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

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Chapter 34
But Mister

When I arrived at the house, there was a strange car in the driveway, but Bra’s car wasn’t in the garage.  When I entered the kitchen, Allie pointed, “Dad, you need to go say hello to Grandpa Darryl and Uncle Tom.  After dinner, they want you to show them how to get to the Medical Center where Doctor Cochran is going to be working with Grandpa Darryl.”

I went to the living room and greeted our two guests from Illinois.  “It’s great to see you two, again.  I understand we’re going on a sight seeing tour, after dinner.”

Grandpa Darryl laughed, “Yeah, we want to make sure we get to the hospital on time in the morning.  I’m scheduled to be there at seven o’clock.”

Tom added, “Since this is the first time we’ve ever been to Houston, I haven’t the foggiest idea where anything is.  Fortunately, Allie provided us with excellent directions on how to get to your house from the airport.  You have a beautiful home, here.  Why did you put us in the master bedroom?”

I grinned, “That’s where all the guests stay.  Brahim and I haven’t moved any of our things into it.”

The conversation was interrupted by Dieter coming from the bedroom area. He was being followed by a young boy who was complaining, “But Mister.”

Dieter looked at me, “Hi, Mr. Waller.  I hope you had a good day.”

“Dieter, I had a very good day.  How was your day?”

Dieter rolled his eyes, “To say the least, it’s been interesting.”  He pointed back to his shadow.

I knelt down and asked, “So, who are you, young man?”

The little boy snapped, “I’m not a man.  I’m a little kid.  Make Mister talk to me.  He told me I was acting like a brat and he wasn’t going to talk to me until I could be nice.  Who are you?”

“If your name is Mitchell, I’m your Daddy’s boss, Mr. Waller.”

“If you’re Daddy’s boss, make Mister talk to me.   He won‘t let Allie talk to me either”

I looked at Dieter, and he mouthed, “Later.”

Dieter went into the kitchen and Mitchell was following him.  After they were out of sight, Grandpa Darryl laughed, “Dieter told us that Mitchell was a terror all morning, and wouldn’t do anything Dieter wanted him to do.  Mitchell has been following Dieter around ever since we got here, trying to get Dieter to talk to him.  It’s as if Mitchell is in constant need of attention.”

Uncle Tom nodded, “Allie told us that Mitchell’s brother is in the same medical facility that Darryl’s going to be at, and that he has had major eye surgery done by Doctor Cochran, as well.”

Allie came into the room where we talking, “Dad, Mr. Sheraton called earlier and he asked us to watch Mitchell until about eight o’clock.  He was going directly to the hospital to relieve his wife, so she could go home and get freshened up since Doctor Cochran wants Mikey to spend another night in the hospital.”

“You should have told him that we could keep Mitchell overnight, since I’m sure he’s going to need Dieter to take care of Mitchell again tomorrow, at least for a while.”

Allie giggled, “Poor Mitchell might not make it through the night.  Dieter might drown him in the bathtub.  Dinner’s ready.  Dad, do you want to change clothes before we eat.”

I stood to go change out of my suit, “I take it Bra isn’t going to be here for dinner?”

Allie shook his head no, “He called and said he was going to grab something, since they were having rehearsal starting at six.  He probably won’t get home until late, because the director wants to run through the entire opera.”

As we were eating, Mitchell looked at me, “Daddy’s boss, please tell Dieter to talk to me.  Tell him I’ll try to be good.”

Dieter and Allie were struggling to keep from laughing.  I was sure they were going to choke on some food.”

I watched as Mitchell ate all of his food.  “Mitchell, would you like anything else to eat?”

“No, thank you, Daddy’s boss.”

Dieter pulled down his fist, indicating that we were starting to make headway.  Allie stood, “Mitchell, you bring the knives, forks and spoons, while Dieter brings the things that might break.  Dad, why don’t you take Grandpa Darryl and Uncle Tom now, while there’s still a little daylight?”

As we were driving, Uncle Tom was sitting in front with me and Grandpa Darryl was in the second seat.  Grandpa Darryl asked, “Who is young Mr. Dieter.  That’s a new name to me?”

I told him the story of how we had met Dieter when we went to New York and stayed with Mrs. Carr.  Grandpa Darryl laughed, “It sounds as if Allie has been busy collecting a harem.  Curtis and Manny stopped by right after we arrived, and Allie was helping them with their homework.”

Tom asked as we were returning to the house after scoping out the West Houston Medical Center, “Ed, did you know that you were in line to be the President of Shell?”

I started to laugh, “Believe me, Uncle Tom, I never dreamed in my life that I would be President.  The CEO informed me last Thursday that he was resigning as the President and was going to recommend me to be the President.  I couldn’t even tell the guys or my parents what was happening.  They were caught totally off guard when the action took place yesterday.  Today was my first day in the position.  It will be interesting to see how long it takes me to get fired.”

