Laura's Big Win

by Michelle Tschantre'

Chapter Five - Channel 15

  The eight day business trip had gone well for Ryan. He had signed supervisory management contracts with several new clients, and a couple more intended to present his proposals to their board of directors. His reputation preceded him, or at least that of Windmere. Success begat success, and his plan to grow Windmere into a national firm, maybe even an international firm, was coming along nicely. Still, living out of a suitcase, however experienced he was at the task, could not take the place of being home. At that thought, the sadness returned as his memory recalled happier days with his beloved Mary at his side; she had been gone nearly two years now, and while the grief had subsided, he believed it would never go away entirely, nor did he want it to. Without the memory, however painful, he would have no memory of Mary; that was unacceptable. 'Better to have loved and lost?..' he thought to himself, but that hardly filled the hole in his spirit. He worked nearly non-stop now, had ordered closed up the "White House" he and Mary had lived in, and moved back into the rooms they had occupied before building the house, conveniently adjacent to his office.

  Windmere had maintained time rights on a private jet, but Ryan, ever the good businessman, seldom used it for his own travel, preferring to use the local airport services. It was more cost effective, but took its toll on his 6'3" frame. He unwound his legs from the puddle jumper and went in to retrieve his luggage and laptop from the baggage claim area, then strolled to the parking lot to locate his tired Taurus. It was the car he and Mary had purchased right after they were married, with the intent to add at least a couple of kids along the way. But, it was never to be; the children didn't arrive, and Mary was gone now. He kept the sedan anyway because of the familiarity, and because he considered it unfair to his staff to make them wait on him at airports, especially when it would be their normal time off. It was a somewhat strange turn of events, but Ryan simply did not know how much his staff appreciated him and would do anything for him, especially now that they sensed his continuing sadness. Retrieving the mile weary car, he headed for Windmere, food, and a night's rest before tackling the paperwork that always went with business deals.

  Leaving the car in the drive, Ryan dropped the luggage in his sleeping room, the laptop in the office, and headed for the kitchen to see what Mrs. Cook had left him. That was one of the job perks he did enjoy, having something ready for him when he returned. Mrs. Cook pretty well knew his food preferences, although now and then she would leave something new for him to give a try; she had not disappointed him yet, and tonight would be no exception. He retrieved the plate from the refrigerator, added a cold Mexican beer he had come to enjoy, and headed for the Great Room to catch up on the local scene. Normally he would have retired to his own quarters, but there were no guests just now, and the Great Room flat screen was one piece of technology he did appreciate. With no remote in sight, he hit the "On" button on the front of the unit, decided to watch whatever was on, enjoy his meal, and find the remote later. The set lit up with Channel 15, the local station, something he didn't watch much since his interests were more on the national level. But, it was on, and he still didn't see the remote; it wouldn't hurt him to keep track of the local scene, especially since most of his staff lived in Conyerville.

  The commentator was talking to the administrator about the loss of the cooling system in a local homeless shelter, and the effect it was having on those the shelter protected. It was a former hotel, somewhat rundown from its glory years, but unquestionably better than living under a bridge or in a cardboard box. As the camera panned around, the effect of the heat and humidity and the distress it was imposing on the residents was obvious. Most of them were now in the rec room area trying to get some breeze from the floor fans, their rooms being far too hot to be habitable. The panning hesitated for a moment or two on a young woman holding an exhausted looking little girl with very sad eyes, and an equally exhausted appearing little boy who looked like he was standing guard to protect them and their remnants of some former life. In that brief moment, Ryan saw in Laura's face a look of quiet desperation intermingled with a look that said "I don't belong here, but I'll do whatever it takes to care for my children." It was a look that burned into his mind, and re-ignited an interest he had long kept sequestered in his emotional being.

