Chapter 30

The next morning, David had finished one circuit around his running track and was starting his second when he heard running feet behind him. He slowed, and Nora caught up with him, quickly forcing him to lengthen his stride and run faster than he preferred. When they came up to the path that led to the copse of sissoo trees and Adirondack chairs, David took it, and Nora followed.

Panting, he collapsed into one of the chairs.

"Continue your run if you want," he said.

She sat down. "No, let's talk."

"As soon as I stop gasping for air."

She chortled. "What did you find out about Danny last night?"

David took a deep breath and said, "I believe she'll accept our group." He paused and took another breath. "But from what I saw, beyond some mutual masturbation sessions with another girl when she was quite young, she's not bisexual."

"Did they touch each other?"

"No. The incidents only lasted about two months. The activities had the potential for evolving into something more if they'd continued. That didn't happen, and I ran across no other evidence along those lines. I think she'll accept bisexuality in women, but whether she'll participate is still open to question."

Nora nodded. "Shucks."

"Shucks?"

"Yeah, she turns me on, not as much as she turns you on. Still..." She shrugged.

"You noticed my attraction, huh?" David said.

"Of course, and it goes both ways. Danny feels it stronger than you. She's got it bad, David."

"Maybe hiring her as my assistant isn't a good idea," David said.

"Why not?"

"Because we're attracted to each other, and working in close proximity will aggravate that attraction," David said.

"David, you're one of the smartest men I've every met, but I've got to tell you, sometimes you just don't get it."

"Get what?"

"You love me, right?"

"You know I do. You are the light of my life."

"Would you ever tell me to take a hike for another woman?"

"Of course, not." The idea repelled him.

"Are we monogamous?"

"Yes, within our group."

"Correct, but a group, by definition, does not represent monogamy in its purest form."

David shook his head. "You were right earlier, Nora. I don't get it."

She laughed and said, "What's to stop us from inviting Danny into our group?"

Her question stunned him into silence.

"Hellamighty, David, you already have a harem. One more won't be that big a deal. You'll have to share her, though, with the other men, at least, the other women, too, if she's so inclined."

"You're that confident in my love for you?" he said.

"Absolutely. Go slow, though. Our group works because jealousy isn't a factor. Inviting someone to join us who would be too possessive could be destructive."

"I can see that," David said. "Have you discussed this issue with Darla and Mother?"

"No, but I will."

"Let me know what they say."

She grinned. "Certainly." She stood up and removed her sports bra. "Now, shuck your shorts. As amazing as our lovemaking was last night, I'd still like a quickie before I have to get ready for work." She giggled. "Besides, as you know from wandering around in my past, fucking outdoors has always been a big turn on for me."

He shucked his shorts.

David sat alone drinking coffee at the kitchen table mulling over his wife's astonishing suggestion when Darla walked into the room hanging onto George with one hand.

"Just the man I wanted to see," she said, put the boy in a highchair, and poured juice in his cup. He picked up the cup and drank, smiling and smacking his lips when he set the cup down. "Good juice," he said. "Scrumptious."

David laughed. "When did you learn 'scrumptious, ' George?"

He frowned and said, "Don't know."

Darla poured herself a cup of coffee and topped off David's cup before she sat at the table next to him.

"What did you find out about Danny last night?" she asked.

He outlined the same facts he'd given Nora earlier. Then, not having the patience to wait for Nora to get back with him about his sister's attitude about bringing Danny into the group, he related Nora's comments on the subject, chuckling inwardly when he saw the look of shock on his sister's pretty face.

"More juice," George said. He giggled. "Scrumptious juice."

"Hmm, I'll have to think about that," Darla said as she rose to pour more juice in George's cup. "If you decide to hire her, you'll have to tell her about your flights. Before you hire her, not after."

David nodded. "Yes, it wouldn't be fair to hire her and tell her later. And as my assistant, she'll need to know."

"Yep."

"I'll want your help with that disclosure," David said.

