Storiesonline.net ------- Just My Luck by Barneyr Copyright© 2010 by Barneyr ------- Description: Just when I thought my life was getting to a point that I could relax and enjoy it, a situation hits me in a big way. Now my life is a total wreck, figuratively speaking of course, ain’t it just my luck to end up like this. Codes: MF cons het fant slow ------- ------- Edited by aguy and proofread by prissy_35503 ------- Prologue Authors Notes: This is quite a different type of story for me. It is not science fiction or mind control, or fantasy, but then too it is a fiction story. It is a slow story with some sex, but no sex scenes, as that is not the prime interest here. It is a romance and there will be sex in it, but I am branching out into uncharted waters here, so I will need lots of feedback to let me know how this is working out. Thank you in advance for your patience. This is the story of one Robert Harlan Rothman, born in Marfa, Texas about thirty years ago, raised by aging parents and when he graduated high school at 17, he wanted out of the oil towns and high plains desert and see the world. Things didn't always work out for Robert, but yet they did in the long run. I hope you enjoy my story. BR ------- Chapter 1 Before I get to my wreck of a life, I guess I need to give you my background. First of all, I was a late-in-life baby, my mother was fifty-two and my dad was fifty-five. My sister, Alice, was thirty-one and my brother, Dwayne, was thirty-five when I was born. Needless to say I was a surprise. My mother, Ruth Ann Rothman, thought she had already started the change of life when she stopped having periods at fifty-one. Before her next birthday the doctor confided in her that she was not just putting on a little weight due to menopause, she was pregnant. My dad, Harlan Lawrence Rothman, about had a heart attack upon hearing the news. Both parents were looking forward to retirement in a few years, and they really didn't look forward to raising a child in their fifties and sixties. For about the first seventeen years of my life I was known as Bobbie. Well actually Robert Harlan Rothman, that was my birth name, but Bobbie was my name to my family. The doctors were amazed that I grew up so well. At seventeen I was 6'-2, 190 lbs and had already taken two college courses and graduated first in my class of 215 students. I hated the speech I had to make. I searched the internet for valedictorian speeches and cobbled several together and said my piece. The first of June found me in Odessa, Texas trying to figure out which service would let me see the world and not end up dead as a result. I decided on the Navy, right, 'Join the Navy and see the world', NOT!!! I was sent to the Great Lakes Naval Training Center, which is located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, halfway between Chicago and Milwaukee. Unlike other service's basic training, much of Navy Boot Camp is conducted indoors. Yep -- there's indoor marching and drill, the confidence course is indoors, and even weapons (shotgun and pistol) are fired indoors. (This makes a lot of sense if you think about it -- much of Navy life and duty is spent inside a ship or a submarine). After Basic, I was assigned to North Island Naval Complex, Coronado, California. During the three years I was stationed there, I was on a ship, a support tender ship at that, for a sum total of twenty-one days during several naval exercises. Needless to say I was pissed, but in the field of electronics as an Aviation Electronics Technician or AT, it gave me time to go back to school and study for my computer sciences degree. I finished my bachelor's degree and was studying for my masters at San Diego State, when orders came down for me to be transferred to be an Information Systems Technician or computer systems analyst for the Navy at NAS Corpus Christi, Texas. Wow I was moving up in the world, but not going anywhere cool. By now I was a PO3 (Petty Officer, third class) or E-4 for most other services. This new job was a big promotion as I would be the new PO2 for the base IT systems, mainly based on my education, and I had impressed my Lt. Commander (or Major for you others) back at San Diego. He suggested that if I wanted, he would put me in for OCS school so I could be an officer. I did discuss it with him but we figured it would be the kiss of death as far as seeing the world would be concerned. Once in south Texas, I looked around for a college to finish my masters, but there was none locally, however I did find an online program from the University of Houston, Victoria Campus. That was not too far away, only 80 miles. I know to most of you 80 miles is a lot, but in Texas, that's just around the corner. Just think of it this way. From Austin to the border east is about 250 miles, north to Oklahoma is 270 miles and west to El Paso is 576 miles and south to the coast at Port Lavaca is 150 miles, but to Corpus Christi from Austin is 217 miles. Austin is about in the center of the state as far as cities and populations go. Sure there are more centrally located cities, but the effect is the same. So now I was getting set to finish up my last two and a half years of a six year hitch back in Texas. I really wasn't looking forward to this. While in California I did get to see my sister, twice, but I had nothing in common with her and her family except my parents; too much of an age difference. I did get to meet my brother once when he came down to my sister's place when I was there. Again no connection, so basically I was an only child. We lost both my parents while I was in San Diego. Their house exploded when a storm came up and blew out the water heater pilot and the house filled with gas. When the electricity came back on after the storm and the furnace kicked in, the whole house was soon gone. The resulting fire partially cremated my parents while they were still in their bed. I went back for the funeral and met my brother and sister for one last time. Mom and Dad didn't leave us much. We got the land the house sat on, only fifteen acres, and we split their insurance money which amounted to fifteen thousand apiece. They had enough money in the bank to cover their outstanding bills and to pay for the further cremation and burial. My brother and sister agreed for me to keep the deed for the land and that was it. When I moved to Texas, I had planned to get a new house built but really who wants to live on fifteen acres of desert plains five miles outside of Marfa, Texas? Nobody, that's who, I mean the population is just over twenty-one hundred people and it is the county seat. Some fancy New York artist came to town a while back and bought the old Army base, Fort D.A. Russell, and it is now a museum for several artists. Other than that, the only claims to fame is a few movies made there, like "Giant", "There Will Be Blood", and "No Country for Old Men" and the Marfa Lights. Now the Marfa Lights are something else again, they are visible every clear night between Marfa and the Paisano Pass when you face southwest (toward the Chinati Mountains). At times they appear colored as they twinkle in the distance. They move about, split apart, melt together, disappear, and reappear. Presidio County residents have been watching the lights for well over a hundred years. The first historical record of them recalls that in 1883 a young cowhand, named Robert Reed Ellison, saw a flickering light while he was driving cattle through Paisano Pass and wondered if it was the campfire of Apache Indians. He was told by other settlers that they often saw the lights, but when they investigated, they found no ashes or other evidence of a campsite. Presidio County has now built a viewing station nine miles east of town on US Route 67 near the site of the old air base. Each year, enthusiasts gather for the annual Marfa Lights Festival. I did however get to sell my land to a new developer as he wanted to cash in on the Marfa Lights phenomena, as you could see them quite plainly from my land on clear nights. For myself, I never thought they were all so much of a mystery. I grew up with them and other than nobody knowing what they were or why they appeared, it was not a big deal for me. I mean come on now, what would aliens want with some hundred and forty thousand square miles of desert. Well maybe again, that would be the perfect place to hide UFO's. The elevation starts about two thousand feet and goes up to over a mile. There are the cities in the Chihuahuan Desert of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, and Torreon in Mexico; and El Paso, Texas, and Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Roswell in New Mexico. Hey maybe there is some connection to the Marfa Lights and the Roswell Incident after all. Enough of the travelogue, on to my screwed up life; I studied hard and worked harder trying to get as much education and knowledge out of my schooling and my job so that I could get me a cushy job when I got out of the Navy. I figured out that if I wanted to see the world I would have to do it on my own. In order to do that I had to be rich, and to be rich I had to get a great job or work for myself. I figured if I worked hard at it, I could probably get a good job in one of four cities in Texas: Austin, Dallas, Ft. Worth, or Houston, as I did call Texas home. And with the diversity of climate, and environment in Texas I would like to stay here. To that end I was a card carrying member of the "Stupid Tax" class of people. Oh you ask what this stupid tax thing is. That is what some people call the State Lottery of Texas. You know you pay all year long and you have nothing to show for it. A friend of mine is one of them too and that is all he does. He has gotten several three to ten dollar returns for his six dollars a week investment, but that is all. Me however, I do win pretty much something weekly. I even won twenty-seven thousand dollars in California in their lottery. That is when I started my 401K and investment fund. I added the fifteen thousand when my parents died to the funds and any big win since then I have added to it. Because I lived pretty frugally and I win fairly consistently my investment portfolio now has about two hundred thousand in it. It is all after taxes money so they can't tax me again on it, only on the interest and gains. Actually it is gambling wins and losses so I can subtract my twelve dollars a week I spend on tickets as losses, as long as I list all my winnings too. Anyway, this is how I figure I can augment my way to riches. I was also fairly lucky at poker games too and when in San Diego I went to Vegas a few times to play. I would usually come back with more than I started with but never anything big. I think the biggest gain for a weekend was once I came back with two thousand more than the five hundred I started out with. I now had six months left on my hitch so I started sending resumes out to companies in the four major cities, for when I would get out. Nothing seemed to be happening yet, so I sent out some more. Warren Lester, a good friend was getting out next month and he was going to start a limo service with antique luxury cars. There are a ton of places hiring out the stretch limo things in everything from Cadillacs and Lincolns to Hummers and pick-ups. But there were very few limos of older classic luxury cars like Rolls Royce, Bentley or others. He had over the years gathered a stable of a 1954 Rolls Royce Silver Dawn, a 1948 Bentley Sports Salon, a 1957 Cadillac Series 75 Fleetwood Limousine and a 1960 Lincoln Mark V Limousine. Most of these he had garnered from junk yards or motivated sellers and sent them home to his dad and brothers who ran an auto shop in Pflugerville just outside of Austin, Texas. They worked on each of these cars and brought them up to tip top shape and had even started a somewhat limited limo service there once they had a couple of the cars done. Warren asked me if I could work up a website for him so he could advertise on the net. I said sure and it took me about a week to work up something I thought he would be proud to have on the net and it would be eye catching enough to bring in some business. He asked if I thought an even older car would be of any use as he had found a 1939 Chrysler Imperial Limo in very good shape and wondered if I could add the picture to his website. His dad went to Louisiana to look at it and buy it if it was in good shape. I thought that his idea was a good one and so I took some of my money and invested it in his limo service. Warren figured that with my contribution I owned about twenty percent of the company so I would get twenty percent of the profits. I told him that ten percent would be more than plenty and if the business became bigger then maybe I would accept twenty percent. It ended up that my investment bought the Imperial and almost paid for the restoration that was needed. From then on Warren kept about ten percent of the profit from renting that car out and the rest was sent to me. Mind you the car only was used about once a month, except in the summer months when it was used almost weekly. Who would have thought that old limos would do such a great business? Of course my website setup may have had something to do with it. I had it come up with anything connected to prom, wedding, limo, or car rental services when someone did a search on any of those items. That got me to thinking and so I started sending revised resumes stating my website creation work. This netted me a job with a website design company in Dallas and when I left the service I started working there. I was also their web troubleshooter and IT troubleshooter as well and I traveled all over the country and into Canada and Mexico troubleshooting IT problems and setting up and designing websites for companies and individuals. After five years with the company they were bought out and my services were no longer needed by the new company. Their loss and my gain, I decided that I could do the same thing on my own, so I bought the house I was renting south of Dallas and converted the second bedroom into a server room. I had a separate air conditioner for the room and keep it very cool in there. The third bedroom was my office and I even converted the garage as a warehouse for my business. I had continued to win small lottery wins, less than twenty-five thousand each and this added to my investment fund. Plus I was now making much more that I did at the company I was working for, before they let me go. Almost half of their customers left the new company and became my customers because of my service and designs. The new company was sorely pissed but they didn't make me sign a non-disclosure or non competition agreement, so it was their loss, not mine. They just wanted to get rid of me because of my high salary. Business boomed for me for the next two years. ------- Chapter 2 My love life during my formative years was nonexistent as there were hardly any girls near my age in school, and for the longest time, until the summer between my junior year and senior in high school, I was just a short, skinny kid with braces. Then over the summer I worked on a ranch and I put on about forty pounds, mostly muscle and I grew nearly three inches in height too. When I came back to school in late August I was 6'-2, weighed 155 lbs and had a deep tan and muscles bulging just about everywhere. Girls that I had never seen before, flocked to me and I turned them all down flat. They had ignored me then, so why should I bother with them now. I did get to end my virgin status with another geeky girl who was underweight and cute, but not beautiful. She was the girl most picked on by the 'in crowd' and I really wanted her to know I cared about her. She also changed over the summer before her senior year and she sent me pictures of her senior prom. She looked so nice. She thanked me so much for everything I had done for her my senior year. We explored each other as well as the whole sexual world known to us and we found we both liked sex, but we knew we were not destined to be together forever. We parted as friends and went on with our lives. My sex life in San Diego was ok, not great. I dated several coeds from San Diego State and a couple of the Navy girls I knew. Each of them knew it was not long term, but more of a relief of the pressures of built up hormones than love. Once back in Texas I was really too busy trying to finish my master's degree to worry about girls and then getting started into the general workforce I was too busy then too. The same happened when I was starting my own company, RHR Consulting. I was up in upper Michigan doing a website for some law firm up there when I decided that I needed to play the lottery in every state that had one, if I could play it being a non-resident. Michigan had such a lottery so I played the Mega Millions and the state Lotto both for the week I was there. Before I left I checked my numbers and found I was a sole winner of one hundred, twenty two million dollars in their Mega Millions jackpot. Actually it was $122, 036,958.67 total, but with the 25 percent federal tax and the 4.35 percent state tax, I actually only won just over $87.5 million resulting in me getting $2.9 million a year for the next thirty years. Not bad huh? But then when I got back to Texas, I checked my power ball numbers and I won another 60 million as the sole winner there. I settled for the whole 31 million in a cash payoff. But with the Federal taxes taking a huge chunk of that, I ended up with only a little over $23 million in real income. Because I had paid all of my federal taxes on the money it was now tax free, except for the interest or gains I made on my principal. I gave about half a million each to two of my favorite charities, the American Cancer Society and the American Heart association. Then I gave a half a million to the Dell Children's Hospital in Austin. These were great charities, all three of them. Now what to do? I had all the money I could ever want, I had just turned thirty and I really loved my job. What should I do? Well that turned out to be the sixty-four million dollar question. I looked around for a new place to live. I hated the winters and the bad storms around Dallas so I wanted a place not far from Warren, down in Pflugerville. He knew of a real nice place that was for sale out near Taylor Texas. The farm, of forty-five acres, had been for sale for about two years and the bank was getting anxious to sell. I could probably get the place for about half a million. The house was an old two story but it did have its own septic system and electricity, water and gas was already at the property. There was also a barn and a couple of outbuildings. It also had a stock tank with working windmill and a fenced off section of almost thirty acres, enough to let cattle graze or horses to run. I got with my accountant and had him look into the place. Telling him I would remove the house and probably the other buildings and build my own in the next six months as soon as I contacted a local architect. I wanted about a four thousand square foot house and a server room attached. Then I would need at least a five car garage, with room for a motor home and workshop in the garage. I would need a T-2 or T-3 fiber optic line put into the place. I would check that out myself as he was not well versed on that aspect. My accountant, Sherman Dresser, said he would contact the bank and see what he could work out. He called me about an hour later and said he had talked with a Paul Roberts, president of the bank in Taylor and they worked out a deal for $476,327 for the property. Paul said that a T line could be run out to the property as that area had just finished an upgrade to fiber optic telephone and cable. Paul also recommended an excellent architect of Donald Lang, who could build whatever I wanted and would guarantee his work for twenty years. I told him to do it and when would I need to meet with this Don Lang to begin preliminary drawings for the house and garage and new barn for horses. I decided I wanted to raise some nice horses and maybe have some longhorn cattle too. The cattle could graze and didn't need any shelter, but I wanted some shelter for the horses. Sherman said he would get back to me on it. In the mean time I called Warren back and thanked him for the tip. I was going to buy the property and move down close to him when I got the house built. Ok, now you are wondering what kind of wreck my life was in now. It seemed that I had it made, right? I had all the money I could ever want, I had property, I had a great job I loved, what else could a guy want? Love, that's what, pure and simple, I had given up a lot of love and sex for this, and now it was my turn to be loved and have plenty of sex. This is where I pretty much ruin my idyllic life. I had everything, but I was thirty years old and had never really known love. Sure I had my parents love until they were gone, my siblings could care less about me, they never knew me, they were gone during my formative years and we never had the chance to bond as siblings. I had male and female friends and a couple of fuck buddies, but no one to love. I had visited Warren and his wife and two kids, his mom and dad and his brother Hank, but I guess I was jealous of him and his life. I needed to find me a girl I could love and who would love me, not for my money, but for me. So I looked in bars, in church, everywhere. I had attended church as a Methodist growing up, and continued as I grew older. I even did that computer matching thing and all I found was desperate people trying desperately to connect to someone, almost anyone. I gave that all up as a lost cause. I would try the scene in Austin, maybe I could find someone there I could relate to. After the sale was completed and I could get away for the weekend, I drove down to Taylor in my new 3500 Dodge dually four-door pickup with the Cummins diesel. I made good time and decent mileage for a Friday afternoon. I figured that since I now owned a ranch in Texas I needed to act like it. I found a nice motel there in Taylor and looked around the area. I drove out to my new place in the early morning and drove around and looked at everything. It was perfect, there were some very nice old oak trees on the west side of the old house and some more scattered all over the property. The fencing looked in decent repair, but the buildings were in not that good of shape. The barn needed painting, but why, I planned to knock down all the buildings and reuse, if possible, some of the lumber for my floors and the doors. They were very good solid panel doors and they looked to be in great shape, just needing some TLC. The house was set about two hundred feet back from the road and there were some bushes along the front part of the property which gave it some privacy. The driveway was dirt and gravel, but that could be remedied pretty quickly. I then drove out to Don's home, punching his address in my GPS navigator. I was surprised that the house looked so big, then I realized it was just one story high. Wow this would be kind of like mine, I think. I met Don when I knocked on the front door. I was invited in and shown to his home office. I marveled at his house. "Who built this house Don?" "I did, well my company did, and I drew up the plans and then helped in building it. Why, do you want something similar?" "Yeah, what is this 5,000 square feet?" "Nah, just over 3,800. But I can build you anything you want. Now what is this about a separate server room you want?" That got the two of us getting down to business. We did the server room first, complete with raised floor and separate ac units outside that were dedicated to the server room and the separate suite of bedroom and half bath. "What about auxiliary power for the servers, we have a few storms around here and if you need the servers running all the time, then I think we need to have additional generator for power when yours is down. Now we can go two ways with this. A separate diesel generator of about 10 to 12kw with an automatic transfer switch rated for 100 amps for each circuit should be enough to do the trick. How many servers do you have now and how many do you think you will need later, Bob?" "Well Don, I have ten now but I think I may go as high as twenty, why does it make a difference?" "Well in a way yes, but in another way no. Most servers run about 80 amps max at startup, and 40 during normal operation, so for ten servers you would need ten circuits with about a hundred amps each. That works out to a minimum of a 10kw generator, but if you go to a 12kw you get two more circuits and one of them can be your air conditioner circuit for the room cooling. I would suggest a separate unit for that, but not a window unit. I was thinking along the lines of a dual conditioner unit, a small self-contained unit for the server room and a larger unit for the house. Now the other option is for rack controlled or room chillers. Are your servers in a rack or floor mounted in towers?" "Right now mine are floor mounted units but I have thought of going to a rack system and just running auxiliary cooling for the rack. I will probably only have a double rack with staggered servers to give them the maximum cooling and heat distribution. I probably don't need a double rack, but that way if I do have to expand, then I have the room. I also want three doors for this room, an internal one to the main house, one for the suite, and an external one with a four foot door to be able to bring equipment in. Also wouldn't we need a much larger unit for twenty servers, like maybe a 25kw unit?" "You are quite right Bob, I will look into that for you and we can pour a pad and run the power in under the floor for the raised floor. Would you need a full one foot rise or would eight inches be enough?" "I think one foot is standard and two steps isn't bad, but if we could go with the eight inch rise, then we could still have two steps and the ramp could be shorter." "Well in that case I would suggest the Liebert water cooled or Glycol/water cooled unit and maybe several of the Liebert UPS units too. This would give you cool air and about a five minute window for the generator to kick in." "Yeah I will get with my server supplier and see what he recommends, but those are good ideas. Have you built server rooms before?" "Yeah, I got the bid for expanding the IT computer room over at Traynor Electric in Austin. I worked with a lot of the IT guys and their equipment providers that is why I kind of know a little about all that. I could get one of the guys over there to take a look at this layout and see if we missed anything, would that help?" "Man would it ever. I usually rely on my server tech to get things all set up. I never really did a lot on that part of the IT thing. First I was an avionics tech in the Navy until I got my bachelor's and then I was assistant supervisor and programmer at NAS Corpus Christi. I designed websites on the side and then did it for a job up in Dallas until they laid me off. Half of the people I designed websites for came with me. So I did well on that one." "So you're a web designer huh? Maybe we could do a little bartering with a website for my business to take the sting out of me building this castle for you." "We might at that Don, you seem to know what I want and what I need and I can sure make you have a website that will bring people in to see what you can do for them." "Bob I do about six to ten custom houses a year. Each one of them usually runs in the quarter to half million dollar range. I can make about a twenty-five to thirty percent markup on a home over what it costs me to build it so I make about a million a year before taxes, but like you heard I guarantee each one of them to be right for twenty years. Most builders have a third party insure them for ten years in a homeowner's policy. I don't, I personally guarantee them, and if I screwed up, I fix it free. You want to know how many times I had to fix something, none, nada, not once. My houses are better built because I don't scrimp and save on dodgy workmanship or materials. I use professional men and equipment. I learned a long time ago that if the old carpenters could build a house to stand for a hundred years, why couldn't I do the same thing. The very first house I designed and had built is still standing and other than a water heater and an air conditioner that has gone out over the years, the house is still standing and still strong. My old boss lives in that one now and he loves it." "That is the kind of house I want, one I can turn into a home. Let's get started on the rest of the house. I only have until Sunday afternoon to get the preliminaries done, then I have to get back to work." We got back to work and before Saturday was over we had some preliminary items I wanted the home to look like. Don said, "Bob, I should have some preliminary plans drawn up by Tuesday, I can express them to you and send you a PDF for you to look at right away, but I would wait until the plans come before you make any changes. They will look different when they are to scale and bigger. When you see something you want to change, write it on the plans in red ink. If you find some suggestions, not changes, use blue or black ink, that way I know the difference between a real change and a 'what about this' type of thing. We'll pass the plans back and forth a few times until we get just what you want and then we can look at colors, carpets, etc, any questions?" "I do have one. I would like to save as much of the lumber, doors and frames from the old house and outbuildings. The lumber itself is mostly in good shape, just weathered. I would like weathered wood along the front with a brick or stone base coming up about halfway. I think stone would be better. Then put in double pane glass windows that look like the old windows. I would like the house to look like it has been there a while, can we do that Don?" "Bob, what an excellent idea, this will extend the job by about one to two months to save as much material as possible. Plus what I don't use I can sell off or give it to Habitat for Humanity. They have a Habitat re-store in Austin and they would appreciate anything like that. We can also try to work in some of the old fixtures too, like the sinks, toilets, lights, switches, all that stuff. It would be like living in an old comfortable house, but with everything up to code as of now. Wow I like that. I may have some surprises for you if that is the way you want to go. I had an old barn on this property, but when my daughter tried to hang herself in it, I had it torn down. I still have a lot of the old lumber left. I could use some of it too for some of the buildings. We could make the front of the house maybe fifty feet wider and have most of the house run back from there. We can put some more trees on the east side and no one would know it was a new house, because they wouldn't see the whole thing. Brilliant idea Bob, what do you think of that?" "I love that idea. I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter, is she ok?" "Yeah, her cousin found and saved her. Actually it was Paul Roberts' son, Bob. You know the banker who had the place for sale." "Well I now see why Paul recommended you; your wife and he are..." "Yep, brother and sister. No I think the reason Paul recommended me is, because I am the best custom builder in this area, I like to think I'm the best in the state, but it's a big state you know." "You're not modest, are you. But I think I would agree with you. You seem to know instinctively what I wanted and now we even have a plan we both like. Thanks Don, I look forward to seeing your plans. And thank you for the advice and I really look forward to meeting the rest of your family. Once I get moved down here I'll invite you and Paul's family out for an old fashioned barbeque. I will have to admit I'll need someone to cook for me as I'm a lousy cook. Which reminds me you might have your wife look around for someone who wants a good old fashion West Texas boy. Just don't mention I have money, ok?" "Bob, you are just an old fashioned West Texas boy, I can see that. Your mannerisms and the way you listen, not so much when you talk, but if you stay down here much, it'll grow on you. I could tell when we talked on the phone you were a Texas boy, and raised by good parents. They taught you respect for others and an honorable way of doing business. I like that, and if you hadn't been like that I would have built your house but I wouldn't have enjoyed it. I might have even sent you off to some of my competition. I have been known to do that with some people." "Well I'm certainly glad I'm not one of them folks. I like you Don and I think we can work