Maureen's Journey Home

by Ian Macdonald

  “I know I shouldn’t be laughing at a time like this Paul, but it is funny. I was just thinking how stressed I’d be if I was juggling all of these women at the same time.”

  “Well we don’t know for sure that he is, we are simply making assumptions here. They could be just work colleagues, Andre.”

  “Of course they could and I could be the Pope too.”

  Both men roared laughing at that remark.

  “You could all but hear the hissing from some of them when the opposition arrived, surely you did notice that, Paul.”

  “Well I got the drift that one or two were not exactly BFF’s but as for how many he was juggling – well that I’d rather not think about. I’d far rather juggle chain saws than try doing that. I have enough trouble keeping one woman happy, god knows what juggling three or more would be like. No wonder he’s in here, I’d be in the psyche ward myself.”

  “Yeah, and I’d be in the next bed too my friend” quipped Andre. I guess it pays to be ordinary looking.”

  “Speak for yourself, Andre. As for myself and those Greek Gods of old, we may have a rough time of it true enough – but we manage to handle our good looks and physique quite well I think.”

  “Indeed you do Paul, indeed you do; I guess your unrivaled modesty pulls you through each day, eh!”

  Once again both men roared with laughter at that quip from Andre.

  ***

  The two engagement rings had now been made and given to the two men, they were everything and more than they had expected. Those catalogues had not done them justice at all –they were exquisite - as were the wedding rings that matched them. Gwen and Maureen had no idea whatsoever that the two men had ordered them as well. They would not know this until much later.

  When Tony learned about the rings he decided to have a dinner party at his house in celebration of this fact. He invited both couples and also Rachel and John Malcolm, but he never disclosed his intentions. He had discussed the matter with Paul and Andre first and they were all on favour of it. This would be one surprise the two women would never forget.

  “Why did Tony invite us to dinner, it is some special occasion or something, asked Maureen?”

  “I have no idea replied Paul, perhaps he just wanted to have us over, people do that you know.”

  “Yes I know, but I just thought there might be another reason.”

  “Well the phone is sitting right over the Maureen, give him a buzz and ask him, I’m sure he’d appreciate hearing from you.”

  ‘Behave yourself, I was just curious, Paul nothing more. I’m certainly not going to quiz him on the subject.”

  “Oh but it’s perfectly okay to grill me is it?”

  “You are really pushing it now, Sir, now come here and zip me up”

  “Yes Ma’am, right away ma’am, three bags full ma’am.”

  How Paul dodged that skirt that was thrown at him he never knew. He was certainly quick on his feet that’s for sure. The teasing stopped right there, he knew better than to continue it and he went over and zipped her up and kissed her shoulders by way of penance.

  When they arrived at the Braxton’s, the others were already there, drinks in hand and chatting away merrily. The dining room table was all set out and it looked lovely. Well one would expect a billionaire’s table to reflect good taste and it most certainly did. However, there was no atmosphere to go with it, it was all very casual and homely and it really was just a dinner amongst friends. The table had all of their places marked by cards with their names on them and each card had a string that led to a silver water jug on the table.

  “What is at the end of those strings, asked Gwen?”

  “Well you’ll have to wait until just before the dessert to find that out said Cathy. It was something I picked up from my friend Alicia a while back. She had done it for us when we went over there for dinner one night and I am now copying her idea.”

  “Okay, guys, please take your seats, dinner is now about to be served said Cathy.”

  Everyone then sat down and the food platters were then sent around for everyone to help themselves. Paul looked at the amount of food on the table and wondered to himself where the other five hundred guests where. There was certainly no shortage of anything – but then it was to be expected he figured. He was even more surprised to learn that Cathy had prepared most of it herself and Rachel had made the dessert. This time Gwen and Maureen had not contributed, but they would on future occasions. The table conversation continued – but not with mouthfuls of food, they had a little more class than that. Then it came time to clear away the main course dishes and the four ladies immediately stood up and began to do just that. When they came back in Gwen asked if they could now pull their strings to see what was inside that jug.

  “Can we pull those strings now Cathy?’

  “Yes we can, but let’s do it in order shall we. You two guys pull your strings first.”

  Paul and Andre then pulled their strings and found two small packages at the end. Inside was a key ring compass with a pen light attached and a toy car.

  “Wow, these are great, said Paul. What a good idea Cathy thank you.”

  “Same here Cathy, these can come in very handy, thank you said Andre.”

  “Okay ladies, it’s your turn now, I know you can hardly wait Gwen”

  The two women then pulled on their strings and unwrapped the boxes at the end. The initial gasps were quickly followed by squeals of delight as they realized what was in those boxes. Both women immediately threw their arms around their husband’s necks in unison as if it had all been choreographed to perfection. Both men were then instructed to place the rings on their fingers. The fit of course was perfect. Those two rings were exquisite to say the least. The two men had been pleased with them, but the two women were absolutely over the moon with them. Tony, John, Rachel and Cathy then got up and congratulated them and hugs and kisses were exchanged all around. The two women had been completely taken by surprise by this. They knew they were getting the rings and what they had selected, but this evening had not been anticipated and it was indeed a delightful surprise. The remainder of the evening was spent in general chit chat until it was time to go home. Once they were at home the two men were adequately rewarded for their efforts in springing this surprise on the fiancées. In Maureen’s case she was the one being rewarded that night. Paul had decided to pull out all the stops now. This really would be a night to remember for Maureen now as she commented later.

