Chapter 23

Fearing the girls might get antsy in the truck, I went out and assured them that things were going well. It took a little time to make them understand that we were getting another truck, and then Helen spoke up.

"New home?"

It wasn't clear to me whether she was asking, wishing, or demanding but whichever it was I was glad she said it, because it flashed another big idea into my head. Double wide, as in mobile home that wasn't really mobile. It seemed stupid that I hadn't thought of it on my own, but I hadn't.

In my heart I'd known all along that we would have to have a bigger house sooner or later. One or more of the girls was probably already pregnant, and even if they weren't they'd certainly been exposed, as they say. The tiny camper we lived in was just that, a camper. It wasn't suitable for a permanent residence for four people, not even considering any children that might come along. I grabbed my spiral notebook and made an entry.

With the girls now at least resigned to a few hours of waiting, I unhooked from the trailer and went back inside to inform the sales manager they were in it and that he'd need to get me before they tried hooking it with the new pickup. As a precaution I'd unhooked from it but left my pickup parked in the way, taking my keys to make sure events didn't get ahead of me.

When I asked, he said I was welcome to use the small office as long as I needed it. I went back to it and called Carl, the security guy, again.

He howdied me but I cut to the chase.

"Carl, there are a few more things I might need to call on you for. I understand that we have a deal in place and that anything more is going to cost extra. I also understand that your time is valuable. Right now I'm buying a new pickup and I'll need a man to take my old one back to the site and get it unloaded, can you take care of it for me?"

He said he could and even told me he already had one of his radio units on site with two men on duty. That was prompt service but wouldn't really do any good for a day or so, but there was no sense telling him that.

A respectable mobile home dealer in this area was now at the top of my rearranged wish list, and I asked Carl about it. He just happened to know of a place. To make it easy for him to collect on his soon to be commission, I asked him to give them a call and tell them I'd be out soon looking for the best double wide they had available. He was more than happy to take care of that detail for me.

Schneider National Carriers was the next call for me and they were a lot more understanding than Carl had been at first. They understood they were going to charge me for everything they did for me and they also understood that I understood it too.

They were more than happy to dispatch five of their fifty-three foot trailers to my location for use as temporary storage for upcoming freight, and they could get started as soon as I took care of the financial arrangements. At least that's what Julia, the sales representative I was put through to told me.

"I anticipate quite a bit of hurry up business in the next couple of weeks, will a prepayment of one hundred thousand by bank wire be sufficient to get us started?" I asked.

"I'm sure it will, Bill, but that isn't really my bailiwick. I can switch you to the proper department right away," she said, but I didn't let her get any further.

"It seems like I've been misled. I was told Schneider's specialty was service. If you switch me to anyone they'll end up with a dial tone in their ear. When you've heard me out I'll give you the phone number for my bank's president and he'll be expecting a call from whoever takes care of those details on your end. If that isn't acceptable Werner Enterprises is going to get their shot at my business," I said.

Sure, it was a little harsh but I didn't care. I wasn't going to spend all day playing phone tag with people just so I could send them money. I told her that aside from the empties I would need between five and fifteen more fifty-three foot trailer loads hauled within the two weeks and that I would want to have the trucks available for loading no more than twenty-four hours after I called for one.

"Now, do you want the banker's phone number or not? He'll be ready to get the details ten minutes after I hang up," I said.

"Yes. I'll take care of everything else from here and when you need other trucks please call me directly," she said, and rattled off a number.

I gave her Milton's number, said goodbye, and called him. He got right to the normal hale fellow well met greeting and I gave him his marching orders. He promised to take care of it right away.

My next call was to Excel Meats and the salesman, Darren, I was switched to there showed me the difference in a man that worked on commission and an order taker. When I told him I needed three straight trucks of frozen beef and three of pork and then asked him if there would be any problem with bank wire prepayment he said no, and he meant it.

We settled the details of the specific things I wanted in those trailers and I gave him an arrival time for all of them ten days from today, telling him to make arrangements for the trailers to be dropped and then picked up about six days later.

"You know that they'll charge you extra for holding the trailers don't you," he asked.

"I'm sure they will and I don't mind paying. I do want all trailers to be from the same company though and I don't want any problems with worn out reefer units. Book the loads with a company that you have a good grip on. I've got the money to pay top dollar if I don't end up with problems, but I have the lawyers to cause more trouble back if I need to," I said, lying about the lawyers.

"Don't worry about it. I'll book them with Prime and just a threat of losing some of our business would be a gun to their head. I think I'll make them send brand new trailers. I know they're replacing most of theirs right now anyway, they should have them available," he said, and I thought he was doing a little bragging, even though I didn't give a shit if he wanted to.

"Well tell them I'll pay an extra thousand a load if it comes in a new trailer but have the drivers fill the damned reefer tanks before they come to drop. We'll be checking," I said.

I'd no sooner hung up than I changed my mind, so I called him right back.

