Chapter 46

Chuck

I woke up at home early Sunday morning after a wonderful evening of loving enjoyment with all of the ladies. We spent a long time making sure we were all very happily satisfied before falling asleep. I ended up with Brandy and Tiani sleeping on my shoulders.

This morning, all the ladies were sleeping peacefully and there was no reason to wake them yet. My body clock was all screwed up, but I was awake just a little earlier than most days.

After making coffee, I went out on the grass to enjoy my internal music and stretching into form after form. The first presence I felt was Wanda, then a few minutes later, Lisa and Marie showed up. They were all up extremely early on a Sunday.

I thought over the intense week I had just experienced, and about how nuts John and the Marshal were getting about violence and their fear of the DC bureaucrats. Some things just have unhappy and violent endings, and nothing can be done about it.

My mind wandered to Sam Nightfox and his statement that he was transferring to a station around here. I wondered what that would mean, as Sam was a very intense man. He was very likeable, but I was apprehensive that he could become a little clingy. Perhaps I could get him captured by one of the women that seemed to be in abundance around here.

After I closed and the others followed, we leisurely swam laps until we tired. By the time we finished swimming, the pool was filled with nearly everyone from the house. We showered and dressed, then met in the kitchen/family room area to discuss whether we wanted to go out to the patio for Sunday breakfast.

Brandy said, "I want to go out so Chuck can see how the house is coming. They are really moving along. We're going to be in it soon. They finished the garage and the four cottages you wanted. I mean they are done with those. The wind generators are up and are already supplying power to the buildings. The studio is complete, but the electronics Lisa wants aren't installed yet. Some technicians are coming out to begin working on the computer system and recording equipment. Anyway, Chuck, you have to see it to believe it. Besides, I think we all love the Sunday food and show out there.

Brandy held up a semi-opaque short gown and said, "See, we all have new gowns and they're a little more conservative than the others."

I told the girls, "Let's go then. Do the rest of you want to come, or do you have other plans?"

Wanda said, "John and I are coming. We want to see the house."

Dennis commented, "Marie has shown me the house daily so I know how it's coming. We're going fishing out on the boat with mom and dad today."

Jan said, "Don and I are going with Dennis and Marie, and I think Lena and Ben are coming with us."

Tina was standing beside me and said, "I'm with you, but I have to go in this afternoon for an overnighter in the ER. Let me take my car so I can come home for a short nap before work."

We arrived at the patio and had a great time with the rowdy and sexy group. We were having a good time when Terrel cornered me and said, "I think we'll be mostly done this week. We'll need to punch it out and get the landscaping finished, which may take another week. The electronics guys from your service came by to help us set up the video security system. They really know their stuff."

Terrel suggested, "Your ladies are going to want to begin decorating this week. I think they already have an idea of what they want. Lisa told me her mother and sisters from Atlanta are moving into the cottage nearest the studio. She can bring them anytime, since the cottages are done. They need decorating, but that's all."

He paused and added, "The guys have all enjoyed working on your place. I used it to show a couple of people thinking about building so they would know what we're capable of. We've already signed four nice contracts for some really big homes. One is even bigger than yours."

"Thanks, Terrel. We didn't have a chance to talk over in Hawaii, but the work you did over there is perfect. Did you take a lot of men from here?"

Terrel said, "Not really. I sent Frank Stuart over there to supervise the jobs. He's been a hell of a foreman here and I felt he could handle what I wanted over there. He hired all local labor and you saw what he did. He's assisted the contractors on the hotel remodeling and the new construction they have put up. I think Frank has earned a place over there. He wants to start a division of S&S construction over there, but wants to stay mostly in commercial."

"What does Steve think of expanding his construction company?"

Terrel grinned, "Steve's always for something new, but Tiny is making Frank get him figures on a thousand different things so he knows how to advise Steve. So far, it looks like Frank might be able to make it happen."

I said, "Then that's neat. It's always fun to watch how Steve expands. You're going to be busy here with the T-shirt factory as well as the new factory that Sue wants."

