Taking Texas By Storm
by: E Walk
(© 2009 by the Author)
 

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 16 

Decisions, Decisions

When we arrived at the restaurant, we were greeted by Mabel, “Right this way, Little Al.  Next time, do you suppose you could leave Jonesy and Rome at home.  All they know how to do is complain.  They complain just to hear themselves talk.”

Mabel yelled, “Seven burnt special platters for the Waller party.  Make sure you hide the silverware, they have two shifty persons with them today.”

Allie was seated between, Dad and Mr. Jones.  Allie was asking all kinds of questions about the vehicles we had looked at.

Brahim was sitting between Mother and Mr. Bitner.  They were discussing music.  I felt like the spare tire on a six wheeler at first.  It turned out to be a fun lunch and the food and service were great.

As we were walking back to the car dealership, Mr. Bitner was walking beside me, “Ed, you found yourself two very handsome young men.  Not only are they good looking, but they are extremely talented.  We’ll have to come hear Brahim when he performs in Rigoletto.”

When we arrived at the dealership, Mother excused herself, “I have some errands that I need to run in Austin.  I’ll be back about five o’clock.”

Allie grinned, “Don’t hurry, Grandmother, I’ll fix us some dinner.”

After Mother departed, Allie looked at me, “Dad, which of the vehicles are you considering?”

I shrugged my shoulders, “It depends on who’s going to drive it?  If Brahim is going to drive it, we might want to consider a different vehicle than if I‘m going to drive it.”

Bra spoke up, “I’m not driving a new vehicle back and forth to school.  I’ll drive the Corolla.”

Allie vetoed the idea of a truck, “Dad, I don’t think it would be very comfortable for big persons like Granddad to ride in the back seat of a truck even though it says four adults can fit comfortably.  How often are you going to need a truck to carry things around?”

Allie vetoed a second Corolla, “Dad, you need to get out of a rut.  The Corolla was fine when it was just you.  But there are three of us now, and we need something that we can take Granddad and Grandmother around in, comfortably, when they come to visit.”

Mr. Jones was showing Allie and Brahim the other vehicles that I thought we should consider.  Allie, especially, was asking some very good questions about the ratings for the vehicles, gas mileage and maintenance records.

Dad leaned over and whispered, “Ed, do what Allie recommends.  I think he might be able to get you a good deal from John Paul.  John Paul is smitten by his charm.”

Allie looked at some vehicles and was talking to John Paul the entire time.  Finally he came to where Dad and I were standing, “Dad and Granddad, I think I found a good vehicle for us.  It’s last year's model, and Mr. Jones will give us a good deal on it.  It can easily carry six passengers.  It has been serviced and would be ready to drive away today.”

He led us to a Highlander SUV.  Dad, this vehicle would be perfect.  It can seat up to seven people, and the seats can be put down so it could serve as a truck if we should need to haul something.”

“Allie, I hadn’t even considered an SUV.”

Dad supported Allie, “Ed, I think Allie has some very valid points.  Even I could be comfortable in the second seat of the vehicle.  Look at it this way, if Allie were to play sports, you could get five of his friends in the vehicle.”

“Dad, Mr. Jones says that the gas pedal has already been changed out, and that you would get a full warranty which will be honored at any Toyota dealership.”

I looked at Mr. Jones, “Sir, what would you be asking for the Highlander?”

“Since it’s a 2009 model I will let you have at a very good price.”

Brahim asked, “Sir, if it’s last years model, why hasn’t been sold?”

Mr. Jones nodded, “That’s a fair question.  There is a flaw in the vehicle that has caused it not to sell.  We thought we had it sold several times, but the buyers backed out when we told them about the flaw.  Everyone, it seems, wants a perfect flawless looking car.  Look very carefully at the interior and you will see what the flaw is.  It has nothing to do with the serviceability of the vehicle.”

Dad sat in the driver’s seat and looked around and stepped out shaking his head, “Guys, I didn’t spot anything.”

Allie opened the sliding door and sat in the back seat.  He exited almost immediately, “Mr. Jones, are you serious that people decided to not buy it because of that flaw.”