well together. I need some friends down here. It will be a change from Dallas, everybody is in such a hurry to get somewhere and make so much money so they can retire and do nothing all day. After the fast paced life they have lead, retirement will either drive them crazy, back to work, or in an early grave. Me I can't see it. I worked hard for the past thirteen years and I'm ready for some slow time and peace and quiet." "Well when you move down here that is exactly what you'll get, of course if you want the fast life, just head into Austin and you can get all of it you want. Then come back home and rest up until the next time." "Thanks Don, I'll remember that." I left and went back to the motel. I did drive into Austin and before I even got to downtown, I turned around again and came back to Taylor. I checked out and drove back home the next morning to join the rat race in Dallas. Just that two days I spend down there reinvigorated me and I really pushed ahead to finish up the two projects I had started. ------- Chapter 3 I received an email on Monday afternoon about quitting time, showing me the preliminary plans of my new house. These plans were strictly footprint drawings, but they showed everything except furniture. There was even one page devoted to my server room. Actually there was a whole page for each room and then a couple showing the whole house and then one showing the front of the house with the old weathered boards and stone base. Then there were even sketches of the garage and barn too. Wow, Don must have worked all Sunday and today on the plans. I emailed back saying I was impressed with the fast turn around and I would look at the full drawings when they arrived. I asked Don if he worked for two days straight on the plans or what? My return email said he was inspired and worked Saturday evening and Sunday morning, then took a break for the races on Sunday afternoon and then picked back up this morning. Most of the plans were just some changes and pieced together rooms from other jobs, but it would give me a good idea of what he had planned. The real work would begin once I felt comfortable with the basic design. I noticed several of the room plans seemed to come from his own home's plans. I told him I would mark up the plans and sent them back as soon as I could. He said he was busy building a house right now and tearing down another one, the old house on my property. He was about halfway thru with the other house and should be done with it before I was ready for this one to be built. We said our goodbyes and I called it a day. I got a call from a firm in Cincinnati, Ohio that wanted me to design something for them and I said I couldn't come up until Thursday if that was alright. He didn't expect that quick of service, but I assured them I would be up there sometime Thursday and I would call and let them know when I would arrive and when I could possibly make it to their place of business. I got an emergency call from an IT guy in New Mexico saying that their website just went down. I told him I would try to troubleshoot it from here and to have one of their programmers get on the line with me. Come to find out, the server that held the website was taken down for routine maintenance and someone had forgotten to switch it over to the backup server. Other than that, I was pretty much idle until the Fed Ex guy came in at 10:00am and handed me a long tube from Lang Construction. I went into the kitchen and moved everything off the table on to the counter and started unrolling the plans. These plans were very professional and I noticed in the title block they were dwg files. I suspected as much. I went over each drawing very carefully. I did change a couple of the plans and had some remarks and questions for Don, but overall the plans were just what I wanted. I called Fed Ex and had them do a pick-up for five this evening and rolled up the plans and stuck them back in the tube. I made a new tracking sheet with my business number on it and got it ready to go back to Don. Wednesday I had another call, this time from Denver, Colorado wanting me to design a website for a small company. I told them it would be next Monday before I could get up to see them and I figured to spend a day and a half with them to get worked out what they wanted. I asked about server space on their server and they said they were limited right now and could I provide the server. I said yes I could and I made flight reservations for Sunday night. Thursday was flying day and I finally met with the Ohio guys about three. I went over the requirements for their server to handle and they would need a new server for their needs. They wanted a very complex website with ordering and custom pricing online. This would overtax their present system so I suggested a new server and one for backup in case of failure or routine maintenance. I told them they would be money ahead to get the second server for back up and that it could probably serve as a backup for other systems as well. I had to leave out of there for home on Saturday afternoon because of all the work on what they wanted the site to do. I told them it would take a couple of weeks to complete as the complexity was so great. It wasn't really, but they pissed me off having to work Saturday too. Beside I had other work to do too. Everyone seems to think I have a whole team of people working on their pet project, they don't realize it is just me. I do have a guy that comes in every day when I'm gone to make sure nothing goes haywire, but he only does this part time. I may need to hire a full time helper if I get any more business. Then what do I do in Taylor? I think I will start looking at the universities and maybe ITT Tech and see if I can hire a new kid straight out of school and I can teach him the real world things he needs to learn. Maybe they will even think about moving with me to Taylor. They wouldn't live with me, of course, but maybe somewhere in Taylor or close by. I'll start thinking about that in the morning. I need some sleep. The next morning, Sunday, I let my fingers do the walking and I found six schools in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area that had undergraduate Computer Science programs. I sent each school an email letting them know I was looking for a graduate or near graduate for assisting me in my business. I told them I designed and maintained websites all over the US and Canada and that I need some assistance with my maintenance work. I also mentioned that fact that I would be moving to the Austin Area in about six months, more or less, depending upon my relocation time due to a new building being built for my business. The schools were University of Texas, Dallas (UT-Dallas); Southern Methodist University (SMU); Texas Christian University (TCU); University of Texas, Arlington, (UT-Arlington); Texas A&M University, Commerce (TAMU-Commerce); and ITT Technical Institute, Arlington. I figured once I heard back from one of these schools and they had no takers, then I would hunt down around Austin. There are several schools there I could also email. But let's see what happens here first. I went ahead and repacked for my flight to Denver this evening, so that was done. I needed to wash some clothes so that was next on my agenda for today. Time to go flying again; thank God I had no fear of flying or I would never get any work done, going all over the USA and even into parts of Canada too. I think I will have enough miles that I can get bumped to first class on the trip home. I had turned my cell phone back on after the flight and was loading my rental when it rang. Another company found out I would be in Denver on Monday and asked if I could visit them too and their branch in Colorado Springs wanted me to come down there too. I called Mike Stevens, my part time assistant and gave him the bad news, but he said it was cool with him as he had a week off coming anyway. I asked that if I got some drawings in a Fed Ex Tube to please set them aside in the living room and I would attend to them when I got home. I did ask again if he wanted to work for me full time and he said he would let me know after this week. That covered this week. What next? By Monday evening I had heard back from each school with the standard 'we received your email and we will route it to the proper department and you should hear from us soon' spiel. I knew I would probably hear something by Friday, but I wouldn't count on it. This week in Colorado was a real bear. Wow I don't think I worked this hard since I was in the Navy when I was working full time and carrying a full load of online school too. But I had just made up for the cost of my trip plus about fifteen grand more. So it was a profitable week, but a real tiring one. I headed home on Saturday morning sitting in the luxury of first class. Oh that felt good after the week I just had. I did hear back from UT-Dallas and UT—Arlington with a list of five students each that was near completion or had already completed their degree. SMU sent me five resumes and ITT Tech said I should receive about ten resumes in the next day or so. TCU and TAMU both said names would be forthcoming. On the flight back I looked over the resumes I got from SMU. There were a couple possible candidates. When I finally got home I noticed that if I clicked on each of the names UT sent to me I would get the person's resume. Slick, I would have to remember that. By the time I got home and unpacked, I then sent Mike on home. He said he would give me an answer by Monday, especially when he saw the resumes I already had. I opened my email and I had two from ITT folks. I figured I would get some more by Monday evening. My drawings had come in on Friday, and I would look them over tomorrow. I was beat, it was time for bed. I slept late Sunday morning and finally drank my first cup of coffee at 10:00am. I spread out the drawings and boy, was I impressed. I had one small change for the master bedroom. Well, really it was the vanity area that was between the bedroom and the big bathroom. I added a small closet just for shoes and make-up and I wanted lights all around the mirror. Not for me mind you, but for my significant other, whoever she might turn out to be. I dressed and went over to UPS/Kinkos and had them copy the plans so I would have a set and then sent these back to Don with my markups. I was still beat from last week. I use my cell phone as my business phone so I naturally get a call from a new customer, in Ohio, first thing Monday morning. If I am on a job, my calls ring through to my home phone so Mike can take messages. I asked what he wanted and after hearing all his demands, I said that it would be at least a couple of weeks before I could get to him. He was pissed and hung up. God I hate having to work for assholes. He demanded I get on a plane and come do his work for him today. I said I was booked up solid for the next two weeks and he got pissed. Hey I don't need the money and I didn't want to do business with someone like him anyway. I received a very nice phone call later that afternoon, from someone in the same company as the asshole. This new woman said they really wanted me, and if two weeks was what I could do, then that was fine with them. I told the woman, Mary, that I was interviewing new employee candidates to help me, as I was a one man business and that I might be able to work something out and be there sooner. She gave me her phone number and email address and said I should contact her directly if my plans should change. Very nice and sexy voice, I liked talking to her. I called a few of the students to see about setting up appointments for interviews. I would try very hard not to go out of town all week if necessary. I emailed the others I couldn't contact and asked if they had time available to come see me, or if I would have to go to them, but I would prefer them to see where they would be working. I received commitments for four of the people to come see me tomorrow and four more on Wednesday. I had some preliminary stuff for one client and a couple of clients that I could finish up with today. These were small companies that would be based on my servers for right now. Once their businesses took off, then they would have to set up their own server, but I could do that for them. I was going over the plans from Don again when Mike called me and said he could still do some part time stuff, but he couldn't handle a full week again. I told him about setting up interviews for tomorrow and Wednesday and he said he was happy that my business was doing so well. I told him I would keep him informed about my interviews and to stay on the alert for when I knew I needed his help. Mike said he would help out, even training people, if it would mean no more weeks solid for him. I bid him good night and went back to the drawings. I noticed that the garage was only just over forty feet deep inside. I made a couple of changes that I would email Don about. I wanted the garage fifty feet deep, in case the motor home I wanted was longer than thirty-six to thirty-eight feet. I was thinking of one about forty-five feet would be about right. That way if I ended up with a smaller one, I could have some room behind it to move around. I emailed Don with that change and expanded the whole back wall out ten feet which gave me a much larger workroom area. I liked working with wood so maybe I could have a couple of saws, a double faced planer, drill press, lathe, you know the works for a wood shop, plus I could use the back part of the shop to store lumber and plywood sheets. I remember helping my Dad make sleighs, reindeer and Santas out of plywood and paint them for lawns at Christmas. I know most people want blow-up things now, but I figured I could put them out on the web and sell them there. I could make all sorts of things and have them hinged so they can be made small enough to ship. I could do that when I retire from web designing. I might even do some while I'm in a dead zone for work. That got me to thinking that I should have a paint booth on the side of the workroom. I told Don we would discuss a paint room added on to the workroom, after the house was built. Oh well time for bed again. I received a frantic phone call at 3:00am. Some nut in California crashed his server trying to do something he was not qualified to do. Routine maintenance, I thought. This was the boss and he was screwing with the website and crashed the system. I walked him though a reboot and told him to leave maintenance to the pros, his IT guys. He promised he would from now on. I think he was trying to download some porn and it went to the server instead of his computer and he tried to erase it. It happens all the time when some numb nutted higher up tries to download porn and finds it goes to the server instead of his computer. I put a little routine in that so that when they try to erase the server, it crashes. That way I can teach these brain dead executives to get their porn at home, on their own computer, instead of the one at work. I finally got back to sleep about five and had to wake up at seven for my first interview at eight. I got up and put the coffee on and went in to shower and get dressed. I dressed in slacks and a nice shirt. I had written down several questions I wanted to ask to discern their knowledge of what I wanted them to do and what they would be doing after I could leave them alone with my servers. I mean it wasn't hard work, just long hours and such. I got to thinking, I might want two people to work twelve hour shifts when I was gone and eight hour ones when I was here. Of course the twelve hours would not be hard work, just sit there and monitor the servers. They might actually do that almost anywhere. But they would have to be close so they could get right to the problem and fix it right away. I would add a bedroom to the server room for long shifts. I emailed Don and added that little twist into the mix. Don said he had thought of it, but I was the customer and I knew what I wanted. He said he would add the room and send new plans after the garage changes were done. He had the vanity area change done already. I told him I think I was done with changes with the footprint after he added the extra bedroom and half bath. ------- Chapter 4 My first interviewee was Jason Turner; he was twenty-two and had only a month left to finish his degree. He was very interested in the job, but when I mentioned moving to just outside Austin in about six months, he balked and said he would not leave the Dallas area. I did ask if he would be interested in working for me until I moved, and he declined. Scratch one candidate, I thought he seemed too sure of himself and after talking with him for about the fifteen minutes of the interview, I could see he was not someone I would like to have working for me. It was as if he no longer wanted to be here after I spoke of the move. One down, three to go today. I received an email from two of the other ITT Tech people, and they could see me tomorrow afternoon. Both of these candidates were finished and still looking for work. Next up was Tammy Fields; she was twenty-six, had completed four years in the U.S. Air Force, and then went to college to get her degree in the field she had worked in while in the service. She was bright, intelligent, not bad to look at, and very interested in web designing, but her forte was datacenter and server maintenance and programing. I explained about the move after giving her a tour, and she said if she was working for me and we moved, then she would move where the job was. She had been stationed at three places, not counting her basic and tech school. I asked, if I might be so bold, as to ask why she moved so much. Her answer intrigued me. She went to Korea on her first assignment for eighteen months, then she was transferred to Hawaii for another eighteen months, and then ended up in Bossier City, Louisiana at Barksdale. She decided to go back to school and went to UT Arlington. I mentioned her pay for part time night work and she looked really interested. She would graduate in another month, but would love to start part time nights as soon as possible. She was running low on scholarship money, and needed some extra cash to pay her bills until she was working full time. She worked part time in a restaurant waiting tables, but the pay was really lousy. I was really liking this girl, she seemed to be a hard worker and nice to be around. "Miss Fields, I want to make you an offer of this job, think about it and give me your decision when you have really thought it over. I don't want an answer right now; go back to school and really think about this. I would like to cover your shortages for the next six months. After that, whether or not you work for me, the debt is paid. If you come to work for me, the pay will be the same as I pay another guy who is getting a little tired of me leaving him here alone when I am gone for a week at a time. The pay is fifteen an hour. I'm sure that is more than your table waiting job, but that is what I pay. As you become more versed in what I do here and how I design sites, your pay will be adjusted accordingly. Don't answer now, think about it. Oh, and by the way, there are no strings attached for me covering your shortages either. I would never put you into a position like that. I am trying my best to help out a fellow veteran. I was in the Navy for six years, so I know about low pay and long hours." "Mr. Rothman, I don't quite know how to say this without getting you mad at me, but, ARE you crazy, wanting to help me like that and getting nothing in return?" "No, Miss Fields, life has been good to me, and my business is growing by leaps and bounds. I need help very badly. If I thought I could convince you to start full time tomorrow, I would offer you that right now. But I know how important a good education is, and I also know what a military veteran is worth to me in discipline and hard work. You chose UT-Arlington, so sports are not how you got your scholarship, it had to be academically, so that means you're smart and dedicated. I am looking for one, and possibly two people, to help me grow my business. I will be moving to a ranch outside of Austin, in Taylor, Texas, later this year. My server room will be a part of that ranch, attached to the house I am having built there. The server room will have a separate bedroom and half bath to be used by my workers when I am gone. When I am home, there will be no need for twenty-four hour coverage. But while I am away, I will need someone there to monitor the servers. As one of my employees becomes more into the design aspect of the job, they may be traveling with me until I can let them go out on their own. This is an opportunity for long term work, if you want it. This is why I ask that I get no decision today, ok?" "Mr. Rothman, I do not make snap decisions as a rule, however, in this case I may make an exception. I would consider it an honor to work for you. You have the kind of drive I myself have, you're ex-military, so we have some common ground there, too. We both have worked on computers systems in the military, so we have a lot of the same background as well. I never for one second thought the offer of you handling my shortages had any strings attached to them. I could tell your were a straightforward, honorable man. In other words, Mr. Rothman, where do I sign up?" "Are you absolutely sure about this? Do you have parents, boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, or other people that you need to consult with?" "No, Mr. Rothman, I do not have a husband, nor a boy or girl friend. I live in the dorm and my parents are in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I have no emotional baggage here, and that is why I say if we have to move, then we have to move. I have my own truck, a few years old but reliable transportation, andit's paid for. So what do I have to sign and where is it?" "Ok, Miss Fields, first off, welcome to RHR Consulting. Secondly I am Bob, not Mr. Rothman, and thirdly, it may take me a couple of days to get all the paperwork set up to hire you as a full time employee. Now if you would work up a spreadsheet of all of your current bills and obligations, I will write you a check for that, and you can be free of them for the foreseeable future. Do you have any student loans that will come due after graduation?" "Yes, I do, Mr ... er Bob, I have one for seven thousand dollars that I need to start paying on upon quitting school or starting two years after graduation, so there is no worry there. And a great big thank you for hiring me, you will never regret it, I promise. And, by the way the name is Tammy, not Miss Fields. Oh yeah, I also answer to Fields, if it's yelled." "Please don't bring back those memories, I had gotten up to Petty Officer First Class (PO1), I guess Tech Sergeant to you, when I got out. But I was always Rothman to the Chief (Chief Petty Officer) or the Lieutenant (Capt.) or my Lieutenant Commander (Major). I'm so glad those days are behind me." We talked for a while longer and the next candidate came knocking. I showed Tammy out and started on the next possible candidate. This one was Thomas Kincaid, twenty-one and graduated. I wondered about that until he showed me his transcript. It was impressive. He had almost double the amount of courses for a Bachelor's degree, and he said he was working for his Masters. He had two more courses and then he would be complete. I spoke with him for about a half hour and decided this guy was a fake, he knew all the buzz words, but didn't have a clue of what I talked about when I got into server maintenance or website design. We talked for a little while longer, and I told him my next interviewee would be showing up any time now. I told him I would let him know about the job, knowing I would not, and I would also send an e-mail to the school letting them know what a fraud he was. I was saved by my doorbell, though. My next interviewee was Jebediah Springfield, yeah, like from the Simpsons. He had graduated in mid-semester, and so far had only found a small paying job with a big company in Fort Worth. I asked a lot of questions, as he also had a very impressive transcript. But this guy knew his stuff. I figured out after fifteen minutes of talking with Jeb that he was so over qualified for my position, I couldn't use him, but I knew of two places that needed someone like him. "Mr. Springfield, or may I call you Jeb?" "Jeb is fine, Mr. Rothman." "Jeb, it's Bob, not Mr. Rothman. I want to tell you something. I think you are so over-qualified for this job and I don't want to hold you back from a good advancement." Jeb started to speak, but I held up my hand for silence. "Hold on a second, I do, however, know of two of my clients that could use your talents. If I have your permission, I would like to call them and see what they say." "I don't know what to say Mr ... er ... Bob, of course if you think it would help me, sure call them." I called a law firm up in Michigan that was in real need of an IT guru for their place, or they did the last time I talked to them. I called the office manager who was my contact with the firm, and told him what I had for him. He was definitely interested and could he talk to him. I handed the phone over to Jeb and let them talk while I went to get us some soda. By the time I came back, Jeb was off the phone and had a huge smile on his face. "So I take it that the interview went well, Jeb." "He offered me the job, and at almost three times what I am making now. He wants you to call him back right away. I don't know how I can thank you enough for this." "Then don't. Stay here and drink your soda, I'll call Bryan and see what he wants. I'll go into my office in case he needs some more information." I left Jeb in the living room while I went into the office and called Bryan. "Hey, Bob, is that kid for real? Where did you find him? He is perfect for what we need. You would recommend him, and you know he has all the right qualifications for our job, right?" "Bryan, that is why I called you, I wanted to make sure you still needed someone like him, and after talking with him, he knows this stuff. You couldn't get a more perfect match. I had another company in mind, as well, if you no longer needed someone like him, but I knew you really needed a new IT guru like Jeb." "Bob, you know we pay a finder's fee for new employees, we will add it to our next monthly payment to you. I don't know how to thank you for this, Bob, but we will try. Say, I know, if you ever need a lawyer, just say the word and we will either represent you, or find someone down there that is just as good as we are. Thanks again, and we will be talking to Jeb again. I want to get him on a plane tomorrow morning so we can get the paperwork all worked out, then he can give his two week's notice. If you ever need anything, just call." "Well, as a matter of fact I need some advice, I just hired a new employee and I need all the paperwork to hire her. Mike that works for me some part time was a contract type, and this new girl will be a full time employee. Can you e-mail me what I need to get started, and is there different paperwork for Texas than for Michigan?" "Bob, no worries there, most paperwork is federal, not state, but I will get one of our law clerks busy on that for you. You should have everything by tomorrow afternoon. And thanks again, Bob, you are a lifesaver. Keith will be gone on Friday as he is headed for Iraq on Saturday morning. I just hope Jeb can get out of his two week notice thing, but that would be too much to hope for." "You never know until you try, Bryan. You did tell him where you were located in Upper Michigan, didn't you?" "Would you believe that Jeb actually is from Grand Rapids, Minnesota. So the cold will not be a problem for him. He went to school where he could get in and because of a scholarship from UT, Dallas, so I think Jeb is going to work out fine. Thanks again, for the help, Bob. Talk to you later." "Yeah, see ya later, Bryan." I came back into the living room and Jeb was talking with Mike. They stopped talking and Mike said, "So I hear you got Jeb here a job clear up in cold country. Now why would you do something like that to a guy you just met? Do you hate him that much already?" "Well, if Jeb didn't already tell you he is from Minnesota, not a whole lot further north than where he would be going. He'll be closer to his family, and he'll be making almost three times what he was making here. Probably more than what you're making with two jobs. Now, you still think I done the kid dirty, Mike?" "Nope, just checking it out. I knew you would do right by him. You always have for me. So you let this one get away, got any other possibilities?" "As a matter of fact, smart ass, I hired one this morning, and I have four more interviews tomorrow. You still not interest in the job?" "Nope, I just come for my pay for last week." "Ok, let me get your money, I'll be right back." I left for the office again and opened my floor safe. I usually kept about three thousand in it for emergencies. I also kept some of my better programs in it as well. I had my deed, insurance, and investment papers in a safe deposit box at my bank. I figured up Mike's pay for last week, put it in an envelope for him, and went back out in the living room. Jeb was getting ready to go now, as he had a lot to do to get moved. We said our goodbyes and Jeb and Mike left together. I went into my office and worked for about four hours on the updates for the company in Denver, and this finished up their request. I updated the server, so that project was done. I then worked on the one for the company up in Denver with another branch in Colorado Springs, and I had preliminary designs for them done now. I called it a night and went to bed. Thankfully edited by aguy & againc Proofreading by prissy_35503 and wlc ------- Chapter 5 I awoke a little before seven and got ready for my next four interviews. I had a great night's sleep after all the good news from yesterday. I now had a new employee, I found a job for a deserving guy, and I might even find another employee today. Then I could concentrate on business and getting my new home built. Ok, my first victim today was Ted Donner, twenty-two and ready to graduate from SMU. He was expected at eight and showed up in rumpled clothes at quarter to nine. No calling me or nothing. He claimed he had car trouble, but he looked more like he had overslept. I talked to him for a few minutes, and at nine fifteen I said I really needed to get ready for my next appointment. I said I would call him if I needed to talk to him again. Boy, some students are a waste of time and money, let alone air space. Besides, when I asked for a transcript he didn't have one. That also did not bode well for his chances. I'll say one thing about the military, they teach you about being on time or early for appointments. My next appointment was for 10:00, and I was not disappointed, he was five minutes early. I heard a very timid knock on my front door, and opened it to find a medium height male with thick glasses and a very nerdy look. This one looked promising, so I let him in. I didn't feel so after about fifteen minutes. I had explained the job and asked a few questions, but the demeanor of the man, Henry Hawkins, didn't impress me. He was painfully shy, reserved, and spoke in such a whisper that I had to have him repeat himself several times while answering my questions. I finished my spiel and told him I would let him know my decision later this week. Wow, another loser. What has become of the younger generation? Don't these kids know it will all be theirs in a few years, and they will have to learn to sink or swim? No wonder you can't get good help these days. I fixed myself some lunch and hoped for the best this afternoon. My next interviewee was Nicole Kidd, she was about to graduate in a month, and as near as I could tell from her resume, she had worked somewhere all through school and even before. Her latest job as an intern at an insurance company in Dallas, she was in their IT division. That said a few things about her, she wasn't afraid of work, and she must know her stuff if they let her intern at the insurance company. I heard a car pull up about ten till one, so I looked out. Nicole was just sitting in her car, a fairly new one I think. She was looking at all her papers and her watch. It was about six minutes before her appointed time when she got out of her car and made it up to the door. She rang the bell and I let her in after a fifteen second lag. She did not ring again, but was ready to when I opened the door for her. "Good afternoon, you must be Miss Kidd, it is