Authors: Paul Watkins
I nod my head in agreement and without another word Alicia turns and leads the way into the house. The interior of the home would best be described as old Florida rich. It is a grand, stately mansion that provides comfort and serenity to a wealthy lady for a few months of the year. It shares a quality with Jennifer’s home in the north in that, although elegantly appointed, there is a comfortable air about it. It takes a special talent, I think, to blend all the fabrics and colors and accessories into a welcoming ambiance.
Jennifer and I grab our bags and head upstairs to our rooms. She points to my room and walks into the next one down the hall. There’s a connecting door and Jennifer opens it just as I throw my bag on the bed.
“I’m going to freshen up before going back downstairs,” she calls out.
“Fine, I’ll meet you there,” I reply.
Looking about the room I think I could get used to this in time… about two seconds. There’s a bit more space than I’m used to in my current setup, with large double doors opening to a verandah facing the gulf. I step outside and look down at a large swimming pool surrounded by a patio and an adjoining low wall made of the same brick used in the house. The lawn extends from there and eventually blends into the sand beach forming the western border of the property.
The gulf is quiet today with small waves gently nudging the beach. Maybe we don’t die after all. Perhaps all we do is go to Florida and live on the beach. It sure seems like heaven at the moment. I might change my mind if a storm were raging out in the gulf. Mother Nature can be a fearsome lady when she has a mind to wreak her particular brand of havoc here in the semi-tropical lands of this part of the country.
“In here, Philip,” Alicia calls softly as I step from the bottom stair onto the foyer floor.
I look to my left and see Alicia seated in the living room. It’s a large room with a fireplace facing the doors. Tall Palladian windows, reaching almost to the high ceiling, are spaced evenly on either side. The polished hardwood floor is covered with two large matching oriental carpets. Orientals such as these probably cost more than most homes in Florida.
The general decor of the home is unusual for Florida in that it does not feature floral prints and light tropical colors. Here there is a lot of wood that is rather dark in color, but light in texture. Set against the light colored walls and tall airy ceilings, it gives one an impression of substance and permanence without being dark and foreboding. All in all… your basic nice place.
“Come and sit over here, Philip, and tell me all about yourself.”
I have the feeling most of Alicia’s requests are subtle commands that expect and get complete compliance.
I select a high-backed chair near the sofa.
“I like your home,” I offer. “Have you been here long?”
“Over thirty years,” she replies with a slight smile. “We don’t spend a lot of time here anymore. So many of our friends have died or moved away… it’s not the same. Of course, we’re not the same either… we don’t party quite as much as we used to. All my friends are getting old. I’m the only one who isn’t.”
“If that’s true,” I reply, “then you should bottle whatever it is you’re drinking. There’s a lot of money to be made in the fountain of youth market. All the world is waiting for something that really works… and it looks as though you might have found it.”
Alicia smiles, but ignores my comment.
“Speaking of money, Jennifer told me you work for a black entertainer. She also said you sold your business, retired, and now you’re working harder than ever. Why are you doing that for goodness sakes?”
“I’m afraid it’s a long story, Alicia,” I reply. “The only explanation I have is that it seemed like a good idea at the time. The truth is, in some ways I am working harder than I would like, but I don’t think it will go on for long. I’m helping my boss, his name is A.J., to get a chain of restaurants going. More importantly, I’m training some of his staff so I won’t have to be so involved in the future. I plan to be finished with most of it in less than two years… hopefully much less. After that it should be pretty straight forward management stuff, not something I’m particularly interested in.”
I can’t help but notice that Alicia listens very closely whenever someone speaks. A trait she shares with her daughter.
“And do you like what you’re doing?” she asks.
“Very much, or, quite frankly, I wouldn’t do it. It’s actually pretty exciting at times. A.J. is young and inexperienced in business and most of the people in the company are the same. But they all try hard and they improve every day. I find it all to be extremely interesting as well as challenging.”
Jennifer walks into the room and I start to rise.
“Sit, Philip,” she commands, holding up her hands and motioning me back into my chair.
Looking at her mother, they silently read each other’s thoughts. Suddenly Jennifer’s hands go to her mouth as she looks back at me.
