Bobby's New Relatives CH 4
Emily called him later that evening. "Hey, cousin, how'd your day go?"
"Fine. How was your meeting?"
"I wouldn't sell them a cow that had been dead for two weeks, much less our good food, the jerks. I just wanted to say thank you for the lunch and tell you I'm back safe and sound."
"That's good. Are you doing anything tonight?"
"I don't know, truthfully. I'm still sort of wound up from today."
"Do you want to go out for a drink?"
"I don't drink. I don't want to rain on anyone's parade."
"You could come here. To my place."
"I'd like to see where you live. Are you sure it's okay?"
"Why wouldn't it be?"
"I don't know. Never mind, I'm tired tonight. I'd like to come talk to you, if the offer is still open."
"It is. Let me give you directions." Bobby grinned and gave her the most simple directions he could.
"Got it. I'll see you in a bit. I need to get rid of this suit."
"I'll be waiting." He hung up and hurriedly put away the few things in his home that were out of place.
Emily knocked on his door 45 minutes later. He opened and she stepped inside, giving him a shy hug. "Thank you for inviting me over. I'm having a homesick moment, I guess."
"Make yourself to home here." He said feeling warm with the spontaneity of the hug.
"I have some iced tea, beer and juice in the frig if you want something to drink."
"No Diet Pepsi©? That's my drink of choice, always."
"I can go get some at the store, if you want."
"No. I have some downstairs in my truck if I get thirsty. I never leave home without it."
"I'll run down and get it for you, if you want."
"Relax, cousin. I'm not going away and you're not going to put your foot in your mouth. Are you sorry you invited me? I can leave, if you're going to be uncomfortable."
"No. I-I'm just not used to having new relatives."
"You'll get bored with me in no time and wish I'd go away. I see you're a reader, too. May I take a look?"
"Go ahead."
Emily went and looked over the collection. "Wow. Have you read all of these?"
"Most of them. I use them a lot in my work."
"I'm impressed. I read a lot, but nothing like this."
"What do you read?"
"Science fiction, or fantasy. I like the idea of magic and alternate universes. Other planets, things like that. I think the mind is so uncharted that there are really people out there that have the ability to do magic, or the aptitude for it. I think it's possible that some day humans may do magic."
"What makes you say that?"
"Any animal evolves or they die out. Humans are the same way. We are getting stronger in the mind, bigger, taller, and smarter than ever before. In even as close a relationship as the next generation, kids are smarter than the parents. It's inevitable. It could go either way don't you think?"
"I guess. I never actually thought of it."
"We're dependent on mechanicals. Look how long it's taken to go from fossil fuel to solar or alternative fuel. That shows that humans can still be taught."
"You don't sound like you care very much for the human race." He commented amused.
Emily smiled sheepishly. "Right now I'm not a fan, no. Humans can be downright vicious to other humans on a whim. Animals need a reason, at least. Ever see the T-Shirt that says "The more I deal with people, the more I like my (insert animal here)?"
"I've seen them. What animal would you insert here?"
"Horses, absolutely. Not even a contest, then dogs."
"Ah."
"And you? What animal would you put in there?"
"I guess dogs. I don't really have a lot of experience with animals of the four legged variety."
"I pegged you for a dog person. Cats are okay for some people, but they are so independent. A dog will come when you call, a cat will take a message and get back to you if they feel like it."
Bobby laughed. "Another T-Shirt?"
"Several." She grinned tiredly.
"You look like you're about to fall down. Have a seat. Did you eat dinner?"
"I grabbed something to fill the void. They referred to it as a sandwich. No truth in advertising there."
"Sit down, before you fall down and I'll get us something from the kitchen."
"No, Bobby. I didn't come here to mooch a meal." She protested.
"You didn't. I haven't had dinner either." Bobby lied.
"You make a lousy liar, there, cuz. Okay, if you want to make something, I'll eat with you, but only if you let me help you make it."
"If that's the only way to get you to eat, alright."
Bobby found out his cousin was quite a scrounger. He had some ground burger in his frig, some cornflakes, noodles, parmesan cheese and a can of spinach. She diced up some onion, one egg, toasted some bread and seasoned the meat making it into patties. Put the noodles on to cook and found a small pot for the spinach. "I don't care for spinach." He said.
"Then why is it here?" she asked.
"I bought it by mistake. I was reaching for peas and grabbed that."
"Ah. Tell you what, I'll make it for you and if you don't like it after one bite, I'll eat the whole thing. I love spinach. I want to grow up looking like Popeye."
Bobby wanted to say something in the worst way but he didn't know her well enough to tease her too much. "I ,uh,…."
Emily eyed him with a long suffering sigh. "Go ahead and say it. You know you're dying to."
