by Naomi Niles
While I wasn’t up to walking that distance, I wondered about the people at the mission. How many of them had been lost over the cold nights? How many of them would never again cross the threshold of the only sanctuary that was available to them? How many had been driven out into the snow, into the cold? In some sense, I thought perhaps they were better equipped to handle the blizzard than those in their Park Avenue apartments. When you learn how to survive on the streets, you became a survivor in every sense of the word.
Sean and I gradually fell back into the routine upon we had agreed. I worked and brought in the supplies we needed. He built apartments. I had gathered most of the building materials in advance and they had been stored at the rear of the building. Sometimes, when he needed a hand, I worked alongside him, holding a 2 x 4 in place or helping to position the sheet of drywall. There were number of inspections that were going to have to be carried out before we could completely close off the walls. Sean understood enough about wiring code to do the work himself, but eventually the inspectors would be invited in. The fact that this was a former firehouse might even attract my dad to be on hand during the inspection.
We would have to find somewhere for Sean to go in that interim. I also knew I was going to get interrogated regarding who had done the building and the wiring. Therefore, it was critical that Sean explain to me in great detail everything that he had done. Why did he run the wire the way he did? Why did he put the plumbing pipes in the places he designed? There were so many things to keep in mind, I used my notebook to keep track.
I would tell the inspectors, as well as my father, that I had hired guys off construction sites who wanted to make a few, extra bucks on the side to help me. I knew that would outrage my dad enough that I would get a lecture and then he would forget about it. I didn’t want to be too prepared, or else he would suspect that something was afoot.
I decided to head off his curiosity and that’s why, four days after the storm ended and once the streets were relatively cleared, I called for a taxi and went over to visit my dad at the firehouse. Apparently he had stayed there through the crisis rather than going home. I didn’t blame him. There was nothing at home that was more comfortable than being among the men he worked with and being available to the people of the city who needed him. My dad had always been about his duty and I had to respect him for that.
“Hi, Dad."
He turned from the cup of coffee he was stirring and a grin broke out across his face. He held out his open arms and I ran toward him, throwing my hands around his neck and pulling him down for a kiss. “I’ve missed you.”
“I missed you too, honey.”
“Wow, what a storm, huh?”
“It certainly was. I think the last time we had one that big was back in ‘89. So how did you fare over there in your great, big firehouse?”
“Oh, it was cold, but I was better off than a lot of those people in the high-rises. I even managed to build a little fire in that old, clawfoot tub that’s being hauled off.”
“You mean to tell me you drug that out into the open on your own?”
“Oh, it was already out, dad. I’ve been hiring workmen from some of the building sites nearby who wanted a little extra money on the weekends. They’ve been building some walls and running wiring and plumbing for me little by little. In fact, it won’t be too long before I’ll be ready to have some inspectors. Now, you’re not going to give me a hard time about this, are you, Dad?”
“As long as you’re following code, you’re not going to have any problems for me.”
“Well, I only need the normal city inspections, right?”
“That’s right. You’ve converted it to housing and you’re complying with that building code, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Then you’re all set. If you need me, give me a call, otherwise I’ll stay out of your hair. That seems to work the best for you.”
I grinned and patted him on the shoulder. “I can see were finally starting to understand one another, Dad. You understand, of course, that the only reason you have so much trouble with me is because I’m a lot like you. I got my stubbornness from the man who raised me.”
I knew he would take this as flattery. Dad considered anyone who was stubborn as being self-disciplined and highly moral. As long as that explanation work for him, it was fine with me. I wasn’t in any competition with him. I only wanted him out of my hair so that I could maneuver within my life on my own terms.
“So, how goes the job?” He seemed genuinely interested, although I wasn’t sure if it was because of what I was doing so much as whether I was earning enough money to survive on. It didn’t really matter; the outcome was the same.
“It’s going just fine, Dad. I’ve had a lot of stories popping up around me. What with the blizzard and so forth…” I let my voice trail off and let his mind fill in the rest.
“Oh, I was going to tell you. Do you remember Bob? He was that sort of nerdy guy that I knew when I was in college? As I remember, you really didn’t like him too well.”
“It wasn’t that I didn’t like him. I just didn’t think he had much on the ball and he wasn’t good enough for you. What about him?”
I took a deep breath. If Dad knew me at all, he would know that when I took a deep breath, that meant I was about to lie to him. It occurred to me then that perhaps he did know this and that anything I said from that point forward was going to be regarded with a good measure of skepticism. “Well, it was the oddest thing. I was at the library doing some research and saw him sitting at one of the tables. I sat down to say hello, and of course we had lots to talk about, but couldn’t do it in the quiet of the library. So, we found a little restaurant nearby and had lunch together. He’s still single. He asked me out to dinner and, to my surprise, I’ve sort of enjoyed myself.”
“What do you mean you have enjoyed yourself?” Dad always leapt to the most dramatic conclusions.
