Chapter 1

To most it sounded good. Me I’m Mike Manzinni and always thought Murphy was an optimist so I took another road. Let’s see; $38 Mil a year for 20 years, right, after taxes like $11 or $12 Mil net a year. Option 2, $258 Million now, lump sum, after tax and the State’s write down of the $789 Mil jackpot. What to do?

To me it was a no brainier since some states were already going broke. Ford, GM, Chrysler and Detroit, sank Michigan, the unions and their $70 an hour coffee breaks chased manufacturing overseas, and the virus, wildfires, storms and the lousy economy hit most everyone else. So, no, ‘Kemo Sabe’ I’ll take my ball in cash, before you too go under and play somewhere else, thank you very much.

Assuming I’d earn a bit more and longer than 20 years; $100 Mil went to Fidelity, $100 Mil to Merrill Lynch and I put the remaining $58 Mil partly in a checking account with the rest under my pillow since that .78%(Pre-tax rate) the banks were touting just did not do it for me.

Water out West had always been a problem, now a pretty severe one so property was further depressed. The apartment building, well let’s just say the bank or me meant 100 grand difference to the former owners; so, yeah, not much of an investment I know but I got me a dozen three and twenty two bedroom units for about half what they were going for last year. I moved to California taking my money with me.

They say ‘California was the place to be’ at least that TV show did. I remember Ellie May but not much else than that. Oceanside it was then, my new home to be. It was on the coast, fairly close to the Park and beaches so I just had to buy a convertible. Not to be too different, it was used but still looked and ran great and was a lot less to buy than a new BMW. My first look at the Condos matched that until I viewed the pool areas. Man, Green and Brown was not the shade I expected for a pool to be. There was nothing else around it either.

Mr Fix-it Repair Company got Jobs 1 and 2, Home Improvement R-Us got 3 and 4. The Model and my new home were to be made into one unit, a biggie with 5 bedrooms and near the pool. Ah yes, the pool area. I went around the places at noon, 4 pm and 8 pm; feeling like Dr Pepper and asked, “I’m the new owner. What would you want ‘our’ pool area to look like? Anything else ‘we’ need since I will be living here as well?”

They say ask and you shall receive. Well, everyone who spoke to me had a pet project but most prioritized a few of the same things. A working pool(Remember water was expensive and rationed in this area), a party/meeting room and something for the kids. OKAY! Plan one, change the pool to a saltwater(From the Ocean), one with tables, chairs, lounges and umbrellas around it. Plan two, gut and equip Condo 123 into a multi-purpose suite. Plan three, a new wading and a Kiddie pool. I added three hot tubs and 4 of those propane grills. Cost $243,000(This was California, remember) plus the costs for the work on my new digs.

I mapped it all out, had an artist sketch from my re-make contractors make one for me and the handy-dandy copy center packaged up 35 sets of the new pool area and common room to handout. I intended to play Dr Pepper again, figuring three trips at 10 am, 2 pm and 4 pm would get it done. I was wrong. Ashley Sue Haynes opened door number one, my first stop and that fry pan in the sky hit me; and hit me hard.

“Mom, there is some guy at the door.”

“Tell him, the rent check is in the mail.” ‘Well, could be most of it anyway’ she thought to herself

“The rent is in the mail!” as she started to close the door.

I had to admit California girls are ... are ... something special. Maybe it was what she was ‘almost’ wearing that I remembered so well. This one was no exception., I would never forget her. I rang the doorbell again. An older vision opened it this time with a new potential Miss LA and the previous Miss California peering out from behind her.

“Look, this has been a sort of ‘Bad’ time for us. I don’t have the rent OK, and probably not for next month either. We, my daughter, she...”

Miss potential LA stepped up and standing out, very out, like a 38-D size pushing the halter she wore into a losing battle with gravity. “Mom means me.”

I saw her face and it was not Halloween but this one girl was decked out like some slasher victim. “I got hurt and ... and...”

“And I am trying to get the money for her to get her face, at least fixed up. The damn insurance won’t pay, they said it was ‘Elective’ and ‘Cosmetic’ and the ‘frigging’ guy that hit the car has no insurance, some migrant that can’t even speak English. Look at her, at 15, the kids at school make fun of her and she can’t even go to...”

No tears but something was causing those faces to drop into frowns.

I nodded. “Yep, I think you got your priorities right. Hi, I’m Mike. I’d like to help.”

“Right, cheap sex slaves and Santeee Klous(Santa, the North Pole Dude) and the Easter Bunny are real! I’m sorry, just pissed at the world right now. I work two jobs, trying to help Sam and Ash is trying to get a job to earn some money, hard on a 17 year-old here and Sam ... Sam...”

Tears now. A lot of tears. I made a call. ‘I need to speak with a personal injury attorney. I’m Mike Manzinni, Mr Berger handled my purchase of a condo complex so I thought I’d call you first. OK I’ll hold. (Muzak or... ) Yes, Miss ... Sure Carolyn, I’d like for you to speak to... (Beth ... Elizabeth Haynes, whispered) to Elizabeth Haynes about a severe injury to her daughter in a car accident.” I handed her my cell, took Ashley and Sam by the hand and went for a walk. We stayed in-sight of Mom so none should worry about us leaving. My place had chairs inside, unlike the pool area, which I pulled outside and we sat down to talk.

