The Story of Charlie Mullins

by Jim Wygand

  “Your French is excused. I like it when you talk dirty.” Charlie laughed.

  Gina laughed with him and then said seriously, “Just talk to my uncle. He will understand where you are coming from and will expect you to understand where he is coming from. He will offer no apologies nor will he bask in his accomplishments or reputation. He is a man who, as you say, puts his pants on one leg at a time.”

  “Look, Gina, I hope I did not offend you or your uncle…”

  “No Charlie, I am not offended and you did not offend Uncle Carlo. I know this is a different world for you. Your world is different in a lot of ways for me, too. The normalcy of your life that you find so tedious would have been wonderful for me. You didn’t have to worry about whether someone you just met would be terrified of your father or think that you might be able to do them some unusual favor like having someone killed. People think that, you know.”

  “Gina, the only thing I am really sure about at this point in my life is that I love you and want you with me for the rest of my life. Everything else pales by comparison to that goal.”

  “That’s all we need, Charlie. Just that commitment to each other, as long as we have it, nothing can bring us down.” She kissed him tenderly, “I love you Mullins and thanks for showing up when you did.”

  “Now, changing the subject, would you like some veal parmagiana? It’s in the oven steeping in a delicious tomato sauce. I’ll cook up some pasta and we can forget the world and have a delicious meal. Can I trust you to open the wine?”

  “I’ll do my best my Italian countess”, Charlie headed for the wine rack.

  As they ate their dinner, Charlie told Gina of his plans for Saturday. “Gina, I’m going to softball practice tomorrow. I want to hear what the guys are saying about the company and I am especially interested in what two of them might say about their wives. I have not seen anyone following me around so I presume my little trick with the timers worked.”

  “I hate to disappoint you Charlie. My feminine intuition and knowledge of the wiles of busybody women tell me that your little trick, as you call it, didn’t fool them.”

  “What was I supposed to do? I couldn’t just leave the house dark all the time. That would have set them off too.”

  “There’s nothing you could have done, my dear. If you left the house dark they would have been curious. They are still curious and they are certain that you have your lights turned on and off for a reason that they are determined to discover. You did the only thing you could have done. But male logic is no competition for female determination. Take my word for it, they are as curious or more so today than they were before. They probably have some reason for lying low right now and I suspect it is the situation at the company.”

  “That’s hardly encouraging!”

  “I don’t mean to encourage or discourage. It’s just the way they are. Be prepared! Just go to your softball practice and see what you can find out. That’s the only thing you can do.”

  * * * * *

  Saturday morning Charlie brought Gina her coffee in bed and then left for Shoreville. He went first to his house to check the timers and to pick up his gear. The house seemed deserted and devoid of any life now that he was sharing Gina’s apartment with her. It was eerily quiet and he looked at his furniture as if it really belonged to someone else. He had been there only a couple of days ago, on Wednesday night, but it seemed like it was long ago. It was amazing to him how Gina had so filled his life. He decided to take a few of his books with him when he returned to Philly. He looked for a number of business books, especially those that dealt with acquisitions, to use as references in his assignment. He threw the books into the trunk of his car and drove to the park for softball practice.

  Charlie noticed that the mood of the group was light. Everyone had been relieved to know that Phillip Shaw had been released from the hospital and was initiating his recovery program. They were now convinced that things would, in short time, be as before. He made sure that he was close to Bill Gallagher and Bob Simms when he told several of his colleagues that he was extremely busy because of Phillip Shaw’s absence. The Executive and Finance committees tended to pass down more work than Phillip did. He told them that the tendency to delegate had increased with management by committee. He hoped that Bill and Bob would pass on the information to their wives.

  * * * * *

  Charlie had no way of knowing that at this precise moment, Sharon Gallagher and Diane Simms were talking on the telephone. “Diane, do you believe me now? Charlie Mullins is not, I repeat, not at home when his lights are on. Even if we accept that he has more work to do, where is he doing it? It certainly is not at home, right?”

