Chapter 25

On Monday after class I had an early dinner, then drove on over to Aunt Linda’s. But I was surprised when after she gave me a hug I saw her boss sitting on the couch. I shook his hand as he greeted me, and I pulled the envelope out of my pocket and held it out.

“Well, this is actually for you. Should I give it to you, or to Linda?” He took the envelope and chuckled, and said I could give it to him. But he looked a bit surprised when he counted how much was inside. He looked at me, and I simply said that was for the next two months.

“Georgy Larentiyvich, in this you are like your brother. And like your father, I meet him once. Good man, I see where you get to be like this. Moy dorogoy, please, to go make receipt for my favorite tenant?”

Linda headed into the office, and Sherri came over for a hug before sitting in front of the TV again. And I think it surprised Pavel when after he asked me what I had been doing lately that I had gotten my pilot’s license.

“So, you fly now?”

“Well, whenever I can. I fly sometimes for Pete, that helps me get more hours and I get paid for it also. And I hope to rent one of his planes sometimes, I have a couple of friends that want to go flying with me.”

He chuckled, and said that my brother was indeed a man of his own heart. “He put business first, even as brother he makes you pay. That is good business.”

“Oh, I only pay for fuel, and a token for maintenance. As I told a friend last week, it would actually be more expensive to rent a car than what he charges me to rent his plane. And he says is also for tax purposes, something about the flight hours counting as income and something like that.”

“So, you only fly for him? I thought you were to become a lawyer.”

“Oh, I still intend to become a lawyer. I only fly for him because I do not have my commercial license yet. And nobody else would hire me being so new at flying.”

“Commercial license, you need that to fly others? Like a chauffer’s license for taxi?”

I thought a moment, then shook my head. “No, it’s not quite like that. I can fly others, but I am not supposed to fly others for hire. But I could fly anybody I wanted. The commercial license I think is like one of those that drives a big van as a school bus still needs a charter license. There is no difference between that and a mom van, but I think it has to do with liability mostly.”

He had a thoughtful look on his face when Linda came back and handed me the receipt. She then sat next to Pavel and looked at him. “You’re thinking of something, I can tell.”

“Yes, problem with two of my businesses. See, I do more than just rent places Georgy Larentiyvich. I have my fingers in many pies, some of them are import and export. And a few are having problems moving things from place to place. Tell me, what kind of planes can you fly?

I listed the five I had been certified in, the best being the Bonanza. “And for other plane, you need certification to fly it?”

“Well, not really. It is not really a legal requirement, but it is a damned good idea for safety. Also most insurance companies may not cover me if I flew a plane I was not certified in and something happened. And unless the difference is small, say a conventional tail Bonanza and a V-tail Bonanza I would not feel comfortable without somebody to help show me the differences in how they handle.”

He had this distant look on his face, and we talked for about an hour. And it was a bit interesting to see that Linda was largely silent through this. And finally, he asked me if I could fly to another country.

“Well, I will have to check into what all I need to do first. I might need to do some paperwork, but I should be able to handle it. Why, do you want me to fly you somewhere? We can rent one of my brother’s planes if you need that.”

“Oh no, I not involve Peter Larentiyvich in this. Is business, I hate to impose on friend for business. That is, what is word Linda?”

“Uncultured.”

“Yes, that is uncultured. Improper. No, your brother is good friend, but I think this now solve many problems. You see, sometimes I have shipment arrive late or can not wait for normal shipment process. Ship delayed on way to here or held up at port. I have second supplier, but they are in Mexico and I need goods brought up here. Same time, company I invest in have goods they ship to Mexico by truck. But faster, if when that happen I send plane there with goods for Mexico, and pick up my goods and bring up to me. This, can you do?”

Something about this seemed a bit off. I know my brother was a good friend of Pavel, and he was also Linda’s boyfriend. I asked him how much he was talking about, and he had a look on his face. “Oh, maybe thousand kilograms, around there most times.”

“Pavel, it’s nothing illegal, is it? Not drugs or anything like that. I can’t and won’t do that, but will say nothing.”

He had this look on his face I could not quite understand, and even Linda got a worried look. But he just chuckled. “No, is not drugs. And no, is not guns or anything like that. Is boxes, and what is in boxes is perfectly legal. You can even go to store on corner and buy what is in boxes. Many times is alcohol. I own liquor stores and sometimes have special orders for parties and the like so have to move fast. No, this is just another way I get the boxes is all, a faster way.”

“Well, I would have to check around as the Cessna I would normally use can’t haul that much cargo. Is not the weight, is the volume.”

He gave me a grin, and chuckled again. “Oh, once again I take care of that. You see, friend from back home in Ukraine also run business similar to some of mine. He takes things from Ukraine and sends them all over the world. And he owe me money, and trying to get me to take some of his goods instead of money. Tell me, how big of a plane can you fly?”

“Well, size itself is not really important. Think of it like a car. I get a driver’s license, and I can drive a Miata. Or I can drive a Mustang, or a big pickup, even a motorhome. The limit is really that the plane only have one engine. And that there is somebody that can give me the training I need to fly it safely.”

