by George Nagle
James caught on immediately. The time of day and the phrase meant the right person had gotten the call, and if by chance someone else did, it would look like he was calling about a Spirit brand car.
“What is the earliest I could come with my partner to collect it?” James asked.
“When do you wish, sir? We will need to make sure we have all documents and things for you to collect ahead of time. You will of course have the $300,000 U.S. dollars for the vehicle. It is a rare one and hard to get, yes?” The accent seemed to be changing, or perhaps it was the connection.
“Yes, and as soon as possible. Is two weeks from tomorrow too soon?” James asked.
“If you get us documents tomorrow, sir, we can do two weeks. Payment needs to be in appropriate bonds, yes?”
“Yes, that sounds great. What documents will you need? How can I send them best and to whom?” James asked.
“We will need evidence of the bond as well as a clear fax of passport and travel itinerary, sir. I will get them, but you may call me Noi. I suggest a planned visit of two full days at least, as I am sure you want to leave some free time. Do you need a recommendation for lodging, or perhaps I arrange for you?”
“I appreciate you offering to make the arrangements. My friend who recommended your services to get this vehicle clearly knew what he was talking about. Thank you for all the help.”
“You are most welcome, sir. Are you ready for faxing numbers?” said Noi.
When they ended the call, James went back to bed, but had a hard time going to sleep. He was worried about Tim. He would have to think of rules for him and remember that he’d take them extremely literally.
The next day, after getting the documents from Melissa and the secured bond, which Tom grumbled about, but Andy didn’t bat an eye at remarkably, James visited Tim.
Tim lived in an assisted living facility with other functional individuals who needed a bit of looking after. It was not an institution by any means. In fact, it was a really nice little community. It had originally been built for the elderly, but had lost funding about halfway through development. The state had picked it up, finished the units, and was using it to better the lives of people who saw the world differently than most.
James went to the front gate and asked for Scott, the coordinator for the house Tim lived in with two other roommates. Scott was, in a manner of speaking, Tim’s caretaker.
Scott was in his late thirties and easygoing, with a love for art and music. James felt this was why he was able to relate to the individuals in the facility so well; he looked at the world differently, too. James suspected Scott used pot on occasion, though not when on duty.
Scott waved as James approached, causing Tim and his housemates, Dan and Byron, to look up and wave, too. Their home, yellow with red shutters, sat on a corner lot, and you could see the street from the back area.
They were working in the garden with a rototiller. Scott was supervising, and the guys were enjoying expanding the garden they had started.
“Hey, dude, how you doing?” Scott said in his slightly slow, mellow voice, much like a surfer’s. “Long time no see.”
“Doing really good, man. You guys got quite a project going here.” James shook hands with Scott, Dan, Byron, and then Tim, who had been taking his turn with the tiller.
“Yeah, good stuff. Trying to get that green healthy vibe going with my main dudes here. They have a real gift for it,” Scott said.
Byron nodded vigorously. He tended to carry things to the utmost, regardless of what he was doing. James always feared Byron would give himself whiplash if he kept the nodding up and down like that for too long.
Dan, who was musically gifted, had obsessive compulsive disorder and occasionally did things in increments of seven. James suspected the disorder was linked to music because when he did act upon it, he had a rhythm to it. Dan answered, almost singing, “It’s true, yes, we have grown all our peas for a year successfully, yes. We are very good at this, yes. We will do the others well, too.”
Tim chirped in. “It comes down to understanding the correct growing conditions, obviously, for the plant. We give each the right amount of water and monitor the pH each day per plant section. Also the rows and angles are set for the right sunlight, so obviously we are good at this.”
James smiled. “Maybe on my next visit I can have a fresh salad from your garden.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,” answered Dan, and Byron started nodding.
“I would like that,” James assured them. “Please, don’t let me interrupt what you’re doing. Scott, while they work, can we talk a moment?”
James gestured to the white plastic chairs around a small table in the corner of the yard next to the house, and the two men sat down.
“How are things going here?” James began. “Everyone doing well?’
“Yeah, dude, everyone’s good. Haven’t really had any issues. You know, just keep them on a schedule and plan things out works for most. Especially these guys.”
Scott pointed at the three guys. Tim was still doing his section, and Byron and Dan walked on either side of the freshly tilled earth with aerator shoes on.
“I spoke with Tim a few days ago about going on a trip for a few days,” James said. “He seems really excited, but I could use all the help I can get to get him ready. We leave in two weeks. Do you think that’s enough time?”
Though Scott didn’t know everything about the group, he knew Tim did some undercover stuff. In fact, Tim had gotten Scott off a murder charge a few years before because of his ability to recognize patterns. Tim had successfully proven the blood splatter pattern at the crime scene meant the killer had been at least six inches taller than Scott, despite all the evidence indicating he had killed his ex-girlfriend. Tim was also the reason Scott had the job at the assisted living community, so Scott tended to be rather flexible with Tim’s work with the group.
“Oh, is that what he’s been so anxious about? He wouldn’t say. Yeah, dude, that’s cool. We can set up daily schedules and review it with him each day until you leave. He should be okay as long as we give him lots of detail on stuff. Where you going?”
