Shady Oaks

by Jerry Boyd

“We had some lumber left over from putting in the safes yesterday. We figured it would be useful with a bed on it.”

  “Where did you find the steel?”

  “Didn’t have any. Printed some out. Used that junk Chevelle for feed stock.”

  “I was wondering what we were going to do with that. Can you guys load what you need for a carpentry job on that truck, then? I’ll run you over to Dee’s new house, and then I’ll go get Mr. Bailey.”

  Taz spoke up. “We get to work with Mr. Jim!? Will there be more James frikkin’ Bond?”

  “You’ll have to ask Mrs. Sloan.”

  He turned to Dee. “Will there be, Ma’am?”

  “I think we might have to do some of that, Taz.”

  He did his spin and pant. “Taz like secrets.”

  I said, “Speaking of that, how do I open the door to the safe?”

  “Oh, Boss, we got lucky. One of the paneling boards had a loose knot. Just push on it, and the door opens.”

  “Sounds awesome. Topper, do you think you can get that truck over to the other house without getting too much attention?”

  “No singing?”

  “Nope.”

  “No Arnold?”

  “Nope.”

  “I can do that, Boss. It’s more fun at night.”

  “Ain’t that the truth.”

  I turned to Dee. “Do you think you could get these boys started on your place? I’ll be back with Jim quick as I can. Do you need to go over plans with him?”

  “Already did, yesterday afternoon. He knows what I want.”

  “Good deal. I’ll run and get him.”

  I took off up the hill to my pickup. Snitz decided it was a good day for a ride. When I got to Shady Oaks, Rena was at the desk. “I thought you were the big cheese. What are you doing here on Sunday?”

  “Leann had a family reunion, so we traded days. You here to bust somebody out?”

  “Can Jim come out to play?”

  “I guess. You two play nice.”

  “Thanks, Rena.”

  I started down the hall. Snitz was saying hi to his friends. Mrs. Parks caught me before I made it to Jim’s room. “Mr. Wilson, things sure have changed around here since you and Mr. Branham started coming around.”

  “Really? I hadn’t noticed. You’re just as ornery as you ever were. That hasn’t changed a bit.”

  “That didn’t work when your Daddy tried it on me. Why do you think you’re so special?”

  “Because I’m not used to dealing with people as sharp as you?”

  “Last time I heard this much crap, I wound up in the back seat of a 57 Chevy. I know that ain’t what you’re after.”

  “So what changes are you talking about?”

  “Everybody is awake. Folks used to be wandering around in a trance, now they can remember who they are.”

  “I don’t think Dr. Brooks believes in quite as much medication as Dr. Rankin used to.”

  “Dr. Rankin believed in signing whatever papers Abernathy told him to. He never spent a minute more here than he had to. This nice remodel, must of cost a pretty penny to get it done so quick.”

  “Don’t know. Mr. Branham and I are partners on some things, but this place is all his.”

  “What I’m asking is, how is it gonna get paid for? I know Abernathy and his bimbo receptionist were skimming, but that can’t be enough to pay for all this. You guys are running twice as much staff as they used to. You must be paying ‘em better, too, ‘cause they’re always smiling.”

  “Mr. Branham came into some money he wasn’t expecting. He wants to use it to help people. Is that so bad?”

  “How did he do that?”

  “What he told me was that he had a friend in high school who talked him into buying some stock in a company. He put it away and never thought any more about it. Suddenly, not too long ago, somebody trying to buy up a majority share got in touch. Seems the stock had split a few times, and John was sitting on a chunk of the company.”

  “Sounds fishy, but as long as the prices don’t go up, I guess I can’t complain.”

  “You’ll figure something out, I have faith.”

  “Anybody ever mention that you were an asshole, Mr. Wilson?”

  “Think I have heard that said, on occasion.”

  “They were being nice. You’re way past that.”

  “You have a good day, too, Mrs. Parks.”

  When I got to Jim’s, he and Molly were having a nap. I knocked.

  “Wha? Oh, hi Bob. The boys ready to start on Mrs. Sloan’s place?”