Miss, isn't it?" "Yes, Sir, Mr. Rothman, Nicole Kidd." I invited her in and we sat in the living room. I in my chair and she on the couch, with the coffee table between us. I started right in and told her about the job, the possible move to Taylor, the hours, and the possibility for advancement. I then asked, "Does this sound like something you might want to pursue, Miss Kidd?" "Yes, Sir, Mr. Rothman. I think that I could be comfortable working in that environment." "Good, now for some questions to test your knowledge. I have had some people misrepresent themselves during the interview process." I asked a bunch of questions about several subjects and she answered them all with ease. "Have you done any practical website design work yet, Miss Kidd?" "Yes, Sir, I have. I completed four sites last semester for class, and two more for friends. I received high marks from the instructor on all my class projects." "Are either of your friend's websites something I could look at, so that I might have a better idea of your work?" "One is, but the other one, I ah ... I think I would like her permission first, before I allowed you to see it." "Oh, a teaser, web cam site, or a porn site, Miss Kidd?" "I would rather not say, Sir, unless I am required to." "No need, Miss Kidd, I have done some of those sites too. In fact I still do, if they are tasteful. Most people, I find, want some hard-core crap, which is more than distasteful to me. This other site," I asked as I opened my laptop. "The name of this site is?" Nicole told me and I opened it and browsed around in it. "Quite nice, good graphics, nice design, very user friendly, I like it, did you have any additional help other than the prerequisites the client wanted for the site?" "No, Sir, my friend told me what she wanted it to do, and I did the whole design and set it up on her computer." "Let me go over some things with you first, and then we can talk about if and when you would like to start." "You mean you're offering me the job?" "Well, as long as you accept the working conditions and the pay, sure, I'm offering you the job. Now, can you work nights or days until you are done with school, or will I have to wait until you graduate before you can start?" "I would prefer that I started after graduation, as that way I can continue to have time to study and give my present employer the required two week's notice. I think they hoped that I would stay with them and become an employee, but this opportunity is too good to pass up. I think you said that you were searching for two employees, have you hired the other one yet?" "Yes, I have, Miss Kidd, was there someone who you would like to recommend?" "Well, there is a girl that I have talked to several times at a restaurant I frequent. She is struggling and really needs some help. I have tried to assist her, but I think she is just too proud to accept my help." "And who would this person be, Miss Kidd?" "Her name is Tammy, and she goes to UT Arlington and is in computers, too. She works at the steakhouse over on Copeland in Arlington. I think it is TXLC, do you know the one? It is over near the UT-Arlington campus." "Well, Nicole, I hope you don't mind me calling you that, we are very informal in addressing each other here." I saw Nicole shaking her head. "I now have four employees, counting myself, and a part timer that I have come in when I am flying off to some exciting place to work. The one new employee I hired yesterday is a girl from UT-Arlington by the name of Tammy Fields, and if I remember correctly she worked at a steakhouse near campus. We could be talking about the same person. And when we move to Taylor, there will just be the three of us. That is until the business expands again and we need a bigger place. You don't have a problem with that, do you, Nicole? And by the way, I'm Bob or Rothman, or even the 'old man' as Mike calls me, but he has a good thirteen years on me in that regard. I'm not sure how I came by that name, it just kind of happened. Now, would there be a problem with just the three of us working together?" "Oh no, Mr ... ah ... Bob, or how about I call you Boss? I have noticed that there was no tent blooming during this whole time, so I gathered that this was all above board and there would be no hanky panky during working hours. Most men I interview with can't keep staring at my breasts or my crotch when they talk to me, but you always looked into my eyes or on the notes you had. I'll bet you couldn't tell me what color my shoes were, or maybe even my skirt, is it long or short? But if I asked you what color my eyes were, you could tell me right away." "For your information, Nicole, you have hazel eyes, dirty blond hair, a light blue blouse with two buttons undone. You also have a darker blue, knee length skirt and black shoes. They are a sling-back type I believe they call them, with moderate two inch heels. You are more used to taller heels, but you dressed down for this interview. You are 5'7" tall, and weigh about 125 lbs, you are a Libra, born about the eighth or ninth of October, you are not a vegan, you love red meat, and you exercise regularly to keep your weight down. You run some and do machines to keep your muscles toned. Now, have I answered your question, Miss Kidd?" "All that, and then some. How did you know about my birthday, I didn't put that on my resume, the same with my height and weight?" "I have a knack for seeing who a person is in the first five minutes after I meet them in person. I can also tell a lot on the phone, too. I would also say that you are from around the Dallas area, I would say Northeast section, probably Garland or Rowlett. I was thinking Rockwall, but that is too far east. You still live at home, and commute to the university by way of your car. You are always five to ten minutes early for any appointment, sometimes even earlier if you do not know the area. I think you came down the CF Hawn freeway and stopped near Beardon Park to eat your lunch, which you fixed before leaving home today. How am I doing?" "That is phenomenal, how do you do it?" "To tell you the truth, I just don't know, I am able to do it, the longer I am with the person, the more little things come to me. I don't make a habit of going this far with someone. In fact I most normally do not say anything at all, but you tried to test me and I guess I wanted to show off. I'm sorry if I have offended you in any way, and I will understand if you declined the position now." "There is no way I would ever give this job up now. I would love to hear more about this ability of yours, but at another time. I need to get back to campus for my evening classes. Can I call you tomorrow to find out when I can start, and what I need to do to get started?" "Sure, Nicole, I'm sorry about the other thing. And one other thing I should mention, when I am doing business, the big head is always in charge." I said laughingly. Nicole gave me a funny look, and then stared at my middle as a tent started rising in my trouser area. She left laughing, saying, "It's going to be a real pleasure working with you, Bob." "Me too, Nicole, for me too." I waited about a half hour until the next interviewee showed up. I let him know right up front that I had two primary candidates, but I wanted to know his qualifications as I knew of another job opening in San Diego that may be right for him. He said, "I'm not looking to move right now, I would like to stay in the area and work here for now. Maybe I could move around later." His name was Richard Washington, and he still had over six months left before graduating. I told him I might know of a place that might need a new intern if he was interested. He declined that offer too, so we parted ways right then. I checked my emails, and Bryan had sent me all the forms and some instructions that they use for new employees. He said to modify the checklist to conform to my needs and use it in good health. I emailed the schools and let them know I had my two candidates, and I thanked them for their responses. I also emailed UT-Dallas about how Kincaid was presenting himself, letting them know what I saw on his transcript. I asked if they could verify he was a student and if he took all those courses. I said it was not for me, but for their reputation, since he was representing their school. I sent emails to the other people who I had resumes for, but had not made appointments with. Then it was supper time and I headed for a certain steakhouse in Arlington to see if I could talk to a waitress I know. The evening ended much too fast for me. I found Tammy, and she was kind of down in the dumps. When she told her boss she was her giving two week's notice, she fired her on the spot. I caught her just as she was leaving the restaurant. I got the news and I asked if she had eaten yet, when she said no, I escorted her back into the restaurant and asked for a table for two. Tammy's old boss saw her come back into the restaurant and started over to say something nasty, I could tell just from her expression. I defused it with three simple words, "She's with me." The boss looked at me, and I flashed a hundred to the woman and said, "We would like a table for two and we do not want to be treated like a leper. I can afford to take out my newest employee to a nice diner to celebrate my good fortune in finding just the person I need for my business. I handed her my card with the hundred and asked that we be seated now. This middle-aged woman looked at my card and the hundred behind it, and gulped. She then seated us at a very nice table for four that was out of the way, and then had a waitress come over to take our drink orders immediately. I asked Tammy what she recommended we order, she recommended steaks with baked potato and green beans. I also asked for two beers, Shiner Bocks, and nothing was said. Our water and beers came back right away, and we ordered two steaks with baked potato and green beans. I asked for the nice bread they had, too. Tammy liked hers medium, the same as me, and no sour cream but everything else. Wow, what a coincidence, just like me. Tammy finally calmed down and said, "Mr. Rothman, why? Why did you do that to Deborah, and why give her a hundred dollar bill? I mean, that was way too much for that battleaxe, and you know, of course, she will not share that with anyone." "I know, Tammy, there is an old saying, 'Money talks and bullshit walks.' Well, we now know what Deborah is interested in; money and fear. You frightened her with quitting, and then you had the audacity to come right back in here after you were fired. I would guess she did that in front of most of the staff, right?" "Yes." "Then I show up as your new employer and I have lots of money. Her first reaction was that you were a hooker or call girl, and then she remembered that you were a hard worker and had taken all her shit since you started here. She then realized that you were so much better than her as a person, and it frightened her again. Then when she read my card and saw that I was legitimate, and rich, she had to swallow her pride and treat you as a real person, not some scum she had working for her. She will be watching our every move, and if you know the waitress we have, then I want you to slip her the tip afterwards, not while we are in this restaurant. Ok?" "WOW, how do you do that? I mean, how you see through all the bullshit and right to the heart of the matter. Now I see how your business has grown, you are just plain good at what you do. I hope to learn some of that from you." "If you stick around with me you will learn a lot of stuff, mostly about our business, but some other things too, along the way. Now, what should we celebrate, your freedom, your new job, or just a general good fortune celebration?" "I think everything, my freedom, my new job, my wonderful boss, and whatever else we can think of." We clicked bottles and drank a big gulp of Shiner to toast our future. We both had a very good time; I got to enjoy the company of a very pretty girl, and we had a very interesting conversation. Tammy told me her real name was Tamera, but Tammy suited her just fine. I found out more about this lovely lady, and the more I found out the more I really liked her. I suspended my business insight for tonight and just had a good time. I told Tammy that I did have some money, but I was not really rich, most of the money I had, I had worked very hard at obtaining. I told her of my dream to retire at forty and travel the country in a motor home with my wife, if I could find someone I loved. I told her of the house I was having built, and hoped that I would be able to have some children someday. We spoke through most of our supper, and I escorted her to her truck and followed her home to her dorm. I waved as she went into the dorm building and then drove home a very happy man. Tammy just made me feel good, much like Nicole. I did learn that Nicole and Tammy did know each other, and told Tammy I had hired Nicole, too. I also let Tammy know that Nicole was looking out for her by suggesting I hire Tammy also. It was a very good day today, too. I wondered what else fate had in store for me now. I had bought a quick pick and my normal numbers for tonight's lottery drawing on my way over to the steakhouse, and watched the 10:00 news for the results. My quick pick for the Mega Millions was a full winner; I got all five numbers plus the mega ball. The estimated jackpot was 35 million. I would have to check with my accountant in the morning to see which way I should go with it. Of course, it would depend on how many other people won the jackpot too. I could wait a while to find out. I would check in a month to see how many winners had come forward. Of course, I could just register as a winner and still have a while to see what I would win. I put the ticket in the safe and locked it up for now. It was time for bed, as it had been a very long day. Editing by pepere & aguy Proofreading by prissy_35503 & bachgen ------- Chapter 6 I called Nicole and Tammy separately, and said that I had all the paperwork set up for them to become employees of RHR Consulting. They could come see me when they had the time. I called Mike and let him know that within the month I wouldn't need him so much, although I might want him to train the girls some the next time I was gone so they knew the routine. I worked on some preliminary stuff for that group in Ohio and called Mary Herman up and got more details of what they wanted. I said I could be up there Monday, as long as some emergency didn't come up between now and then. I then finished up some other projects I was working on and had the whole afternoon free, or so I thought. After finishing my projects for the day I called Sherman, my accountant, about my win on Mega Millions. He asked me for my ticket number and said he would see how this would work, whether it might be best to take the annuity or the cash payout. He would be getting back with me. I got a call from UT-Dallas and thanked me for the information on Kincaid. This was the first they had heard about his fraud. He had taken several classes but not to the extent of what I saw on his transcript. He had never graduated from there and although he had taken several computer science courses, his grades were not that good. When he left school in his sophomore year, he had a GPA of 2.5 over all, out of a possible 4.0, but 2.9 in his computer science classes. I told them I had a good phone number for him but I wasn't sure about the address he gave me. They thanked me again and we hung up. Weird that someone would try to pass themselves off as something they weren't. I received a frantic call from a firm in California, asking, well really begging, to see if I could hop on a plane and come out there and straighten out a mess that some disgruntled employee had done to their computer room. The guy went berserk in there throwing things and breaking others. These guys were a real big customer for me so I quickly called Mike, he couldn't make it on such short notice, so I called Tammy, could she come babysit my servers for me until either Mike could come in or I got back? Tammy said, "Bob, I have just finished my last class for the week, I'll be right over as soon as I can. I can bring my homework with me and finish it there. Will Mike be able to help out at all until you get back? I have class first thing Monday Morning." "Mike said he could help out. His number is on the wall in my office on a sheet of emergency numbers. I will tell you everything I can before I have to leave for Oxnard." "Ok Bob, I'm on my way to the dorm so I can pack some clothes for staying over until Monday. "You might want to keep a bag packed for just such emergencies, like I do. I usually have enough packed for a week's stay. That way if I have to stay that long I'm prepared, usually it's a couple of days, but this one looks like I may end up flying straight from Oxnard to Dayton, Ohio, without coming home. I might postpone Ohio until Tuesday, we'll see after I get to see the mess in Oxnard. I'll know more about my schedule by then. I was wondering if you could test out on any of your classes, same for Nicole. Maybe you can talk to your instructors and explain the problem and see if they can help you two out. If they can, it would sure take a real load off me. See ya soon." I hung up and called DFW to see how soon I could get a flight out to Oxnard. I couldn't get one to Oxnard directly but I could get one to Santa Barbara and I could rent a car there and drive down, it wasn't that far. So I set that up and canceled the trip to Dayton and called Mary. I told her I might not make it to her on Monday as I had an emergency in Oxnard, but I would try to fly directly back to Dayton from there if things took too long. She said Tuesday would work for her too if I needed the extra time out in California. I hurriedly repacked my suitcase for a week's stay away from home. I wrote out some instructions for Tammy and I was so glad I had finished up the design work for those two groups in Colorado too. I left instructions on how to upload each website and somehow just knew that Tammy could handle everything fine. I hoped that she and Nicole could test out so they could start right away as the business was picking up too fast for just me to handle it alone, even with Mike's help. My flight wasn't until two-thirty so I had plenty of time to get there. Tammy showed up and I ran her through everything I could think of that she would need. I left with her telling me to hurry up and leave before I missed my flight. I guess I would have to trust my new employees or give this all up and just travel, god knows I have enough money to do that. The trip out was horrible; we hit storms over New Mexico all the way to Arizona. There was a back-up in the greater LAX area which affected Santa Barbara too. When I finally did get down the only car available was a sub compact and once I explained to the brain dead surfer behind the counter that I couldn't fit into one, I went next door to a different rental place and ended up with a new Camero. At least I fit in that one and it had a GPS system built in. I plugged in the address and off we went. By the time I got to Oxnard it was two hours after my flight landed which was an hour late too. By now it was nine pm their time and I called my client and he said please come and see if I could help straighten out the mess. I got to their building and had the guard let me in and he showed me to the fifth floor where the computer rooms were. I walked in and it looked like a war zone. There were computer pieces everywhere. Most of the racks were upright, but some of them were beyond repair. There were several racks with cables hanging loose that had been torn out or cut and then there were probably ten racks that had been brutally attacked. It looked like someone had taken some kind of heavy object and smashed the servers inside and then ripped the cabling completely out of the racks. Cat 6 patch cables and fiber optic cables were lying all over the floor and hanging from the ceiling tile grid. Probably over half of the ceiling tiles were down, broken or laying all around the floor. I immediately cornered the IT supervisor, Jerry Garcia, and asked him if he had enough people to make up three teams. "First, Jerry, we needed every data cabling company that will respond to you, to get over here as soon as possible to start repairing the fiber optic cables and rerunning any cabling that cannot be re-terminated. If we can move certain servers and switches to a lower position in a rack or a different rack, then we could re-terminate the cabling. Now most places pull more cable than is needed and there is usually some slack in the floor or the ceiling. We need to first see if we can move the equipment to a newer location, if not then we have to see how much slack we have and go accordingly. In that way we have less cabling to rerun. We absolutely need to make sure that all the documentation for what goes where is correct and up to date. Double check the addresses with the logs from the switches. Next we need materials like jumper and patch cables, fiber splice material. This is why we need the data cabling people. "Do you have a list of emergency numbers for all your equipment suppliers; you know Cisco, HP, IBM, Sun, Nokia, AT&T. How about data cabling companies that know your building and your system?" "Bob I have already gotten a hold of all the engineers and the two cabling companies that we use. Both of them are qualified fiber optic companies. Also, on this floor, we always run a minimum of six feet extra on all cables, so we should have plenty. We only run about half of the cabling under the floor, this is for the bottom half of the server racks and switches. Everything that sits more than two feet off the floor runs through cable trays in the ceiling. Also we just ordered some new patch cables so sitting in my office are over a thousand new patch cables of various lengths from six to twenty-five feet. Any equipment we have installed here is now represented by their company's computer engineers, so that part is covered as well. Now how do we fix this mess?" "Ok, Jerry, next we need a team to start going through all the servers and switches to make sure they all work. Those that don't, make sure they are labeled and then put them aside and put the name and address on that white board over there on the wall. "Jerry, then we need to have the sequence of events for start-up, what has to come up first and so on down the line. Anything that is dependent on some other piece of equipment or source, will have to wait for the other source to come up first. Get your best people to build the hierarchy of what has to come online when, in the start-up. "Next, we can get some of this going again once we get all the preliminary and essential sources online. We can take many of the servers and use them for double duty. Once the servers can talk with the network, we can set up virtual images of the other servers and remotely boot up each system to a sufficient level to allow a rebuild of data from the backup tapes. We need to dial up VMWare and get some emergency licenses and dump everything from the backups to virtual images and we can be up and running. We might be slow, but we will be up. As you may know you can run about 20 to 25 physical servers in virtual space on a single server. But we need to try to do that only for the totally fried servers. "To get more stuff running, we need to cannibalize memory, drives, and anything we can use from broken servers, computers, anything and anywhere we can get it. We also need some monitors, but I am sure you are already on that. I cobbled together a computer from all the pieces and parts and set up a station. I had to use my laptop, as all the monitors were broken. Then I set about taking all the broken servers and seeing if anything could be saved from the mess of the drives. Once I got some cobbled together towers going I started setting things up so that tomorrow we could get replacement servers and start downloading what I had saved into the new servers. This was a real mess. I worked until the big boss, Dale Dodson came in at eight am and he looked at the neat orderly row of good servers, up and running off of cannibalized parts. He then saw the hard drives of the broken servers sitting on a table and my cobbled together computer controlling all of this. I was working on the last viable hard drive when he walked in and looked around. "Bob, how it the hell have you been able to get this much running? Did you spend all night here?" "Yeah I did Dale. I was able to save all but three of your servers. Those three got totally fried. I understand that the mainframe was battered but fine. The IBM people got a new case for it and had to change out a couple of the boards, but it is up and running, and has been, except for a little while when they changed the boards and the case. It is running but still offline until we can get some more of the servers physically set up. I think if we can get the equipment you should be running at 95 percent by noon, you will be slow, but running. Now there were the three servers we couldn't save. All their data I hope was backed up before the crash, so anything from the back up until the crash will be gone, but that could be added by hand once we know where the cutoff point is." "Bob, I am so glad I called you on this. Thank you for all of this, Bob, I trust all this work and ingenuity will be reflected in your invoice for me to pay?" "Dale you know I charge by the hour, not by the job, when you hire me you get the rest as a bonus. Consider it part of the package. Now, I have a couple more things to get set and then I'm taking an on-the-clock break for about a half hour so your people can clean up this mess a bit and get some equipment in here to replace all this junk laying around." "Bob why don't you take a longer break and come back after lunch, but first you need some rest. There is a very nice hotel just two blocks from here and I already set you up with a room down there. Go rest, and then come back, this will still be here when you come back. Now that's an order son." I grinned at Dale and said, "Yes Boss, I'll be back later. Oh yeah, I need a monitor so I can take my laptop back with me." Dale said something to another guy standing behind him and a flat screen was forthcoming. I hooked it up and grabbed my laptop case and followed Dale out of the room. We shook hands and Dale said, "Thanks again Bob, I really appreciate this, you have no idea how much. Now go get some sleep, the guard downstairs will have you a badge and the hotel address." "Thanks Dale, I will." I left and went downstairs to the guard, a different one this time and he gave me a badge and a slip of paper with the address of the Hilton on Solar Drive. I drove up there and checked in, I was going to move my car, but a valet said he would take care of it. I asked the clerk if this was part of the service, he said, "For you Mr. Rothman it is, we have been issued instructions on how to treat you while you are here at our hotel. Do not to worry about your bag, it will be delivered to your room shortly and we here at the front desk will have your keys anytime you need to leave. We sincerely hope you enjoy your stay at our hotel." I couldn't quite figure this out, but I had the feeling that Dale had greased the runners on this one, and I would get anything I wanted, and I do mean anything. I also had the feeling that I would not be getting a bill when I checked out. Oh well I saved the guy's company, well most of it last night, so I guess I can put up with a little pampering. I was escorted to my room by a real live bellhop and the valet was waiting at my room with my bag. I already had brought in my laptop case. The valet handed the bag to the bell hop and disappeared so fast I could not tip him. The bellhop opened the door and I said, "We must be in the wrong room, this is a suite, right?" "Yes Mr. Rothman, it is the room that was picked out for you." He laid the bag on the baggage stand in the bedroom and asked if I wanted him to unpack for me, I said no and then he handed me the electronic key and swiftly walked toward the door. "Whoa, there, just one minute, I need to give you your tip and the one for the valet too." "No sir, Mr. Rothman, that has already be taken care of. If you want anything, anything at all, just pick up the phone and call the either the concierge or room service and it will be provided for you. We all hope you enjoy your stay here Mr. Rothman and we do hope you come back to see us again." It finally dawned on me as I stripped down to take a shower, Dale must own this place, or at least have a big chunk of it to be able to get me this kind of service. I was too tired to try to work that out anymore. I took a quick shower and lay on the bed and was fast asleep. I awoke about six hours later with the ringing of my cell phone. It was Nicole, "Bob, how did you know we could test out of our classes, this far into them. I just talked with the dean of the computer science school and he assured me that both of us could test out this next week, if we were ready, and we could attend graduation whenever. He said he had looked at both of our work and thought that the test would be easy for us. Did you call someone Bob?" "Hang on Nicole, let me wake up first. I spent all last night working on salvaging a company's IT floor that looked like a bomb went off in it. Now slowly, go over that again for this feeble minded old man." "Bob, Tammy and I can both test out of our classes next week; in fact we are going to be tested by the dean of the Computer Science School for UT. Once we pass, and he said we should with no trouble, he would issue us a letter stating we were graduates and that we would receive our diplomas either in May when everyone else graduates or he could just mail it to us. So that means that we are both employees of RHR Consulting as of right now, well yesterday morning for Tammy and this morning for me. Oh yeah, Tammy said everything is running smoothly and you have another new client in Cleveland to go see on Wednesday if you are through in Dayton in time. I'm at work right now working up a preliminary design according to the information Tammy was able to get from the new client. So how are things in Oxnard? I've always wanted to say that name, Oxnard. Anyway how are things?" I explained what I saw last night and where we were when I left about 7:30 this morning. I glanced at the clock and it was 3:30 here, so 5:30 there. "Nicole, where are you right now?" "I'm in Mike's old chair working on my first design for you, and Tammy's in your chair working up a schedule for us and you and coming up with a spreadsheet for standard costs based on what your past business has been. She said she was bored to tears just sitting there doing nothing, so she started compiling your paperwork and files into some semblance of an order. You're going to need to get at least a five drawer fire safe for your files. I know where we can get one cheap, they are having a going out of business sale; well actually, a moving sale and they don't want to take all those heavy fire safes with them. Those things weigh over five hundred pounds each you know." "If I can get a word in edgewise, one, I need a fire safe, yes. Two I also need a smaller media cabinet that will fit inside a drawer of the fire safe. Now if they really are having a moving sale, go ahead and order three of the media safes and two of the five-drawer, and two, no make that three of the two-drawer ones, one for each of us. Tammy knows where my extra credit card is, it's a business card with a very high credit limit, but don't buy out the store. We'll have to put them into the living room for right now, no make that the garage, there is some room out there. I'll contact Don and see about adding some room for them somewhere in the house or maybe in a separate office area. I need to talk to Don about expanding the office to accommodate three people now, instead of the two I had originally planned. Everything is still in the planning stages so changes aren't going to hurt much right now." "Not to worry Boss, you handle the crisis out there and we can take care of everything here. Oh yeah, thanks for hiring us, we will be good for you and this business. Bye!" and she hung up. I think I hit the big jackpot when I hired those two ladies. They are older than the normal graduate and they know what needs to be done and they jump right in there and do it. I called over to D & H and asked to speak to someone about the fifth floor. That was all I needed to say, I heard a click and a dial tone and then after one ring I heard, "Jerry Garcia here, is this Bob