by T. S. Hill
“Sure, go ahead! I’ll be fine sir.”, she assured me.
When I arrived in the golf cart at the rear entrance, Tony was going through the limo, cleaning out champagne bottles and glasses.
“I’ve got the blanket from the trunk, out at the guest house, Tony.”, I let him know.
“Oh, no problem Mr. Hill.”, he replied to me sighing. “I would have to get it out, along with this other stuff anyway. I’m getting the limo ready to carry to the auto body shop for repairs.”
“Can I help you with any of that?”, I asked.
“Oh, no sir!”, he shot back. “I’ve got this! Is there anything that I can help you with?”
“I don’t want to interrupt what you’re doing, Tony, but did you have any of the breakfast burritos left over?”
“A whole casserole dish full. In fact, I’m glad that you reminded me, because I left them on the kitchen counter to cool, before putting them in the fridge. If you would like, I’ll be glad to warm up whatever you want, or fix you fresh ones.”, Tony responded.
“No, no. Just keep doing what you’re doing, Tony. I can help myself”, I told him. “You’ve already helped me out greatly this morning. Did you say anything to Al, about the rose garden?”
“Heavens no, Mr. Hill! I told you this morning, I owe Miss Sasha that much, if not more! Besides, I think what goes on between two people is the business of those two people. If they’re not hurting anyone else, then it’s not anyone else’s business.”
“What fucking time do you get up in the morning Tony?”, I asked him. “You woke us in the garden around four thirty.”
“That’s usually when I get up. As it was, I didn’t really get to sleep last night at all. Once I get this limo to the body shop, and Mr. Longworth off on his trip, I’m taking a much needed nap!”
“Listen Tony, I want you to know that Sasha and I really appreciate your discretion in keeping quiet about us, and the rose garden and all. If there’s ever anything that I can do for you, just ask. Seriously!”
“Thanks, Mr. Hill! I really appreciate that! You never know when I might need a similar favor!”
“Anytime Toney! And please call me Tagg.”
“I can’t do that Mr. Hill. You know how Mr. Longworth is about stuff like that.”
“I keep hearing that Tony, from you, Mrs. Baker and I think even Annette, but honestly, I’ve never seen that side of Al.”
“You’re his friend, Mr. Hill. We’re his employees.”
“Point taken Tony.”, I responded. “I’ll bring back the casserole dish on my next trip back from the guest house.”
“Anytime is fine.”, he shot back, “Or, I can pick it up if you forget it. There’s no hurry.”
I headed into the main house toward the kitchen, thinking about what Tony had said. It was true that I had never seen that side of AL, but I did know that he ran a tight ship when it came to his business expectations. I also wondered what Tony had been up to, after returning from Al’s plant, that kept him from sleeping last night. I wondered what the odds were that Sasha was on target with her wild conjectures about Tony and Mrs. Baker. Picking up the casserole dish from the kitchen counter, I forgot about the whole matter, and headed back outside. Climbing back into the golf cart, I noticed that Tony had left in Al’s stretch Lincoln limo.
Chapter Seven
Even the Best Laid Plans
Scrambled eggs became popular, mainly because things seldom go as planned
Arriving back at the guest house, I found Sasha and Annette already elbow deep in our documents, pictures, and a small stack of copies of her data form. Sasha was going through the different kinds of documents and pictures, and showing Annette how to glean what she needed to put on the form, then tie a unique number to it, that matched the form to the document or picture.
“How about a sausage and egg burrito, Sash?”, I asked as I set the casserole dish down on the kitchen bar. “Annette, would you like one?”
“Hell yes! I’m fucking starving!”, Sasha said rushing toward me.
“Nothing for me, thanks.”, Annette replied politely. “Miss Adamson, if it’s okay, I’m going to try a few of these forms while you eat, and then maybe, you can check how I’m doing when you get finished?”
“Sure, Annette. That works! Only, please stop calling me Miss Adamson! It’s Sasha! And don’t say mam to me again either. This isn’t the fucking army. This is… this is… What the hell is this we do, Babe?”
“An assignment?”, I responded.