"I figured," Darla said.

Flint walked into the room. "Ridley's at the gates," he said.

"Good," David said. "I invited him for breakfast so Danny could meet him."

"Good morning everyone," Danny said as she moved toward the coffee pot. "Meet who, David?"

"Ridley, my best charity operative," David said. He had not seen Danny arrive. "And good morning to you."

"What's a charity operative?" Danny asked as she sat at the table.

David explained and listed the charity operatives he and Darla had assembled. "Ridley disperses between $15 and $20 thousand a month of the money I set aside for charity, principally to make old folks and the homeless temporarily happier. His addiction to charitable good deeds is deeper than mine."

"How does he make the homeless and old folks happier?" Danny said.

David had just finished describing a few of Ridley's methods when the old gentleman bustled into the room.

"Coffee!" he bellowed. "I need coffee."

Darla laughed, jumped up and poured him a cup of coffee while David introduced him to Danny. Darla set the cup in front of Ridley, looked at her son and said, "Wanna go to the playground, George?"

"Yes!" he squealed and climbed out of the highchair by himself.

Flint left with Darla and the boy.

"Assistant, huh?" Ridley said and gave David a mean look. "I thought I was your assistant." When David looked confused, Ridley slapped his knee and laughed riotously.

June stepped from the kitchen to check out the uproar. "Ridley," she said, "I should have guessed you were the source of the raucous noise I heard."

"June, darlin', if I have offended your sensibilities, I sincerely apologize." He looked at Danny. "Never offend a superlative cook. That's a Ridley's rule. Have you had the fortune of enjoying a meal from June's kitchen?"

"Yes, last night. It was a culinary extravaganza built around New Orleans cuisine."

"Cruel! That's cruel, telling me about a gastronomic delight that I wasn't invited to partake." Ridley turned back to June. "What theme will you be using for breakfast?"

"Texas chuck wagon," June said with a straight face. "Which translates to steak and eggs."

Ridley patted his bulging stomach. "Marvelous! Besides being the world's greatest chef, you must be a mind reader to boot! Bring it on, dear lady."

"Not for me," Danny said. "Do you have any fruit or melon, June?"

"Sure do," June said. "What about you, David?"

"Chuck wagon cuisine sounds good to me. I'm with Ridley. Bring it on."

June snickered and returned to the kitchen.

Ridley eyed the envelope on the table. "Is that for me, David?"

"Yep."

"Good. I was running low." He picked up the envelope and put it in his back pocket, half the envelope sticking up like a white flag.

He sipped coffee and said, "Yesterday when you arranged this confab, you asked me to think about how you could help the homeless without doing harm. I thought about the puzzle and asked around. The city and private charitable organizations provide a hot meal, a cot to sleep on, a place to shower, but these places come with a boatload of rules, and a lot of the homeless are homeless because they can't or won't follow rules. In some places to get a meal, they gotta listen to a preacher man tell 'em they're gonna burn in hell's fire unless they repent. That gets as old for some of 'em as a bunch of rules."

David noticed Danny nodding agreement with what Ridley was saying.

"Rules and hell's fire to the contrary," Ridley continued, "those that need a safe place to spend the night will avail themselves of the shelters. Others will find other places to sleep. Then come morning at the shelters, out they go, whether they want to leave, or not. What do they do during the day? Some have jobs — the lucky few. Some do some panhandling or get drunk or high; some hang out in public parks or public buildings, wherever they can pass the time. Wherever they go, they get hassled, understandably most of the time."

"David," Danny said, "recent studies have shown that daylight hours present major problems for the homeless. Most municipalities have passed laws that preclude the homeless from using public libraries, for example. The laws say they can be expelled for unruly or unsanitary behavior or noxious body odors, which on the surface sounds reasonable, but security personnel at the libraries use the law to refuse entry to all homeless - period. A shame, because some homeless need not only the information contained in the libraries but also other facilities to end their homelessness, facilities like copy machines or computers."

