Laura's Big Win (15 page)

“They didn’t do anything, really; just
started to walk toward us, then all of a sudden I think maybe they
saw Mr. Anderson coming over to us. Do you know how fast Mr.
Anderson can run? Anyway, the boys took off running; I think he
could have caught them if he wanted to. They kept running until I
couldn’t see them anymore, and no one else bothered us. That wasn’t
right was it, mom?”

“No, it wasn’t right. But Mr. Anderson
did the right thing by letting them go. I bet they never come
around you kids again. Is that about how it happened Mr.
Anderson?”

“Yes, but what’s with the Mr. Anderson
all of a sudden? Makes me feel like an old man. It’s Dennis; okay?
And, yes I can run pretty fast, just not for very far. Guess maybe
they saw me coming and I hope I scared the hell….I mean….the heck
out of them. Punks are lucky we didn’t bring Bruno and Daisy here
to play. We showed ‘em, right Jack!”

And it was true that the two punks ran
until they couldn’t run anymore; they had never seen anyone that
big, that fast, and looking that angry before in their lives. It
would be a lasting memory, even that fall when Jack and Ernie
started first grade together.

The day wore on through a couple more
stores, until everyone was feeling hungry and tired at the same
time. Alice suggested they try a fast food place, much to
everyone’s surprise.

“Got you hooked, didn’t I?” Dennis
quipped.

“No, not at all. It just
seems…..well….. more efficient you know. We could go back to
Windmere, but I’m sure the kids are hungry now.”

“Right; blame the innocent children.
Works for me. How about this one?” as he steered around the arches
by the drive.

“Okay, but this time it’s on me.” Laura
interjected. “The two of you have worked wonders this day; the
least I can do is feed you. I guess maybe I better see if I can
afford it before I run my mouth too much.” As she was talking she
dug out the envelope she had nearly forgotten in the debit card
frenzy, to find a neat stack of ten $50 bills inside. “Looks like
that won’t be a problem. Whatever you want Dennis, doubles and
triples included, and thank you for being so patient.”

“Ms. Laura, you may regret what you
just said, but you’re welcome anyway. And Alice, try the fried
turnovers with soft-serve over them; taste great.:

And so the day of major shopping ended,
but not before Dennis Anderson proved that, without effort, he
could consume the same amount of food as the other four combined,
and still was able to play a bit with the kids.

Finishing up their meal, Alice suddenly
remembered something else she had discussed with top management:
housing. “Laura, I nearly forgot something in all the shopping. I
was supposed to ask you if you have made a decision on living
quarters. I know you haven’t had much time to think about it; these
guys move along pretty fast. Anyway, would you like to take a look
at the cottage next to mine? It’s the same general layout, two
bedrooms so you can have one of your own. They’re not exactly
primitive.”

“Yes, I’d like to take a look. You’re
right; I haven’t had time to really think about it. I do remember
seeing an allowance figure in the hiring proposal if I decided to
stay elsewhere, but if the cottage is anything like the rest of the
place, why would I?”

“Works for me. Onward, Dennis. Anyway,
we need to free up suite A in the next few days. We keep it ready
to go on a moment’s notice. You’ll find things can happen pretty
fast around here at times. The last few days have been slow paced
in comparison, but it isn’t all rat race either. We have a good
time.”

Laura thought about the omnipresent
“we” Alice frequently used, and decided to be a little more
venturesome. “Alice, this may sound a little goofy, but you keep
saying ‘we’ when you talk about the company. That tends to make me
think you’re part of the organization and not just a now and then
employee. Am I right?”

“Well, yes and no. Now that you’re on
board, you probably need to know a little more than you do already.
Do you remember Roger mentioning stock purchasing options you might
like to pursue later on?”

“Yes, I do. The stock always stays
within the control of the company employees. It’s kind of a strange
deal, but I’d take a look at it when we get on our feet again. No
sense passing up what could be a good opportunity.”

“No, and believe me, it’s a good
opportunity. Since I don’t really need the money, I take whatever I
earn in shares. That makes me a part owner. I realize someday I’ll
have to sell it back, if I leave for some reason, but in the
meantime name me something else that is running a consistent +25%
PA. Mine is set up as a drip, so the more I make, the more I make.
It’s the miracle of compounding. Anyway, now you know why I say
‘we’ a lot; and truthfully, I do feel like a part of this goofy
family. But of more importance at the moment, Dennis, can you take
us to the cottage next to mine so we can have a look?”

The cottage turned out to be everything
they would need for the foreseeable future, and came pretty much
furnished with the basics, including a goody stocked refrigerator.
Since it was getting late, they agreed to do the actual moving from
Suite A in the morning, but unloaded the van into the cottage as a
good start. Walking back toward the big house, Laura tried to
express her gratitude:

“Again, Alice, and Dennis, I can’t
thank you enough for all this help and friendship. I don’t know
when I’ve had this much fun, certainly not in a long time. Whatever
prompted you two to start out on this adventure? I mean, we were
sitting there in the shelter virtually abandoned by life and you
two show up like angels of mercy, and now we have a stack of new
clothes, I have a job I think I’m going to love, and we have a
great place to live. How did this ever get started, and don’t tell
me you don’t know.”

Dennis looked at Alice. “Your call Boss
Lady. I think I have to go home now.”

“Look, Laura, I really don’t know what
started all this, not for sure. Let’s just say it happened and let
it go at that; maybe someday things will be a little clearer. In
the meantime, rest up; moving day tomorrow!”

“Okay, I can deal with that, but
someday…”

“Yes, someday. Now, come along Dennis,
I think it’s probably past your curfew, or parole check in, or
something. Good night all.”

“Good night Mrs. Hamilton, and good
night Dennis” came the chorus of young voices. Truly it had been,
as their mother said, a great day, and tomorrow they got to
move.