“I mean just that: I’ve enjoyed myself. We talked about old times and people we both knew. He told me what was going on in his life and I told him about my job and the series that I’d written about the fire departments. He asked about you and I told him just how you were. We had a good time, Dad. We intend to have dinner more often.”
“Should I be reading something into this?”
“Do you have to read something into it, Dad? Can you not just accept the fact that I am going to have friends and we may go to dinner from time to time and that doesn’t mean that anyone’s walking me down the aisle in the next ten days? Can you just be okay with that?” I had to choose my battles when it came to my dad. In this case, I needed to let him know that I was capable of making my own decisions and that his interference wasn’t welcome. It was the best way I had of keeping him out of my hemisphere and keeping Sean’s residence secret.
He had the good grace to look sheepish. “I know, honey. I can be a pain in the ass from time to time. You’re the only daughter, actually the only family, I have. Of course I’m going to watch over you. That’s what dads do.”
“I get that, Dad. But, you know what? If you’re always supervising my life, you’ll never know when I’m ready to take care of myself. I have to learn to make my own mistakes and how to get myself out of them. I know you’re there if I need you, but that won’t be forever. I have to learn how to be independent, and the best way is by trial and error. Do you understand, Dad?”
I think I had tested his patience about as far as was possible without him getting angry. “I get it.”
That was a signal that we should change the subject. I asked him a few questions about the station to get his mind off my life. I acted interested in things that I truly didn’t care about, but he had no one to do that for him but me. It was the least I could do as his daughter. I stayed about another fifteen minutes and then told him goodbye. The taxi dropped me off at home and I found Sean doing some plumbing in one of the bathrooms.
“I just saw my dad,” I told him.
�
��And? What did you tell him?”
“I told him that I survived quite nicely here in the station and that some guys that I had hired had moved the bathtub so that I could build a little fire in it to keep warm. That’s all true, you know. I am sort of hiring you and you did move the bathtub, right?”
“Technically, yes, that’s true. Somehow I think he may have gotten a little different impression about it.”
“But I can’t be responsible for his impressions. Then I told him about Bob.”
Sean stopped his drilling and twisted around to sit flat on the floor and look at me. “What exactly did you tell him about Bob?”
I leaned against the doorframe and sort of scuffed my foot across the concrete floor. “I told him that I ran into Bob at the library and we wanted to chat, so we found a little restaurant and shared a meal and caught up. Most of that’s absolutely accurate. I told him that Bob and I would be continuing to see one another and have dinner from time to time. Dad wanted to know what that meant, at which point I got a little testy and told him that he needed to let me run my own life so that I could make my own mistakes and learn from them. I pointed out that if he was always riding herd on me, I would be unprepared for the time ahead when he was no longer available to bail me out of things.”
“That’s my girl. You do know your dad very well and you play that song like a professional. I wouldn’t be so sure, though, that he doesn’t see through you from time to time.”
“I know he does. But he’s smart enough to know that if he makes a big deal out of it, I just won’t come around very often. So he’d rather hear from me a little and sweet talk him into getting what I want rather than to never hear from me at all. That’s how you have to handle it when it comes to parents.”
“I will remind you of that someday when you’re holding a baby in your arms.”
I smiled. The idea of holding Sean’s baby in my arms was far preferable to remembering my father’s frowns. “I’m going upstairs. It’s my turn to make dinner. Any special request?”
Sean looked at me, a sly grin on his face. I knew what he wanted to say and we both knew he couldn’t say it.
“I’ll take that as a no and just make a something hot and filling. I have a lot of writing to do tonight so I’m going to keep things simple.”
“Gwyne, my dear, there is absolutely nothing that you are capable of keeping simple. That is truly the secret to your charm.”
“You didn’t seem to mind that a couple of nights ago,” I reminded him with a sly smile.
He drew a deep breath and expelled it, shaking his head. “I have to admit, you sure do have a way with me. Perhaps one of these nights we’ll have another blizzard and you can have your way again. Except this time I’m going to get my share of you.”
I knew he thought his words were meant to playfully threaten me, but they sent shivers of desire into my lower belly. The idea of Sean, his mouth, his fingers, his hard cock all having their way with me was a fantasy come true.
I swallowed hard and went up the steps to my own apartment. I browned some ground beef and pulled a loaf of frozen French bread out of the freezer. A few noodles and a tossed salad later, there was a spaghetti dinner waiting for each of us when I called down to Sean. He came up almost immediately, telling me that he probably hadn’t eaten yet that day. Although our deal was that he could come up and eat any time, I knew he was trying to not use up my food. He knew I didn’t make a tremendous amount of money and that my utilities through the winter in the firehouse would be higher. He was very cognizant of my situation, and at the same time grateful for my help. If nothing else, this brought the two of us together. It was as if we were married and going through the lean times at the beginning. They made us feel closer, more united by a common goal and more dependent upon one another. We didn’t have the money to go to plays or to fancy restaurants. We had adapted to a simple life in the center of a very complicated, immense city. We were learning how to live together, how to love together, and how to survive together. Whoever said that sharing a burden with someone you loved cut it by half certainly knew what they were talking about. I couldn’t have described it better if I had tried.