"You're already grown up. I don't think you're going to get much more grown up."
"Ah, see you're wrong. Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional. As long as I don't know what I want to be when I grow up, I don't have to grow up. See?"
"No."
"By choosing not to grow up at least for awhile, I don't have to see the world for the ugly place it can be. If I'm never an adult I don't see what people are really like and I don't have to acknowledge more than my poor simple brain can handle. It's a coping mechanism I've developed over the years."
"I understand that. Everyone does it in their own way."
"Exactly." Her cell phone rang on her hip and she nearly jumped out of her skin. "Damn!"
"You don't hear it much, I take it?"
"Never if I can help it." She replied. She pulled it out and studied the display. "I don't think so, asshole." She said, pushing some buttons. The ringing stopped.
"Not a friend, I take it?"
"So much more than not a friend. He's a shirttail relation that thinks he's all that and a bag of chips. He calls nearly every night and usually gets some fight started over how things are managed. It usually starts with "this is how I'd've handled it."
"Maybe you should let him handle something small then and give him a taste of his own medicine." Bobby suggested.
"I would if he was ever around when the picking takes place. He always manages to come around after it's all done then he picks everything apart. He's a thorn in everyones side, but he is part owner so we're stuck with him."
I hope no one sees me like that." Bobby joked.
"I grew up with this bozo. I knew he was going to be trouble but I was outvoted. Now they can deal with him. I think you're better than he is by a country mile. I'll stake my company on that."
"Aren't you? Staking your company on that? You really don't know me."
"That's very true. Nor do you know me, except for that report you ran on me through your job."
"H-How did you know that?"
"I'm not a cop, but I'm not stupid. I would've done the same thing if I had the access that you do. And you just told me that you did."
"I did not!"
"You didn't deny it. That's the same thing. Guilty by omission."
"You tricked me."
"I used common sense and put myself in your shoes. Here's someone you didn't even know who walks up to you and tells you that they're related to you. What could they want and why would they be hanging around so far from home. Let's see who she really is. You have this marvelous tool at your disposal, why not use it? I would have. Why would you not?"
"You checked me out?"
"I admit it. I did. And Frank. I do background checks on most of my employees. You were more difficult because of your job, but I got your work history, your service record or parts of it and the fact that you're still single. Nothing but statistics. The only thing I can't figure out is the single part. You're quite a catch, if I say so myself. I'm just sorry that we're related. But then you'd probably not be interested in me. And we never would've met so it's a moot point."
"You don't think I would be interested in you? You aren't serious."
"As a heart attack. Your heart is already taken, big guy, and so is Alex's. I noticed even if you didn't. Fate has a way of taking care of that."
"You're wrong. We're partners. We work together."
"Bull cookies. This is the one and only time I will ever butt into your love life, but I'm telling you right now. Fate has handed you the perfect partner and you need to grab her. She has the same type of schedule you do, she understands your job pressures, you trust her and she trusts you. Plus you love her. And she loves you. If you don't do something about it I'll mop the floor with you."
"As if you could." He grinned at her.
"I can. I just fight dirty. I learned that along the way. I prefer to do it the gentle way though. Persuasion is the key." Her phone rang again. "Oh, what the hell do you want now?" she demanded as though it were a person. She pulled it out and demanded. "What, Gary?"
There was a pause. "You'll find out when everyone else does. No, I'm not going to give you a hint. Why the hell do you do this? You know I'm not going to tell you." There was another pause. "Let's see, you own one sixteenth of one percent of the company. Don't even think you're going to pull it off. I don't care if you're related to the Pope. I'm not telling you a single thing." Another longer pause. "Have I ever, ever given you one single cause to believe that I'd ever tell you anything in advance? Yes, and look at the trouble you've caused over it. Gary, I'm going to tell you right now. Back off, don't call me again, or so help me I'll bankrupt the company before I'll pay you one more dime." There pause in the conversation. "You don't think so? Just try me. Good night, Gary. I'm hanging up now."
Her face was hard with anger and disillusionment. She swore under her breath and shoved her food away. "I'm sorry, Bobby. I'm just not hungry any more. I swear I should be a size 2 with him as a relative."
"You shouldn't let him get to you." He said pushing her plate back toward her gently.
She moved it out of his reach and frowned at him. He shrugged at her. She gave him a disgusted look and walked into the living room. He left the plates on the table. "I'm sorry. That wasn't my place. I just wanted to show you I cared. I'm concerned about you."
"I have plenty of fat. I don't need to eat to be alright." She moved around the room restlessly. "I like to be out in the country. All this concrete and people all over isn't natural." She said in a cranky voice.
"How about we go for a walk?"
She stared at him. "I'd like that. Is it safe?"
