summer. I asked for that permission in writing and she sent it to me this afternoon and I'll forward it to you by e-mail." "That's great, Pete. I'm sure the boys will be pleased too. Any word on the other issue of her assets?" "Nope. According to Ocsana, she hasn't budged an inch. So the filing is sitting there waiting for our turn. The wheels of justice turn slowly in civil cases I'm afraid." "Okay. I guess it doesn't make much difference. There hasn't been any activity in our bank accounts, so it's not like she draining them. In fact, she is still depositing a thousand just as she did before." "Keep an eye on it, Geoff. With her attitude, I'd check your safety deposit box and make sure everything is still there. You might also give some thought to whether you want to change the beneficiary on your life insurance policies and your will." "Yes ... thanks. I hadn't thought of that. I'll do that tomorrow." We chatted for a couple of minutes more before signing off. I immediately called Matt on his cell phone. "Hey, Matt, it's Dad. Are you at the house?" "No ... I'm at the ballpark watching a game. What's up?" "I got an okay from your mother for you guys to stay with me at the cottage for the summer." "Really? I heard her talking to that lawyer woman about it. I didn't think she was going to go for it. When can we go?" "I guess whenever you want. You'll need to pack a couple of suitcases with your stuff. You'll be staying at the cottage until you have to leave for Eugene. That is, unless you discover you're not comfortable there." "Jeez, Dad, like that's going to happen," he chuckled. "Well just remember that we'll be doing all our own cooking, cleaning, and laundry. It's going to have to be a team effort." "Yeah ... well ... I guess I might as well get used to it. That's how it will be in the dorm I suppose." "Is your brother there?" "No, he's hanging out with Sandy Pantuzzi. I think she's his latest wanna-be girl friend." "I don't know about your brother, Matt. He collects girls like some guys collect baseball cards. I'm going to have to keep an eye on him. Just the same, let him know about our conversation, please." "Sure. He'll be happy. I'm betting he's going to be scoping out the bikini babes up at the cottage. They're going to have to take a number with him," he laughed. "Well, at least it will give him something to keep him interested until school starts. Anyway, let me know when you're ready to go and I'll come and pick you both up at the house." "Okay, Dad. And thanks for this. It's going to be a great summer." I snapped the phone closed and sat back in my chair. One more problem solved. I was beginning to feel the pressure come off. Suddenly, nothing was quite as urgent as it had been a few days ago. By the sound of it, it would be a while before our divorce would come before the court, so there was no point in holding my breath. I felt better about the boys being with me, especially with Joyce's erratic behavior. And, I had great young help at the shop to take the pressure off Terry and me. Yeah ... things were getting a bit better. So, how come I didn't feel better? I was missing Joyce. Despite the things she had said and done in the past weeks, I was still missing her. You don't spend twenty years and have it suddenly disappear. Losing her was going to be with me for a long, long time. To be continued Editing by ErikThread and DaveT with my thanks for their thoroughness and helpful suggestions. Any errors are mine.