Rodeo
At six feet two inches tall, Alexander Rodias was an imposing man whether standing or sitting. It also didn't hurt that he was a good-looking man with a black, curly head of hair and a moustache that were just beginning to show signs of graying even though he was in his late fifties. Right now, he was sitting at the head of the kitchen table. He had a quiet dignity about him that just commanded respect from whoever was around him. This was a very good thing because, as Denny Crane's Major Domo, he was the overseer and supervisor of all the household staff and it was his responsibility to make sure that all of Mr. Crane's homes ran efficiently and smoothly. With the exception of the cook, who was also his wife, Olympia, he had interviewed and hired everyone seated at the table with him. They all adored him and his opinions carried weight with them.
It was lunchtime for the Crane staff. When he and Olympia had first been hired by Mr. Crane, the staff working at the suburban home at the time didn't interact with each other very often and it showed. The Major Domo he had replaced had not been well liked and had caused morale to be low. One of the first team-building things he did was allow the staff to call him "Rodeo." For some reason, Mr. Crane had a hard time remembering his name was Rodias and constantly addressed him as Rodeo. He had intended to have the staff address him as "Mr. Rodias" but, they also began to call him Rodeo in imitation of their employer. He decided to let it go rather than stand on ceremony. Besides, he thought (secretly) that is was kind of cool for a Greek guy from Athens to have such an American cowboy sounding nickname. He also decreed that Olympia would prepare lunch for the staff five days a week and they would all eat together. Sometimes, it would be a working lunch during which he would address issues or relay news that affected them all but, mostly, it was a time to relax and enjoy each other's company. After all, he had reasoned, they all lived together in the servants' quarters, so they should at least be neighborly. So, in addition to Rodeo and Olympia, were Dave Ignotowski the chauffeur, Maria the head housekeeper, her husband, Luis, who was the groundskeeper and handyman and the newest hire, Leon the security guard.
Today, there was an undercurrent of excitement and anxiety buzzing around the table. Normally, he discouraged gossip about their employer but, Dave had overheard something so astounding to him that he told Maria and from there, the rumors began flying around and he felt he needed to clear the air.
"Dave, would you please tell everyone what you told Maria?"
"Okay. Two days ago, I picked Alan and Denny up from the office to bring them here and Denny was really agitated. He was saying 'How dare they' and Alan was trying to calm him down and he says, 'Denny, no one is going to keep us from getting married. I'll stop them in court, I promise.'
"Dios mio!" Luis gasped, "Mr. C. is gay? I didn't know that!"
Dave continued, "Well, that's just it; I don't think he is gay. And, Alan neither. I mean they're close, closer than a lot of people who claim to be friends but, I don't get it."
Maria shook her head and said, "Denny is not gay. He is very lonely, I think. He has no children. All his wives left him. Do you think this is Alan's idea? Maybe he's taking advantage of a lonely, old man?"
"If this was happening a year ago, I would have said yeah," Dave answered, "Now, I don't think so. From what I've heard them talk about, this is Denny's way of giving Alan the power to make decisions for him in case something happens to him like, he gets sick or something."
Olympia nodded in agreement. "Alan is very protective of Denny. He was the one who insisted Denny hire security for the house after that guy with the bomb pulled a gun on him at the office. They were arguing about it in the kitchen one day while I was making their dinner. I could hear raised voices from the study but couldn't really make out what was being said. Then, Denny comes in to get a glass of milk from the fridge and he yells back over his shoulder that he is not hiring a bodyguard. Alan storms into the kitchen, opens his mouth, sees me and shuts it. Denny caught him looking at me and said, 'Never mind her! She's minding her business! And, so should you! I have my guns for my protection and I don't want or need a bodyguard.' You can tell Alan is not used to having servants around because he kept glancing my way. You know me: I ignored them like no one was there. Finally, he says, 'Fine, Denny. You win. But, I want you to hire a security guard for the house. I'll pay for him myself if you don't want to but, you're getting one because I need to know you are safe. I think Denny was going to argue some more but, Alan looked so determined, I guess he gave up." She laughed and said, "Denny called Alan 'a big girl' and said 'Alright, I'll tell Rodeo to get on it but, I'm paying his salary.'
Leon smiled and said, "Hey, as long as somebody's paying my salary, I'm good to go!"
The entire time everyone had been talking, Rodeo had listened quietly. This was his way: He let people get it out of their system, and then he would say what he had to say. Finally, Dave looked at him and asked, "What do you think about all this, Rodeo?"
"Denny, Alan and I had a meeting on Saturday and they told me to tell all of you that they are getting married because Denny has entrusted Alan with his medical decisions and wants to give him spousal protection against possible prosecution and inheritance rights. Alan will be moving in with Denny permanently and will be our employer as much as Denny is. Nothing will really change. This marriage will affect us in one major way, though: When Denny, um, when Denny is no longer with us, Alan has promised that we will continue to have jobs here if we want them."
As he had hoped, the staff was glad to hear the news. After all, their boss is in his mid-seventies and until they got this news, they knew that the day he died would not only mean they no longer had jobs; it would mean they no longer had homes. Homes they lived in for free. Rodeo looked at Olympia and smiled. Denny paid them both well and they had made wise investments and they were debt-free and child-free. Unlike Dave, who paid child support for two children and Maria and Luis, who were putting their daughter through college. Living rent and mortgage free kept their debt to a minimum.
"Oh, and by the way," Rodeo added, "even though it's none of our business, Denny wanted me to tell you all: He and Alan are not gay. Now that lunch is over; Luis, please bring in some firewood; Dave, Denny said the Bentley is making a strange noise and Olympia, we need to go over the menu for the dinner party next month. Everyone else, you have your assignments."
He watched the staff file out of the kitchen then, looked at his wife and said, "They are really good people, Olympia. I'm glad we took these jobs. I've never regretted it."
Olympia looked around to make sure they were alone and then, reached up and kissed her husband with a quiet passion. "Neither have I, Rodeo."