"Both are already started. Darnel is working on them. When your house is done, all the men will be shifted to those other jobs. I kind of wanted to see how fast we could build a first-class home. You'll like how none of the woodwork looks like it's been rushed. Everything fits perfectly and it really does look great. The rooms for each of the ladies are really very nice and comfortable looking. You'll want one for yourself. Deana already said she wants me to build something like that in our house so she can have some solitude sometime."

"We're going over to the house after breakfast this morning. I think some of the girls' parents are coming to look at it too. I'll tell Lisa to begin getting her momma down here. She'll really get excited over that."

Steve and Tiny had seen me get mad at John and the Marshal. I don't lose my temper often, but I did that time. I was a little embarrassed, but had gone to greet them when I had come into the patio. As Tiny handed me a tall glass of Bloody Mary, he asked, "Are you flying today?" When I said 'no, ' he took that glass and handed me another. "You can handle the real stuff then."

Steve was just as friendly as ever, and neither one mentioned anything about my outbursts. I guess I can let that go and forget about it. These people had become my close friends and we're now also business partners. It was then that Terrel had approached me.

After breakfast, half the patio went over to the new house. We had to tour the new garage with the unfinished upstairs. We looked through all of the cottages, noticing a little different design within each one. Lisa thought the one for her momma would be perfect. I was amazed at the studio building. There were electronics being installed everywhere. There was even a little alcove dedicated for the sound and video servers. Lisa was really proud as she had contacted the big producers to help her design the studio.

The house looked done to me. We went over every inch. Every drawer was pulled out in every bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. All of the private rooms for the girls were really nice. They were larger than I had envisioned, but they would be perfect for some privacy. The cedar paneling and flooring smelled so good. It was like aroma therapy in there. Terrel, Tom Parks, or someone else, had designed in separate air conditioning zones for each of the little rooms so the user could regulate their own temperatures. That was really smart.

The kitchen and giant family room were really beautiful and open. The entire glass wall between the house and the patio and pool opened completely to enjoy the outdoor feeling even more. The pool had been filled and was beautiful under the huge cage.

I did notice a large grassy area between the pool and the studio, and between the pool and the driveway on both sides. These would be perfect for morning exercises as well as in the future for little ones to play on.

Going from the kitchen/family room area to the front door were the formal dining and living rooms on the left. To the right was the gigantic office my girls had built for me. It was big enough for the beautiful desk that was already there, a couple of leather couches, and a table and six chairs for conferences. There were also two very nice leather chairs in front of my desk that I tested to make sure you didn't sink down in them.

To the left of the wide entranceway was also the hallway to the apartments. Each apartment was a little different, and each was really special. They had their own small kitchen, as well as living room area. Each had two bedrooms that would be good for visitors or offices. Wanda made a point to tell me how perfect the place was going to be for John and her. Dennis and Marie showed us their apartment and how much they really liked it. Don and Jan got me aside and Jan said, "We almost decided to get our own place, but we're glad we waited. This is a special place and it's all ours. This is better than being away on our own. Thank you, Chuck, we are very thankful."

The other apartment sized area downstairs was the huge exercise room. The place was really special and had some equipment, but also had the spaces for the equipment we already owned.

When I asked Terrel what wasn't done yet, he said, "I have the upstairs area to complete. We have it in two individual very large units now, but it can be easily remodeled to be just like this is. The girls say it will be for their parents if they needed to be taken care of, but I think if that were so it would be better if they were smaller units. What do you think?"

I said, "I think the smaller units would be best as there is no way any of the parents would hide from the rest of the household if they lived here. They wouldn't need that much room anyway. If they did, we could put them in a cottage or over the garage."

Terrel smiled and said, "I'll do the four apartments up there then. I was right about that point of deciding what to do. We'll have those done by Tuesday, painted and floored by Wednesday. We'll punch it all out with the girls and finish the landscaping. You might want to begin moving in by Friday. We can finish anything else we need to later."

