Chapter 7

Norman was using the computer to print a schedule for each crew every morning.

If he had any special requests phoned in about a lawn, that would be on the work order.

Complaints were investigated by Norman or myself.

We were all having to learn Spanish !

Every day had its problems, I began to rely on Norman to handle them.

Each foremen had a cell phone and Norman or I were in contact with them.

If a piece of equipment a crew was using broke down we could run a "stand by" out to them. I had bought new diesel riding mowers for each crew but kept the old ones for just that.

Repairs were beginning to be a problem.

The lawn mower service I had used when I had first started the business was taking too much time to fix the things we took to them. Because of the large amount of business coming in the prices had increased to an unreasonable figure on their work.

Norman had met two handicapped people at the Community Center that were small engine mechanics. They were looking for part time work. The young one still had partial use of his legs. He could walk with a cane.

I told Norman to have them come in for an interview.

I knew that we did not have enough work on our own machinery to warrant two mechanics in our repair shop but I was thinking of letting them take in other work.

Norman hired them.

Lawn and garden equipment repairs began to add a lot to our profits and yet our own things still got first attention.

It was less than two months before we were to graduate. The Senior Prom was the next week.

Andy was taking Paulene, Rudy was going to take Lee and my date was Fay of course.

Lee had been chosen to be Queen of the prom. Fay and Paulene were her court.

It had been a close vote, all three of my darlings got nearly the same number of votes from their classmates. Some of the other contestants had spent a lot of money on the campaign.

They had begged for votes.

Fay had simply entered them as contestants. They had not gone around begging for votes. None of them did any kind of campaigning.

They were chosen because most of the students liked them enough to vote for them.

The week end before the prom I asked Jeff, Fay's father, if he would like to spend the week end at the lake house. He had said that he would like to very much.

During supper that Tuesday he had told his wife he and Fay were going fishing over the weekend.

There had been a bitter argument and Jeff had pounded the table with both hands and told her to shut up he was going and Fay was going with him.

She had threatened to not be living there when they came back if they did.

She had flounced out of the room and gone to her bed room and locked the door.

(They had not slept in the same room for years.)

Wednesday night she was gone as usual to church when Fay and Jeff got home.

Thursday night when they came in there was a note to Fay that she was attending a tent revival across town.

Fay and Jeff had been in their beds sleeping when she had come in both nights.

They never ever saw her in the mornings, she stayed in bed until around ten.

Friday afternoon Fay had driven by the barber shop where her father worked. She had arrived at closing time. She had gone in and found him not busy with a customer. She had offered him a ride home by way of the shop.

Jeff had ridden up front and was impressed with his daughter's driving ability.

Threading that long truck and trailer through town during the rush hour traffic required a lot of skill.

Fay was gabbing with her Latino crew in Spanish like it was her native language.

(Jeff had not known she spoke Spanish.)

She was first in to the shop that day. She parked and gave her men some instructions in their language and then took Jeff into the office.

She had to wait while Norman had the telephone head set on and was typing an addition to a work order.

When he was done she introduced her father to Norman.

The phone rang and Fay and her father watched as Lee came in with her crew.

Lee jumped down from the driver's seat and told one of her Latinos something in Spanish. He made an angry reply.

Rudy got beside her as if to protect her.

Lee pushed Rudy away and they exchanged more words in Spanish.

The Latino made a terrible mistake when he called Lee a Puta.

She whirled with that devastating kick Lisa had taught all her girls.

Lee caught him on his hip and he hit the ground with a flop. She walked around him and whirled again and caught him on his fat butt.

He was screaming obscene curses at her.

Lee shouted in Spanish. She told him to get quiet or she would try to take his head off with the next kick.

He got quiet and she told him how things were and then turned and came into the office.

She saw Jeff and hugged him.

Norman asked if she wanted him to make Ricardo's check. He said it looked as if she had fired him.