  As quickly as the panning resumed, Ryan hit the house intercom button before even thinking about the time. It was well past 7 PM and the staff had retired for the night. Slightly embarrassed with himself for this unexplained lapse of judgment, Ryan was somewhat startled when Mrs. Hamilton answered the page and without knowing Ryan had initiated the call, asked if there was a problem. Memory now serving a little better, Ryan remembered that all calls went to Mrs. Hamilton, when she so elected. When the system was first installed, she had insisted in having a monitor placed in her cottage, not to monitor staff as she quickly assured them, but to make sure every guest call was quickly answered. She had on this night elected to answer calls herself, even though there were no guests in residence at the moment..

  A woman of her own means, Mrs. Hamilton had elected to move into a guest cottage on a permanent basis shortly after Windmere was remodeled and open for business. She had done a little work there some years before for the owners when it was still a private residence, and truth be told, her children felt better about her living at Windmere than in the large home where she and her late husband had raised their family. A tall, graying woman of slightly more than 60 years, Mrs. Alice Hamilton was respected more than feared by the staff, but no one wanted to test her will. Although she was actually a paying resident at the time, Ryan had asked her to help out with the planning logistics of a large meeting since his hands were already full with other matters. From that beginning, her position had grown from guest to essentially Major Domo of the facility over the last couple of years, a position she enjoyed but did not flex with unreasoning power. She expected the best for the guests, and staff delivered. And, she still had plenty of free time to seriously spoil grandchildren when they visited. That was one of the reasons Ryan had added the wading pool adjacent to the larger pool. He truly appreciated her abilities, frequently wondering where she got her strength. And then there was the present call to be explained.

  Ryan quickly responded that he had acted without thinking about the time and apologized for disturbing her at the late hour.

  "Never mind all that stuff. What's going on?" Alice had a way of cutting to the chase before it even began.

  "I've been watching Channel 15 about the problem at the homeless shelter. Have you seen that, all those people trying to get a little comfort in an untenable condition? And that woman with the two little kids?" The image of Laura was as real in his mind as if he were watching it again. Ryan had the uneasy feeling he needed to do something about what he had seen, but he was unsure of himself, a condition unfamiliar to him.

  "Wait. I'm on my way." was Alice's reply. Even had he protested, Ryan knew it would be of no use. Alice was into this now, and he found himself unable to come up with a reasonable excuse for why Laura's image stayed in his mind so clearly.

  As she entered the Great Room, the video feed was replaying the lingering shot of the shelter. Alice caught the image of Laura and her two children, saw the look on his face, and just as quickly understood what was going on inside Ryan's being.

  "You know, Suite A isn't in use just now, and we don't have anything booked for the next few days. We would certainly have room for those three. Besides, you're right; those people just do not look like they should be there. Not that anyone should be left homeless, but they look completely out of place and desperate. I think maybe someone needs to go after them. Any objection?"

  Ryan had no objection; he didn't even have any reason for what was going on, but he also knew Alice was going to do what he wanted to do, yet was personally unable to carry out just now. "I can't ask you to do this, you know, and even if you do go, you can't go alone. You'd need a driver at least." he added, certainly not to dissuade her, but in t
he hope it would clarify his own thoughts at the moment.

  "Not a problem. Dennis owes me from last weekend's game. I'll give him a page."

  "And Alice, I think we need to see if we can somehow help out with their air conditioning problem, whether those people come here or not; it only seems fair, and I think Windmere can afford to be a good neighbor. Okay?"

  "Sure thing; I'll ask Dennis what he knows."

  The staff poker game was a frequent weekend occurrence, but usually only for in-house staff. The betting was minimal as was the ante. Mrs. Hamilton had learned the game late in life, but enjoyed it thoroughly as much for the companionship as for the sheer fun of playing. She ran "The House", and any profits went to charity. On the bottom line, "The House" also stood the cost of snacks and beverages for the session, so for Windmere it was anything but a net gain proposition. Still, it was harmless enough, and Dennis did owe her a favor, having lost a bet to "do a good deed" on a simple card turn; Alice didn't cheat at cards, but neither did she forget a debt.

  Alice Hamilton poked the number for Dennis's pager and hit "send". Ryan could see from the look on her face she was now on a mission, not to be diverted, or interfered with. He was still unsure what he had initiated, but somehow, he knew it was the right thing in spite of his unclear feelings.