“More like an adventure!”, Sasha quipped back. “Like what we were talking about last night Babe; adventures. Yeah, Annette, this is an adventure, not the fucking army.
“That’s what they said about the Army when I joined. That it was an adventure!”, Annette replied. Are you sure that you were never in service, ma.. oops! Sorry, Sasha. Are you sure you never were in service?”
“Nope!”, Sasha bluntly replied. “Why do you think that?”
“Just your manner of speech.”, Annette tried to sound nonchalant. I snickered.
“I’ve got another one just like this one, Annette.”, I commented.
“Lori’s the other red head?”, She asked.
“That’s polite of you, Annette.” I replied smiling at Sasha. “Lori’s the other red head, and the other potty mouth. Neither of them can seem to think of any alternative adjectives to the F word.”
“That’s quite alright, Mr. Hill. I’m accustomed to much worse. It actually makes me feel a little more comfortable, and more at home, hearing people that just let loose.”
“If that makes you feel relaxed, Annette, then after a day around here, you’ll be coming to work in your pajamas!”, I joked.
“Speaking of dress codes,”, Sasha spoke up again, eyeing Annette’s business skirt, blouse, and jacket, “this isn’t corporate 101 around here. Tomorrow when you come back, wear something comfortable, that you can relax in, and get work done in, like I dress.”, she said, waving her hand down the length of her body. Annette looked at Sasha’s attire of tight turquoise, yoga pants, and skintight, long-sleeved top, fleecy socks and no shoes. Then she cut her eyes back at me, raising her eyebrows.
“Sure!” I told her. “What we do here needs to be accurate and precise. But, we don’t have meetings with outsiders. No one comes to visit, and we don’t go out on sales calls, or anything like that. This work is going to be pretty boring. We just need to get these data sheets filled in, and classified properly, and accurately, for each piece of evidence, whether it’s a document or a photograph. Then we need the data sheets entered into the data base. The documents will all be cataloged according to unique numbers, in ring binders, in numerical order. Sash has it all worked out.”
“Yes, she explained all of that very well.”, Annette replied to me. “I just didn’t know if there would be more to the work. Outside duties, etcetera.”
“Nope. None.”, I replied. “So, dress as you’re comfortable!”
“Mr. Longworth asked me to temporarily stay in one of the upstairs guest rooms in the main house. But, I don’t know about that. How long do you think this will take?”
“Did he tell you why he wants you to stay here on the grounds?”, I asked.
“Yes. Because of Francine, mainly. What a bitch!”
“Hah! See!”, Sasha jumped back in, between bites of burrito. “You’re lightening up already!”
“Did Al tell you the connection between Francine and what we’re doing?”, I asked Annette.
“Yes sir. Scary huh?”
“It really would benefit what we’re doing if you would stay here on the grounds, Annette.”, I told her. “That way, no one would see you coming or going, and you wouldn’t be showing up at the office anyway, while we do this database build.”
“Very well sir.”, she replied. “But, how long should I pack for?”
“Probably just a few days, but for good measure, pack for a week, and bring some extra clothes so that if we need to go out somewhere for s
ome other thing, you’ll have what you need. Like, maybe, one business suit, some other clothes like you would wear out to eat or go shopping in. What you’ve got on would be fine, but even more casual, works.”
“Very well.”, she replied. I’ll need to get Tony to drive me back to pack some things. I don’t have a car of my own, and Mr. Longworth said it wouldn’t sell that I was fired, if I kept the company car he provides me.”
“To make it really sell, and eliminate any possibility that Francine doesn’t pick up on this ploy, he really should fire you, and just pay you cash, or write you a check later, when all of this is over.”, I replied.
“That’s exactly what he’s done!”, she said, looking at me with surprise in her eyes. “He’s paying me personally while this goes on, so I can pay my rent and expenses. You and Mr. Longworth, must think a lot alike.”
“I hope not!”, I quipped. “But don’t tell Al, that I said that!”, I said chuckling. “But then, I don’t think that he wants to think like me anyway.”
“That’s not what I meant sir.”, she began.
