by Aj Harmon
Snitching a handful of popcorn from the cardboard bucket resting on Alex’s lap, Sophia took a deep breath, popped a kernel of butter laden corn in her mouth and watched Mr. Spock and Captain Kirk save the earth.
4.
“But why?” Ella asked her Uncle Ben for the third time.
“Enough Ella,” Matt said, his brow furrowed. “Uncle Ben does not have an answer for you so stop asking.”
Ella frowned and thumped her fork down on the dining room table. “Everybody has to get married. That’s how you get happy. You said so, Daddy!”
“I what?” Matt asked.
“You said that you were the happiest man when you married momma. So if Uncle Ben wants to be happy he has to get married too.”
Janie bit the insides of her lips to keep from laughing and Ben gave his brother a look that said ‘try and find a rebuttal to that!’ Matt had encouraged his five year old daughter to ask questions; to think for herself. He was beginning to regret ever telling his daughter that she should ask lots of questions.
“Ella,” Ben sighed. “I’m not married because your daddy married the perfect woman and I can’t find anyone as good as your momma.”
“Oh,” said Ella. She tilted her head as she digested his answer. Amazingly, she seemed satisfied with his statement. She picked up her fork once again and gored a piece of chicken and returned her attention to the plate of food in front of her.
“Next time you won’t be as anxious to accept her dinner invitations, will you,” Matt chuckled.
Ben smiled at his niece and heartily consented as Janie scooped more potato salad and barbecued chicken onto his plate. “I mean it though. I could never find anyone like you, Janie.”
“Oh pfft,” Janie shook her head. “Matt has brainwashed you all into thinking I’m so perfect! Far from it actually.”
“Nope!” Matt argued. “You are perfect. And all mine!”
“Mine too,” added Ella as she scooped a heaping pile of potatoes into her mouth.
“Yes, sweetheart,” Janie grinned. “Yours too.”
The evening ended after Ben had sat on the floor of the playroom and was assigned a doll dressed in a mermaid outfit to play ‘dolls’ with Ella. Christopher kept driving his Tonka trucks through the extravagant ‘beach’ that Ella had created using tissues as the water and hand towels as the sand. After the third almost brawl between siblings, Janie announced it was bed time and Ben bade goodnight and began the walk home. His steely resolve to stay a bachelor and avoid children was intact.
It was the height of summer, and as he walked home, the sun was just beginning to set and as he rounded a corner the sun blinding him, he reached for his sunglasses. They snagged on his t-shirt and as he looked down to pull them from the fabric he heard his name yelled in front of him.
“Ben! Mr. Lathem! Hi!”
Ben looked up to see a young man jogging toward him. He knew the face and the name was on the tip of his tongue as the boy said, “Do you remember me?”
“Of course I do,” Ben nodded with a smile. “You very competently sold me stamps and coerced me out of a dollar sixty. Alex, right?”
“You do remember!” he seemed surprised.
“Yep, sure do.”
They were now face to face, or at least face to chest and Alex outstretched his hand. Ben shook it.
“You can tell a lot by a man’s handshake,” grinned Alex.
Ben chuckled and then looked up to see a woman step beside Alex and place a protective hand on his shoulder.
“Alex?” she said, a slight reprimand in her voice. Ben didn’t blame her.
“Hi,” he smiled extending his hand to her. “I’m Ben Lathem. I frequent Alex’s grandfather’s store. I live opposite.”
Relaxing just a tad, she shook Ben’s hand and half smiled. “I’m Sophia…Alex’s mother and Aldo’s daughter.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” Ben smiled.
“So where are you going?” asked Alex.
“That’s none of your business,” Sophia snapped.
“It’s fine,” Ben offered. “Actually, “I’ve just been to play Barbie dolls with my niece. But it’s more tiring than you would think so I’m headed home.”
Alex frowned, not at all impressed by Ben’s revelation, but Sophia tried to hide a grin. Then, in a moment of total mortification, she realized she was still holding Ben’s hand. Quickly releasing it, she took half a step and muttered something about getting home.
