Kate

by Dwight W. Hunter

Chapter23 - Gus and the House

  Leaving the Dutchman, Buck decided to drop by Junction Realty and share the news with Gus. After his self-inspection and confession to Rita with all the honesty and best intentions he could dredge up and try as best he could, he was unable to get over having a woman one-up him in a business deal. His eyes and ears continued to inform him women were competing with men and proving themselves successful across the board in business and other professions and it damn well didn't feel right to him. Women should be at home taking care of house and family instead of butting into business where men had always been. Having just been shown how a woman could have knowledge in so many different areas and then bring diverse information to bear on developing something that hadn't been done before was like opening a deep raw wound in the psychological core fabric making him a man. Acceptance was not only a new word to Buck; it was totally a new concept, somewhat akin to a Southern Baptist converting to Mormonism.

  If he was to practice this new concept of acceptance, he would be required to change his whole belief system. Driving along he harkened back to something Nellie tried to tell him the night she left him in the motel room. Women are supposed to be treated as equals; but what kind of equals? He always knew when one added up a bunch of numbers and they equaled something else. That 'something else' was about the same color as getting ah hold of the idea of there being equality between men and women. It used to be simple; men did certain chores and women did others. Back then roles were well defined. With all this new role swapping going on, Buck was having trouble attempting to grasp the definition of certain words which had changed meaning while he remained rooted in the values learned from his family.

  Arriving at Junction Realty, Buck found Gus alone and pulled up a chair next to Gus' desk before sitting down.

  You're awful quiet and wearing a funereal look on you face," Gus observed. "Did somebody die?"

  "Not somebody. Just some of my old-fashioned ideas are feelin' mighty poorly. New subject, I just finished a very interestin' lunch with Rita Blaine."

  "That does sound interesting, indeed," Gus commented, perking up. "Well, don't keep me in suspense, tell me about it?"

  "It would help if you give me time to do just that. That rock pile we both thought was worthless is bein' turned into a thirty plus million dollar development, as we speak. I just saw pictures of houses she's about to build, as well as an overall picture map showin' where the houses are to be located along with the connectin' roads. The houses are environmentally compatible, which means they'll be partly underground like the old Dakota sod houses.

  They're going to use solar panels and windmills to supply power without havin' to build electric lines. There'll be sixteen houses, each on a five acre lot and will sell for about two million each." Buck sat quietly shaking his head waiting for Gus to speak.

  "I knew she had something up her sleeve besides her arm, but I never tumbled to her having something of this size in mind. The funny thing about it all, I bet she pulls it off. Is she running the show or does she have someone else doing it for her?"

  "Gus, I asked her that very same question and I wish to hell I never asked it. She's runnin' the whole shebang, lock, stock and barrel and she let me know in no uncertain terms she was pulling the strings."

  "Apparently you must have made a degrading remake she took to heart about her female psyche being bruised."

  "I don't know about this 'psyche' stuff. But she flat let me know women have more brains that it takes to run a broom."

  "I'm not surprised to hear she informed you about women's mental capabilities." Gus chuckled. "I tried to warn you she would have your hide on a board should you get mixed up with her. I get the distinct impression you received another feed bucket full of words dumped on you head."

  "You don't need to set there so almighty like; lettin' me take all the shit for being so dumb. You set right there yourself and said that rock pile was worthless. I'd like to see you take a few of her words and see how you like it."

  Sam realized people putting the RockPile Estate project together needed a place to work, in addition to space for temporary job-shop help and Julie, serving as all around secretary, motivated Rita to rent office space with necessary furniture to accommodate everyone. Rita was once again sitting behind a desk; feeling like old times and doing something worthwhile. Launching the project was turning into an enjoyable experience, she was calling the shots without having to get approval on each trifle from a hierarchy of drones.

  Returning from lunch with Buck, Rita entered the office to find Sam on the phone talking about excavation and site preparation with someone who apparently didn't fully understand the concept of 'minimum environmental disturbance'. The architectural illustrators were busy putting finishing touches to Sam's initial sketches.