  “Well, Sharon, to be honest, I had not checked on his comings and goings recently. Bob has been worried about whether he will have a job if Phillip does not return and I confess that I have been too worried to think about Charlie.”

  “You can forget that now, Diane. Phillip Shaw will be back on the job within a month and Charlie will still not be home. You can bet on it.”

  “Sharon, do you really want to continue with this stuff? I mean it’s not really our business. Charlie has his own life. I kind of like the guy and I feel funny about prying…”

  “Oh for heaven’s sake, Diane,” Sharon admonished “I like Charlie Mullins too. We all went to school together. I knew Mary Jo but didn’t like her that much and I know a lot of women who could make Charlie happy. Has it occurred to you that I might not be prying but simply trying to help Charlie? But we can’t help him if we don’t know who that woman is that he is seeing. I mean what if she is some gold-digger or some floozy? Charlie made a mistake once with Mary Jo, how do we know he won’t make another one?”

  “It would be Charlie’s mistake, wouldn’t it?” Diane asked.

  “Diane, if I were making a mistake, wouldn’t you tell me as a friend? Wouldn’t you let me know if I was running the risk of ruining my life?”

  “Well, yes, Sharon…”

  “How is this any different? Once we find out who the woman is, we can either back off or tell Charlie what we have learned if he is treading on thin ice.”

  “OK, Sharon, OK, but I really feel a lit bit uneasy about all this.”

  “Cool it, Diane! We are just trying to help a friend. That’s all. Get that through your head and quit fretting. Now, once the dust settles on the company situation and Charlie is less burdened with extra work, we can get back to trying to help him. Bill has been a nervous wreck with Phil Shaw out and I have been making a point of staying quiet and at home.”

  “Yeah, Bob has been nervous too. He said people in the lab are all wondering what might happen. He seems to have calmed down a bit since the last announcement that Phillip Shaw is recovering and will be back on the job in about a month. He was even telling me to watch my spending and tighten up the household budget.”

  “Well, it will be over soon and no one will be happier than I to see it end. Even the kids are asking if Bill might lose his job. By the way, are you going to the beauty parlor today? I thought I would be a little extravagant and get my hair done for the first time in a couple of weeks.”

  “I hadn’t planned on it, but yes, let’s go. Now that it appears that Phillip Shaw will be coming back, I think I can afford to go back to familiar ways.” Diane laughed.

  “OK, I’ll see you at Mabel’s place in about an hour. Bye.” Sharon rang off.

  In view of the light mood of his teammates, Charlie decided to stay for a beer and a slice of pizza. He would keep it short, but he might get some information from Bill and Bob about what their wives were up to.

  When they sat down to their beer Charlie heard Bill Gallagher say, “Well, I was nervous about the job situation with Phil Shaw being out, but I have to confess that his heart attack put the fear of God into Sharon. She’s been treating me like a king! Even the sex has improved! Anything she can do to keep me from getting upset she does. Maybe Phil should stay out a little longer,” he laughed.r />
  “You guys are something else,” Tony Mazza chimed in, “Charlie told us all that things were more or less normal in the company and that nothing was going to change.”

  “Yeah? Well how do we know if they are lying to Charlie, too?” Bob Simms asked, “I mean he’s not on either the Executive Committee or the Finance Committee so he just knows what they tell him, too, right?”

  “Well, yeah,” answered Tony, “but he is smart enough to know if he is being conned. He gets a lot of information from the operations guys and they do sit on the Executive Committee and his boss, Perkins, sits on the Finance Committee. He’s in a helluva lot better situation than we are to know what’s going on, that’s for sure.”

  “Tony’s right,” said Artie Samuels, “if Charlie thought something bad was coming down for his friends, he’d tell us.”

  “I guess you’re right,” said Bob Simms, “but I’ve been nervous as hell since Shaw went to the hospital.”

