by Oliver Rill
The three of us drove off and dealt with the pressing needs at the car dealer’s first. I bought a white, 1997 Lincoln Town Car that I had always thought of as a dream car, because of its classic shape. It had always been an icon American vehicle. I also got a Lincoln Navigator. A massive all terrain car with a third row of seats that in necessity could be used to transport six people from A to B in comfort.
The old town car nearly blew Aaron’s mind. “That old banger’s ancient! It’ll drink gas! Get yourself a new one. You can pay in installments. What do you want with that old thing?”
“Only Europeans can see the beauty in it. I think it’s fantastic!”
We got an interim registration for the cars. Gavin didn’t really trust himself in the bigger Navigator, so I took it. We dropped the rental off right away, luckily there was a branch nearby. Gavin went off to get the steaks for that evening amongst other things from his list, but Aaron wasn’t going to be put off from coming shopping with me.
“It’s great that we can shop when we want here. In Europe most stores close on Sunday. But you don’t have to come with me. I’m going to trail through all the stores. I need shoes, shorts, pants, hoodies, shirts, T-shirts – well, everything!”
“I’ll just come along to keep an eye on things. With all those bags there’s a bit of a security risk.”
“Well maybe something will catch your eye. Then you won’t have wasted your time.”
We wandered through the stores. Aaron was patience incarnate. The Mall was built horseshoe shaped with parking in the middle and the stores one next to the other around the outside. Every now and then Aaron returned to the car with two or three bags and then back to the stores where I was busy keeping the economy alive. He sat outside the changing cubicles and waited giving me the nod or not to outfits. At Kenneth Cole I glimpsed a leather jacket. It wasn’t my size and although it was from last season, it really looked the business.
“Aaron, try this on.” I prodded him. It sat perfectly on my reluctant shopping companion’s shoulders. He had no chance against my enthusiasm to buy it for him.
“Its fate! I know it, the assistant knows it, even my credit card knows it. You have to buy it before another customer sees it and it couldn’t possibly suit them as well as it does you!” The assistant wrapped it in tissue and put it into a bag with their logo. That was a $425 payment for shopping assistance, style advice and taxi service the night before. It might have been a bit steep, but if I couldn’t have the jacket myself, he should have it.
As I paid and he glanced at my platinum card.
“Platinum. Of course. And you’re not rolling in it?” I grinned sheepishly, but gave no comment, as Rebecca had advised.
I drove home with Aaron contentedly. I had spent $40,000 for two cars and a mountain of clothes in one day. Aaron retreated to the beach. My private beach. And I removed labels and sorted according to color. Of course it was mainly black and few items in blue and white. Gavin had also returned and was busying himself in the kitchen, then upstairs in the guest rooms, tidying, making beds and generally making sure that they were ready to receive guests.
I kept out of his way, slipping over to the beach, where Aaron’s reclining body lay like a mountain of muscle.
“Isn’t it peaceful here? You hear a boat now and then, but otherwise nothing but birdsong. It’s so relaxing.” He said. I glanced over at him. It was amazing that someone could have such thick arms and legs. I felt a pang that mine were not even half that size and said so.
“That's disposition, training, protein and a bit of chemistry.”
“Chemistry?”
“You wouldn’t be able to build so much muscle without a little bit of chemistry, yeah.”
Hmm ok. So a bit of chemistry was part of the mix too. “Doesn’t that give you spots and a tiny dick?”
“Ha ha ha. The earlier ones did. It’s improved since those days. But you should have a check up now and then at the doctors. Some people overdo it and then drop dead of a heart attack because they’re not careful. But I haven’t had any complaints about my dick!”
Jason came over and was really flabbergasted. He wasn’t envious, more overjoyed to see something so beautiful. The Americans were like that, they liked to see friends doing well. He did the tour of the house and grounds and clapped me on the back.
“Wow. You’ve really done well!”
We agreed that we would have the BBQ on the beach, hang out very comfortably on the loungers and gawk at the Gulf of Mexico. Gavin rolled the grill into position and I invited him to sit with us. He was shy at first but in the end did take a sunbed and join us. We laughed and chatted. The first beer did me good, the second better, but after yesterday I really didn’t fancy drinking and thought I had had more than enough.
Jason and Aaron addressed the elephant between us. They asked what I really did in my job. I told them that I was director at Cam Am and so hadn’t really told untruths.
“So it was true what they said in the papers about you. Why didn’t you just tell us straight off?”
“I wanted you to see me as a person, not as the director at Can Am. That’s what I am, a real human being.”
Now it was my turn. I asked them more closely about their lives. Jason, I knew, was a fitness trainer and barman. Aaron worked in the club and did security jobs at various events to hold his head above water.
“Who looks after the house when you’re not here?” asked Jason.
“No-one at the moment. I really need to get a couple who live around here. You know, she cleans and he makes good, that type of thing. That set up would be great if I could find it. There is so much to do: the garden; the boat; the house and so on. If I get a firm to do it, it would get so messy with access requests for various staff. Who’s going to tell me that I need to call the garden guy to mow the lawn if I’m not around? Or that there’s a problem with the roof, or the boiler.”