“Have you gone to a game?” Alex asked.
“Huh?” Ben replied.
“Your shirt!” replied Alex, pointing at the Yankees logo on Ben’s t-shirt.
“Oh. Yeah. I go quite often.”
“Oh, man!” sighed Alex. “Everybody gets to go but me!”
“You’ll be able to go when you’ve saved your money,” Sophia reminded him.
“It’s gonna take me forever!” he said with the appropriate amount of dramatic inflection.
“I’d be happy to take you anytime you want,” Ben shrugged.
“Really?” Alex’s eyes opened wide.
“Sure. We have a box suite and…” Ben stopped when he saw the expression on Sophia’s face. Uh oh.
“Alex,” Sophia interrupted. “We need to get home.”
“But mom…”
“But nothing. Let’s get a move on.”
“But what about the game?” Ben heard him wail as she pushed him down the sidewalk, further and further away from him.
“Oh, shit!” he muttered as he headed to his apartment.
*****
Maria pulled into the safety of the underground parking garage of Crystal Towers, Luca in the front seat beside her. It had been unusually violent this morning; the riots protesting the Olympics and the financial crisis their country was facing. But Maria had been able to take mostly side streets and arrive relatively unscathed. Luca grabbed his backpack and Maria her briefcase and together they rode the elevator up to the ground floor and to her office. Of all the blessings in her life, Luca being at the very top of that list, she was grateful for the opportunity to work for MEL Holdings. Not only had she been given the gift of the car on her first day of work, and not only was she paid well with an excellent benefit package, she was allowed to bring Luca with her to work whenever he wasn’t in school. She set him up in the conference room with school work, or movies, or her laptop and lunch, and he was good to go while she worked. The day she met Ben Lathem was a day she thanked God for over and over again.
Today, however, wasn’t going to be a great day. The uprisings in Rio were getting worse. Several American owned companies were being targeted and Maria knew it was just a matter of time until the Crystal Towers would be on their hit list. They’d already lost several tenants from the building over the past few weeks and today she had to call New York and let them know about several more that were canceling their leases and pulling their business out of the city. With Luca settled and the morning emails out of the way, she picked up the phone and dialed.
*****
Ben sat in his office with work piled all around him. The week had gone by too damn fast and he felt a weekend spent behind his desk was all but inevitable. Most of the time he loved his job but today wasn’t one of them.
He’d been briefed earlier about the situation in Rio. His first and foremost concern was for the safety of the employees of MEL Holdings, but more specifically, Maria and Luca. After the meeting, he’d put a plan of action together including sending a letter to each of the tenants, releasing them from their leases without penalty, if they so desired, but also informing them that they were investing more in security if they decided to stay. Out of a sense of courtesy, he called Matt and Mark, both out of the office, and informed them of the situation. Both said they were coming in to discuss it immediately.
Matt and Mark may not enter the skyscraper that held their offices every day, but they sure as hell knew exactly what was going on in their company, and both men had been carefully watching th
e news and were abreast of the unrest in Brazil. The three brothers sat in Matt’s office and discussed every possible scenario they could come up with that involved their investment in Rio de Janeiro.
Mark agreed completely with Ben that all leases could be terminated without penalty if the tenants felt unsafe, as most of their tenants were in fact American companies operating in Brazil. The point of disagreement was what the company’s responsibility was to their employees.
“It is their home country,” stated Matt. “If they were there because we transferred them there, then I understand the need to initiate evacuation for them. But they weren’t. It’s their home. We will continue to pay their salary even if they can’t go to work, but I see no reason to relocate them.”
“We should also inform the tenants that we can no longer guarantee their safety, even with the improved security, so they enter the building at their own risk,” added Mark.
Ben agreed with that one but was reeling at Matt’s apparent lack of concern for the few employees they had. “And if one of our people get hurt?” he asked. “How are you going to feel then?”
