Chapter 10: Visitors

So we did just that. I moved out of the Evergreen Suites and into the duplex, choosing Sue's side to begin with. It didn't seem to matter much. The four women seemed interchangeable with each unit. Some nights I spent on Sue and Lori's side, others with Jan and Lexi. If there was one constant, it was amount of sex I was rewarded with. Maybe I should call it loving. It seemed very much like I had a loving relationship with my quartet. I wasn't quite that jaded ... yet.

I didn't have a lot to move. I left most of my things in storage, including my new golf clubs. In the back of my mind, this move was temporary. Somewhere down the line, I felt I'd be looking for my own place.

If we had any arguments, it was about my willingness to participate in the workload around the duplex. I'd been a bachelor for enough years that I knew what was required and I was willing to pull my share. The ladies decided that I need only worry about the outside of the building and any repairs to the inside that might be required. Since it was still winter for another month, the outside didn't require any effort at all. On top of that, the lawns and shrubs were very easy to maintain.

After a while, I subtly took over some of the interior duties, including any dishwashing I could get away with. It seemed to me, I explained to them, that since they went to all the trouble of making the meals, the least I could do was to clean up afterwards. I got grudging acceptance of my position, but seldom found myself alone at the kitchen sink.

And so my life slipped into a new pattern. As winter turned to spring and the weather improved, I discovered myself becoming quite comfortable in my multi-partnered existence. None of this carried over to our work. We kept a businesslike relationship at all times in the office. I was reasonably sure that no one knew about my ... our ... unusual living arrangements. Jan was coming to terms with her new management position and I was now much more certain that she would be a success. She exhibited leadership and set high standards for herself and her sales group.

Two more of our salesmen left the company when they couldn't meet Jan's standards. She hired two to replace them, one male and one female. In the meantime, Rita was cutting quite a swath through her territory. My hunch that she was going to be quite spectacular was proving to be right. I think the key to her was that she related to the people she was dealing with. She was one of "them." I talked to her now and then just to let her know how pleased I was with her progress and I know Jan followed up with her as well.

I had Mel Cooper fly in from Boise the second week we were back from San Antonio and interviewed him for the production manager's position. He made it known in our first phone conversation that he wanted the opportunity. I picked him up at SeaTac mid-morning on Monday and drove the hour north to Lynnwood. He was quite impressed with Seattle, having visited several times over the years. The fact that it was pouring rain didn't seem to discourage him.

Sue, Jan and Lexi all met with him and came away with the same opinion that I held. Mel Cooper was right for us and for the job. He would fit in easily. We took him on a tour of the plant floor and introduced him to the supervisors. We made it clear that he was interviewing for the manager's position. I didn't detect any resistance or hesitation from the men. He talked to them and asked questions that convinced the supervisors that he was very experienced and capable of doing the job.

Mel had some things to clear up in Boise and wouldn't be available to move until the end of April. I could live with that. I can wait for good people. In the meantime, I was watching our sales and I liked what I saw. Leaving aside Rita's barnstorming through central Washington, we were trending in the right direction. The six remaining original salesmen were all over their forecast for the first quarter. The two newer sales reps, Diane and Shanté, were also doing well. They were experienced in the business and had the enthusiasm of wanting to show us they could get on with the job. The two latest hires were young but eager and both were aggressively looking for new business besides managing the existing territory. All in all, I was very pleased with the results to date.

Better yet, Sue and I were really happy to see the margins we were now realizing. We were steadily reducing the commodity portion in favor of the upper end of the profit scale. I think proof that our incentive of "stepping" the commissions was working was when I heard a loud "Woo Hoo!" from the sales area when the monthly commission checks were issued in March. "Yeow!" followed a few minutes later. I smiled to myself. Our system was meeting with their approval.

And so it went for the next three months. By the time Sue presented me with the six month financial results, they confirmed what I already knew. Lynnwood was going to be a success. My experience told me that success breeds success. When you're a winner, you expect to win, not hope to win. That was the attitude that became apparent with everyone, from sales to operating floor. I made sure we shared this achievement with all our employees. Their bonus system was based on their performance and, when they saw the changes in volume and product mix, they were energized as well.

Our performance drew the attention of my brother and I might have known he would want to visit our little outpost in the northwest to show the flag.

"I'll be up there next week," Dave announced early in August. "Got any room for me at your place?"

That was a question I wasn't ready for, even though I should have expected it.

"I think so. Let me get back to you on that," I said, stalling for time to think.

"Uh, okay, give me a call. If it isn't convenient, I'll book that hotel you lived in for a while," he said, sounding slightly amused.

"Sure. I won't be long letting you know," I promised.

I called Sue and Jan into my office and told them what was happening.

"I should have known this was going to happen," I said to the two women. "Any suggestions?"

"Yes," Sue said without hesitation. "Tell him the truth. We can make room for him, but we won't lie to him. If you knew this could happen, you could have headed it off earlier," she said in a mildly accusatory tone.