“I could do that!” Jason said.
“What? In between the bar and the fitness training?”
“I don’t have that many clients, Oli. I can mow the lawn myself and mend the fence too, if it was needed. The cleaning I’m not so sure about.”
“But you could hire a cleaner, let her in and make sure that she doesn’t clean the contents out when she goes.”
“Maybe my sister would like to take it on? She’ll know someone who is trustworthy anyway.”
“And would you pick me up from the airport and check that it’s all working properly for when I come back?”
“No problemo!”
“And what sort of money do you want for that? I mean in payment?”
“How often do you want me to check in?”
“About three times a week should be ok. And then however long for whatever needs doing, I guess.”
“Weeeelll, how about $500?”
“It’s a deal! I’ll get a contract written up and we’ll try it out.”
“Shit, I should have said a thousand! Do we need a contract?”
“Just so’s I can set it off against the tax. It all has to be above board and tickety boo. I can’t risk another scandal. If it got out … God help me!”
“Oh shit! I didn’t think of that. Last night!” Aaron’s eyes showed his horror.
“Forget it, Aaron. It just cost me a bit of pride and a long telephone call this morning. Someone posted photos on social media and the papers got hold of them.”
“That’s crap!”
“Yeah, it wasn’t great. I mean I’m not in Rihanna’s league, like when she was beat up by her boyfriend. I’m not that interesting, but it did surface in the press and we have to give a reaction. So there is no clubbing from now on.”
“Jason, we’re going to have to look out for Oli better!” Aaron said.
“It’s ok. It’s no big deal. I just have to watch out for a while and not let myself be photographed. That’s all.”
The next few days saw us doing quite a lot together. We sailed, BBQ’ed, went to the g
ym and in the daytime I got to know the neighbourhood, driving around in one of my shiny new cars.
On Thursday, Matt’s plane landed and I picked him up in the big Navigator. I told him that I had got a guy to look after the house, which was completely furnished now.
Daniel and Aristo also flew down from L.A. and Daniel’s eyes widened at the size of the place (big and impressive, like a temple, he said) while Aristo’s brows shot up when he saw what Debbie and I had achieved both inside and the beach.
We took the boat out along the gulf, played volley ball and generally enjoyed the weekend.
I was woken by the shrilling of the telephone at five in the morning. I grabbed the phone and slid out of the bedroom so not to wake Matt.
“Aaron. What’s up?” I whispered quietly in the kitchen, searching with the other hand for my cigarettes.
“Can I come over? I want to have a chat with you about something if I can.”
“Now?”
“Yeah. Is that ok?”
He appeared ten minutes later and I led him quietly to the terrace.
“The others are still asleep.”
“Hey I’m sorry I woke you up, but I really wanted to speak to you before you flew back.”
“Ok, big man. What’s up?”
“The club is driving me up the wall. I wondered if you could ask around and see if anyone has a job going.”
“Sure, sure Aaron. What sort of job were you looking for?”
“I don’t know. Anything really. Security would be nice or something like that. I can’t stand all the drunks. I don’t mean you that time, Oli. I mean the ones who do it every flipping night and keep coming back every weekend, sometimes even in the week. You know what I mean?”
“And do you drive them all home, tuck them in and leave a bucket next to their bed?”
“I have never done that before!”
“Security is something that the airport does usually. We don’t normally have anything to do with it. I’ll ask though. That’ll be no problem.”
Matt came appeared in the French doors.
“Oh, there you are. You’re up early! Hi, I’m Matt and you are …?”
“Hi. Aaron. Nice to meet you. Ok Oli, thanks. Give me a call when you hear something and let me know when you’re back in the area, ok? I need to sleep now, it was a heavy night at the club last night.”
“So, was that the guy in the photo? Did you invite that stripper home?” Matt piped up as Aaron left. His hair was tousled and as he stood there in his boxers, I thought how sexy he looked with his come-to-bed hair.
“Matt! Really! That was the bouncer on the door of the club. He does personal training now and again. Okay?”
“Trains your ass, or what?”
“That was uncalled for! No. for your information we did shoulders and back this week.” I retorted with dignity.
“Yeah ok. Whatever. I did notice that he was bigger than the guy in the photo. Just don’t ever go with something like that, will you? I want you to stay slim, not end up looking like a tank like that guy.”
“And I want you to stay as sexy as you are right now and that you always kiss me exactly as you did last night.”
“Tonight it’s your turn, my friend! You won’t be able to sit down by Monday. You are going to be on your knees asking me to stop!”
“Promise?”
As I entered the offices on Monday, tiredness seeped from every pore. Matt had needed to prove to me that he cared for me like no other. I found that sweet, really.
I called Daniel, Aristo and Matt into the office for a weekly team catch up. Aristo had plans this week to fly to New York to find people to support service delivery, Daniel had a list of people he needed to train. For me the big moment of the coming few days would be the opening of the Can American Terminal and on the Thursday I had a TV talk show that I had agreed to take part in with an opportunity to get on my soapbox for it. Because this would involve me being out of the office for most of the time, either on or off a stage somewhere, or taking briefings from Rebecca, Matt was more or less stuck in it.
