11- Starting over… chapter eleven
Going up the stairs to the den Walter glanced at the picture of Megan on the shelf and stopped. "I am a healthy, in my prime male, so sex is to be expected," he said to the picture. "And she was well satisfied, so I AM a man." Walter then sat at his desk, opened the laptop on the corner and powered up the desktop unit.
Walter then returned to the office to plop down in a chair. "Gina, what is the proper attire for this fiasco I have been roped into attending? Or do me a favor, as you said things are slow this time of year and I am going stir crazy, research a men's store, find out what is correct attire for this gig make an appointment for me to go get a suit of armor fitted." He looked at her, "Can you do that? I have so many IMPORTANT things on my mind, code, math, designs and this crap keeps intruding and I do NOT know the answer. This is infuriating, PLEASE, figure this social nonsense out and give me directions- the store to go to, what to get, all this CRAP or I swear I will be standing next to you in my shorts."
Gina laughed. "I am not laughing AT you, Walter, I am laughing that you, so much more intelligent and accomplished than the average male are behaving so like ANY man confronted with this kind of social nonsense as you call it. I dare say Richard, the first time went through the same turmoil, but for years it is just another day and a matter of opening his closet to pull out the right suit for the occasion. I will be more than happy to make an appointment and get you properly attired for this wonderful, seasonal festivity I just know you will come to enjoy. Who knows, maybe next year you will look FORWARD to the festivities."
Walter looked at her. "You certainly have a bizarre sense of humor. Were I a socially adept individual, would I live in a bloody GARAGE? Send me the address, date and time for a trip to the store….. I will be there, but I WON'T be happy about it. Sure will be happy when the holidays are over," he grumbled and headed back to the den.
Gina, with a chuckling grin plastered on her face researched and found a haberdashery, called and explained the occasion to be dressed for. The store clerk explained they were well aware of the Elias Enterprises holiday gala as others were already setting appointments for fittings. She gave Walter's name and set an appointment.
Shaking her head but still with an ear to ear grin, she messaged Walter the name, address, date and time for him to get fitted with proper attire for the gala. In all the months she has worked with Walter this was the first time she has seen him flustered and it was rather funny. Always so in command, somewhat aloof, so knowing of what is at hand this was quite a sight to see him so human. Funny, and bet he will be quite the handsome gentleman gussied up for such an occasion- may be just my boss, but bet there will be some jealous ladies seeing me with him. Yes, he should 'clean up' quite handsome and she was looking forward to attending the festivities on his arm.
Back in the loft den, Walter, immersed in coding for a small finance company, was brought out of the focused zone by the laptop new mail alert.
Message from Cabe:
Walter- sent that info to the Denver office and they picked the guy up- should have seen the arsenal he had- a number of long range sniper rigs, all found to have been stolen or altered, so thanks again. Cabe
Message from Gina for an appointment at a haberdashery this Thursday at one.
Message from an unknown site so he checked it out before opening; from Ralph:
Walter- Well, it finally happened- another big blow up. You said their living and working together would help bond them as a team? Just the opposite. Believe it or not, before this blow up, Happy got hired at Elias Enterprises and mom put an application in there as well as some other places. Would you believe having Scorpion on their resumes HELPED? Anyway, taking another robotics class- more geared toward engineering this time so looking forward to using what I learned from Happy. Happy is happier now that she is working regular- don't know if it is the work or the getting out of the house every day. Hope all is well with you. Ralph
Walter hit reply:
Ralph- It is unfortunate there was a 'blow-up'. All is well here. Happy should do well there. May even see her possibly as I go in for space conferences, design reviews periodically. Have a couple patents in the works, too. Your mom should put in an app- she was already employed there once. I dare say Sly could also get work in one division or another if he tried- Richard has various divisions surely one has a place for him. At least that would give them all the regular income to decide on what else to do. Keep up with the classes and if possible send me some of the designs would like to see them. Know I love you- Walter
Every time he got a message from Ralph it lightened his mood, and he got back to the security program he was working.
Thursday rolled around and Gina messaged Walter a reminder of the haberdashery appointment at one. She heard the "argh" from the loft a short bit after she hit 'send' making her grin. This is such a humorous, fun time of year…. especially around Walter. Will be interesting when Walter realizes it will be more than one trip for this suit- initial measurements, fitting, check for alterations. He is going to be one intense basket case by the time the event takes place- probably a good thing he does not drink or he would be plastered before getting there… gods the holidays were fun, she thought. Shortly before noon she heard the garage door open and him pulling the car out. Oh boy, she thought. When they tell him he has to go back a second time- bet he comes in here in a tizzy she thought with a grin.
At three Gina made a fresh pot of coffee knowing Walter would be wanting some when he gets back. He did get back at three-thirty and came in to sit by the desk in a slump.
"Were you aware you don't just go buy a suit? Have to go back. Felt like a mannequin- stand up straight, turn this way, turn that way, put your arms out. Never have done anything like this before in thirty-four years… for a suit! And I have to go back, guy said possibly TWICE!"
