Chapter 11

Pete knew that Spring Break started after next weekend. All the girls would have a free week. He just had to take them on vacation, all five if they could get permission. Getting Allison's permission was to be easy, the twins would get Granny Reynolds to agree if they asked right, but he had to more to find out about Lisa's situation. All he knew was that she cooked at home.

If the plans came together, he would give Aristotle the keys when they departed Friday night and could expect the job to be complete when they returned the Sunday before school resumed. A week and an extra weekend would be a pushover for that crew. Tell them when it needed to happen and they threw enough guys at it to make it happen. Having the plans was a bonus for them. They could plan and buy the bill of materials quickly because they built what was already there.

Aristotle's sons were very well connected downtown. The permits would be in place before the vacation started. The girls would be crazy pleased. Pete got a Coke from the little kitchen and relaxed until the travelers made it back.

He browsed the places near and far where they could stay. He decided on a very isolated cottage near a small arm of Lake Champlain. The title was still in limbo due to an estate distribution proceeding slowly through probate, something he discovered when he contacted the family doing the advertising. The clerk and the executors had reached an agreement that allowed the eventual owner to rent it as a vacation place as long as the income went directly to the estate, into a separate bank account.

He stayed online and verified everything the voice on the phone claimed through public records at her local courthouse. He was a firm believer in 'trust but verify' when about to spend a lot of money.

The cottage was totally furnished and ready to occupy. A master and two smaller bedrooms with a kitchen, two full bathrooms and a big living room. There was a pier on the property, plus six kayaks. "So, we just bring food? Is that right?" he asked.

"Or you can buy local. There is a small village about ten miles away. The beds will be made before you arrive. We'll hide the keys in the well house out back." Betty, the rental agent/future owner said.

He gave her his contact information and a credit card number. She promised to call with confirmation when the bank opened. They said their good-byes and rang off.

The five weary trekkers did not get back until after 3:00. "You have some interesting friends, sir." Allison led off. "They welcomed us to the neighborhood quite warmly. It was an experience."

"Hank was great. He insisted that we come to him first if something needed repair. If he couldn't make it work, he would know someone who could. He was like the guy on 'Tool Time'. Not the lead, but the guy who actually had skills." Kim said.

Mary thought the two bagel bakers were a scream. "I'll never be able to eat a bagel without seeing them in my head. We laughed our butts off and that made them get funnier. Abbot and Costello on steroids. We had to run to get away."

"And the bagels they made us sample, hot from the oven, were great, too." Lisa agreed. "And Barry forced us to buy some fresh bell peppers and Boston lettuce. He made us promise to make you eat better. Gave us a discount because he says you eat too much fast food and he likes you too much to allow it. He'll probably throw veggies to us every time we pass by."

"Next we stopped by the newsstand. Aristotle was disappointed that his daughters had competition." Mary said with a raised eyebrow.

"That old fossil has been trying to introduce me to his girls since they were ten and eleven. He and I have had a running conversation for more than four years. There is no telling how old he is, but he seems to be the mayor of the neighborhood. Nothing happens that he doesn't know about. And his sons operate the best construction company around."

"We played a little trick on him. We lined up, not speaking, and stared at him until he grinned. It was like trying to get marble to blink. When he smiled, we told him who we were and got treated like family. There is souvlaki in your future, Pete, is all I can say." Kim grinned.

Cam said they saved Yvette for last. "She swooped down on us like a long lost Aunt as soon as she realized we were the slumber party. We wound up having a late lunch in her shop. She told us to watch the store while she flew over to the Italian deli for some cold cuts and cheese. By the way Franco said to say hello and that the pastrami was to die for." Cam grinned, "Anyway, Yvette made little sandwiches with her pastries and we chatted like old friends. She is a force to behold."

Allison said, "We would still be there if a herd of customers hadn't come in. She felt obligated to flirt with them all. Not actually obligated, more like wanted to flirt. And she knew what they wanted, and their names and kids' names. If Aristotle is the mayor, Yvette is the favorite auntie."

This got a grand laugh from everybody. "Now, everyone who counts knows that you are under my wing." Pete told them. "And now you are under theirs. Welcome to our neighborhood."

"Clearly they include you even more. How did you get in?" Cam asked.