"Safe enough. I do it all the time."
"I'd like that."
"Did you bring a jacket? It's a little cool tonight."
"In my truck. I carry a lot of things in there. I never totally unpack anywhere except home. I've had my luggage stolen before and I only had the things I was wearing. That was rather uncomfortable so I carry a spare of everything with me just in case."
"Everything?"
"I buy multiples. If I find something I like I'll buy two or sometimes more just so I have them if I need it. It's saved my bacon several times."
"I'll grab my stuff."
He hurriedly grabbed his jacket, gun to put under his jacket and his badge in his pocket. It was just something he felt he needed to do. She was standing by the door when he came back out. He opened the door and she hurriedly left his apartment. Once outside she was better. She seemed to calm down. He understood her restlessness. "So tell me about your job." She said. "I'd imagine it can be quite interesting at times."
"Sometimes." He admitted. "I'd rather hear about your life. How large of a place do you own?"
"I have only 120 acres. I live on the center most twenty and lease the rest to the company. It pays the taxes on the whole place and I can keep the equipment running on my salary so my feed costs stay down."
"120 acres? That's huge."
"Not really. The places around mine are several times larger than mine. I have just enough for my hay and a garden, pasture for the horses. The pigs and chickens are for the most part upwind so I don't have to smell them too often. And the turkeys are getting big so I'll have a fresh turkey for Thanksgiving. I love a fresh turkey, don't you?"
"You raise your own pigs and turkeys?"
"And chickens. I'll be taking care of that chore in a few months, I'm about out of chicken so I raised more for this next year."
"Chore? You kill your own chickens?"
"It's one of those necessary evils. I get some of the neighborhood kids to come help pluck them and clean them up, but I do the actual dressing out. And we have a great big barbeque, all the chicken you can eat when we're done."
"Do you do the pigs too?"
"No. Those I load up and take to the company slaughter house. I pay to have them packaged like you'd buy in the store. The man I used to use moved away and I haven't been able to find anyone as good since."
"So you're pretty much self sufficient?"
"I grow and can a lot of my own vegetables, fruits and meat. I still buy things like milk, flour, sugar, you know, staples at the store, but we have a co-op that we buy in bulk and split it. We take care of our workers and they do better for us than just a worker off the street."
"You have your own empire." He teased.
"Sort of. Our aim is to be as self sufficient as possible. Everyone who works for us contributes to our product and they all receive a share of the product and some of the profit. It takes everyone to make a company so why shouldn't everyone profit."
"That's like communal living."
"We're a large corporation. We all work toward a quality of life for us that minimizes the trouble we can all get into and we buy things in bulk like gas and groceries, feed for the animals, we have a clinic that we hire a doctor for, but we contract out to the local hospital, and law enforcement comes free whether we want it or not, we had a insurance carrier that was giving us a break before the agent thought he'd get greedy and try to soak us for the rates, so now we're back to single rates. We do have a working agreement with the local bank for mortgages but they're in individual names, not the corporations. What we've done is try to make it so we have a buffer between us and the hard knocks of life. Smooooth is how I like things to run."
"It's a paradise."
"Not even close, but when we have someone who needs help, we're there to help. Help not do. We don't give people anything, but support and a chance to make it back on their feet. They take out a loan or a mortgage, they loose their house, it wrecks their credit rating just like anywhere else, but if they have cancer the corporation will step in to help with medical expenses. We don't prevent someone from going to jail if they've broken the law, but their family will not be ousted from their house if they are willing to keep working for the company. If we catch them stealing or selling drugs I'll personally bounce them higher than the space shuttle out of the company, lock, stock and barrel."
"You're harsh."
"I'm realistic. Drugs are not allowed under any circumstances. We risk losing everything over drugs and I won't have it!"
"Okay. I believe you."
"I'm sorry, Bobby. I get worked up about those kinds of things."
"And you run all of this?"
"No. I started it. I'm on the board and I suppose I'm the CEO, but I'm only a figurehead. I can light a fire under the board, but I don't make all the major decisions. Everyone on the board has a vote. You do now."
"I do? I don't have anything to do with your corporation."
"Our corporation. You are family. That makes it at least partly yours. Unless you opt out of it."
"Listen, Emily, I'm not trying to horn in on your….business."
"Bobby, this entire thing was started with the money that we, you and I, inherited. I invested some of yours into this, into sure things, but it's yours all the same. The same with your brother. I knew there were two boys from her marriage and I was looking for them. Now that I have found you, you have the right to come into the business. It's what's right."
"That might be a problem." Bobby admitted.
"You… don't want to be involved? You don't have to be. You can designate a proxy for your shares. You'll still get the profits, minus a commission, but you won't need to bother with the decisions of the board…."