Rothman?" "Yeah Jerry, I was checking in, I was supposed to be back sooner, but somehow I slept too long. How is everything going?" "Bob, we have all the surviving servers in racks and running, we took your cobbled up computer and got some replacement equipment and other than the three burn outs, we are up and running again. I have another crew working on getting the lost data loaded into the system and then we will be back to full strength by tomorrow morning, I hope. I never would have thought to strip all the power strips out of the wrecked cabinets and then cannonballing parts from one server to another to get something up and running, not to mention pulling the hard drives so we could just plug them into another shell, that was some extreme 'out of the box' thinking. I'm so glad we have you to call on in emergencies, because I was lost. I have to give you a very big thank you. Also, Mr. Dodson wants to talk to you too. Let me get him for you." "Just a second Jerry, when do you need me to come back in to help with the electronic clean-up, you know fine tune everything, so it's running like normal?" "We've got most of that covered, Bob, Mr. Dodson said to tell you to not come in until Monday if you really needed to come in. I think everything is fine now. You saved this company last night, you really did. Anything we do for you now is just our gratitude. Let me get you with Mr. Dodson." I waited a couple of seconds, then, "Bob, how the heck are you, have a nice sleep, I sure hope so. They treating you alright over there? Anything you need, food, clothes, another laptop, some nice company? Anything you need you let them know and it will be done, I guarantee it. You made a hell of a mess turn into something positive, son, and I'll never forget that. In fact because of this we now have some stiffer security, especially for that floor. The number of people with access just got cut to almost zero. Unless you work there, you don't have access. This has been a real eye-opener for us Bob and we all thank you for stepping in and making this turn around into a positive thing. "Now on to more pleasant news, I hear that you have appointments in Dayton on Monday and then another in Cleveland on Wednesday. No need in asking, I received a call from a very nice lady in Texas explaining your predicament about scheduling. I talked to Jerry and he said they can handle everything now. So you stay there tonight and if necessary tomorrow, but come Sunday morning I want you on a plane back to Texas. I believe a Miss Fields has already sent me an invoice for your services and I intend to double whatever it is and send your company a check. And young man, don't you even think about not cashing it or not putting it right into the bank, you earned every penny I send you. Now is there anything else you need Bob?" "Nothing I can think of Dale. I do have two new employees now and both those ladies are real fireballs. They only started yesterday and already my files are in order for the very first time. They have worked out a schedule for where I am, who the contact people are there, and where I go next. They even are helping me design websites with the preliminary work that needs to be done, plus a project status sheet so we know where we are on any one project. I tell you Dale, they fit into the company perfectly, and they are pleasing on the eyes too." "If I were you Bob, I would hang onto those ladies, Tammy is the one that called me and she sounded very professional on the phone, yet she has a sultriness to her voice I found very pleasing. Thanks again Bob, and keep in touch. Oh by the way you may be getting some more clients out this way after this job. See you later." That was the end of it. I sat holding the phone wondering what had I done to deserve my two ladies. And the biggest surprise was Dale. He and I had been friendly before, but now it was like I was his long lost son or something. Of course saving his company could account for most of the friendliness, but this is way over the top for me. I lay back on the bed and went right back to sleep. I awoke about eight pm and then remembered to call back home to see what Tammy charged Dale. "RHR Consulting, Tammy speaking, how may I help you?" "Tammy this is Bob, what invoice did you send to Dale Dodson? How much did you bill him for in hours and at what price?" "Oh Hi Boss, I charged him the normal emergency price of $254.00 per hour. I figure you were on the clock since you arrived there at seven pm and you worked until seven-thirty am, so that was twelve and a half hours at $254 equals $3,175, plus the airline ticket of $700 each way and the rental car at say $35 a day until Sunday, that makes a grand total of $4,715. I would have added the hotel, but that was already paid for by the client. So you made almost five grand for twelve hours work. Did I do alright?" "You did fantastic Tammy, how did you know all the costs?" "When you gave me the credit card for the fire safes, I did a little snooping and I found your login name and password. Boss you are very lax in the security department here. We are going to have to work on that, and besides since I am now an employee and the new office manager, I needed that information. Nicole designs websites, I take care of the office and whatever else you want me to do and you go fix things. It works out perfect, right Boss?" "God, you two are wonders, now I wonder how I even managed to make a living without you two watching over me." "You'll learn Boss, it may take two of us, but we'll keep you straight. Now remember you need to turn that car in by noon on Sunday, but your flight is for ten am coming back here, so early to bed on Saturday night. Besides, your employees miss you already. Nicole is sacked out on your bed trying to get some sleep while I babysit the servers and the phone. Goodnight sleepyhead." And I was dismissed, just like that. Boy this was going to take some getting used to. Gratefully edited by aguy, wcl & againc Proofread by prissy_35503 Additional computer room help from spanky ------- Chapter 7 I called for room service, man I was hungry. I asked if the restaurant was still open, they said until eleven on Fridays. I said I would be right down, would they save a table for me. I got, "But of course, Sir, a table has been set aside for you. Please let us know when you arrive and someone will be there to seat you." I took a quick shower, shaved, and dressed nicely. I even had a sport coat that had hung all day and the wrinkles had come out. I went downstairs and I walked into the restaurant when a very lovely lady, about my age, asked if I was Mr. Rothman. "Yes and you, Ma'am, are who?" I asked. "Why, Mr. Rothman, I will be your server this evening, my name is Samantha, Sir. What will you be drinking this evening, Sir?" "I think ice water with lemon will do nicely for right now, thank you, Samantha." She hurried away and returned almost immediately with a glass over half full of ice and four wedges of lemon on a plate. "And what will you be wanting to eat this evening, Sir? We have a very nice roasted basil chicken or a very nice pot roast, but we can make anything you would like." "Do you have any fresh lobster and some Alaskan king crab legs?" "Of course, Sir. Would you prefer soup or salad first, or both?" "Salad, I think, garden salad, boiled egg, bacon bits, and Italian oil dressing on the side. Some nice soft breadsticks or soft Italian bread would be great too. Thank you for now, Samantha." I couldn't get over how quickly my salad and bread arrived. It was as though everything I was saying I wanted was being transmitted back to the kitchen, and they were preparing it as I spoke. Maybe they were, as I was in a small alcove away from the rest of the restaurant. I suspected that the kitchen was right on the other side of one of the walls of this alcove. I enjoyed slowly eating the salad and bread. They had olive oil and spices in a small saucer available for me to dip the bread into. As soon as I finished my salad, Samantha was back with a wine list. I said for the chef to pick the wine as he would know what would go best with his food. She thanked me and was off running again. Sam came back almost immediately with a wine called a Maçonnais White. She opened the bottle with a pop and let it settle a moment before she poured my glass about a third full. I started to say something and remembered in time to stop the uncouth lout in me from ruining this night. I sniffed the glass and then took a small sip and kind of swished it around in my mouth. The wine had a dry, sweet, taste and it seemed as though my palate would tolerate it, so I nodded and she filled the glass. It was about then that an older gentleman came out behind a younger man carrying my meal on a tray. Sam pulled the plates off the tray and set them before me. They all three waited, and I figured they wanted me to taste the food. I tried some of the lobster on a small fork and tasted the white meat. I savored the taste as it exploded in my mouth. I looked to the chef, the older man, winked, and dug another piece out of the shell. Once I had chewed the morsel, I said, "Most excellent, please convey my compliments to everyone associated with my meal this evening." I then dug some of the crab meat out and tasted it too. It was the best I had ever eaten, by far the best. I had had some good seafood in San Diego, but nothing I had there could compare with this. I was completely sated when I finished the meal. I only drank about two glasses of the wine, but it set the meal off perfectly. I left a fifty dollar tip on the table for Samantha and a hundred, in an envelope that I had requested, for the chef. Samantha didn't know what I wanted the envelope for, but she retrieved one none-the-less. I went upstairs to my room, undressed, and collapsed into the bed. I was asleep in seconds. I was awakened by someone slipping into bed with me and it was a nude woman, actually a very aroused naked woman. Now nude women are just people without clothes, but a naked woman is someone who is up to no good, or maybe that should be a woman who is up for some good times. Then there is bare nekkid, now that is a woman who is horny, doesn't care who knows it, and you are in for a real fine, down and dirty time, so hang on for dear life. This woman smelled like Samantha, and as I explored her topography, I realized that it had to be her. "Samantha what are you doing naked in my bed?" "After you left, I got to thinking that you just might like some company. I came up here to talk to you about it, and I found you nude on your bed, so I thought I might take advantage of that fact and see if I could perhaps persuade you to have some fun." "Samantha, I really hate to disappoint you, but ... no wait, I'm not gay and I'm not married either. I really would just like to cuddle up with someone soft, curvy and warm. I have not had that pleasure for some time now. If you can live with that, then you can stay. If you are after more, then I will ask you to leave." "You really mean that don't you, can you tell me why?" "Sam, may I call you Sam? I mean, after all, we are in bed together nude. Anyway, Sam, over the past fifteen years I have had some very short affairs with women from whom I have learned many things. Most of it is sexual in nature, but also some other things most men never learn. I like a good cuddle and sometimes, like right now, that is far more important to me than sex. Other times slow sensual sex is the greatest thing since man discovered women or sex. Then there are the times when raw, heavy, sweaty, fucking is what I crave. There is a real difference between sex and fucking. Fucking is the sex act without emotions of love and kindness, fucking is hot animal sex just to get off, and the hell with your partner. If they are satisfied great; but the satisfaction driving you is yours and yours alone. "The sex act, or as I like to say, making love, is done with emotions besides anger and selfishness. This is the act where you are more interested in satisfying your partner than you are for your own gratification. Now, that can be the greatest thrill of all of them, because you have an interest in the outcome for your partner. Now, tonight I am in a mood for cuddling, the decision is up to you." "Oh, Mr. Rothman, after that explanation, I think cuddling would be great. I too, have not had that pleasure for a very long time. Shall we get under the covers and cuddle?" "Well, Sam, since you put it that way, I don't see why not, and the name is Bob." So we crawled under the covers and I spooned behind Sam and she pulled my left arm over her and placed my hand on her right breast. I don't know about Sam, but I was fast asleep again very quickly. I awoke in the morning alone and uncovered. I looked for Sam's clothes, but she was gone. But she left a note and my folded fifty. Bob, I don't know when I have felt more loved, or safer from harm, in someone's arms than I did last night. I will never forget last night. It was the highlight of my life, and for that, I thank you. As for my tip at supper, I couldn't, in all fair conscience, keep it. You gave me something that is worth much more than money; you gave me some self-respect and the knowledge that I am a better person for having met you. Forever grateful, Samantha Dodson "Samantha DODSON??? Was she Dales's wife, daughter, sister, or what?" I shouted. I was immediately on the phone to Dale. He wasn't at work, but I did get his cell number from Jerry. I asked Jerry if he knew a Samantha Dodson. "Sure, she's the boss's daughter; she runs the hotel for Mr. Dodson, why is there something wrong?" "No, Jerry, just a misunderstanding, I guess, thanks. By the way how are things coming along?" "We are up and running at full strength, Bob. A little ragged around the edges, but we're up." "Thanks, Jerry, for all your help and for your guys helping too. You have a great team there. Bye." "Bye, Bob, have a safe trip home." I called Dale, "Dale, you sneaky SOB, what's this I hear that you own this hotel and that your daughter is the manager here. She acted as my waitress last night, what kind of scam have you got going on here?" "No scam, Bob, just another part of my varied businesses on the west coast. I trust my daughter was a good waitress? She actually did that for a time while she was being brought up to manager. I wanted her to know what every job was so she could talk intelligently with every member of the staff. She started out in housekeeping and advanced from there. You don't have a problem, do you?" "No, Dale, I just got a strange note this morning is all. You daughter was a very good waitress and the chef, wow. I had the lobster and crab legs, which was excellent, as was the wine. I just talked to Jerry and you are up and running, so I'll probably go back home today. I really should go back and see how my two new employees are doing. I kind of left them in a lurch as they just started working for me Thursday when I had to suddenly leave and come out here. We'll be in touch; and thanks for the stay, Dale. Let me know if you ever come to my town. It won't be as fancy, but it will be homey." "Goodbye, Bob, I look forward to stopping in some day. Thanks again for a job well done." I hung up and rang the front desk, "I would like to speak to the general manager for this hotel, please have them come to my room immediately. I need to speak with them about something of grave importance. The manager is in the hotel today, yes?" "Of course, Sir, I will page the manager and have them come right up to your room, Sir." "Thank you, you have been so kind." About five minutes later there was a knock at my door. I looked out the peep hole and to my surprise, there is a man standing there. I open the door and say, "Yes?" "You requested that the manager come to see you, Sir?" "Yes I did, are you him?" "No Sir ... I'm the assistant manager, the manager is not available at this particular time. I'm sure that I can take care of any problem you might have encountered, Sir." I got the direct impression that Sam didn't want to see me, so I thought a little blow up would bring her out of the woodwork. "Look, I'm sure you are very capable of handling most every situation, except the one I am experiencing. I asked for the Manager, not their flunky, and I expect to see the manager this minute, if not, I do personally know the owner of this hotel and heads will roll if I don't see the manager at this door in less than five minutes. Now take that message to your boss and I expect to see him here immediately, do you understand?" I said forcefully. "Yes Sir, right away, Sir!" That's when I slammed the door in his face. I had just made it to the spacious open room to sit down when there was another knock on the door. I turned around and slowly walked to the door, I peeked out and there stood Sam in a business suit. I opened the door and said, "Would you care to step into my parlor, Ma'am?" as I held the door for her. Her assistant was right behind her. I added, "And you, Sir, are not needed any longer," and I shut the door. "Alright, Sam, can you please explain the note?" "Oh, Bob, I really don't think we need to go over that now. Why did you call me up here? By the expression on your face when you opened the door, knowing I was the manager was not a surprise, so who told you, Dad?" "Actually, Sam, it was Jerry. I have not said a word about how I knew that name. You could have just signed it Sam, or even Samantha D. and I would have never added it up to you being your father's daughter. But my big question is why didn't you stay, surely as the manager, you are not required to be here on the weekends?" "Bob, please understand me, if I had stayed, we would have done a whole lot more than cuddle this morning. I know it, and so do you. I don't know if it would have been sex or the other, but I wanted you since I saw the way you handled yourself at dinner last night. Here I expected to see some Texas cowboy to come to dinner after what Dad said about what you did for the company. I could just picture some strutting peacock type of guy coming in here, demanding his due. But when I saw you, I was taken in by your charm and charisma. The fact that you didn't request a menu and the way you knew exactly what you wanted for a salad. You didn't say anything about the wine when I poured just a taste, then you sniffed the flavor and acquired the full-bodied taste in your mouth. Then the way you handled the meal when the chef came out with it and you knew to just nod and wink to him to let him know the meal was satisfactory. Asking for the envelope for the chef's tip was a stroke of genius. That has never happened before, by the way. I liked that touch; I think I will have one on all the special tables from now on. But you put that all together into one package, and I was very impressed. "I felt I just had to see what you would do if I came to your room. There, you surprised me yet again. You didn't take advantage of the waitress who you gave a very heavy tip to. I thought that you would just think that I was here to thank you in a different way for the great tip. You didn't take advantage of that, instead you explained to me the difference in cuddling, sex, and animal lust. I suddenly realized that you were so much different from other men I have known, that it seemed you were in a class by yourself. I also knew I could fall for you very hard if I just let myself drop my guard. "I really don't know why I signed the note like that. I guess it was just habit. I never expected to ever see you again, but I know I have been mentally kicking my rear for not staying, just to see what would happen when you awoke. Please, Bob, let me go and sulk in peace." "Sam, my dear Samantha, I was devastated this morning when you were not here. I originally thought you were just a waitress hoping to get lucky and get a larger tip from a well-heeled jerk who goes to dinner with a wrinkled sport coat and no tie. Then I read your note. I was touched by your sincerity. Then I read your signature, and I immediately thought of your father and how crass it was of him to send you to my room to have sex with me as a token of his thanks for what I did Thursday night and Friday morning. I wondered if you were his young wife or his daughter. I was furious, I was ready to tell him he could just forget my number, I would never work for him again. I was in that mood when I called the number I have for him. I got Jerry instead, he told me everything was fine and gave me Dale's number. I asked if he knew you and he said he did and that you ran the hotel for your father. That is when I called your dad and accused him of trying to scam me about the hotel and you as my waitress. He explained about you working your way up the ladder from the bottom, and that you were the one to surprise me by being the waitress. "Then, when I had cooled down somewhat, I wanted to see you and ask you about the note and why you didn't stay. I figured that you were married or something, but that couldn't be right either, because why did you come to my room if you were. I knew I had to speak to you, so I asked for the manager. Then when your assistant showed up, I thought you didn't ever want to see me again, so I got pissed all over again and I really wanted to see you to find out everything. So what happens now, Sam?" "Bob, I don't know, I do know what I would like to happen. I am not married, or even in a relationship right now, as I am too busy running this hotel. But I now know that I want someone like you in my life. It may not be you, but someone like you would be very nice." "Sam, I am flattered that you would want me, why, I just don't know, I am a simple man of simple pleasures. I have a growing business that I love and I now have two new employees that I need to train and get used to the way I do business. I do think, however, that they will helping me more rapidly that I originally thought. My two ladies are almost graduated computer science majors who are a little older than your average everyday college senior. Tammy is twenty-six, and Nicole is twenty-four. Since they started work Thursday, they have already streamlined my office, organized my files, and brought in new clients. It seems that Tammy is my new office manager, and Nicole is my new apprentice web designer, although apprentice may be a misnomer, as she is already quite good. I have only met them this week and already we seem to mesh into something much more than ourselves. What, I don't know yet, but there is something there I can't discount. "Now for you, yes, I have some feelings there, but I am just unsure what they are, and until I know, I would rather we stayed on an even keel here. Yes, I too would like to go into that bedroom and make mad, passionate love to you, but I'm not so sure that would solve anything at all. It might even confuse things between us even more, but for now though, I would like to just be really good friends." "Bob, that sounds like a very good idea. Right now, I am as confused as you are about us as a couple. I can see that as you talked about your ladies, that there is something there too. Your expression changed dramatically when you spoke of them. I think just good friends will be fine for me at this time too." Sam stepped to me and I opened my arms to her and we hugged for about ten minutes. It was a lot like the cuddle we had last night, but we were front to front instead of spooned. It felt the same way as though we needed each other to feel like we mattered to the world. It wasn't a romantic thing, more of a spiritual thing; we just received from the other person what we needed to be able to go on with our lives. Like I say, it was strange, but comforting. Sam backed away first and looked at me with those limpid pools of blue, and I saw myself reflected in her eyes. I assumed she did too, I guess we realized that we would never have sex, because if we did, we would lose the closeness and oneness we found as friends. Our relationship would only be strictly platonic in nature, but that is not to say it wasn't special. We stared at each other for close to five minutes before both of our cell phones rang almost simultaneously. Hers was summoning her to the front desk, and mine was Nicole telling me she had me booked on a flight and I needed to be packed and ready to go in thirty minutes. I did take Sam in my arms again, and this time I kissed her on the lips. It was not a passionate kiss, more like a brother-sister kiss, but longer; the meaning was the same though. We went our separate ways then, and I did not see her again as I left. Yep, no bill and the desk clerk said, "We hope you enjoyed your stay with us, Mr. Rothman, we hope to see you again soon." I hopped into the rental when the valet brought it around and tried to slip him a fifty, but he said it was already taken care of. I guess sometimes you just have to grin and bear it. I drove back to Santa Barbara airport and caught the flight back to DFW. I had gotten a ticket for California's next state lotto and their Mega Millions game and used my same old numbers. Hey, they have been good to me, so why change. I found and got into my beat up old Cavalier and drove home. Yeah, yeah, I know, I have a new truck, but I never take it to the airports. It's too easy for a new truck to get trashed or stolen in an airport parking lot, even one with a valet service. I have a four-tone, dented, paint peeling, semi-rust bucket that is mechanically in tip top shape, but looks like it's on its last legs. I even ripped the stereo out of it myself so it looked like a quick smash and grab victim. But I never have had it touched at an airport or mall parking lot. I once took it to see a client in Fort Worth. The boss saw me drive up and park in the visitor's lot and he asked me if business was that bad, and I explained my reasoning. He now drives a crappy car to work too; he said he was tired of all the dings and dents in his new Mercedes. Anyway, I got home and there were two cars and a beat up truck in the driveway in front of the house. I walked in ready to chew some ass, when I realized that one was Mike's and the other two belonged to Tammy and Nicole. It just didn't register in my brain that they should be there. I was so used to Mike's car parked in the drive that I forgot about the other two. Yeah, this was a real tiring trip. All the work, not getting enough proper sleep, the jet lag of a five hour ride, plus the two hour jump in time, added up to a very weary traveler. I dragged my ass in the house and dropped my bag and sat my laptop on the kitchen counter and said, "Honey, I'm home!" and collapsed into my recliner. Suddenly three heads peeked around the hallway corner, looking into the living room. I half waved and said, "I'm done in, who's going to help me to the bedroom so I can sleep for a week?" Mike's head disappeared and Tammy & Nicole came in and took my shoes off, one each, then my socks. They helped me into an upright position and Tammy said, "Come on, Boss, we'll get you bedded down and you can sleep until five tomorrow night if necessary, we've got everything covered." They led me into the bedroom, pulled the covers down on the freshly made bed and took my shirt and slacks off and put me to bed. Each in turn, they then leaned down and kissed my forehead and said goodnight. I was out like a light in seconds. Edited by aguy, wcl and Pepere Proofread by prissy_35503 ------- Chapter 8 I seemed to think, in some dream or other, that someone was next to me in the bed, but I was just too tired to care. I did wake up close to noon on Sunday, but I lay there trying to get my bearings. The way the bed was messed up, I couldn't tell whether or not someone had lain next to me during the night. I finally decided that I needed to get back among the living, so I crawled out of bed, grabbed some clothes, and went in to shower. Once done, I noticed it was time to shave again, so I shaved before dressing in slacks and a t-shirt. I stumbled out into the hall and into the kitchen to see if there was any coffee so I could maybe really wake up. There was what looked like a fresh pot of coffee, so I poured myself a big cup and sat at the kitchen table. I kind of glanced around to see if I could find something to eat, but nothing seemed to be out. I scooted the wheeled chair over to the fridge and looked inside. I didn't see anything that I could eat right away, so I closed it again and saw Tammy standing there. "I see you are back among the living, were you looking for something to eat?" "Yeah, but I didn't see anything easy." That's because your breakfast is in the oven. Let me get it for you." Tammy went to the oven, turned it off, and using a hot pad, brought out a plate of pancakes, a plate of bacon and eggs, and an empty plate. She sat the empty one in front of me and proceeded to pile bacon, scrambled eggs, and a couple of pancakes on my plate. She then got the butter out of the fridge and slathered butter on the pancakes and then added syrup and some fresh blueberries from a container in the fridge. She then said, "Eat up, Boss, you got places to go today and we want you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed tomorrow." I just nodded my head and dug in. The food was terrific, the bacon was just right, the eggs were hard, not runny, and the pancakes were divine. After I ate all the food out on the dishes, I think I actually felt human again. I rinsed all the dishes and silverware and put them into the dishwasher. I wandered into the office and saw all three talking. "Hey, old man, I wondered when you were coming out of hibernation. Was Oxnard really as bad as the girls told me?" "Actually, it was probably worse. By the time I got there, they had cleaned up a lot of the glass from the broken monitors, straightened up some of the tipped over racks, and stopped the water leak in one of their Liebert's. It really looked like what the guys coming back from the sand pile told me a war zone looked like. I'm sure the girls told you about my part in trying to make some sense out of all of this. If not, that is a story for around the fire on a winter evening. Right now, I'm more interested in what you are doing here, Mike?" "Well, we are holding a little impromptu class of sorts, but they are teaching me more than I am teaching them. You got some really sharp ladies here, old man. They already have things more shipshape than when we first started and you were still gung ho about the paperwork. They found files I wasn't even sure still existed. Tammy here has a spreadsheet of every one of our clients, going back to when you first got started. She also has a list of every website you ever did and has them listed by client. Nicole has been dissecting them to see how you wow the clients. She updated your original design for the new client in Dayton based upon your other designs, but she has some questions about some of the program lines. I think those are your back doors and security lines, but since I was never one to read code, I'm not sure. But, old man, I think I can safely ride into the sunset now and know you are in especially good hands. Just don't ever piss either one of them off. I don't think you would like the consequences." "I take it that you two quiet ones have nothing to add to that?" I saw two heads shaking as an answer. "So, were my business practices really that screwed up? Tammy, you are, I guess, our new office manager by default and IT guru for the servers and programs to help us muddle through life. Nicole, you apparently are my apprentice website designer and builder, right?" "You bet, Boss." They said in unison. This could get distracting. "OK, Nicole, you first; walk me through your design for Dayton." Nicole sat me down and proceeded to tell me what she got for information from Tammy and from the cryptic notes that I took by talking with Mary. Then she called Mary and they talked some more to get more information, she then designed her own website and then compared it to mine. She then revised her design, utilizing some of my designs that would suit this client. Then she had Mike and Tammy go over it separately, and they found a couple of glitches which she ironed out. What I saw now was the finished product, so far. I was very impressed. What she had right now, was a couple of generations above my usual preliminary designs that I use when I meet with the client and see what direction they want to go and that I can usually revise accordingly. But this looked very good and refined. I would definitely bring this to the table tomorrow. I then got with Tammy and she showed me all the neat things she had been up to. All my files were stored by client, cross-referenced by design, date, and contact name. I may sometimes forget who the client