Lee said that she was not firing him she was only giving him some instructions.

Norman said "It must take a lot to get his attention" !

Lee told Norman that she thought Ricardo would listen to her from now on.

Jeff asked if she really thought that guy would show up for work the next afternoon.

Lee said she would bet a hundred dollars to one that he would.

Fay said "Daddy it is a matter of pride, those guys are embarrassed to be working for a woman". " But if the woman can kick the living shit out of them they will gladly let her be their boss". "They are even proud to serve her".

Jeff asked if she had to give the Latinos working with her "Instructions".

Fay said she had, she even had to give one of them "Instructions" twice. He just had not understood the first time.

She said that now both of them told her that they were madly in love with her several times a day.

Paulene pulled her truck in it's bay. Debby and Andy got out and put the ramps down and backed a lawn mower with a dead engine off the trailer.

Paulene came in the office and reported that she thought it was the injector pump this time. She said that this was the third time this month that worn out piece of crap had given her trouble.

She asked Norman to think about trading that thing for a new one.

Norman told her to cool of, that "Thing" was less than a year old.

Paulene told him she would be using one of the old gas burners while that piece of junk was being fixed. She said she really had too much on her trailer but she was going to have a stand by mower on it from now on.

She saw Jeff standing with his arm around Fay's shoulders and asked if he was Fay's father.

Jeff said he was and stuck out his hand as if to shake hers.

Paulene said " I don't shake hands with a good looking man like you". She hugged him and kissed him on his cheek.

Fay said "Daddy this is Paulene".

Barney drove in and came in the office.

Fay introduced him and her father.

David was the last one in. He came into the office with his pretty girl friend. She was tall and skinny but had a pair of huge tits.

(He had always had a thing for tits !

Fay had found that out years before !)

David told Lee and Fay he was having trouble making his Latino help understand what he wanted sometimes.

Lee told him Julio could speak near perfect English and was able to understand every thing he was told. She told David that his help was playing mind games and he should either fire them or have an attitude adjustment session.

David said that he was reluctant to kick the shit out of one of them like she and Fay did. He said they all carried big knifes.

Norman said to tell them they were about to get fired the next time he had any trouble.

If that didn't straighten things out then he would write them their checks.

Norman said that there were thousands of Latinos looking for jobs.

I got there about then. I spoke to every one and all of them went to the lounges.

Fay told her dad she would only be a few minutes, she would shower and change her clothes.

Jeff and I went into my office and sat.

Norman was back on the phone.

I told Jeff that school was soon going to be over. Lee, Paulene, Fay, Rudy, Barney, David, and I were graduating.

We were all going to work here for the Summer but all but David and Barney were going to college.

Barney was going in the Marines before Fall. David would begin looking for a better job with a future and better salary.

All of the key people would be gone and I was leaving Norman in charge.

I told Jeff that I was afraid that we could not find enough good help to continue the thriving business I had created.

Jeff said that Fay had always given her mother half of what she had earned since she was twelve years old.

Jeff said that she had been the candy and popcorn girl at the movie theater close to their home then.

Since Fay had began working for me last year she had continued giving half her earnings towards the house hold expenses.

The amount she had given her mother during the Summer when she could work all day was over half of what he brought home from the barber shop.

He asked if I thought he might be a possible employee.

He said he was applying for a position with my firm.

I told Jeff that we were not going to work but a half day until school was out.

I asked him if he was in good enough shape to do manual labor in the hot sun.

Jeff said he thought he was. He said that I had five women doing the yard work. He thought he could do as much as they.

I grinned at him and told him that he was talking about exceptional women.

Each woman working there was stronger than most men.

Jeff said he would like to give it a try.

I told him I would give him a chance.

I named a salary and he asked if that was not more than I was paying Fay.

I told him it was but Fay had a lot of fringe benefits, she had a company car to drive and the company paid for gas and upkeep.

She was in possession of over two hundred thousand dollars of my late aunts jewelry.

