Chapter 5: Karen meets her grandmother

Luck wasn’t with me in the morning for Father and Kim were at breakfast. “Where are you off to this early? Don’t tell me you are gainfully employed?”

“I am father, and have been for awhile. It is a salaried position searching for information on the internet. I’m hoping it will turn into something bigger after awhile.”

Kim spoke. “Charlie, I saw him in an office yesterday doing just what he told you.”

“Father, you planned taking Kim and I out to dinner Saturday. I’d like to bring a young lady as my guest. If you can’t get tickets for the concert, maybe I can get one from some scalpers.”

“I’ll see what I can do. You probably will not like the concert anyway. If you don’t think you will enjoy that kind of music, you may bow out. What is the young woman like?”

“I can answer that Charlie. I met her yesterday and I liked her very much. She is a charming individual and will make a nice dinner companion.”

“Christ Jimmy, I don’t know anything that is going on with you. Kim knows more about you than I do and she has only been here a couple of days.”

“Calm down Charlie, that’s what you brought me here for. Jimmy has opened up to me and he is trying his best to do the same with you.”

“Dad, I told you I would listen to Kim.”

“I guess you are.”

I gobbled up breakfast and headed for work. Again, I thought about being more or less on my own, trading commodities after my birthday next Monday.

I worked intensely all morning. Caroline came up to the attic and reminded me that Ramona was going to talk to us after lunch. “I can come down now. Nothing is cooking I can’t leave.”

“Good, you can play with Karen. She is fussy.”

“I’ll close this down, then. Is Ramona here?”

“Yes, in my apartment with Karen.” Matt never paid us any attention so I touched him on the shoulder and made the motion I was leaving. When we reached the back apartment, Karen came running to me, all smiles. I sat at the kitchenette table and Caroline made me a coffee with my sandwich Winnie had made and given me. I shared with Karen, as usual.

The three of us went in and sat on the couch. Karen flopped down on the floor, looking at a book that Ramona had brought with her.

Ramona began talking, immediately, “Caroline, you wanted to know how I became involved with your father. Roy was heading up the committee that was looking into the vice racket in our fair city back a couple years after I graduated high school. I was well established with myself and five other girls in a call girl business. Some were in my class in school. We were careful to keep safe and healthy.

“Our clientele were well-to-do business men so we thought we had the world by the tail. The only problem we had was a couple of other women had set up a few months before I did. They were jealous for one thing, and the clientele they serviced was a rougher crowd. Two of my girls were beaten badly so that is why the city started looking at the problem.

“I and my girls were hauled in. Roy your father, is the one from the committee who interviewed me. There was an immediate attraction between us.”

Ramona stopped speaking. I had a feeling she had done something she wasn’t proud of. I hoped it wasn’t something to do with Roy. He was married to Caroline’s mother.”

She continued after a bit. “Understand, the sex activity didn’t shut down entirely. Women were just that much more careful. But then one sex worker was found dead less than a month after the committee was formed.

“The committee chairman charged Roy with finding a person to go under cover to discover just how bad this segment of society was. To prepare me for this, I was charged and fined in open court. I was advised how to go about my undercover work. Was it dangerous ... of course it was. I was successful though. Short of two years, I worked at this before I had identified the worst culprits. I was also lucky to escape from being fingered as a spy.

“I wore a wire, but never used it when being one on one with those I was targeting. I did turn it on when I was in a meeting with others and was able to identify who said what later from the information I gathered. My main and most effective efforts were scoping out the places where the higher ups who controlled the sex industry met. I turned this information over to Roy and he was able to have cameras and audio installed in these places which were very successful.

“I had to have one more court appearance before I was released from the committee. This time I was ordered to perform hundreds of hours of community service rather than jail time. I was quietly given the option to choose where this service was to be performed. Jimmy can guess where this was served.”

I spoke up, “It is Planned Parenthood isn’t it?”

“That’s correct. I did my service and have continued being an advocate to this day. As far as the crime in the sex industry was concerned, the person who had the young woman killed was charged and is still in prison. What illicit sex there is now is usually just separate individuals making enough money to live on.”

Caroline spoke, “Ramona, you haven’t told us about how you and Daddy got together. Did this happen before my Mom died?”

