Chapter 4

“Mr Davis? Jimmy Hargreaves here. Sorry to bother you, sir, but can I update you on the question of shelving for our first warehouse at the air base?”

“Hargreaves? Oh, yes: the man of many talents, and wives. What can you tell me, Jimmy?”

“Sir, our negotiations man at Group HQ, Neil Gow, has just completed a great deal to buy shelving

from a company that has recently closed. In the process of buying the shelving, he managed to include the spare parts stored on that shelving. He pointed out to the liquidators that these parts would have to be disposed of when they were removed from the shelving, and offered to take the parts with the shelving as part of the deal – guaranteed to be removed immediately, emptying the building and thus making the unit easier to sell. They jumped at the chance, so we have acquired another batch of unused spare parts -unidentified at present – to add to Copies stock in trade.”

“Wonderful, Jimmy. So they were effectively free of charge?”

“Yes, sir. They will be moved to our new warehouse – the first hangar on the base – and laid out on the floor in the warehouse. The shelving is to be transferred and probably erected against the back wall where there are no storerooms, and perhaps in the middle of the warehouse. If there is a shortage of wall space, we could remove some storerooms and place the shelving against the wall. Alternatively, if much of the shelving is freestanding, it will be built within the warehouse with a wide gap between, to allow for fork lifts to pass each other. You can send a man along to supervise and solve the questions that will arise from the movers, who will be the erector team. Get him to arrange it with Neil Gow, please.”

“What kind of company was it that closed down, Jimmy?”

“An engineering company of some kind, sir. I don’t know the details. I was more interested in obtaining shelving, as we can’t shift parts from existing shelving without new shelving ready to receive the parts in the new warehouse.”

“That is so; and very practical, my boy. You have your head screwed on correctly.”

“I like to think so, Mr Davis. I see it as being businesslike, doing things the most efficient way.”

“Right. I’ll get my man to speak with your Neil Gow, and they can take it from there.”

“Thank you, sir. Goodbye for now.”

I sank back in my reclining chair and allowed myself to relax. Working from home was still applying my brain to problems at work, so I was still under some mental pressure, even if it was mostly my own doing. Solving problems remained one of the joys of life. My wives were another type of problem solving, but there they mostly solved the problems by themselves, with only the odd prodding by him, but usually the reverse; doing as he was told.

Sharlene was indeed fulfilling her promise of being a leader, but now the type of leader who brings her team along with her. Sharl’s original attitude was one of control, but her new style was an encouraging leader. She seemed to enjoy the change, as it gained her more friendships as a result. She and Marjory were getting along well, now that Sharl recognised Marjory not just as an office receptionist but a business graduate with a powerful financial background. If she wanted to, Marjory could out-do Sharl on the control or leadership front if she wanted, but that was not Marjory’s lifestyle or desire, so they fitted in to each other happily as co-wives, with Marhory as valued adviser to Sharl.

It was after lunch that I received a call from the Yeats Group. It was Bob Yeats himself, the Chairman of the Group, and coincidentally my other father-in-law.

“Mr. Hargreaves? Jimmy I think you prefer to be called?”

“Yes, sir, that’s me. What can I do for you sir?”

“I wouldn’t mind a chance to speak with Mrs Hargreaves ... Mrs Marjory Hargreaves. Is she around?”

Jimmy was hesitant.

“Ah, that depends on what you mean by ‘around’. She is not at home, if that is what you mean, Mr Yeats.”

“You have me confused, my boy. I don’t know why. My daughters are with you, I presume?”

“Yes, sir. They like to prepare meals, so are probably in the kitchen at the moment. Would you prefer to speak to them?”

“Hmm ... not really. I wanted to ask Mrs Marjory Hargreaves about her plans for future Board meetings.”

“I see. I don’t know if she has any such plans at present, sir. She has her normal professional job that takes up most of her time.”

“I should have expected that, her being such a competent lady. Do you know where she works, Jimmy?”

“I do, sir, but I am unsure as to whether she wishes me to reveal her place of work.”

“Whyever not? She isn’t working for a competitor of ours, is she?”

“No, she doesn’t work for a competitor.”

“Then I don’t see the problem. She doesn’t work for a government department, does she? Something awkward, like the IRS?”

“No, no, nothing like that. She is normally quite a shy person, not usually so forward as she had to be when acting for our Investor.”

“Oh. That would be a difficulty for her, I imagine, but she showed no reticence at our meeting; quite the opposite, a real powerful lady. Can I have a private meeting with her at her convenience? You can ask her that, at least.”

“Sir, can you imagine someone like a comic hero, where the hero hides in plain sight, unrecognised?”

“That is a weird scenario to suggest, Jimmy. This is the Marjory that is your wife we are talking about, isn’t it? You make it sound most mysterious.”

“Yes, sir. If you really want to see her, I can phone her and ask her to visit you.”

“Great. Do we need to make an appointment for that?”

“No, sir. If she consents, she will visit you today.”

“Today? Wow. That is quick. Where should we meet?”

“Your office would be fine sir. Do you have other appointments today that might clash?”

“No, my diary is clear for this afternoon. What about hers?”

