Tag
Copyright© 2025 by A Well Traveled Man
Chapter 14
Early Thursday morning, Tag was in the kitchen drinking his protein shake, taking vitamins (I call brew), and headed to the gym. He did the off-day routine, starting with stretching, martial arts forms, stretching again, and tai chi. Then he showered, sat in lotus, and centered. He awoke, ate breakfast, headed through the tunnel, and exited the new garage. Tag pulled the Ford pickup out and closed the garage. When the contractor arrived, he gives Ben a remote and request to keep gate closed while working to avoid neighbors bitching. Then he stopped by the postal center, picked up the mail, and returned to the new house.
Tag parked the truck in the garage and saw the forms had been set and rebar laid. A cement truck pulls through the gate, and the pour begins. He watched the crew work the concrete into the corners and around the form with a special tool. They are packing the concrete in all the voids and using a long-handled, oversized rake to move it around, evening it out. The concrete truck leaves, and they are still working the surface while another man puts long threaded rods around the pour. Tag watched, and the worker takes measurements and double-checks before pushing the rod in. Tag asked Ben what the rods were for, and he said securing the building to the slab. Tag walked to the house, thinking the precision of ten guys working together doing different jobs was amazing to watch.
He locked up the house and walked through the tunnel home to finish going through Jay O’Keefe’s files. Tag had just finished the last box, and this guy was really demented. There wasn’t anything Jay would not do. He meant sick, really sick shit Jay did to people, and reading the reports, the sicker it was, the more excited Jay got. These are copies of reports Jay sent to his superiors. We have a bunch of insane people working for the government.
Tag put the files away and made lunch. After lunch, he went through the tunnel to the house and checked on the crew. They were cleaning up, and Ben said the slab needs to dry, and they will return on Monday. Tag locked everything, went through the tunnel to the house, and programmed Vol 5 Russia for the rest of the day. After dinner, Tag drank the brew, headed to the gym, and did his nightly stretching, forms, and bag work (heavy and speed), followed by slow stretching. He showered and sat in the lotus position, centered.
Nothing much happened Friday through Monday except the auction. He bid on several machines and tools, but the bidding was crazy, with several guys bidding against each other. It seemed some ringers were in the bidding, driving the price up. Tag made sure he remembered the three of them. They won nothing and looked happy about it. He met with Rob, increased the weight, and kept the reps the same. He said my progress was going great. Tag stopped by GNC to replenish the protein and vitamins for his twice-daily “brew”. The contractor started framing the addition to the garage. And he finished programming Vol. 5, Russia. It still needs troubleshooting.
2 a.m. Tuesday, Tag was in the kitchen drinking his brew. He headed to the gym, did his off-day workout, and headed to the shower. After his shower, he centered, woke up, and headed to the kitchen for breakfast. He was taking flying lessons using an alias, so he drove the Cuda to the Santa Monica airport. The class was 2 hours, and we covered FAA rules and regulations. The instructor, Mike Tucker, said we will have a test on the material on Friday. He said we could schedule flight training after passing the written test on Friday. Mike took each of us for a demo ride, and Tag knew then this was something he wanted to do.
He headed to the new house. The crew made good progress. He locked everything up, headed up the tunnel, and had lunch. Tag studied until dinner. After dinner and drinking the brew, he did his normal nightly training and showered. After his shower, he sat nude in the lotus position and centered.
Nothing really exciting happened for the rest of the week. The contractor said he was looking to finish on Tuesday. The warehouse’s secure overhead door came in, and they scheduled Monday for installation. He passed the written test for flight school, took a physical, and paid a fee. The instructor sent all the paperwork in, and we would meet on Monday at 1 p.m. to discuss the cost and schedule of accelerated fight training. Oh, and he finished troubleshooting Vol. 5, Russia.
Early Saturday morning, Tag was in the kitchen drinking his brew and headed to the gym. He did his off-day training and started working up a sweat doing forms, flips, leg sweeps, and back flips. He was ready to take it out on the heavy bag when he saw it ripped from the beating the other day. Tag skipped the bag workout, stretched, showered, and centered. He felt something would happen, but couldn’t identify it. He awoke, went to the kitchen, and had breakfast.
Tag hopped in his Mustang, drove to the mall, and visited the sporting goods store looking for a new bag. All they had was canvas, and Tag asked the clerk if he knew where he could get an industrial/professional heavy bag. He said a major gym supplier was 5 miles from town and gave directions and the address. Tag left for the supplier, and when he pulled into the parking lot, it looked like a bomb had gone off. Tents were everywhere, and the building was half gone from a fire.