"Slow down, Emily. I was talking about Frank. Once he finds out he has inherited some money he's going to want it."
"He's entitled. He's not going to be able to access it all right away, no one can, but he'll get monthly checks and he'll be able to sell some of his stock and things like that. The corporation has the right of first refusal on all sales naturally, but he could get enough to make himself a nice nest egg if he wants to. Either one of you could."
"I'd like to be present when you tell him. I think I can keep him under control."
"You know him better than I do. I'm going to have the corporate attorney come out sometime soon. He'll need to be at the finish of my meetings and I'll have him bring the paperwork for you as well."
"Should I get an attorney as well?" he teased.
"The papers might involve some responsibilities on your part so you might want to, but I tried not to make them too onerous for anyone. It's up to you. Someone who'll look over them on your behalf might not be a bad idea." She said seriously.
"I'm never quite sure if I should take you seriously or not."
"Keeps you on your toes. Bobby, don't stress out about this. You are a partner in a corporation. Everything is done under the corporate name, to protect private assets. Nothing you own personally can ever be touched."
"What is the name of this corporation?"
"Emfamco. Short of Emilys Family Company."
"That's your company? I've seen it in the stores."
"That's us." She nodded confirmation.
"I never expected that."
"No one does. I'm not exactly what you'd expect from a CEO and I prefer it that way. I have a stand-in that we call Emily when publicity shots are required. She's a former model who works for the firm. She enjoys the exposure and I enjoy my anonymity. I like my freedom to come and go. I make the decisions and it goes under someone elses title."
"So it's a shell game."
"Corporate version, I suppose. As long as we don't do anything illegal Stas says it's okay."
"Stas?"
"Stasio Mulligan. He's our lawyer."
"Stasio Mulligan? An Irish name like Stasio?"
Emily laughed. "His mother liked the name and his father was Irish. I think it was an old boyfriend. That's what I tell him."
"You're a terror." He grinned.
"And you don't tease Alex? I don't believe that."
"Yeah, I tease her. We've been partners for six years."
"Stas and I've been partners for about three. In business, we know each other as well as we can. When I'm home we see each other every day at the office. He never gives me bad advice but he never cuts me any slack either. One of these days, pow right to the moon."
"Jackie Gleason?"
"Jackie in accounting. She's a big Gleason fan." Emily corrected, laughing.
"How big is the organization?"
"About 300 people give or take a few. Stas can answer questions like that. That includes farmers who grow the stuff, people who process it, salesmen, delivery drivers, office workers, the entire shooting match."
"You said you have no boyfriend or husband?"
"Stas and I go out to dinner once in a while, but we aren't "seeing" each other. His mother thinks we're just dragging our feet for her annoyance, but I think we're just too comfortable together. I want someone who will sweep me off my feet, not just feels like an old shoe."
"But you don't have any candidates?"
"Nary a one. Too bad we're related." Bobby nearly choked on that. "Relax, cuz, I'm just jerking your chain. You're too big city for me."
"I never thought of myself that way."
"A store on every corner across from a gas station and more people in your building than I have in my yard all year long. Yep, definitely a city. Claustrophobia time."
"I'm sorry. I never thought of that."
"You might feel lost out by me. The nearest town other than the company is better than 20 minutes away and then it's an eighth of the size of your convenience stores. There is not comparison. I'll be leaving in a few days anyway. I need to get back home."
"I'll be sorry to see you go."
"Nah, you'd get tired of me soon enough. Thank you for the walk it helped."
"I doubt if I'd get tired of you. It's nice having a new relative around."
"Tell me that after I've bored you to death. I should get back to my hotel so I can get some sleep before tomorrow. I didn't bring my trowel to put on enough make up if I get bags under my eyes."
"You put yourself down easily." He commented.
"It's humor. I mean it to be funny."
"It's disturbing. I can't see why you think putting yourself down is funny. I think you're a good person."
"Yeah, well, whatever you think is great. I'll talk to you again soon, Bobby. Thanks for the talk." She held out a hand to shake his.
He impulsively pulled her into a hug. She was small and slight like Alex but she clutched him anyway briefly before she withdrew. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…."
"It was nice. Thank you." She said a bit flustered. "Have a good evening."
He cursed himself for being too emotional too soon. She was fleeing even if she wouldn't admit it. He liked her, genuinely liked her. And she was so sure they were related. He hoped they were. He went upstairs after she left and sat down on his sofa. He was trying to analyze the feelings and information she'd brought with her. He wanted to talk to Alex.
His cell phone rang and he jumped. He'd forgotten he had it. "Goren."
"We have a case." Alex said.
He'd completely forgotten they were on call tonight. "Can you pick me up?"
"I'm on my way now."
TBC