“She can pass on her duties to a subordinate, I expect. That of course assumes she consents.”

“Of course, of course!”

They left it at that, and I phoned the office reception desk. “Let me speak to Madge, please.”

I heard in the background, “Madge? Mr Hargreaves for you.”

“Hi, Jimmy. How are you feeling now? Coping?”

“Not bad. Chairman Yeats wants to speak with Mrs Marjory Hargreaves, the representative of the Investor. He was insistent, so I offered to check to see if she could be available to visit him this afternoon, from wherever you worked professionally, unspecified. What do you think?”

“But, Jimmy, I don’t have my fancy clothes and wrist watch, and my hair is not made up as it was.”

“So? Perhaps it is time he met the real you and had a chance to appreciate the staff he has around him.”

“You think so?”

“I do. I suggested you were like a comic hero, looking like a normal person until the comic hero is needed. Just go visit him after lunch as Madge the Head Receptionist but with the Representative’s authoritative voice, so that he knows you are the same person.”

“When do I go, Jimmy? Do I put on my special make-up?” she said hesitantly.

“Good God, no, and any time this afternoon will do, as he is free of appointments. Once you are ready, that’s the moment. Walk in and say that he wanted to speak with you, and there you are. See how he reacts. If you need to, remind him that you and his daughters are all my wives, and happy together. That should set him back a bit!”

“If you want me to do that, Jimmy, I will, for I trust your judgment when it comes to business.”

“Great! As soon as you are ready to face him, march upstairs and introduce yourself. I know you can do it, my love.”

Fifteen minutes after lunchtime, she rapped on the door of the Chairman’s office.

“Come in,” he comanded, and Marjory stepped inside. He saw her and made his own assumption.

“Ah, Madge. I am expecting a visitor, Mrs Marjory Hargreaves. Will you show her in when she gets here?”

“Already done, sir. Jimmy said you wanted to speak with me, about the Board meeting.”

“With you? No, I meant...” he tailed off in confusion, his face full of questions. Marjory helped him out by switching to her Mrs Hargreaves voice.

“My correct forename is Marjory, sir, and I am one of Jimmy Hargreaves’ wives, so I am the Mrs Marjory Hargreaves who attended the meeting.”

“You? But you look so different ... oh, dammit, Jimmy told me about this. You work in this Group, as our Head Receptionist, don’t you? Stole you from Copies, didn’t we?”

“Correct, sir. Have you anything detrimental to say about my performance in either role?”

“Good Lord, no. I have heard nothing but good news about our receptionist team. You are their leader, am I right?”

“Indeed so, sir.”

“And you are also the stunning lady who performed so strikingly at our Board meetings?”

“That is one way of putting it. I am honoured that you appreciated my participation, Chairman.”

“You can speak well when you wish to do so. Are you indeed a university graduate; a point which you avoided answering at the end of the meeting?”

“Jimmy left this with me to decide on, but I believe that as Chairman you can be relied upon to be circumspect with such delicate facts. I am a graduate of Wellesley College, some years back, and that experience makes my task of receiving people of all social levels at Reception so much simpler.”

“By God, you certainly were! But are you satisfied working at Reception, despite your graduate status? Your pay is a lot less than you could command in another post.”

“Sir, graduate status only comes into play when applying for a post that stipulates a degree as a primary requirement. Most jobs do not reflect the possession of a specific degree, except for scientific posts. Mine is a general business degree, very wide-ranging, which is what I wanted.

Once I had the education I sought, I wanted a post where I could meet a lot of people and enjoy the interactions without having to adopt social standards that would be automatically expected of a graduate of Wellesley. I have no intent to embark on either a political or business career. Money has never been my primary aim. In fact, I am aiming at being a wife and mother as my primary target.”

“My goodness; my goodness. How long will you remain with us, my dear?” He was all solicitness.

“In the short term, Chairman, I expect to take maternity leave in about six months, and return some time later to my duties with the Group. For the longer term, I am uncertain. Other factors may intrude.”

“Understandable. None of us can be certain of our long term prospects, as I have found. I do hope you will remain with the Group for as long as possible. Will you also be able to act for the Investor at a future Board meeting?”

She was quick to answer that one.

“I would have to discuss it with Jimmy, but if he was happy for me to act in that capacity, I will be glad to appear at future meetings in my Representative persona.”

“Excellent! Tell him that I would love to see you there as much as possible. Your refreshing presence bucked up the meeting immensely. I was most taken by your contribution, including your non-verbal effect on our members ... sorry ... your stunning effect on our Directors’ behaviour. My apologies: I did not intend any rude allusion by my words, dear lady.”

“No offence taken, Chairman. Your behaviour is always impeccable. Talking of behaviour, how are things with your two ladies? Are the sisters reconciled?”

“Oh, of course you are aware of my family situation, being with Lily and Flora every day. Yes, matters have improved, mainly due to Jess meeting her sister’s children. They all took to each other, and for the moment, Jess remains living with us until we are certain she will not relapse.”

Marjory asked him, “Would you like us to get Lily and Flora to check over their old home at intervals while it remains unoccupied?”

