by Caldon Mull
“Also... also they want to change your contract.” June moved another sheaf off and read it quickly to make sure it was the right one.
“I’m not sure I would like that.” I frowned “Why?”
“Says here that your facility for ‘disaster recovery’ and a whole lot of other technical terms here, merits much more responsibility. It’s a lock-down clause, also. They are prepared to make it worth your while as well. Andy, this is a whole lot of ‘worth-whiles’ here. This is a Big Boss offer.”
“Hmm, leave it with me. I’ll look it over.” I could feel my face closing shut.
“Your original contract expires in another year.” June put the cup on the coaster I was moving over to her with a stretched finger.
“Fourteen months, give or take.” I shrugged. “It was three years minimum with an option after four.”
“And... and you’re hesitating?” June frowned. I motioned with my finger and she wiped some of the cream moustache off her lips.
“No, I’m not hesitating, you can keep the form with you, I won’t be signing it. There won’t be an option after four. I’m out when the months are done.” I leaned back, steepled my fingers as I usually do when I’m defensive. June recognized the motion immediately.
“Andy... they won’t like this. This is a very, very good offer.” June leaned forward, tapped her finger on the desk to emphasize the obvious.
“I’m sure, make it to someone else.” I sighed and stood up towards the other door, the one back to the rest of the company “I have personal reasons for not staying with the Company after my contract is complete. I don’t think that their scrabble to protect themselves and tie me into a position for the rest of my life is going to suit me too much. If you want a reason you can understand, then try this: They haven’t appreciated me at all while I’ve been here, and I’m not sure things will be any different after I sign the form.”
“I really think you should consider it.” June stood and followed me to the door.
“No.” I shrugged and opened it. “You don’t need clearance on the way out, just in the machine room. Thanks, honey, see you around.”
“Well, then... all right.” June smiled suddenly “I know you too well to press the point now, but I will be back again, and we can discuss this some more.”
“Fine, honey.” I pecked her on the cheek, impulsively “I don’t think so, but you are welcome here any time you like... Boss.”
“Heh!” June fluffed with pride “That’s right. I’m a Boss now.”
“I always knew you had it in you.”
“Andy...” I turned to where she had walked up the corridor. “This is the first time we’ve been ...civil since... y’know. I like it, Andy... I’m sorry for the ways things turned out.”
“Yeah, me too.”
I watched her disappear at the end of the corridor, back through the bowels of the company into the light of her environment. Now, important things... towing my car and getting a new one. I doubted whether the four of us were going to get to a reservation in Michel’s truck and I had been using it far too much for my own sense of peace.
“C’mon. Wake up!” Bobby couldn’t contain himself. I stretched, muscles sore from the workout. Saturdays should be peaceful. You should be able to sleep late.
“What?” I groaned and stumbled for a piss. Bobby followed, veritably bouncing.
“You gotta read this... I got coffee on the porch. C’mon, c’mon... You too guys, c’mon.” He banged at Michel’s door. “See I was at the bakery getting those bagel thingies with the poppy seeds and the steamed ginger pudding when this fox walks straight up to me... Man, she was fiiiine, and she asks me am I, like Robert-Lee Hoskins, so I say...”
“Mmmmph... no coffee, no brain... slow down whydoncha.” I grumbled and limped out to the warming sun. Spring was definitely on its way.
“Wha’s sa noise, Cappy?” Dean padded through in boxers, looking rumpled. Michel followed, stark naked. I grinned sleepily, a hickey purpled on his left buttock. They smiled fondly at each other and then tried to focus on the vibrating man.
“... an’ then she gives me, like this, this pile of doc’ments and says she’ll be round to talk to me ‘bout it, like later today and I must read this through and if there are any other things I would like to ask then that’d be the time to ask and she was happy to do business with me and...”
“Breathe Cappy.” Michel stepped towards the coffee tugging at his cock idly “One first, then the next one and then another one and then... you can tell us about what the fuck yer on ‘bout.”
“What you wavin’ about.” Dean waggled his head until it went ‘click’, sighed and beckoned with his fingers.