"Simple. I talked to each of them more than just ordering a carrot. We came to recognize one another and speak on the street. One day, I was buying some glue and clamps at Hank's Hardware when his computer and cash register stopped talking to each other. I offered to look at the system. A loose cable made the operating system lock. I fixed the cable, rebooted, and did a back up. He was up and running in about a quarter hour. I did it for free in trade for all the free advice he had given me. Hank told me his regular guy would have charged him a fortune and made him wait a day."

Pete paused and remembered, "All those people have names and families. All have dreams and lives they lead outside of their businesses. The Sanitation Engineer may collect garbage all week, but he or she has kids. People don't think about the guy. But they would be in a bad way if he were to disappear. The dishwasher at the Chinese take-out may have a Purple Heart. The woman who delivers the mail supports a sick grandmother by working in the most horrible weather."

"Aristotle said you were one of the first to see him as a person, not a nonentity in a newsstand. He told us he got the stand so he could still be around people after he turned his company over to his sons. Then he became invisible. He could see everything but no one could see him. He said you actually saw him. I think he will adopt you." Cam said, "I think it is about respect."

"That is easy. He deserves respect and so do the others. I want to see past the shields they built and see a person." He started to laugh. "Yvette wants someone to play with. Barry and Hank have things to teach. Sol and Izzy want you to become addicted to their bagels but would rather be doing two shows a day in the Catskills. So appreciate them as individuals and let them know it. But buy the bagels."

"No wonder we love you. Even though you make us do beastly, demented things. Which we love, by the way." Lisa said.

"No. I merely insist that you do the beastly, demented things you want to do." He corrected, doing a passable Groucho. "And I insist you get comfortable and think about a late dinner. I have to go out for an hour or so. I'll be back no later than 5:00."

He got the rolled up blueprints and left for the newsstand. "So. What do you think of my house guests?"

Aristotle burst out in guffaws. "Pete, you set me up. Those tiny little women lined up and tried to stare me down. Then the craziness of it set in. All five of them add up to barely more than nothing. After I cracked up, then they tell me who they are."

"I told them to introduce themselves, the method was their idea. I didn't know about it till they came back. Welcome to my world, old friend."

"Hush, quit complaining. Every man should have such troubles." Aristotle was still laughing.

"Hey. I never said it wasn't fun," Pete chuckled, "Just interesting. They have been best friends forever. The three who don't live in my house, will probably be over so often they might as well move in. Aristotle, one might even be better off if she did."

"You're talking about little Lisa Giacomo, the girl working at Little Italy, right?" Aristotle asked. "Her situation will get not so good soon. And call me Ari. We're friends."

"What's her story? I think I need to know more than she has let on." Pete asked.

"Her dad disappeared. Rumor has it he disappointed certain gentlemen from Mott Street. You do not do that in New York. Nor did you hear this from me. Lisa cares for her mom who has Alzheimer's and might go into assisted care soon. If her mother goes, the poor girl will lose the disability payments. I hear her landlord talking, the home visit nurse talking. I put things together. She'll be safer with you and the McGee's."

"And that brings us to this." Pete handed Ari the plans. "My place is big, but needs to be divided differently. The girls need a place to live, study and be girls. That involves some things we men do not need to know. And I want a place to hide. This where your sons come in. This is the timeline. Next Friday I'm taking the mob upstate for Spring Break. We'll be back the following Sunday, nine days later. Your sons did my original remodel so they know the set up. They have my permission to throw everything at the job. Cost is no object, but I know they will be fair. You taught them. Can they start assembling materials? And can they finish in time for me to surprise the girls?"

"We will do this for you. And for the girls you are helping." Ari declared.

"Ari, it is wrong to fail to help someone who is deserving if you have the means. Too many kids get lost because no one cared. I will not be the one who turned his back. Even if the girls drive me nuts. Did I say I wanted a place to hide?" Pete grinned to lighten the mood.

"It is true, you get what you give." Ari agreed. Then he laughed. "You walk a razor's edge, Pete. Get strong locks. Trust me. I have teenagers I cannot escape. I hide here."

"Aha! I'm on to your little plot, now! You want me to marry your daughter to get your house back! You'll just have to run faster." Pete said. "Now I have to face Yvette. She met the girls today. I expect to get a major ribbing from her. Might as well get it over with."

"She is going to be all over you about having a house full of delightful girls. Best get it over with." Ari advised. "But better to tease back."

Pete decided to steal the momentum at Yvette's. "I have come to warn you. The girls have decided you are their long lost favorite cool Auntie. That is a tremendous responsibility. You up to it?"