The waitress returned with his milk and paper. “Do you need anything else, sir?”
“May I please borrow a pen?” he asked, forcing a smile.
The waitress handed him one of the dozen or so multi colored pens she had clasped to her apron. “Keep it; as you can clearly see, I have plenty of them.”
He thanked her again and picked up the glass of milk as the waitress retreated to help other customers. The milk tasted cool and refreshing. He drank the entire glass before returning it to the table. Leo opened the paper directly to the classified section and began circling automobile ads.
The car salesman and dealer ads were easy to spot and eliminate, as they almost always had either a dealer invoice number, or the car vin number included in the ad, and of course they never ended with “OBO.” The waitress returned with his omelet and asked if he needed another glass of milk. He readily accepted.
Leo glanced up at the now departing waitress and actually felt sorry for her. She was past her prime. Her age was beginning to show in the lines around and under her eyes. She was too heavy to fit comfortably in her uniform. A faint smile tugged at the edges of his mouth as he thought about her uniform. He decided she actually looked pretty ridiculous in it. She bulged slightly outward where her waist should have curved inward. Her heavy breasts caused the pair of doughnuts on the front of her uniform T-shirt to stretch downward, to the point that one might imagine she worked at a hot dog stand, rather than at a breakfast cafe. As she stood at the milk machine waiting to fill his glass, Leo noticed the varicose veins on her slightly swollen legs showing through the nude stockings. He tried to imagine what she had looked like a decade earlier. She probably once had great muscle tone and a fine slender figure. He concluded she undoubtedly once made men’s heads turn in appreciation.
She brought the milk to him and smiled. “It looks like you have had a rough day. You know what they say about milk? It does a body good! Of course I wish it still worked for me. Unfortunately, nowadays, milk simply coats my bones with a little extra padding.” She chuckled. “Anything else?”
Leo really wasn’t in the mood for idle conversation, nor did he know how to appropriately respond to her earlier statement about the milk. “I too have seen better days.”
As the waitress began to turn and walk off, he engaged her in conversation after all, like an afterthought, or like someone who was just a little slow at catching the punch line to a joke. “Do you know of any quality motels nearby, that might also have a Jacuzzi? I could sure use a little rest and relaxation and soak my aching body.”
He already knew the answer to his question but decided to weave as many false leads as possible should his pursuers come looking for him. The initial response was however, not what he had anticipated. The waitress must have misunderstood his intentions and blushed deeply. “Young man, my days of idle frolicking are in the past!” she spat.
Judging from the shocked look on his face, she now realized that she had just struck out a second time, by totally misunderstanding the man she had earlier mistaken for a vagrant. Both were now noticeably blushing.
Leo spoke first. “You thought that I wanted to take you to a motel?”
“Well, stranger things than that have occurred to me in my life. Again, I am sorry sir. I hope you won’t find it necessary to tell the manager what a stooge I’ve been today?”
“No, Ma’am, no need for that at all. Now, let’s get back to the location of a motel.”
The waitress let out a little giggle.
“Do you know of a good motel nearby?” he ventured again.
“Yes, sir. A few blocks down the road they just opened a new Best Western where the old city baseball diamonds used to be. I think they probably have a swimming pool and a hot tub.”
“Thanks for the information. That sounds perfect. I can’t wait to soak in a Jacuzzi tub. I’m simply dreading leaving on an Amtrak train all the way to Chicago later this afternoon. I feel like I need to just have a good relaxing soak, shower, shave and then maybe I’ll survive a fifty hour train ride.” She listened attentively, then nodded and responded to a man sitting up at the front counter indicating that he was ready for a refill on his coffee.
The omelet was tasty. The protein would help restore his muscles. He went back to circling classified ads.
Suddenly, a loud clatter and a thud at the front door of the coffee shop caused Leo’s heart to skip a beat. A clumsy young man tripped over the door mat and slammed his shoulder against the front door, which in turn caused the old doorbell to ring loudly. The young man, who had attracted the attention of the entire coffee shop, apologized, then hurriedly departed the coffee shop, narrowly missing an unloading sign on the edge of side walk in front of the diner.