“It’s my lake...” Bobby hugged the papers to his chest, then thrust then towards Dean “Someone wants my lake.”
“Oh, OK.” I groaned and tugged the papers from Dean’s hand. He stayed right where he was, staring down at where the papers used to be, shocked. “What’s with you?” I snarled and spread them on the table. He didn’t respond.
“... so many fuckin’ zero’s...” He whispered and looked at Bobby.
They were quiet while I skimmed through the document. “Hmmm...” I mumbled. I looked up and saw three pairs of eyes looking at me. “Wha... wha... what’s it say, like really?” Bobby whispered.
“Well...” I stretched and poured another cup for myself. “Yeah...” Michel turned the forms around and whistled slowly.
“OK, Bobby.” I sipped and smacked my lips. “What you got is someone wanting to buy half of your farm... that’s the one with the lake on it... so they can build a holiday lodge on it.”
“Yeah, yeah and...” Bobby’s eyes were shining.
“And you’ll get to be a half-owner of it for as long as the place is there, and you’ll be earning half of the profits from it.”
“Yeah, yeah and...”
“Oh... and they’ll give you three millions dollars for the rights to half of your farm.”
“three mill...” Michel and Dean stared at Bobby, stunned.
“Three fuckin’ million fuckin’ dollars.” Bobby sagged onto the bench. “My luck has finally turned. Finally, somethin’ goes right for me.” Bess scrabbled over the porch, claws clicking and hopped into Bobby’s lap. He stroked her idly. “Hear that Bess, we’re rich... We’re all fuckin’ rich...”
“Cappy, looky here, it says we gotta build a lodge.” Michel mumbled while flipping the papers “They paying for the spot and for the use of the plot, but they not going to spend it if we don’t... blah, blah ...commit to running the lodge for profit.
“Oh shit.” Bobby groaned. Then he brightened “But you can design the place, and the Mill got all those logs just hanging around an’... an’ Meat always wanted to run a place like that... I reckon we could make a big log cabin, an... and lots of little ones and... we could have a hotel.”
“It’s called ‘speculation’.” I stretched “You gotta use some of that money to make the place, and once it’s up and running, these guys get a solid investment and a monthly profit from it. They don’t lose any more money that they’re putting forward, but you get all of that as well as the increased property value. Quite clever, that. Where they doin’ you a favour is that you get to choose what the place looks like, because you gonna wind up owning it. They jus’ gonna be raking in profit from the time the doors open. It’s you that gotta make the place work.”
“I can draught something like that. My first real job. I gotta know what you’d want to put up, an’ there only so many things you can do with logs... I can do it. I’d really love to do it.” Michel brightened. “Cain and I could get the Mill guys to move the logs down an’ cut some more. With the Mill being closed, we’d have to keep them at it for a good while, but they know what they doin’ and almost every second other guy is a carpenter... or can do that stuff. I can do the wireman stuff and Shane can put in a Jenny. We can get temp wooding licenses for the farms with lumber on them if we run out.”
“Dozen guys, four months.” Bobby shrugged “You do great gravel paths, lover. How about you?”
“Lover?” Dean sniggered, nudged Michel “You mean..?”
“Yup. They done it.” Michel grinned.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m queer for him. So?” Bobby waved his arms around, watching all of us watching him. Bess licked his face, tail wagging. “Soooooo...?”
“You really want a Hotel, Cappy?” I yawned, inside I was bursting with excitement. The projects, the work... and seeing Bobby so happy, for once. “It’s gonna be hard work.”
“Hotel? Fuck, yes.” Bobby grinned so hard his face look set to split. “I really want a Hotel. I really want to get the guys workin’ again. I really, really want the three million dollars. I got a hard-on for the three million dollars.”
“He’s got a hard-on?” Michel stretched, pouring himself a cup of coffee.
“Christ, yes.” Dean peeked at Bobby’s lap. “He’s really got a hard-on.”