Grandpa Darryl laughed, “From what Allie says, that ain’t likely to happen.”

When we arrived at the house, there was a strange car in front.  We went into the house through the kitchen and Rob Sheraton was talking to Dieter and Allie who had Mitchell standing between them.   Allie was saying, “Don’t worry, Mr. Sheraton, Dieter isn’t going to let anything bad happen to Mitch.  There’s Dad now, Dieter can follow you home in Dad’s car and get some clean clothes for him while Mitchell and I take a shower.  Dad’s car will be here tomorrow, if Mitch needs something.”

I handed my keys to Dieter, “Rob, I’d like to introduce our friends from Illinois.”

After the introductions, I commented, “Dr. Roberts is going to be seeing Doctor Cochran in the morning.  How is young Mikey?”

Rob got tears in his eyes, “Mikey is in awe because he can actually see things.  Doctor Cochran has been wonderful.  She is only keeping Mikey in tonight so his activity can be controlled.  Dr. Roberts, she is really neat lady.”

After Rob and Dieter had departed, Allie and Mitchell went to take a shower.  Grandpa Darryl, Uncle Tom and I were sitting in the living room talking when Allie and Mitchell appeared.  Allie was wearing a pair of walking shorts and Mitchell had on one of Allie’s tee shirts.  Allie announced, “I’m going to fix us some dessert, can I get anyone, anything?”
 

The three of us indicated that we were fine.  Grandpa Darryl had a funny look, “You know, Ed, Allie is mature for his age but I think he has matured more even in the short time he has been here.  It’s going to be interesting to hear why Dieter was giving Mitchell the silent treatment.”

Dieter returned with clothes for Mitch and I asked, “Dieter, why were you giving Mitch the silent treatment?”

Dieter laughed, “When he first got here this morning, it was as if he was deliberately doing things that would draw attention to him and perhaps get him scolded.  I decided that he was deliberately doing the things to get my attention, so I decided to ignore them and made a deliberate effort to not talk to him.  He was so busy trying to get me to talk, that he forgot to be naughty.”

Darryl, Tom and I were laughing and Tom shook his head, “Your strategy seems to have had some success.”

Dieter continued, “I guess you could consider me the bad cop and Allie a semi-good cop.  He would only talk to Mitchell when Mitchell did something that he was asked to do and compliment him.  I have the impression that Mitchell is probably one pretty sharp little boy.  I know Allie feels the same way about Mikey.”

Everyone else had gone to bed, and I was watching television and waiting for Brahim to return.  When he finally arrived, he plopped down, “Remind me to never do another opera.”

“What’s the problem?”

Brahim put his head on my shoulder, “It’s a lot of work and some of the supporting cast aren’t that good.  It also is taking time away from my being able to study.”

“Me thinks, you’re just tired and need something to relax you.  Let’s take our showers and take care of the problem.”

We took care of the problem so well that we had no trouble sleeping.

I was awakened by someone moving about.  I looked at the clock and it was only five thirty.  I went to check to see what was happening.  I should have guessed that it was Allie, fixing something for Grandpa Darryl and Uncle Tom, since they needed to be at the hospital by seven o’clock.  I went to get dressed.  I had just finished shaving when a little body came into the bathroom, “Hi, Daddy’s boss.  I gotta pee bad.”

I watched as he lifted the tee shirt and sat on the toilet and I could hear him relieving himself.  I asked, “Mitchell, where’s Dieter?”

“Mister is still in bed, sleeping.”

“No I’m not.  Hurry up; I have to go to the bathroom, too.”

I looked at Dieter, “Are, you sure your up to today.”

Dieter laughed, “I’ll try my best, sir.”

It was six fifteen when Grandpa Darryl and Uncle Tom departed for the hospital.  I looked at the three young guys, “You guys are going to be worn out, today.”

Dieter shook his head no, “Mitchell and I will take a nap this afternoon if we get too tired.”

When we arrived at the Shell building, there was a lot of activity around the building.  I looked at my carpool people, “What’s going on, now?  Has there been another shooting?”

As we approached, I realized these were protestors supporting the contractors whose contracts had nullified because of the actions and kickbacks under Mr. Sampson’s regime.  There was a television reporter, at least, there, but I went and stood in front of the crowd.  “Ladies and gentlemen, you can picket all you want, but the contracts that were signed when Mr. Sampson was the head of the Contracting Department have been nullified.”

I turned to the television camera, “Please pan the participants in this picket line and notice that they are all white.  There are few, if any, so called minority participants.  I have a word of warning for the participants who are involved in the picketing.  If you continue to picket the building, I will release a complete list of the contractors we are going to sue for buying the contracts by paying Mr. Sampson significant sums of money.  We are in the process of determining how much we overpaid for the merchandise and services, and I’m projecting that our Legal Department will be taking actions against the contractors, starting next week, in addition to notifying the Better Business Bureau of the inappropriate actions of the companies involved.  Members of the media, it is these people you should be focusing on, and not Shell Oil.”