"That's an excellent example, Danny," Ridley said. "And it holds true for most public buildings, pubic parks, too. A lot of the homeless spend time in desert camps."

"Maybe we should set up a homeless library," David said.

Ridley grinned. "That, good buddy, would be a godsend, especially if you include a few extras, like free washing machines and dryers, including soap, shower facilities, a room with cots where some of the drunks can sleep off the booze, a card room, maybe a pool table, in other words, a safe place to hang out during the day where they won't be hassled."

"We should consult with CASS, bring in their social services, if possible," David said.

"We could do that, and will for some of them," Ridley said. "But the homeless I'm talking about, for the most part, aren't ready to end their homelessness."

"Some rules would be necessary, Ridley," David said.

"I know, but we could keep the rules to a minimum."

"One rule should be: only homeless allowed," Danny said. "That rule would give them a sense of pride."

"Yep," Ridley said and patted Danny's hand. "You picked a good assistant, David."

Danny grinned, took Ridley's hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze. "You also picked a good charity operative, David. Ridley and I are going to get along just fine."

Before leaving to see the 40-unit apartment project purchased to house homeless families, Danny sat down with Darla and Carol and reviewed the preliminary architectural plans to renovate the apartments, and the interior-design boards to decorate and furnish the units.

What she saw distressed her. How could she tell David's sister and mother that what they had planned wouldn't work?

"My goodness!" Danny said. "These apartments will be wonderful places to live when you're finished with them."

"Yep," Darla said and grinned. "Once renovated, they'll be the finest apartments in the area."

"I'm a little confused," Danny said. "I thought the apartments would be offered on six-month leases at half-rent to homeless families that are close but not quite ready to end their homelessness."

"They are," Carol said.

Danny shook her head. "After living in these apartments, they'll be in for a real letdown when they move into permanent housing they can afford at full rent."

"What do you mean?" Darla said.

"She means, Darla," Carol said, "that we messed up — big time."

"Well, not big time," Danny said, appreciating how quickly David's mother had picked up on the contradictions Danny had noticed in their plans.

"What would you change, Danny?" Carol said.

Danny picked up one of the design boards that visually presented floor and wall coverings, drapery material, fabric samples for the furniture, furniture styles, and other elements of a decorated furnished apartment.

"Eliminate all wall coverings," she said. "Paint only. No drapery. Supply blinds only. No carpet. Tough vinyl flooring throughout, the no-wax variety, but place inexpensive rugs where needed, and at the end of the leases expect to throw the rugs in the trash. Even better, tell the residents if they take good care of the rugs that they can take them with them when they move out. Buy inexpensive furniture that will take a beating, and the high-end appliances just aren't needed. I haven't seen the existing bathrooms, but as a guess, they'd function as is, except for replacement of worn-out hardware, broken tiles, whatever. Don't misunderstand. I'm not saying the apartments should be ugly. Color and style are important, but keep it simple and inexpensive. What about bed linens, towels, pots and pans, flatware, dishes? Are they in the plan?"

"No," Darla said.

"They should be," Danny said.

"Yes they should," Darla said.

"Staples like flour and sugar should be stocked in the pantries, as well," Carol said.

"And cleaning supplies," Darla said.

"Yep," Danny said with a grin.

"There are places that advertise three rooms of furniture for $750," Carol said. "If we went that route, the residents could take the furniture with them when they moved. That would let them rent unfurnished permanent housing, which would save them a bundle on permanent housing costs."

"That's a great idea, Carol, but I wouldn't go that cheap," Danny said. "That junk falls apart quickly, but with volume purchasing, you can buy tough, serviceable furniture for close to that amount that will last for a couple of years, longer if not abused, and if the residents can take the furniture with them, they'll see the furniture as theirs and will treat the pieces with more care. Same with the bed linens and kitchen and eating utensils. Even at that, figure on some midnight move-outs."

Darla groaned and said, "Mom, we messed up — big time."