“OK, training I can do. Friend here, he fly in Red Air Force when Soviet Union collapse. I talk to him, tell him requirement and then talk to other friend and have plane sent here. Have you fly me sometimes, other times you fly boxes and things. Sometimes even fly to San Francisco or Las Vegas. I send things there also, and if rush order be nice to say to get at airport. Makes me sound bigger if I have plane.”

He chuckled, and reached out his hand to me. “Georgy, we have deal?”

I asked him how much, and when he said a thousand dollars a trip, I shook his hand quickly. “Of course, depending on the plane. I know that once it gets here it will need to be certified by the FAA.” He nodded at that, and said was the same when he had cars shipped here from overseas.

When Linda said dinner was almost ready, I begged off eating with them and quickly headed out. And something about this was just, odd. It was a hell of a lot of money, just for flying to Mexico and back. One of my first thoughts was drugs, but Peter almost swore by this guy. And I could not imagine Peter being involved in a drug smuggler.

When I got home I thought about it a bit, then called him up. “Pete, I got to ask you something.”

“Sure George, what is it?”

I explained the evening and my conversation with Pavel, and that he was thinking of buying a plane and having me fly it for him. But when he asked me about school, I assured him I was not dropping out. “No, not full time. He said he runs some import and export businesses also, and sometimes they need a ton or so of goods moved quickly. He said it is legal, no drugs, guns, or anything like that. And he said he can get a plane from somebody in Ukraine that owes him money.”

“Well, that must be a heck of a plane if you can fly it, and it can haul that much cargo. And I know that Pavel must be involved in over a dozen different businesses. I have been to parties at his house before, it’s a mansion in the hills above the Valley. Normally about a hundred people or more, most of them businessmen like him. Most of them Russian or from the old Soviet Union, others are locals. But I can’t say I have ever heard of him outright breaking the law.”

He went silent for a moment, then told me to go ahead. “I mean, I could call him now and ask him about the plane, but knowing Pavel he will know nothing. And not in a Sergeant Schultz kind of manner. If I called to ask what kind of plane, he would likely just say something with wings. I think to Pavel, details like make and model are not important. No more than I would care what kind of car I got from a rental company. Ford, Chevy, Dodge, does not matter. Just so it gets me to and from where I need to go. If Pavel flew to New York, the kind of plane would not matter to him. DC-10, 747, 767, all he cares about is getting there, not what he is flying on.”

He then told me again how he was the same way in computers. “It’s funny, after our first times doing business I just gave him an estimate with three or four options, and he would just tell me to do the most expensive one. Not that he was that rich, but because he knew I gave honest estimates. Heck, my first big project for him came in at half the man hours. Shocked the shit out of him when I handed him the bill and it was far less than I had quoted him. But if you do straight with him, he will do straight with you.”

I thanked him, and after assuring him I was still available he said he would have Harve or Tina call me if something came up. He also said everybody came over to watch the tape of the performance that Becky had sent him.

“George, you looked damned good up there. And I can hardly believe how Crystal and Kirsten looked. You three looked great up there. But tell me, why in the hell did you pick those outfits?”

I laughed, and said it was Peggy’s idea. At that he laughed, and said it was a good choice. “Don’t forget, she has been a performer since she was six or seven. About the only one I would trust a judgement in for something like that without seeing first would be Mandy.”

“Not mom?” I asked, wondering what he would say to that.

“Nope, not Dee. Oh, nothing against her at all, but she only really played with a garage band in College, and the Geek Crusaders when they perform up here. No, Peggy is a professional level skater, and has been in several bands since she was fourteen. So she knows about stage presentation. Mandy, kinda similar but she was also a purchasing agent for Neiman-Marcus. So she understands things like that in a different way. If I was to arrange the look for a band, I would get both of them, actually. Peggy for the flash, and Mandy to help make sure they all work together on stage, and that each of you was coordinated properly.”

I thought over that, and had to agree with him there. His wife always dressed sharp and professional. And even their kids normally complemented each other, and what they wore on the occasions they had to be seen in public together.

“Oh, and I would throw Becky in there also, it if was a formal event. She is not generally the flashy kind, but for a real professional look I would drag her in. Say like if I wanted Kiss or Twisted Sister to do an event in tuxedos.” I laughed at that mental image, as it was almost unbelievable.

We talked a bit more, then after we hung up I finished up a term paper for my English class then headed off to bed.

Right before summer break Have called me and asked if I could do a run to Dallas with him. I was clear those days and said I would love to. But I was surprised when I arrived at the airport, and he came up and we headed to the flight line. And after handing me a clipboard we started to do the inspection on the Commander.

I told him I was not rated in twin engine, and he laughed. “Oh, I’m pilot in command, and this will be like the earliest flights. We are getting the passengers in Santa Barbara, and I will have you fly us there once I get us in the air. Keep your hands on the controls the entire time, to get a feel for it. This is an overnight, so after dropping them off we can do a few touch and go landings and then we reverse it on the way home. We will put it down as twin engine flight training, and it will give you some hours for that also.”