“No, it was years after her death. I would run into Roy occasionally, but we never had a long conversation. We didn’t connect in anyway again until you went wild and Roy wasn’t paying attention to his wayward daughter. In the years while you were growing up motherless, Rutledge and your father moved up and into the city government as Mayor and Roy as his assistant.

“Rutledge married a widow with a son from her previous marriage. Roy became concerned when you moved out of your home and in with Jacob Horner. A year later Horner was informed that he had impregnated you. He ran, first to his mother, Erin Horner Rutledge. She tried to convince him to man up with his responsibilities. He agreed long enough to get several thousand dollars from his mother and then ran from both you and her.”

“He never gave me any money.”

“We know. Rutledge found out about this, and was pissed at Jacob his stepson, and upset with his wife, Erin. That isn’t the only one who he was upset with when he found out that it was his assistance’s daughter who was the one pregnant. He had a meeting with Roy and Erin and told them to straighten it out and hide it because he didn’t want the newspapers to get a line on it and damage his reputation in the administration.

“Roy came to me. He was to hide you from sight until the child, if it lived after being born, for a period of years. Erin Rutledge has been providing the money to pay for the apartment. It is Roy who is been giving you the money for your upkeep to live on. All I have been doing for Roy was to find the apartment. I had one open at the time so you immediately was able to move you into it where you still are.”

“The attraction Roy and I had for each other back to the time of the Committee slowly developed when he would ask how you were handling being a pregnant unwed mother. I have to say, I didn’t begin to have any affection for you until Karen was born. Understand, I couldn’t have children because I had a procedure performed when I decided to make my life being a sex worker.

“As Karen developed into a pretty, happy child, I wanted more for you than what I could see in your future. By this time, Roy and I were occasionally sleeping together. Suddenly there was a young man at my door, actually a kid, who was looking for one thing.

“Caroline, I discussed him with you, and you agreed to meet this young man. I think you thought because Jimmy was so much younger than you, you could treat him like Jacob treated you. By this time, I could see that Jimmy was very ambitious and both of you needed what the other could provide. It hasn’t worked out like I thought it would because he treated you as special and wanted to make you better than you ever thought you could be.” Ramona, grinned. “Caroline, tell me this isn’t better than expected?”

I answered the question, “It has, Ramona. You have guided both of us and have been the stable adult in our lives. I hope you will continue to be.”

“Thank you Jimmy, I love both of you.”

“Ramona, I’m going to get on Daddy’s case and tell him to man up and marry you.”

“I was hoping you would feel that way. Roy really is a good man, he has just been overshadowed by Richard Rutledge, the mayor.”

I was ready to go back up to the attic. Ramona took up her handbag, saying, “Jimmy, I have something you gave me four years ago.” She handed me an envelope. It felt empty. I looked at it and it was sealed. It had my name on it. “Open it.”

I did. There were four one hundred dollar bills when I them spread out. “Ah, my Pussy Allowance. Ramona, you never gave these to Caroline did you?”

“I didn’t have to. A woman always feels better if she can give herself, to a man, rather than charging money. That is if the man is of a decent sort.”

Caroline certainly found no fault with this, “You’re wonderful, Ramona.”

“Thank you, Caroline. It is something I learned long ago. It was true then and it is true now with your father and me as an example.”

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Leaving, I received hugs from Ramona, Caroline and, Karen, I made my way back to my computer and the business. I played catch-up on what had gone on in the market for most of the day. It was four-thirty and the settlements were coming in.

Caroline came in quietly behind me and leaned down and whispered to me.”Daddy called me. He asked if you could get away from here tomorrow afternoon between one and three. You are to go home and he will arrive with a personage who has a vehicle that is well known. That’s why he wants the meeting on the outskirts of the City. Daddy will be the chauffer. He is going to pick up Karen and me to ride out with him. It would be nice if you have a room where we can speak privately.”

“Tell him I can provide the privacy and I can have Winnie and Rachael stay in the kitchen. I’ll have you come in the front entrance. I’ll even have it so you can pull the vehicle into the garage and close the door if necessary.”

“I’ll tell him. It seems pretty foolish to me though.”

“The option is there if that is what is needed.”

“Okay honey. Love you.”

When I got ready to leave, I told Matt that I was going to be out again tomorrow between one and three. “That’s okay kid, you have a lot going on. For all of that, you don’t shirk on your work. Sometimes I wonder how you do it. Things may get busier for me outside of work before the summer is over. You can cover for me at that time.”