  Charlie entered the conversation, “Guys, come on, you can relax now. Phillip Shaw will soon be back on the job and things will return to normal. There’s no need to worry.” He knew that for the first time he was hedging his information to his friends. “Well guys, I’m gonna have to cut out a little early today. I’ve got a backlog of papers to work on. It seems those guys in the boardroom don’t like to work so hard and we all know that shit rolls downhill.”

  The group laughed in unison and Tony Mazza said, “OK, Charlie, get your ass moving. Our jobs are in your hands,” he laughed.

  Charlie took his leave and headed home. He reset his timers, washed his uniform and put it in the dryer. While the uniform was spinning in the dryer he showered, changed, and then went through his bookshelf to see if he might not have skipped over a useful book or two. He picked out one more volume and set it aside to take back to Philly. When the dryer stopped spinning he removed his uniform and folded it carefully on top of the dryer. He checked around the house one more time, and then went to the garage, got into his car and drove to Philly. As usual he checked for surveillance along the way.

  * * * * *

  When he got back to Gina’s apartment he went immediately to work on his assignment. Gina walked over to him and kissed the top of his head, “My, aren’t we busy on a Saturday? How was softball practice?”

  “Fine, sweets, the guys were in a much lighter mood after hearing that Phil Shaw would be returning to the company. They see him as steady and cool and they don’t know the personalities of the members of the Executive Committee so they were all worried.”

  “And the wacky wives?”

  “Well, Bill Gallagher and Bob Simms both said their wives were quiet and doing everything to keep peace in their respective households. Bill even said he hoped Phil Shaw would stay out a little longer!”

  “Boy, his wife must be a piece of work!”

  “She is. I’ve known Sharon since we were both kids in school. When she gets her mind fixed on something, she is relentless. She recognizes no limits and is as irritating and shrill as a dentist’s drill when pursuing what she wants. Diane Simms is a little different. She has always been Sharon’s alter ego but she gets scared if things get a bit rough. She doesn’t like confrontation while Sharon welcomes it. Sharon always pushed Diane around when we were in school.”

  “She sounds like the kind of woman I would like to meet in a dark alley. I’d welcome the chance to scratch her eyes out!”

  “You know something? I think you could do it!”

  “Just let her mess with my man and I’ll show her what a South Philly broad can really be like!”

  “I hope it never comes to that, Gina, but if I need your help, I’ll ask for it.” Charlie laughed.

  “Deal,” Gina said firmly, “Now, would you like some lunch? I thought I would put together a light antipasto. Is that OK?”

  “Great,” said Charlie, “I want to get back to my papers so I can talk to your uncle tomorrow.”

  Charlie picked up his binders and moved to the dining room table while Gina went to the kitchen to fix their lunch. “Charlie,” she cried from the kitchen “don’t forget we are going to the trattoria tonight.”

  “How could I forget my date with a beautiful woman?”

  “Ah, that Irish charm,” Gina replied and set about putting the antipasto together.

  Charlie decided that he would begin his report with a short executive summary that would lay out the overall situation of the company and cite the major challenges of each division. He would then follow with a section on each operating division that would provide a more detailed analysis of the gradual erosion of profitability and the reported needs of each. He would avoid any negative references to Fred Perkins even though it was Fred’s abrasiveness that could be considered part of the problem. Phil Shaw was not looking for scapegoats, he wanted to bring positive news to the market and to Shaw employees.

  Gina interrupted Charlie’s work to tell him their lunch was ready. She opened a half bottle of wine to accompany the antipasto. “This looks delicious, Gina.” Charlie said. They ate slowly and Charlie came down from his work.

  After lunch Charlie went back to his papers while Gina put the dishes in the dishwasher and organized her kitchen. Charlie worked for the next several hours while Gina used the time to call friends and arrange meetings to discuss her volunteer work the following week.

  When Charlie set aside his binders he was ready for a relaxing evening at the trattoria. “Gina,” he called, “what time do you want to leave for the trattoria?”

  “In about an hour, sweetheart, is that OK?”