It was a natural question to ask. After all, Scott did look after Tim, but Scott also knew he didn’t have the authority to stop Tim from going if Tim wanted to go.
“We’re taking a road trip. I thought he would enjoy seeing how real farmers work in cornfields, and I have a business meeting in Indiana, near Evansville.”
“What are you going to do with Tim during the business meeting? You know how he likes to voice his thoughts,” Scott said.
“I could use your help on that,” James answered. “I need to make sure he doesn’t do that, if you know what I mean. He’s super excited to go on the trip, and I know you’re always encouraging them to try things. I think he can do it, but he’ll need some rules to help drive his behavior.”
The guys shut the tiller off, but Dan wanted to take a turn and finish the last part.
“Dan, keep it upright when you start it, dude. That’s it,” Scott called. “Yeah, we can work that out,” he continued. “It’s only like an hour, right? All we should say is during that visit he shouldn’t talk, needs to sit still, and pretend he’s asleep while keeping his eyes open and being awake.”
“That’s just it. I don’t mind if he speaks if someone asks him something. You know, I want this to be a trip where he feels like ‘normal’ people, as he puts it. If someone introduces themselves or whatever, I don’t want him to just zombie out.”
“Oh yeah, good point. This will take some work. Let’s get a small list of do’s and don’ts. Then we can work to add specifics. Dan and Byron will help as actors. They did really well in Hamlet last year,” Scott said.
“Okay, and I have a few things written down already.” James pulled a small list from his pocket and handed it to Scott.
“Nice, dude. Good start. I like the phrasing. ‘If an adult asks you a specific question, smile
and try to answer yes or no.’ Then, ‘If you can’t answer yes or no, just give a simple answer like you would try to give someone who is seven years old.’ He does really well with kids. That should be easy for him to relate to.”
Twenty minutes later, when the guys were finishing up in the garden, James and Scott walked toward them.
“Hey dudes, what do you think if we do a play-acting exercise?” Scott asked just as James’s phone rang.
It was Carissa.
“Can you explain the idea while I take this call?” James asked.
“No problem, dude.”
James walked away as he answered the phone. “Hi! How are you, Risa?” His slight Scottish accent was in full swing.
“I am doing just fine, thanks. How’s you, John?”
James imagined her smile as she spoke. “A lot better, now that I am talking to you again,” he said, and immediately thought, Lame!
“Oh, well, that is sweet, Love. That makes me smile, then. I was calling tae just see what was happening and how you are with your day.”
“Well, today has been good. I’m visiting with some friends at the moment and one is a co-worker who will be going on a trip with me whilst I’m traveling, you know. Just going over some details in the back garden here. The rest of the day has just been getting some reports and stuff on the market together,” James said. “What did you do today?”
“Oh, I won’t keep you from your visit, you know. I just fancied a small chat to hear you,” Carissa said quickly.
“No, honest, it’s okay. Please tell me about your day. I would really love to hear you talk, too,” James said with such sincerity it all but gushed from him.
“Right, then. Well, I actually got a small bit of good news today. Remember that promotion we discussed? Well, I was told that I am up for it in the bank now that I finished at university. So will be moving to Aberdeen,” she said proudly.
“Risa, that is brilliant. Well done! I’m sure they’ve finally started to see what I saw from the first moments,” James said.
“Oh? What is that now? A greeting lassie having a bad hair day that has a nice decent chest?” she started laughing. So did James, though he made a mental note to look up what she meant by ‘greeting’ as it sounded like she used it to mean crying. Turned out, she did.
“Those are some fair attributes, you have to admit, yeah?” James asked playfully.
Still chuckling, she said, “Too cute, Love, but thanks, that was very nice. Studies went well today, too, not bad at all. Got tae run a bit with Judy, a friend of mine that I may have not mentioned before. She is a good girl and does a lot of sport. She should have been a boy and kicked everyone’s behind. Anyhow, we had a run and then just finished supper. Just made a pizza is all, but now she has dish duty, since I prepared everything whilst she showered, you know.”
“Sounds like a fair day, then,” James said. “So what kind of pizza did you make?”
“Just a ham, onion, and cheese pizza. Nothing special. Why, you hungry?”
“No, just trying to judge your culinary skills and if it’s worth having dish duty for your level,” James replied.
Laughing, Carissa said, “Cheeky, but well played, sir. So, listen, I am going tae let you go because you are visiting and I have no idea how expensive this call is going to be, but it was worth it tae hear you.”
“Definitely. And it will be my turn to call you next,” James said.
“That it is, and you best, you know,” Carissa said.
“Talk soon. Bye, Risa,” James said.
“Yeah, bye bye now, Love,” said Risa.
Before she could hang up, James heard a distant female voice say, “Who you calling ‘Love’?”
James was pretty sure she hadn’t told her friends about him yet, but it seemed like the cat was out of the bag now. He stood there a moment, enjoying the thought, before going back to the guys.
