Chapter 87

"No I'm not alright, I just saw myself in the mirror, and I look like shit," I said through the open door. Buddy Baker my guardian angel had insisted I leave it open.

"Gee, I wonder why. Oh yeah you are much less than a year back from Devil's Island east. Oh then there was the surgery to remove your implants and the trimming of the excess skin. Let's not forget the Arsenic treatment to kill the worms. Then there was the burglar you blew almost in half, and finally the fall that will likely cripple you. Now tell me again you are surprised that you look like shit," Buddy said with a laugh.

"Well, when you put it that way," I said smiling. "I suppose next you are going to tell me things can only get better."

"I was going to tell you I'm hungry. Do you want me to bring you something, or can you walk to the cafe," he asked.

"You better make the run, I'm not up to the walk just yet," I said.

"Fair enough." You want an egg sandwich and bad coffee on a bun," he asked.

"No I want you to get my coffee pot down here, the blue plastic box with the coffee in it, and the filters. Then I want you to go through the drive thru at the Dairy Queen and get me a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit. I will have the coffee made when you return.

I did have the coffee ready even though I almost cried in the process. I hurt everywhere while I worked on the simple pot of coffee. I collapsed back onto my sofa bed while I waited for Buddy.

He came in and took one look at me, then asked, "Are you okay?" He seemed concerned not just asking in passing. I must have looked even more like hell, I thought.

"When I get the grease in me, I will be," I said.

The ten minute meal took me half an hour to get down. The drugs were suppressing whatever appetite I had managed to recover before the accident. Shit it looked like I would have to buy even smaller clothes.

I sat on the sofa with my coffee still trying to clear my head. "I have to pick up five bales of trimmings you arranged to buy. I guess those are the start of the business," buddy said.

"Yes, so when do I have to pick them up?" I asked.

"He said before five tomorrow," Buddy replied. "To be honest I think there are some shenanigans in the sale."

"He probably isn't going to report the sale. I am buying shit they usually turn under so the government doesn't need to know about it," I explained. "I need to arrange for a place to put it then for someone to pick it up."

"Well why not arrange to store it in that building you are going to buy, and I can pick it up," Buddy replied.

"I can't buy the building that quick," I said.

"Surely you can rent space there," he suggested. "Something dry till you work it out."

"They do have a freestanding storage building. Maybe I could work something out for that." I used the real phone to call the Realtor. Since no one answered, I left a message. It took her a couple of hours to get back to us.

After I left the message and hung up I said, "I do have a storage building out back if worse comes to worse. We can always bring the trike in and store the bales in my storage building."

"What kind of trike do you have," Buddy asked.

"I can't explain, go out and take a look," I said tossing him the keys. He took them and was gone no more than fifteen minutes.

"Is that an electric assist trike," he asked.

"Yes it was my only transportation the first few months I lived here. I am probably going to use it again to rehabilitate my leg," I said.

"Wow that is kind of cool," Buddy said. "So where are the batteries?"

"If the batteries haven't been stolen, they are on that shelf under the stairs. There should be three sets under there. Two large sets for long over the road distances and one twenty hour rescue set. The twenty should be good for around town or to get me home if I were to run through a big, over the road, set. I have a total of about a one hundred and twenty five mile range. They might be good a little farther, but it would be pushing it I think. They have probably been suffering from storage as well.

"Can you explain how the batteries work," he asked.

So I explained how to charge them and how to estimate the time left on them. I also explained about the rescue battery.

"Would you mind if I took it for a ride?" he asked.

"Be my guest, but don't wreck it. I told you I'm going to need it for my rehabilitation," I replied.

"Miss Martin, you left a message for me?" the female Realtor asked when I answered her call.

"Yes it's time we worked a deal for that building. Tell the owner to put on his reality shoes. You do have the zoning change don't you?" I asked.

"The board said that it isn't going to be a problem," she assured me.

"Draw your contract for Fifty thousand and a clause that the sale is Dependent on the zoning change. I would also like to use that outside building to store materials until the zoning is approved."

"Well I know he is going to demand rent for that space," she said.

"I will pay him a realistic rent, if the zoning is not approved. If it is I do not expect to pay him any more than the fifty thousand total."

"He won't go for that," the Realtor said.