was, but I always remembered my contact's name. She said she could also add the city to the sort list if I wanted. I told her to go ahead. Tammy had also put the business checking and credit card accounts online and secured them behind my firewall. Those files were also locked and encrypted, so we were pretty safe against hackers. I could not get over how fast these girls worked and what brilliant minds they had. "Ladies, we are now the new RHR Consulting. We three will be a force to be reckoned with in the IT area. Now, I want you two to go over the plans I have of the new house and business area. I have a server room sized to hold a minimum of a double rack, a small Liebert, and a back-up generator of 12kw, plus the UPSs inside the room. I have a suite, consisting of a bedroom and half bath, for those who have to stay overnight while I am gone. I also have a house built in front of the business end, with three bedrooms on one side of the house and the master suite on the other. There will be an office opposite the three bedrooms so children are not disturbed anyone working after hours. In the center of the house are the great room and the kitchen. The house is situated about two hundred feet back from the road and there are flowering bushes along the ditch next to the road. There are giant oaks on the west side of the house and we will be planting Arizona ash on the east side. I have over thirty acres fenced and I want to have some horses, and maybe some longhorns, too. That way we can claim the Ag exemption. The garage will have five bays for cars, a single bay for the motor home, and a three bay workshop for woodworking. When I retire, I want to make wooden reindeer, sleighs, Santas, witches, and pumpkins for display in the yard. I may even get into selling them online. Oh yes, there will be a barn for the horses in winter and the rainy season, and I want you two to be a part of this adventure. What do you say?" I looked at three faces, but their jaws were slack with surprise. I think Mike was the first to speak. "Bob, you don't want me to move down there do you?" "No, Mike, I never considered it, as I know you want to stay here in the Dallas area. But I will make you a deal. I will sell you this house for the sum total of $1,000.00, payable only to my estate, upon my death." "Bob, I can't believe it, you are giving me the house for a measly one grand that is only payable upon your death. Good God, Man, I'll be dead and gone long before you are. So who owns the house until then?" "You will, you can give me five dollars a year until the debt is paid in full, or upon my death, whichever occurs first. Now I have not heard anything from the very sharp ladies I hired this week, so can you two live with that arrangement?" "Bob, somewhere in there you mentioned children, who's children?" asked Tammy. "Well, mine, of course. That is, unless one of you wants to marry me at some time in the future. Is that all you were worried about? I would have thought that some other questions would have come up first." Nicole finally found her voice, "You mean, like where is all this money coming from? Is that what you meant?" "Of course, I think I told you girls I had invested wisely and I have some money. Well, I know I told Tammy that in the restaurant the night she was fired. But yeah, I have some money squirreled away for a rainy day. I figure I could use some of it to build a new business and a new home along with it." Tammy came back with, "Wait, just how big is this property down in ... Taylor, is it?" "Yes, it is Taylor, well, just outside of it, about five miles from downtown, and the land is just over forty-five acres, after the last survey. I own the land outright. I used the money from selling my parents' place out in Marfa and I bought the property. It has some buildings on it, or used to, I'm not sure where we are with the demolition project, but we are going to re-use as much of the lumber, fixtures, and doors as we can, then donate the rest to the local Habitat Re-store. The house will look old, but be new inside and out. Come with me and I can show you the plans." Mike excused himself and said, "This is business stuff and I'm not part of that anymore." We said our goodbyes to Mike. We three went into the kitchen and I unrolled the plans and showed them what I was having built. Tammy wanted a nursery built next to the master suite, so that babies could be there until they started getting old enough to be out of a crib. Nicole asked if she could live in the house until a wife came along. I told them that both of them could live there until they wanted to leave. Then Nicole said, "But, Bob, I don't see a pool, you do plan on having one, right?" "Of course, Nicole, it is out the sliding glass door of the master bedroom and has an eight foot high privacy fence around it, or it will have when it gets dug out and put in. I would never forget that, but we may have to wait a year for that to happen. You see, I get a yearly check from a trust fund and that helps me make it through another year." "That must be some trust fund you have, Boss. I have a small one that kicked in when I turned twenty-one, but I only get about ten grand a year. I take it that yours is a little larger." "Yeah, a little larger, but like I said I'm no millionaire." (Actually I am a multi-millionaire, but whose counting, right?) We discussed some more things, then Nicole said, "Time to get packed for your week in Ohio. We'll work on this until you get home again." "In that case, someone needs to call Don and tell him changes are coming. Tammy, can you pack for me and I'll call Don now. I picked up my phone and called Don. "Don, please don't kill me, but I have some major changes on the house." "Not a problem, Bob, I've been working on doing the punch list items on one of my new homes and haven't gotten to the last changes you sent me. Tell you what, do you think you can come down here next weekend. Come down on Friday and stay till Sunday, like last time. Bring your changes and we can get them all worked out." "Well, Don, I have two new employees now, and they are the ones wanting some changes and I agree with the changes so far. You don't mind if I bring them along, do you?" "No, of course not. The more, the merrier. One of them wouldn't happen to be named Tammy, would she?" "How did you know?" "I called to let you know about the delay, but you were off fighting some emergency, and she said she would have you call me." "Yeah, well, I have two of them now, Tammy and Nicole, both sharp as tacks, and twice as nice looking. Since Thursday, they have increased the efficiency of my office by a hundred fold. I can't wait to see what all they will have done this next week while I'm gone to Ohio. I'll plan on coming down Friday. I'll make the reservations for the motel there. Thanks, Don, see ya soon." Nicole was going over the plans and was writing down a lot of stuff. "Let me call Mike and warn him we will be gone from Friday afternoon until Sunday this next weekend. You would like to go, right?" "We wouldn't miss it, especially since we get to see this paradise you are building." Tammy came back in the room with my packed bag and my laptop case. Nicole said, "Tammy, we are going to Taylor on Friday, check to see where the boss registered last time, and book us two adjoining rooms. One will need to be set up so we can work on things during the day, but we will need both of them for sleeping. I'm listing the changes and questions we have regarding the dream house. We can go over them after the boss leaves for Ohio." "Thanks for thinking about us lowly peons, Boss, so that we get to see this little slice of heaven you have bought for us," Tammy said, as she left to go make reservations for us. I went in, ready to pack my toiletries, and found them all gone, along with my case, so I assumed Tammy had packed them too. I did notice that my slacks and a couple of my shirts that had been dirty in the suitcase when I came back from Oxnard were back in the closet, washed and dried. There was another sport coat missing, and I figured that the dirty one was on its way to the cleaners Monday. These girls treat me so good I might just have to marry them both. Time will tell. I came back out and called the girls together. I hugged each of them and said goodbye and that I'd call every day. They each gave me a kiss on the cheek and waved goodbye as I backed out of the drive after loading up. The flight was uneventful and I was soon checked in to the hotel and called to let the girls know I was here safe and sound. I told them I would call tomorrow after the presentation to let them know how it went. I crashed after getting everything laid out for tomorrow. Edited by aguy, Pepere and wcl Proofread by prissy_35503 ------- Chapter 9 I was up and ready early, ate breakfast at the local IHOP, and was at the factory's offices at 8:45. I guess I was a little early, since Mary had not arrived as yet. I waited in her outer office and had a cup of coffee. At five to nine, a very well dressed forty-something woman walked in and waved me into her office. "You must be Bob Rothman, I'm Mary Herman, I'm the CEO around here and we will be meeting in about a half hour to discuss your designs for our website. I am truly sorry for my COO's outburst the other week. He is not in the habit of getting 'no' as an answer. It turns out you gave him his first. I like that you just ended the call and said you wouldn't do the job if that was the schedule. I took the time to do some checking up on you. You were a one man operation and you also do some of the best work in the business. I also got wind of some of what happened out in California last week. I hear that they were up and running in just a day and a half. That is very impressive for one man to do, especially since from what I hear, it was a disaster. May I ask how you did it?" "Mary, I just did my job, my client had some trouble, I caught the first flight I could, and went right to work when I arrived. It is really that simple. I take it that since we are still talking, that you have been given a good report on my work and my work ethic. Now I have a presentation that is not mine in its entirety. I now have two new employees and one of them took your requisites and designed a website from that information. You talked to the designer, Nicole Kidd. You may have also talked to my office manager Tammy Fields. We are now a three person shop, and we are very good at what we do. Shall we go to the presentation and see if we have your business or not." "Boy, you don't beat around the bush, do you? By all means, let's see what you have for us." We left her office by a side door, directly into a meeting room that could seat maybe thirty people. It was full of people, so I set up my laptop and plugged into their projector. Mary introduced me and I went over the parameters we were given for the project. I then went step by step through what a customer would see on their website. I answered questions as we went along, so the meeting lasted until noon. They were impressed, and in some cases blown away, by what we could offer them. I said was going to leave Mary a copy of the software that drove the site and told her that it was a time sensitive disk. The software would self destruct after three days, meaning that the password would no longer be valid, and any tampering with, or any attempt at copying the disk, would result in immediate deletion of the data. They could run the system however many times they wanted in the seventy-two hours it was available, then they could just shred the disk as it would be useless. I said I would be available in the office for the rest of the day and the next, but I had to leave Tuesday evening to drive to Cleveland for another client. We walked back into Mary's office. My little speech blew Mary away, "Mr. Rothman, do I take it from your abrupt manner that you do not want to do business with us?" "Ms. Herman, I normally do not do business with people who treat me wrongly. We had a meeting at 9:00 AM this morning, you arrived five minutes before then, and then proceeded to explain how you had checked up on me, and to further insult me, you asked how I did my job, wanting, I thought, a complete description of how I helped another client. Then during the presentation, I was questioned on every part of the presentation, asked why I did this and that, and if that was normal for other clients. I do not do a normal client presentation, I tailor each presentation to the client I am working for at the time. Every client has similar requirements, but then too, every client is different. That is what makes every website special and unique to that client. I will not stand for being dissected and second guessed in doing my job. If your people are so talented, then they can design your website. Now, do I have your attention?" "Yes, you do, I did notice several of the questions, but I didn't think anything about it. As for me coming in at 8:55, I ran into some heavy traffic this morning, why was that significant, Mr. Rothman?" "OK, first, I have a habit that was ingrained into me in the military, you are never late for a meeting, you are always at least fifteen minutes early, because you never know what will cause a delay. Secondly, you did not offer me any refreshment, and you automatically assumed who I was. However, I had not spoken to introduce myself, and neither had your secretary. How would you have felt if I said I was not Mr. Rothman? Thirdly, I do not like it when people tell me that they have checked up on me. I assume a client does that as a part of the process to find a good designer. But you brought it up as though it just happened since you talked to my people on Thursday. I also do not talk about my services to other clients. That is strictly between me and them. I'll be willing to bet that you did not get that information from either the CEO or their IT department manager. I know both of them personally, and they would never betray that confidence. I will be informing them that some of the information was released to you. Now if you would like for me to design your website, then I need to be treated a whole lot differently than I have so far. I was treated better by the guard who escorted me to your outer office and by your secretary, than I have by any of your other employees. Now, Ms. Herman, do you still want me to design your site or do I just drive on to Cleveland and get a head start on my next project?" I still had the disk in my hand, and Mary sat down, in her chair, hard. After the presentation, we had come back to her office, she was behind her desk, and I was seated in a chair in front of her that she had asked me to sit in. She stood the whole time we spoke, making me feel inferior with her superior position and stance. I think I had finally broken through to her business and common senses. I could almost hear the wheels churning, going over everything that I had said, and what she remembered from the meeting. She finally broke her silence, "Mr. Rothman, I can see now that I owe you a very sincere apology, from me personally, and from the company as a whole. I had not seen that what we did was belittle and pick at you. You came all the way up here, at your expense, hoping that the presentation was what we wanted. If not, and we went another direction, then you were out the design work, the time, and the money to fly up here." "Mary, if I may interrupt you for a moment? After our talk on the phone last week, I assumed you wanted this website as much as I wanted to design it for you. Nicole worked on this presentation on her own; she did not consult me on it, as I was busy. However, she went back over several of my other designs and brought about a much more comprehensive presentation and design than what is normal. "I usually work with your sales and production people to design something that will meet your requirements. I then revise it as we find things that would be needed, or nice to have, to make the site what you want. Then, if I cannot get all of the changes done during the time I have available at your offices, I take the design back home and work on it until I think we have everything incorporated and I work up a new presentation and I send you a copy that can be looked at and worked on, but not permanently, because it is only installed on my server. Once everything is perfect, then I will come and upload the program on your server, if you have the space, or release it on my server. Then, and only then, do you have a working website ready to go. "I did not get the impression that we had all the right requirements addressed and that was because we were not given all of the requirements. I'm not so sure that even you were given all the requirements for this design. This is just a guess, but I think that one or two people in your organization is behind this. My first choice would be your COO; my second would be someone in either your IT department or someone with the knowledge required, outside of the company, working with someone inside. I think you need to see what is actually going on before we go any further with this. I will keep this disk and we can discuss this further once you know where you stand. I do not like to point fingers, but you seem to have a problem here. You have my number and e-mail address. I hope to hear from you again." "Mr. Rothman, I see where you are coming from. You are right, we did not handle this correctly, after Charlie, my COO, called me and told me what you said, I asked for the requirements for the website, and called you to pass on what I was told. You were right again, about my abrupt manner this morning, I drive myself and I was frustrated because of the traffic, and since I only had one appointment this morning, I assumed that you were my appointment. I saw you had a coffee cup in front of you and assumed, again, that you had been taken care of. "As for saying I had checked you out, I did that before I called you. We had discussed three possibilities, and I made the decision to use you. As for the thing in California, I saw that item on the news Saturday, and it was described as a disaster area with equipment everywhere. They tried to interview Mr. Dodson, the CEO, and his IT Manager, and both refused comment. A factory rep from Sony, HP, or something like that said that some guy from Texas came in and told everyone what to do and then started tearing everything apart and there were soon servers running and laying all over the floor. The factory reps and the IT people from the firm got new equipment in, and before they knew it, everything was back to normal. They asked the rep who this whirlwind from Texas was, but all he knew was the guy's name was Bob. I put two and two together, and came up with you gone to an emergency and D & H having a problem. I can see where that might have gotten me in hot water with you. I think we'll shelf this project for now, until I can tell who the players are that are trying to sabotage this project for my company. Yes, it is my company; I inherited it from my father, and he from his. I would like for us to part as friends for right now, and maybe we can be more like co-workers in the future. Now, you said something about Cleveland, will you be there for a couple of days?" "It may be less or more, depending on what they need. I worked up a simple presentation for them on my long flight back to DFW. I won't know anything more until I get there, but I think I can drive up today and meet with them in the morning, why?" "Well, I thought you might want to stop by here on the way back, in case I have my problems solved." "I don't want to burst your bubble, but it may take a couple of weeks for you to find out what is really going on. I've seen this before, so I kind of know what it takes to cure the problem. Besides, I have to be back to Texas on Friday morning. I'm going to look at my new location this weekend, sorry." "Not to worry, I'll get this ironed out and then we can talk again, and by the way I thought the presentation was great, and let Nicole know I said that, OK?" "I'll do that, Mary," I said, as we shook hands and I started to leave. "You called me Mary, so maybe we can be friends again, right?" "You may be right, Mary." "Thank you for everything, Bob, I'll talk to you later." I left and walked to my car and called the client in Cleveland and said I could drive up this afternoon and meet with them in the morning if that was convenient. My contact said perfect, so I set their address into the GPS and headed out. This new client was so grateful that I could come a day early, and I'm glad I could too, as it took three days to complete what they wanted, and I got another one done. I turned in my rental car in Cleveland and flew home Thursday night. I pulled into the drive and only saw one car, Nicole's. I came in and yelled out, "Honey, I'm home!" Nicole came out of the bedroom in PJs and welcomed me home with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Do I have to sleep on the couch tonight? Tammy slept with you the other night and nothing happened, but if you'd rather I slept out here, I can." "Nicole, first I was very tired the other night; second, I don't care where you sleep. I promise I will keep my dirty paws off of you. If I don't, then you can turn me in for sexual harassment. Third, and most importantly, unless I am given oral or written permission that making a pass at either of you is OK, our relationship remains strictly business. Is that enough of a promise?" "Sure is, Boss, welcome home, I had the bed all warmed up and comfy for you. Now you go shower and then come to bed, I'll have it warmed back up for you by then." I showered, toweled off, and put my silky shorts on, then climbed into bed next to a sleeping Nicole. Edited by aguy, Pepere and wcl Proofread by prissy_35503 ------- Chapter 10 That is the way Tammy found us in the morning, me on my side, and Nicole on hers. Tammy pounced on Nicole, and said, "No fair, he came back when you were on duty. It was supposed to be me." I rolled over and said, "Now, Tammy, you got to sleep with me the other night and we just slept. Nicole, tell her what I said last night." "Our boss said that he would not touch either of us unless we gave him written permission for him to make a pass at us. Until then it was strictly business. What do you think of that?" "So where is your written permission?" "Our written permission letters are in the office in the printer tray. I haven't signed mine yet. I thought we could do it together in front of him so he would believe us that it was true." "Yes, Boss, we talked about it and as long as you don't freak out, we would like to be your wives, now and forevermore, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, until deaths do us part. Do you think you could handle the two of us being your wives?" I looked at the both of them and collapsed back on the bed, laughing hysterically. It took me more than ten minutes to get where I could speak again. "OK you two, what's up? First how could you two decide that I was the man for each of you when you have seen me about four times in the less than two weeks since we met? You know nothing about me, I could be a rapist, a child molester, or maybe I'm into whips and chains, sadism, bondage, masochism, or maybe even into marking my chattel. You have no idea what you are getting yourselves into, do you?" "Bob, Sweetheart, we do know you, while you have been gallivanting all over the country; we have been here in your home, where everything that is you is just laying around for us to see and understand just what kind of a person you are," said Tammy. "We also talked to some of your clients, using the guise of a follow-up calls to see how they like your work. We also talked to a couple of your friends like Warren Lester and Sheldon Dresser; we have talked to Mike a lot and we have come to the conclusion that you are just who you seem to be. Tammy told me about you paying her shortages and what you did at the restaurant." This was from Nicole. Tammy took over again, "You are our knight in shining armor on a pure white charger. You vanquish your foes and champion wrongs to make them right. And yet through all of that, you have not laid a finger on either of us, we have tried to flaunt ourselves at you and you ignore us, yet both of us have seen your reaction to us when business is not involved." "Yeah, I know you had a boner most of last night, because it was stuck in my butt crack at least half the night," said Nicole. Tammy again, "And when I slept in your bed when you came back from Oxnard, I felt it most of the night too. In fact, if you hadn't been so damn tired, I would have raped you. Now what are you going to do about this situation, Boss man?" "I am going to have a long think on whether or not I can live with having two women boss me around when I'm not used to anyone doing that. Then I'm going to ask myself if they are just after my body, my business, or my money. Then, I think I will see if Don can get a larger than king sized bed built for the master bedroom. Now before I go any further, how in the world am I going to marry the both of you? Have you got that all figured out?" "Of course, you marry Tammy and I change my last name to Rothman, when we move to Taylor, we say you are a Mormon and we're home free." "Actually, Texas does not recognize multiple marriages. There have been some cults that have tried it, and when the law finally got a hold of them, they prosecuted them for bigamy, among other charges. Now about changing your name, that is all fine, well, and good, but common law marriages are legal in Texas, so if you represent yourself as my wife and I your husband, then according to the law, we are in fact married, and with me married to Tammy, then we are back to the bigamy charges. The only way this works is that I have two girlfriends and leave it at that. I can put in my will that if anything happens to me, then you two divide my estate equally, but marriage cannot formally happen. Now before you all get into a blubbering mood, let me say this. Informally, in a private ceremony, we can give our vows to each other and we can be married in our own minds, but not for the public. Now does that settle that?" I was mobbed, I was getting kissed and hugged and cried on so much I just let them do it. I was a mess when they finally let me up, and someone was peeking his head above my shorts. They both oohed and aahed over him, and I said, "I gotta pee, so please excuse me." I went into the bathroom and sat on my thinking throne, 'What have I gotten myself into now? I have hired two beautiful women, who mesh in my company perfectly, they are not jealous of each other, they even like each other. But how do I really feel about it. Yeah, I know it seems like the ideal situation on the surface; I would be getting two women who just about any man would kill for, and yet ... OK, here is what we do, I have them hold off on any sex stuff for two months, sure hugs and kisses, but nothing further, and no teasing me and ET. Yeah, I named my dick ET after the movie I saw as a child. He had a big head and he could grow by making his neck longer. Hey, give me a break; I was just a kid at the time, probably only seven or eight years old. I just knew that my dick grew when I played with it, so I called it ET. OK, back to the situation at hand.' Thinking some more. 'Boy, this almost hurts to think so much. If during the next two months, any one of the three of us decides that this is really not what we want, then what??? I could give the business to them and retire and find someone new; OK, that is an option. Option two, we could eliminate the one with the problem working though this and press on, well except in the case of me being the one who can't cut it, and then we are back to option one. OK, option three is that things work out and we press on with the sexual compatibility test. Can I satisfy two women? Does one get me one night and the other the next night, or do I try to satisfy them both every night I can. That can of worms will have to be opened, when and if, we get that far. OK, I think I have this all thought out for now. Now it's time to see if we can make this a reality.' I finished up in the bathroom with a shower and came out to smell bacon frying. I quickly dressed and headed for the lovely smell of breakfast. Nicole was busy at the stove and Tammy was putting the milk and juice on the table. Nicole brought over a big plate of scrambled eggs and then brought the bacon. I do believe she had cooked the whole pound package. We bowed out heads and I said a prayer, "Lord, we thank you for the bounty put before us, for the nourishment of our bodies, and we thank you for the lovely company of friends we have, and most of all, Lord, we thank you for everything you allow us to have, to make our lives a little better each and every day, Amen." We dug in then and ate with gusto. As we were eating, I said, "I have made my decision about your written contract. We will discuss it after the meal before we leave for Taylor. You will need to wear jeans and boots today so we can go out to the land and walk around. What else you take is up to you, but I warn you that if you want to go into Austin for entertainment, you go without me. There are many places close to Taylor where we can have fun and not get swamped by traffic and noisy people. We might look up a few of the venues around the area and see if we can find something we all will like." The rest of the meal was small talk. Once we were in the office, I composed a letter of my own to be signed by all three of us that consolidated all my thinking in the throne room. The girls read it over very carefully and objected to the 'no teasing rule, ' but otherwise thought it was a workable start. I said the main reason for this was to actually get to know one another better and we therefore could mesh together better because of it. I also started looking around for places to go and who was playing where around the area. I also figured out I would need to get a TX-Tag for the toll roads around Austin. From Taylor there were about three roads to take to get you to the airport, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, or ABIA as it is known there. I could take State Highway 95 (SH-95) to Bastrop and head west on SH-71 to ABIA which is on that highway near Austin, in Del Valle. I could also take US-79 to I-35, and go directly through Austin. Not a good idea, believe me; the traffic is worse than in Dallas or Houston. Then I could take SH-95 to Elgin and go west to Manor and drop down on FM-973, [That's farm to market road to non-Texans - BR] and then pick up SH-71 to the airport. The last option would be to take US-79 west to the toll road, SH-130, and drop down to SH-71 about two miles from the airport. The toll road is much faster, a minimum three lanes, and less busy than the other roads. As for places to go, Jerry Jeff Walker was playing at the Copeland Inn and Dance Hall, in Copeland, just down SH-95 from Taylor, on Saturday night. Brad Paisley was playing at the Nutty Brown Café on US-290 on the west side of Austin. Then there was the Zack Brown Band playing at the Graham Central Station in Austin, but when I looked at the map, this place was almost in Pflugerville, near Round Rock, just off I-35, so we would not have to go into Austin proper and face the traffic. So I let the girls decide where we would go and let them get tickets. I, in the meantime, went in to pack for the weekend and started to load the truck up. My next door neighbors on the west side of me are an older couple, I would guess in their upper fifties or early sixties, who had bought up five houses in a row on my street, my house was the middle house, and as time went on, they got renters like me that bought the house they were in. Roger and Carolyn love to travel and do so in their 46 foot motor home and they tow their Tahoe behind it. When I first moved into the house, they sort of adopted me and we became very good friends. When I would travel, they would watch my house and when they would travel, I would return the favor, so we had a set of keys to each other's houses. When I bought this house, they bought a new motor home and now travel almost all the time. They are home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but they are gone the rest of the time. Since they don't use their garage, I keep my new truck in there. I went over and pulled it out and then pulled my car into their driveway. I asked for the girls' keys to their cars and I moved Nicole's car into their garage and moved Tammy's truck over so I could back the big Dodge up to load it. Once Nicole and Tammy had packed up, I took their cases out to the