As he reached them, he found them all eagerly awaiting his return.
“Scott has told us the plan. This is going to be great. Dan is already thinking of music we could write for the play,” Byron said.
Dan nodded.
James looked quickly at Scott, who said, “Hold on. Remember, it’s just an acting thing, not a full play.”
“Yeah, but plays that don’t have music as part of the play can still have music, can’t they?” Dan said, slightly crestfallen.
“Obviously, yes, of course,” Tim said.
“Dan, how about you come up with some music, and after the last rehearsal we can add it and see how it goes. I think your music is always so good, it might make the play look bad in comparison,” James said quickly.
Byron started nodding again. “Yes, that is true. I have written good pieces. They have been played at the best places in the world. The best players in the world. They only play the best. It is very good. Yeah, I see what you mean,” Dan said almost singing again.
Scott whispered, “Nicely done, dude.”
James nodded. Everyone falls for flattery.
“So when do we get the script?” Byron asked.
“Script? Uh, tomorrow,” James said.
“But today, you visited unplanned, you know. Tomorrow is not in the plan, either. That is very unusual …. Ver ...” Dan began.
“Dan, it is okay for the plan to change sometimes,” Tim was shaking slightly as he said this. “We can put it on the schedule now for the next two weeks. What time will we start and what time will we end each day? Of course, we will need to cancel other things. Margaret will …”
Byron started to shake his head, and James spoke up. “Byron and Dan, what if we start rehearsal in a week? Get it on the schedule like we should. But still get you a script tomorrow to learn?” James said this to help calm Tim.
“This is okay,” Byron nodded, and this time so did Dan and Tim.
“I will get the scripts ready as soon as we set the schedule,” James said.
Scott and James worked out a schedule that didn’t interfere with daily things, such as meals, before James set off. He was encouraged by Tim’s efforts to support the idea.
James then called a friend in the group on his way back home. Shannon was a good writer and worked for a major network for late night shows. She was used to creating scripts based on boundaries with short notice, so James filled her in on what he needed.
The next weeks passed with ease. The guys learned their parts, and Tim learned to stick to his rules in a variety of situations. Now the test would come—the real life adventure that wasn’t predictable, not surrounded by friends. The test would be hard, as it would involve people who were unlike Tim. But in his heart, those were the people he most wanted to be like.
Chapter Ten
James and Tim were sitting in the airport, waiting for their flight to be called, and Tim was clearly nervous.
“I researched this and looked at it from each airline. I do not see what this extra trip accomplishes. Why do we need an extra day? When are we getting there? What if the tomatoes need watering and Byron or Dan forget?”
James wondered if the whole trip was going to be this way, despite all the preparation that had gone into getting Tim ready.
“Tim, we are following the plan. We are on schedule. The extra trip to New York City is to verify the itinerary we provided to our contact and to make our backgrounds more valid. Remember, to make it believable, we need to make it real.” This was the fifth time in the last two hours James had explained this.
“If that is true, why do you keep breaking the rules? You set the rules. The rules need to be followed, right?” Tim started to shake a bit. “We have to make the whole thing real. The whole thing, but you aren’t following the rules, so how do I know what rules should be followed?”
“Tim,” James was a bit more forceful in tone but not in volume. “What rules am I breaking?”
Tim’s shaking intensified. “You said that once we start, we follow the rules. You keep calling me Tim. Isn’t my name Jim now for the
trip? What about that? I … I … I …”
“You are right. Very right, sorry. We will follow the rules, Jim,” James said, catching Tim’s eye.
Tim stopped shaking. He sat up and was quiet.
Really? James thought, That’s what’s been wrong this whole time?
James chastised himself for the slip up. Tim was right; he’d made an error. This was going to be harder than he’d thought. He wanted to focus on thinking and keeping Tim safe, not on the minor issues and tasks of playing nanny. But for this operation to go properly, he would have to do what was necessary and more or less babysit Tim.
“U.S. Airways flight 3957 is now boarding,” came a voice over the speakers in the airport.
“Okay, Jim, that’s our flight. Ready to go?” James asked.
“Why, yes, of course!” Tim answered in a voice that sounded like he was an actor out of a Monty Python movie trying to sound pompous. He had assumed this voice consistently over the last few days. Scott had thought it was out of nerves, but apparently that was what Tim thought Jim would sound like.
They found their seats and buckled in. As the other passengers settled themselves, Tim pulled a coloring book and crayons out of his backpack.
“Jim, where did you get those?” James asked in a low voice.
“They are allowed. I like them,” Tim whispered rather loudly with some attitude in his voice. “In the van we have Stow-n-go tables and can use them. This is just like the van, and it’s not against the rules, Grant.”
James paused a moment, his brain racing. “You’re right,” he said. He sat back. It wouldn’t be worth the fight or potential scene to argue. Then he remembered the takeoff and landing and carefully chose his words. “Jim, you’ll have to put them away for a short time during takeoff and then again when we land. You’ll be able to use …”
“Obviously, that is the rule,” Tim said, handing James the safety card in the seat pocket and pointing to a picture.