"Holy shit. That was really fast. How did you do it so fast?"

Terrel said, "With over two hundred men on the job that are all good, it was easy. Everyone had a job to do and they did it. They all worked together and you see what kind of work they do. They are proud of what they build."

I gathered all my women in the family room/kitchen area and had them sit on the tall high backed chairs there. With Terrel standing beside me and a lot of interested folks from the patio observing, I asked my ladies, "Can you ladies get this decorated by Thursday?"

There was a collective gasp and Brandy said, "My mom will help and I know Tiani's and Nancy's mothers will help. What do we need to decorate?"

"You will need to decorate the whole house." Again more gasps and sighs from the audience. "Jan and Don, John and Wanda, Dennis and Marie, you are in charge of decorating your own spaces. Lisa, Brandy, and Frieda are the money managers, so just have them tell you where to go to get what you need. The decorator Brandy has should do any window treatments. That way everything will be installed correctly. You girls have to decorate the rest of the house. You don't have to do the formal rooms, but I'm sure you will. Furnishings should have already been picked out, and of course, a lot will come from our house."

Brandy asked, "When should we plan on moving?"

I said, "Have a couple of moving companies bid to move us on Friday."

All of the girls mouths dropped open and the squeals began. Brandy said, "We can do that. We'll be done no later than six on Friday. I'll get this organized and we'll be in our new home Friday evening." She turned to all the people standing around and said, "This Friday, we will serve you folks in the formal dining room and everywhere else you can find a place to sit. We are showing off Friday."

This seemed to be what the bunch of them was waiting for, as they huddled together, then pulled Terrel into their huddle. They broke up and Frieda said to me, "Can you come home with us now, because we have to get our plans and head to a couple of stores?"

I nodded okay as Judy and her rounded belly came up and hugged me. With some tears in her eyes, she looked up at me and said, "This is so good. That you want me and want our baby enough to give all this to us is so overwhelming. I promise to be the best wife or harem girl you could ever want. We're going to have a wonderful baby."

I kissed Judy and held her until Brandy pulled her from me, heading for the car.

Lisa was beside me walking out, and I asked, "Do you think you should decorate the cottage or should you wait to let your momma decorate for herself?"

"She'll want to do it and the kids will have a great time getting their own furniture. When should I bring them?"

I said, "Tomorrow, Tuesday, Wednesday, or any day you want, as long as it's soon."

Lisa was really grinning and said, "I'll call her. She sold the restaurant and is ready to move. I'll go get her tomorrow."

At home, the girls got their notebooks out and compared what they were to do. Brandy said, "I'll have the movers begin packing tomorrow so we can easily make the move. I'll make sure the apartments get moved too so everyone will have enough time to get organized. She turned to me, "Chuck, can we move the gym early? That would be one more room completed."

I said, "Sure, move what you need. I don't have a lot of personal stuff and will move what little I have easily on Thursday or Friday."

Brandy said, "We might have to stay at the hotel Thursday night because our bed will probably be out there by then. I think we should wait until Friday to officially move in."

Lisa said, "The studio has its own alarm system and telephone line so you can put your instruments out there anytime. I'll get all my stuff out there too. I still have some out at Tom's and Zena's and more still in Atlanta, but that will all be taken care of this week. Let me call Momma to tell her."

The girls said they would be back and they left in two cars, going in two directions.

My cell phone rang and Metarie said, "My goodness, what have you done to them this time? Brandy was nuts on the phone. I just told her not to worry about it as the windows would take care of themselves."

"We're moving into the new house, Metarie. They just found out we can move in on Friday."

She said, "Oh, no wonder. They have talked of nothing else since the house was thought of. When can we see it?"

"The girls are planning an open house Friday night. That will be a testament of their organizational abilities; plan on it though, because knowing that group, it will be done."

"You're right, it will be done. Brandy promised to send whoever she could to work all week, but said she would probably be out. Well, Chuck, I'll see you Friday. Good luck with that bunch."