Chapter 20
Having run the course on all the local human-interest stories that I could come up with, John Warner summoned me to his office to discuss my future assignments with the paper.
“Good morning, Mr. Warner,” I said as he invited me into his office.
“So, is there a president to your fan club?”
I wasn’t sure if he was being facetious, so I decided to play it cool. “I’m sorry?”
“Well, it seems that nowadays about half of my mail is about you and one of your stories.”
I knew it cost him big time to tell me that. He was essentially giving me leverage over everything from salary to the kind of articles I wanted to write. I believe I could’ve worn a superhero cape at that point and he wouldn’t have laughed. “I’m hoping they were all positive?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, you’re a big deal now. Of course, remember you would’ve never gotten your start if it hadn’t been for me and this paper.”
“Absolutely, Mr. Warner. You had faith in me and gave me my start. I will never forget that. So, what is it that you have ready for me next?” I was operating under the assumption that I was not called in to be let go.
He pretended to rifle through some papers as if the answer to that had to be uncovered. We both knew it was a sham and that he absolutely knew what he wanted to offer me next. “Okay, here it is. Let’s see. So, my board of directors has a little charity they like to support. It’s upstate in a small town, but it’s a home for unwed mothers and the children they decide not to keep. So, once the mothers have moved on, the kids stay behind and hope for adoption. Sometimes it happens, other times no one wants them. Naturally, it’s not unusual for a mother to have a dope or drinking addiction and the child bears the brunt of those decisions. There are also a few kids there who were placed due to having an unsatisfactory home life. They can be pretty messed up as well. It’s no Boy’s Town, although sometimes it might appear so, but my directors have put a lot of money and a lot of interest into these kids’ welfare. As of late, there have been some troubling reports coming back that their money isn’t always being spent for the benefit of the kids.
“Naturally, you being the new superstar of our reporting staff, they asked me for recommendation of someone to send up they are to snoop around a little and I thought of you. It will be a long-term assignment, meaning that I’d like you to get a little apartment and pretend to the community that you’re moving to town. Maybe you could even apply for a job working at the orphanage; in fact, I think I would be a really good idea. I will arrange it. This isn’t for print; this information is to stay private. It will take the form of a report to my directors. Do you have any questions?”
“I trust you’re going to give me the name, address, who to talk to, and so forth, right?”
“Of course.”
“And shall I assume that I’ll be there for six months? A year?”
“Here’s how I want to work it: I want you to go up there first and spend a long weekend. Get the feel of the place. I’ll set up a prospective interview for you at the orphanage and let’s see how they take to you. If you spot something fishy early on, maybe we don’t have to do the relocation thing. I’m going to pretty much leave that up to you.”
“So you just want me to go up for two or three days to see what’s going on and then report back. Is that right?”
“You catch on fast, girly.” The cigar waggled from the corner of his mouth and I had come to understand that this signified the end of our conversation.
“No problem,” I told him and left to go collect the information from Martha.
I headed back home and found Sean working on a doorframe for one of the apartments. “How would you like to get away for a few days?” I asked him.
“What’s up?”
“Well, th
e boss gave me an assignment to visit a little town upstate where there is an orphanage. It seems that the board of directors supports it and they have reasons to believe that things aren’t all on the up and up. So, Mr. Warner has asked me to go up for a long weekend and snoop around a little. I was thinking you might go with me and we could find a cozy little bed-and-breakfast. It would be nice to get out of the city, and I would love to spend some alone time with you. At least there no one will know us.”
Sean considered the look of excitement on my face and he realized it was pretty important to me. “You sure you want to do that?”
I knew what he was referring to. He didn’t mean the fact that we be out of town for three days, but the fact that we be sharing a bed for three days. I nodded. “Yes.” I kept my answer simple and didn’t try to qualify it again. I knew I had an annoying habit of doing that.
“Okay, you’ve got it.”
“Really? You will go with me?”
“You can’t stop me.”
I couldn’t help myself; I ran over and gave him a big hug and practically skipped up the stairs to my apartment. According to the itinerary that Martha had given me, I would be leaving in two days’ time. There was a voucher for car rental and instructions for me to find somewhere that I would like to stay and bill it to the paper. They would inform me when I should make my appearance at the orphanage for the interview. Other than that, my time was to be my own. Although in this case my time would belong to Sean and I together.
“Dad?”
“Hello, Gwyne; it’s good to hear from you, honey.”
“Dad, I wanted to let you know I’ll be out of town for a few days for the paper. It’s a little town upstate. If you need me for anything, just call the paper because I’m not sure where I will be staying and there may be some points where I don’t have cell phone coverage.”