  "Hi boss," greeted Julie, "enter the fun place. You had a call from the county planning department, the lady wants you to call her back and Ted called to let you know he would be flying from three this afternoon until dark. You may want to call him back. He sounded a little lonesome. That's it for phone calls," handing Rita telephone message slips.

  "Thank you Julie. I was just thinking, it's almost like old times being back in an office filled with activity and interesting things going on, I like it. Do you?"

  "Yes. I do. It's more fun working with people not set on promoting themselves at others expense. Sam is just beside himself. Like us, this is the first time he has been able to be his own person without having to butter up someone before doing something. He is designing new houses and dealing with people who will be putting everything together. I can hardly wait for the day when construction begins."

  Crossing to and sitting down at her desk Rita returned her calls. First to Ted, confirming Julie's surmise he was lonesome. Ted confirmed he would come to the condo later in the evening, plus it was nice to hear her voice. The person in county planning told her the last hurdle had been overcome and Rita needed to sign some papers plus pay for permits.

  Sam was in the process of replacing his phone headset when Rita let go with,

  "Hurrah!!! The county has given us the last permits and we're ready to start moving dirt. I think its time to celebrate. We also need to notify the local news media and arrange for coverage of our official groundbreaking ceremony of RockPile Estates. First I suspect it would be a good idea to set a date and line up a caterer to provide the necessary celebrating ingredients.

  "I'll drink to that, came approval from Sam, Julie and the illustrators."

  "If everyone will get a firm grip on themselves for a few minutes, I'll see about getting something to celebrate with." Rita said on her way to the door.

  Thirty minutes later the good news was duly christened with three bottles of champagne, sliced cheese, crackers and mixed nuts. Amid the festivities a calendar was consulted and a date set for the groundbreaking ceremony. Rita took time out long enough to place telephone calls to the local newspapers, television stations and head of the county planning commission inviting them to be present for the RockPile Estates official groundbreaking ceremony. Press releases would be delivered the following day providing a map to the development and a description of the unusual housing development. A catering service was contracted to provide necessary celebratory materials.

  When the ground breaking ceremony was held, a week later, it was attended by media reporters, contractors, a smattering of politicians and special attention shown to county planning department with the top manager offering a short speech in support of RockPile Estates as the first planned housing development in the Southwest designed to blend into the environment with minimum impact. As a side note, Buck and Gus were invited, only Gus chose to accept.

  As sole keeper of Junction Realty, Gus was becoming comfortable and enjoying a fresh cup of coffee when he telephone rang.

  "Why does the damn phone always have to ring when I'm just getting comfortable," he mumbled. "Good morning
, Junction Realty, Gus here."

  "Good morning, Gus, this is Rita Blaine. I hope I'm interrupting a million dollar land deal."

  "Don't I wish?" Gus moaned

  "Otherwise how are you doing?"

  "As soon as I finish wiping up a hot coffee spill on my hand, I'll be in a better position to comment."

  "Well, damn it Gus! Change hands. If you can see your way clear to pull yourself away, I'd like to offer you a business proposition."

  "You just said the magic words. Who? What? When? And where? Gus asked.

  "The 'when' part amounts to, your availability to spend two or three hours in my company?"

  "You are indeed a lady who doesn't waste time talking about the weather. I can be ready at the drop of a dollar bill."

  "Good. I'll pick you up in twenty minutes, that is, unless you're afraid of a woman driver."

  "I'll take the risk. Having lived in North Dakota among cowboys, I have nerves of steel when it comes to riding with other drivers."

  Arriving on time, Rita parked in front of Junction Realty and tapped her car horn twice. In a few moments, Gus came out, locked the door and walked to her car.

  Opening the car door he greeted Rita and asked, "Would it be safe to assume we're headed to RockPile Estates.

  "You got it," she replied, moving the car into the street traffic.

  Nearing the project Rita slowed the car to allow Gus more time to look around. Following a bend in the road and cresting a small rise of ground, a large tasteful sign came into view announcing RockPile Estates to the left.

  "Here we are," announced Rita, turning onto a graded sand-topped side road named Rattlesnake Blvd. The road topping blended into the natural sand and rock colors of the desert as it gently threaded its way around and past huge boulders to arrive at a fork in the road, where Rita turned right onto Horny Toad Ln.

