Chapter 120

Mel and I reached an understanding quickly. The guest bed was for her and that is where she would sleep. I wasn't real thrilled to have Andrew's main squeeze staying with me. I know I'm pretty liberal, but I didn't know too many women who had slept with old boyfriends of mine.

If I had loved Andrew, I probably would have been upset staying so close to me. As it was, I just wasn't interested. I was subtle when I made that clear. After that we moved on to a good nights sleep. I heard her stirring at 5AM. "Mel go back to bed honey. It's too early to stir around inside a tin can." I said to her.

"It's just normally the time I awaken to fix breakfast," She said.

"Force yourself to stay in bed till 7AM, then I will get up as well," I said then added, "Instead of cooking, we eat out most of the time. Now go back to sleep."

I fell asleep and remained so for two more hours. When I awoke I felt pretty good. I was almost cheerful. Mel had not only needed some cheering up, but in doing so I had also reinvented my own mind set.

I peed then dressed in my shorts and sweat shirt for my trip to the airstrip. "If you want to run you can run up to the loop road then along it to the main road and back to the marina. Its probably a couple of miles. I used to run the loop road from end to end before returning to the marina that is about four miles counting the drive out to the loop." I said to Mel.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"I'm going to ride that ugly tricycle to the airstrip and fly my canary. I'll be back about ten," I said.

"Aren't you going to eat breakfast first?" she asked.

"Usually Wilson and I don't really get moving till about ten. Mostly we have a breakfast biscuit then and skip lunch. Then we go out to dinner."

"Would you mind if I used your kitchen?" she asked.

"Not at all explore it first to see what is there," I suggested before I set off on my adult big wheel. I made it to the airstrip and followed my usual routine. I had forgotten about the grass. I knew I needed to do it when I landed. Even so I ignored it to enjoy my flight. I waited until I was ready to landed about 9:30 before I called Mel's cell phone.

"Mel, I am going to fly over the barge now are you outside?" I asked.

"I certainly can be. I will look for you," she said.

I dropped low as I overflew the marina and barge. I waged my wings in the sign of greeting that was universal.

"What a cute little plane," Mel said.

"Thanks I have to stay at the field to cut the grass, so I won't be home till the afternoon. Get Wilson and you two have breakfast without me. He can give you computer lessons, if need be."

"Okay, hey there is a bicycle in the shed can I use it. I would love to tour the area instead of running?" she suggested.

"Of course you can," I said. "It might need a little wipe down but it's a pretty good bike." I had liked the bike we used on the courier run I bought another just like it one day on a whim.

"Cook thanks," she said sounding cheerful. It was all part of a new life I supposed.

"When I finally got home, I was pretty tired. "Well boss I got the land ready to buy for the gold mining operation," Wilson said.

"Wilson what we are doing hardly amounts to gold mining. I have no idea what it is but gold mining it isn't." I informed him.

"And I have your not jewelry making equipment all on order." he said with a laugh. The old men called and asked if you were going to come down to help with the shipping.

I dialed them. "Hey guys how's it going," I asked. We are backed up with orders down here hon. Can you come down to help us out." the old man in charge asked. "That move threw us way behind."

"Tell you what I will do. I'll be down before 3PM with a little help." I said. He agreed so we broke off the conversation.

"Alright you two we have a job. We have to get the old men back on schedule." I said. "This is an all hands on deck moment."

It was just shy of 3PM when we pulled into the large almost empty parking lot. We had more than enough room in the parking lot, so that it wasn't necessary to park along the empty Bayview street. It was the name of the street leading from main and going down to the warehouse and the boat store.

Once the three of us arrived we organized ourselves and very quickly had the orders boxed labeled and ready for the post office to pick up. The same company who managed the accounts for the marina managed the Old Man Enterprises books. They hadn't repaid their start up loan yet, so I was still involved. Once they did repay it, I would stop taking a cut and deliver the operation to them. Oh course without my advertising they might have gone out of business after a week.

We were finished when Wilson said, "Damn Sylvia I forgot, you got an email about this operation this morning while you were cutting grass on the strip," Wilson said.

"And who was this Urgent email from?" I asked.

"You need to read it, but you need to be sitting down and in a calm mood when you do," he said.

"You know I hate fucking mysteries," I said with a smile.

"No hell you don't, you live for the mysteries of life," Wilson said. All the while Mel just watched.

The old men had only five orders ready for shipping when we said good bye. "Where else can anyone get free labor," the shop manager asked.