Chapter 10 –
Summertime

The first six weeks at Windmere went by
like a speeding bullet. Laura found herself immersed in, and daily
more fascinated by, this wide ranging enterprise that apparently
knew no bounds on creativity or the considered expansion of
operations. The cottage had come together as their home, and the
kids had discovered more friends at the church camp. The company
had sent Laura to spend five days with a major IT vendor; her plans
for managing Windmere’s fiscal systems were coming together, in
spite of some start-up bumps. She was pleased with herself that
after only a few days, she was starting to recognize phone voices,
and putting them together with time zones. She had dealt with
differences in time zones in the USA, but the calls that came in
now could be from anywhere in the world, with the attendant accents
and phraseology. That in itself was a learning experience. One of
the things she learned quickly was that her tendency to present
herself as a helper willing to explain the system won her a lot of
friends. Part of it was, she realized, the reputation this company
had among their peers; Alice had been right about the Rolls
comparison.

The usual Monday morning routine was to
sit down informally in the small conference room and talk about
upcoming events. Usually it was routine planning, and Laura had not
yet been included in the staffing for meetings on site. Roger
assured her she would be included, but they really wanted her to
get well into the IT issues before being distracted by other
things. This morning would be a little different. Laura, Alice,
Roger, Ryan, Cal and Marcia were the usual group; Doris was also in
attendance today, along with Dennis and Franz. It was considered to
be an open meeting, and anyone could come in if they felt they had
an issue of concern, regardless of their position at Windmere.
Laura recalled what Roger had told her about people at Windmere all
being equal when the need arose. Today would present one of those
needs, as Roger described.

“Okay folks, today we need to chat
about the annual first responders cook-out scheduled for next
Saturday. Laura, to get you up to speed, we host a summertime
cook-out and a wintertime buffet for the first responders in the
area, the firemen, paramedics, police and deputies, people like
that. That’s why you see Doris and the guys here. It’s pretty much
an all hands evolution to get this done. We could hire people to
help, but we believe that takes away the spirit of the event.
Anyone who attends has free play on the course, or in the pool, on
the courts, whatever; volleyball and baseball games are usually
going quickly, although I believe they tend to play a tackle
variety of those sports. These are some pretty tough people in
demanding jobs, and it’s a chance for us to show our appreciation
and for them to blow off steam, a lot of steam. We have never had a
problem with anyone getting tanked up, they seem to take care of
each other very well. For those who can last the day, we start
about eleven in the morning, Alice may run a poker game in the
evening. We provide them a $20 stake, and they get to keep their
winnings. Is it selfish on our part? You bet! We want them to love
us!. Okay. Alice?”

Each in their turn noted their
responsibilities and where they were with ordering supplies or
getting out equipment and setting it up, food prep, things like
that. And finally the ball came around to Laura. “Okay, I guess
it’s my turn. What do I get to do?”

“You are the substitute player; you get
called in whenever there’s a need, from burning burgers to running
the tap. Work for you?” Roger asked.

“I can do that. This sounds like a lot
of fun, but I think my kids probably need to miss it. I can take
them to Alicia’s for the day.”

Roger clarified: “Not necessary. Some
of these people are single parents and their kids are with them on
their day off. So, we run a daycare for the day, some kid games,
plenty of supervision and so on. Problem solved?”

“Problem solved. Thanks.”

“There’s just one more little item I
need to bring up while everyone is still in here. The Tom and Jerry
act will be here week after this, arriving sometime to be announced
on Monday and staying about five days near as we know.. Any
questions?”

Several “Oh, God’s” were voiced around
the table, but it seemed as much in mock complaint as
anything.

The names somehow sounded familiar to
Laura. “Are these the people you mentioned gave driving lessons? I
remember hearing something about them right after I got
here.”

Franz laughed: “You could call it that,
or not, depending on how much you value your life. Thomas and
Geraldine Collins, Tom and Jerry, are truly a fun couple; she’s
just about as nutty as he is; well, maybe not nutty, let’s say fun
loving to the max. Remember the other garages I said things owned
by guests were stored in?”

“Yes. You did mention that now that I
remember, and I remember Jack talking about them. Is that why the
Collins’s are coming?”

Franz continued: “Mostly. They’re in
their mid eighties now and Tom just can’t see very well at all,
certainly not good enough to be driving. About three years ago he
got pulled over on the Garden State Parkway for some little thing,
and the cop discovered Tom was visually unsafe at any speed. As a
result, he lost his license, but not his will to drive. He just
can’t do it on public roads. So, he had the cars shipped here for
storage and they come here now and then to drive around the
property or have me take them out on the road for a spin. And, it
looks like we are about to be graced again.”

The explanation was plausible to Laura,
but she was still a little curious: “That all sounds like fun, but
why doesn’t he just hire a car locally and go drive around a golf
course or a parking lot, something like that?”

“Please allow me to clarify: Sir Thomas
drives a 1930 J. Walter LeGrande Torpedo Phaeton Duesenberg. Not
too many of them around for rent, and Jerry prefers her Model A
Roadster, top down. Truthfully, I have a ball with them, and it’s
been no real trouble. He can see enough to stay on the perimeter
roads, and we make sure no one else is around on the golf course,
just in case. You’ll like them, and I’m sure your kids will love
them as pseudo grandparents.”

“Sounds like they have a lot going for
them in their twilight years.” Laura thought aloud.

“They do,” Roger interjected. “And they
like to spread it around with their friends. I’m not sure Tom has
any idea what he’s worth these days, or even cares. They just like
to have fun. If you do a search of Who’s Who in industry, his name
will pop up pretty quick; not bad for a guy who started out in his
dad’s one bay welding shop. Anyway, Alice has fun with them, don’t
you!”