While we talked, so did Mom then she slowly walked over to join us with an almost smile on her face. She handed me back the phone. “She is suing ‘my’ insurance company. Said to just get Sam’s face fixed, like it’s so easy; the want $250,000 down before they even will begin...”

“Yep, we talked. My two new Complex managers are covered by my insurance from now on and whatever else she needs will be taken care of by ‘The Company’(Me). So just do it like she said, let’s just get her fixed up, not ‘that way Fixed’ I meant, I’ll go with you if you want and we’ll...”

“You can’t do that, it’ll be too...”

“Must be the smog. You have trouble hearing, do you? I said, Ashley, Samantha and I talked already. You, go work with the ‘Legal Beagles’ on that lawsuit, we’ll take care of the rest. Is this Dr Quasimodo you got that price quote from or whatever, any good?” That got a laugh.

I handed the cell to Ashley this time. “Find some other great Plastic Surgeon in Burbank. Tell them Samantha is a top model and her company wants the very best there is to fix her up.”

We, all four made the trip up to LA to meet Drs Meztger, Sloan and Phillips who made the short list. Metzger, at $450,000 seemed the best but was the highest price. His track record, according to what Miss Black(Carolyn) could find out was A-1 and he did many models and actresses. ‘We’ decided on him. Samantha was overjoyed to think she could look normal and scared shitless at the same time, that it would be painful. Who could blame her?

That first meeting was a consultation. Dr Metzger shook his head. “It’s not so bad. Much scaring not even healed deep. We do as ‘out-patient’, in few months she is good as new, 3 months more we fix neck and shoulder then she, back to work.”

We told him, “in reality, Samantha was still in high school. It was a car accident and the driver had no insurance so we were paying ourself, not the insurances.”

“She needs very good face re-construction then and time to heal I will not just shoot her up with drugs; but slow is best way, not plastics in her just to look good, not at 15. Many small surgery are needed and she will have much pain I’m afraid. I have daughter too and this is same I do for her; we will do this right way too; for you cost is $150,000 or less, you no tell anyone though.” I wrote him a check. “Danke’ Herr Metzger.” He and I both nodded. The girls were crying again.

LA traffic is a bitch.(Surprise, surprise someone needs to get off the freeway before another can get on) We, however would be taking a Helicopter and booking a suite at the Ritz-Carlton on Olympic Blvd near the LA Medical Center for every treatment. Using a helicopter, in 27 minutes we left Oceanside and got to LA; a short limo ride took us for surgery from the ‘Crown-Plaza’s’ Heli-pad. Samantha, Ashley and me, it sounded like some movie title, but I wanted to go with her. The entire trip was focused on, with girls, what else, the helicopter rides, limos, luxury hotel services and most of all my promise to take them shopping. They said the pampering they had at the Spa and rooftop pool at the R-C helped the healing. I’m sure they were serious, right. Elizabeth told me off when we got back the next day, “saying ‘they’ were impossible’ to live with now after you spoiling them a bit, you take them to live with you now.” I think she was kidding because she hit my arm while saying that. If she was not joking, both immediately would have a new home, wait, was Samantha just 15 she also said?

By the third trip, it was just Samantha and me. Ashley was now running with her new job as my complex manager. The latest idea, this from a number of the Moms in the complex was for a Day Care thing. With the cloud of Samantha’s medical bills off their back, new jobs for Ashley and Samantha things got interesting.

Elizabeth and Ashley, along with a list of Mom volunteers that were hot to trot, they said it was costing the Moms over $125 a day each for child care so this would be very welcomed; no wonder most worked two jobs in order to pay for it. I suggested they use the new meeting room/party center as a start to see how it worked out. Ten Moms would rotate as babysitters with older kids helping out. Moms looking after kids and no longer needing two jobs to do it. As an aside, I asked Samantha to hire a nurse or two to help out the Moms during peak times.

The cost to the Moms would only be for the nurses, now their costs for the ten of them were like $350-$500 a week not the $7,000 or $8,000 the Day Care was charging them per week.

I was starting to feel like a harem king one day when Samantha cuddled up and grabbed me saying that her ‘sweet sixteen’ birthday was on Saturday. “I’ll be legal then!” Why she said that I was not sure but I remembered those words while reserving a suite again for another of her upcoming treatments, maybe we needed a few days there instead of just one.

Still, I tried to talk Ashley then Elizabeth into going with ‘us’ for Sam’s treatment, but no joy, or was it something else now that was on my mind? I got Samantha a gift, two really. We were now spending so much time together that I never noticed SHE was moving clothes over, had claimed a bathroom and was staying over each week the night before her surgery; “easier to get up early that way” she would say. I guess wearing less and less clothes around me and nothing at night was easier to get ready too. I guess(I peeked once) saying” every week was easier in the morning that way Huh?”. Anyway, my gifts for her were next on my to do list.