I loaded up some boxes with the stuff from my office and then loaded the car with a lot of my instruments. At the house, I used the key Terrel had given me and carried the boxes into the office area.

I looked at the office again to see how nice it was. This was sort of like my office at work, but the woodwork was more ornate. Behind closed doors was a giant flat screen TV. Other doors concealed a wet bar with a mirrored back for glasses and bottles. There were nice bookcases for hundreds of books and to display toys. The room did look masculine, and did sort of reflect me. It was very nice.

After putting all of my office stuff away and arranging the few items on the bookshelves, I went to the car to begin bringing equipment into the studio.

I noticed the studio windows all had good blinds on them and figured curtains might be added later. Over the two doors of large storage closets with big shelves, were the names, 'Lisa' and 'Chuck.' I put all my stuff into the closet marked 'Chuck, ' but took out the blues king and strummed it throughout the building to see how the acoustics were. In the glassed in recording studio, the sound didn't echo at all. It was perfectly flat. A lot of care and research had been put into the construction.

Once that was done, I had a choice. I could visit at the patio, go home and prepare to bring some more out here, or go to the airfield. I didn't feel like any more airfield stuff, and didn't know whether or not I wanted to go to the patio. I just went back to the house and finished loading all of my instruments and musical electronics. I even put the small file cabinet full of music into the car.

After putting the rest of my instruments and music in the studio closet, I looked around for the alarm information. It was in the computer alcove. The code was LC1369 for right now, so it was fairly easy. The place looked shipshape, so I set the alarm and locked it up.

I did go to the patio this time. Kathy came out and said, "They all went over to play with the big boat today. They were going to begin making lists for what they want to take with them."

"How come you didn't go?"

Kathy smiled, "I kind of wanted to be around so Ben and Lena wouldn't be left totally alone. They need some supervision. I know they're fooling around, but they still need to be watched a little."

"I guess, Kathy. I never had that problem because by the time I was their age, I had Uncle Sam for a chaperone."

She laughed and said, "I guess he is a good chaperone. J.J. and Carl are both so busy they don't have time for anything else. Did you know J.J. was in Afghanistan for a couple of weeks and is now getting ready to rotate over there again?"

"Really, I didn't know he was through with training yet?"

"He isn't, but they need troops and they are sending a bunch of men from training over to fill in on garrison jobs while the seasoned troops are in the field. He's had enough training that he'll be fine. Steve had some long talks with him and feels J.J. can defend himself."

I said, "Still it's scary to have one of your own over there."

"I know," Kathy said, "It was the same when Jake went. I know it has to be done and I know my J.J. is a good man for it. I'll just pray a little more about it. Mercy says he'll be fine and she does seem to know things."

Ben and Lena came in while Kathy and I were having a beer. Lena almost asked for a beer, but decided to have a soda. I smiled at her and nodded my approval. Ben went with the program and had a Coke with her. They didn't stick around long and left.

Glenda came out from the kitchen and asked, "Do either of you want something for lunch? There is some leftover soup in the big fridge and plenty of sandwich makings. I think I'm going to lie down with Martin for our afternoon nap. I'll see you two for supper."

When they were gone, Kathy said, "They are both getting a little on the frail side. Glenda won't quit and Martin is still out every day trying to help folks. He doesn't have to do it, but he likes to be busy. That Shirley lady that is a friend of Mark's and Caroline's is beginning to come over a lot to be with Glenda. She says she likes to have the time to gossip over here with the other ladies. Her friend, Betty, is getting frail too and has been staying pretty close to home."

"Folks get older, Kathy, we can't stop it. That's one part of nature that is hard to accept."

I said, "I think I'll head home. I might get the bike out and ride a little later on. I might be back."

Kathy said, "If your ladies have anything to do with it, you'll be back."