He approached one of the employees and asked if he could purchase a heavy bag, and he pointed him to a gentleman 10 feet away. Tag walked over and asked the same question, and he said everything was for sale. He pointed to a tent and said they were in there. Tag walked in, and they had heavy bags almost twice his size and everything in between. Tag walked out and asked about the pricing if I purchased 14, two of each size.
They agreed on the price, and the employee separated his purchase and drove home. When Tag arrived, he went upstairs, grabbed a backpack and two stacks of bills, and hit the tunnel running. Tag hopped on the soft tail and rode to the warehouse. He pulled in, hopped in the box truck, and pulled out. After locking up, he headed south and pulled into the gym supplier’s parking lot. Tag paid the man, loaded up, and headed to the new house.
He unloaded the truck and drove back to the warehouse. Tag parked the big truck, pushed the bike out, locked up, and hopped on the soft tail. While out, he checked the mailbox and headed to the new house. Tag parked, grabbed or hoisted the big, heavy bag on his shoulder, and made it to the tunnel entrance. Then realized he used TK to carry it. So, he used TK to get down the tunnel and into place in the gym. Tag looked at and said we will have a discussion in the morning, and went to the kitchen for lunch.
Tag went through the mail, and he had another check from Nintendo for $525k. He guessed the game was doing well. There was notice of another auction by the airfield in Santa Monica scheduled for Monday at 9 a.m. He would be there anyway, so he thought, why not go? He headed upstairs to start Vol. 6, Italy, and worked on programming until dinner. He ate dinner, drank the brew, and headed to the gym. Tag did his nighttime workout, looked at the huge bag, and beat it as hard as he could with kicks, spin kicks, and punches.
We agreed to settle this later. Tag worked the speed bag to cool off and headed upstairs. He took a long, hot shower, sat in lotus, and centered.
At 2 a.m. Sunday, Tag was in the kitchen drinking the brew and headed to the gym for his off-day workout. He finished, headed upstairs, showered, and centered. When he awoke, Tag headed downstairs for breakfast. After breakfast, he walked down the tunnel, opened the kill room, and looked around. Then he went to the garage, brought in all the heavy bags, and rearranged all the hanging bags. One section was like walking down a gauntlet.
Tag looked at the finished product and was impressed. He returned to the house and continued programming Vol. 6 Italy until lunch. After lunch, Tag went to the new garage, worked on the wide glide, and got it ready to put back together when the parts arrive this week. When finished, he headed down the tunnel and looked at the kill room door as he passed, thinking we’ll meet on Wednesday, and headed up for dinner. Tag ate dinner, drank the brew, headed to the gym for his evening workout, and assaulted the heavy bag. He was one tough big guy and cooled down on the speedbag. Then he showered and centered.
Early Monday morning, Tag was in the kitchen drinking brew and went to the gym. He did his full Sensi workout and weight training. Then he dressed in black and headed to the woods. As Tag entered, there was a sense of respect between us, and he started tree walking, flipping forward and back. Rolling off the tree walk and flips, Tag exited feeling like he was part of everything, growing as he walked home. A shower followed by centering. He woke and had to hurry to make the auction in Santa Monica.
Tag grabbed a backpack without noticing how much money he loaded, ran down the tunnel, hopped on the soft tail, and pulled out of the garage. Tag closed it all up and rode to the auction address on the card. It was at the airport at the far end, in a large warehouse that backed up to the airport. He walked in, and a table was there for registration. Tag paid $100 for the bidder’s card and the list of auction items. He noticed a 4-year-old twin-engine Beechcraft Barron not airworthy, and many industrial machines, office equipment, and miscellaneous items.
Tag walked outside the warehouse and saw the plane. It looked in good shape, but the interior was trashed. Its dash was ripped out, but otherwise, the interior was in okay condition. An older guy looked at it and said the person who owned it rebuilt the engines and would update the electronics when he died. Anyone with enough cash on hand will have a fine plane. Tag asked what he thought the dash would cost, and he said at least $25k.
We went inside, and bidding was hot and heavy, so he went and got two waters, found a seat, and drank his water until the bidding started for the Beechcraft Barron. It reached $70k and stopped. Tag bid $71k and won. Tag paid the man and asked where he could store it, and he said two doors down and pointed. With the paperwork in hand, Tag hopped on the bike, rode a block, and found the business. It was an airplane repair shop, and he walked in and met the shop owner, Frank Stanton.
