Chapter 45: Turn About; Kay is Home While Rob is Away.

Kay's turn:

Monday morning is a bummer! Rob left early. I got up to see him off and then got back in bed for another hour or so of sleep. We wore each other out last night but it's left me with some memories to keep me smiling this week.

Ryan, Linc and I met in the break room to get some coffee before the day started. Ryan is going to Design, Linc is going to Marketing and I'm in Production this week, so it won't be like it was the first three weeks when we were all together.

Ryan greeted me, "Hey, Kay. How're you doing? Are you okay after Friday?"

"Hi, Ryan, Linc, yeah, I'm okay. I'm sorry you were both dragged into this. My car isn't damaged besides the tires and I'm not hurt but I'm ticked off. I'll survive."

Linc asked, "Were you able to get your tires replaced?"

"They're supposed to be done today. The garage is going to return the car to my house sometime today."

"You didn't come in by bus, did you? Ryan or I would have picked you up."

"No, I'm using Rob's truck. He flew out for the week early this morning so he doesn't need it. Did you guys get the homework done?"

"Homework?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah, the worksheets Guy gave us after each air-field last week. Don't we have to turn them in today?"

"Oh those, I've got mine done. How about you, Linc?"

"Yeah, they're done. We have to turn them in to H.R., with our study booklets, before lunch. I didn't think they were hard to do, as long as you paid attention to what Guy was showing us."

"Hey, we better get going. I'm in Production so I'll still be with Guy, I guess. You two want to meet for lunch?"

"That works for me. How about you, Linc?"

"Suits me, I'll see you guys then."

I left the break room and I'm sure they weren't too far behind me. I had my safety shoes on and had my safety glasses and ear protection with me as I went to the Production office looking for Guy.

"Good morning, Kay. I hope the rest of your weekend was better than Friday in the parking lot."

I noticed he glanced down at my feet as he spoke to me. "It was good. Not that I didn't have a good time with you last week but I was glad to get home. Even with the craziness in the parking lot."

"I'm sure. I have a message for you to go to H.R. after the morning break. I'm sure it's about Friday."

"I don't want to miss anything with you, here in Production."

"You won't, I'll make sure of it. You just make sure to see Lyndsi after first break. You're going to be following me around for a couple of days to get a better idea of what goes on here in Production. I'm sure you have a general idea but this week you're going to learn some specifics, especially about the machines and their capabilities. If you know what the machines do and how they do it you'll have a better understanding of what you can specify or ask for as an engineer."

"Okay, that makes sense."

"I don't expect you to learn everything and all the details for each production machine but at the end of your time here in Production I do expect you to be able to identify each of the common machines, know what they do and how they do it. You'll have a chance to try some of them, too. Make sure you have your safety glasses on along with your safety shoes anytime you're on the production floor and have your ear protection in place as well. Are you ready to go out on the floor?"

"Yes, but what do I do with my notebook and the study booklet you gave us?"

"You can leave them here on my desk, if you want to. You might want your notebook with you, though, to take notes. It shouldn't be in your way and having it in your hands will help you keep from putting them where they don't belong. This is a real production area; these machines can and will hurt you if you don't pay attention and put your fingers, hands, or feet where they don't belong. Now let's go."

We left the office and immediately went to the far end of the production floor. Guy took me to each machine and each operator. We talked with them about what they were doing and how their machine did it. I was familiar with machinery. Coming from a working farm I'd been exposed to a lot of different machines but I wasn't familiar with any of the machines we were looking at. When the morning break came we went back to the office.

"Has anything scared you or upset you, so far?"

"No, not at all. I come from a farm, so machinery doesn't frighten me. I do have some questions, though."

"Write 'em down and we'll go over them at each break in the day. Right now, you need to go to H.R."

"Okay, I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Don't worry about it. Take care of business first and I'll take whatever time I need with you later."

I went to the H.R. offices and found Linc and Ryan leaving as I walked in. I checked in with Lyndsi, she took my study booklet from me and told me to take the break and come back with Linc and Ryan. We had to fill out incident forms about my car, what we saw, what we knew and what we thought.