“Yep, I guess that they figured that if the manufacturers made a small mistake like that, there must be other things wrong with the vehicle, too.  We had the service department check to make sure that everything else was functioning properly.”

Bra and I got in the vehicle and neither of us could detect the problem.  I looked at Allie, “Alexander, would you please tell us what the problem is?”

“Dad, pick up the floor mat and hold it against the drivers’ seat and the front passengers’ seat.”

Brahim and I started to laugh.  Brahim shook his head, “Mr. Jones, you’re kidding about people not buying the vehicle because leather on the driver’s seat is a different shade than on the rest of the seats.  You should have told the buyers it was built for a  prince and he wanted his seat to be a distinctive color, different from the commoners.”

Mr. Jones laughed, “Brahim, I wish I had thought of that.  Let’s go into the office and see what kind of deal I can make you.”

Mr. Jones pulled out a folder and looked at it and brought it to the table where Dad, Bra, Allie and I were sitting.  “Ed, this is what I paid for the vehicle.  I'll let you have it for that plus $100.00.”

I nodded, “Mr. Jones, we’ll take it.”

Mr. Jones asked, “Will you be wanting to finance the car?”
 

“No sir.  I can cover it with the funds that are in the bank here in town.  Are they still open?”

Dad answered, “They’ve already closed.  They close at one on Saturdays.”

I looked at Mr. Jones, “I didn’t bring my checkbook with me.  I do have a debit card if you can process it.”

“That’s not a problem; we can process debit cards if you would like to go that way.  Let’s go to the business office and we'll have you out of here in no time.  I’ll have the guys drive the vehicle to the front of the building so it will be ready when we’ve completed the transaction.”

We were on our way to the ranch in thirty minutes.  Allie was riding with Dad and Brahim was with me.  Brahim looked at me, “Ed, can we really afford to have two cars?  I could always ride the buses.”

“Bra, we’ll be fine if I don’t get fired.”

When we pulled into the ranch, I saw Dad and Allie walking toward the tool shed.  I wondered what they were up to.  We soon found out.  We heard a motor start and about five minutes later, Allie came around the corner of the shed on a riding lawn mower, wearing a pair of goggles.

Dad was watching Allie very closely and it was apparent that Allie had everything under control, so Dad came to talk to Bra and me.  “Ed, I hate to tell you this, but you made one heck of a deal for your new vehicle.  John Paul always has been fair, but  I’ve never known him to be this willing to deal before.  I think you have my Grandson to thank for that.”

I grinned, “Dad, you’re probably right.  I’ll stay and monitor Allie and use the weed wacker to trim while he’s mowing.  Bra, why don’t you go study while we’re working here.  This may be your only opportunity.”

I watched as Dad put his arm around Bra as they walked toward the house.  I went to the shed and put metal covers on my shoes then gassed up the weed wacker and put on a pair of goggles.  When Allie saw me, he stopped the lawn mower, “Oh no, the Martians have landed.  I need to go tell the king.”

When Allie and I finished the yard, we went to see what we could fix for dinner.  I found two packages of barbecued beef ribs that we could grill.  “Allie, let’s make a grilled dinner.  That way there won’t be many dishes to do.  We can even eat on the patio, since it’s such a nice night.”

I went to see where Bra and Dad were, “Dad was explaining something to Bra, so I decided not to interfere.”

As I was going to the kitchen, I thought to myself, ’I would never have thought that my Dad would react as he has to my two guys.’

Mother arrived about five thirty and Allie went to see if she needed any help.  They came in carrying several bags.  I had the grill going and Allie had already set the picnic table for us to eat.  He had a hard time understanding why we needed more than one napkin.

As we were eating, he laughed, “Now, I understand why we needed more than one napkin.  It’s almost impossible to eat ribs without being messy.  Dad, I really like the potatoes cooked this way.  They’re good and they aren’t that hard to make.”