truck and put them in the bed. The girls were right behind me, locking up and making sure everything would be fine until Mike showed up at two. It was just about noon now, so there should be no problem letting it go for two hours. Nicole asked, "Where did this big thing come from, I haven't seen it before?" "Oh, this old thing; I have a garage space next door where it hangs out." I explained about the couple next door as we climbed into the truck. The girls both wanted to ride up front, so I brought our bags from the bed, put them in the back seat, and we were off to Taylor. We talked about many things on the trip down to Taylor. I took I-45 south to Corsicana, then SH-31 to Waco, I-35 to Temple and they hopped onto the HK Dodgen Loop which is SH-363 which turns into SH-95 at US-190. From there it is a straight shot south to Taylor. We pulled into the motel in Taylor a little before four. I asked Nicole to call Don and see if we could meet with him either later today or tomorrow, while I went to check us in. Once we were unloaded, we headed for the soon to be ranch while it was still light out. We had decided on a name if it was available; first pick was the double R Ranch, second was the TRN Ranch, and third was the Rancho Rothman. I kind of liked the TRN name best because that was Tammy, me, and Nicole. They had come up with TBN, but discarded that one right away as that was how the Christian TV network was referred to, and we didn't want any troubles from them. When I pulled into the drive, I could see the barn and other outbuildings were gone, no not gone, they had been taken down. The house was still standing, but the windows were gone. Don had already started on the dismantling of the structures so they could save as much as possible. I drove around, showing the girls the pasture, stock tank, and working windmill. It was getting dark by then, so we went back into town and had supper at the Taylor Seafood and Steak restaurant. That is a great place. I had eaten here last time and the food was fantastic. I thought we might try the Italian place, Ferrari's, next. I drove back to the motel and we called it a night, I had one room with one bed and they had one room with two beds, but it was right next door, with a connecting door, but I kept my side locked for tonight. Edited by aguy, Pepere and wcl Proofread by prissy_35503 ------- Chapter 11 When I woke up to the sound of a phone ringing, I rolled over to answer it. I thought, 'I didn't leave a wakeup call, who could it be?' "Hello?" "I'm so sorry to disturb your beauty rest, but mine was disturbed a few minutes ago, so I thought, if I had to be up, so should you." It was Don "What time is it, Don?" "It's a quarter of eight. I thought you were a military man, I've never known one that slept all morning." "Then you didn't know many night shift guys. We would drag in from work about midnight or eight in the morning and sleep for eight hours before we would be ready to do it all over again. I learned pretty quickly, flying all over the place with my job that I would have to sleep whenever I could. OK, now that I am awake, what is the best place for breakfast around here?" "I would say my place in about an hour. Barb already talked to your two this morning and they have something cooking. Oh, and I was just informed that you need to swing by HEB1 and pick up another two pound package of thick sliced bacon, a dozen large eggs, and a gallon of low fat milk, to replace what she's fixin' to cook up now. I would say we have been given our marching orders, so we better get to stepping. See ya in a few." 1 HEB stands for the H.E. Butt Grocery chain of Texas – Interesting story, if you haven't heard of it. I quickly got up, showered, and dressed, wanting to be ready before the girls came looking for me. I was sliding into my last boot when the knock on the connecting door came. I hollered, "Just a second!" and finished with my boot, laced it up, walked over to the door, and opened the deadbolt. "Yes, may I help you?" I said to Nicole. "We need to get going; I heard we need to stop by the store on the way." "Are you two psychic, or what?" "Nope, Barb called us and then told Don to tell you we needed to stop first. Breakfast is waiting, so we can't dawdle." Forty-five minutes later, I was sitting down to a table filled with three kids, five adults, a huge platter of thick-sliced bacon, sausage patties, pancakes, and a huge bowl of scrambled eggs. There was a large glass of cold milk and an equally large glass of orange juice in front of me. We all bowed our heads as Don said grace, then we dug in. We were introduced to Barbara, Linda, Bonnie, and Jake Lang, and I introduced Nicole and Tammy as my employees to Don and his family. There was a lot of small talk, who is doing what in school; you know just general family talk around a table. When we were done, Nicole and Tammy offered to help with the dishes, but were told they were needed in the office to go over the plans. Once in the office, we sat around a fairly large conference table probably seven foot long and about three foot wide. Don unrolled his drawings and showed us the overall layout, and we went through the plans room by room. The girls gave their input about a nursery next to the master bedroom, and I wanted the office area a little larger, as we now had three people instead of two. Don asked if we absolutely had to have the office and computer room connected to the house. He thought across the driveway in front of the garage would be ideal as we could have a huge backyard, fenced in of course, and have the pool, hot tub, and cabana back there more easily accessible to the house. He said that way it would still be accessible, plus the noise of the generator starting, the air conditioner, and everything else wouldn't disturb us in the house. I looked at the girls and they nodded and off we went. The horse barn was set up as a six stall barn with a twenty foot deep shelter roof on the back side of it. This would allow for the horses to get under it when the weather is bad. After a short discussion, it was increased to a twelve stall barn with the shelter going the full length of the barn. After we worked out the plans for the new office and server room, we took a break and found it was lunch time. Another huge spread of roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn on the cob, and green beans was on the table this time. Wow, I asked Barb, why the big spread? "Bob, I'm an old farm girl, I learned to cook on a working farm, we ate a lot, but we worked hard too and had no problem in gaining weight. Now that we have slowed down somewhat, I have cut back a little, but Don is out at the building sites all day and he gets his exercise and I am on the go all the time too, with me being a volunteer and registered nurse. I only work part time three days a week, but I volunteer at a clinic the other two days. Oh yeah, I also drive my nephew to work a couple of days a week. The kids are on the go all day long, just like the rest of us, but for supper we eat light and we have no problems. With as much as you are on the go, it's a wonder that you are not skin and bones." "Well, I sometimes don't eat like I should, but I try to work out, I run every other day and work weights the other days. I try, but I guess I also have a good metabolism." Nicole said, "I didn't know you ran. So do I, when do you run?" "Usually at night, I also go across to the garage my truck was in, and work out with the weight bench I have over there. Why?" Tammy said, "That's another thing we need, I workout room somewhere on the property, preferably near the pool, so we can cool off after working out. We can shower in the cabana, then swim. How about we have a workout room on the end of the cabana? How about it, Don, will that work?" "Yeah, Tammy, I can put a couple of big exhaust fans on the side and that would take a lot of the heat out of the room and still keep it cool in there. I can put the showers near that end of the room, along with a couple of toilets and a couple of sinks. Sure, that's a great idea, Tammy." "Yeah, then we can see if there are some deals on some weight and resistance machines and add them when we can to eliminate the bigger free weights," I added. After our big lunch, we went back to the table, cussing and discussing other options. I figured that if I was spending this much money on a house, I wanted it to be the last house I buy or have built. We broke up again about 5:30 and called it a good session. Don thought we had addressed all of our concerns, and it was up to him to now get all of our changes incorporated into new drawings and send them back to us for approvals. Once we agreed to a floor plan, we could start working on colors, carpets, and the like. He thought that with the way the demolition is coming, that we could probably start leveling the land and getting forms laid out, two to three weeks after the plans are signed. We left Don's house happy and satisfied that we had everything taken care of for both the house and the business end. Tammy and Nicole wanted to get dressed and head to Coupland for the Jerry Jeff Walker show they had bought tickets for. So it was back to the motel, shower, shave, and get ready to do some boot scooting. The drive down to Coupland was easy, just follow SH-95 straight south about ten miles to Coupland and follow the signs. You can't miss it. We had a great time, dancing and getting to really know one another more. It was almost two when we dragged into the motel. I kissed the girls goodnight and collapsed on the bed fully dressed. The next morning, I was awakened by the ringing of the phone again, but it was almost nine this time. It was Tammy, "Bob, we just woke up, I suppose we need to get ready to head back home. We should be ready in about an hour, OK?" "That suits me fine, Tammy, I'll be ready by then. We can stop somewhere and get some lunch, probably Temple or Waco." I hung up, staggered to the bathroom, and started peeling off clothes to get a much needed shower. I started the room's coffee pot before I climbed in the shower so that I could have coffee before too long. I cleaned up and had a couple cups of java before I heard a knock on the connecting door. I assumed the girls were ready, so I opened the door. "Either of you want some coffee, I have some left?" I received two grunts and nothing else. I loaded up the suitcases and checked out. When I got back, two of the cases were on the floor in back and Tammy was sacked out on the back seat. Nicole was buckled in and slumped against the door, she was sound asleep too. Wow, I didn't think we had been that strenuous last night with our dancing. Oh well, home it was. I woke them in Waco for lunch and afterwards the girls sat up front with me and we talked about the great time we had had. I told them that each time I had gone down to Taylor, I came back invigorated and well rested. They had to admit that even though we had worked and played hard on Saturday, they did feel better now. I did tease them a little about how the old man was fresh as a daisy, while they were still tired this morning. Nicole came back with, "Yeah, but you went right to sleep when we got back; we even heard you snoring in our room. But we stayed up for a while and discussed things. We agree with you about the two month trial with no sex. We also agreed that we both wanted you for our mate, however that has to be. It's not your money or your business we want; it's you." Tammy took over now, "You seem to complete us, each of us, somehow we feel like we are missing something when you are gone, something we need. We can't explain it any better that that. Each of us is a part of a whole that is missing a key ingredient, you. By ourselves we were good, but once you came into the picture, we each felt different." Nicole now, "Yes, somehow you touched something inside of us that made us want to be a part of you. I'm not sure we could even function now if we knew that you would not be a part of us, the three of us, I mean. You saw how we work together, like on the plans, one of us would have an idea, and before we could realize it, we had a solution for Don about what we really wanted." Tammy again, this could get really weird, "We seem to be three separate parts of one whole; alone, we are capable, confident, and good at what we do, but together we are something else entirely. Barbara noticed it right away, and Don even noticed it too. While you were talking to Barbara when we got ready to leave, Don told us that he had never gone through a set of plans that thoroughly in one session ever before. It usually takes four or five times of going through them before he gets to a point that the client is happy, because every time he changes something, a new idea comes into his client's head and they want something else, but with us, one would have the idea, then the three of us would flesh it out and change it to what we all wanted and then go on to the next thing we saw. Nicole again, "He said it was something he had never seen before. Usually when three people are involved with a build, there are three different approaches to the problem, and much discussion is needed before it is either thrown out or changed to make it work. With us, all that is compressed into a few words and concepts, and the decision is made, no second guessing, no coming back to it later, it was a done deal when we concluded it." "Yeah, Don said it was though we had one mind, but three brains. We seem to mesh like gears in a transmission, and what comes out is harmony and brilliance. Myself, I'm not sure what it is. I just know it works for us," finished Tammy. "Well, I kind of know what he means and what you two are getting at. One of you talks and then the other, and the conversation is almost flawless, it's like you two are on the same wavelength or something, and it is just uncanny how you talk to me. But I think I understand. When I was interviewing each of you, I felt something I couldn't explain for the life of me, but I somehow knew that each of you would fit right in, in the business, I mean. As it turned out, I was right. You two stepped right in and took over while I was gone to California. When I got back, it was like I was actually coming back to a home, and as for the business, everything was perfect. Tammy you organized the files and had the business running like clockwork. Nicole, you worked on a presentation that was way above what I normally present, because I normally have to almost drag the information they want out of the sales and production people, but that design was almost perfect. Oh, by the way, Mary said to tell you that you did an excellent job, in fact, so do I. It was brilliant, however they have other problems right now and we need to hang on to that design. I think they will be calling us back." I gave them the rundown on what happened in Dayton and how I left it. "You mean you told off the CEO of a large company like that?" This was from Tammy, she continued, "I would have thought that they would just tell us to piss off. But you just about extracted a promise from them to come back to you when they fixed their problem. That's unreal." "Yeah, who would've thought we got a boss with brass balls? And he's got the brains to back it up. Nice move, Boss." said Nicole. I told Nicole what I was working on for Cleveland, and she said, "Boss, that's just about like the job you did for Harlan, Harcourt, and Payne up in Seattle. It wouldn't take a lot to modify that design and present it to Ross, Haggerty, Frost, and Stark. What you have can really be transferred over to the other design quite quickly, and you'll have another one done. What else have we got for clients?" "Well, we have the two for Denver almost ready for final presentation, and I have no idea what our e-mail or phone messages look like. I kept my phone off most of the time down there. I really didn't want to be disturbed. This is down time, when we go to Taylor, that is, until we move down there. Do you agree?" "You bet; we really had a good time last night. We'll have to go back to Coupland a lot when we can," said Tammy. We got back late as we stopped along the way and had supper. We had only eaten a burger in Waco and we were hungry by the time we got back close to home. I was right, we had five e-mail messages, four of them from the LA area, and one from Phoenix. We also had two phone messages for consultations sometime in the next two weeks. Dale was right; we got some good responses from LA because of my trip to Oxnard. I talked to Mike for a while, and when he left, Tammy started a file on each of the new contacts and Nicole and I did research on each of the companies that had showed some interest in us. We needed some idea as to what they sold or did so we could have an idea about what the website should do. Nicole left with Tammy; it seems they were living together now. I offered them Roger's and Carolyn's place, but they had their own and would keep it until we moved. Me, I went to bed and slept, as I really was tired from driving all day. Edited by aguy, Pepere and wcl Proofread by prissy_35503 ------- Chapter 12 For the next three months, all we did was work. After the first month, we were so busy that Nicole was going out on jobs as well. Poor Tammy had to stay home, but we did send her out when we had the designs finished to have her load the programs on the client's servers. I did have to add two more servers to handle all the small clients we had picked up. Our contract for no sex for two months came and went with no change in our arrangements; we were either too busy or too tired when we got home and could be together. There were even times when all three of us slept in the same bed with nothing happening. We all decided we needed a break, so I called Mike and begged for him to come for just one week so we could get some much needed rest. He had instructions that we were on vacation, and if someone really wanted us, they would have to wait a week until we got back. He asked us where we were going, and I said someplace restful. I called several places and finally settled on chartering a sailboat out of Tampa Bay, Florida. There was a charter service there where you could charter anything from a small sailboat, to a huge sailboat that looked like a three-masted schooner. We settled for a medium sized one and we sailed the Gulf of Mexico for a week. The one we chartered had a crew of four that came with the boat and we just relaxed and got a real tan. We even helped the crew a few times, just trying to help out. We never ran into any trouble, but we did hear of some problems on the radio. The funniest thing was, we all three slept in the same cabin, in the same bed, but other than hugs and kisses that was it. We just needed to be together to be happy. When we got back, we had like twelve new clients that said, 'When you can get to us, let us know.' Wow, I didn't think we were that good, but maybe we were. I called Don to see how the house was going. He said they had poured the slab last week and were starting on getting the framing up this week. Don went on to say, "You are going to have one heck of a large house. I finally figured it up. You will have a 6,275 square foot, inside living space, house. I'm not talking outside, but inside actual living space. The front wall is 100 feet outside. The two wings each go back 80 feet on the sides and then the center section goes back over 40 feet. That is almost double my place. "Then we have the office and server room already framed and the electrician is coming in on Tuesday to layout the electrical grid on the floor. The new generator was delivered Friday, I'm sure glad I poured an extra large slab for it. That sucker is huge; we got the 48kw natural gas model that we wanted and their tech is going to hook it up when we get the power panel in place, probably on Thursday. I wanted to get that part done first so you could move down when you were ready. You may just want to just equip the room, and keep what you have as spares or for further growth. Then it is just a matter of finishing off the insides with all the data cabling and power for the office. The Liebert won't be in for at least another three weeks. I just ordered that on Friday. "Now, I did get the main fireplace started last Thursday, we have it built up to the flue level right now and can't finish it until I get all the framing up. I wanted to use an old mantle I found at an estate sale. You'll love it, is all light oak and over seven foot long and about three inches thick. It is also almost 18 inches deep. I even found a perfect blower and glass front enclosure for the fireplace. The blower is already installed in a compartment on the side of the rock. The door looks like rock too; well in fact it is rock, cemented to a steel door. I'm going to have rock with anchor bolts to hold up the mantle so it looks like the rocks are the only thing holding it up. I'll send you a picture of it tomorrow. There is a step up of 20 inches to the hearth; I didn't want little ones crawling into the firebox by mistake. It even makes a nice seat when the fire is not going. I also made sure there is a cleanout door on the rear. There will be an outside clean-out for the fireplace in the bedroom too. I haven't let you talk about your vacation. Where did you go?" "Don, we went sailing in the Gulf. We caught a charter out of Tampa and sailed on a medium sized two masted schooner that came with a crew if you can't sail yourself. Of course, you need a captain's license for that, but it was fantastic. We sunned ourselves naked on the deck and got some real deep tans with no tan lines. It was so relaxing; you should take the whole family. I think you would love it. We came back refreshed and ready to take care of business. The summer is mostly off season, so the rates are pretty good." "I may have to take you up on that. I think that would be a real pleasure." "Don, this charter company has two even bigger sailboats than the one we had. They can take a couple of big families on the bigger ones. Those even sail the Atlantic and Pacific from what I was told." "Yeah, we may just do that once the weather turns nasty here and we can't work. Thanks, Bob, I'll look into that, send me the charter company's name and all that, OK?" "Sure thing, Don, I think it's going to be like three weeks before we can come down to see the progress you've been making. We came back and are swamped with work." "Good, I'm glad to see I'm not the only one working hard. Talk to ya later, bye." "Yeah, you take care, Don, see you soon." The girls had received the lowdown from Mike as to what happened while we were gone. Mike noticed our tans and said, "Are they all-over tans?" Tammy pulled her shorts down one ass cheek and said, "They sure are, no lines to spoil the view." "You old dog, you, I hope nobody is pregnant yet." "I'll have you know we never even thought of that while we were gone; we had too much fun doing other things," I said. "Besides that's none of your business anymore, remember?" "Right you are, Boss, I'm glad you guys are back, it was getting mighty lonely here with you guys gone." We relaxed Sunday night and decided that we could hold off until we moved to start the sex thing. We slept in my big bed again and started back to the grindstone first thing Monday morning. Three months later, we were very comfortable with our lives, we were successful, we had finally started to have a sex life among ourselves, and I found that I could satisfy each of my 'wives' each night we were together. The house was just about finished and we would be moving in two weeks. Tammy came to me with a question and a problem all wrapped up in one. "Bob, I'm really confused here. We get a check from Sheldon every month with an invoice for services and one of the lines says 'my fees' and then he subtracts that number from the subtotal. I have assumed that what he sends us is the excess from your investment fund and he subtracts his fee from that. But it's still confusing as the numbers for each month vary greatly, but there are never any losses, only gains. Now is Sheldon that good as an investment strategist, or am I completely off the mark here?" "Tammy, I guess it is time for me to come clean. When Nicole comes back from Pittsburg this afternoon, we will have a long talk about my finances. It is quite complicated and since I had planned on telling you both about this once we moved, I guess now is as good a time as any other. Please do not ask any questions now; I will explain everything later tonight, OK?" "OK, but you promise that you are not doing anything that is shady or illegal, right?" "No, Tammy, I am not doing anything illegal or even remotely shady, everything is completely legitimate. Please don't press me for more information now, OK?" Tammy went off shaking her head, but she kept her promise. I had been continuing to buy lottery tickets everywhere I go on business. There are only seven states without a state lottery; Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada, and Wyoming. All other states have some kind of state run lottery and most have a Mega-Millions and/or Powerball lottery as well. My luck has continued with the state lotteries. Over the past seven months, I have won in excess of two hundred million dollars, all of which I have opted for the long term payout. Now you add that to my winnings from before, and I have won about four hundred forty-five million dollars. When you add my winnings to the investments that Sheldon and his company have been able to make for me, my total assets are well over half a billion dollars. That does not include my business account, and after taking out for salaries for Nicole and Tammy, my bank account is right at two million. So I guess you could say I was successful. Of course, I have been sending Don a check for fifty thousand a month since I gave him the first installment when I first when to talk to him about the house, so the house is almost paid off. I have also paid for all the equipment for the server room and office building, over and above the fifty grand I send to Don every month. That way, they are a business expense, and therefore deductible. I guess I will need to talk to Sheldon and have him give us an accounting of everything we are invested in, where all my money is, and how much I have. I called Sheldon and asked how soon he could have a complete breakdown of all my investments and bank accounts, both here in the US, and in my offshore accounts. I have a couple of accounts in the Caymans and several in Switzerland, as well. All the offshore ones are filled with money I have already paid taxes on. I draw interest on those, but since I don't touch them, it can't be counted as income yet. Sheldon said he could have something worked up in a couple of days and asked why. "Well, Sheldon, it looks like I am going to make it permanent with my two lovers, not married, mind you, but still permanent. With that in mind, I want to come clean with them and show them just what all I have, and where it is, so they don't ask questions like I got today. Tammy wanted to know why my checks from you are so erratic and why you subtracted your fee from them directly. Tammy asked me point blank if I was into anything shady or illegal, I said no, and I want to prove it to them. I also think I need to quit playing the lottery so heavily, because I will never spend even a small portion of the money I have right now, so why get more?" "Bob, I think you may be right about that. I have converted a lot of your money into gold bars and Krugerrands, so you are kind of inflation proof in that respect. The overseas money should be safe, especially in the Swiss banks. I think, in total, you are valued at about six to seven hundred million, and that includes your business. Are you thinking of staying in the business, or are you thinking you may want to sell out and just travel, I know you have always wanted to see the world." "I'm just not sure what I want to do just yet. I think after your presentation, I will let it settle in with the girls, then see what we decide. I think it is time to seek new employees though. Thanks, Shel, I really appreciate our talks. You have been a very good friend and partner." "You too, Bob, I'm sure glad I took your call, back when you first came to me with your problem. At first I thought you were a nut, but we have prospered together. I am so glad we partnered up right then. Neither of us would be where we are today, if not for you giving me a chance." "Shel, it was a chance on both our parts, I was new to business and so were you. We had hit it off as friends from our Navy days, and I figured I had to help a friend get started as he helped me get started as well. It has been profitable for both of us. You now have a prestigious accounting and investment firm, and I am rich and successful too. See, it all works out. Let me know when on Thursday we can have the presentation. Your place, I assume, since I am still in the old house." "Yes, Bob, the conference room at say 9:00 AM, refreshments will be available and I will take you all out to lunch afterwards, my treat." "You don't have to do that, Shel. I can pay my own way. I think I can afford it." "Of course you can, but I need the deductions of a business meal. Besides I'm trying to pay back a friend." "OK, bye, Shel, see you Thursday." "See you soon, Bob." You see, when I first approached Sheldon as I was starting my new business, he was a very new, soon to be CPA, and had no real business. He was straight out of school, but I had known him in the Navy. He was studying accounting and international banking when we met at NAS Corpus Christi. We were both studying at the training center. We became friends and vowed that if we ever met up later, we would help the other out if we could. When I started my new business, I asked for his help, but he was still studying for his CPA license. Once he got it, he would be looking around for a firm to join. Then I hit my first big jackpot. I took part of that money and set him up with his own office. As I became more prosperous, so did he, and we made a pact. He would get one percent of everything I made in my business, and he would invest my money and be my accountant. I would get one percent of his profits each year, spread out over the next year. As my business prospered, so did his. A lot of my clients were also his, because I bragged on his skills. As time progressed, he added more accountants and he started his own investment firm as well. As you can tell, we both did quite well. Now he only takes care of my accounts, everything else is handled by his employees. He has a really sharp investment guru that he hired right out of school too. He heard of this lady, who was investing while going to school, from one of his newer accountants. He talked to her and immediately hired her. He paid for the rest of her schooling, and they became husband and wife even before graduation. Shirley is a godsend for Sheldon; they are perfect for each other. They have two little kids; a boy, Robert Thomas, named after me, who is two, and a girl, Miriam Louise, almost one. I love them both. I visit when I can, but it's hard with business the way it is. I suspect that Shirley will be there for the presentation too. She handles most of the bigger clients and she has several young guns working for her too. When Nicole came home, we had supper, then I had the girls get themselves comfortable on the couch, as I sat in my chair and started my little speech. "OK, I have come to the conclusion that we are going to be together for all times. We have formed a bond that just feels right somehow. Because of this, several things are going to take place. First, I am going to meet your parents in their environment, not mine. That means we will visit each of your parents in their homes. We will explain to each of them that we are somehow bonded, and that we are a triad. Not a couple, but a group of three. I want them to meet and know me. Now nothing will be said about our material wealth, except to say that we are comfortable, and will be for quite some time. Then, once that is completed, depending upon the results, there will be a spiritual bonding ceremony that we will have instead of a wedding. This will take place in our backyard at the new house. I have already picked a passage from an Apache wedding blessing that will be read at the end of any vows that you two want read and repeated by each of us. I suspect that you would like the standard wedding vows to be your start. Each of us will have a ring, but it will be worn on the right hand, not the left, so there is no confusion that we are married in the eyes of the law. "Your parents will, of course, be invited to