At home, I toured the whole place and decided that there wasn't that much to take to the new house. The girls would have a lot from their house, but that could be done over time. I figured we wanted this one emptied and ready for the guy from the employment office to move in as soon as possible. I figured that if the guy couldn't qualify for a loan, I could either carry the loan or rent the house to him. Either way would be okay with me.

I decided I should work out and put on shorts and my sports leg to use the dreaded treadmill for a while. After forty-five minutes on the treadmill, I used the weights for a half-hour, then went to the pool to swim. Back inside, showered and dressed, I was about to have a beer when my cell went off.

I could tell whoever it was, was on a sat phone. Lisa said, "Meet me at the airpark in about a half hour. I have momma. They don't have a lot, but it'll stuff your car. We might borrow one of the luggage vans."

"My goodness, what are you flying?"

"The Phenom. This thing has plenty of cargo and interior room to stuff. Anyway, get on your horse and meet us."

"Click"

My goodness, how did she get up there, get them out to the airport with all their stuff, and fly back already?

I drove to the airport and saw Lisa's car. Inside the office, Charlotte, the pilot was watching the desk. She asked, "Are you here to give some lessons?"

I laughed and said, "No, I'm here to haul Lisa and her momma home. She's coming in on the Phenom and should be here any minute."

Charlotte leaned over and turned up the airport approach and field radio receivers.

I asked, "Who do I ask to borrow a luggage van?"

Charlotte smiled and said, "I guess you'll have to bribe me. I have the keys."

As she handed me a set, she said, "Both are in good shape and should be full of gas. This is the one four truck. The last two digits of the truck number are one four."

"Thanks, Charlotte, I'll move it close to where the Phenom parks."

When I had the truck moved, I heard the thrust reversers make their loud noise, then heard the plane begin to taxi this way. Through the front window of the Phenom, I could see Lisa and one of her sisters. Both had huge grins on their faces.

Lisa parked the plane to be refueled and then moved into the back of the aircraft. When she opened the door and let the hydraulics let the stairs down gently, I held out my hand for the youngest sister, Sheena, and then the older one, Timetra. Big Momma came to the door and it looked like she had lost a lot of weight, like maybe a hundred pounds or something like that. She came down the stairs, with my hands ready to catch her, and took me into her arms and hugged me so tight, I was losing my breath. She held me back and said, "It is so good to see you and to know you want us like you do. I promise, you'll never regret this. You're saving my babies' lives. Mine too, probably."

Lisa came out of the plane with the first arm load of stuff and said, "Take momma and the girls into the office so they can use the restroom. I'll begin unloading."

I took them into the office and introduced them to Charlotte. Charlotte was surprised that Lisa's momma and sisters were very dark, but she was perfect with them. I said that she should keep them until Lisa and I had the plane unloaded.

With my help, we had everything off the plane in minutes. Lisa said, "This is all momma had. She said she would let me get her and the girls some new clothes down here. She said she sold or gave away everything else. The people who bought the restaurant are not very nice and were glad to get rid of the girls and momma."

As she gave me a hug, I told Lisa, "How about having them come home with us or stay at the hotel for tonight? There isn't any furniture or anything in the cottages yet."

Lisa said, "There is my room that John and his wife were staying in. The bed is big enough."

I said, "We can do that, but we need to put this stuff, except the clothes they will need, into the new cottage. We'll go by the patio, introduce them, then take them home."

Lisa nodded and said, "We can do that."

"You drive my car with them and I'll follow with the van. We'll bring the van back and go to the house or plan for supper."

We went to the new house and introduced them to their new home. You would have thought it was a castle the way they were making over it. Lisa and I had everything in the cottage except the clothes they needed for the next day or two. We locked up the cottage and I gave the keys to momma. She said, "My goodness, keys and all. This is so enormous, so unexpected. This is a dream come true for all of us."

Lisa hugged her and said, "Me too, momma."

A minute later, we were at the patio. The reception was perfect as my five were all there, along with Deanna and her little ones. Kathy was first to get to us and said, "So you're Momma and these are Lisa's sisters." Kathy hugged the big lady and smiled. "Welcome to Florida and welcome to the patio, the meeting place of friends out here."