  Gus remarked, "You have chosen rather unusual road names."

  "Road names were chosen to be in keeping with the overall concept of blending in with the natural environment by being named after creatures whose homes were here first. Each house will have its own road name, allowing it to have an address number of 'one'. Owners will have the option to choose their road names from a pre-approved list. It's another little perk adding up to snob appeal and a ridiculously high package price. Privacy from the main road is achieved by two sharp view blocking turns between boulders."

  After negotiating the turns they arrived at a nearly completed house. Stopping on a wide entry apron, they left the car and stood looking at a house partially hidden by large unmoved boulders and indigenous shrubbery. The only major indicators of it being a house were large tinted windows, a painted entry door and a faux cave with stalls for two cars to park.

  Gus was the first to speak. "Your architect has done a masterful job of blending the house facade into the natural ground creating a stunning harmonious package."

  "Thank you," Rita smiled. "Shall we take a stroll through the inside?"

  Inside spacious rooms curved around large natural stones, augmented by tinted sculptured concrete offered the impression each room was chiseled from inside the earth. Outside heat quickly gave away to cool indoor comfort without benefit of air conditioning. As they explored the interconnecting rooms illuminated by natural light streaming down from above ground through recently developed large diameter light pipes and diffused through plastic lens panels set into the ceilings.

  Following their inspection of the interior, Rita led the way to a covered patio and complementing swimming pool. The patio was arranged to deflect the heat, making it only a few degrees warmer than inside the house.

  "I'd like to hear you reaction to our creation?" Rita asked, motioning Gus to a nearby table and four chairs. After being seated in comfortable designer chairs, Gus replied.

  "To tell you the truth, I could never have imagined a house such as this ever being built. Its overall ambiance is such a dramatic departure from houses I'm accustomed too. It takes time and thought to appreciate the total magnitude of everything you have created. I have a soothing feeling of an unusual presence enveloping me with an almost magical quality; it leaves me without words for adequately describing all I see and feel. I have never experienced the presence of a house like this before. Perhaps it's due to such a close connection between house and earth feeding this illusion of peace."

  "Gus, you completely overwhelm me with your near poetic description of the house and its connection to the earth. I, too, notice and experience such feelings when I come here, especially when it's quiet without the workmen around. I appreciate you making your time available to look over the first of my children, as I'm coming to call these houses.

  Since I have apparently succeeded in getting you in a seductive mood, I'll come to the point for having brought you here, to ask you one quick simple question. Would you consider accepting the position of marketing executive for RockPile Estates? You will receive administrative support from RPE Development and support from an extensive advertising campaign. Your primary job will be to qualify prospects you feel worthy of living here."

  "Ever since meeting you, I have said many times you are a woman who doesn't waste time and knows how to render a man speechless. During my lifetime I have run the gamut of shocks, surprises and other sudden changes in directions, but never have I experience such a shock as you just laid on me.

  Here I am a small potatoes land peddler making enough to keep wolves from my door and suddenly without a hint I find myself offered a prestigious sales job every male realtor in the valley would surrender up his left nut to get and you just dropped it in my lap." Gus paused before giving his answer.

  "Excuse me for fading out for a bit. Please realize you dealt me a complete unexpected surprise. As I mumbled before, the last thing in the world I could have imagined amounts to you bringing me out here to make such an offer. Yes, it would give me great pleasure to be your broker on this development; but in all fairness, I have never handled anything of this magnitude and with such prestige as this project represents. Rita, I don't doubt your business abilities for a minute, but why did you select me?"

  "I have my reasons. Some are logical and other reasons spring from my female intuition. In actuality my initial reason for selecting you has merged into the background. I now realize you have a unique quality about you. Perhaps this quality stems from your small community up-bringing mixing with a non-threatening talent for allowing people in your presence to be at ease.

  And then there is the unexpected surprise, a few minutes ago, when you described this house in words so ethereal they touched notes in my emotions, I never considered before you give them expression

  You have an uncanny appreciation for my basic intention of maintaining integrity with the earth. Only you and Sam, the architect responsible for taking my crude idea and giving it life in this house, have been able to articulate the indefinable essence connecting body and house. I have also heard the old clich? which I believe aptly defines you. 'You can take a man from the soil, but you can't take the soil out of the man.'