“Can we go to Fort Myers at the weekend again? Pleeeasse?” All three looked up expectantly.
“Hey guys, lets really get down to it this week so we can knock off early Friday and get down there!” And with that, there was a sudden rush to the door.
I went into the HR department to talk to Aristo’s line manager.
“Is something wrong?”
“No, no. I just wanted a chat with your manager about something.” As I walked into his office, Aristo’s boss slammed his laptop shut.
“Can I help you?”
“I just wanted to ask you if we dealt with security recruitment or is that something that the airport sorts out?”
“I think generally, the airport deals with security. We do have a firm that organizes security for our offices, it’s cheaper to do it that way. So no, it’s not something we deal with normally.”
“And what about in Florida? Are there any positions that Can Am is responsible for?”
“Hmm. Stewards, pilots, nothing much.”
“Oh that’s a shame. Ok. Thanks then.”
“You are aware that we’re looking for a driver for you?” He asked as I was almost out of the door.
“No! Really! Awesome! Hold on though, haven’t we reached a saturation point with staff?”
“The request came from Melvin. He did say I could take my time with it, but that you should really have a chauffeur in the future.”
“I hate being driven everywhere. I’ve got an Olympic medal in being a bad passenger.”
“Melvin wouldn’t have put the request in, if it wasn’t necessary. Do you want to be on the panel?”
“I’ve got an idea. Hold off on it. No, tell Melvin you are taking your time on it!”
I rang Aaron from the corridor.
“Think hard about whether you can relocate. I’ll need you here Wednesday and Thursday this week. I’ll have a ticket sent out to you, send an email to [email protected]”
“Wednesday? I’ve got …. Ok. Yes. But I have to be back by Friday to man the doors.”
“I’ll bring you back home, don’t worry. See you Wednesday!”
“Aha. So you are going to bring me home this time! That’ll be nice. See you later!”
I had noticed a gradual change in me. Just a small change. Yes I had done business studies in Germany and had managed people before, but this was another dimension to it. One call from me and people would drop everything just as it was and to enter into a completely different lifestyle. Maybe I hadn’t changed so much as my job had lit up entirely different possibilities, which just weren’t there before. I just hoped that I recognized the responsibility that came with it.
Rebecca’s talent for making me feel small and terrified only seemed to get sharper as I answered the questions that she put to me. She attacked again and again when I met her for press training.
“You are really mean, do you know that?”
“I’m nice. You wait until the reporters get hold of you. They aren’t scared of being fired by you. You feel too comfortable here in your own home zone. I just hope you don’t faint when you’re put on stage.”
“Well, it’s best to be prepared.” My telephone shrilled.
“Why are you sending the Hulk a ticket?”
“Matt, I’m in a meeting. Aaron’s going to drive me around on Wednesday and Thursday.”
“And you can’t find anyone else in L.A. to do that?”
“Matt, just send him a ticket, will you?” My nerves were frayed.
Rebecca and I went for lunch. We talked about the marketing campaigns of other companies, about her upcoming holiday, how our own marketing was going and in between she would fire off another question that I had to give an immediate and plausible answer to.
“Get used to it. Try answering with a compliment first, that gives you time.”
“I love your camera, what type is it?” I answered. Rebe
cca laughed.
“You do that when you want to make it clear that you don’t want to answer. You do it something like this: ‘We can take some really great pictures of suitable subjects afterwards with that fantastic camera of yours. Our terminal can process 2000 passengers at a time and we think that gives our passengers the advantage of less waiting time, superb comfort and shorter layovers.’”
“Rebecca, you really are top of your game.”
“Right, then you should also be top of your game. You are the one who matters here.”
“Have we organized a little get together afterwards?”
“Oh yes! We’re going to have pralines, ha ha ha and of course champagne and canapés. But you have to disappear after half an hour, because we don’t want you to be seen as a playboy CEO.”
That evening, Matt and I jogged through Hollywood and after I was just about finished. Gavin had left us a salad with a tasty seeded loaf.
“Can we just sit by the pool and do nothing tonight? I’m really knackered. Rebecca went on about the party fiasco at the weekend, all day. She didn’t let up! She asked if I was into drugs, if I knew the guy, if I was gay, if I’ve got a girlfriend, if I’m married, if I was for or against same sex marriages…”
“Do you think they will ask things like that?”
“Maybe, after that picture in the press.”
“Oli, darling. That picture was teensy-tiny and I’m sure it’ll be yesterday’s news real quick. Don’t you think?”
“I think reporters research their subjects and if they find an juicy story, it’s going to sell more papers than a boring old terminal launch, that’s for sure.”
“I think you need a massage tonight. You’re so tense!”
On Wednesday, Aaron arrived in a suit which was, of course, nearly busting its seams.
“Ok, I have an event at the airport today. You’re my driver and will stick by my side at all times. Tomorrow there is a talk show. Same procedure.”