Matt sighed. “If they think it’s that bad, they should stay home. No job is worth risking your life for.”
“You feel no responsibility whatsoever to ensure their safety?” Ben’s voice had risen by a few decibels.
“Of course I do!” Matt shot back. “This company would be nothing without loyal and hard-working people like those in Rio. But their homes are there…their families are there…their lives are there. And it’s not like they are aren’t used to it,” he scoffed. “Riots have been a constant in Brazil for the last…shit…the last thirty years! You want us to go in in helicopters and riot gear and pull them out? Then what?”
Ben flew off the handle. “That’s right! You go back to your multi-million dollar apartment and your ten million dollar house in the Bahamas and we’ll just let the peasants fend for themselves.”
“What the fuck?” yelled Matt as he stood and slammed the palms of his hands against his desk. “What in hell’s name is wrong with you?”
Ben cowered just a little. Mark, always the peacemaker, tried his best to calm the already out of hand discussion.
“Let’s have HR contact each of the employees and find out if they are in fact fearing for their safety. If the answer comes back in the affirmative, we will do whatever we can to facilitate a move, if that’s what they desire.”
“Which is what we would be doing anyway,” scathed Matt. He sat back down and took a breath. “This is about Luca,” he whispered as the light bulb clicked on.
Ben didn’t say anything as both pairs of eyes bore into him. He shifted in his seat and cleared his throat…but didn’t speak.
“Get them out then!” Matt said. “If you are worried, Get. Them. Out.”
“Okay,” Ben nodded and stood. He turned and headed for the door.
“Wait!” yelled Matt and he ran to his brother and grabbed his shoulder. “Next time just say what you want to say. I would never interfere in something you feel so strongly about. Just damn well speak up.” He slapped Ben on the back and smiled. “’K?”
“All good,” Ben nodded and left.
“What the hell was that?” Mark asked as Matt came and fell into the chair Ben had just vacated.
“If he wants to fly them out why doesn’t he just do it? Why all the drama?”
Matt shook his head. He had no idea.
*****
With the information for the tenant leases emailed to Maria, Ben leaned back in his chair. He’d been an ass with Matt and he felt like an idiot. He was worried about Maria and Luca and he should’ve just come right out with it instead of trying to coat it in fake concern. Of course, he was genuinely concerned with the well-being of all their employees, but he also knew that Matt was spot on with his assessment. It was their home and if they were still getting paid, whether they showed up to work or not, they’d be just fine.
He knew, however, that Maria held a sense of responsibility for the building and she wouldn’t just sit at home. She’d go to work every day, and with school out for summer vacation, Luca would be with her. It didn’t sit well with him and he needed to make sure the two of them were safe. It was already after five and Rio was an hour ahead, plus it was Friday, but he dialed her number anyway and it went straight to voicemail.
“Hey Maria. It’s Ben. Just checking on you guys to make sure you’re fine and not affected by the unrest. I’ve seen some of the news reports and it doesn’t look very good. Anyway, let me know if you need anything, um, like if you need to move or…or whatever. Hope to hear from you soon.”
The piles on his desk reminded him of what he should be doing, so he pulled the manila folder from the top of the stack and got back to work.
*****
“Primeiro mundo terceiro mundo estádios e escolas!” “First-world stadiums and third-world schools!” The signs were in abundance as Maria drove home from work. As a Brazilian, she understood the concern of her people; so much money was being spent on the upcoming games, yet millions of them were hungry and ill. Taxes were on the rise to pay for the infrastructure needed and the country’s citizens felt that they’re being ignored.
The problem was more serious than that though for Maria. While she could sympathize with the masses, there was a small group that had taken their dissent to a whole different level. They were targeting American businesses and to take it a step even further, Americans. And because Maria worked for an American company, she was beginning to wonder just how long it would take before the angry mob turned on her too.