  “Yep. Hopefully it won’t be as exciting as yesterday.”

  “I could do without finding any more explosives, for sure.”

  “Meet me up at the desk, when you’re ready.”

  “Okay.”

  Snitz was playing indoor Frisbee with some of the folks who didn’t get around so good. He had them smiling. He did a catch with a somersault I hadn’t seen before. I wandered up to the desk. Rena said, “That dog of yours does a world of good around here. He gives them something to look forward to.”

  “He’s a good dog.”

  “What kind is he?”

  “All the lady who sold him to us could say was that Mom was a registered Border Collie, and Dad was a sneaky varmint that got in her kennel.”

  “Border Collie and sneaky mutt? Don’t teach him checkers, he’ll beat you every time.”

  “I just try to keep him worn out, so he doesn’t have energy for too much orneryness.”

  “Is that how that works? No wonder everybody says they’ll be glad when your wife gets back.”

  “Me too. Went all those years on my own, thinking I was fine. Met Nikki, and I can’t handle three or four days without her.”

  “You got it bad, Bob. Good thing Nikki is a good one.”

  “Yep.”

  “How did you meet her, anyhow?”

  “Found her broke down. By the time I got her back on the road, we were in too deep to let it go.”

  “That’s a Bob story, for sure. ‘I fixed her car, and she stayed for the chili.’”

  Jim walked up. He said, “I’m ready. You got a pass from the warden, here, yet?”

  “Nope. Just shooting the breeze.” Rena handed me the clipboard, and I signed Jim out. She said, “You two be careful. Are you taking your furry rascal, Bob?”

  I looked. Snitz was hard at it, keeping folks smiling. “If you don’t mind, it looks like they’re all having a good time.”

  “I was hoping you would say that. Gets boring around here with no Snitz.”

  “Okay then. See you later.”

  “Bye.”

  Jim helped Molly up into the truck, and we headed out. Dee had let the boys into the house, and they were already going full tilt on demolition. Topper came out to meet us when we pulled up. “Boss, Mrs. Sloan showed us what she went over with Mr. Jim. We’ve got a good start, but we need some supplies. Can you get them for us today?”

  “I’ll have to run into Springfield, but that’s not a problem. Where can I put the pickup so it will be out of the way?”

  “Pull off the driveway, so you can back up to the door when you get back.”

  I parked the pickup. “Jim, do you need anything while I’m out?”

  “By the time you get back, some lunch would be nice.”

  He and Molly went to see what the boys had gotten done. My phone chimed with Topper’s list. I looked it over, then climbed in the flatbed and took off. It wasn’t long before my phone chimed again. Topper had found a lumber yard open today, with everything he needed. He had prepaid, all I had to do was back in and get loaded up. I was beginning to feel like Topper’s flunky, rather than his Boss. Traffic was light, and I made good time. Topper had thought to tell them the license number of the truck, so there wasn’t any hassle about being authorized to pick up the order. On the way back I had a thought. I commed Topper. “Yes, Boss?”

  “Is there a refrigerator in the house?”

  “Yes, an
d the power is on. Why?”

  “I was thinking of picking up some drinks and sandwich stuff, so Jim would have something on hand if he needed it.”

  “You’re still bringing him lunch aren’t you?”

  “Of course.”

  “By the time you get here, we should be mostly done with demolition. We can’t do anything about the roof till after dark, but we should be able to make good progress on the rest of it.”

  “See you shortly.”

  I stopped at the grocery store and got a few supplies, and then hit a fast food place to get lunch. The flatbed was too big for the drivethru, so I went inside. One of Julie’s waitresses was there with her family. She brought her husband over to meet me. I stepped out of line to talk to them. She said, “Sam, this is Mr. Wilson. He’s the one I told you about who talked Julie into buying the restaurant when the old owner wanted to retire. I think he had something to do with finding Joanna to help her run it, too.”

  I could tell Sam was uptight over his wife saying that kind of things about another man. Wasn’t sure how to pull the fuse on it, though. “Nice to meet you, Sam. She makes it sound like way more than it was. Julie’s been talking about buying that place for years. I just got her to pull the trigger.”