Someone yelled out, “You’re blowing smoke, and who the hell are you, anyway.”

“Sir, I’m the President of Shell Oil, here in Houston, Ed Waller.  I can assure you that I’m not blowing smoke.  Mr. Sampson kept a detailed record of the bribes or kickbacks he received, and we were able to decode his entries.  I would guess that by this time next week, some of you will be receiving your invitations to visit the courts.”

It was like a strong wind came along and blew everyone away except the media.  The television reporter asked, “President Waller, were you really able to recover the information on the bribes and kickbacks.”

“Yes, and before you ask, we will not release it ahead of time, since it could jeopardize our legal cases.  Thank you for being here, but I do have a meeting scheduled for eight o’clock.”

When I walked into the lobby, people were standing, watching the television monitor.  When they saw me, they started to applaud.  Tripp handed me my latte and Danish, and I went directly to the elevator.  I was in no mood to talk to anyone.”

When I walked into the office, Tammy was sitting behind her desk. “Good morning, Your Excellency.  You’re late.  Your court awaits you.  I see you have your medications to keep you awake.”

I looked at the clock and it was ten after eight.  I walked into the conference room and all the prime players were in their seats including Mr. Odom and Marlene.  Mr. Odom looked at me. “Might I suggest that in the future, when you call for a meeting at eight o’clock that you be here on time.  Just because you were diffusing a nasty situation doesn’t mean you don’t owe us at least the courtesy of being on time.  I must commend you, though, for the way you handled those picketers.”

I started to laugh, “How did the rest of you get into the building without me seeing you?”

Myrabelle raised her hand, “We directed everyone to the side door.  I figured that would be the best way to keep from having any confrontations.  We’ve had enough of them, lately.”

“Good thinking.”

I looked around the table and spotted the two new people.  I almost didn’t recognize them, because they looked as if they had been spit shined.  I motioned to Jackie, “Mr. Cleveland is going to be the assistant to Mrs. Grimes/Wakefield.  Jackie, please stand and tell everyone about yourself.”

Jackie did as I asked and was warmly greeted.

I looked at Deidre, who was dressed in a suit, “Miss Del Rio is going to be the receptionist for Joe, Grant, Katie and Oz.  Deidre, please introduce yourself to the people.”

I was pleased at how professional the two new staff members were.  I looked around, “People, my mind is a little rattled right now from the confrontation at the front of the building.  Unless anyone has anything to add for the cause of the company, I would like to speak with Dr. Rudy and Todd for a few minutes.”

Everyone departed except for Mr. Odom, Dr. Rudy and Todd.  I collected my thoughts, “Dr. Rudy, if I were to pull Todd out of your control, what would that do to our cases against the contractors and Mr. Sampson.”

Dr. Rudy was very direct, “President Waller, Todd is the only lawyer who has been involved and has a good handle on what is happening.  To pull him out of the Department would cause us to start at ground zero.”

“Thank you, that’s what I thought you, would probably say.  Todd have you anything to say?”

“Mr. Waller, I’m happy where I am.  I finally feel as if I’m accomplishing something worthwhile.  I don’t know what you had in mind, but I think I can best serve the company by being where I am.”

“Thanks for being honest, Todd.  Let’s fry us some butts.”

After Dr. Rudy and Todd departed, Mr. Odom put his arm around me. “Ed, relax.  Don’t force any decisions.  If you can’t find anyone you can trust within the company, then look outside.  There are probably a lot of qualified people who would jump at being your vice-president.”

“But sir, everything has fallen into place so easily.”

“Ed, trust me.  You fell into my lap.  Miracles do happen.”

That was all I needed and I started to laugh, “So, now I’m a miracle.  I’ll try to be patient.”

When I walked into the reception area, Jackie approached me, “Mr. Waller, I sincerely want to thank you for this opportunity.  I would like for you to meet my family.  I’ve invited them to lunch.  If you have time, could you stop by and greet them.  My wife especially wants to meet you.”

“Jackie, I would be pleased to meet your family.  What time will they be here?”

“I told them to come at eleven thirty, so we could beat the early lunch crowd.  Tammy is going to lunch at one.”

I plopped down at my desk and looked at the clock. It only said nine fifteen.  I thought to myself, ‘I’ll need to check for gray hairs before I go to bed.  I’ll probably be suffering from erectile dysfunction by this time next week.’ 

To be continued...

Editor's Notes:  Well, It was nice to see Darryl and Tom again.

I wonder who Ed is going to find to be his Vice President.

I am glad to see that Allie has managed to help Mitch to be more settled.  Allie and Dieter make a pretty good pair, when it comes to showing people how to behave.

I hope Mikey will be better off, now that he has had his operation.

I am ready for the next chapter.

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher

Posted: 07/09/10