  “Oh, Paul, that was amazing; where did you learn all of that stuff? Did the army send you on a sexual torture course so you could get information from female spies by driving them crazy? I know I’d tell you anything after that. It was glorious, it really was.”

  “Well I’m glad you liked it ma’am”

  “Liked it, I loved it, I can never get enough of that. Where did you get all that from?”

  “Well to be quite honest I did get it in the army, but unofficially. I got it from some of the female soldiers.”

  “Oh really, they must have been something else then I guess.”

  Paul just laughed.

  “I wouldn’t know unfortunately, I was a regular monk out there in the desert. I did however do a lot of reading and I’d read almost anything that was lying around. Some of the girls would throw their books away and I would salvage them and read them. Some of the things written by those women writers were pretty hot to say the least; they certainly put the guys to shame in terms of their descriptive powers. When they wrote a sex scene, boy did they graphically describe it, by the time I had finished reading these books I felt like I could sit my board exams to be an OB/GYN – and pass them too. I mean let’s face it, the next man to understand women will be the first, Right? Adam couldn’t figure Eve out and it went downhill from there. I figured that only another woman would know what women would like and how they would like to be treated and how their men should behave. So I let them teach me by reading their books.”

  �
�Well darling they did one hell of a job of it based on that performance. It proves you can read too and absorb the lessons being taught. I’ll bear that in mind for the future, Paul. Sweet dreams baby.” With that Maureen went to sleep a very contented woman, and Paul was just as happy also.

  Chapter Nineteen

  ***

  A few weeks later Braxton Industries secured a lease on a building outside of Liverpool in Nova Scotia. The government had taken it over when it had fallen into default and they had now jumped at the chance to let Braxton have it at very favorable rates. It would bolster employment in the area, pay property taxes and generally improve the local economy. In addition, this property also came with an adjacent building that was originally the sales outlet for the plant’s production. Braxton had now secured building permission to turn this into a Women’s Shelter and have it staffed similar to the one in Markton with part-time professionals and a full time director. Charles Graham and the V.P. of development had been up there to see these buildings and to negotiate their lease from the provincial government and get approval for their proposed usage. This was now a done deal and Braxton was now ready for phase two – setting it up, hiring the staff and getting them trained. This would be where Frank, Rachelle and Paul would be needed and Tony now called them to his office to brief them.

  “Good morning, to you all. The reason I called you here today is to inform you that we have now secured a building out East - just outside Liverpool and we are now ready to start recruiting people and getting the union on board. Ads will be place in the local press tomorrow and Frank – you and Rachelle will interview those who you consider to be appropriate for the various positions. Paul - I have something else for you and we can discuss that after this meeting. So at long last we are now ready to forge ahead. The building we have secured is being refitted to accommodate an assembly line and the cubicles necessary similar to our Richvale facility. The plant manager from Richvale will be overseeing that job. He will also be looking for his counterpart to run the facility once it is up and running. He will vet the applicants and then set up an appointment for you to see them Rachelle and make the final decision. Frank you will be looking for a line foreman and floor supervisors as well as the productions workers. They in turn will be looking for the workers themselves and I want you to take a hard look at them, Paul, and ensure they are the right people for the job. I don’t want any nepotism to take place. This is going to be a sensitive enough undertaking and we don’t need any additional headaches.”

  “I don’t imagine we’ll have too many of those, Tony,” said Paul. “These people want to work and regain their self-respect. They will not be in the mood to tolerate anything that could torpedo that opportunity. The union will be very well aware of it too, Tony, and if they aren’t I’ll damn well remind them. There’s a lot riding on this for a lot of people, I don’t see there being a problem here. If there’s any arm twisting to be done, I’ll be the one doing it. You know how badly I want this to happen.”

  “Yes I do Paul and I have every confidence in your persuasive abilities to ensure that this all goes smoothly. Frank and Rachelle will no doubt refer any potential difficulties to you should any appear.”

  “I don’t think the union will have any problem, Sir” said Frank, well none that I can’t handle anyway.”

  “I’m sure that is true Frank, you are an experienced negotiator and you certainly know your stuff. However, Paul here is one of these people, he’s homegrown as far as they are concerned and they will listen to him if it comes down to that. I hope it doesn’t, but we want this deal and no chances are being taken. Paul won’t tread on any toes unless it is necessary, right Paul?”

  “Absolutely, and to be honest I don’t foresee any problems at all. It is nice to be prepared though, but in truth this should be plain sailing.”

  “Right then, we are all on the same page. The ads start tomorrow so I want you guys up there by the end of next week in order to start interviewing. The local community college has set up a special course funded by us to train those selected – any questions?”

  “Good - Paul you and I have a few issues to go through so could you stay behind for a while?”