“Prostituta Americana!” (American whore!) “Morte ao capitalism!” (Death to capitalism!) “Sem mais impostos!” (No more taxes!) The chants were loud as she drove her car through the streets and managed to somehow make it through again without incident.
Safely locked inside their modest home, Maria listened to Ben’s voicemail. She was concerned, but more for Luca than herself. And she knew she had a responsibility to ensure the safety of the tenants of the Crystal Towers and the employees she had. They were a family and she would not leave them to fend for themselves. Besides, so far, the protests were a couple of blocks away from her building. She was confident…well, she was hopeful that all would be well.
*****
Alex sat on the floor in the living room of his grandparents’ apartment, legs spread wide and his money jar open between them.
“How much have you earned?” Gloria asked.
“Thirty-four dollars and eighteen cents,” he sighed.
“Well that’s fantastic!” encouraged Sophia. “Good for you!”
“It’s not enough,” he frowned. “I won’t have enough by the time the season ends and then I won’t get to go.”
Sophia felt for her son. She knew he desperately wanted to go to a Yankees game but they were expensive. She’d checked to see just how much he was going to need. She was stunned as she saw the prices.
“Why can’t I just go with Ben? He offered to take me!”
“Offered to take you where?” asked Aldo as he entered the apartment.
“All done?” Gloria asked.
“All locked up and done for the night. Who’s winning?” Aldo nodded at the television…a Yankees away game being televised.
“We are,” Alex sighed. “Four to two. Top of the seventh.”
“Don’t be so glum,” chuckled his grandfather. “A win is a good thing.”
“Ben said he’d take me. He said he had a box suite but mom says I can’t go.”
“Ben?” Aldo asked.
“Mr. Lathem,” Alex replied.
“Oh! Nice young man.”
“See?” Alex swung to face his mother. “Grandpa says he’s a good guy so why won’t you let me go?”
“I am not letting my son go on an outing with a man I don’t know from Adam. He was just making conversation, anyway.” Sophia really hoped he’d just forget the whole conversation.
“Hmph
!” he pouted.
The next morning Alex was still irritated with his mother so he spent a couple of hours with Aldo in the store, sitting on a stool, tossing a baseball into the air and then catching it in his mitt. His father should have picked him up by now for the weekend but, once again, he’d called to say he was working. Alex told himself that his dad was the hardest working man he’d ever known…even more so than his grandfather. But deep down he knew that his dad just didn’t want to see him, he just preferred the former theory. Alex was bored just sitting but he didn’t care. He wasn’t going back upstairs. He didn’t offer to help his grandfather either. Not that there were many customers on a Saturday morning, but still, he was in a bad mood and was having a tantrum as only a twelve year old boy knows how.
He didn’t see Ben come in and pick up a loaf of bread and a carton of milk. If it wasn’t for Aldo calling him by name, he would have come and gone without Alex ever knowing.
“Thank you Mr. Lathem. Have a good weekend.”
“Ben!” Alex screamed and tore around the corner and almost ran into Ben. “Hi!”
A big smile spread across Ben’s face. “Hey there. How ya doin’?”
“Eh,” Alex shrugged. “I’m bored.”
“Not many customers, huh?”
“Nah.” He shook his head. “Hey, were you serious the other day? About the game? And the suite?”
Ben glanced at Aldo who was watching curiously at the exchange. “Sure I was, but your mom…”
“But if mom said it was okay, would you really take me?”
“If your mom said it was okay then…”
“Hold on!” Alex yelled and ran like a banshee through the store and disappeared into the back.
“Did I say something wrong?” Ben asked Aldo.
“We’ll have to see,” Aldo shrugged.
They heard the thumping of footsteps down the stairs and then Alex reappeared with his mother in tow. Sophia was in cut-off grey sweats, a pink wife-beater tank top, a red floral apron and yellow rubber gloves. Her black hair was hidden behind a bandana wrapped around her head. She was sweating and her face was free of makeup, obviously in the middle of cleaning. Ben thought she looked embarrassed as she looked up to see him standing there.
