Chapter 17: Su Casa

The next few days were a whirlwind of activity that stretched the Fleetwood’s capabilities as transportation, home, and office. So, during a house-hunting trip in Show Low, while Lenna checked out a huge lot of manufactured homes—Peter dropped his girlfriend off at a Chevy dealer for suitable transportation. She rejoined them two hours later at a Mexican restaurant, where Peter, Charity, and Lenna were seated with Jacali propped up in a highchair gnawing on corn chips. Charity was holding the baby and munching voraciously on chips and salsa.

“How did it go?” Kathy asked as she tossed her woven purse on the table and slid in beside Peter. She kissed him happily before sipping his Dr. Pepper.

“Once we get this little savage used to the notion that she doesn’t have to dwell in a teepee anymore, it will be easier,” he snorted, earning him a glare from across the table. Charity giggled beside her aunt.

Kathy turned her questioning gaze at the older woman.

“It’s just so ridiculous!” Lenna blurted. “Those homes are ... excessive. I’d be scorned even more than I already am for living like a ... a...”

“Spinster?” Kathy suggested with a bemused smile.

“Yeah, whatever that is,” Lenna frowned, “Those homes are way too big for me, and your ... boy, there wouldn’t even let me consider a smaller single unit.” She was interrupted by the appearance of their server, who took their orders and returned with refills.

“So let me see if I got this right,” Kathy said as she reached for a handful of chips. “You are upset because the homes aren’t good enough for you? Or are they too good for you?”

Lenna sensed she was being interrogated and stared back at Peter’s girlfriend haughtily. “They’re all just ... ridiculous,” she replied.

“And excessive,” Charity mumbled with her mouth full.

Lenna nodded quickly, “That too.”

“What’s so excessive about a home for you and your daughters?” Kathy persisted.

“You’d have to see for yourself,” the Apache girl snorted. “Decorative doors, huge kitchens, garbage disposals, gas fireplaces—”

“Gasp! Not a garbage disposal!” Kathy mocked, covering her mouth dramatically. Peter tried to contain his laughter. “Don’t tell me it had a dishwasher too?”

“She liked the skylights,” Peter interjected, earning another scowl.

“You shoulda seen the huge bathtub in that triple-wide,” Charity mused as she sucked down her second soda.

“Exactly! Who needs a freaking bathtub that wastes 50 gallons of water?”

Kathy sighed tragically, “It takes a certain resolve to be able to soak in a bubble bath with a glass of wine and a—”

“Oh, shut up! You know what I mean,” Lenna retorted defensively. Then she sighed miserably. “It’s just all too much to take at once,” she sniffed emotionally. “Those homes are all very nice, but everything is way too much for just me.”

“What do you mean ‘just you’?” Kathy asked. “You forget about these two baby girls?”

“No!” she shot back. “But it’s just us, you know?” she replied sadly as she sank lower in her seat. “After I was rejected last time...” she sniffed pitifully, “I don’t have any family here anymore.”

There was an awkward silence at the table.

“Wow!” Charity quipped in a low voice. “That didn’t hurt at all!”

Lenna looked stricken as she turned toward the younger girl. “Char, come on! You know what I mean—”

The fourteen-year-old turned on her angrily. “No! I don’t know what you mean, Len,” she growled, trying not to upset the baby in her arms. “Look! I get it! Your dad’s a total dick! We all hate him! But that doesn’t mean we don’t love you!” Tears sprang into Charity’s eyes as she sniffed loudly.

“Oh God!” Lenna cried softly as she scooted over to hug the girl tightly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way, baby. I love you too.”

The girl nodded and reluctantly shrugged out of her aunt’s embrace. “Then stop acting like such a fucking crybaby!” she snapped irritably. “Fuck them! Fuck all of them! Len, you have a great thing here.” She glanced at Peter and Kathy, who were gaping at her. “Pete’s like the ultimate sugar daddy,” she scoffed. “He’s gonna buy you a house and provide for you and the girls ... and you don’t even have to divorce his ass for it!”

Kathy filled the restaurant with gales of laughter, and Peter had to wipe his eyes as he recovered.

“I love her!” he gasped, taking a drink.

“Where did you learn that language?” Lenna demanded crossly as several servers arrived with trays of food.

Charity gazed at her sizzling fajita platter. “From you, stupid head!” she retorted as she began loading a flour tortilla, one-handed. “And just for the record, I would love to live with you, in your ... oh, so ‘excessive’ home!” she mimed arrogantly. “If you ask nicely.” She dipped her finger into her sour cream and touched Abigail’s mouth, giggling as the baby smacked her lips.

“Oh, I really like her,” Peter grinned to his girlfriend as they watched the byplay between the two.

Lenna gazed at her niece dubiously. “So, you want to mooch off my hospitality?” Her tone was firm, but her expression suggested the girl’s offer took her aback.

“There will be conditions,” the teenager responded aloofly. “Max comes too.”

“Max?” Lenna gasped. “You’re kidding?”

“Who is Max?” Kathy asked.

“Maximillion Mustafa the Magnificent,” Charity responded dreamily.

“Max is her stupid horse!” Lenna grumbled.

“He’s not stupid!” she retorted. “He’s smarter than you!” she sucked on her third soda while glaring at her aunt. “And he’s a pony!”

Lenna turned to the two across from her. “That oversized glue stick bit me!” she griped, pulling aside her collar to reveal a scar on the left side of her neck.

“That’s because he doesn’t like you!” the teenager replied with her mouth full. “Maybe if you weren’t so mean to him and stopped calling him names--”

Kathy and Peter stared incredulously at the girl, shoveling food into her face like it would disappear.

