Chapter 62

"Didn't someone give you your check?" I asked.

"Oh that. Marsha was really nice about it and tried to give me a check, but I wouldn't take it. What do I need money for? I'm yours now and if you want me to have something you'll get it for me."

"What about clothes, or a car, or anything like that? If you want to buy something you'll need some money," Bill said.

"I already have everything I want. If there's something Jimmy wants me to have he'll get it for me, end of story," she said, and made it sound like it was all the discussion she wanted to have.

Bill took the hint and was quiet for a while. I got a big old lump in my throat and had to be quiet too.

When we got to the place with the helicopter parts we went into a little office. The guy we met was happy we'd come so soon and he sent three men to help us get loaded.

Since Gigi and Jerrilyn had said they'd bought parts, I expected to see boxes and boxes of assorted things and the frame of a helicopter. There weren't many boxes though - just a few - and they were mostly bolts or small fittings. There was one pretty big crate but that was about it.

Basically, they had a big forklift put the helicopter on the flatbed trailer and they put the boxes inside where people would sit if it were flyable. Afterwards they put the big crate behind the helicopter and were done.

Bill had brought some chains, binders, nylon straps, and things like that to tie it on. Jacky took care of everything - she even did the tightening since she said we might break something. We were headed back within an hour.

The tricky part didn't occur to me until we were back to the little airport where Jerrilyn and Gigi had their office and Jacky had her shop. We didn't have a way to get the helicopter or the crate off.

"I usually have to hire someone with a small crane or big forklift to come unload things like this," Jacky said.

"Can you operate the equipment if you have it?" I asked.

"Sure, that's no problem."

"Good, I want you to have something to unload with in case you need it. Do you know where I can buy it for you?"

"See, Bill. Jimmy will get it for me if he wants me to have it," Jacky said, and grinned at him.

"What are we gonna get to do it?" Bill asked.

"I sure don't know. We'll let Jacky pick it out."

"There're several things that will do the job. There isn't much weight involved. Cranes are ok, but they're usually a little awkward.

"A big forklift can do it, but you have to have one that is pretty big and sometimes it's a bitch to maneuver them. I guess the best thing I've ever used for it was a big track-hoe, but I think they're probably the most expensive," she said.

"That comes under the heading of somebody else's problem, like Dad's. Where can we find a track-hoe?" I asked, as if I knew what a track-hoe was.

"Let's unhitch the trailer and leave it here, then I'll show you how to get to the best place to look for one," Bill said.

"We can't go by the house without the trailer, you know that don't you?" I asked.

"I know, I know. The house isn't on the way anyway."

After we dropped the trailer, Bill directed me to a big heavy equipment sales place. There were machines all over and most of them were a lot bigger than the truck. In fact, when we drove up it made the truck feel small.

Thank God no salesman came rushing out, and we were able to walk around the place and just look for a while.

Jacky and Bill showed me what a track-hoe was and it wasn't nearly as exciting as it sounded. Actually, track-hoe wasn't the official name for it, not according to Caterpillar anyway. Officially it was a Hydraulic Excavator.

The one Jacky liked was a three hundred thousand dollar model. She gulped when Bill let us in on that little tidbit. I figured maybe that's why it was called a 322CL. I guessed the C L stood for Costa Lot, naw, probably not.

"Bill, how will we ever get it home, or to the airport, or anywhere? That big thing can't go on our trailer," I said, and I knew I was close to whining again.

"That's why we came to Tom Doolin's little tractor emporium. Tom sells Load King heavy haul trailers too. Besides, he's the only one near here with enough money to keep this much inventory. I assumed you wanted to leave here with it."

"You know me so well already," I said, and laughed.

Things couldn't go along smoothly for long though. Lo and behold a salesman came out to see what we were looking for. He would have been better off if he'd stayed inside playing computer games or playing with himself, or doing just about anything. At least he ended up providing a little entertainment.

He started off ok by introducing himself as Pete Johnson, and when we all admitted our names and shook his hand, he asked, "What can I help you with today?"

"We'll take a 322CL excavator and a new Load King to haul it away," Bill said, and I guess he sounded a little cocky.

No doubt Pete Johnson didn't think Bill was serious, and I guess I can understand it. I can't understand what made him nearly explode though.

He went all red in the face and started yelling for us to get our low life asses off his lot, and almost screaming his time was too valuable to waste on trash like us.

He wasn't a real big guy but he wasn't a shrimp either, and for a second he looked like he might actually hit Bill.

Jacky had already made sure he wasn't going to hit me, she'd moved up in front of me and I could tell she was ready to jump up and kick something Johnsonish if it got much closer.

Bill didn't say a word to the guy - he just took the cell phone out of his pocket and called someone. This move made the salesman calm down a little, but he still looked pissed.

Someone must have answered at the other end, because Bill started talking into the phone.

"I'm Bill Green and I'd like to speak to Tom," he said, and it made Pete Johnson shuffle his feet and look a little uneasy for some reason.

"Hey, you thieving bastard, how's it going?" Bill said, into the phone and then listened for a minute.

"Pretty good, I'm down on your lot, as a matter of fact. I'm working for Jack Breslin now, and I brought his son Jimmy over to pick up a track-hoe and a lowboy," Bill said, and paused to listen again.

"No, we didn't. Well, actually we did find a new track-hoe we wanted, but when Pete Johnson came out, he gave us a good cussing and told us to get our asses off his lot. It confused me, because I was pretty sure this was still your lot," Bill said, pausing again.