I paid for every thing where ever we went.

I had bought her Junior-Senior prom dress and now her dress for next weeks Senior ball.

I told him his daughter was the most important person in my life.

Lee came out of the ladies dressing room first. She had showered and blow-dried her hair and put on the clothes she had worn to school that morning.

Paulene came out next she was wearing clothes just like Lees.

Fay was the next one to come out of the dressing room.

She was wearing the same clothes the other two of my darlings were.

None had any make-up on. They did not need any.

I told Fay to take her father home and for both of them to pack for two nights and days at the lake house.

She said " Yes Sir".

I kissed Paulene and told her I expected her to be there early in the morning.

She said "Yes Sir".

I kissed Lee and asked if she wanted to ride with me or take her car.

She said " I would like to ride with you sir".

We left with Norman on the phone and guys still coming out of the men's dressing room.

Lee and I had been at the lake house over an hour when Fay and her father drove up.

They unloaded their things and brought them in.

Fay was crying. Jeff looked angry.

I hugged Fay and said I was beginning to get worried about them.

Fay said there had been an awful argument with her mother.

Her mother had forbid her father to leave the house.

She had told him that she would not permit him to go fishing.

She wanted him to do several things for her the next day and to go to church with her Sunday morning.

Jeff had asked "What is this permit shit"? "I am not your little child, I am a full grown man and I told you Tuesday night I was going fishing this weekend".

Fay said her mother had screamed that if he left he was not to ever come back again.

Jeff had told her that was fine with him.

She and Jeff had loaded his clothes and any other personnel belongings in the Jeep and left.

I told Fay and Lee that there was the makings for soup and salad in the fridge and we could talk more later. They went to the kitchen end and got busy.

Jeff and I went out on the front porch.

Jeff said that he was not going through some kind of mid life thing, he had realized for years that he had made a bad marriage.

He had married her at first because she said he had gotten her pregnant. Two months later she had said she had a miscarriage.

THERE WAS NO BLEEDING.

He thought she had lied about being pregnant to get him to marry her.

His wife had felt that it was her duty after that to open her legs to him only on Saturday nights after that.

Fay had come about when a rubber had burst. She had never forgiven him for that.

Jeff said that next week he could patch things up between his wife and himself but he was not going to do it.

He was through being a puppet with her jerking his strings.

The ladies called us to supper and we went in.

Fay was still miserable and upset.

It was a silent meal.

It was just tomato soup and roast beef and Swiss cheese sandwiches.

After we had eaten I told them that Fay and I were going to bed.

We left them.

Fay had a cry, one of the silent kind. She was in agony for an hour or better.

I held her trembling body against mine and let her put her head on my shoulder.

When it was all over she slipped out of my arms and went into the bath. She had her pee and bathed her face.

She came back and crawled in to my arms.

She said that she had no reason to be so upset. Her parents had seemed to hate each other as long as she could remember.

Her mother treated Jeff like he was dirt and had always just ignored her.

Her mother was religion freak and if she was dying would be in church three times a week.

If any house keeping was ever done, she and her father did it. Her mother stayed in her room and watched TV. She would come out and eat something now and then but it was days sometimes that she or her father did not see her.

Fay said that her mother had never acted as if she cared for her or her father.

She said that after they left the house, Jeff had said he would never go back. He was going to make a new life for himself and her.

I asked her if she thought Jeff and she might like to live in my house with Norman.

I told her there were three bed rooms, each with it's own bath. There would be plenty of room.

Fay said that we could ask him in the morning and that she knew that she would like to live there.

Fay dozed off to sleep.

The next morning Fay got up as I did.

We stopped on the way to the kitchen and looked at Jeff and Lee sleeping. They had left the door open to their bed room.

They were wrapped in each other's arms and had a content look on their faces.

Their clothes were scattered in the living room as if they had undressed in a hurry.