  ***

  “Okay, the reason I asked you to stay behind Paul relates to the adjacent building that came with the plant. I want to turn that into another facility like the one we have here in Markton. The initial building will be used as a women’s shelter and I would like Maureen to run it as Rachel does this one – but without the nursing side of it obviously. I then want you to run the plant itself. Initially, you will have the plant manager from Richvale to start you off. I’ll clue him in later on that. Then when he comes back here you’ll be up to speed and on your own. Well not quite on your own, I hope to send Dave Bradshaw up there to run the shop floor side of things. He’s doing quite well here now, a little strict on the discipline still, but overall he’s doing just fine. I want you to run the office side of things, payroll etc. Dave can run the lines and he’ll have a foreman and supervisors to help him. You’ll have the title of V.P. and be in overall charge, any questions?”

  “Tony I really appreciate this I really do, but I have never run a plant before, this is huge and a great responsibility.”

  “Yes it is Paul and I am not in the habit of making stupid decisions. I have watched you over the past year. I have seen how you respond to things, how your mind works and above all else how you relate to people. I have seen the way you handle delicate and sensitive situations and been forthright and direct in others. Bookworms and paper pushers are ten a penny – executives who know what’s what are somewhat rarer. You possess that rarest of qualities these days – common sense. To me that is priceless. That and the fact that you are approachable makes you the ideal candidate for the job. The workers will respect you and therefore any decisions that you make. You have that sense of diplomacy that the shop floor staff may lack, that is why I want you.”

  “Well when you put it like that Tony how can I say no, especially if Maureen is going and I’m sure that she will.”

  “Yes so am I Paul. I guess you won’t need that compass that Cathy gave you after all. We all know in which direction you’ll be going now.”

  Paul just looked at Tony and they both burst out laughing.

  “No I guess I won’t at that. I can see my path has been laid out for me already. Still first things first, we have to go up there and set all of this in motion before we can delve into that aspect.”

  Tony was just stood there now with a huge grin on his face as he was listening to Paul.

  “I just wish you could have listened to yourself just then, Paul. You pulled the conversation down to the cold hard facts and what needed to be done. You didn’t even have to think about it – you just came right out with it as a matter of fact – which of course it was. Now do you wonder why I want you up there – you are a natural leader Paul and a man that gets things done? In addition, you will teach Rachelle a few things too, things that will stand her in good stead down the road. She will appreciate your example Paul, I know that I do.”

  “Well Tony I’m deeply touched by your confidence in my abilities. I know I have come a long way since I got here, but I’m not sure I am completely cured yet.”

  “I know that Paul, you may never be totally free from that day. However, you are coping with it and you are a better man for it. Life’s experiences make us who we are and by God you have had your fair share, but it has made you stronger and also more understanding. With a good wife beside you in the future you will not simply have a good future in front of you - it will be a great one.”

  ***

  Over at the Women’s Shelter Rachel was sounding out Maureen on the prospect of setting up a similar shelter out east.

  “Did you know that Braxton Industries are setting up an assembly plant just outside of Liverpool, Maureen?”

  “Yes Paul mentioned it to me; it will help those people out a lot. They have had a rough time
of it out there in this economy.”

  “Yes I can imagine, do they have any Women’s Shelters out there?”

  “They do apparently, but nothing like this one and the ones they do have are few and far between?”

  “I see – how would you feel about setting one up similar to this one out there – do you think it might be used.”

  “Oh I know it would, there’s a huge need. We would be wearing out Welcome Mats at the front door pretty quickly I would imagine.”

  “Well I think you just might get that chance Maureen. It’s early days yet, but Tony had ideas about setting up such a facility out there and I think he wants you to run it.”

  “Are you Serious Rachel?”

  “Yes I am serious. It is some time away yet, but Tony asked me to find out if you would be interested. He has plans for Paul out there too.”

  “Oh I’d just love to have that chance I really would”

  “Well in that case I’ll let him know. They have to get the plant up and running first. Once they do, they’ll look at the Women’s Shelter and getting all the professionals lined up. I’ll be sorry to lose you Maureen, but it is for a worthy cause. I think God guided you to us for a reason.”

  “Maybe so and perhaps he made Cathy give Paul a compass to keep him on track too.”

  Both women just burst out laughing as the meaning of that sank in.

  “Stranger things have happened Maureen – he does move in mysterious ways so I am told.”

  “Well being an ex-Nun you would know that only too well, Right?” and they laughed yet again.

  A few days later, Paul, Frank and Rachelle set off to Liverpool to get the ball rolling. They had received hundreds of applications from a wide variety of applicants and most of them would be given a hearing at least. As expected none of them had factory assembly line experience, but they were all eager to work. It soon became obvious to the two recruiters that these people were really interested in getting a job –any job, and they would be grateful for the opportunity to do it too. Whittling down the applicants was the hard part – some people were going to be refused and not through any faults of theirs. They only need so many and there were way more applicants than positions to be filled. Of course that was good for Braxton’s as they would now be getting the best people – but it was disappointing for the others who would not be hired.