"They want to be sure it fits well- everyone is a different body shape, you know. They want to make sure you look good, can't do that in one go."
"I know engineers that can follow a design and =poof= there it is, exactly as designed. I have to go back Monday for a 'fitting' which does not make sense as they already have my measurements. All of them- they measured my arm from shoulder to cuff, from shoulder to elbow, from elbow to cuff, and the measurement for the pants- gods how many angles and measurements are needed for leg length? If you can buy a dress off the rack, why does a man have to go through such nonsense?"
"Because, as with all in the animal kingdom, the male is the most beautiful. Peacocks and lions just two examples."
Walter gave her a baleful look, "now I know you are joking. What a load of nonsense, in the human the female is most beautiful."
"Only in the eyes of the males. To me, being female, the male is most pleasing to the eye, and I bet you will be very pleasing to the eyes of many females once adorned with a well-made suit." Gina said with a smile. "Come on Walter, it is just once a year and supposed to be FUN."
"My luck some goofball with too much champagne will spill catsup all over me and this expensive suit, what a fiasco." Seeing her smile, "I hope you are enjoying this."
She laughed, "something tells me there won't be such mundane stuff as catsup at any gala Richard puts together, so don't worry."
"Well, I have to go back there Monday at one, I need to post a reminder on the computer."
"I will remind you, too, just in case you space it out," Gina said putting it in her computer calendar. "Some people will just mysteriously space unpleasant appointments."
"Is this fiasco only for invited people or may any employee attend?"
"Far as I know, it is for anyone who wants to attend, but usually most of the hourly employees skip it unless they want to rub shoulders, curry favor, or are a date with someone in management, engineering, and the like. Some may don their finest to pop in, try a tasty snack just to say they were there. Like I said, Richard makes it open to all employees. You would be surprised at how many employees, even hourly Richard knows by name. One reason why he is so liked. He will probably be with his daughter as he usually has her along at any such occasion."
"I have to get back to work, thanks for the coffee," Walter said going through and up the stairs to the den. Sitting at his desk he got to thinking, Happy is now an employee, but he doubted Happy would even think of attending such a gala- not hardly her idea of how to spend an evening- she is into the holidays about as much as I am, he thought, so he put it out of his mind and continued his coding.
Much to the relief of the Cecile Brunner roses on the roof, the rains came to sunny SoCal Sunday night. That did not stop Cabe and Allie from messaging Walter that they would be visiting Walter with a large pizza in hand. Walter had the garage door open so they could pull in behind the Ferrari and not get wet.
"Thought you could use some good Italian in your system," Cabe said handing the pizza box to Walter. "Nothing says Italian like a big sausage, pepperoni pizza, right?"
"I see you found a new pizza place," Walter said with a grin. "There are only a thousand more to try out here in LA."
"You know Cabe, Walter, always in search of the perfect pizza," Allie joked.
"I keep trying to prove man can live by coffee alone, but pizza is a good second." Walter said closing the garage door and leading the way to the seating area. "Let me get plates and napkins, you want water or coffee?"
"Water for both of us- too late for coffee." Allie said. "What is the math on the boards this time?"
"Fuel ratios is one, another is metal growth rate per temperature, another trajectory. Always something to figure out in the design process."
"Walter, I want to thank you again for the help with nabbing that guy. He had an extensive criminal record- nabbing him got a bunch of guns off the street, and we managed to get some info out of him as well to further investigate. The Denver office was kept very busy over it all." Cabe said.
Coming in from the office kitchen with plates, bottles of water and napkins, "here you go, open the box and let's eat. See how good this pizza is. As far as my help with that, no problem, glad to help, you know that, Cabe."
"So what else is new with you Walter?" Allie asked.
"Believe it or not, I have gotten roped into attending some gala Richard is putting on. Actually had to go to a haberdashery…"
"A what?" Cabe interrupted making Allie laugh.
"That is a high dollar men's clothing store, Cabe." Allie said. "Where suits are made and properly fitted for formal occasions."
"Exactly," Walter said. "What a fiasco. THREE trips for ONE suit that will probably never be worn again. I must have been out of my mind to get involved in this circus."
"Do me a favor, Walter, don't cut your hair and get a picture for me." Allie said with a big smile. "I would love to see you all decked out for a formal do. Bet you will cut a dashing figure, all tall, dark, and handsome."
Walter laughed, "You are as bad as Gina. She was going on about males being the most beautiful in the animal kingdom…. the peacocks and lions she said. Can you believe such nonsense, Cabe?"
Looking at Allie with a big smile, "Yup, that is a load of crap for sure."
Allie laughed, "You guys know beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I would much rather look at Cabe than any woman no matter how pretty. Do love that masculinity. So, what do you think of this pizza, Walter?"
"To be honest it is better than the stuff I get delivered locally. How far away is this place- too far to deliver here?"