this ceremony, but we will be life partners and not married. We must make sure that is the way in which we are addressed. Each of you will keep your names as they are. We can invite our very close friends, but the ceremony will be kept private, and the number of friends to a maximum of about thirty to forty people. I would like for Mike, Don and Barbara, and Warren and his wife, Cheryl, and of course, Sheldon and Shirley. That is it for my invitees. I don't have many friends. Oh yeah, if I can find Roger and Carolyn, I would like them there too. They're my neighbors over where my truck is stored. "Next and most important, we need to hire new employees. We need people just as sharp as we are, and I would prefer getting them straight from school or newly graduated. They don't have the bad habits gained in the normal working environments. If you know of someone who would qualify in that regard, then by all means get them here for an interview with the three of us. "Next, is that we will be taking an extended honeymoon trip once we have everything in place so that we can leave the business in the new employees' hands. I suspect this may take as long as a year, but it depends upon our new candidates. Oh yes, I believe that you two will be pregnant by the time we return home from the honeymoon. I was thinking somewhere nice and warm, and preferably a clothing optional resort. I liked being nude with you two on the cruise in the gulf. I found a very nice one in Hawaii that is run by the same people that we chartered the sailboat from. "Thursday, you will find out that we are very rich. I have been keeping that little secret for a very long time now. We will have a meeting with Sheldon and Shirley, and they will explain our financial worth and prospects. As Nicole knows, when I go out on jobs, I played the lotteries in every state that has one. I have been fairly lucky. I have won a few of them, not every time, and those I win are not always for huge money, but enough to make me ... er, us, comfortable for the rest of our lives. I think I will wait for the meeting Thursday to tell you how much I am worth. This is the reason why I want to find replacements for us, so we can travel and enjoy life. I have always wanted to travel and see this great big wonderful world we live in, and I now plan on doing just that, that is, if you would like to join me?" "Like you could keep us away from you for that long," said Tammy. Nicole's comment was, "I knew it, I just knew it. I never saw you ever check your tickets after a lottery, you just put them into an envelope and sent them to Sheldon, didn't you?" "Yes, Nicole, I did. If it was a winner, Shel would handle it. If not, then no problem, he would just shred the ticket and wait on the next ones to show up." I explained how Sheldon and I got started and my agreement with him. "You mean that Sheldon only gets one percent of all of your profits, why so cheap, Boss?" "Tammy, I had to argue long and hard to get Sheldon to accept the one percent. I gave him some of the money from my first big win, as I had just started my own business as well. This allowed him to start his too. I still retain a one percent share in his business. His concession was that we each had to have a one percent interest in each other's enterprise. That was the only way Sheldon would accept the money to start his business. We each paid the other normal fees, just like a business should, and the one percent was just added to our investment funds to keep them going in lean years. However, to our surprise, there were no lean years. We have both done very well right from the start." Tammy asked, "So who do we visit first, so I can make the reservations?" "Well, since Nicole's parents live near here, I thought we would visit them first, but it really doesn't matter. We can get reservations for Cedar Rapids for next weekend. We'll fly up Friday morning and then back home on Sunday. Will that work? We can go visit Nicole's parents this weekend, that is, if we can work out if they will be available." Nicole said, "Let me call mom and find out their plans while Tammy does the same. We'll get back together once we know what we can work out." They left to go to the office and phone their parents. I figured that would be some conversation, and I didn't envy them one bit in having to explain that they are now a part of a triad and that it is not marriage. Edited by aguy, Pepere and wcl Proofread by prissy_35503 ------- Chapter 13 I called Don to see how the house was coming and to ask if he knew of someone who could read the Native American blessing. "Bob, I know just the guy. He is one of my carpenters; he is half Apache and half Osage. I think he would be perfect. What is the passage?" "Don, it is an Apache wedding blessing, something about 'You will feel no rain, for each of you will be the shelter for the other, ' then something about not feeling cold for you are warmth for each other. I found a Cherokee blessing too, and I might just combine the two, or your guy may know something better. We plan on having a spiritual bonding ceremony once we can move into the house. It may take a couple of weeks to get everything together, but I would like you and Barb to be there for me. I have a friend in Pflugerville, and a couple from here, for my parties, I think it will be a small affair; we can have it in the backyard. I really want it outdoors; it seems more appropriate that way. I think my father told me once that we were descended from the Lipan Apache that roamed northwest Texas and New Mexico, until they were virtually eliminated by the Comanche, the US Army, and the Mexican Army. Those that survived were shipped to Oklahoma and integrated into other surviving tribes. I guess that is where I got this urge to pay homage to my heritage. Have your guy call me and we can work something out. And, Don, thanks for everything." "Bob, it is my pleasure, and it is a real honor that you would invite Barb and me to something this close to your heart. You know we love you three and want only the best for you." "Thanks, Don, I'll let you know when everything is going to be, as soon as I get my schedule from my women." Tammy and Nicole came out of the office, and I asked, "How did it go?" Nicole nodded to Tammy, so she went first. "Well, it seems that my family will be here tomorrow sometime, if they can arrange it. It seems that they want to see you in your environment first, and they want to meet Nicole's parents too. They did not congratulate me, or tell me I was a fool yet, but they are coming. They wanted to surprise me with a visit. Well, they sure surprised me. OK, Nicole, tell him your news." "My parents have wanted to meet you for some time now, but we have been so busy that we really haven't had any down time since we came back from our vacation. So they are coming tonight for an initial meeting. They will be here in about an hour. I also do not know their mood, since I couldn't detect it over the phone. We might want to clean the place up a little before they come over." We cleaned up what we could. The house was always a mess, as we were gone most of the time, and really busy the rest of the time. We did the best we could before the bell rang. I answered the door and invited Thomas and Helen Kidd into our home. I introduced myself and Tammy and showed them seats on the couch. The girls sat on either side of me on the arms of my chair. I think this floored the Kidds. Helen started first, "So you are to be our new son-in-law?" "No Ma'am, I love your daughter, but I will not marry her, just like I will not marry Tammy either. We are a triad, a group of three. I will not have the law take one of my women from me, and they, in turn, will not allow the law, or anyone else, to take me from them. I know this is confusing, but let me try to make some sense of all this. "First, I have grown to love each of these women as though we could marry, but it would not be fair to the other one, as they each love me the same way. You love you husband and could not bear to have him come to harm. That is exactly the way that I feel about your daughter, and that is the same feelings she has for both Tammy and me. You see, we just started out as employer and employees. That lasted for about two weeks before I started having feelings, very deep feelings, for both women. Because of our jobs, we are apart for much of our lives. I know that when I am away, I long to be here at home with both of the women. And no, it has been only the last couple of months that we have been intimate with each other. Before that, we have slept in the same bed, and nothing untoward happened. I know, I for one, was celibate during the entire time I have known your daughter, until two months ago, when we were all home at the same time and decided to consummate our love for each other. Now, I ask you to look at your daughter and ask yourself; is she happy, is she being mistreated, and is there something she needs that she is not receiving. After you have the answers to those questions, you can condemn me for my love for your daughter." I think I was about to be hugged to death by both of my lovely ladies. I was kissed and fussed over while Mr. and Mrs. Kidd sat in stunned silence. Thomas found his voice first. He looked at his wife and then said, "I think that you put that quite nicely. We have been getting such glowing reports of what Nicole has been accomplishing with you, as far as business is concerned. But her love for you has been obvious from the first time she came home after working for you for about a month. She didn't say much, but she had a very dreamy look on her face when your name was mentioned, and at other times, when she told us of your praise for her work, she positively beamed with pride and excitement. "Nicky now has a purpose in her life. That is something she hasn't had before. You know she is older than your average college student, she was aimless for a while after high school, she went to UT-Dallas for a year and then quit. She lounged around, tried her hand at working, and at doing nothing. Suddenly, a little over two years ago, she went back to school and studied hard, she changed her major from business to computers. I asked her why, and she said it just came to her to change majors. Then after a year, she changed from mainly computers to website design, but by then we just accepted that she knew what she was doing. We just couldn't see the reasons. Then she came home one day, said she had interviewed with you about a job, then said you had hired her on the spot. We couldn't believe it. Somehow, she knew that she would need everything she was learning to be able to work for you. "I don't begin to understand what is going on between the three of you, but I see it is positive. Your business is doing great right now, do you think it will continue, or do you see a downturn later on? I'm only asking to make sure our little girl will be well cared for." "Thomas, I can assure you that my business is on solid ground. In fact, we are looking into hiring at least three more employees for the business. I'm not sure what Nicole has told you about our new location in Taylor, but we have the business set up across from the house and you two are welcome anytime. Right now we have three open bedrooms, so like I said, anytime, you will always be welcome. Now as for the ceremony, we still have some things to iron out, but please this is important; we will not be married, we are only committing ourselves to each other. It's called a spiritual bonding ceremony. We cannot even consider us to be married, or we will run afoul of the law about bigamy. However, each of us will be well cared for, even if any of us split up or die. We have a decent amount of money available to us. "Just like your daughter, I somehow knew that she would be a part of me, from the first time I met her. I felt the same way about Tammy too. I never once thought of hiring anyone else until now. But we will be looking for some new employees to run things for us as we will be retiring and just run the office part of the business when we are not traveling. I assure you that your daughter will be well treated and well cared for." Helen spoke this time, "Bob; that is all any parent can ask for. We all want our children to be loved and cared for and not be abused or neglected. I can see the love you have for our Nicole. I can see it in your eyes, and in the way in which you talk about her. I can also see the love my daughter has for you. I see the all consuming love she has for you. You are right, the three of you are something I have never seen before; each of you is only a part of a whole. Lose one piece, the other two suffer. I can see that for me, that is enough. I can see that our daughter will be happy and safe in your care. I just hope that we can be a small part of your family in the future." "Helen, we would gladly welcome you and Thomas into our family. I think I can speak for all three of us, in that we hoped that you would accept us as a unit, as that is what we are. Each of us is a part unto ourselves, but when together, we are a force of our own and become much greater that any of us alone. I was making a decent living with the business I started over two years ago. However, since these two lovely ladies joined our company about eight months ago, we have grown four fold. We have so much work that we are trying to turn it away. However, new clients are telling us that they will be ready whenever we can get around to them. How this is happening, I can't say, all I know is that it is happening. We already have work scheduled for the next month and that is unheard of in this industry. People don't wait a month to have someone design their website. There are so many companies out there designing sites that competition is fierce. We are also getting many more small companies that want work done and have us maintain their site on our servers. For that, we charge them an initial fee for the site work, then a monthly fee for the server use. "Now on to more pleasant news, the new house is almost complete. We should be able to move everything down there in about two weeks time. We will have our ceremony shortly after that. We would be honored if you would attend. I would like to get everything done before the cold and rainy season starts." "Helen and I will be there, we wouldn't miss this for the world. Is there anything we can do to help this along? We would like to help." "Thomas, I know Nicole still has a lot of her clothes at home. If you would box that stuff up for her, we will have the moving people pick it up from you. Also, what about furniture," I turned to Nicole and asked, "Is there anything you would like to take for the new house. We still have two of the three bedrooms to get furniture for yet, and I think other than the home theater equipment for the family room, we still need to get some more furniture there and of course, for the great room. We have the dining room, the nursery, the kitchen, and the master suite done, plus the back bedroom. I have been thinking of getting new office furniture for the in house office and moving our current desks and computers to the business office by the computer room." "Bob, I have an old roll-top desk that has been in our family for a very long time, I would like that and the dresser in my room. Other than that, I can't think of anything from home I need. Daddy, can you make sure they take real good care of the desk when the movers come for that?" "Of course, Sweetheart, but if you want I can wrap it up and bring it down in my truck when we come for the ceremony." "Oh Daddy, you know just what to say, thanks." Nicole then got up and hugged her dad and kissed his cheek. We talked some more, but it was getting late by then, and Thomas had to work in the morning, so they left. We cuddled and had some fantastic sex, then went off into dreamland contented and happy, or so I thought. Tammy was still worried about what her parents would say. Tammy's background was such that she was brought up in a very religious family, a strict father that ruled the family. His only concession was to allow her to go in the service so she could get her college education, as he was unwilling to pay for it, quote 'so she could throw it all away by getting married and being a housewife and full time mother to her children, ' unquote. Once away from home, Tammy found that the world did not work as her father had always said it did. Women were not just good God fearing women, who did women's work in the home and the rest all whores, as her father had said. Women could be anything they wanted to be and still be a woman. They were not all whores prostituting themselves to a man for money, be it a legitimate job or for sex. Tammy's eyes were opened to a world that she never knew existed. This is why, when given the opportunity, she bolted from the yoke her father had put on her. Now, however, she was very afraid that her father was coming to take her home to be a virtual slave in her own home, then being mated to some older farmer as a wife, to live out her life like her mother and her grandmother before her did. This travesty was not to be her future, she would rebel. She must explain to Bob what she thought was coming so he could stop this madness. Bob was a strong man, both physically and mentally. He was a spiritual man as well; he really was her knight in shining armor, her savior, and her protector. He would make things right, but he had to be forewarned. She would tell him first thing in the morning. Those thoughts allowed Tammy to sleep and rest, knowing Bob would make things better for her. After breakfast the next morning, Tammy confronted Bob and Nicole and explained her whole situation. She explained what she thought would happen when her father arrived. Bob thought about this for a while, then he called a restaurant that he knew of that served mainly home cooked meals. They also had a private room that he reserved for this evening. Tammy's parent's plane would be coming in at a little after five and the drive to the restaurant to get them there by six-thirty. He called a limo service to be available for him for the whole night. He then called the Hilton at DFW and reserved a suite for the Fields' family. Then, looking at a panic stricken Tammy, he outlined his plan. "Tammy, your father is not a wealthy man, right?" She nodded yes. "OK then, once he arrives, he will be treated as though he is a man who is accustomed to wealth, by another man accustomed to wealth. I will treat him as an equal of mine. He and your mother will be treated like royalty." "But, Bob, I don't think he is coming with my mother, she never leaves home except to do some shopping. I expect to see my two older brothers with him." "OK, then we wine and dine the men, then you two excuse yourselves, sit back away from the table, and be very quiet. I would rather you leave the room, but I don't think that would fly with your father. He wants to know where you are at all times. I think I can talk to them and see if I can strike a deal for you. I assume that would be something that he might agree with, since he assumes that you are his chattel, and therefore belong to him until he sells you off to some other farmer for a bride's price. Well, that is exactly what I will be negotiating with him for. Once the deal is set, you will no longer be his daughter and none of his business. How does that sound to you?" "Bob, I'm not sure I can condone this treatment of Tammy. Is this guy still in the dark ages or what?" "Nicole, I believe that Tammy comes from a religious sect that still practices a patriarchal society in which the father, or eldest male in the family, clan, group, or tribe, is the head of the society. There are many of those sects in the world. In India, most, if not all of the Muslim countries, and a lot of the gypsy tribes, operate that way too. Most believe that the Native American Indian tribes were like that too, that men only had the power for war. War chiefs were chosen to lead the war parties, but they were actually a matriarchy. The women controlled most everything. They did all the work in preparing food, from cutting up the carcass to serving the meals. They sat in on negotiations, in the background, of course, but by subtle clues, the medicine woman, or head woman, would let the chief know if the terms were right. The women ruled the roost in that way, much like you two rule my life. Hey, I'm not complaining, I just think that you two get me to do what you want me to do. Now, you defer to me in really important things like this, but in most things, you two run our lives. I know this is going to go against every grain of common sense that you have, but please let me run this my way. I will make this up to you somehow." "Bob, you are so right, we come from a big town, but the way we live is like being in the 1890s in the Midwest. We have modern conveniences, but the women are treated differently. We live on a large farm, and I always thought it was just our family, but I now realize that our church was like that. My friends at school were never invited over, and I was never allowed to go to their homes either. I probably would have never been allowed to go into the service if my mother and grandmother had not stepped in. I'm not sure what they promised him, but I think the time is up on that promise. I believe he is here to collect me and take me home. If it takes Bob marrying me, to allow me to stay, so be it, but I will not leave with that man." "Then why don't we nip it right now? Let's get you two married right now. Bob, I know the county judge who lives here in Seagoville. He is a Dallas County judge, but my parents have known him for a long time. Let me see if I can make an appointment with him and he can marry you two today." Nicole was gone to the office again. "Tammy, are you going to be alright with that? I know that screws up our original plans, but are you sure this is what you want?" "Bob, if it gets my father to back off, then yes, I'm all for it. But what about Nicole, now she is left out. Oh no, what have I done!" Tammy fell back on the couch and started sobbing, along with huge sighs. I immediately ran to her and gathered into my arms and held her, trying to soothe her troubled mind. That is how Nicole found us when she came out. Edited by aguy, Pepere and wcl Proofread by prissy_35503 ------- Chapter 14 "OK, you two, we need to get a move on, we are scheduled in the judge's chambers at 11 AM this morning for a marriage ceremony. No back talk and don't worry about a thing. I talked to Sam and he is going to backdate the marriage a month. He is extremely pissed about all of this that is happening to Tammy. He is also issuing an injunction so that her father cannot take her from the state. Now you two, we need to get dressed for the wedding and be quick about it. And Tam, I am not upset about you getting to marry Bob. I love you too and we are sisters where it counts, so things will work out. Now let's get moving." "Yes, Boss," came out of my mouth before I realized it, but the really funny thing was that Tammy and I said it at the same time. Nicole just stood there looking at us as if to say, "And you two are still sitting there, I said move!" So we moved. We were dressed and in Nicole's car before twenty minutes were up. She drove into Dallas and we were at the county courthouse about fifteen minutes early. There we met the Honorable Sam Wainwright, county judge, civil court of law. He started by having his clerk get all the pertinent information for the license and the injunction. Then he looked at us and said, "Nicky explained to me what you think is going to happen tonight. I am appalled that something like this can still happen in this country. But I have run across religious sects before, and they are not always rational in what they believe. This is America, and we allow that type of religious freedom because that is what the founding fathers were running from, religious persecution. Therefore I am fudging a little and backdating your license and certificate. Now, as far as anyone knows, you two have been married for a month now. I do assume that the marriage has been consummated, therefore it cannot be annulled. Now, do you, Robert Harlan Rothman, take Tamera Louise Fields as your lawfully wedded wife?" "I certainly do, Your Honor." And do you, Tamera Louise Fields, take Robert Harlan Rothman as your lawfully wedded husband?" "I do, Your Honor." "Then you are married. You may kiss the bride. I'm sure that you will want the full vows at a later time, but I am pressed for time right now, I hope you understand. Bob, Tamera, Nicky, I wish you all the best in your relationship. Yes, I know all about the three of you being a triad. I think your dad told me that is what you call it, Nicky. Anyway I do wish you the best and, Nicky, please call me and let me know how tonight turns out. Bob, that was an excellent idea you had about negotiating for a bride's price for Tamera. You are getting a very smart man there, Tamera. You too. Nicky. I really do wish I could marry you two also. Maybe later, hum, I might have something up my sleeve for that, I'll let you know later. I will have to do some research first." We said our goodbyes, I paid the clerk for the license and marriage, and made sure she had all our cell numbers and an e-mail address. We left the courthouse and celebrated by eating at a fast food place as we had lots of things to do before tonight. I took the girls shopping and bought them some dark somber clothes, buttoned to the neck and almost to their toes, black, low, enclosed shoes, and a new ring for Tammy and me. Well, they were actually the rings I had purchased for the three of us, but just Tammy and I wore them. We would take them off as soon as Tammy's father left back for Iowa. I checked with the airlines and Mr. Fields and a party of three would be leaving at 9:55 AM for Cedar Rapids. I asked about arrival times from there today and they said the arrival would be at 4:55 PM and that the flight was on time so far. We got home in time for the limo to pick us up and take us to the airport. I had the girls there in the car with me, and sent the driver into the airport with a sign that said "Fields Party" on it. About fifteen minutes later, the limo driver came out carrying two bags, with three fairly short men following behind him. I exited the vehicle and went to greet the three men. Tammy's father, Paul, was about 5-10, 180 lbs, and muscled. His sons, who I later learned were Michael and John, were both in their late twenties and both about 5-8, 160 lbs, and fit. I greeted Paul saying, "Hello, Mr. Fields, I am Robert Harlan Rothman, your daughter's husband, welcome to Texas, Sir." "What do you mean her husband; I never gave her permission to marry. We'll see about this!" and he entered the vehicle, he started in on Tammy yelling and screaming at her. I grabbed the collar of the jacket Mr. Fields was wearing and hauled him back out of the car. I set him on the ground and said right in his face, "YOU DO NOT TALK to MY woman in THAT tone, Sir. If THAT is the manner in which this visit is going to go, then I suggest you get your sorry ass back on that airplane and hightail it back to the hole you crawled out of." Both boys looked at me like they were ready to fight. That's when the limo driver came back from the trunk with their bags and dropped them at the feet of the boys. I picked this limo service particularly because they also provide bodyguard service as well. The driver was about 6' 6" tall and probably weighed 270 lbs. I think the boys decided right away they would stay out of this fight. "How dare you lay a hand on me, you thieving, no good, son of a bitch!" About this time one of DFW's finest came walking up and asked very politely, "Is there some trouble here, Mr. Rothman?" You see he was a friend and happened to have the DFW beat. He knew me from all the time I came through here on flying to my jobs. We had talked several times when I was waiting for a flight. "No, Sergeant Collins, I believe that this man was about to apologize to me and my wife for his outburst, weren't you MR. Fields," I said, as I let his collar go. Sergeant Collins was pretty much built like I am, only 6' 3" and maybe a few pounds leaner, but he was fast and tough. I had helped him one time with a purse snatcher he was running down. I tripped the guy as he came by me, picked him up and held him until Bert Collins could catch up. He was about four steps behind the snatcher and was gaining when I tripped him up. Mr. Fields said in a low voice, "I'm sorry I yelled at you, Mr. Rothman, I believe I owe your wife an apology too, and he stepped into the limo and sat quietly in a far seat. I nodded to the driver and he calmly picked up the bags, deposited them into the trunk and held the door for the two boys to get in front with him. The ride to the restaurant was quiet, almost too quiet. I said we would be having a quiet meal where we could discuss matters in private. This put Mr. Fields somewhat at ease, but I think that he got the impression at the restaurant I owned the place. Well, in fact, I did own a part of it. We were greeted like owners, and shown to the private room where water, coffee, and wine were waiting, along with a waitress. We ordered and had small talk, like 'how was the flight.' "I seem to remember that there are several stops coming south, but it should be a straight shot going north." Mr. Fields said it was alright, but both boys were a little antsy. I must admit the girls were really being very good, as they sat with their hands in their laps with downcast eyes, and said nothing. John then spoke to Tammy, "Tamera, are you treated well by this man?" Tammy looked at me and I nodded, and she said a simple, 'Yes," then she looked down again. I promised myself that I would give both of them anything they ever wanted if this night would work out for us. They were both amazing. I actually thought we could pull this off. I concentrated on Mr. Fields now. I somehow sensed that he had come here to ask for $100,000 for her, or he would take her back home and sell her to a neighboring farmer for a thirty acre plot that was next to his own farm. Now he had upped his ante to a five-hundred thousand. Hell, I would have paid him a couple of million if it meant that he would leave us alone. But I think I can get Tammy for about half that if I work my cards right. Our meals came about then and we were busy eating. The girls were served last, with me first. It seems my phone calls this afternoon while we were shopping were bearing fruit. After the meal, I said, "Now down to business, exactly why is it that are you here, and what will it take to make you leave, Mr. Fields?" "I made a pact with my woman and her mother; I would let this one run wild for six years, but no longer. Now I find her married to a stranger and no longer any good for a bride's price, but she has obligations at home that have pressing interest for me. You say you are married, do you have proof?" 