Fay gazed at her father and whispered "He is really a handsome man, I never realized that before".

We left them sleeping until Paulene came.

Paulene came in, Fay met her at the door and said be real quiet. I want to show you something.

She led Paulene into the bed room.

Fay and Paulene were standing at the foot of the bed when Lee woke.

Lee said "What are you two starring at, have you never seen a naked man and woman before".

Jeff woke when she spoke, he grabbed a pillow and covered his "Privates".

Fay said "Paulene you have met my father but never like this before" ! " From the looks of things I think Lee has seduced My daddy"!

Lee said that she was "Taking the fifth" she was not admitting any thing.

Paulene told her there was enough circumstantial evidence around to get a conviction.

I was standing in the door watching.

We all broke out laughing.

Paulene snatched Jeff's pillow away and said "See, that limp cock is proof enough that a seduction has occurred".

Jeff just lay there grinning.

Lee said "He is mine, I found him first".

Paulene asked if she was not going to share.

Lee said "If you are a good little girl I might".

In a little girls voice Paulene said " I bees being a good little girl

l and I gonna bees gooder".

Jeff got off the bed laughing. He went in the bath and shut the door.

Lee got out of bed and all of us went to the kitchen.

Paulene said she felt over dressed with every one but her going around bare ass. She stripped and joined us.

Jeff came out to the living room and slipped on his boxer shorts.

I joined him there while my darlings made breakfast.

Jeff said he was a little embarrassed being with three beautiful naked women. One of them his daughter.

I told him to look at them. They were standing at the sink with their backs to us.

I asked him which one was his daughter.

Jeff said he couldn't tell, they are just alike from behind aren't they.

I told him they were from the front to.

I asked Jeff if he wanted to go fishing after breakfast. He said he would like that.

The ladies called and said they had breakfast ready.

Fay met Jeff at the table and asked him for her good morning kiss from her daddy.

Jeff kind of self consciously hugged his naked daughter and kissed her cheek. Fay said "not that way daddy" and kissed him on his lips.

Lee and Paulene lined up for their kiss after Fay. After Lee and Paulene had their kiss I told them to cut out the romancing. I was ready to eat.

They said in unison "Yes Sir" and sat down.

They had out done themselves. We gorged on breakfast.

When we were finished Jeff and I got out of the way in the living room.

Jeff asked me if I minded him taking the Jeep and going to the small lake to fish.

I asked if he wanted Fay to drive him there.

He said he would like to go alone. He had a lot of thinking to do.

I said " Jeff, I imagine one of the things you want to think about is where you and Fay can stay after you leave here".

I told him I had made an offer to Fay that they move in my house with Norman and his dog Ugly.

Fay had sat down on the couch beside him and took one of his hands in her's.

She told her father that there was three big bedrooms and baths and plenty of room for three people. She said that Norman was a super-nice guy and his dog was no trouble at all.

Jeff wanted to know how much rent I would ask.

I told him I was giving Fay the place rent free and he could be her guest.

Jeff asked if he could give me an answer Sunday after he saw the place and met with Norman.

I told him he could.

Jeff put clothes on and left in the Jeep.

I asked Fay if her father had a drivers licensee.

Fay said he had a current one. He had sold his car several months before because it was cheaper to ride the bus.

I told Fay her father had applied for a job.

Fay said " Not just because he is my daddy, but because I think he would make a good foreman for a crew, I hope you give him a try".

"He has never made more than a small salary as a barber". "I have asked him several times if he thought he might try some other job". " He told me that if he had a job paying more my mother would just give more to the church".

Fay said that I would not be sorry if I hired him.

I told her I had already hired her father. Now that I knew he could drive, I wanted to let him learn about what we were doing. Then if he liked the work and could do it I might let him become a foreman.

Fay thanked me.

Jeff was back in two hours, he said that he had not fished. He had some thinking to do and got that done at the Bass lake.

He and Fay sat with me on the porch.