I caught up with Linc and Ryan in the break room and we sat together. They had the same message waiting for them in Design and Marketing that I had in Production. They'd turned their booklets in to Lyndsi, too. When the horn sounded, signifying the end of the break, we went to H.R. as a group. When we got there we had to sit and wait.

Lyndsi came over to us with some papers in her hands. "Hi gang, I hope you all had a good weekend. I need you to come with me to the conference room." We got up and followed her out of the office. When we entered the conference room, Lyndsi had us take seats at the corners of the table.

"I think you know why you're here but in case you don't, this is about Friday evening when you returned from the tour of the air-fields. We need to get statements from each of you about what you saw and what you know about the vandalism found done to Kay's car." She gave us each a two page form. "These need to be independent statements so please don't collaborate when you fill them out. Bring them back to me as you complete them. You'll be interviewed about Friday and then can return to your different departments." She then left.

We looked at each other. Ryan said, "It's not that I don't like your company but the sooner we do these, the sooner we're done. I want to get back to Design." He pulled out a pen and turned to the form in front of him.

Linc and I looked at each other and then followed Ryan's example of getting to work. The form had two separate sections. The first was the factual section for what we saw and what we knew, as facts. That section was straight forward and easy to do. The other section was harder because it asked for our thoughts and the conclusions we had come to. It also wanted us to explain why we came to those conclusions.

I was still working on the second section when Ryan stood up. "I'll see you guys at lunch," he said and then left the room.

A couple of minutes later Linc said, "See you at lunch." Then he left, too.

I was taking a few extra minutes making sure I separated what I KNEW from what I THOUGHT and why I thought it. Then I went to see Lyndsi. She gave my study booklet back to me. "Hang onto that, you're going to want it for your notes. I've copied your worksheets and they'll go into your file after they're reviewed. I'll let you know how you did on them.

"You had a surprise when you came back from the air-field tour, you specifically. I'm sorry your car was vandalized while you were gone. The company will cover the damage. I understand your car wasn't damaged beyond the tires. Is that true?"

"As far as I know, yes. It should be waiting for me at home, when I get back there after work today. All four tires were ruined and had to be replaced."

"I take it then, you don't have a bill yet."

"It's supposed to be waiting for me with the car."

"If you'll bring it in tomorrow, I'll make sure it gets paid."

"Thanks. What now? Do I go back to Production?"

"Not yet, you have to meet with the detective who's been assigned to investigate what occurred."

"The detective? I thought the two officers who took our statements Friday were going to do a report and that would be that. They said that unless whoever did it came forward to admit to the vandalism, it would most probably be an unsolved crime and I needed to just file an insurance claim."

"The company has more influence than an individual does and we asked for an investigation. The answer will probably be the same but at least someone more than a patrol officer will look at what happened. Besides, the insurance company would demand it since the parking lot was monitored and patrolled. In any case, he's in the small conference room and he's waiting for you."

"Okay. Now?"

"Now."

I went to the small conference room and met with the detective. Thirty-five minutes later he was done with me. I told him about Todd but he believed, based on what we'd told him, it was Wayne but there would be no way to prove it. In any case, he'd check up on Todd. He's also going to find and question Wayne. After that he'll submit his report, it'll be in addition to the patrol officer's report. After checking again with Lyndsi, I went back to production, just in time for lunch.

I checked in with Guy and he said he'd see me after lunch. I went to the cafeteria to stake out a table where Ryan, Linc and I could sit. We each picked up our lunch and were talking.

Ryan asked, "Did anyone learn anything new about Friday? I just wrote down the same things I told Guy."

"What'd you tell the detective?"

They both looked at me and simultaneously said, "What detective?"

"You guys weren't interviewed by a police detective after you turned in your statements?"

Simultaneously again they said, "No."

That resulted in me telling them about the detective, what he'd asked me, what I told him and what his conclusions were. The discussion held their interest. When it was time to go back to work they were shaking their heads in disbelief. We split up and went to our respective departments.