“That is a kind offer. Perhaps I should accept, as that home is full of childhood memories for them, both good and bad. Can I leave it to them to decide if they wish to undertake that duty?”

“I will pass that invitation on to them, sir. They can let you know their decision. If we have covered everything of importance, may I return to my normal duties at Reception?”

“Indeed, indeed. My God, I will never look at Reception with the same nonchalance I used to. I know it is in good hands, and if ever you need assistance or anything, you only have to ask.We have covered everything for now, dear lady. Give my regards to Jimmy, and my hopes for a speedy return to normality, but tell him not to rush back to work. He must wait until he is fully recovered. Tell him that I insisted.”

“I will, Chairman. He values your opinion. I will get back to Reception now, and make sure all is well.”

“Fine. I will keep your confidences secure for now, Mrs Hargreaves. Farewell.”

Off she went, and after the door closed, Bob Yeats shook his head in amazement. Life was always surprising, and today was no exception. A Wellesley graduate among his junior personnel; he should be so lucky!

Marjory returned to Reception, and found everything running smoothly; just as she expected to see it. The girls that were worried about a new immediate boss when she moved over from Copies were now her most ardent fans. They saw how competent she was and how caring for her colleagues.

Soon after, there was a call from Robert Bruce, the finance director at Copies, wanting to speak with Jimmy. Marjory fielded the call.

“I am sorry, Mr Bruce, but I am informed that Mr Hargreaves is at home ill today. Is it something important? Do you need to speak to him personally? If so, I can give you his number, to call him direct.”

“How ill is he? Do you know?”

“It is stomach trouble, I am told. He has said he is able to work from home using the telephone if there is an urgent need.”

“In that case, give me his number. I do need his advice.”

Five minutes later, I answered my phone, and Mr Bruce asked me, “Jimmy, you recall that the air base had a security contract with a private firm for guarding the base?”

“Yes. We don’t need that any more; not the sort of contract that the Air Force would have been required to have – all bells and whistles. We can get a better and simpler deal ourselves, I am sure.”

“Exactly. I agree. The security firm were quite upset at losing the contract and phoned me as the lead person for the new owners. They want to bid for doing a similar job for us.”

I found this hilarious. “Are they aware that as a private company we don’t pay the sort of price they got from the government? Nor do we need the detailed military reporting their past contract required of them?”

“Oh, yes. I warned them about that important fact. They said that they were prepared to offer a realistic commercial price for the job rather than have no contract at all. Now, I am prepared to negotiate with them, but I wanted to clear it with you first, in case the Group have a preferred security contractor that would simply amend their contract to include the new location of the Group.”

“Now you’ve got me, Mr Bruce. I don’t have that answer. You’ll have to speak to whoever in the Yeats Group deals with security contracts.

For myself, I would expect that legally the move would void all existing contracts for security for we will be no longer there, and the new site, with the addition of Copies, would mean a new contract based on what will exist as a unit needing security once the move is completed. My new home is also on that site, but I am unsure whether it would be covered by their security oversight.

I would make the suggestion that the security firm from before get a temporary deal covering the interim period, as they know the site intimately. The longer term can be sorted out later, once they have looked at their newcostings.”

“That sounds logical, Mr Hargreaves. I’ll make my enquiries and incorporate your suggestions, for discussion purposes with the Group.”

“You have my blessing with that approach; not that my word means much at the moment, Mr Bruce, my being absent.”

“You’d be surprised, sir, based on what I have been hearing. Was it your doing that our head receptionist got moved to the Yeats headquarters?”

“Could be,” I allowed. “Why?”

“She was the best receptionist we ever had; always on the ball, knew everone, and always had good advice when asked for. A few of us were unhappy that we lost her.”

I suggested, “She is now probably viewed much the same way at the Group offices. Do you begrudge her that advancement?”

“Damn, no. She deserves all she gets. I wish the rest of the staff were so conscientious.”

“I’ll let her know she was appreciated at Copies.”

With that, the discussion ended.

I was belatedly conscious of not all my wives being around the house, and asked Sharl where the others were. She regarded me with a scowl of scorn.

“My darling but stupid man, have you forgotten we are redecorating our new home?”

“Oh. Yes, I had forgotten. I am not at my best, Sharl. Please forgive me.”

She grabbed me to her, and kissed me soundly, quite satisfyingly. “All is forgiven, Jimmy. We are active wives, not just sitting around pregnantly. We have things to do, just as you have with your work tasks. The interior painting is almost completed. Two of the girls go every day to push it forward, for we are hanging new curtains in each room as soon as the paint has dried. Plans for furniture are finalised – we didn’t need you for that decision – and delivery will be made at a date we stipulate with the supplier. At first we intended to source a lot of it from Goodwill, but Marjory said that she would spring for new furniture. She is looking long-term at us using the house for our family as it grows.”

“Bedrooms? I queried, my mind churning over her ‘as it grows’.

“Queen beds in every bedroom, and a baby crib stashed in a cupboard until required. I thought we should keep the cribs out of sight until we have live babies. There is always the slight possibility of a baby death at birth, and an empty cot in view would be devastating to the bereaved mother.”