  Dennis Anderson was a man of somewhat frightening proportions. As a semi-pro football lineman topping 340 pounds on a 6' 6" frame, he was feared as a competitor. But the years in the pits had not been kind to him, or to any parts of his body, from his arthritic knees to his gnarled fingers, each of which had been dislocated at least once. Cut from the team, he was driving a cab in Conyerville to earn a living and picked up Ryan at the airport one evening several years ago. Ryan saw in Dennis the answer to a problem he was wrestling with: the facilities at the Windmere home property were starting to get prime bookings, and he needed to have available some basic security. He also needed to develop a secondary driver who was reliable, personable, and who could also handle the significant baggage some clients liked to travel with. After a brief conversation, Ryan made Dennis an offer to work part time for Windmere, sort of a trial basis.

  Although a part timer, Dennis frequently stayed at Windmere in carriage house quarters when an event required drivers to be available on a moment's notice; as often as not, he was the driver who made the late night, very secretive airport runs to deliver clients. He remembered well the aging rock star who was having a very public fight in the press with his own family, but who had his family flown into Windmere so he could secretly visit with them away from the media. The only real issue he had with the job was the down time between runs or other activities, so he found something to keep busy and pass the time when needed. As it happened, Mrs. Hamilton found Dennis one day idly weeding a flower bed in need of attention, something he enjoyed doing. Commenting on his interest, she was politely informed the beds needed much more than weeding, and was treated to a recitation on soil conditioners and what could be done with a little proper care. On her recommendation, Dennis Anderson suddenly found himself chief groundskeeper, a full time position that included caring for the nine hole private golf course on the grounds; that sent him back to the books, but it was truly a labor of love. He retained his position as a driver and security icon, and for the first time in a long time, Dennis Anderson was secure and content. On the other hand, while he was grateful to Mrs. Hamilton for her recommendation, he was not so grateful as to willingly lose to her during staff poker games. And so it was, when she called, he hauled.

  Once Dennis was in the Great Room, she held what could be considered as a mission briefing, explaining their directive, and telling him what she had seen going on at the shelter: that they were to pick up three people and bring them to Windmere, with little fanfare, or lost time. The other thing was that they were to find someone who could repair the air conditioning at the shelter, regardless of the time of night; Dennis assured them he would tell his roomie Franz the problem as soon as they were rolling. Franz would know what to do about the A/C and would communicate with Ryan on that issue.

  "Two of them are small children. Do we have any car seats Dennis?" She was not about transport young children without the proper equipment, no matter how badly they might need transported. Alice Hamilton might be on a mission, but that would not keep her from doing things right.

  "Yes, ma'am; we have the ones we used last year when the rocker flew his family in. Should work for these kids; actually, I have two sizes, so I'll load up one of each." And off went Dennis to load in the seats and bring their mission vehicle around to the front door. Although he knew little about what was going on, somehow he got the impression this was a good thing they were about to do, even if no one, including Alice Hamilton, seemed to know exactly why they were doing it. That, of course, was not his problem.

  Within minutes, Dennis and Alice were rolling along in the huge SUV. Designed to transport persons who cherished their privacy, and to provide security during the ride, Dennis truly loved the vehicle that was much like him in many ways. It had a quiet strength powered by the huge block engine that loafed at interstate speeds. And, while it was a luxury ride, it could also go cross country with ease and out sprint anything in its weight class. The basic unit had been fitted by a security design firm with full electronics, DVD player with drop down screens, complete sound system, GPS, cell relay, even a fax machine, not to mention back-up equipment. Gloss black, the machine had very little chrome detail, with the exception of the two large, chromed exhaust extensions jutting out from under the bumper. If nothing else, it's very appearance was intimidating, a fact not lost on the designers. In the near dark it was virtually invisible save for the Xenon headlamps that pierced the night air.