“Great Matt. Things are looking up for both of us.”

I arranged things with Winnie and Rachael to stay in the kitchen area tomorrow afternoon. I was going to have a meeting of sorts in the study with a person who wanted to remain private.”

Winnie asked, “What about Kimberly, she may be here too?”

“Well, shanghai her and relay my request. She should respect my wishes. I may be able to get her aside tonight and do it myself.” (I didn’t see her and couldn’t get her alone in the morning.)

When I reached Ramona’s in the morning, Ramona spoke to me about what was happening this afternoon, “I’ll be in the car and come out to your house with Caroline and Karen. Roy will be driving Erin Rutledge’s town car and it is easily recognizable being well known in the city. Erin wants to keep this meeting as quiet as possible.”

I gave directions to help keep this fact a secret. “Well, you had better have Roy drive in off the street here. Remember Karen has to be in a car seat and it takes a few minutes to install.”

“Okay I’ll tell him. I’m surprised that I was asked to be included. I have never met Mrs. Rutledge, although we have talked on the phone several times about Caroline and her well being. I have never been to your Dad’s place, but I was curious enough to drive by to see where you live. Your house is huge and you have kept it up nicely.”

“Yeah, I have. That’s Father’s excuse for paying me such an big allowance. I do have pride in my home so I don’t feel bad about taking his money. He thinks all along I just use it to pick up women.”

“Jim, you are going to have to become friendly with your father.”

“I know Ramona. I find it easier with Kim living with us. We actually have a conversation together. I laugh because she tells Dad to behave just like she tells me.”

“You like her don’t you? I haven’t met her yet, but I’d like to.”

“Ramona, I do like her, she has some of the same qualities my mother had.” I charged Caroline and Ramona to tell me everything that occurred and what was said until they reached me at home. One of them should have a chance to fill me in.

I left shortly after noon and had time for lunch in the kitchen with Winnie and Rachael. I wondered how Caroline and Ramona were making out.

In town, Roy pulled to the curb, jumped out, and installed the car seat. Erin Rutledge was sitting behind Roy, Caroline got in behind Ramona who sat in front with Roy. Karen crawled into the car seat and was buckled up. She immediately turned to this unknown person.

“Hi, my name is Karen. What is your name?”

“My name is Erin. I like the name Karen. In fact Karen is my middle name.” There were tears showing a little bit in the elder woman.

Erin looked over Karen and asked Caroline. “How did you come to name your baby, Karen?”

“Jacob told me that your middle name was one time. I had no real connection with you before she was born, and I have never met you. I just thought someday I should meet you.” Caroline grinned, “It would give us an opening about something common and give me a few points if we didn’t get along. As far as Jacob is concerned he is out of my life even though it was him who donated his sperm for Karen.”

“I take it you don’t want to know what happened to my son or any information about him?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Even so I’ll pass this on. I haven’t seen anything of him since he left you. I actually gave him quite a bit of money to make sure you were taken care of, but he just abandoned both of us. I have had him tracked down and know where he lives, but I haven’t tried to contact him personally so he is out of my life as well. He is a big disappointment to me.” She paused, “To tell the truth I gave Roy money for you as well when I came to the conclusion Jacob wasn’t going to be a father to the child. I told Roy to help you but I didn’t want to know you at all.

“Roy called me yesterday and told me you were planning on getting married and that I could stop the money I was providing by Labor Day. I decided I should meet you and your baby.” While Erin was speaking, she opened her hand bag and took out four little dolls about four inches high, She lined them up on the tray on the front of the car seat. They had bases so they were standing.

“Caroline, I am ashamed I haven’t contacted you personally, although I have often wondered what the child was like. Now that I have met Karen, I think I’d like to make myself known to her and to you. There is some paperwork that needs cleaning up and that is the reason we are meeting today.” This left Caroline hanging on that subject.

Erin went on, “Have you had adequate housing and care?”

“I guess. Daddy said I could not live at home until Karen goes to school. That will be this fall. She was enrolled in public schools in pre-kindergarten. She is smart and I’m hoping she can start first grade instead of Kindergarten in the fall.”

“You must have her evaluated so as not to have her struggle to keep up.”