Chapter 53

"Luis, we have decided you must vacate your apartment since you have broken two of the articles in the agreement you signed when you moved into the towers. We would like for you to be out by the end of the month," the chairman said.

Luis looked shocked. Why I don't know since he had expected it. He looked at me like do something. "Mr. Chairman I think you need to give Luis the required thirty days notice at least. Thirty days would give him till March 20th. March 31, would be better," I said.

"And who are you?" the chairman asked.

"I'm Luis's advocate, his daughter could not be here. I also have a very good friend who is a reporter with the Capitol City Times. He would probably want to interview the so called victim in this matter to make absolutely sure that you aren't lynching the Latino immigrant," I said.

I could see the wheels turning. The Latino community had been organized by the liberal politicians during the immigration reform fight. Since then they were always looking for a fight. His job would be on the line, if he got bad press of the magnitude that could be brought down by this issue.

He made the executive decision to allow Luis till the end of the next month. I considered it a victory even if Luis didn't.

"What was all that about?" Luis asked angrily.

"I told you to stall. I can give you a choice, if you wait till the end of March to move out," I said.

"What kind of choice?" he asked.

"I have bought the site to build an artist community in Roaring Gap. I can use a first tenant and manager of the community. You can make a final decision when you see the building I'm going to offer you. Either move to Roaring Gap, or move in with your daughter. It will be totally up to you," I replied. It was quite a speech, but it helped me understand my plan to finally say it out loud.

"You will have this Village ready by the end of March?" he said.

"If we don't have a big spring snow, at least one house will be ready then yes," I suggested.

On the drive back to the senior towers we picked up a pizza. In his apartment he leaned against the window ledge with a slice of pizza in his hand. "You know I don't have many friends from the old days. Most of them are dead now and some are still in jail."

I waited but he didn't go on. "Well I guess you get lonely then?" I suggested.

"I haven't known anything else for at least thirty years," he said. "I guess I'm used to it. Being alone, I mean. I'm trying to say thank you. I think living with my daughter would kill me."

"Well we can't have that till you teach me all you know," I suggested.

"That may not be long. You are a pig when it comes to devouring information," he said.

"Well this pig needs to get home, before dark. I will have a place for you, just keep your head down in the meantime. Don't gloat over your partial victory," I said as I started for the door.

The drive back was uneventful, just long. Driving from the plaza exit to the Country Store could be treacherous at best. The road was icy in spots even though there had been no new snow recently. The sun caused the standing snow's runoff. It ran across the road only to refreeze at night. That's why I wanted to be home before dark. I made it even though the roads were starting to refreeze even in the dusk hours.

The Country Store was chilly since the fire hadn't been banked for several hours. I tossed a paper plate on top of two new split logs. The animal fat of the paper plate caused the fire to catch very quickly. It would still take half an hour to reach maximum temperature in the room so I sat in my thermals and heavy outerwear. I removed only the hunting coat.

The cabin had finally started to warm up and I was down to the thermal underwear when the phone rang. "Hello," I answered since I didn't even check the caller ID.

"Senorita Rose, we are ready to begin?" Carlos asked.

"Yes we are ready. We can start in the morning, if you are free," I replied.

"I will be there at eight and work until five." he suggested.

"I might be there a little later. My morning begins with a trike ride to keep fit, even if I am working on the buildings. So it might be 8:30 so begin with the house that needs the most work and is close to the concrete block bones. Start demolishing the house and I will be there shortly," I said.

"Very well we will begin with the house across from the black walls. I know you want to rebuild the block building first. That way the materials will be close at hand," Carlos said.

"That sounds reasonable. I should be there before you get very far into it," I promised.

After talking to Carlos I had to get back into my routine, if I hoped to calm down enough to sleep. From my freezer I took a tray of frozen beef stew. It was a brand I enjoyed. I put it into a small aluminum pot. The pot had two handles, one on either side. The handles looked like cabinet hardware more than handles for a cooking utensil.

It would remain on top of my wood stove for some time. At least until the house smells of the cooking stew. I opened a pack of the fancy rolls. I used them for everything from garlic toast to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

I took my one cast iron frying pan and put it on the stove once the stew was ready. I let the butter melt then I grilled the split rolls with just enough garlic salt to make it noticeable on the buttered toast. A can of diet coke off the back deck and dinner was served.