  They arrived at the shelter quickly and Dennis maneuvered the heavy iron into an unoccupied loading zone. Together they entered the facility through the throng of people trying to cool off in the evening breeze and located the night supervisor. Alice explained their two fold mission to the supervisor, indicating that the super could call anyone she liked to check on their authenticity. First, Alice explained, her employer would pay to have the A/C unit repaired, and was at this moment looking for a repairman to make the service call (at a nighttime rate of double time no less). Secondly, they wanted to meet the tall woman with two small children, someone they believed to be in her early thirties.

  "They're in the rec room. The bunk rooms aren't habitable with all this heat. I'll take you to them." And while she communicated with Alice Hamilton, Angie Costello's eyes were on Dennis Anderson, with as much interest as fascination at being near someone that large who appeared to be every bit the boy scout at the moment.

  Laura looked up as the night super approached with Alice and Dennis, an unlikely duo, in tow. Apprehensive at this turn of events, she rose to meet them, shushing Jack and Amanda. Jack scrambled to his feet and got in front of his mother, prepared to defend his family, even against this man who cast such a large shadow if need be. Alice introduced herself and Dennis, assuring Laura there was no problem, just an opportunity. Without directly mentioning Ryan, she outlined their offer: shelter for a couple of nights for Laura and her children. In the morning they would discuss the future since, as Alice noted, "You're in a homeless shelter and appear to be in some need of assistance. We are promising a safe comfortable place to stay, a respite if you will, for the next few days. What may develop we will discuss tomorrow when you are rested. Besides, this is a little outside my normal office hours. I would like to point out, in case you were wondering, that this is not a charitable act in particular. I was given specific instructions to contact you, but not the reason why. I am just as unclear as to the reason we were sent as you are at this point, but I can assure you this is a valid offer. I can give you a few moments to consider our offer if you wish, but either way, I would like a decision in the next few moments."

  How could Laura refuse? Her children were in need. Still, how could this be happening after a
ll that had gone wrong in the past couple of days? Excusing herself, she took aside the night supervisor, who was totally bemused by these people and what they were offering. "I don't know these people, and we're already pretty bad off in many ways; I don't want to make things worse. What do you think about all this? What should I do?"

  "I can't tell you what to do and take that sort of responsibility, but I will tell you this. I would pay a lot of money just to see the inside of Windmere, and I can tell you, from everything I have heard, the company is a class act to work for. Getting on staff out there is tough. I know a couple of people who work there from time to time; they won't mention any names, but they say it is a top dollar operation, really high end, if you know what I mean; nothing but the up and up. I don't know about the woman, but I've seen the big guy around; he seems to have a good reputation. My guess? I think this offer is good, and they promised to fix the a/c whether you go with them or not, so either way the shelter wins. I don't know what you've got, honey, but somebody saw something; I'd cash that check while I could."

  Laura reasoned that things couldn't get much worse since they were already homeless and virtually penniless. Facing Mrs. Hamilton, Laura agreed, but agonized in her mind about the decision. After all, her last major decision of any sort had been to marry Richard and she was living with the consequences of that error. The only good thing to come out of that decision was her two wonderful children, whom she would protect at all cost. She told the children they would be staying somewhere else for the night, to gather up their few things, then reached for the duffle bag that contained the remnants of their previous life. To her surprise a huge hand was already on the handle of the bag.

  "Sorry ma'am, but carrying the bags is part of my job along with driving, and besides" nodding toward Mrs. Hamilton, "I owe her one."

  Grateful for the help with the heavy bag, Laura noted that the big man with the soft voice didn't even seem to notice the weight as he lifted the bag, more like it was a pillow full of feathers with no weight at all, just a smooth, powerful flex. She wondered at the time what else he did for the company, bouncer maybe, but for the moment just following in his wake was enough of a task.