“Why not sell that monster to the glue factory and get a dog?” Lenna grumbled. “Now you want me to build a coral too?”

“Mmmhmm,” Charity mumbled with her cheeks full of food. “I fugha abow Snowball,” she added.

“You got another horse?” Lenna asked in disbelief.

The girl shook her head as she chewed and took a giant sip, finishing her drink. “She’s my puppy,” she answered, looking for their server and holding her glass. “She was one of Stinky Begay’s pups. She looked like a cotton ball until she grew out. Oh, and she’s pregnant too. I think Sammy’s dog Gandalf did the nasty with her this Spring.”

Peter felt Kathy quivering beside him and turned as she collapsed against him, shaking with silent laughter.

They continued devouring their lunch and making idle talk. After clearing her plate, the twig-thin girl gazed at the remaining plates, deciding whether to risk a raid like her ancestors.

“I spoke to the manager at the manufactured home dealership,” Peter stated after he was done. He slid his plate across the table toward the unsubtle teenager, eyeing his untouched rice and beans. “I’m happy they offer complete installation packages, home delivery, and set-up.” He sipped his drink. “They will subcontract everything, including the road, septic, and even the well.”

Lenna nodded thoughtfully. “That sounds awesome. But I still don’t see why you are pushing me toward that triple-wide,” she replied. “That’s way too much house for us.” She subconsciously included the girl beside her.

“Well, where do you expect us to stay when we visit?” Kathy asked. “You’re not gonna stick us in a teepee with Max!”

Peter nodded and shook his head when Charity belched loudly, causing Jacali to giggle. “Kathy is right in a sense, Lenna,” he stated. “If you think we’ll set you up in a house and then disappear, you’re mistaken.” He toasted her with his glass. “I like it here and plan on hanging around after we return.”

The new mother regarded him quizzically. “What do you mean? Where are you going?” He sensed the sudden insecurity in her voice.

He paused when their server returned with the check. He handed her his credit card and asked for a round of horchata. “Kat and I must return to Seattle to wrap up some business. We’re selling our company to the group that licenses our games, and I have to handle a couple of other transactions while I’m there.”

“When are you leaving?” she asked unhappily.

“Don’t worry,” he replied casually. “Not for another week. I want to get the ball rolling on your homestead and ensure everything is kosher. The plan is to leave the Fleetwood here, so you have a roof over your head.” He paused to look at Kathy. “What kind of car did you get, babe?”

Kathy had a sudden devious smirk as she smiled back at him. “They had a sweet burgundy Silverado 1500 on the lot that I couldn’t pass up,” she replied. “It’s got four-wheel drive, a 4.3-liter, V-6 engine, and an offroad package.”

“Sounds great,” he replied, studying her expression. “What’s the catch?”

“Baby,” she replied defensively. “There’s no catch. Why does there have to be a catch?” She winked at the other two women.

He sighed with disgust. “You got a stick shift,” he muttered. “You couldn’t help yourself, could you?”

She giggled as the server returned with a tray of four glasses of white liquid. “Suck it up, babes,” she smirked. “You gotta learn to drive a stick sooner or later.”

“You can’t drive a stick?” Charity blurted as she sniffed her glass. “What’s this?”

“It’s horchata,” he grumbled. “And yes, I can drive a stick. It’s just—”

“Yeah, right!” Kathy laughed. “Let me tell y’all about the time he nearly destroyed the transmission in my Datsun ... right in the DMV parking lot!”

The fifteen-year-old took a tentative sip of her drink and then began chugging it. She belched again and wiped her mouth before offering the last drops to Abigail. “I’ve been driving a stick since I was a kid,” she chided.

“I thought I was gonna like you,” Peter retorted sourly.

In two days, a Grader and D-9 Cat turned a rough track into a decent road to Eagle Plateau, as Lenna called it. Another operator used a backhoe to carve out the septic drain field by the site for the manufactured home. Once the road was done, the Cat leveled the site for the next crew. They poured a concrete pad for the foundation at Peter’s insistence and expense. By August’s end, the site was ready, and the septic tank and drain field had been inspected and covered. Nearby, a 500-gallon propane tank was set up for heating, and the 100kw generator. All that remained was for the home to be completed at the factory and delivered. When Peter and Kathy returned from their brief trip to Seattle, a well crew had finally begun drilling in a spot 50 yards away from the site and opposite the septic drain field.

Once the road work was completed, Peter and Kathy drove to Phoenix and flew to SeaTac, where they were greeted with heavy skies and torrential rain. During the dreary ride to Auburn, Peter made several calls and touched base with Alan, who was on winter break and had just returned from a weeklong introduction and familiarization event at Berkley.

“I’ll be there, bro,” he said as the limousine weaved smoothly through the afternoon congestion headed north on I-5 past South Center before merging onto 405 East. “Not sure where you’re at, but traffic in Kent sucks ass!”

“Yeah, we just came to a complete stop on 405,” Peter grumbled.

“God, I don’t miss this crap at all!” Kathy lamented beside him.

“Screw that! I’m taking 167.”

“You’ll probably beat us there.”

Alan was waiting for them in the spacious lobby of the Plaza Center building, where ORCA Games was headquartered. Peter shook out their borrowed umbrella while Kathy squealed joyfully and raced across the large room, flying into her old friend’s arms.

Peter was amazed by the change in the Korean boy’s appearance. He had lost weight, which made him appear taller, and wore contacts, which gave his once-round face a more chiseled look. His eyes still reflected his boyish charm when he laughed happily and embraced his best friend in a strong hug.