After dinner I check the mail and found the test message awaiting me. It was a monthly exercise in futility. Since the Church Camp seldom had a message for me, they sent a test message once a month or so. I was expected to respond with something nonsensical just to screw up anyone who bothered to hack into an account that seldom said more than come to papa in a very elaborate book code.

I began looking at floor plans for small modern houses. I should draw something, I thought but I just really didn't have any desire to draw. I was too excited about the new project we were starting. At about 10 PM I found my way into the Matchmaker chat room. It was a Wednesday night so there wouldn't be such a high percentage of losers like there would on Friday or Saturday nights. Those nights it was guys who couldn't find a date. Weeknights it was mostly bored men. Some claimed to be recently divorced or widowed, other claimed to be my age and never married. If I read between the lines it looked as though there were several men looking to find wives. Lots more of the women were looking for serious relationships, ones that had the potential to lead to marriage.

I was surprised at the number of women claiming to have had bisexual experiences. I guess they were trying to appear fun and adventurous, since very few of them were looking for female partners. I wasn't either but I also didn't want adventurous, since I had that at home. Jeremy and Alice came to mind for that kind of thing, not to mention my first few jobs for the SBI.

What I wanted was a guy I could drop in on and spend a few days in bed. Someone who had a real job that was so boring when he described it at cocktail parties people fell asleep. In other words, a man who was disgustingly normal. I did not find him that night so I hit an adult chat room for a quick fantasy fix. Quick turned into an hour in which time I managed to find a man who could write well enough to get me inside my own head and the fantasy orgasm which ended with me clenching my teeth and forcing the climax. It was a slimy orgasm. I was forced to wash before I went to bed.

The next morning I got out of bed early to get the heat up then bank the fire so it would last till I got home. We were still having freezing temperature right up until noon. However spring was on the way. The old guys hanging around Hardee's said the weather would be changing soon. It would be cold but not freezing during the daylight hours. There might still be a few freezing temperatures at night, and it might be cold during the daylight hours but not icy.

So I banked the fire to keep some heat in the house, even if it dropped down to forty inside I could live with that. I just didn't want frozen pipes or any of the other nastiness that went with below freezing conditions inside.

I raced with Jeremy and Alice to Hardee's. It was a good race and even Alice finished within seconds of Jeremy, who finish too close to me to declare either of us the winner.

Once inside I agreed to buy since it would have been my turn, if we had done it that way. When I sat down at the table I noticed the SMP officer point a cell phone toward me. I hung my head. Since I had my hair tucked into a knit cap like a laborer, I figured I was pretty unrecognizable. Still it bothered me to have a cop shooting a picture of me. I decided to shake his ass up. I stood and walked to his table. I took a picture of his badge, his nametag and finally his face. Then I took a picture of each of them.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" the one with the Sergeant's stripes asked.

"Ask the officer here what he was doing taking my picture," I suggested. "I think there is such a thing as professional standards where you work. If not there should be," I said.

"I wasn't taking a picture," the officer said.

"Of course not, and I didn't really take yours either," I said. "Of course it might have looked like it, but I really wasn't."

"So tell me whose picture were you taking?" I asked.

"You three are here so often, I was just curious," the SMP officer said.

"What plans do you have for the photo? You plan to do some background check on us without any probable cause except we eat breakfast where you do? Boy this is really going to look good on the State Police Takeover blog," Jeremy said.

"Oh I think we might interest the State Cable News Channel, especially since I have pictures of your badges and faces," I suggested. The government intrusion nuts should have a field day.

"Okay, what do you want?" the sergeant asked.

"There really isn't anything we can do to protect ourselves, except to tell our story to someone who can get some leverage," Jeremy suggested. "I mean even if you give us your word to lose the file, it isn't really going to mean much."

"I'm going to have to agree with Jeremy, the only way we can keep our privacy from being invaded is to tell our story first. At least that is what we will have to do should anything come of those pictures you shot," I said. "We might have no expectation of privacy in a public place, but then neither do you.

We were outside about to get on our trikes when Jeremy said to me, "There is never a dull moment around you."

"Yes he is right. I am so glad we became friends," Alice agreed.