Chapter 59

After that one day trip and all the damn money I made, I began to wonder why I had wasted all those years in law enforcement. Even Swamp dog had never paid that well. Okay, I kind of stole the money, but no one was going to complain.

While I was waiting for something new to come along, I hung around the plant making the wooden tool box kits. The guys had it going really well. The Internet was even beginning to show some interest from retailers.

Sure we still offered to assemble it for $25, but we advertised the kit hard as a way to be involved in your project. The single mom market was big for use as a toy chest. It was great for storage in a room with bunk beds. That's what the people at AMR told us from their interactive site. So the two men were planning an expansion.

"Sure guys, I can see it if your business plan is thought out well enough. I would like to have one of the men who works for me check your figures, before I write the check," I said.

"I knew you would say that and I'm all for you checking. You have never given us bad advice yet," the oldest one said. "I'm about of the age where checking into how things run is more fun than actually running saws."

"Might be a good idea. You don't want to fall into on of those thing and get an accidental Vasectomy," I said.

"I doubt an old man has to worry about that. I am am responsible for the plant management, so I'm interested in getting the most productive methods and tools. We are having to run it assembly line now. What we do is to take every tenth kit and assemble it and sell it that way. It's how we make sure all the kits are the way we designed them to be." My second partner said.

I didn't bother to correct him as to who designed the first tool box. It was based on a wooden box I bought in a sale of equipment, at one the closed mills in county seat. I was just glad it made money for the guys and gave them something to do.

Three days after I submitted the plan my trust manager called, " Well Sylvia I am not the man to evaluate your plan, so I had a production engineer look it over. Then I evaluated the business growth and it's potential for more. I believe the market will become saturated. The buying public will find a new fad, so I recommend your production capacity rise by only half. Just enough to fill present orders and not count on future growth. In other words don't bet on the draw."

"I thought of Kodak when you said that. They had far to much production capability because the demand dried up so fast," I said.

"I suggest you rent a space, and buy the machines you need to meet demand now. If demand increases add a second shift. That would be my suggestion but what ever you do don't change your advertising. The three of you are idea to speak for the company. Those guys are every family's grandfather making something for the kids." he suggested. "And your back story is great. You winning the lottery and helping folks out with the money is beautiful."

"Well don't get all teary eyed, I'm not giving shit away." I said. I hung up and went to deliver the news to my partners who were actually happy for the advice.

"We got this friend Roy who we can bring on to help with the tools. He is just a young whipper snapper of sixty five, but he's pretty dependable."

When I got back it was noon and Willie was up and moving about the barge house. "Were you out playing Elvis again?" I asked.

"No last night I was fishing off the pier down there till 2AM. Well the last two hours I was in the office with Margo looking at porn drinking wine and laughing. It's neat how porn gets to be hilarious at out age," he said.

"Well get dressed quick, I have decided that you need a company car," I said. It was just another way of killing time while I waited for something to happen. Even with the prospect of getting a free car it took him thirty minutes to get dress. Wilson was worse than most women. A woman held the record for time spent changing, but Wilson was a close second. Okay third, Jeremy came in there somewhere.

We had to drive all the way to Ellisboro to get a selection. I wanted to get an American car. Wilson had other ideas, most of which cost me serious money. "Wilson I drive a ten year old pickup truck, what makes you think I am going to boy a Mercedes company car. Plus if I need you to watch a house, you will stand out like a butler at a clown convention."

"So how about a Volvo," he suggested.

"Wilson, I drive a ten year old ford pickup truck. I am not buying you a car that cost as much as my house in country seat," I said.

"Alright what can I have? How about a Escalade?" Wilson asked.

"Trust me, you don't want and Escalade. They are way too dangerous," I said.

"What your friend The Brit drives one," He said.

"Wilson think about it," I said.

"Alright how about a Honda," he asked.

"You know that's the most over priced car for what you get?" I asked.

"It's your money not mine," he said.

"Get an SRV if you have to have a Honda," I said. "You are going to have to do things you probably can't anticipate now." We left the dealership in Ellisboro with a brand new SRV. Wilson was happy, so I was happy as well. Of the three colors they had he chose black. I thought it looked very nice. I little to large for my taste, but that was okay too.

The weather finally got warm enough for me to sit on the deck outside the 20x8 kitchen living room space. There was a ten foot deck each end of the small kitchen living room area which Wilson and I shared.