Leo took his eyes off the entrance and let out a sigh of relief, then inhaled a deep breath of doughnut scented air. He placed the pen in the inside pocket of his jacket for later use, then folded the classified section in half and neatly ripped out the part with the circled ads. He folded it into a bill-fold size and placed it inside his jacket pocket with the pen. Next he glanced around the diner making sure no one was watching him, and carefully removed five wads of bills from the zippered side pocket of the duffel bag and placed the money with his pen. He figured it might be to his advantage to have some money on him, should he ever be separated from the duffel bag.
He drank the last big swallow of cold chocolate milk. Leo swirled it in his mouth as if tasting a fine wine, and when fully satisfied, swallowed, savoring it to the last drop.
He gently eased out of the booth, babying his left foot. He slung the Oregon Ducks bag over his right shoulder and headed for the door, but was intercepted by the waitress who had noticed his attempted departure, and handed him his check. “The fifty on the table should cover the check and your tip,” he said.
The waitress glanced back at the table, smiled, and apologized for the third time. “You’re a good man. Thank you for your patience with me today.” Her big smile revealed a couple of missing molars, and Leo felt good about leaving the large tip, even though she had at first, had him on the defensive side.
He nodded, and carefully stepped over the still rumpled-up door mat, then bent down and straightened it out, and faced the waitress. “Good day.” He opened the door slowly so that the bell didn’t ring loudly and headed down the street towards the motel, cautiously eyeing pedestrians and passing motorists. He once again felt somewhat vulnerable.
Leo’s thoughts wandered back to the vagrant, and the over-the-hill waitress at the coffee shop. He hoped that one day he could still fulfill his dream when the current predicament was finally over. He had dreamed of being able to have enough money to help less fortunate individuals anonymously. There were so many hardworking deserving people that just needed that little break or financial help to get back on their feet. Leo envisioned himself being like a Santa Claus of sorts, traveling the country seeking deserving people to help. Perhaps it was just a silly pipe dream, but one he surely wanted to fulfill just the same.
Leo and Sarah had been making good money over the past decade, and had enough of a nest egg put away that they had already helped a couple of people locally. It was Sarah, who heard of a lady and her two children that were struggling financially when her husband got laid off. She had been laid off the year before due to her fibromyalgia.
One day, Sarah had made two loafs of banana bread and a stew in the crock pot. She wrapped all the food up in a picnic basket and even added Leo’s fresh bouquet of carnations that he’d given her the day before. She then completed the basket by placing five one-hundred-dollar bills in an envelope with a computer generated card. “Please accept this gift, and pass it on to another when the time is right. God bless!”
Leo had planned on doing things like that, but Sarah had been the first to act on it. After that, Leo and Sarah listened, discussed, and planned one such event each month. They gained great pleasure in scheming and planning anonymous gifts for deserving people.
He thought about the waitress in the coffee shop. He remembered seeing a ring on her right hand, but no rings on her left, just the slight indention on her left ring finger, suggesting that finger had held a ring for a good many years. Perhaps she had suffered the loss of a spouse and had been forced to wait tables for a living. Leo would have loved to have had more time to visit with her. He would have enjoyed hearing about her life, her dreams, trials, and tribulations. Perhaps someday, he would be able to return to place her on his Santa Claus list.
He passed a covered bus stop with a bench and two large, waist-high potted plant arrangements on either side of the bench. Leo was attracted to the flowers as both were filled with multicolored carnations. Although Sarah enjoyed receiving roses from Leo, she much preferred the cheaper carnations, as they lasted much longer, and still had a sweet, pleasing aroma. He always bought Sarah a bouquet of carnations at least once a month. He paused, admiring the healthy plants and breathing in the slightly sweeter scent of the air surrounding the very clean well-kept public bus stop.