I let out a big sigh. Sue was right, of course. The best thing to do was to tell him the truth, but not until he got here. I did not want this debated in Dave's household beforehand or, for that matter, with my parents. Not yet.

I called Dave right back while the ladies were sitting there.

"All set, Dave. Let me know your flight and I'll pick you up at the airport."

"Sure. Roberta will e-mail you my agenda. I'm heading over to Boise and then Reno before I come back here."

"Okay, the circle tour then. Look, I have a favor to ask. Can I call you back?"

"Yes, okay, I'll be here," he replied, a bit uncertain about this conversation.

"Thanks. I won't be long."

I hung up and turned to Jan. "I'd like to bring Rita in to meet Dave. She's done an outstanding job, starting from scratch. We have a special bonus for people who show real ownership of their work. I won't do it if you don't think it's warranted."

"What kind of bonus?" Jan asked.

"It's discretionary. My discretion, actually. I know how hard it is to get a barren territory going and Rita has worked a small miracle in my opinion. I think a $2500 bonus, over and above her commission is warranted."

I saw Sue nodding and a smile on Jan's face. "I think that would be terrific," Jan said immediately. "Do you think Dave would present it to her?"

"Yes, if I ask him to, he will," I nodded. "That's what I want to call him back about, but I wouldn't do it unless you agreed."

"I'm all for it," Jan said, turning to Sue, who was already nodding her agreement.

"Okay, I'll let Dave know. Jan, would you call Rita and have her come into town on Sunday. We'll put her up at the house and take her out to dinner Monday evening. Dave will make the presentation at the office at the end of business Monday in front of our people. I want her to get the maximum recognition for her efforts."

That got me a big hug and a kiss from both ladies. Luckily the door was closed and no one else saw the familiarity.

Jan and I picked Rita Vantreight up at SeaTac on Sunday afternoon and drove her back to the office. She already knew she was staying two nights and had offered slight resistance to being away from her territory for an extra day. I let her know she would be having dinner with the president at his request, so it was something of a command performance.

It was quite amazing how similar my four and Rita were in physical attributes. I thought as I saw her approach us in the arrivals area that she might have lost some weight. She was fit and tanned and very healthy-looking. It occurred to me that she was quite attractive, more so than my first impression of her several months earlier.

Lori, Sue and Lexi teamed up to make dinner at the duplex. Rita was a "meat-and-potatoes" kind of gal and I barbequed some baby back ribs. That met with everyone's approval.

Rita had a great sense of humor and was happy to share some of her stories of life on the road. She and I compared notes, since my background was only different in dimension. She drove and I flew from place to place. As I listened to her tell her tales, I began to see that her work and travel were a way to mask the fact that she was lonely. She never mentioned her late husband except in passing. I thought about how selfish I was with my four ladies and here was a wonderful woman with, I assumed, no one.

Rita was staying with Sue, Lori and me. Jan had briefed her on our living arrangements and apparently, it didn't faze her.

"That woman needs a man," Lori said as we settled in for the night.

"Damn right," Sue agreed.

"So, what are you suggesting?" I asked, putting my foot right in the bear trap.

"Maybe a trip to visit our central state customers every month or so would be helpful, Gabe," Lori suggested. "A couple of trips with you and she'd be putty in your hands."

"Oh, no you don't," I said emphatically. "I've got more than I can handle with you four. I do not need to add another complication to my life."

"For Pete's sake, Gabe, back in the day, a Sultan had dozens of women in their harems," Sue said, chuckling under her breath.

"This is not Turkey in the seventeenth century, Sue. We live in a monogamous society. A guy is supposed to have one wife, period! I'm risking my career and my family as it is." I tried not to be too vehement in my argument. I didn't want to create problems, but adding more to our "fivesome" was not going to happen.

"Spoilsport," Lori grumbled, then giggled.

"Ladies, if you want to help Rita, you had better let her know that you intend to get involved in her personal life. You do not want to get her upset by meddling in her affairs. Knowing how strong she is, she'll be the first to tell you that she doesn't want or need your help."

That ended the conversation, but I had a feeling it hadn't ended a conspiracy that might be brewing by the four women.

I picked up my brother at SeaTac late Monday morning. He would be staying overnight before leaving for Boise midday, Tuesday. I planned to take him directly to the plant, forestalling any awkward questions about my living arrangements.

"Hello, Sue, nice to see you again," Dave smiled in greeting her.

"Nice to see you too, Dave. Welcome to the new Lynnwood," she grinned.

"Yes, new indeed. I've been patting myself on the back for convincing Gabe to take over here. The results have been very satisfying, just as I expected."

"Gabe is the secret weapon, alright. It didn't take him long to get us going in the right direction."

"Okay, you guys, enough," I said. "You will notice that the core people, with one exception, are still here. All I did was take the obstacles away."