  “Nice to meet you, too, Mr. Wilson.”

  “Please, call me Bob. At least till you get to know me better. Then you can call me asshole, like everybody else.”

  That did the trick. He smiled and said, “Surely not, Bob.”

  “Oh yeah! I had a little old lady tell me this morning people were just being nice when they called me that. Seemed to think something stronger was in order.”

  “What do you do for a living, Bob?”

  “Used to work maintenance out at the plant. Then this uncle I didn’t even know about kicked off and left me enough to retire early.”

  “Nice work, if you can get it.”

  “It is, but it seems like I stay busier now than when I was working.”

  “Really?”

  “Yep. Today I’m helping fix up a house a friend of mine bought. I got a load of stuff outside I need to get back with.”

  “We better let you go, then.”

  “Sure was nice meeting you. Maybe you folks could come to supper sometime, if you’re not too busy.”

  “We’re not much for fancy dinners.”

  “My chili has been called a lot of things, but I don’t ever remember anybody saying fancy.”

  “We’ll think about it.”

  “Just tell Joanna if you decide you want to. We’ll get a night set up.”

  Sally asked, “Joanna? Why her?”

  “She’s staying at our place till she gets one of her own.”

  “Oh. Okay. See you later, then.”

  “Nice meeting you, Sam.”

  “You too, Bob.”

  I got some lunch for Jim and me, and headed back out. Had to wait for traffic to clear out before I could back out. Should have backed in, I guess.

  I got back and backed up to the door. The boys got me unloaded. Ozzie came to help me carry groceries. I asked, “How are things going, Ozzie?”

  “Pretty good, Boss, but the fun part is almost over. We have to be a lot more careful putting stuff back together. Especially when we get to Taz’s ‘James frickin’ Bond’ stuff. It’s hard to keep the seams from showing.”

  “Shadows are your friend, Ozzie.”

  “I’ll remember that, Boss. It’s a good idea.”

  I found Jim, and sat on the tailgate of the Sonoma to eat lunch. Molly sat patiently, waiting for Jim to throw her his scraps. I said, “She’s a good dog.”

  Jim replied, “We get along pretty good. I think we were both pretty lonesome, before we took up together.”

  “Glad we could help with that. How’s the house coming?”

  “Dee wants it to look more like it did when she used to play with the little girl who lived here. Some of the old tongue and groove paneling got painted before they covered it over, and we’re going to have to strip it and stain it to get the color right. Other than that, everything’s pretty straightforward.”

  “Topper was saying they’re planning to do the roof tonight?”

  “It’s not the best, but the sun will heat up the shingles tomorrow, and they’ll stick down. Weatherman says we’re not due for any wind to speak of for a few days, we should be okay.”

  “I’m sure between you and the boys there’s nothing to worry about.”

  “Still amazes me how fast they get things done. If we could use them commercially, we could make a mint.”

  “Maybe someday, but for right now we have to keep it all as quiet as we can. A vacation in Gitmo is more fun than I want to have.”

  “What has to happen before we can go public?”

  “Good question. I never have asked anybody, been too busy to think about it, I guess.”

  “Might be good to know. Maybe we could push it along.”

  “How is it, everywhere I go, there’s somebody smarter than me?”

  “Don’t take much, I suppose.”

  “Ouch. Remind me why I busted you out of Shady Oaks?”

  “Got tired of tying a pork chop around your neck to get your dog to play with you?”

  “That must have been it. You’re awake today. I gotta up my game.”

  “Just getting used to feeling useful again. Laying around waiting to die is no way to spend your time.”

  “I can see that. The boys sure enjoy working with you.”

  “The feeling’s mutual. They’re the best crew I’ve ever had. There are a couple of folks who could help us out, though.”

  “You need them today, or are you just thinking about future projects?”

  “We’ve got this in hand. I was thinking it would be handy to have them on the crew for other jobs.”

  “Give John their information when you see him. He’ll check into it.”

  “That’s it? No references, or paperwork, or anything?”