  I see the basic honesty in you that is common to men whose souls is linked to the soil. You have the qualities and sensitivity to select people I want to live in my very special houses. There is one overriding quality I hope you will continue to maintain, the simple fragile honesty you expressed a few minutes ago.

  Don't let people, having buckets full of money, fool you into believing they innately have the intangible qualities you so eloquently expressed, are acceptable for owning one of my houses. During the course of this job, you will encounter every stripe of people under the sun. There will be those as phony as three-dollar bills, wannabes of every description and a few nice people. I feel you have the sensitivity and perception to sift through the crowd and winnow out the best fits for these houses.

  If a prospect doesn't connect with your gut feelings as being compatible with the ideals of this community, dump him
. If your basic veracity remains unchanged, you will select the best buyers.

  Your decisions will not be questioned. I would rather you turn away a half-dozen suitable prospects than to allow one clinker to get in. There will be fourteen houses to sell. My old friend, Julie, and I will each have a house accounting for the full sixteen lots in the development.

  This will be the model house and the last one sold, unless of course someone is willing to pay enough to wrench it out of my hands. The price of a basic house is $1.75- million. Naturally any changes will be added scope that comes at a price. My architect will either perform the design work or approve a prospects design, so you will be responsible for coordinating changes between prospects and my architect. Anytime you need help I will be available. When in doubt ask, I'll not fault you for asking, but I'll have a piece of your ass if you go off on your own and make a wrong assumption.

  Your commission will be two and a half percent of the selling price. I suggest you not get greedy and try to push the prospect into buying some do-dad they don't need while at the same time remembering, money makes all things possible, within reason of course. I believe everything required at this moment has been covered, unless you have any questions."

  "Repeating myself, I'm still in the process of catching my breath at the suddenness of this offer. I value your judgment much more than you know. I accept your offer and I will do my best to maintain the trust you are placing in me."

  "Oh I forgot a couple of important items," Rita said. "I failed to mention your starting date. I have yet to bring a promotion or publicity expert on board to launch an effective advertising program. When such a person is hired, hopefully within a month or less, your job will begin and you will have the option to draw against anticipated commissions. The second item is your contract. Normally I'm a stickler for contracts, but in this case I believe all we need is a handshake."

  "Rita, again you surprise me. I can go with a handshake without a problem."

  Gus and Rita shook hands, sealing their employer/employee contract.

  Returning to his office, Gus sat absently staring out the window looking into a mind-blotted fog for an unmeasured amount of time. All the while his mind was whirling from the suddenness of Rita's offer and the unbelievable houses he was being called up to sell. Amid the confusion, Rita's voice brought a sense of calmness.

  'Gus, if your basic veracity remains unchanged, you will select the best buyers. Your decisions will not be questioned.'

  At last Gus said aloud, "God that woman can come up with some awful simple ideas which can be a real three-legged bitch to carry out. All I've got to do is to stay honest without succumbing to temptation and all will be well. I see no problem in resisting temptation when I can make more money being honest than I'll be able to spend before the undertaker grabs me, so there isn't any need to sell my soul for money, I wouldn't have time to spend it anyway."

  After getting his mind cleared, he picked up the phone and gave Buck a call asking him to drop by when he didn't have anything better to do. Buck showed up an hour later and Gus reported on his afternoon's activities.

  Buck could only shake his head and say,

  Gus, Ol' Buddy, the world has done been turned upside down by these smart uppity women; here you are standin' in the doorway of riches workin' for a woman younger and smarter than you. We have both had our balls cracked by this woman who out thinks and out does us at every turn and I keep getting' this funny feelin' I'm not done with her. I still have twenty-five thousand hangin' out there in the wind and it wouldn't surprise me one damn bit if there isn't a woman or two messin' with me on this deal. Just thinkin' about women being behind all the deals we've been in and are now in, and them showin' us how dumb we are is damn near enough to make me stop havin' hard-ons.

  "