Perhaps, against his better judgment, he decided to sit at the shady end of the bench and call the circled ads in his pocket. Leo took in his surroundings, but did not see anything suspicious or out of the ordinary, so removed his cell phone and the classified ads from his breast pocket. Momentarily, he contemplated the possible ramifications from turning on his cell phone. He was aware that phones could be traced but reasoned that the B.B.U.S.A. could not have had sufficient time to track his cell phone as of yet. Just the same, he figured he should be as brief as possible. He turned it on and dialed the first number. After the seventh ring he disconnected the call and moved on to the second ad. This time a lady answered on the fourth ring.
He explained that he was calling about the maroon 1997 Pontiac Grand Am advertised in the newspaper. She said that the vehicle was still available, and readily gave out her address so that he could come look at the car if he so desired. She furthermore stated that she had been recently divorced and left with house and car payments as well as daycare for her three-year-old daughter. She mentioned that she was already a month behind on most of her payments and that she simply had to sell her car to catch up on her bills. She explained how difficult it was for a single parent to raise a daughter, work all the time, and still make all the ends meet.
He realized that she did not possess clear title on her car and since he was only interested in a cash transaction with a title in the possession of the seller, he would not be interested in her car. He thanked her for the information but felt compelled to add a warning as well. “Ma’am, I know it’s none of my business, but just a word to the wise, please don’t give your address out to any stranger calling on your car ad. You might want to meet prospective buyers at a crowded parking lot, for the safety of you and your daughter.”
The woman had never thought about not divulging her address so freely, and sincerely thanked him for the advice. He ended the call, glanced around him once more, checked his watch to see how long the call had lasted, and somewhat nervously called the third ad.
Just when he expected to hear an answering machine a thick burly voice answered the phone. “Sam speaking.”
“Hi Sam; my name is Mr. Fullmer, and I’m calling in regards to your 1998 Mazda Mx3 advertised in the newspaper. Is it still available?”
“Oh yes!” the man answered exuberantly. He too started spilling his guts: about how he had bought each of his four daughters a car upon graduating from high school, but how his dental practice had seen some hard times since a new complex with six dentists and an orthodontist moved in a few blocks away. Three daughters had already completed college, but his youngest daughter was now forced to sell her car to help pay for her senior year. As Leo politely listened to Sam’s hard-luck case and how his wife had died from a car accident after two months in a coma, he was secretly placing the details of Sam’s life on the back burners of his needy list.
Sam was a heck of nice guy and obviously a very devoted father putting his children’s needs before his own. Sam openly and honestly told him the value placed on the car by the car dealers-only two thousand five hundred-but, Sam knew the high Blue Book value was still at nearly five thousand for that particular make and model, with low miles and the powerful 6 cylinder 1.8 liter engine. Sam felt that the four thousand five hundred listed in the paper was a fair price; besides the money would only cover the tuition for one semester of his daughter’s college.
Leo told Sam that he was very interested in the Mazda, but he had already obligated himself to seeing another vehicle first. He assured Sam that he would not make a decision till seeing Sam’s daughter’s vehicle. Sam gave him his address and assured him that the Mazda was well worth the asking price, and felt that he would be pleasantly surprised and excited when he saw the vehicle in person. Sam relayed that he would be home all afternoon and would be eagerly looking forward to meeting him. Leo told Sam that he would go by the bank prior to coming over to see the car and would have cash in hand should he decide to buy it. Sam said he had the title in his possession and his daughter had already signed it and written out a bill of sale. They agreed to meet at Sam’s house in about two hours.
Leo ended the call and placed his phone and the advertisements back in their respective pockets. He admired Sam’s dedication towards his daughters. He stood up and slowly wandered down the block towards the big Best Western sign. Although it had only been three days since he last saw his family, he still missed Sarah and the boys desperately. Leo could not remember being away from Sarah and the kids for more than a couple of days since he gave up firefighting.
Chapter 9
“Wow, look over there,” Traykie said to Chris. “I see Wahooz and Roaring Springs Water Park.”
Both young men loved to fly. Traykie continued to point out different attractions. “Look, there’s Edwards Theaters, and over there is True Paintball Adventure Park! Wow Chris, check out how small Bronco Stadium looks from the air. What a difference, huh? ‘Cause down in the stadium at a football game it is huge!” Chris was still despondent that he hadn’t gotten the window seat and barely nodded at his brother.
