Chapter 9

Chuck and Stacy's house, evening...

Chuck and Stacy were sitting on the living room couch. Stacy had just put the kids to bed. Their son, Chucky, was now five while their daughter, Q, was two. With the kids in bed they were having some grown up time. They were talking about their workdays. Chuck was finishing up the play by play...

"...and since Sandi has opted to be a stay-at-home mom I conducted some interviews for a new assistant."

"Shouldn't you already have one?" Stacy asked, "Sandi gave you plenty of advance warning that she didn't intended to return to Feisty after the kids were born."

Chuck admitted "She did, but all applicants so far are so inept that I wouldn't foist them on my worst enemy. Honestly, the job mostly involves answering phone calls, scheduling appointments and calculating earnings statements. How hard is that?"

"That's Lawndale for you," said Stacy, "If it's not fashion or football then no one's interested."

"I thought we lived in Maryland" Chuck dryly remarked, "Not Texas."

Remembering that Quinn's originally from Texas, Stacy said "If Quinn's stories are to be believed the people in Texas are dumb enough to make Kevin Thompson look like a genius."

Stifling a laugh, Chuck said "I can't believe that town she's from included a guy who was actually named Butt-Head."

"Believe it," said Stacy, "Daria told me his mother was a crack whore, which explains a lot given what else we've heard about him from both Daria and Quinn."

Chuck said "I remember hearing Daria joke about that town she's from having uranium in the drinking water. Given what else I've heard over the years I'm beginning to think she might not have been joking after all." After a brief chuckle, Chuck decided to move the conversation back on topic. "So, how was your day?"

"Good news and bad news," Stacy said with a frown, "The good news is I didn't needlessly risk my life for a hot story. The bad news is I was offered a promotion to anchor today."

Raising an eyebrow, Chuck asked "How's that bad news?"

Stacy answered "Because the position's at an affiliate station in Florida. Taking the job would mean moving."

"Where in Florida?" asked Chuck.

"A small city about an hour north of Miami. It's called West Palm Beach."

"The name sounds familiar" said Chuck.

Stacy replied "You're probably thinking of Palm Beach. That place is on a narrow island separated from the mainland by a small lagoon, Lake Worth. West Palm Beach is directly across the lagoon from Palm Beach. It's part of a huge metro area spanning from Jupiter to Homestead that includes both Ft. Lauderdale and Miami." She saw the look on her husbands face. "Journalist," Stacy explained, "Fact finding's a habit that comes with the job."

"So," said Chuck, "You turned down a promotion to a six-figure position because it involves moving to a city that's right next to the favored playground of the wealthiest people on the planet, is close to the party capitol of the East Coast and has a climate where it's basically summer all year long."

Stacy said "Chuck, all of our friends are here in Lawndale."

"Not all of them," Chuck corrected, "Nicole and Jamie live in New York now, along with Daria and Jane. Also, it's easy to keep in touch. I really don't think Quinn, Sandi, Jim and Tom are going to stop being our friends just because of geographical distance. Think of all the good that comes from moving to Florida. In addition to everything else I mentioned we'd also be only a couple hours drive from Orlando, the theme park capitol of the world. That's a huge plus since we have two kids."

Stacy immediately thought of why a move to Florida would be a bigger deal than when Jamie and Nicole moved to Long Island. "Chuck," she said, "New York's only four hours from here and we both know it's at least a sixteen hour drive to South Florida."

Chuck said "Which I doubt anyone would mind making for the occassional visit, especially since we can offer a free alternative to a hotel whenever any of them decide to vacation in Florida."

Stacy looked thoughtful as she considered all of her husband's points.

Quinn and Jim's house, the next day...

Quinn and Stacy were talking over tea in the kitchen while Tommy, Timmy and Teddy, all now five months old, napped in baby rockers on the table. Stacy has just told Quinn about her potential move to Florida. She was surprised by Quinn's response.

"Stacy, I think you should go for it."

"You do!?"

Nodding, Quinn said "Stacy, this is a huge opportunity for you and your husband's totally on board. This isn't a big deal."

"Quinn," said Stacy, "We wouldn't be able to hang out regularly anymore."

"Stacy," Quinn countered, "Zoom calls, social media and you know Jim and I would have no trouble coming down for the occassional visit. Besides, Nicole lives in New York and we're just as tight with her as we've always been."

Stacy thought it over. "You're really okay with this?"

Nodding, Quinn said "Stacy, you couldn't be my trusted sidekick forever."

Stacy laughed because it was true.

"Whatever you decide" said Quinn, "you have my full support. We've been attached at the hip since we were freshmen in high school. Time for you to go do your own thing. Besides, we'll definitely see each other again. I'm not turning my back on all those years just because we don't live in the same state anymore."

Stacy smiled.

WSBC, the next day...