Glenda was next and said about the same as she gave Momma a hug. The big lady had tears running down her cheeks. My ladies were equally as loving, but had met the lady and girls before. Alice and Abe came in and were happy to meet her. I found out Momma's name just then as she said, "They all call me Momma, but my given name in Minnie. So it's not far from what I'm called today. I think everyone has called me Peaches most of my life. I'll answer to any of them. I kinda like Peaches though."

I said to Kathy, "Momma or Peaches makes some great Cajun food. You'll love it as she knows how to make it spicy."

"Oh my yes," Momma said, "I love to cook and can't wait to cook for my new family."

That's when Glenda said, "You know you eat here most of the time and that we all eat together. A bunch of us ladies cook supper every day. You'll love all the people and the good time we have. Your girls will have friends here in no time, and you will have all of us ladies to gossip with and play cards with. You might not want to lie out in the sun with us, but we do that almost every day too."

"My oh my, you sure are busy out here. I'm going to just love it." She looked around and said, "I'll need to get my girls into school tomorrow. Will you all help me do that?"

Lisa said, "I'll help do it all in the morning, Momma. I told you it would be wonderful here."

I suggested, "We need to take the van back to the airfield. Let me take it back while you visit. I'll be right back."

Lisa gave me her keys and I left for the airpark, turned in the van with a full tank of gas, and drove Lisa's car back to the park. When I got there, all my girls except Nancy, Frieda, and Judy were gone.

"Where did they vanish to?"

"Furniture shopping. They were out of here before the dust settled from the van. Talk about excited," Kathy said.

Frieda said, "That is so nice for you to do this with Lisa's adopted mom. I don't think anything is official, but I'll bet we can do something so she can take care of the girls if she needs to. Lisa has said her momma was losing a lot of weight and she didn't know why."

I said, "Well, that's another thing that needs to be taken care of right away. We'll find out."

I had a beer and the three pregnant women all had sips from it while it was cold. We talked about the new house and what I had done so far today. The three lamented over how hard it was going to be cleaning out their present house.

"Just have movers do all the heavy stuff. You sit or stand there and tell them what to do with it. You won't be pushed, and you'll have plenty of time to get it in place. Do it slowly and have a good time doing it. If you guys have to, take a leave of absence. I'm sure they will give you the time you need because you are going to be moms very soon."

The three were smiling with me, and Nancy said, "Oh you, you just make it sound so easy. I hope it is."

Judy said, "Everything I own in life is either at our house, or your house, which is our house too. It will be good to get everything in one place. I'm going to love the new house."

"What do you think, girls, should we go home or stay here?"

They said, "We'll stay here. The ladies are going to play some cards in a few minutes and we want to play."

I let them go to the table where the card game was going to start while I got a beer. Abe said, "How about playing a couple games of eight ball? I haven't played much lately."

Abe and I played until Martin came and he played for a while. A guy named Jim, with his wife, Kate, came with a couple of kids. Kate played cards while the kids played with a couple of other kids in the house. Jack and Abe became partners and Martin and I partnered up in several games of doubles eight ball. By the time it was beer and food time, I was getting to be a better shot. The three I had been playing with were pretty good.

Just as we had filled our mugs, people began coming home for the evening. A group of motorcycles came up and parked on the grass outside the patio. Steve, Sue, Mercy, and Juanita came, with a couple of dozen kids in two cars, along with Sue's mother and the little girl who was the Sheriff's department forensic person. I think it was Mickey.

My girls with momma and her girls arrived, and came into the patio very excited. Lisa was really smiling and said, "I put a lot on your credit card today. You said for me to do it, and I sure did it. We bought all the furniture we need, all the bedclothes, and a pile of school clothes. We'll get more later when they see what the kids are wearing here. Momma is so happy, we have towels and curtains and a bunch of the bathroom stuff she'll need. We'll get more, but I think she can move in tomorrow when her furniture gets here."