Dave laughed and turned back to Sue. "He never was good at accepting praise. He was the best troubleshooter that we've ever had. Now he says he wants to settle down. If this is any indication, it looks like he's serious for once in his life."

"Oh, I think we've got him pretty well domesticated already," Sue smirked.

"Good for you. Now all he needs is a wife."

That put an end to the banter in a hurry. Sue looked at me and blushed, while I looked everywhere but at my brother.

"Looks like I embarrassed him," Dave said as he sat down across from Sue. "Why don't we go over the financials?"

I was relieved that the topic had returned to business. I sat beside Dave and let Sue make her comments. Twenty minutes later, Dave summed up his comments.

"Just as I expected. You've both got things going in the right direction and ahead of plan. Mind you, this is exactly what I expected to find, so it doesn't come as a big surprise. I've seen it before in couple of our operations, so I know what can and can't be done. Well done, both of you."

Sue was beaming at the praise and I felt good that she was getting the recognition she deserved. It was one thing to spur sales, it was another to keep the inventory, cash flow, bad debts, and receivables in good order.

I took Dave to see Jan next.

"Hello, Jan. Good to see you again. Nice to meet you too, Rita. I've been hearing a lot of good things about you," Dave said sincerely.

"Thank you, Sir," Rita said, standing. "I'm really enjoying working for Black Gold. It's far and away the best job I've ever had."

"You must know by now we're pretty informal here," Dave said. "I'm Dave to everyone who works for us."

Rita nodded and smiled, but said nothing.

From Jan's office, I took Dave on a tour of the other staff and then out to the plant area. He was very pleased to see Mel Cooper again. They had met more than once in Boise, and as usual, were on a comfortable first-name basis. I think that impressed the supervisors until Dave let them know they were entitled to the informality as well. I saw some uncertain looks at first, but they soon disappeared after they had a chance to talk to the president.

Dave and I took Sue and Mel to lunch, making it a working lunch by talking about what equipment or material needs they might have in mind. We knew sooner or later we would have to upgrade our packaging operation. Our current equipment was in good condition, but the number of pounds or pouches per hour was lower than new equipment could produce. Dave was quite well versed on what type of equipment would be best, as was I. We talked about setting a capital budget for next year, subject to our overall performance this year.

We spent the afternoon discussing possible sales expansion. If Rita could make substantial headway in central Washington, then it stood to reason, we might want to look further east. Spokane was the largest target, currently served out of Boise. It wasn't an ideal situation and they were not getting the kind of results that we expected from a metropolitan area. The question's focus was on whether to launch that effort from Boise or Seattle. I was not dancing around the issue. I wanted that growth for the Lynnwood plant.

By four o'clock we had finished the tours and discussion and it was time for me to "face the music."

"Dave, before we head off to my place, there's something you should know," I began hesitantly. We were in my office and the door was closed.

I saw the knowing smile on his face and wondered just what he thought he knew.

"I wondered when you were going to get around to telling me," he said.

I looked at him, trying to figure out what he was talking about. He couldn't possibly know about my "living arrangement." I decided to not try and out-guess him. It was something I was seldom able to do. I waited for him to continue.

"You didn't really think you could keep your personal life-style a secret forever, did you?"

"Uhhm, no ... I guess not," I said meekly. I could only assume he knew about the four women I lived with. "Are you upset about it?" I asked.

"Not really," he said carefully. "There are some dangers, of course. How will others view it?"

"How did you find out?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"In San Francisco, at the office, Gloria picked up some scuttlebutt about it from Roberta. You know Roberta; 'She who knows all, '" he smirked.

"Where the hell did she get it from?"

"Your addresses, when she noticed they were all the same. So, she used Google Earth on the address and figured it out. I must say, you have very good taste in ... roommates."

I could tell by the tone of his voice he wasn't really upset. But having Roberta and Gloria aware could have some awkward consequences.

"Yeah, well, it wasn't my idea ... but ... to tell the truth, I didn't fight it very hard."

"Gabe, I trust you and I want you to be happy. Just make sure this doesn't backfire on you. What you've done is remarkable in the short time you've been here. I know, I know, it's the people around you who do the work. But they have to have the tools and the desire to do the kind of job you want done. That's your strength and that's probably what attracted the four of them to you. Just try and keep it to the fewest number of people you can. Some of our customers might find it something they wouldn't understand and could react badly."

"I've been thinking about that, Dave. It's my biggest worry," I admitted.

"Use your judgment. I won't interfere," he smiled. "Now, why don't we head over there and you can show me where I'm sleeping."

"Gloria knows, huh?"

"Yes. She trusts me," he grinned.

"She must," I suggested. "Not many wives would want their husband in the middle of this situation."

"We've been together a long time, Gabe. She knows what I will and will not do. However, I will be expected to report on this to both her and Roberta. To be kept in strictest confidence, of course."