Stacy marched right into Mr. Allen's office. She had only one thing to say.

"Mr. Allen, I'm in."

The grizzled old news chief smiled. He loved seeing his employees take charge.

Summer, 2014...

A large U-Haul pulled up to Chuck and Stacy's house, which had a For Sale sign out front with the word 'SOLD' taped across it. Inside the U-Haul truck Jim was driving while Jamie rode shotgun.

"You sure you're up to this, Jamie?" Jim asked.

"Of course," Jamie replied, "Why?"

Jim explained why he was nervous. "One, I know your prosthetic legs limit your ability to carry heavy objects. Two, you came down all the way from New York just to help me haul furniture down to Florida."

Shrugging it off, Jamie said "Jim, Nicole wanted to come down and see Stacy off. Also, I managed to help move the furniture when Nicole and I moved."

Remembering, Jim said "I'm surprised you didn't fall out of your prosthetic legs while doing that. What's your secret?"

"You mean besides the way their designed to fit perfectly snug on my stumps," said a grinning Jamie, "I have a few methods of my own for added support. I use safety pins to attach my pants legs to the fake legs and bandage and duct tape to wrap around where the remnants of my natural legs go in. Makes it nearly impossible for the things to come off." After a pause, he added "Though taking the tape and bandages off stings like hell, but I've felt way worse than that."

They both laughed. After all, Jamie knows how it literally feels when one leg gets shot off and the other gets torn apart by jagged pieces of hot metal.

As they exit the truck they see Chuck there to greet them.

"Thanks for doing this, guys," he said.

A few hours later...

The house was now completely empty as Jim closed the back of the massive truck. He and Jamie then proceeded to speak with Chuck.

"There" said Jim, "ready to go."

"Thanks," said Chuck, "We'll be down in a few days."

During those few days Stacy was staying with Sandi and Tom while Nicole stayed with Quinn. Chuckie and Q were with their grandparents.

Jamie said "It was nice seeing you again, Chuck."

Chuck said "You're gonna see me again in a few days."

"Still, it was nice to catch up with an old friend."

Shaking each of their hands in turn, Chuck said "Thanks again for doing this, you guys."

"No problem," said Jim, "What's the address?"

Chuck handed Jim the address on a piece of paper. Jim looked at it before putting it in his pocket.

Reaching into his own pocket, Chuck said "And here's the house key the realitor mailed to us. If you lose it go to Sunshine Realty on Forest Hill Boulevard and ask for Louisa Sandoval. She can give you a spare."

"Thanks, man" said Jim as he pocketed the key.

Later...

Jim was driving the U-Haul while Jamie rode shotgun.

"How long you think it'll take us to get there?" asked Jamie.

Looking at his watch, Jim said "It's a little past noon. I figure if we push it we can be in South Carolina by evening. Tomorrow, we set out early and probably be in Florida by lunch time. From there it's another four hours to West Palm."

Jamie nodded as Jim continued toward I-95. From there they proceeded down through Virginia and North Carolina before spending the night at a truck stop in South Carolina. The next morning they had some breakfast and were back on the road by 8:00. Around noon they stopped for lunch in Jacksonville before arriving in West Palm Beach around 4:00 PM.

West Palm Beach, Fl, afternoon...

The U-Haul was coming off I-95. It took the ramp from the interstate and traveled eastbound on Belvedere Road. The street was lined with shops, many with a latin vibe as the neighborhood to the south was predominantly Cuban. The truck came to a stop at the second traffic light after I-95.

Looking at the GPS, Jim said "Okay, according to this we take a left at this intersection."

The truck turned left as they passed by a small Greek delicatession at the corner of this street and Belvedere. After that was a sign for the residential neighborhood they were entering. The sign read 'Flamingo Park, Est. 1928'. As they continued up the street a few blocks Jim remarked that while the other side of the main street had been a working class immigrant community this side was clearly a gentrified upper middle class neighborhood. After a few blocks Jim took a right turn.

"Okay, according to the GPS our destination it the second to last house to the right on this block" said Jim.

Soon, Jim brought the truck to a stop at a house. The address matched the one Chuck had given back in Lawndale.

"This is it" said Jamie.

They both exited the U-Haul. Taking a moment to stretch their legs they took note of their surroundings. Jamie noticed the house only had a single car garage and a narrow driveway. "Looks like one of them's gonna have to park their car in the street."

"I guess that's no problem for them," said Jim, "Judging by the look of this neighborhood I don't think there's much crime in the area." The house itself was a Spanish style house with white walls and red tiles on the roof. After looking for a few moments, Jim wiped some sweat off his forehead. "Damn, this heat's bad enough, but the humidity makes it feel like I'm wearing a fur coat in 90 degree weather!"

Jamie said "Even the 120 degree days I suffered in Iraq didn't make me sweat as much as this shit does."

