Chapter 8

I slept surprisingly well. I was working on developing my inner calm. So many things had happened to me, things that got me too excited, and too upset. I was trying to take some of my own advice. It didn't make any sense for me to assert to Ellen that she had to take charge of her own life and future, and then not do the same thing for myself. I needed to make some changes too.

I knew I loved Shirley, and that she loved me. Nothing had happened to really change anything about that. We might have some uncomfortable moments ahead, because of this fight we were having, but it wouldn't destroy our love. I was certain of that.

At work, Tuesday, I spent the entire day thinking about the lone item that was on my father's daily list for me. It was basically that the company needing a large amount of short term storage space for the vending machine products that we were getting prepared to ship throughout the Midwest and the Northeast. My Dad had purchased a large warehouse building to house the vending machine repair team and equipment, and to store those vending products that were awaiting immediate rail shipment.

The vending delivery route drivers in Omaha were still picking up at the Lucas bakery building, but everything else being produced there was being trucked over to, and stored in, the new warehouse. With the sales growth we were already experiencing, and the further gains in sales we were anticipating, as the new machines were put into service, our current storage capacity wasn't going to be anywhere near adequate for our needs. My Dad wanted me to look into the storage problem for him, and to try to come up with ideas about some possible solutions.

The main hurdle needing to be overcome was my Dad's list of what he didn't want. He had written that he didn't want to lease or buy another warehouse or storage facility, not until after he had a better idea of what the actual timetable for sales growth was going to be. He wasn't sure that he should locate his future storage facilities in or around Omaha, because he felt all the new vending growth would almost certainly take place elsewhere. What he wanted from me was a new idea, one that would take care of the immediate overflow problem he was experiencing, and still leave all his options open for future decisions. He was hoping I could think of something to buy him some much needed time before he had to commit more company resources to the storage problem.

At four thirty, I still hadn't thought of a single idea that I wanted to present to him. It was frustrating for me. In the past, I'd always managed to come up with ideas. It was a strength I'd showed earlier to him, one that I'd always taken for granted. Moreover, it was one that my Dad had started thinking he could depend on from me. I hated to have to go to him, to tell him I'd come up empty, with no ideas for solving the problem he'd entrusted to my care.

Before I left for the rest of the work week, I went over to Joyce and showed her what I'd been thinking about. I had made a lot of notes, defining all the problems, and outlining the features that would be needed, to satisfy my father's stated goal for an acceptable solution.

She asked me questions about the Lucas bakery, and about the warehouse and storage facility up in Omaha. I explained the building's dimensions for the storage facility, as well as the number of truck loading bays and the capacity of the rail siding. I told her our products came in by truck, and that most of what we shipped out from there would go out by way of rail. It was a lot slower than trucking would be, but more economical for us, because it was going out to distribution centers owned by our companies. From there, it would be trucked out to the customers. All our current distribution centers had rail service with sidings.

We discussed the problem for over an hour, mostly her asking me questions, with me doing my best to answer them for her. Even so, I didn't know even half the answers to the questions she was posing. When I looked at my watch, noticing that it was a quarter til six, I told her I needed to get home, and I asked her to give the problem some thought while I was gone. I told her I would try to call before Friday, to see how she was doing with it.

The flight to Chicago was very interesting. Mama and Mrs. Jones were talking together the whole time, in the limo, and on the airplane. Dad was busy reading reports and memos, and Shirley and I were each waiting for some sign from the other one about how we were going to act around each other for the four day trip. We landed in Chicago, and we still hadn't figured it out yet.

"Kenny, you've been very quiet. Is there something wrong? Don't you feel well?" Mama asked me this as I was bending over to retrieve my suitcase.

"No, I guess I'm a little tired. I've had a lot to think about, and, none of it's very clear to me." I looked over at Shirley who was still sitting by herself, across the aisle from where I'd been sitting.

"This is supposed to be a vacation for us, Kenny. Don't be like your father. You don't have to live and breathe the business. Let's all just try to have a good time while we're here, let's enjoy ourselves. Chicago is a wonderful city, and I just know we're all going to have a wonderful time while we're here."

I hoped she was right. Up until that point, I hadn't had one minute of fun on the trip. I had gone from wondering if Shirley and I would get any chances for privacy together, to wondering if she was even going to speak to me on the trip. She hadn't smiled one time that I'd seen. I'd been watching her too, out of the corner of my eye, for the whole journey.