Sarah was not as excited about flying as the boys were. She loved the amusement park rides that went round and round, not up and down like roller coasters or airplanes. She hated that jittery feeling you got in your stomach at takeoff and landings. At least the boys were enjoying it. Watching them, she couldn’t help making an appraisal of her sons.
Chris, at age twelve, still had the slim figure of a boy and possessed that boyish charm, with a tremendous smile that always won over the heart of each of his teachers. Chris was lean, genuinely cute, with big blue eyes, deep dimples like his mother, and of course that award winning, yet mischievous smile.
Traykie, the big brother at fifteen, seemed much older. He now looked his dad square in the eyes. At five foot eleven and one hundred sixty pounds of lean muscle he was very athletic and well-built for his age. Sarah had once sold an upscale home to a client in the Boise foot hills who was enamored by his charm, sincere personality, charisma, spirituality, and rugged good looks.
Sarah’s client had convinced her and Leo to allow Traykie to do a photo shoot with her. As it turned out, Sarah’s client had moved to the Treasure Valley to manage the new Grand Central store in Meridian and had a passion for photography. Traykie quickly became one of her favorite male teenage models and he often attended photo shoots for Grand Central’s clothing advertisements on weekends for special sales promotions. The job did not pay a great deal, but provided him with running money, some savings, and the beginnings of a modeling career should he wish to pursue it. Secretly, he loved all of the attention.
Sarah was thankful that Chris did not envy his brother’s modeling job, and was delighted that Traykie spent a fair amount of his earnings on Chris. He took the big brother role to heart, and always stood up for the underdog. Traykie, raised as a Baha’i youth, was exceptional with younger children. Ma
ny parents went out of their way to have their children spend time with him and Chris, as they felt Traykie in particular was a good role model and influence.
Although Traykie looked more like an adult now, he was still a child at heart. Since Leo was by most standards overly protective of his family, he was relieved that his eldest son still chose to go paintballing with his family instead of hanging out with friends on a Friday night.
Traykie also had a keen interest in martial arts and quickly became a worthy sparring opponent for Leo. He was quick, had excellent reflexes and an observant eye. Although Leo did not want to give him a big head, he confided to Sarah one night that he wasn’t sure there was much more he could teach him in martial arts. He may have lacked the experience of older fighters but had an innate sense of anticipation, almost knowing what was going to happen prior to an opponent making a move. Leo knew that he had inherited a part of Sarah’s gift, although it had manifested itself somewhat differently.
Sarah and Leo had first witnessed his gift when he was about ten months old. He had been playing with a plastic toy ambulance he had received the previous Christmas. Since the toy was a bit premature for Traykie’s young age, they never bothered to put batteries in it.
One Sunday afternoon when Joyce was visiting and Traykie was laying on the carpet in the living room, Leo stopped in mid-sentence when he heard siren sounds coming from the living room. He went to investigate. Traykie was playing with his toy ambulance and giggling. Leo noticed the emergency lights lighting up and continued to hear the toy siren. Intrigued, he flipped the toy over and noticed it had a small on/off switch that was turned on. Leo asked Sarah if she had put batteries in it but she said she hadn’t. As a matter of fact, she thought Leo must have done so, as it had been going off earlier in the day when Traykie played with it as well.
Leo lay down on the floor next to his son and played with him for a while, but noticed each time he picked up the ambulance and pressed the buttons, nothing happened. When he handed the toy back to his son it would again light up and the sirens would go off. Traykie now had the full attention of his mother, father, and grandmother. Leo decided to check the batteries and try to determine if it needed new ones. Leo was surprised when he realized that in order to open the battery compartment it required a small Phillips screwdriver. He jumped up and went to the Chinese hutch where he kept batteries and a couple of screwdrivers and quickly retrieved the right tool for the job. He returned and sat down on the floor next to his son and proceeded to unscrew the four tiny screws.
B.B.U.S.A. (Buying Back the United States of America) Page 7