"Desert" said Jim, "huge difference. South Florida's more like a tropical jungle." Turning back toward the truck, he added "Might as well get started."

As Jim used the key Chuck gave him to unlock all the doors Jamie opened the back of the U-Haul.

Evening...

Jim and Jamie had finished setting everything up. Stacy had given explicit instructions on where to set everything, which Jamie and Jim had followed to the letter. Upon entering through the front door was a large room that spanned the width of the house. The right side, adjacent to the kitchen, had been designated as the dinning area while the left side was to be the living room. At the far right was a door that led to the kitchen. In the middle was the entrance to the hallway. Halfway down the hallway on the right was a second hallway that led to the house's back door, with a rear entrance to the kitchen as well. On the left side, directly across from the secondary hallway was a bedroom that Stacy had designated as Chucky's room. Continuing down the main hallway the next door on the left led to a small storage closet. The final door on the right led to a second bedroom that had been designated as Q's room. The hallway ended with a door leading to the bathroom while the final door on the left led to the master bedroom. The master bedroom had a breakfast nook which Stacy had claimed as the home office. Jim had to admit the house was small for a family of four, but this was the house Stacy wanted. Presumably, this was due to the neighborhood being in a school district that included all of Palm Beach, meaning the kids would be interacting with trust fund babies attending a top public school.

Sitting on the sofa, Jamie turned on the TV.

"Cable works."

Jim sat down as they watched TV. Jim noticed that all the local stations broadcasted in English with Spanish subtitles.*

"We're definitely close to Miami" Jim remarked upon seeing this.

*(Author's Note: They really do use Spanish subtitles on the local TV stations in South Florida.)

Noting that they'd been given permission to stay at the house, Jamie asked "Where we gonna sleep? I ask because I really don't wanna sleep in someone else's bed, especially one that's used by Stacy and Upchuck."

Jim couldn't help laughing. Due to Chuck's frequent bragging both he and Jamie were well aware that Chuck and Stacy led a very active (and kinky) sex life.

"I'll take the sleeping bag and sleep on the floor, you take the couch."

Jamie waived off Jim's suggestion. "You take the couch, I've been quartered in way worse accomidations than the floor of a house in Florida."

At this point, the doorbell rang. Grabbing his wallet, Jim got up to answer. Standing there was a teenage boy with a latin complexion wearing a uniform that said 'Pizza Mambo' on it and holding a box with a large pie.

"Pizza, senor" said the delivery boy.

Jim asked "How much?"

The kid said "Diecicinco dolores (fifteen dollars)."

Jim got a twenty from his wallet and handed it to the kid.

"Keep the change."

The delivery boy stared questioningly at Jim.

"Que? No me comprende."

Jim was now flabbergasted as he didn't know how to say 'keep the change' in Spanish.

Suddenly laughing, the kid said "Just messing with ya, dude. I speak English."

Jim couldn't help laughing as he took the pizza.

"Good one, dude!"

A few days later...

Chuck and Stacy were now down and ready to settle into their new home.

Shaking hands with Jim and Jamie, Stacy said "Thanks for doing this, you guys."

"No problem" said Jim, "So, Christmas then."

Nodding, Stacy said "Yep. Quinn insisted and far be it for me to object."

Jamie said "Nicole and I will be down for Thanksgiving. Hopefully, it won't be so damn hot then."

Jim said "I've never spent the holidays in a tropical climate before."

"First time for everything" said Chuck.

After a few pleasantries they exchanged goodbyes. Then, Jim and Jamie got in the U-Haul for the long trek back to Lawndale.

Chuck and Stacy's new house, evening, one year later...

Stacy was in the home office paying some bills. Life had been good. She was a hit as the new anchor, and even learned some Spanish so she'd have an easier time conversing with locals who were recent immigrants (no shortage of that in South Florida). Chuck had opened Feisty IT's new headquarters in an office park near the airport and it was a success. Chucky had started school at Palm Beach Elementary, though Stacy thought some of the other parents were elitist snobs. Jamie and Nicole had made good on their promise to come down for Thanksgiving while Quinn and Jim had done the same thing on Christmas. Even Tom and Sandi had been down, more than once. That last one was no surprise as the Sloane's owned a vacation home in Palm Beach. Now, after that first year Stacy could honestly say she felt no regrets over her decision to leave Lawndale.

Her self-reflection was interrupted by the ringing of the phone. Stacy answered.

"Hello?" As she listened a huge smile formed on Stacy's face. "Hi, Mrs. Morgendorffer!" As she listened to what Helen had to say Stacy gasped in shock, but it was a pleasant surprise. "I'd love to show you and your husband around." A brief pause followed as Stacy continued to listen. "Looking forward to it. Bye!"

Stacy hung up and smiled with anticipation.

Looks like visits from Quinn are about to become a lot more frequent.

To be continued...