"Then I won't buy it. I will enter into negotiations for a piece of land outside the area zoned retail. I can throw up a metal building cheaper than I can renovate that one anyway I expect. I hadn't looked into it because that building would be more convenient. However I don't intend to get screwed to save a few steps," I said. "Get back to me by five, or I will be shopping for a metal building."

It was almost 2 PM when Buddy Baker walked in the rear door from his test ride. "Son of a bitch I want one of those," he said with a huge grin.

"I'll bet you do," I replied.

"No I'm serious. Tell me where to get one," he said.

"You don't just get one, you create one," I said.

"Tell me what I need and where to get it," he said a little more adamant.

"Use mine for a week or so to be sure you want to invest in one. Even when I'm able to pedal it, I can't use the trike and the truck at the same time. If one of us has the truck and the other one needs to go somewhere, he or she can use the trike. Of course if I am out riding for exercise, you can use the truck," I said.

"Okay but in a week, I'm going to ask again. I'm sure," Buddy said.

I was napping at four when the Realtor called back. The zoning is a mute point. I have the approval in my hand. Now as for the use of the property, sign a contract to buy and you can store anything you want outside the building, on the lot or in the out buildings. It will take the lawyer about a week to get the papers done. If you will put the money in the escrow account the owner will do it for Fifty thousand."

"I'll sign the contract tonight and you can take a thousand earnest money from my debit card. I will have the other $49,000 transferred tomorrow. Just bring the contracts over anytime," I said.

"The earnest money might be a problem, I can't take a debit card," she said.

"I can't get to the bank right now. I can write you a check, but it won't be certified," I said.

"That's okay, we will hold the contract till your checks clear. In the meantime do your thing," she said.

"Good," I said.

"I'll drop by in an hour with the contract," she agreed.

"You know Buddy, I need to put some clothes on. I'm going into the bathroom and wash. When I come out I'm going to put on some clothes. How about going upstairs and get me something to wear?" I asked.

"Sure what do you want?" he asked.

"Clean tee shirt for one thing, a pair of panties and running shorts will probably work. You might want to get me a regular button up blouse, so my boobs don't stick out," I said.

"Your boobs are not the problem. It's your nipples," Buddy said with a laugh.

"After I sign this contract you are going to have to haul the hay to the outbuilding across the street," I said ignoring his attempt at humor.

"I can do that in a morning. I expect to make it in one trip," Buddy said.

"Good then we can start looking for some machinery. Jeff is going to bring his recipe for manufacturing tea this weekend. I think I should warn him there will be no pinch and tickle. If I do he might want to email it to me. If he does, then we won't ever be meeting again."

"I know you said we needed a cutter of some kind to process the stems," Buddy said. "Do you have any idea where to get one?"

"Actually with Jeff's version of green tea we need a giant stainless steel chopper. We can get one from any industrial kitchen supplier I expect," I suggested. "But we also need a steamer to get rid of the hard woody texture. He swears it will stay pliable if we steam it before we chop it. I have no idea if that will work or not. But it will be easy enough to test. We can take a couple of woody stalks' and put them in a little tent and put a teapot in with it. If it works we will work out a larger version. I expect that the ratio of tea to clippings has to be determined by pure trial and error.

"Well after we sign the contract tonight we need to start experimenting," Buddy said.

"First you have to get the bales then we can start," I suggested.

"There isn't much we can do before we have the stuff is there old girl?" Buddy asked.

"Old girl my ass. We can rig a test kitchen right here. I have an idea what Jeff meant when he told me what to do, so we can give it a shot on a very small scale," I said.

"Love, you are going to need a couple of weeks before you can do anything. But I can set it up here so you can observe the results of our experiments," Buddy said.

We were still arguing when the Realtor came with the contract. She stayed only fifteen minutes, because she really didn't like me at all. After she left Buddy said, "Call the farmer and let him know I will be there tomorrow."

"If the cops didn't steal it, I have a few grand in cash in the house," I said. "So go to the bathroom upstairs and find the box of Kleenex and bring it here."

I had moved the money from my escape kit the same night I killed the burglar. I put it in the box of Kleenex for safe keeping. I did that only after I returned from dumping the ID's. I had time while I waited for the cops to come.