“I know what you meant Annette. Let it rest.”, I quipped. And by the way, you can quit calling me sir, and Mr. Hill. Mr. Hill was my dad. Call me Tagg, please.”
“Is it really okay for me to dress like Sasha’s dressed, when I come here to work, Tagg, sir?”
“Yes, it’s okay for you to dress as you wish, Annette. But, please keep working on suppressing the sir thing!”, I replied. “Oh, and Tony will be ahh, maybe, indisposed after lunch, so I’ll drive you home to pack. I’ve got a couple of errands that I need to run anyway, so I can drop you off, and pick you up again.”
“Well it sounds like everything’s figured out.”, Sasha commented, heading back to the table where we had the three laptops set up. Once Lori and Rosita join us, we should knock this shit out in about three days or so; maybe a little more, or a lot less. Who fucking knows!”
“You weren’t in the navy, Sasha?”, Annette asked.
“Nope.”
“Was your dad?”
“Yeah, he was! How’d you figure that?”
“Just a lucky guess.”, Annette said, cutting her blue eyes at me and smiling.
“I really miss him too, since the parents divorced.”, Sasha continued. “When all this gangster shit is over and done with, I’m going to try to find him.”
“You don’t know where he is Sash?”, I inquired.
“Nope, disappeared off the face of the fucking planet, just as soon as the divorce was final. I know something’s not right, because he would have been in touch with me.”
“I’ll help you look for him. We all will.”, I told her. “We’ll make it our next assignment.”
“I can’t afford us!”, Sasha said, with her eyes getting big.
“Sash! You’re part of the team, a household member! There’s no charges. If one of us has troubles, we all have troubles. We’ll get this done!”
Annette spoke up, “Wow, working with you guys, must be almost as good as working for Mr. Longworth.”
“Better!”, Sasha countered. “We have fringe benefits!”
“Oh, we have health insurance, and paid holidays, and vacations, and I had a company car.”, Annette countered.
Sasha giggled, and shaking her head said, “Let’s just get back to these data sheets girl. If we don’t get this right, we both might get more than fake fired!” I smiled at Sasha and winked. She winked back, and this time, her blue eyes were the ones sparkling at me.
After Sasha had reviewed Annette’s work that she had done while Sasha was eating, which by the way turned out to be perfect, she put Annette to work in earnest, and instructed me on the use of her data sheets. I began processing paperwork myself, and Sasha took a stack to work on. A few times Annette or I had to stop to ask for clarification from Sasha, and twice she added new categories to the data sheet forms. After that, we worked for nearly two hours, nonstop. I vaguely remembered, faintly hearing the shower and toilet, during the second hour, but was still caught somewhat by surprise when Lori and Rosita made their appearances in the great room, one just behind the other.
They had also dressed in the same tight yoga pants and tops like Sasha wore, only Lori wore a light blue outfit, and Rosita wore hot pink. Evidently, they had showered, fixed their hair, and put on at least a touch of makeup. I never could tell how much makeup any of the women wore, since they were all such natural beauties anyway.
“Ah, there are the sleeping beauties!”, I commented. Girls, you remember Annette from last night. She’s been here working with us this morning, filling in data sheets, to be put into our data base.
“Hi Annette.”, Lori said droopily. Buenos días.”, Rosita added, looking like she might fall over any minute.
“Cowboy, we’re, me and Rosita, are sorry about getting so fucked up last night. I don’t think that I’ve ever drank so much champagne at one time in my life.”
“I had never had champagne in my life!”, Rosita added. “My first time, and I have too much!”
“Mr. Longworth seemed to be pretty under the weather this morning too.”, Annette added. “But, I gathered that you had a very successful operation. A cause for celebration. At least Mr. Longworth seemed to be very pleased.”
“I’m glad that someone was pleased.”, Lori mumbled.
“Oh, I was well pleased.”, I piped up.
“Me too!”, Sasha added, with a mischievous look on her face.
Lori looked dazed and spoke up again. “If I ever reach for another glass of champagne, please, someone remind me that no celebration is worth what I’ve been through this morning.”
“I will remind you, and you remind me!”, Rosita told Lori, hanging on to her shoulder, as she eased herself into one of the chairs at the kitchen bar.