Tag told Frank of his purchase. Frank said it was sitting here waiting for the funds to start the dash update when the owner died, and we were left holding the bag, so to speak. Tag asked about the cost of finishing it and getting it airworthy, and Frank quoted $20k. He asked about the engines, and Frank said the previous owner bought them new and had us put them in. Tag told him he’s the new owner and wants him to complete the dash redo.
Tag said it was two doors down and Frank said he would tow it. He gave Frank a $10k deposit and said to give him two weeks. Tag got a receipt and went to lunch at a nearby burger joint. He ate and cruised to the other side of the airport and saw a sign hanger for rent. He turned around, stopped at the building, and saw an old guy working on the hangar door. Tag asked about rent and said he had 2 for rent, $2,000 monthly. It comes with a gate pass and entrance key to the hangar. You can also park your car in the hangar while you’re away.
Tag told him he had just purchased a twin Cessna and would take one spot. Introductions were made, and his name was Wayne Kirkland. Tag asked if Wayne could start renting in 2 weeks because it’s in the shop. Waynne dates the rental to start in two weeks, and we shook hands and he left. Four grand, he’d better shake his hand. Tag drove to the flight school and walked inside. They sat down and worked an aggressive schedule of 20 hours per week. The instructor, Mike Tucker, asks why so fast, and Tag says his last relative lives in Wyoming, and his health is getting worse.
Flying up is expensive, and the schedule is very limited. He lives almost six hours from the airport, but a ranch next door has a landing strip. His neighbor offered to use it when he gets his license. He just bought a twin Beechcraft Barron, and it’s in the shop and getting work on now. So, you can see why he’s trying to learn as fast as possible. Mike asks about the plane and knows about it. Mike said he made a solid purchase. Tag paid for the first week, and we started walking around the plane, and he pointed out areas to look at for wear. We checked the oil and fluids and then got into the plane. his instruction began.
Two hours later, we were taxing up to the school and stopped. Mike instructed him to fill out his log and shut down the engines. We tied down the plane, walked it again, and went to the office. Mike said he did very well as a first-timer. We set a 9 a.m. Wednesday. Mike also told Tag that once he had his license, he needed to qualify for the twin. Tag left excited and drove home. The crew was cleaning up, and it looked great. It had access in, and you couldn’t see it even looking right at it. He was extremely pleased and told them so. Tag locked everything up and headed to the new house. After locking the doors, he entered the tunnel and walked home. Tag was tired but ate dinner, drank the brew, and went to the gym. He did his nightly routine and challenged the heavy bag, but it was tough. Tag cooled down on the speed bag and headed to the shower. He showered, sat in lotus, and centered.
The next two weeks were busy. He completed his flight training and passed his ride-along. Tag will start his twin rating this week. His plane was finished, and he had his car interior guy pick up the seats, redo them, and measure for the flooring. Then, he removed and replaced the flooring and the seats after the dash was completed. Tag was so impressed with the repair shop’s work that he took a handful of cards to pass out. They towed the Beechcraft Baron to his rented hangar.
The contractor completed the addition and can remember doing a good job, but he does not remember any details about it or what he did. The crew was happy with the bonus and only remembered doing a good job. The room under the addition was a vault. He wanted to spread everything around and have access. Tag had ordered a vault door that the contractor installed, and it was a secure, solid steel access door that locked like a vault door. If anyone wanted in here, they would be disappointed.
2 am Monday, Tag was in the kitchen drinking my brew and headed to the gym. He completed Sensi’s routine and weight training, dressed in black, and walked to the forest. It was like ringing the doorbell, waiting for permission to enter. He walked in and went to work, and one hour later, he was walking out tired but one with everything and could sense the complete area around the house. Tag would guess his range has improved, but he never measured it, so who knows? He took a shower, sat nude in lotus, and centered.
At seven, he wakes, goes to the tunnel, and runs to the new garage. Tag hops in the Cuda and drives to the Santa Monica airport flight training center. The flight instructor, Mike Tucker, and Tag hop in a golf cart and drive to his hangar. We open the door, hook up the tow bar, and pull it out. We close everything up and inspect the exterior, then the fluids and water separator. Mike explains that water is a major problem if it gets in your fuel. Be sure to check and drain every time you fly.