  “Fine,” said Charlie. He wandered into the bedroom where Gina was dressing. He looked at her lithe body as she slipped into a light silk dress that clung to her curves almost like a second skin. “My God, you are beautiful,” he said.

  “Ah, you’re just horny from all that exercise playing baseball!” Gina said.

  Charlie pulled her to him and kissed her, “No, young lady, it’s not the baseball, it’s the ‘Gina’ in my life.”

  “You might be in for a long night, Charlie, if you keep that up!”

  “That’s the best news I’ve had this week,” Charlie replied, “ever since I bought those navy blue silk boxer shorts I have been out of control,” he laughed.

  “Out of your control, Mullins, but you’re in mine! I reserve the right to pull ‘em off every time I have the urge!”

  Charlie changed into a pair of khaki pants, and as he was reaching for a blue oxford cloth button down collar shirt Gina said “Whoa, Mullins, I bought you a silk shirt today – no collar. Think you can handle that?” She handed him a gift-wrapped package.

  Charlie opened the package and pulled out a blue silk T-shirt. He said, “Gina, I have been wondering if I should try this kind of shirt some time. What do you think?”

  “I think it’s sexy as hell, Mullins. Put it on!”

  Charlie put on the T-shirt and pulled his blue blazer on over it. He looked in the mirror and was a bit disconcerted but thought he looked pretty good. Gina thought he looked great and said so, “Mullins, you will be the sexiest male in the whole place tonight!”

  “I have to admit, it looks pretty cool, but I will probably be grabbing all night to try to find the collar.”

  Gina laughed, “Enough of the button down world, Charlie. You’re with an Italian broad now. Look the part.”

  “You think I should have a gold chain with this shirt?”

  “Oh God, Charlie – less is more. You don’t want to look like the producer of a pornographic movie, just like a dashing Italian bachelor walking around the streets of Rome!”

  “Is that what I look like?”

  “I can assure you, Mullins, if you showed up in Rome dressed like that the women would pinch your bottom,” Gina laughed out loud, “OK Mr. Sexy, I’m going to call a cab.”

  Charlie and Gina took the elevator to street level and waited in the lobby of her building for the cab. When the car arrived, Charlie held the door
for Gina then entered the taxi. He gave the driver the address of the trattoria. When they arrived, Charlie held the door for Gina. He didn’t see the two “availables” from Shoreville that were on their way to the parking garage across from the trattoria. They were on the way home after some pizza in a local pizzeria. “Say, that’s Charlie Mullins who just got out of that cab.”

  “Nah, Charlie doesn’t dress like that. But it sure looks like him.”

  “No, it’s Charlie, I know it. And that girl with him looks just like the one Sharon Gallagher described at the beauty parlor. I know it’s him.”

  “Well the girl with him sure didn’t buy that outfit in Macy’s basement! Look at her. That purse and those shoes must have cost as much as my car!”

  “Yeah, she’s decked out all right. Do you think Charlie is paying for all that?”

  “Well, he might be paying for it, but he is not picking it out. He wouldn’t know how to buy that stuff!”

  “I’ll betcha it’s not even Charlie Mullins. We’ve just been listening to Sharon and Diane too much!”

  “It looks a lot like Charlie to me. And she looks an awful lot like the girl that Sharon and Diane described. I’m gonna call Sharon tomorrow and see what she says.”

  Charlie and Gina entered the trattoria where they spent a few relaxing hours with some good wine and dividing a delicious lasagna. Johnny the waiter took care of their table and made some conversation with them. He was glad to see them both and to tell Gina how grateful he was for her tutoring of his children. They left the trattoria at about 11 pm and Johnny hailed a cab for them, standing at his usual post until the cab had departed.

  Tomorrow they would have lunch with Gina’s Uncle Carlo.

  XXXI

  Sunday morning Gina and Charlie slept in until just after 9 am. Charlie got out of bed and went to the kitchen to make coffee for them both and brought back two steaming mugs for them to drink in bed.