Brahim and I took care of the cleanup while Allie showed off our newest purchase.  Mother came to where Brahim and I were working, “Ed, your Dad just told me about the deal that you got on that Highlander.  We’ve known John Paul for years, and he doesn’t make deals that sweet.  Bra, I like your rationale for why the driver’s seat has a different color covering.”

We spent a leisurely evening at the ranch and finally at about eight o’clock, I had a call from Joe.  “Hey, boss, I hope you’re satisfied, now that the rest of us are too exhausted to even make love.  We’ll probably all be in the hospital from work exhaustion.  Steve and Juan’s people have done wonders.  They want to know what color you want your office painted.  I told them to paint it the color of the rainbows.”

“Joe, what have you been drinking?”

“Nothing yet, but I’m going to take care of that problem as soon as Grant gets out of the shower.  The reason I called is that President Odom stopped in today and wants us to be at the headquarters by six thirty on Monday morning, so we can be sure to intercept the people whose names have been flagged, as they check in.”

“The Houston police department will have a fingerprinting team there at that time to help in identifying the vandals.  The fingerprinting team found prints everywhere.  They’ve already taken the prints of all of us who work in the offices except yours.  President Odom even had his prints taken.  So I guess you will be printed and mugged first thing Monday morning.”

“Joe, I guess I’m not really needed.”

“Ed, President Odom is concerned that there may be another attempt on your life, and that’s why he doesn’t want you near the building.  So relax and enjoy the weekend.  Gotta go, Grant just got out of the shower, and I need to make hay while I can.”

I looked at the phone as it went dead.

Allie asked, “Dad, who was that?” 

“That was Joe Blank.  I hadn’t realized what a nut he was.  He’s threatening to have my office painted in the colors of the rainbow.”

When Bra and I were in bed, I asked, “Bra, what were you and Dad talking about this afternoon when I came to check on you?”

“Your Dad was explaining some things about your Constitution in terms that I could understand.  The professor was talking way over my head when he was lecturing.  I’m sure that I’m not the only person that felt overwhelmed.”

I started to put my hand inside Bra’s briefs, “Joe said something that makes me want to do something.  He said he had to go make hay while he could.  I need to check to see if there is anything in here that needs to be mowed.”

I found something that needed to be mowed and took care of the problem.

We were up early Sunday, and Mother and the two guys left for church early, so Dad and I went to eight thirty service so we could take them to get something to eat between the services. Dad and I were sitting in a pew when John Paul Jones came and sat down beside Dad.  “I had to come hear your son-in-law and grandson.  They were all Jerome wanted to talk about last night.  He’s p.o.’d that I even charged Ed $100 bucks over invoice price.”

We had a great day, but about four o’clock, I got itchy feet and wanted to get back to Houston to make sure that everything was okay.  We had had a huge brunch provided by Mr. Jones and Mr. Bitner.”

As we were leaving, Dad asked, “Will you be back next weekend?”

“Dad, we need to see what Bra’s practice schedule is going to be, and we should probably honor Mrs. Carr’s request that we visit her in New York, as soon as possible.”

Dad nodded, “Let us know what you’re plans are?”

I watched as Dad and Mother hugged the two guys.  I saw Dad hand something to the two guys but thought nothing of it.

Allie announced, “I’ll ride with Bra to make sure he doesn’t get lost.  We’ll meet you back at our home.”

As I was crawling into my new SUV, Dad and Mother approached me.  Dad spoke for the two of them, “Ed, be good to them.  They’re both very special.”

I had to wipe the tears from my eyes before I started out in the new SUV.  When we arrived at the house on Mercy Circle, we were met by the neighborhood boys, so Brahim and I were left to take the luggage into the house.

The house seemed empty and we went to look around.  When I walked into the kitchen, there was a note, ‘Ed, Brahim and Allie, we’re at the condo, working.  We’re going to grab some fast food for dinner.  We should be back about nine.  The packers and movers will be taking the things we want, starting tomorrow.  By the way, Ed, you’ve made the news again, even when you weren’t here. George D.’

Allie came into the kitchen, “Dad, Mr. Gump and Mr. Gomez would like for you to call them.  They want to know what time you’re planning to go to work in the morning.”