She got the car(2016 BMW 435i Turbo); Hell, it was used anyway. Ashley was to pick out some jewelry for her. Right, like anything on Rodeo Drive would be a bargain, especially at Harry Winston’s. Mistake number one or maybe it was no 2. That Ash lies were soon discovered, well a un-truth or not the whole truth maybe might describe what she did. She said the gift was the lowest price of all of them. They even wrapped it and took my credit card. She said Sam’s size was nearly the same as hers. That alone should have been a warning. What she never said was that the ‘Halo’ ring was $37,000 plus tax and a luxury fee. Rather, she casually mentioned that HER birthday was coming up too. The restraining belts must not have been working properly on the way back because she sat so close to me the two of us had to use mine. Her hair kept whipping my face on the bird. Of course she had to sit on my lap. Had to. Right, and the moon is made of green cheese.

It became apparent that a man had no chance against a woman, at least with these two; their Mom was no better, she could have said something. Her, “You’re not a Mormon or better yet a Moslem(Muslim), are you?” was not what I expected to hear from her. Should have been another warning. The birthday party, an event with ‘unintended circumstance’ written all over it was next. That present, you know the one Ashley gallantly picked out was opened first. Sam saw it, I watch her jump up, leap on me, mash her face into mine, kissing outside then exploring the inside of my mouth with her tongue, while saying, “Yes, Yes, Yes!” I remember seeing the look on Ashley and Elizabeth’s face. My mouth stayed open so I could breath, while Sam had one arm around me in a ‘Death Grip’. Never, ever, give a girl like Sam a ring, I tell you, instant Wedding Bells ring in their head even if nothing like that was intended. Perhaps that would not be so bad though.

I never did tell you much about the girls, did I? ‘Not going to, they are mine!’. I thought.

Well(A deep subject) sort of like, mmmm ... they were both a California girl, Mom too. The ‘Beach Boy’s’ song pretty much was right-on about the way they were, except these two exceeded that description though. To date these three had cost me nearly half a million dollars. That should qualify for something, no? They were expensive to keep, that is all I am willing to say. That night, the; “When we finish the move ‘WE’ can use our old one as a model or let the nurses use it.”

“Move, ‘WE’, Nurses?’ Was I asleep that long?” I said aloud, thinking I was alone trying to sleep. The elbow on both my right and left side hurt. I was not alone. “Mom’s in the other bedroom, your lucky she didn’t hear you!” I discovered one more thing about them, all their hair coloring was natural and they really wore nothing to sleep in. Wait, that’s two things isn’t it? The “Just let ‘US’ know if ‘WE’ can do anything to ... I mean for ... err, you know what ‘WE’ mean, Right?” Yep, having them around would not be so bad; Right?

For the next few days, breakfast, lunch and dinner each had some reminder that other ‘birthdays’ were coming up, the big 18 for Ash. By day 3 I relented any hesitation. “WE should go and get some Birthday gifts, I guess both Ashley and Elizabeth’s are around the same time, right?”

“I’ll go with you for them, I’ll go, I’ll go; I now their sizes and everything!” this from Sam.

“How fortunate I am, nice to have some help since I figured a toaster and mixer might be nice ... or we could go to the same place we got you something.” ‘Ha’ I thought to myself. ‘What good would it do for me to disagree with anything they wanted?’ They all already were living with me, not that I was complaining. They cooked, cleaned and kept me entertained day and night, nights especially. What’s a man to do. We got a huge discount, right, free wrapping and a catalog showing more stuff to buy.

Ash’s, “Now that you bought all of us engagement rings, does that mean we all have to be Moslem or do ‘WE’ get collars and leashes instead?”

I wised up to them. I answered, “Yes!” Not satisfied yet, I continued, “and Morocco still has slaves.”

“Oh goody, we get those slippers to wear too.”

“Yes! but we will need a bigger bed and room for the children when they come!” Her wink and raised eyebrows distracted me from clearly hearing what she said. It sounded like, ‘What’s a girl to do?’ We got collars, leashes, waist and ankle things and a faux whip for me, right, like I would ever use it!

Every trip to Rodeo Drive saw my girls(Yes they were my girls) laying down a small rug and prostrating themselves whenever the Saudi Princes nearby did so. The rise of the minis they almost wore when ‘WE’ bent down stopped a lot of traffic(Not me), both foot and vehicle. I guess we were now card carrying Moslem; three wives, right? Time, place and money made some difference and Rodeo Drive in the day was like Mecca. The greeting from Harry Winston’s shop made one Saudi Prince, stop and stare at us. His greeting in Arabic, ‘As-Salam-U-Alaikum’ was returned with my ‘Wa Alaykum as-salam’. My girls said ‘sawf yujib almaelim’(Master will reply) They had been busy bees studying I guess. His ‘taeal wazarni ya ‘akhi’(Come visit me Brother) was something not to be ignored.