  As the small procession started to make its way out of the rec. room to the waiting SUV, something happened to Dennis that he would never forget, and that would win Amanda a gentle giant for a protector all the remaining days of his life. Her little four years old hand reached up and grasped one of his thick fingers, an entire handful for her, and as he glanced down at the touch, she looked up at him with wide open eyes and an expression of trust and confidence. The pang of compassion that shot through Dennis's heart nearly brought him to a halt. Releasing the bag for a moment, he reached down and scooped the little girl up, setting her on his wide forearm where she was clear of the crowd, and where she could literally see over the top of everyone in the room. "Now," he said "You can see better and we won't lose you in the crowd." But as he retrieved the duffle and started for the door again, the tears in his own eyes made seeing difficult. The act did not go without notice from Laura, whose own heart stopped for a beat when she saw the big man first reach for her comparatively tiny daughter. It was an act of kindness that, reasonable explanation or not, said these people, if nothing else, loved small children. And with that, the shelter was behind them.

  Jack's eyes widened at the big SUV. Like many small boys, he was fascinated by anything automotive, and while his 5 year old mind couldn't grasp all of the significant details, it was perfectly clear to him that this was a much better ride than the long bus trip. As the side door powered open, Laura was surprised to see the car seats already in place, somehow not what she had envisioned in a vehicle like this. Clearly, this was not the average family sedan, but that fact was lost on the kids as they climbed into seats, ready for launch. At a quick glance, Laura estimated it would hold eight adults comfortably, plus luggage and probably a couple sets of golf clubs as well, but if nothing else, Dennis seemed quite at home in it. Sensing her curiosity, Alice said: "We don't usually have the car seats in this unit because it's so high up off the ground for the kids to climb into, but we do keep them available; some clients bring their kids, and we knew we would need them tonight. Dennis picked this vehicle for the run; I think maybe it's his favorite, and since he volunteered, I had to overlook the poor gas mileage it gets. I should tell you that you made the local evening news television. That's how all this got started, but, again, my orders were just to get you out of the shelter if you wanted to come with us. I think you will find it was a good decision, although we'll know better in the morning. Anyway, you'll have a good night's sleep, so it can't be all bad."

  Dennis expertly powered into the traffic stream, but the sight of a familiar landmark logo ahead prompted him to ask if anyone was hungry. Laura was a little embarrassed at the "Yes, Sir" chorus that rang out, although she knew their last meal on limited funds had been somewhat marginal for growing children. She had rather counted on Nancy's generosity, and while the shelter fed them, they were close to the end of their available finances and were making do as best they could. Dennis glanced over at Alice, who simply nodded in agreement with his decision. Laura, swallowing hard, had to stop this before it went too far; she simply didn't have any funds left. But as she started to speak with a tremor in her voice, Alice sensed the problem and cut her off: "Courtesy of Windmere. Consider it to be a part of our client hospitality greeting package. Besides, I think Dennis just volunteered to buy, since he'll probably stick the company for overtime anyway. Not that I'll authorize it."

  "Thank you" was all Laura could muster at the moment. These people really did seem to understand the dire nature of her situation, and apparently really were there to help her.

  Kids meals distributed to eager hands, Dennis also ordered extra of the large chocolate chip cookies, for "emergency uses" as he explained it. And not to be out eaten by two small children, he also ordered the extra size triple burger and made it invisible in about four bites. The ladies, ostensibly more delicate in nature than the former footballer, went for the high end salad combo's, but didn't hold back much on utensil speed. In her distress, Laura had not realized how very hungry she had become.

  Later on, while Laura and Alice were relaxing for a moment, Jack and Amanda were taking turns trying to fly in the play area. Climbing on whatever they could find, they burned off significant energy by hurling themselves into the air, to be caught in mid-flight by the waiting Dennis. Twenty minutes of that and Mrs. Hamilton thought they were probably depressurized enough to continue their journey

  It was fully dark out now and Laura couldn't make out very much along the side of the road, but it did appear the houses were farther apart now, more of a rural area. Her apprehension was just beginning to nip at her a little again when they came to a driveway blocked by an impressive iron gate. The word "Windmere" in gold letters stood out in the headlights, but one touch of a remote in the SUV and the gate slid silently back, reclosing smoothly behind them as they entered. Laura recalled the words of the administrator at the shelter: 'I would pay a lot of money just to see the inside of Windmere'. Well, they were in, she thought to herself, but she still didn't know much about these people and what the morning would bring. Yet, she and her children were out of the shelter, well fed, now behind a large security gate, and in a vehicle that could probably stop bullets. Indeed, the SUV could stop bullets if need arose.