  “If I didn’t trust your judgment, you wouldn’t be sitting here. If you say we need these folks, John needs to get on getting them brought in.”

  “Don’t you want to hear about them first? Meet them?”

  “You know them way better than I would after an interview. Not like they’re gonna tell me about all the stupid crap you’ve seen them pull. You ran a business for a lot of years. You know how to pick people. Remember ‘and other duties as assigned’? We’re there, Jim. You say we need these folks, I believe you, end of story.”

  “Thanks, Bob. Nobody’s had that kind of trust in me in a long time.”

  “Deal with it. It’s going to happen a lot if this mess is going to work.”

  “I better get back to it.”

  “I’ll leave you the flatbed. Topper can drive it if you need, but be sure he’s careful of his camo in the daytime. You should have seen the show last night. Everybody else was on the back of the car hauler, in assorted animal camo, and Arnold was driving. Singing ‘Gear Jammer’. Still makes me giggle when I think about it.”

  “I’ll be careful of that. Anything else?”

  “Call me if you get hungry before I get back. I’m not keeping up with things as good as I might like.”

  I headed over to John’s, to ask Max about Jim’s question. Rhonda’s Mom was there. “Hi, Rhonda ready to wake up?”

  “John’s in the basement getting her up now. Do you really think he was able to help her?”

  “John’s a really good medic. The tech we have access to is a game changer. He’s her best chance on this planet.”

  “You really believe that, don’t you?”

  “Haven’t seen any reason not to. You mind if I go down and get Rhonda?”

  “Not at all. Thanks, Mr. Wilson.”

  “Call me Bob. At least till you get to know me better.”

  “What should I call you then?”

  “Asshole, like everybody else.”

  I wandered down the stairs, singing, “Help m
e Rhonda, help help me Rhonda.”

  I heard a young girl’s voice, “Is that you, Bob?”

  “Yes, it is. How do you feel about piggy back rides?”

  “I feel like it’s about time.”

  I made it to the basement and looked at her. A crew cut probably wasn’t her best look, but it beat the snot out of a cue ball. I turned and squatted down, and she climbed aboard. I started back up, and cut down on, “She’ll have fun, fun, fun, till her Daddy takes the T-Bird away.” To my surprise, Rhonda joined in. I asked, “You know that?”

  “My Mom got me ‘Endless Summer’ after I heard ‘Help Me Rhonda’ on the radio.”

  We got to the main floor, and I squatted again. I was surprised again when Rhonda kissed me on the cheek.

  “Thanks, Bob.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  She ran to her Mom, and gave her a big hug. “Rhonda, honey, how are you feeling? You couldn’t make it up the stairs by yourself?”

  “That was just for fun, Mom. Bob asked me to.”

  John came into the room. Rhonda’s Mom asked, “How long before she needs to go in again?”

  John replied, “The machine says she’s good to go. It fixed the cancer, and the cause of it. I can’t guarantee she won’t fall off her bicycle and break her fool neck tomorrow, but as far as this mess is concerned, she’s taken care of.”

  John wasn’t ready for the flying, crying, double hug. He had to take a step back to keep from falling with all three of them.

  John said, “It’s just having the machine, I didn’t do anything fancy.”

  Rhonda replied, “It’s pretty fancy for me. I haven’t felt like this in a year and a half. I have hair!”

  Her Mom just cried. I eased out of the room to let them have their moment. I found Max back in the room he had taken over for an office. “Hey, Bob. How are you doing today?”

  “I’m doing well, I suppose. Can’t wait for Nikki to get back.”

  “You two have it bad.”

  “Guess we do. Hey, listen, Jim asked me a question I didn’t have an answer for. I was hoping you could help.”

  “Oh no, Bob has an idea. Duck and cover.”

  “What does it take for a planet to get accepted into Galactic society? If you folks were known about, we wouldn’t have to sneak around so much.”

  “Basically, you have to make application at the Capital. The tricky part is that you have to get there in a ship with no imported parts, or parts built on Galactic machinery. You have to have a native shop that can build spaceship parts.”