"Yeah, all the way cross town. You will just have to message me to pick one up and bring it over when you are in the mood." Cabe said. "But then the next place I try might be even better."
"We can't stay late tonight. Still have a lot of communication going on with Denver." Cabe said. "We just like to stop in and see how you are doing. Guess with the rain the Ferrari is staying in the barn, huh?"
"Yes, not much enjoyment driving in crappy weather." Walter said, "I will put the leftovers in the fridge for tomorrow, was good pizza, thanks. Needless to say, you be careful driving- wet road and these nuts go crazy with accidents all over the place." Walter opened the garage door after they got in the car so they could pull out and head home.
Closing everything up, he took the leftovers to the loft kitchen, took a shower and went to bed.
Monday Walter was busy at the desktop working a program when he got an alert for new mail. He checked and it was the reminder from Gina of the fitting appointment. He got up, finished his coffee and went to open up the garage to pull his car out. Fortunately, while there were still puddles in places there was no rain and the skies were cloudless and blue when he took off.
Hours later he returned and came in through the office door to sit at a chair by Gina's desk.
"Can you believe I have to go AGAIN? Tomorrow for the final fitting, then they will bag it up and this torture will be ended. I am letting you know now, never again."
"Walter, I doubt you will ever have to go through this again, so rest easy." Gina said with a smile. "Surely you have something good to say about this whole ordeal? Gonna' be fun? The food will be great? Getting recognition for your designs is good? Something?"
Walter sat for a moment in deep thought. "Nope, can't think of a good thing about this at all. Why do I need recognition for my designs? As long as they are used and function- that is what counts." Seeing her sad look at him, "Well, maybe standing up with you, OK? How we going to do that, anyway. Logistics wise? You come here and we drive there in my car, we drive separate and meet there, forget the whole thing and hit Kovelski's?"
"I figure drive separate and meet there… if you PROMISE to show up." Gina said giving him a stern look. "Fortunately the forecast is for clear skies so we won't be standing in rain waiting for each other."
"OK, same for me, you had better be there or I will come back home. Oh, by the way Allie asked me to not get a haircut, so hope you do not mind being seen with a well-dressed shaggy dog."
"No, don't mind at all. So many men shaving their heads these days, like to see a nice head of hair, so Allie is right, no haircut." Gina said. "Time to close up shop, so you have a good night Walter."
Tuesday Walter was on the desktop unit going over the redundant water system for the personnel capsule when he got the new mail alert. Looking to the laptop it was Gina reminding him of the final fitting. So he closed out the file and headed out.
Took three hours- final fitting then the last pressing and bagging and purchase of dress shoes.
"All over and done with at last," he said coming into the office after taking everything to the bedroom closet. "Saw two guys with Elias Enterprises badges there also picking up bags of clothes. That place must be raking in a fortune. Think Richard has a few shares in the place astute businessman that he is?"
"Getting excited and looking forward to this, now that all the necessaries are taken care of? Just relax and enjoy the entertainment and socializing?" Gina asked.
"Surely you jest, Gina. As I said when this whole fiasco was initiated, I do not do socializing well. For you I will try my best, I will keep my mouth shut and smile a lot, and I will apologize now for any embarrassment I may cause."
"In three days, Walter, your torture will end. Friday night when you get home it will be over and you will be free….. until next year." Gina said with a laugh. "By the way, when you get there, you don't need to park in the south forty of the employee parking lot, pull up to the gate and give your name they will direct where to park. Cheer up, holidays come but once a year."
The three days passed and Friday finally arrived. Walter showered and got dressed except for the tie that he left hanging. He was to meet Gina there at five at the front door- she did say she could tie the damned tie, so we shall see before entering. He brushed his hair that was a bit below his collar- would be longer were it not curly, but oh well, always had curls. Fortunately as forecast, the skies were clear and it was rather warm. He put his wallet in the back pocket, his phone and a small comb in the inside jacket pocket…. felt kinda' naked not carrying the laptop case. Took a deep breath, grabbed the car keys, opened the garage door, pulled the Malibu out, closed up, set security and headed for Elias Enterprises headquarters. Getting to the gate he gave his name to the security guard who pointed him to the smaller, back parking lot reserved for 'honored guests'. Once parked he got out and walked to the front door to await Gina. He paced along the sidewalk a few times when she called his name. She looked lovely in a dark green velvet floor length dress.
"Walter, oh my, how handsome you look."
"You said you could do the tie- can you?"
"Yes, stand on this lower step, I need to do it from behind. Used to do these ties for my dad so just hang on a minute." Gina said. "Yes, you look very nice, Walter. There you are, tie all nice and ready to go."
"Thank you, and you look very nice, Gina. Green suits you." Walter said extending his arm for her. With a smile, she put her hand on his arm, looked up at him to see him take a deep breath, clench his jaw then walked with him through the entrance to hear soft music, see tables of champagne, assorted displays of tasty stuff and a great number of people mingling, talking, and socializing.