'Yes Sir, I do," I snapped my fingers and Nicole opened a soft leather case and extracted the documents of license and certificate. Both were dated for thirty-one days ago. "This judge, he is a county judge like it says?" "Yes he is; you can check it if you like?" He paused for about a minute, then said, "I suspect that she is no longer a maid?" "That, dear Sir, was remedied on our wedding night. I have had to hire another woman to keep watch on her as she is very independent and stubborn. I have had mules less stubborn than her, but she pleases me in other ways. Now what is the price you demand for her bride's price, I assume that is why you are here, as you can no longer take her home with you." "Well, I was thinking of trading her for fifty acres of prime farm land, so my price would be pretty steep. I was thinking about five hundred would be about right." "FATHER, I..." that is as far as she got before I bellowed out, TAMERA LOUISE!" and everything became very quiet again. The look I gave her at first was pure hatred, but my lips had a slight smile with it too, at the end. I then looked back at Mr. Fields, "You did say five-hundred, meaning five-hundred thousand dollars." I laughed, and said, "For the foul mouth and unkind ways of this woman, I wouldn't give you fifty dollars for her. But she does please me, so I was thinking of maybe half that amount for taking a willful, sassy, good for nothing girl, off of your hands for you. Of course, if you insist on that price, I will just let you leave with her, soiled as she is for a bride." "Now hold on, I'm not through dickering yet. How about we say 250?" I think I was tugging Mr. Fields' short hairs now. "I say seventy-five." He thought about this long and hard and then said, "Would you go to a hundred?" This time it was my turn to ponder the offer. "OK, I'll do 100. Now, let me see, I might have that all in cash, if that's alright with you. You there, Girl, bring me my case." I said to Nicole. Nicole bowed and brought me my case. I opened it and counted out one-hundred thousand dollars in one hundred dollar bills. There were ten bundles of hundreds; the bundle is 100 bills to the bundle, so that was $100,000. "I would have written you a check, but I believe we both prefer this to be a cash transaction and no one the wiser as to what transpired here tonight. I have a suite for you, over at the Airport Hilton. I hope you will be comfortable over there and I hope you will have a very nice flight home. I believe our business is now concluded, shall we depart?" Tammy blurted out, "Father I can't believe..." before I said softly, "Tamera Louise, if I hear one more outburst from you, you DO know what the punishment for that infraction is, do you not?" A very, subdued answer, barely above a whisper, came as, "Yes, Master." Mr. Fields spoke up them. "How long have you had her to train?" "I started training her the day she started working for me, about eight months now, I believe. But I did keep her pure until the wedding night though." "Very good work, I had her for eighteen years and she was never that good. Mind telling me your secret?" "Yes, I mind, however if things work out like I want, I may tell you at a later date." The ride back to the airport was very uneventful; Tammy and Nicole sat by themselves and were quiet. Paul and I spoke of farming things and not much else, then we were at the Hilton and we dropped them off. I went inside and talked to the desk clerk. I asked Paul what time their flight left and I said, "Please leave a wakeup call for their room that will allow them plenty of time to be driven to the terminal." I gave the clerk a fifty and my business card, and said "Charge this to my business account, please. Thank you, Gentlemen, for your business, and I will be in touch again." I left then, and by the time I got back to the limo, the girls were in hysterics, laughing at the way we pulled that off. I asked the driver to take us home then and we left the Hilton. We re-lived the night over and over until we were home again and I believe we were all laughed out. As we were settling in bed, I did ask "Nicole, I know Tammy and I both want to know about how you feel regarding our marriage?" "Bob, Tam, please don't be mad at me, but the marriage you have isn't worth the paper it is printed on. Sam was not the Sam Wainwright. Sam was actually Henry, Henry Kidd, my uncle. The law clerk is his wife, Margaret; they both work for Judge Sam Wainwright. When I called, I talked to Uncle Henry, I explained the situation and he said he could take care of it while the judge was at lunch. But we had to hurry, and you noticed how Henry did not say the whole vow thing, partly due to time, and partly he didn't want to spoil it for when we ever did get married, bonded together, or whatever we end up doing. I also called the restaurant after you did, Bob, and I had them install a camera and microphone on the table in the centerpiece, so all of the transaction is on tape. We sat each of you in specific places so that the Fields' would be on camera, but you would not be. Yes, I know that you own a quarter of that restaurant. I wondered why you called there, and now we know. Anyway, nothing has changed except that we now know that at least two of us are very sneaky and all three of us are talented. I could not believe the outburst by you, Tammy, and the immediate response by you, Bob. That was very well played; I almost thought it happened spontaneously like it appeared, when did you guys get to rehearse that?" "I hate to disappoint you, Nicky, but it was not rehearsed. We both knew what had to happen, and Paul needed to know that Tammy was still a handful and as feisty as ever, and that played right into our hand." "Bob, I'm sorry that you had to spend so much money to buy my freedom, I will make it up to you, I promise." "Good, I will hold you to that promise, but I would have paid a million dollars to free you from that man." We were all tired and we fell asleep holding each other. Edited by aguy, Pepere and wcl Proofread by prissy_35503 ------- Chapter 15 The next morning, I started my calls to movers, and to everyone else involved with the move. I also finally got a hold of Roger and Carolyn Spillane. I asked if they could be in Taylor the 23rd of October. That was the date we had decided on for our ceremony, it was a Sunday and we felt right about that date. They said there was a very nice, quiet RV park there in Taylor, not far off SH-95 on CR-374. They had been there before and quite liked it. They did ask why, though. "Well, it seems I have found some ladies that want to spend the rest of their lives with me, and I with them. We are going to have a sort of marriage ceremony, well more a bonding ceremony where we commit to each other. We can't be married, so this is what we came up with. I would be honored if you two could make it." Carolyn said, "Bob, we wouldn't miss it for the world, to think our adopted son is settling down and making a home. Why in Taylor though?" I explained about the land and the peacefulness and wanting a change. They understood completely. Next on our agenda was our meeting with Sheldon and Shirley. We showed up at Sheldon's office bright and early, about 8:45, on Thursday morning. We were shown into the conference room and asked what refreshments we wanted, as the meeting would probably run until noon. I asked for cold water and a V-8 juice, the girls asked for the same. About five till nine, Sheldon and Shirley came in with a folder for each of us, and a large folder that each of them had, as well. After introductions were over, Shirley dimmed the lights and the slide show began. They started out with the inception of my business and went from there. The graph showing my monthly business profits rose steadily from about four months after initial startup, until almost eight months ago, when there was a big jump, then steadily rising again, showing last month's profit of almost forty-two thousand. Next was a graph of my client base, which started with twelve clients. They then showed how many clients were still paying me monthly service fees for using my servers, and the number of different clients we had worked for over the almost three years. Sheldon then put up the graph showing my lottery winnings. That graph even floored me. Shel then put up the graph of my offshore accounts. They had risen to much more than I even thought. Then we went on to my charitable contributions over the years, and we finally moved on to Shirley who showed my investment accounts and my philanthropic endeavors with the scholarships I provide to under-privileged, but bright kids, mainly from farm communities and some inner-city schools. The final graph was then shown; the one where my assets are on one side and my debits are on the other. This was a very one-sided graph. It showed that at today's prices, the stocks I owned, all my accounts, everything I had was worth $846,591,694.67, or over three-quarters of a billion dollars. It floored me, and Tammy and Nicole both passed out. It took a while to bring them around, as they kept repeating the number and fainting again. Shel took that slide off, upped the lights again, and we put cold compresses on their foreheads. We went to lunch and the girls got to know Sheldon and Shirley a lot better. We were cutting up and Nicole said, "Shhh, you'll get us thrown out of here." Shirley said quite distinctly, "They better not, we own the place. All of us here are part owners in this, and twelve other restaurants and businesses in the area. We are making an offer on one of the larger older hotels in downtown Dallas, and unless they are stupid, we will own that too. I thought of asking Sam to come run it for a while, do you think she would come if you asked her, Bob?" "Shirley, I suspect she would, but then what would Dale do for a manager out there?" "Bob, is this the same Sam who was your waitress out at Oxnard?" "Yes, Tammy, I believe that she did that service when I was there. Why, are you jealous?" "Hardly! I have wanted to meet her since you told us of your adventures out there." That got Shirley and the girls talking in whispered conversation, with giggles breaking out every so often. We finally broke up about two and all went back to our workplaces. Things were kind of hectic for the next two weeks, gathering resumes, interviewing people, getting the movers lined up; you know everything needed for a move. I did take Don's advice and got new servers. The new ones were faster, had more memory and larger hard drives, so upgrading them was a good thing. I had an expert go down there and bring everything on line, and with him there and me here, we were able to copy everything to the new servers that was on the old ones and we still had twice as much space available as we had up here. The wonders of technology shall never cease to amaze me. We did all the switching and copying the day before we left. I wanted to be sure there were no glitches. I then tore down the system here in the house, packed it all up in boxes, and set them aside for transport to Taylor. The house was done and beautiful, even better than I had expected. The hardwood floors in the great room were all weathered wood and then sanded smooth and then sealed and painted with seven coats of polyurethane. This allowed the character of the wood to come out, it looked great. The same thing was done to the outsides as well, so even though the wood looked old, it was sealed to last a long time. I had left the colors, carpets, and such to the girls and they worked with a decorator from Austin and it ended up beautifully. For the great room, I bought a large oversized recliner that was made for larger people, but I loved it as soon as I sat in it. It really was big enough that both Tammy and Nicky could sit in it together, or me and one or both of the girls really. I had spoken over the phone several times with Sam Butternut, the Native American carpenter about our ceremony, I offered my two blessings, he added one of his own, and between those three and some others he came up with, we had a ceremony of commitment and bonding for the three of us. When we had finally worked it all out, there were some things that were repeated in different ways, but I think we had something so sweet and loving, that I even had tears in my eyes as he read it to me. I said it was perfect. I called a company that hauled cars for Warren and asked if he could haul three cars down to Taylor for us from the Dallas Area. I mentioned that he had hauled some cars for Warren and he said sure. The movers were scheduled for Wednesday, so we moved to a motel down the street from us and we lived out of a suitcase for two days. It was nothing we hadn't done before, so it was no big deal. The movers came bright and early Wednesday morning and their packers were the first to arrive. They went right to work, and everything was packed by five that night. Thursday was cloudy with a threat of rain, but the moving van was there at 8 AM, right on time. Everything was loaded and they were gone by two. The transport guy came shortly after that and loaded up our three cars. I gave him the address and he said he would drop them off out by the garage tomorrow. The movers said they would be ready to unload by noon tomorrow also, so we said our goodbyes to the house and called Mike to give him the keys we had. It was kind of a tearful goodbye with Mike, but he promised he would come down for the ceremony. Now it was off to bed for us after a tiring two days. We would get a very early start in the morning and be at the house before noon. I left a wakeup call for 4 AM so we could get up and head to IHOP for breakfast before we left. That way, we could get there before the movers and the cars, maybe. Thank goodness everything went smoothly on the trip to Taylor. We made excellent time since we left so early and we were at the house just before ten. This started another long day for us. However, with the three of us directing the movers, it wasn't that hard. The cars came in around 11:30 and were quickly offloaded and put in the garage. The moving van was there right at noon, and by six they were done with their part. Now came our work, unpacking. For the next three days, we unpacked and got everything arranged the way we ... er, the girls, wanted them. The new employees would be showing up next Monday, and I had temporarily set them up with rooms at the motel we stayed at before. I was actively looking for apartments or houses they could rent. The new employees were two guys and two girls. Simon Schneider was a business major, with a minor in computer science. He was our new office manager and came by way of Baylor in Waco. Bryan Giddings was a computer science major with website design experience. He came out of SMU, but was an Austin boy, so this was home to him. Debbie Davenport was another computer science major, but her expertise was in server maintenance and development. She came from Texas State in San Marcos. She originally hailed from a little town in Wyoming, called Kirby, between Thermopolis and Worland, kind of northwest of Casper. Our last employee was Britney Sorenson, who came to us by way of Texas A&M. She was originally from Midland, Texas, close to where I came from. Those were our new employees. We would be teaching them our way of doing things, and we hopefully could really retire after a year. I was able to find a house to rent for the guys and a two bedroom apartment for the girls. They were all ecstatic about the accommodations. It was now time to get ready for the ceremony, which was now a week away. Roger and Carolyn showed up on the 20th and checked in to the RV park. We went to visit and the girls saw what I kind of had in mind for our RV. They loved it. Carolyn was in her element, showing off all the things and how comfortable and convenient everything was. Roger was showing me how everything hooked up and explaining how easy it really was to drive. He said, "You just have to remember to drive it like a semi, take big turns, and watch your mirrors and the cameras." There were cameras on each side that came on when you put the turn signal on. There was a rear camera that was on most of the time. I mean you could shut it off, but if you were towing something you could make sure it was still there and not moving around on you. Roger also showed me the neat hook up for the Tahoe. He said they made an adapter for just about any vehicle. It was tucked away and barely noticeable, and the hookup was dead easy. We spent the morning of the 21st with Roger and Carolyn, letting the girls get acquainted with them. Like I had said, the Spillanes had kind of adopted me and they were like the father and mother I missed having so very much. With my parents so much older than me and dying in such a tragedy, I missed the comfort and closeness of having parents. Once I rented their house, I became like the son they never had. Roger and Carolyn had two daughters that had moved away many years ago; one to California, and one to Florida. I was the only single person renting or had ever rented their houses, so I became their de facto son. In a way, I guess we each served the other's purpose; I wanted parents and they wanted a son. We had a very nice time together. The girls loved Carolyn and accepted her as my adopted mom. We took Roger and Carolyn over to our house. Well, they actually followed us in their Tahoe, so we could show them our new home. They were awed by the size and splendor of the house. Yet, when we walked into the great room, Roger said, "Son, this is something, but I can see it already has your mark on it. It is truly you and your women's home. I can see touches of each of you in this house, the outside is all Bob, but the inside has touches that scream out each of you, yet all together, it is simple, elegant, and it feels like a home, somewhere comfortable, not just a house that was built. I love the fireplace, but that is not a feature I think that came from any of you. It is the work of love of someone else, yet it fits perfectly in this room. I would say the builder added that touch to make you instantly feel at home." "Roger, how can you see all that and yet we just walked into the house?" "Bob, this is not just a house, it is a home. When we walked up to the entrance, I saw the outside of your home, it looked old, yet was new and looked as though it had been here for years. That I could see was a very big part of you, Bob. Then walking inside this great room, the first thing I saw was the fireplace, and it seemed wrong at first, it wasn't you. The furniture and coloring seemed to say the girls, like the sofa and chairs were Tammy, the end tables and lamps were Nicole, the weathered hardwood floors were you, Bob. Some of the paintings show each of your input. The layout shows a kind of symmetry and harmony, just as the three of you show. The layout, with the great room first, and I would guess a family room and bedrooms off to my right; the office, dining room, and master bedroom to the left, and a kitchen behind the fireplace. This is a giant u-shaped house, am I right?" "Yes, you are, but how did you know?" "Bob, my son, I know you, and now that I have met your two lovely ladies as well, I could tell by where each person's eyes were pulled when we entered this room where their touches were placed. Each person automatically seeks to find their own spot of comfort when entering a room. No one looked at the fireplace, except for Carolyn and me; each of you looked to the things you brought to this room, as if to assure yourself that your touches were still there. But what we see in this room is a blending of each of your contributions to this house to make it your home. This house defines you three, it shows the love you have for each other, and the trust you have, as well. I would say that from looking at this room alone, that you will have a long and very happy life together. I even see many children in this house of happiness." I couldn't help it I turned to Roger and hugged him and said, "That is the nicest thing I have ever heard you say to me, Dad. Yes, this is all a part of us and everything you said is true. Each of the things you mentioned was brought to our home by the person you described. I just don't know how you knew so quickly." Roger was choked up, and I think Carolyn was too; you see, that was the very first time I had called Roger 'Dad.' With tears were in his eyes, Roger finally choked out, "Thank you for allowing us into your home, Son!" Carolyn was mobbed by my girls and invited 'Mom' to see the rest of the house. I think what that moment meant to each of us, hit us all at the same time. I showed Roger the office, kitchen, then we moved outside. There was the backyard, with a wrought iron fence going across the back of the house at the top of the u. Behind the fence you could see the stakes showing where the pool and hot tub would be, along with the pool house and sauna foundation. That had been poured a couple of weeks ago, but the building would wait for some promised good weather. We wandered over to the garage and workshop, then walked over to the barn. "You planning on raising some horses, Son?" "Yes I had, Roger, do you have an idea where I can get some good quarter horse stock, I would really love an Arabian stallion, but I hate to think what they would run." "Well, with all our travels, I know of a couple places where you might get some stock. You're not interested in racing stock, are you?" "I never thought of it, no, I thought more along the lines of some horses that are not high maintenance, yet something I can raise and sell down the line, maybe. I take it that there is a race horse available for a decent price." "Well, yes, he was injured in his last race and will need some time to heal, but he cannot race anymore. He has not been tried as a stud as yet, so they don't know what type of get he will produce and they are not sure they want to take a chance with him. I think you could probably pick him up for less than three grand. Most regular horses will run you about two to three hundred; registered quarter horses can go for about one to six thousand, depending on their line and amount of training they've had. Now feeding and training a horse is expensive. They run about two to three grand a year. Now if you just want the AG exemption, I would suggest longhorns, and maybe jacks, you know jackasses, mules, and burros. Some regular horses would work too. This range you have here is fairly well dry, with just a few wetter areas and the stock tank and windmill will help too. You could raise just about any livestock but sheep here, and make a living. Goats like it much dryer and rocky." "I think I will stick to some longhorns and maybe a few horses. But thank you for all the information, Dad, I really appreciate it." I could tell that Roger was getting choked up with me calling him dad, so I figured that I would have to lay off of that for a while. We wandered back into the house and something smelled heavenly. Roger said, "Oh, oh, Carolyn has found the kitchen and is cooking up something good. I'm not sure why I don't, but I should weight about 500 lbs eating all of Carolyn's good cooking for all these years, but I'm not complaining. I suspect she is teaching your women to cook like she does, so be prepared. Let's go see this business of yours that makes you so much money. I showed Roger the office, computer room, and all the new toys I bought for my business. "I see that your business has really grown. I remember when you first came to me with the crazy plan to have servers in the house. I thought you were crazy, but you were right, you have built this business from nothing to something very positive, I am so very proud of you, Son." We heard the dinner bell then. Don had found an old farm dinner bell, one that used to call the farmers, ranchers, and hands in from the fields or ranges. The bell itself was about eighteen inches tall and almost fifteen across at the mouth. There was a three inch ball on the end of the clapper. Don had a blacksmith friend make a yoke for it as there wasn't one, just the bell and clapper. After cleaning it up and installing it on a post, the bell stood almost ten feet in the air. Even with it being out the kitchen door, we could hear it in the business office. Lunch was fun and great. The food was simple but very tasty. Roger and Carolyn went home after the great lunch and we went back to work unpacking and setting things up for work on Monday. The ceremony was all set for 10:00 AM Sunday and I asked the girls if they had come up with the vows they wanted us to say. Tammy said they had come up with some abbreviated vows that they modified to fit the three of us. I looked them over and thought they would go well with the blessing. Edited by aguy, Pepere and wcl Proofread by prissy_35503 ------- Chapter 16 The day has finally arrived, today is bonding day. We have refrained from any sex for the past week, mainly because we have been so busy, but also so that the anticipation would be there as well. We have gathered in the back yard between the two wings of the house. Our witnesses and friends; Don and Barb Lang, Roger and Carolyn Spillane, Mike Stevens, Sheldon and Shirley Dresser, Thomas and Helen Kidd, and Henry and Margaret Kidd sat on folding chairs in a semi-circle behind us. We three, Tammy, me and Nicole are kneeling facing Sam Butternut, who is dressed in his Native Apache apparel. He stands before us and reads the following: "Oh, Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the wind, whose breath gives life to all the world. Hear us; we need your strength and wisdom. Let us walk in beauty, and make our eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset. Make our hands respect the things you have made and our ears sharp to hear your voice. Make us wise so that we may understand the things you have taught our people. Help us to remain calm and strong in the face of all that comes towards us. Let us learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock. Help us seek pure thoughts and act with the intention of helping others. Help us find compassion without empathy overwhelming us. We seek strength, not to be greater than our brother, or sister but to fight our greatest enemy - ourselves. Make us always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes. So when life fades, as the fading sunset, our spirit may come to you without shame. Then we repeat our vows as we each say to each other: "From this day forward I promise you these things. I will laugh with you in times of joy and comfort you in times of sorrow. I will share in your dreams, and support you as you strive to achieve your goals. I will listen to you with compassion and understanding, and speak to you with encouragement. I will remain faithful to our vows for better or for worse, in times of sickness and health. You are my best friend and I will love and respect you always." We are then each given a ring from Sam and he asks that we repeat the following: "I give you this ring as a symbol of my love. As it encircles your finger, may it remind you always that you are surrounded by my enduring love." Our first responses are: "I will wear it gladly. Whenever I look at it, I will remember this joyous day and the vows we've made." Then we repeat: "Because this ring is perfectly symmetrical, it signifies the perfection of true love. As I place it on your finger, I give you all that I am and ever hope to be." Our responses are: "Because this ring has no end or beginning, it signifies the continuation of true love. As it is placed it on my finger, I will give you all that I am and ever hope to be." Now Sam asks for all to stand and he says: "Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other. Now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other. Now you are three persons, but there is only one life before you. May beauty surround you three in the journey ahead and through all the years, May happiness be your companion and your days together be good and long upon the earth." The ceremony is over, but everyone still stands and as our echoes die in the backyard, we hear thunder rumble in the clouds and a ray of sunshine envelopes the three of us as we stand and turn to face our guests. Sam says one last thing, "The Great Spirit has looked upon your union and has blessed it with his light, that you may forever walk along in warmth and light. He has truly blessed this union." Everyone was in awe as after Sam spoke, the ray of sunshine opened to encompass us all. It was such a spectacular scene, we all had tears in our eyes. I asked Sam, how he had done that? He looked at me and said, "I did nothing, it was your ceremony, not mine, I just read what we had decided on, the rest was in the hands of the Great Spirit. I am just glad that we have this on film so it can be seen again and again by those who have been blessed this day. I have never seen such a reaction to a bonding or a wedding before in my entire life. Truly someone looks after you three." "Sam, I know who, but I suspect a great spirit does indeed look after me and those around me. I have had much hardship in my life and yet I have had great joy too. I have made a new friend in you and of all the people here today. Each in their own way, are special to me. You have allowed me to see and to actively seek out my roots and the heritage I have come from. Each of the others has helped me become the person I am today. But I have also touched each of their lives as they have touched mine. Thank you for being a friend. If you ever need me, call and I will come. That is a promise I make to you this day, the happiest of my days, so far." "Bob, I am honored to call you friend, just as I am honored to call Don my friend. He gave me a job when I had none and was in sore need of a job and a friend. I now have a family and live in a home I helped build. Don has been a friend for many years, and now I have more friends that are special to me too. Thank you, but I must go, my wife is nearing her birthing time and I must be by her side." "Sam, when your family has the chance, please come by so that we may meet the rest of your family. And tell your wife I am sorry for dragging you away for this today, had I known, I would have postponed this ceremony." "Bob, you have no reason to be sorry. Besides, Alicia was not due for another three days, but I feel her time is close, so I must go." Sam left in a hurry with his ear to his cell phone. We all went inside to talk and celebrate our joyous occasion. We had lunch that Carolyn and Helen had made for us. We showed Sheldon and Shirley around our home and business. Shirley remarked that it was so peaceful here that they would be sure to come down with the family in the spring, to enjoy the peace and tranquility of this area. Finally about four everyone had left and we collapsed from all the stress and preparations for the ceremony. We fell into bed after stripping off our clothes and slept. Later someone was trying to wake up a sleepy ET so I slitted one eye open to see whether it was Tammy or Nicole. I discovered I could not see, there was damp hair in the way, and then my nose started working and I could smell the distinct aroma of an aroused woman. By then I didn't care who was nibbling on my dick as I had a very nice pussy to eat. It was much, much later when I was able to get up and empty my bladder. I glanced at the clock as I came back from the bathroom and it said 12:53. Wow! I checked that the alarm was set and came back to be to get some more rest before we had four eager young employees to train. ------- The next eight months were hectic in spots and dull in others. We finally had our employees trained as much as we could teach them about how we worked. Our new web designers were very good, maybe not quite as good as Nicky and I were; but we were getting compliments on their work and we now had many more clients too, so I guess things worked out. Two months ago I made reservations for the resort in Hawaii and we were headed there on Saturday for a month. Then we would fly up to Oregon to pick up our new 45' Beaver (by Monaco) Contessa Westport motor home. This would be our home away from home when we traveled. I was a little off on the pregnancy promise, but that is because the girls cheated a little. Both were pregnant before we left for Hawaii, but only by a month. It took us another two months to get back home. We stopped to look at the grandeur of the western part of the US and made quick, 'stop in and say hi' calls to most of our clients. Dale Dodson was still a little miffed that Samantha had decided to work for us in Dallas rather than stay in Oxnard with him. But he got over than when she found her soul mate in Fort Worth, well just outside of there. She married an oil billionaire who treated her like a queen. She said he had the cuddle part down pat. She married him the year after we took our three month long honeymoon. We came back home to a huge barbeque at our house with the Roberts, the Langs and of course the Butternuts. Nicole's parents and aunt and uncle came down too. Mike was busy, but promised he would be down later. It was nice to be home again. Traveling was nice, but it is always nice to get home again. Tammy had a girl, Michelle Lynn Rothman, 7 lbs, 9 ounces and 17 inches long. Two days later Harlan Thomas Rothman was born, 9 pounds, 4 ounces and almost 20 inches long. They were the apples of my eye. I did quit playing the lottery, I figured I had already won the biggest jackpot there is. So there is my life up till now. But the rest of it is boring; I no longer have the luck I had with lottery wins, that is why I quit after three weeks. Henry did come up with a solution for us, so I married Nicole first and then after six months I divorced her and married Tammy. So both of my ladies could now be considered as my wife, well ex-wives that is, as I divorced Tammy after six months as well. I was single and was living with my two ex-wives and my children. Wasn't it just my luck to find out today, just three years after our bonding ceremony, Tammy and Nicole came to me with the news that I was to be a papa again. Yeah, my luck had changed, I think for the better, but who can tell for sure. Edited by aguy, Pepere and wclProofread by prissy_35503 ------- The End ------- Posted: 2010-08-02 Last Modified: 2010-09-15 / 07:24:53 am ------- http://storiesonline.net/ -------