Chapter 71: Monday, Oct. 22

I felt surprisingly rested when I came to a little after 6 on Monday morning.

I’m sure it was because a certain redhead was snuggled in my arms with a peaceful look on her face. I just seemed to sleep better under those conditions.

I briefly thought of asking if I could do this on Thursday nights and be well-rested for game days, but dismissed the idea. Fucking my brains out before getting to the restful slumber probably wouldn’t gain Coach Tucker’s approval. Or Mom’s.

Much against my will, I extracted myself from her grasp and headed for the bathroom. My bladder was getting rather insistent.

Having showered three times yesterday, I made do with a quick wipedown in the sink. I couldn’t detect any lingering scent from Arlene, not that I was that worried about it. If I smelled of her soap and baby powder, folks could just deal with it.

The goddess herself appeared as I was finishing up, greeting me with a sweet smooch.

“Mornin,’ Sugar,” she smiled drowsily. “Sleep well?”

“Better than I have a right to,” I grinned, hugging her to me. “How’re you doing?”

“So far, so good, but the day’s just starting,” she said. “I’ll let you get dressed. Marie’s probably already got breakfast going in the apartment. Why don’t you go check? I’ll be along.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I said, grabbing one more smooch before doing as I was told.

The weather app on my phone indicated a high in the mid 60s this afternoon, but it was low 50s right now. I may have to reconsider my decision to skip the socks.

I donned the clothes and gathered my stuff, checking the pockets of the shorts I’d worn last night to make sure nothing that didn’t need to go through the wash was still there. Grabbing my backpack and laundry, I headed off to have breakfast.

The shorts and T-shirt were dropped in the laundry room and the backpack in the trunk of the Beemer before I reached my destination. It was just past 6:30 when I let myself into the apartment.

Arlene was wrong. Marie was nowhere to be seen. Not a problem. I’m sure there was still enough for me to put something together. Making sure there was coffee in the little coffee maker, which should be enough for each of the ladies to have a refill, I hit the switch and started scrounging.

One last package of Pop-Tarts was good for a start. There was still a little fruit and some muffins, along with enough milk to wash it down. I didn’t even use any dishes, just stood over the sink and swigged straight from the jug.

I was brushing the crumbs off my shirt when I heard the door open.

“Daddy?” Marie called out.

“In here,” I replied, stepping out so she could see me.

The little waif took notice of the undisturbed bed as she came back to the kitchen. She just looked a question at me as she reclaimed her domain.

“Good morning,” she said, greeting me with a smooch. “Ready for breakfast?”

“Already had some,” I said, gathering up my trash and putting it in the can. “At least as much as I had yesterday.”

“That won’t be enough,” Marie declared as she opened the fridge and pulled out bacon and eggs. “Go. Sit. You need enough to get you through the morning. Yesterday, you didn’t eat until nearly 9 and didn’t have as long a wait until lunch.”

“One egg, then,” I conceded. “Arlene said she’ll be coming out here, so whatever you’d normally make for the two of you.”

“Yes, Daddy,” she said, cracking the last five eggs in the carton into a bowl and whipping them up to be scrambled. “You shouldn’t have drunk all the milk. I could use about half a cup for the eggs.”

“Sorry,” I mumbled, getting out of her way and taking a seat.

Arlene came in as Marie threw several strips of bacon in the skillet she had heating on the stove. The bacon was just starting to sizzle as the redhead took the other seat.

“So,” the redhead said as she accepted a cup of coffee from Marie, “just what are your plans for your money?”

“Marie, not a word of this leaves the apartment,” I commanded in a stern tone. “Understand? This is something the girls don’t need to know about yet, let alone the rest of the world.”

“Y-yes, Daddy,” my submissive bitch blushed.

The exchange earned me Arlene’s full attention.

“George Patterson has opened an account for me in the Caymans,” I said. “He’s suggested buying property down there to get a better deal on the banking fees.”

“Yes, you’ve told me that,” the redhead said. “What else?”

“I’m looking to incorporate,” I said. “Bill Richards is supposed to have the paperwork drawn up this week. It should be ready to go by the end of next month. My parents would have control until I turn 18. I’m thinking the Caymans account will be in the corporation’s name and I can start drawing a salary when I assume control. Based on what Mom and George said, it could be worth about $70 million by then.