“There’s some sausage and egg burritos in that casserole dish on the kitchen counter if either of you are hungry.”, I announced.
“No!”, Lori and Rosita both replied in unison.
“There’s tomato juice in the cabinet if you want me to open it for you.”, I offered.
“I will get it.”, Rosita responded, slowly rising from her chair.
“Cowboy, if you let me and Rosita have the day off, I promise we will make it up to you, in more than one way too. Won’t we Rosita.”
“Si. In many ways. Just not today.”, Rosita answered.
“You may as well.”, I told them. This data sheet with classifications is a little tough for a clear mind. I’m afraid that both of you are a little addled to be working with it today.”
“I’m afraid that you’re right Cowboy. In fact, I know it!”, Lori quipped, taking a glass of tomato juice Rosita was handing her.
“You guys must all think that Rosita and I are just horrible, getting into this shape.”
“Not at all, I replied. I’m sure that at one time or another, and in my case many times, we’ve been in just as bad, or worse, shape.”
“Holy fuck, yes!”, Sasha blurted out. “How about you, Annette?”
“I remember this one time in Iraq, we were… oops. I… I… I can’t tell that one.”, Annette stammered. “Even the location was, probably still is, classified. Just shut up Annette!”, she said to herself. Sasha giggled.
“It’s all good, girl.”, Sasha told her. “You’re among friendly forces here.”
“You guys really do have it made.”, Annette spoke up again. “Your boss lets you off work, because you have a hangover?”
“He’s not our boss.”, all three of them spoke out at the same time.
“Cowboy’s our team leader.”, Lori explained, confusing the matter probably even further.
“Why do you call Tagg Cowboy?”, Annette asked.
“She’s my business partner.”, I interjected.
“And I am an independent contractor!”, Rosita piped up proudly.
“And I will be too, as soon as Stan gets my business set up.”, Sasha piped up.
“Who’s Stan?”, Annette asked.
“That’s me.”, I answered. “My other name is Stanley.
“But I call him Babe, mostly.”, Sasha jumped back in.
“And I call him Amante!”, Rosita piped up.
“Babe, Tagg, Stan, Stanley, Cowboy, Lover. You’re all of those people?”, Annette asked me.
“You make me sound schizophrenic!”, I told her.
“Oh yeah, Sugar Lips, too.”, Sasha quipped.
“Oh, I like that name!”, Rosita piped back in. “It suits you, Amante! Sugar Lips, yes!”
“I think we all need to get back to work!”, I said loudly. “Annette, you’ll figure this all out in due time. We’re an odd bunch, for sure, probably not like any group of people that you’ve ever encountered. But, we’re good guys, and we try to do no harm.”
“Listen!”, Annette said, “If Al Tungsten Longworth trusts you, the way he does, then I guarantee that you are very good people, and very trustworthy. That’s the most cautious man that I know when it comes to trusting people.”
“Then please tell me Annette,”, I jumped back in, “how in the hell did Al ever get mixed up with the likes of Francine Williams, or whatever her real name is.”
“It’s Williams.”, Sasha piped up. “She was married to a Williams the last time around for her.”
“That’s right. I remember now.”, I mumbled. “Anyway, can you shed any light on that, Annette?”
“No. She already had her claws in him by the time I arrived on the scene.”, Annette answered. “I really haven’t a clue.”
“Must have been the dark hair, and Latin heritage.”, I mumbled.
“I don’t know.”, Annette began rambling, “I used to have dark hair too, but then I went blonde, and did it myself, screwing that up. But finally, yesterday, I got to a hair dresser, and she tried to fix it to look more natural, with highlights. Do you girls think this looks natural?”
“Looks fucking nice!”, Sasha spoke up.
“I thought it was your natural hair.”, Lori commented.
“You’re beautiful!”, Rosita added.
“I’ve been thinking about going back blonde myself.”, Sasha offered.
“I was thinking about going dark again.”, Lori contributed. “I was blonde naturally, then dark while I was hiding from the SOB, and then blonde again when Cowboy and I met. That was all before this red.”