Our hotel had sent a van for us, and the driver had been allowed to drive out on the tarmac, to where we had stopped after landing and taxiing to the tie down we'd been assigned. The driver was stowing all our luggage away, and my mother was assigning seating for all of us. She told Shirley and me to sit all the way in the back, because we were the youngest, and probably wouldn't be as uncomfortable having to cram ourselves back in there. That way, all of the adults had their own, separate, seats to stretch out and relax on.

"Are we going to be mad at each other for this whole trip, Shirley?" I whispered this in her ear, as I slid in next to her. She looked at me and shrugged her shoulders. "I'd hate to waste all this time when we could be doing fun things together. Why don't we set our differences aside for the trip? We can declare a temporary truce, just for the trip, and then we can go back to fighting again as soon as we get back to Ridgeline."

"It isn't that simple. I can't just turn it on and turn it off whenever I'm mad at someone. I don't think you can either." She spoke even more softly than I had, obviously not wanting any of the adults to know that we were fighting

"I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at the situation we've gotten ourselves into. I love you, Shirley, and Ellen doesn't have anything to do with that. The only power she has to spoil this trip for us is the power you give her. We can put her aside for right now, and come back to her later. If we can't do that, this isn't going to be much of a honeymoon for us."

The last part I said while I was leaned over, with my mouth pressed almost against her ear. While I spoke to her, I was breathing in her distinctive scent. Her hair always smelled so clean and fresh. I don't know whether it was the shampoo she used, or what, but I always loved the smell that came from her hair.

I felt her give a tiny, almost unnoticeable, shudder, just strong enough so that her ear pulled away from me and was replaced by her neck. I couldn't resist planting a few tiny kisses on her neck. It was so long and graceful, and one of her many erogenous zones. She didn't pull away from this attention, and I started blowing on her neck softly. She placed her hand on my thigh, steadying herself, while I leaned down again, to steal a few dozen more of those tiny little neck kisses. The fun had finally begun on our Chicago trip. I was so relieved that it wasn't going to be like I had feared when all of us were getting off the plane.

"Truce, Kenny. We won't talk about any of that. I love you too. I hated it that we were fighting. I so wanted us to really enjoy being together on this trip."

When we got to the hotel, we were shown to the same floor we'd stayed on for the other trip that we'd been here. Shirley and her mother were given a suite on the opposite side of the hallway from the two suites my parents and I had. Our suite faced out onto the zoo and the lake. I almost offered to trade rooms with them, so that Shirley would be able to look out at the view of the lake too. The reason I didn't offer was because, when I turned around to say something, Shirley and her mom were already inside their rooms, and the door was closed.

"Kenny, Connie and I had a long conversation on the plane. It concerned what she and Ron have decided, about what they'd permit Shirley to do while we're here in Chicago. Shirley is going to keep all her clothes and her other luggage in the suite with Ron and Connie. She is to make an appearance in her room every morning before breakfast, and every evening before we all turn in for sleep. Connie will tell Shirley, probably she's doing so now, that where she chooses to spend her nights sleeping is going to be left up to her. None of us adults want or expect any mention to be made about what arrangements you two have made in that regard. Do you understand?"

"Sure. Shirley has a room in her parents suite, but they are going to leave it up to her to decide where she wants to spend her nights. She and I aren't to discuss those arrangements with any of you. Shirley's dad says that all this is okay?"

"He isn't happy about it, but, he understands it's better than having to constantly try to police your behavior. He is bowing to the reality that you and Shirley are in love, and that this love includes physical intimacy. You might suggest to Shirley that she be circumspect in expressing her verbal appreciation of your attentions. There are some things a girl's parents should be spared."

"I'll tell her."

"It might interest you to know that Connie told me your father played a big part in convincing Ron that the sleeping arrangements here should be relaxed for you children. He told Ron that he's never seen two people, especially ones so young, fit so well together emotionally. Your father isn't given to sentimentality, so Ron knew he felt strongly about you and Shirley. He recognized how special it was for the two of you to be such a loving couple."

Just then, my Dad came out of his suite and saw Mama and I standing out in the hallway still. "I'm heading over to the vending plant. You're welcome to join me Kenny. Craig and David are up to twenty five completed machines a day. Jim Tanner is finally starting to come around too. He's been over at the new facility all week, checking out the assembly improvements that the boys have initiated. Craig is going to lease him three of the pieces of equipment he bought for their future use. One is for bending the sheet metal, one for sizing and cutting the steel rods, and the other is a power riveting tool. It should allow Jim to almost double his output, once he gets up to speed on operating the new equipment."