“George will oversee the overseas investments, keeping the bulk of the money offshore. In the short term, I’d only have tax liability for whatever I move into the States for my personal use.”

“What kind of investments are you looking at?” Arlene asked.

My reply was delayed as Marie put plates in front of us. That looked like more than one egg, or maybe it was from a big hen. Worst case, I could afford to let the O-line have some of my lunch.

“Real estate, obviously,” I said as we dug in. “I hear there’s some ranch property available out west. I was also thinking of restaurant franchises like Rosa’s and Jason’s. A lot will depend on where I decide to live.”

“And where are you thinking of living?” she asked.

“Before all this happened, I kinda saw myself moving to Buchanan,” I said. “Not that I intended to take over the farm, but I would like to keep the property in the family. The oil income alone would be enough to keep Patty and her girls, Karen and Kacie taken care of quite nicely for the next 50 years or so.

“Now, there’s no telling. I could buy a place around here, the Utah property sounds interesting, there’s the estate in the Caymans and who knows how many other options out there.”

“Well, I may have an idea for something around here,” Arlene said. “Gladys Osborne’s trying to get her affairs in order while she still has all her faculties. Her children both live out of state and that house is too much for one little old widow woman. You could probably snag it for about $800,000. That would allow her to move into one of those independent senior facilities and you’d have more room for your girlfriends than the apartment provides.

“If we could get a deal done by the end of the year, that’d give you access to utilities when they have to be shut off here during the remodeling. You’d still have the apartment for a place to hide.”

“Are you sure you want me as a neighbor?” I smirked.

“Can’t be any worse than having you as a part-time tenant who never pays rent,” she smirked right back.

“I can’t imagine the HOA would be happy about some teenager moving in,” I countered.

“We’ll just have to make sure the soundproofing is up to snuff,” she shot back. “Plus, we can push the advantages of the house being occupied. If you’re going to be around, there’ll be somebody to do the yard.”

Actually, I was hoping to escape that chore once I moved out of my parents’ house. Maybe Eddie Galvan could help me get a deal with his dad. At least Mrs. Osborne had a small yard.

“I admit that’s something worth thinking about,” I said. “I’d have to get my folks to sign off on a deal like that. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to give Mrs. Osborne a heads-up that I might be interested and that she can stay until she has everything in order even after money changes hands. Is that something I can have you handle?”

“For certain considerations,” Arlene snarked, “the first being that you get that futon out of my nursery. That’s supposed to be where my little parasite sleeps, not where even more little parasites are conceived.”

“I’ll see if I can get the guys over after practice one evening this week,” I grinned.

I finished my second breakfast and took the plate to the sink. I told Marie to take my seat rather than eat at the counter.

“Don’t forget your juice, Daddy,” the little waif said as she exited the kitchen.

“Yes, ma’am,” I said, reaching into the cabinet for a glass.

I probably could have gotten away with drinking straight from the jug, but didn’t want to chance it. Females seemed to have rather strange ideas about such behavior from males, even if I was the only one who drank the stuff, and it wasn’t worth the hassle.

A look at my phone showed it was almost 7:30 as I put the empty glass in the sink. I’d better get moving. Wouldn’t look good to be late the first day after the break. And I had no desire to find out how much of a hardass Dunwoody was going to be as the man in charge.

“Ladies,” I said, leaning down to kiss each on a cheek, “behave yourselves. I’ll get over when I can, but you know my mother’s going to expect me to spend some time at home this week.”

“And Kacie,” Arlene smirked. “That girl sounded like she’s been going out of her mind waiting for you to come home. And don’t forget Jan expects to see you soon. Like, tomorrow night at the latest.”

And Morgan, Staci, Elise, Sherry, Ny’Quesha ... Good thing Arlene, Marie and Bethany had been taken care of in the last few days. I had no idea where things were going with Karen. At least Riley didn’t seem to be in a hurry to join the parade.

God, I needed to cull the herd. Or at least quit adding to it.

I decided to get out of there before I got myself into trouble. It was going to be difficult enough getting back into school mode. It’d be a lot easier to deal with all this if I didn’t have to spend six or so hours in class every day.

