Chapter 62: Flora Sells

She said, “I see, I see. I have misjudged you. I thought you were young and fun to be with. You are much more than that, are you not?” I have one problem with these. This store is in the wrong place and is too small for these new products. I need to move very soon. We talked about that at one time.”

I said, “I agree completely. Please go see Amiyah Davis. I will buy whatever location you want for your new location. When you sell this place, you can pay me back with the proceeds from that sale. You may want a name change, too.”

After a long discussion with the two girls, I had Ox send us from here to my house. In my bedroom, Flora and I shared a long shower.

We lay down for a nap. Ox woke us for supper.

Oh my. We’re having tacos and burritos for supper. Windy Rhodes said it was Taco Tuesday somewhere, so we were eating Mexican today. I ate Tacos and Burritos like a pig. Flora loved the new food. She was floored by the food at my house, especially the carbonated fruit drinks supplied by the Heillizdt.

After we ate, Paloma collected Flora for a while to go over house rules and things, and get her a room.

Abandoned and on my own, I grabbed a larger Canadian-style briar pipe and a goblet of Chilean Red Burgundy. Windy had brought the burgundy back on one of her trips from Ft Lauderdale. We have an excellent wine cellar now. I went to the roof to think.

Once I was up there, Ox intruded.

“Since Flora is a sales rep, we assume she is not the one sidekick you referenced wanting a while back. Someone who can be a serious assistant for you on the road. You hired Paloma for that, but she holds down the office here, as well as rules the roost here at your house.

I said, “Uh-huh?”

Ox continued, We have found a cousin of sorts that needs a job. He went to an art college in Sarasota. A year ago, he was lured away from his previous employer to work at a theme park in Orlando.”

Ox said, “They lied to him when they hired him; they only wanted him for one project. As soon as that project was finished, he was let go. This is common with this company. It happened three weeks before his first anniversary with them. That meant he also had to pay back the advance pay he received to pay for his move to Orlando. He’s destitute and angry with the world right now.”

I said, “Funny how you tried to slip right past that whole ‘cousin of sorts’ tidbit. What exactly is a fricken’ cousin of sorts?”

Ox said, “Your Mother, Connie Hunter, has an aunt whose name is Lauren Becker. Her Dad lost contact with your Mom’s Aunt after his wife died. She lives in Tampa, Florida. She has a son named Reese Becker.”

“That makes Reese your mother, Connie’s cousin. We think that makes him like a second cousin to you or something like that. We don’t have these kinds of relationships, so it’s all a bit mystifying to us.”

“Reese lives outside of Orlando and is a good sidekick candidate for you.”

I said, “I don’t know. I have done all right on my own.”

Ox sent. “Have you? Didn’t we help you out a lot? Besides that, you really need a human person to interact with. Someone from a comparable background. A sounding board, if you will.”

You need someone from Earth 23 who understands you. He will be someone who will keep better track of things for you. He will do what Paloma was supposed to do. You have so many irons in so many fires at times, I know you feel overwhelmed.”

I said, “How would I interview a man on an alternate Earth for a job here on Earth 19?”

Ox said, “Pretty much like you did with Windy Rhodes, your American cook. We have that well in hand; we’ll handle him similar to how we handled Windy. We posted a job listing only he could see. Great benefits, travel to exotic places, yadda yadda. You can interview him at Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse. It’s off Sand Lake Road.”

Ox said, “We did that with Windy, we will time you to the meeting. You do the interview. If he accepts and signs our tricky Heillizdt contract, we knock him out later that night. He then starts anew on Earth 19 with you.

Ox said, “We will take care of all his loose ends for him, paying him for the loss of his car and furniture. He stays in contact with his mother by email and text. Reese can visit home whenever he wants or needs to.”

I said, “That sounds good, but it sounds like horse shit to me. The recent thing with the Cat people comes to mind. You have put dozens and dozens of women in my path for me to despoil. You even found me a wife, for Christ’s sake.”

Ox said, “Don’t bullshit me. I know you love Ana and are looking forward to her son.”

I said “75% of my turmoil currently is Heillizdt induced. How is a teenager supposed to live his own life with a ship full of AIs and Heillizdts constantly pushing and pulling at him to do this, that, and screw the other?”

Ox said, “Ya, like all that lovely new pussy was a big bother to you. So, are you done whining like a hungry little puppy?”

I said, “So, you are still adamant about this, Reese Becker? I know diddly-shit about him.”

Ox said, “Here is an image of him at his old job. He is 29 years old and does not seem to date. It appears that until now, he has been thoroughly immersed in his career. His art has been his life. The theme park has blackballed him. He got quite angry when they laid him off.”

“Ha-ha, he had to be removed by security. After laying him off, they took back his moving expense money from his last paycheck. That was a real shit thing to do. Their mistake was doing it to his face. His last paycheck was zero. They royally fucked him.”

I looked at Reese’s image in my left eye. Long curly brown hair to his collar. His glasses dominate his face. They are huge and very round-looking. I bet they are no-line bifocals. He’s no ladies’ man, that’s for sure.

He’s wearing a loose, bright orange shirt. Is Reese gay? His face is soft and feminine-like.

His clothes did not fit his angular body very well. It has long sleeves, and he’s wearing blue jeans. He looks fit, if thin and maybe underdeveloped in the chest.

Ox flashed several other pictures of him. Reese needs a serious wardrobe change. I had no idea how a gay man would go over on Earth 19.