“OK, ok!” I took a deep breath “I got all the planning tools, I’ll get the project all up and running. I’ll get a materials list together and plan a budget. Dean and Cain’ll get the guys lined up and Michel and Bobby can site where and how at the farm for layout and rooms and Boating sheds and stuff. We’ll speak to Meat and see if he’ll be willing to work for you and for how much and we gotta see about people who’ll work there afterwards. Deal?”
“Yeah, thanks man.” Bobby grinned and bounced in his seat in his excitement.
“But first...” I drained my cup and stood up.
“First...?” Bobby looked puzzled.
“First we gotta take care of that hard-on.” I grinned at him “We can’t have you going off on a hair trigger when the fox-lady comes around for you to sign the deal. Step into my room for awhile, Mr. Hotel- man, come stir my coffee.”
“Oho!” Dean quirked an eyebrow.
“Told you.” Michel sipped, reading the documents through carefully, not looking up.
“We’ll post guard. Ju vill not be disturb, mein herr.” Dean grinned at Bobby.
“Man, today is the luckiest day of my life. It just gets better and better.” Bobby beamed, bolting back to my bed.
“Ah, young love.” Dean sighed as I walked past “Makes me all misty-eyed.”
“If’n I recall properly, man-crush, those were tears for another reason.” Michel put his cup down on the papers “Wanna get your own back?”
“Nooooo... I couldn’t.” Dean half-scrambled to his feet. I sighed and shook my head, leaving them to it. “I promised to look out. Could I... I couldn’t...”
“Well, the train’s leaving, Sport.” Michel grinned patting his hickey “Take dinner an’ a movie a’fore you get another chance at a hat-trick.”
As I closed the door on the mad scrabble to the next room, I turned and saw all my futures in Bobby’s eyes.
“Nice wheels” Michel sniffed, more than a little envious as we wound our way up a dirt path little wider than a horses’ backside. Bobby and Dean murmured in the back seat to each other quietly.
“Thanks, what with the insurance I could step up some. I’ve always wanted a Jeep.” I touched the brake briefly as we slewed around the corner to face another series of winding turns. “We almost there... I think.” Dean offered hopefully, leaning through the space between the
seats.
“Hand Delivered by Will Dekker?” Michel sipped on some OJ “That’s service.”
“I’m sure he got a good commission.” I grinned sideways at Michel.
“There’s nothin’ quite like the smell of a new car, don’t you think?” Bobby said nonchalantly from the back. “I’d sure like to get one soon.”
“Well now you signed that deal, I’m sure we can all think about one eventually.” Dean clutched the seats as the Jeep waggled “If’n Will can get wheels like this, I’d take one.”
“I’m sure he don’t need the money.” Michel smiled so hard I thought his teeth would crack. I smirked, taking small, evil pleasure at how jealous Michel was of Will. I hadn’t thought anything would scratch his permanent, icy self-control... but Will Dekker’s easy relationship with me and with Dean had sent him into a cool internal rage that was ... fascinating... to watch. Will, naturally, had not said a word to anyone.
“But he’s flush enough not to cut corners, and he really takes pride in delivering what you ordered.” I twisted the knife just a bit. “Also, we all do football so I guess we’re like Team.”
“Fuckin’ wonderful.” Michel folded his arms and descended into a full sulk.
“Hey...” Dean suddenly twigged on “You don’t think...?”
“I don’t know what to think.” Michel growled quietly.
“But... it’s not like...” Dean floundered with Michel’s sudden revelation “I mean... he’s Will
Dekker...”
“Big fuckin’ deal.” Michel grumped.
“C’mon Stud, this is the Kid’s big deal, next coupla days.” I relented suddenly. Could this turn ugly? “Will Dekker has been a Football Icon all the time the Kid’s been at school, and having him drop in a new car and actually stopping by was a bit of a rush. Why I asked him over instead of taking a trip to the city to get the Jeep was that if we gonna be workin’ in this part of the world, he’d be one of the best contacts to have around. I wanted him to get used to coming through to Storyville on business.”
“I guess.” Michel sighed “Sorry Kid, he’s ...just perfect and I was ... am... as jealous as the only tick on a fat dog.”