The rest of the work day I was with Guy like I was in his back pocket, and I learned a lot. I stayed with him even during the afternoon break and answered questions the whole time we were drinking our coffee. I made notes for each machine. Some notes were longer than others. I liked Guy from the tour and by the end of the day I liked him even more. He took whatever time was necessary to go over each machine and made sure I understood everything I needed to. He was a good instructor.

As I was pulling up to the house, I could see my car sitting there waiting for me. I parked and went over to the car before I even went into the house. I walked around it and it looked good to me, up off its rims. I used my key to open the door and sat in the driver's seat. I pulled down the visor and an envelope dropped into my hands. In it was a note, the bill and my other car key. The bill surprised me, I never knew tires cost that much. The note told me there was no damage to the undercarriage; the only things that had to be done were replacing the tires and balancing the wheels.

I went in to change clothes and was greeted by the cats who wouldn't leave me alone. When I went into the bedroom they jumped up onto the bed and I had to spend a little time petting them letting them know they were the best cats in the whole world (when they were asleep).

After I changed into lighter clothes, I went to the kitchen and looked in the refrigerator to see what was there. I needed to see if I had to go to the store for my dinner. Since the salad things were looking poor, I went out to the store to pick up a few things. The new tires were noisier driving down the road than the old ones were. I didn't care; my car was back on the road.

Back at the house I put up what I'd bought and then decided to go for a swim. This wasn't for exercise, it was to cool off and feel good. I was swimming very lazily, more like I was just floating on my back and letting the water support me. The water felt good but I didn't stay out there too long. I was tired from the weekend.

I went in and took a rinse off shower. I was wearing my knock around the house clothes and went into the kitchen to make a salad for my dinner. I made enough for three days but left off the cherry tomatoes and the sandwich meat. I'd add them each day before I ate. I cleaned up the kitchen and was relaxing in the great room with a book and some music. I wasn't getting much reading done because I was ready to fall asleep. I was dozing when Rob called.

"Hi, Rob. I love you. How was your flight?"

"I love you, too. It was long but that was a good thing. I slept for about half of it and the rest of the time I had reading to keep me occupied. When I got off the plane, there were young girls meeting every passenger with a lei. It was a nice touch. I took the hotel's shuttle to get here. They were expecting me and their I.T. guy doesn't seem to feel threatened by me. That makes it easier for me; I don't have to convince him I'm not the enemy. How was your day?"

"I'm in Production this week so I'm still with Guy. He took a lot of time with me today showing me some of the machines and explaining what they do and how they work. It was very interesting. I also spent two hours in H.R. filling out a statement about my car, which, oh by the way, was here waiting for me when I got home. The tires were the only problem and replacing them came to just under six hundred dollars. Wow!"

"That doesn't surprise me. Tires for either my car or the truck run over a grand. Don't forget to make a copy of the bill before you turn it in to the company."

"Lyndsi told me the company would take care of it, so I'll give it to her tomorrow. I had to talk with a detective in the company offices today about my car. That surprised me but Lyndsi said the company called for it. I got the same answer from the detective as we got from the patrol officer. It was probably Wayne but it can't be proven. They'll look him up and interview him but it will most probably stay an open vandalism case. Not a big surprise."

"Please do me a favor. When you're in the house make sure the alarm system is armed. If Wayne was crazy enough to damage your car he might be crazy enough to do something at the house. Don't be afraid to hit the panic button on either of the alarm control pads. I'd rather you did that and it turn out to be unnecessary than you not do it and be hurt."

"I'll use the alarm and I'll be okay, Rob. I promise. How long are you going to be in Honolulu?"

"If things go well and there are no big surprises, I'm going to fly out to Kauai tomorrow evening. I hope Hank and Ian are right and there aren't any big problems at any of these three resorts. You'd like it here. I've got a great view from my suite and it faces the ocean. It's a small suite but it has everything I need and then some."

"No fair torturing me. I'd really like to see Hawaii and I can't. I don't know when I'll be able to."