I pulled into my parking space by 7:45, grabbed my bag out of the trunk and hurried inside. There was just enough time to hit my locker and unload some of the books.

An excited squeal sounded from the South Wing when I stepped inside, quickly followed by an excited babble that sounded entirely feminine. I managed to avoid looking in that direction. It’d be my luck that every damn girl in the freshman class was wearing a choker.

I really did try to look for my girlfriends who lockered in the East Wing, but didn’t see any of them. Everything seemed rushed this morning as students tried to get back into their routines. I did hear a few murmurs in my wake, but let it go rather than try to figure out if they were positive or negative. If they were even about me to begin with. I needed to get to my locker.

This week’s poster urged us to Harry the Hawks. Sounds like a job for the defense. But I did make a mental note to thank Staci for the cheerleaders’ efforts while I was busy shagging up a storm yesterday.

There were just a couple of minutes left before the bell when I stepped into Mr. Cochran’s room. It was time to resume the educational process. Whether we wanted to or not.

And I wasn’t very enthusiastic about it as the morning announcements came over the speaker. Mr. Dunwoody was officially introduced as our new principal, causing more than a few of my classmates to groan, and took over the rest of the announcements. Mrs. Montero would go back to being assistant principal for the senior class and Lt. Marvin Johnson, USMC (Ret.) was now in charge of ISS. Dunwoody would remain heavily involved in disciplinary matters.

I almost lost it when Dunwoody said he was looking forward to working closely with Mrs. Montero and relying on her guidance. Made me wonder just how closely Master Earl had worked with Palomita for the last week.

The fact Marvin had a military background was made clear. I think it was a warning to the resident hooligans that they wouldn’t be getting a break from the new guy. I could hardly wait for one to push things just a little too far.

Then Mr. Cochran launched into his monotone as if we’d never taken a break. He didn’t even welcome us back, just took roll and started lecturing.

I was glad I’d read the chapter over the weekend. It didn’t necessarily improve my understanding of the material, but as least some of the terminology was familiar.

As I expected, we were hit with a homework assignment. Fortunately, it was problems that I’d already looked at, if not worked through. I should be able to knock that out in study hall.

The idea that I’d at least give it a shot was reinforced when Chuck flagged me down at the end of class to make sure I’d be there.

More murmurs followed me as I made my way toward Western Civ. I still didn’t pay them any attention. It’s not like anyone was calling me a kiddie fucker where I could hear this morning.

Mrs. Edwards surprised me with a cheery greeting when I stepped into her classroom.

“That was a great game Friday night,” the teacher enthused.

“Uh, thank you, ma’am,” I blushed as I headed to my seat. “The guys refused to give up. I think they realized we just needed to avoid mistakes. It seemed like anything that could go wrong did in the first half.”

“The Daily News had a great article,” she said, giving me a sinking feeling. “Your family must be proud.”

“I haven’t had a chance to read it yet,” I said, turning even redder.

“I think you’ll like it,” she said. “Are you going to be the quarterback this week?”

I certainly hope not, I thought.

“Coach Tucker hasn’t mentioned anything about it to me,” I mumbled. “I guess I’ll find out fourth period.”

I was saved from further attention by the bell. At least Mrs. Edwards welcomed us back from break before taking roll.

The lecture was on the origins of the Hanseatic League in the latter stages of the 12th century. The Kalmar Union came later.

The whole thing sounded convoluted as hell, starting out as a loose association of merchant guilds. It grew to include the towns the guilds were based in with various members being independent city-states, others part of some feudal territory if not kingdom. Several were simultaneously part of the Holy Roman Empire. And not all of them were German just to confuse things even further.

It got started because the Krauts were tired of the Scandinavians dominating trade in the Baltic. Of course, this was just after the end of the Viking Age and piracy had been part of the scene for a long time, which resulted in the military aspect of the League. Members could put together convoys for protection. That helped guarantee more reliable delivery of a wider range of goods to customers, which in turn led to getting better deals on import taxes and such.

Like I said, it was convoluted as hell. The easiest thing to understand was the members enjoyed free trade with each other, but it seemed like they all had a different way of doing things.