“You... you’re jealous?” Dean goggled through the seat gap. “Of... me?”
“What can I say?” Michel sighed. “You one of the best things I got, an’ seeing you all starry eyed around him was ... difficult. ‘Sides that, he’s handsome as all hell and I like him. He’s good people. The sort that all the guys around me would drop me to hang around.” Michel shot a sideways glance at me in the twilight.
“Well... ” Dean licked his lips and frowned. “I’m with you, not with him. He’s a high flier and you’re just my speed. Jealous... of me?”
“Jealous.” Michel nodded moodily “Of you.” He sighed and tried to pull himself out of it. “I think you one of the best things since sliced bread and seeing someone else who likes you like that makes me feel small. I ain’t seen you so... happy... since we first bust a nut together. I’m sure I’m gonna get over it. Hell, I keep forgettin’ what a catch you really are. I’m gonna have to put in some more work, I guess.”
“You keep forgettin’ that I been after you since I was thirteen. That gives you free and clear shot for another ten years a’fore he’ll even feature.” Dean sneaked a hand through the gap. Michel held it fiercely, relief flooding his features.
“I’ll take those odds.” Michel whispered.
“Aaaghk. Queers!” Bobby muttered from the back seat “You can’t have that job, I got it first.”
“Did not!” Dean grinned, holding Michel’s gaze. Michel rolled his eyes back at Bobby and grinned again.
“Did too!” Bobby snickered.
“Did not!” Dean insisted.
“Did too!” Bobby slapped Deans’ thigh.
“Ahem...” I cleared my throat, this could go on for a long time. “Is this it?” I pulled the car into a stop, switched on the lights in the lowering gloom.
“I guess. Can we go any further?” Dean sniffed, peering out the windshield.
“Dunno. Probably not, unless it’s off the mountain the hard way.” I opened the door and stepped down.
“Then it’s right.” Dean bounced over the seat and opened the rear drivers’ door. “What next? What now?” Michel’s boots scrunched over a patch of rock.
“I wish I knew.” Dean shrugged looking pale as the huge Ivory moon struggled over the horizon. “I guess we meet up with
the Elders and they start whatever it is they start. I don’t think you supposed to tell people about what’s going on. I guess we all gotta go through a ‘pure of heart’ ceremony before they’ll let us all stand by and vouch for me.”
“Shame you got no-one here who could’ve helped you, buddy.” I sighed, a cloud of midges hung in one of the Jeep beams.
“It is our shame.” A voice ghosted out of the gloom. Everyone started. A grey haired man in a loin- cloth moved out of the undergrowth. “That one of our own can be so lost in our ways.”
“Ahhh, hello...?” Dean stepped forward.
“You do not recognize me, son of my son.” The old man stepped forward, more old people stepped from the brush and moved towards us. “That is because I last saw the baby, not the man.”
“A long time has passed, grandfather. I am surprised you would do this for me.” Dean moved to stand before him. “My brother felt the need to be a man in your eyes, more keenly. I hope it is not too late for me to try.”
“Your faces are the same, but your hearts beat differently.” The old man looked us over, shrugged “Your delay will not count against you. The ceremony is always at the right time, no one is ever late. You may leave your western things here, no one will touch them.” He gestured at our Jeep and our clothes “When you are ready, you must enter the lodge as you were born. This is without any ties to the physical world, without fear in your soul. If you cannot do this, you will not be worthy to stand and bear witness and the rites will not be complete.”
“We are not ...initiates... sir.” I stepped forward to stand by Dean in front of the old man. “We would stand by him, if you would have us. We would hope we are worthy.”
“Yeah.” Bobby stepped up to stand next to Dean and me.
Michel floundered, then added, “What he said.” And stood forward, too.
“Hmm. White Clouds, your adopted tribe is brash and brave.” The old man mused while Dean hung his head, waiting. “But boldness is not always wise. If they would take the purification ceremony, while they are not of the Tribe, they will be worthy to stand with you. You will stand on their shoulders, or fall. Will you accept this?”