"Darren, let's hold up on Prime a second. I think I'd rather buy the trailers if I can get them in time," I said.

"Won't be any problem that way either. I know Fred at Prime pretty well and they have a good relationship with Great Dane. Prime does a lease purchase thing for tractors to most of the drivers, so Fred understands how to sell something as well as how to use it."

"The only rub will be that I want reefers with the corrugated stainless sidewalls and a full setup for swinging meat," I said.

"Damn, those are going out of fashion big time, but I'm sure Fred can get them pronto if that's what you want," he said.

"That's what I want. Just so he doesn't worry about his money, give him the bankers number I just gave you and tell him he can call for a bank wire as soon as he can fax an invoice," I said.

"Believe me, Fred won't let a deal like that get away," he said.

The phone calling and deal making had made time fly. Frank came by and told me the truck was ready to hook my camper. I went out to warn the girls and move my old pickup out of the way.

They unassed the camper and moved back to watch while I moved the old pickup. Just as I parked it again a rent-a-cop type car pulled up and I figured it must be Carl or one of his men. It was Carl and he was delivering the driver.

It only took a few minutes to talk him into renting me a small portable storage building and having it set up near the portable office, and he said he'd make sure the contents of the pickup were put into it. We shook on it and he took off, leaving Ned to do the honors with my old pickup.

The new truck was hooked to the trailer by now and all the arrangements had been made with light connections and such, we were ready to roll. Ned confirmed that he knew the way to my new drop yard and when I asked, he said he also knew where the mobile home sales yard was. I had him lead the way in my old pickup while we followed in the new one, pulling the camper.

When we arrived at Woodville Mobile Homes I was surprised. The place was easily five times larger than I'd expected and I wondered where in the hell they sold all these damned trailers. Then again I didn't care and was happy they seemed to have a bigger selection than I'd had any right to expect.

I let Ned go and walked into the office building, which was not a trailer for some odd reason. When I told the girl guarding the receptionist desk who I was and who'd sent me, she called the boss right away.

Jimmy Giles introduced himself and told me that he and Carl were old friends. He also said that Carl had told him my money was good and that I didn't like to deal with the hired hands.

I didn't realize I'd given Carl that impression but I didn't mind at all. This guy had mobile homes to sell and I had the money and wanted to buy one. What's wrong with that?

"I do need a mobile and I don't have a lot of time to get it bought. Show me the best ones you have and lets get too it," I said.

"How big is your lot?" he asked, and I guess it was a reasonable question, but I couldn't help shooting my mouth off.

"I have a little over ten thousand acres to choose from," I said, and it was a nosey question stopper for a man whose eyeballs could only see dollar signs now.

We went by the camper on the way to look over his goods and I had the girls come with us. I'd warned him that they didn't speak or even understand much English and that they were painfully shy around strangers.

I thought he'd never shut up about being on his best, non-threatening behavior.

Louise, Helen, and Nancy did seem a little shy when they bailed out of the new pickup but they stayed right with me as good old Jimmy led us to his first demo. It was a triple wide and to tell the truth I'd never really seen one.

Of course this one was all assembled and ready for showing and it was impressive inside. It had three big bedrooms, with the master taking up all of the rear twenty feet of the center trailer and half each of the rear twenty feet of the other two. Hell, I was sold already. When he showed us the master bath that had a tub, separate big shower, and even a damned nice Jacuzzi I had to have it.

Of course the girls were amazed and could barely understand that it was to be only for the four of us. To them it was big enough for George's whole tribe. They especially liked the wall-to-wall carpet that was some of the plushest I'd ever been on. It beat hell out of the threadbare indoor/outdoor that my camper had.

After Jimmy had pointed out all the luxury that could be ours I could tell he was about to start his first try at a close. I beat him to the punch.

"Can you have it broken back up and on the lot Carl's guys are watching for me in ten days?" I asked.

"Surely you don't want this demo model," he said, "I can put in an order today and we'll have a brand new one ready to set up for you in two weeks, tops," he said.

"Wait a second Jimmy. Do you want to sell this damned thing or not? We don't have to fuck around with a loan - I have cash. What I don't have is time and if you want to sell me a new one you're going to have to set it up here, completely, let me and the girls inspect it before deciding, and then tear it back apart and take it to my drop yard and do all that within the same ten days.

"Ten days is it, and I'm not buying a pig in a poke, or on wheels either," I said.

Jimmy was standing there with his mouth opening and closing but I didn't want to antagonize him any further. I wanted this house. I knew that it would provide the best chance to get one that didn't come from the assembly point with a lick and a promise.

Mobile home companies were notorious for getting them out and worrying about finishing them after they were sold. This one was assembled and probably most of the fuckups had been tended to already.

During the tour he'd been giving us, I'd carefully but nonchalantly looked over everything. The furniture was obviously higher quality than normally came in mobile homes and I knew damned well carpet this good hadn't come from the factory. This was what he showed the rubes, not what he delivered. I decided to cut him a little slack.