"When you're done with school, have a job and come up to your first vacation I'll bring you out here, if you still want to come out and see this place."

"I'd like that. I also want to go to Disneyland."

"Disneyland or Disney World?"

"Either."

"Disney World will have to wait for a trip to Florida. Disneyland we can do any weekend, you just have to tell me when you want to go. It'll have to be after our honeymoon."

"I can wait but I want to go before school starts, if we can."

"That'll be tight but we'll see what we can do."

I was yawning. "Oh, goody! I'm tired, Rob. It was a long weekend."

"Yes it was, but it was a good one. I'll talk to you tomorrow. I love you, sweetie."

"I love you, too, Rob. G'nite." I closed my phone. I was ready for bed. I checked the alarm panel and went to bed.

Tuesday morning I spent more time with Guy, learning about the machines. We were still in the machine shop section and it was very interesting. I was familiar with a drill press because we had one in our barn workshop. I've even used it. It wasn't as big as the one I was shown by Guy but he said 'a drill press is a drill press'.

At the morning break, I went to H.R. and gave the bill for my car to Lyndsi. I was about to leave when Marcus saw me and called me into his office. "Good morning, Kay. How are you doing? The unpleasantness from last week hasn't upset you or knocked you off track, has it?"

"No, Mister Peoples, I'm okay. I spoke with Ryan and Linc while we were on the bus trip and the three of us are okay with each other. They were pretty darn supportive. I appreciate it and I told them so. Also, Guy spoke with us at lunch on Monday. He explained some things that were upsetting with what Wayne said and what happened before we left Monday. Truthfully, that was upsetting to all three of us but me more than the others."

"Do you understand why I had to do what I did?"

"After Guy explained it, yes I do. I'm sorry you had to do it at all, though. What Wayne said shocked me and I didn't think it was called for. I appreciate what you did but it wasn't necessary as far as I'm concerned. I was perfectly willing to go on and just avoid Wayne."

"I'm sure you would have but I couldn't let what he said stand. It was wrong, it was potentially upsetting to others besides you, and it was libelous. By not taking any action and letting his statement stand unchallenged, the company could be considered to be condoning him and his statement. Do you have any questions about what transpired or was said that Monday morning?"

"About what transpired, no, but I do have a question about something you said when all four of us were together. You said that Ryan and Linc would be offered positions here at the company after they graduate but you didn't say I would be. I can't believe I'm going to ask this but am I wasting my time here?"

"No, no, absolutely not. You will be offered a position here upon your graduation, just as Ryan and Linc will be. We won't let any good candidate get away from us if we can avoid it. I didn't say your name only because I didn't want to bring any attention to you that could be construed as giving you any preference over the others."

"I thought it was silly of me but I was a little concerned about it. I had to ask."

"I've already reviewed Mister Portman's report from last week as well as the report Mizz Shaker made about the first two weeks of this program. If you all do as well for the rest of this intern program, I can guarantee that each of the three of you will be offered a position if and when you graduate from the program at SDSU."

"Thank you, Mister Peoples, that does make me feel better."

"Good. Now about your car, how much damage was done to it? Was there any damage besides what I saw in the pictures that were taken?"

"It was limited to the tires. They were replaced this weekend and I just gave Lyndsi the bill from the garage."

"Good, we'll take care of it. I spoke to the detective this morning. He located Wayne late yesterday afternoon and spoke with him. Wayne denies having anything to do with what happened to your car. The detective told me privately that he thinks we are correct and it was Wayne who cut your tires but there's no way to prove it."

"The detective told me it would probably remain an open vandalism case. It was inconvenient but after talking with Rob I know it's really nothing. I have new tires and that's a good thing for me and my car."

"Good attitude. We've spoken with the security company and they are changing the way they monitor our parking lot and increasing the patrols. Hopefully we won't have any problems in the future. We take the safety of our people and their vehicles seriously."

"I don't doubt it, I never did."

He looked at his watch. "I'm sorry, Kay, I've used up your entire break."