“Allie, I don’t know their phone numbers.”

Allie went to the door, “Curt and Manny, my Dad needs to know your phone numbers so he can call your Dads.”

The two boys came into the kitchen and wrote their phone numbers down.  I called Greg first, “Greg, this is Ed.  Curtis said you wanted me to call.  I hope you haven’t been working all weekend.” 

Greg answered, “We left the building at four today.  The reason I wanted you to call is to see what time you want to leave in the morning.”

“Greg, I’ll drive in the morning.  Why don’t we leave at six fifteen?  The problem is, I’m not sure where you and Juan live.”

Greg laughed, “Juan and I will walk to your house.  Are you sure that you’re up to driving?”

I chuckled, “If I can drive back from my parents’ house by myself, I certainly can drive to the headquarters building.”

Greg was silent for a short time, “Why were you driving by yourself?  What happened to Brahim and Allie?”

“I bought a new vehicle and Allie decided to ride in the old one with Bra so he wouldn’t get lost.  I’ll explain more tomorrow, on the way to work.  See you at 6:15.”

I called Juan, “Juan, this is Ed.  I just talked to Greg and you two are going to meet me here at my house at 6:15, since I don’t know where you live.  I hope you aren’t too exhausted.”

“Steve has given the rest of the staff tomorrow off, until noon.  They busted their butts this weekend.  We figure the staff can live without having their personal whims taken care of for half a day.  I’ll see you at 6:15.”

Allie and Brahim were fixing us a light snack, since we had such a big brunch.  As we were eating, Allie started, “Dad, why did Granddad give me this money and tell me that I was to use it to have some fun?  He said I should open an account and get a debit card.  It seems to me that he is trying to buy my love.  He doesn‘t need to pay me to love him.  I love him for who he is, already.”

Allie handed me ten one hundred dollar bills.  I had to think of the proper response, even though that wasn’t what I was really thinking, “Allie, he just wants to make sure that you have neat things like all your friends have.  We’ll get you your own account at a bank near here.  In the meantime, put this where no one would look and don’t tell anyone how much money you have.”

Brahim sighed, “Ed, Dad did the same thing to me.  I tried to refuse the money, but he insisted that I take it and I didn’t want to upset him.”

I was more than a little uptight, but I tried to maintain my composure to not let the guys know how upset I was. “Bra and Allie, my new banker has a friend who is the manager of the bank near here.  I’ll call and see if I can make an appointments for you to open accounts with him.”

I had just gotten out of the shower when Allie knocked, “Dad, Granddad is on the phone and would like to speak to you.”

I pulled on a pair of walking shorts and a tee shirt since we didn’t have a phone in our bedroom.  I went to the kitchen where the phone was.  “This is Ed.”

“Ed, your Mother just chewed me a new hole.  She was really upset when I told her that I had given Brahim and Allie each a thousand dollars.  She has no problem with me  giving them the money, but not the way I did it.”

 

“Dad, the guys have both shared what you did.  I was incensed that you were telling them that I couldn’t take care of them.”

“Allie, expressed the concern that it seemed like you were trying to buy their love.”

“Dad, I thought about what you did, while I was taking a shower, and I realize that you were only expressing how much you care for my two guys.  But next time, ask them if they need something before you do something like this.  We’ve already discussed what they should do with the funds.” 

Dad asked, “Ed, should I apologize to the two of them?”

“Dad, I think it would be best to act as if the incident hadn’t happened, until we see you again.  My mind is on overload and I need to be alert in the morning because we’re leaving for Shell headquarters at 6:15 in the morning.  We’ll talk to you later on this week when we know what our plans are.” 

To be continued...

Editor's Notes:  That was certainly an interesting chapter.  The longer this story gets, the more I am loving the people.

Every so often, I wonder what is happening to all the cool people they met on the ship, and the good people we met in Algeria.  Maybe one of these days, we will find out. Grin.

I certainly am ready for more. 

Darryl AKA The Radio rancher

Posted: 02/26/10