  Dennis stopped at the back guest entrance since it was closer to their rooms than the main entrance to the great room. With Alice in the lead, the troop entered the building and quickly came to Suite A. Mag carding the door lock brought on the lights and adjusted the thermostat for occupancy; it would operate that way so long as the sensors recorded movement every few hours. The Nessing family followed her inside, and although the children were just grateful for the space, the room exceeded what Laura expected from her conversation with the shelter night super. The understated elegance said "You're worth it; enjoy". Cle
arly, this was no chain hotel, or even a high end place for travelers, but rather than creating an unease at the luxury, it was at once warm and inviting. Quickly, Alice showed Laura around, the fully appointed kitchenette, the large bedroom, and the bathroom with its spa tub and adjacent walk-in triple headed shower. The large bed looked like a field of flowers with the beautiful spread in place, matching the other items of d?cor in the room. Probably enough room for four people on there, Laura mused, and they wouldn't even have to be friends. Plus, her two small children could have their own section to sleep in. Sensing what Laura was thinking, Alice pressed a nearly invisible button in the wood paneled wall, and two bunks folded down from the wall, showing spreads matching the large bed.

  "We don't have much call for these, but now and then guests bring small children and we do like to think of everything anyone could want. And by the way, the consumables in the kitchenette are for your use. You'll find some familiar snacks; please feel free to use them if you like. I have a few things to do early in the morning, so I'll come collect you about, say, 8 AM? That should give you enough time for a good night's sleep; we have a lot to do tomorrow, but please don't concern yourself about a thing for now. Windmere is a little bit like a fortress for security, and besides, I think Dennis likes the kids; they couldn't find a better protector." The big man smiled at her reference. "If for any reason something goes wrong, or you just feel uneasy about something, press zero on the phone and I'll respond. This card is the door key; the other way in is the voice command, which we'll address in the morning, or to have facility computer code access; that system pretty much controls everything, but don't concern yourself about it for now. "Warmer" and "Cooler" on the suite control panel mean exactly that, one degree per button push. Now, is there anything else I can do for you?"

  Laura just wanted to cry, these people had done so much for her in so short a time, but she managed a "No, thank you. You've done so much already I don't know how to thank you. The kids seem to like Dennis equally well; for now they've had a long day already and I think bedtime calls. Thank you again; I'm sure we'll be fine."

  With that, Alice and Dennis departed, leaving Laura and her children to settle in for the night. Laura opened the duffle and extracted their night clothes, such as they were. Limited though their wardrobe was at that point, she did intend to maintain some semblance of civil living, as least as much as she could, but her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by childish squeals of delight. Afraid this dream could somehow be in jeopardy, Laura flew to the kitchenette to find her children staring into an open refrigerator full of snacks, including ice cream bars.

  "Can we have one, can we have one, pleeeese?" came the plea. Laura thought about it for a moment, and decided 'What the heck? If this is what it takes to ruin a dream, it isn't much of a dream' "Yes, one and only one. Remember, we're guests here (wherever this may be, she thought), and then it's off to bed with you."

  Within minutes they had devoured the treat, went horizontal without protest, and quickly fell asleep in comfort for the first time in days. Kids asleep, Laura explored the large marble tiled shower, washing away the days accumulation, and a lot of stress in the process. It took a bit of doing to learn the shower operation, but with a little luck she figured out the three heads operated independently and could be adjusted in about every possible way from stream to mist, pulsate to major flood. Shower complete, she dried off with one of the towels provided; the sheer size and thick texture of the towels did not go unnoticed, and the terry robe that matched the towels swathed her in comfort until she could climb into one corner of the bed. Her next thought was left incomplete, so fast did sleep overtake her. Somehow, 9:30 PM seemed rather late.