“I’m sorry, that sounded terrible. Mother will think you’re trained to do all kinds of tricks.”
She sits next to her mother and takes her hands in her own.
“He really isn’t trained at all, Mother. I’m afraid to take him out in public.”
Alicia withdraws her right hand and, in turn, pats Jennifer’s hand and then smiles.
“If you want something that’s trained, get a dog or a horse. If you want the pain and heartache that come with love, get a man. Then, if you find one who’s worth all the grief, trouble and expense, you had better hang onto him. But I must warn you… they are very rare indeed.”
Jennifer listens and nods in understanding.
“I agree. I’m still undecided whether I should stick with Philip or get a dog.”
Alicia turns and looks at me with a critical eye.
“What kind of dog?”
“I’m already housebroken,” I offer meekly, but then switch quickly to offense. “Look you two, the only reason I’m sitting here listening to this nonsense is that I understand you serve pretty good food and drink. Once I’ve sampled some of it I think I’ll go some place where I’m less well known and better appreciated.”
“Don’t worry, Philip,” Alicia says with a laugh, “we aren’t going to let you get away so easily. You’re the only eligible man for miles. All the men who live in Naples are old… and every month they drive to St. Petersburg to visit their parents. This is the weekend they are all away. Everything is completely quiet andwill remain so for the next few days. In other words, it’s dead… but we never use that word around here if we can help it.”
I lean back and look at the ceiling.
“You girls sure know how to make a man feelwanted. I feel better already.”
***
The long weekend is gone in a flash, filled with shopping trips, wonderful dinners and moonlit walks on the beach. Tuesday morning we find ourselves back at the airport where it seems we arrived only a few hours ago. I have been gently and persistently interrogated for the past three days. The message: I love my daughter and don’t forget it. Regardless of her feelings or lack of them for me, I found Jennifer’s mother to be a delightful woman and I genuinely like her… I might even miss the questions, but I don’t think so.
I did get a peek at how the very wealthy conduct their lives on a day-to-day basis… mother and daughter, shopping, going to restaurants, talking and just being together. The answer is quite simple: they’re just like everyone else. They’ve missed one another and they relish their time with one another. They worry about eating fatty foods and paying too much for clothing, but do it anyway. They laugh at the things going on in the nation’s capitol and shake their heads in frustration. The evening news is often frightening and most of the rest of television is boring. Who was it who said wealthy people are just like everyone else, except they have more money?
The bottom line for me, I guess, is that Jennifer is a real person. She has a brain and she uses it. She thinks about everything she does and takes full responsibility for her defeats and credit for her victories. Not given to flights of fancy, her feet are firmly on the ground. If there’s something about her I don’t like, I have yet to find it.
Contrary to my nature, I find it difficult to keep things cool and not suddenly rush to a more serious level. No, if ever there has been a time to exercise patience, that time is now. Instead of thinking about how much I like Jennifer and care for her, I should concentrate on my work and just let things happen as they may. Of course, things one should do and things one actually does are often quite different… aren’t they? Especially when it comes to that four-lettered word called love.
Currently there are three restaurants under construction, the first due for completion in about four months. We should have been further along than this by now, but there have been the inevitable delays. More restaurants will follow in the wake of these openings assuming everything continues to go well. We have decided that the next unit will not start until one of the three opens and goes on revenue. Although money is not an issue, we feel certain we will not get overextended if we do not have more than three units in the building stage at any one time.
Fortunately A.J. never made any attempt to tie his restaurants in with his rap image, so there should be no conflict with his career change to country music, assuming it follows its present course. In fact I’m sure there are many restaurant customers who don’t even know who A.J. is, or much about rap for that matter.
There’s another issue involving the restaurants, but I don’t even want to broach the subject so soon after the debacle with A.J.’s friends. Two days ago we received a call from one of A.J.’s managers in the city, John Taylor. John manages the restaurant in Queens. He called me to set up a meeting with ‘an interested party’ who would like to become a partner in the restaurants… all of them.
I asked John for more information, but he was circumspect, saying only that we should talk to the individual and get the information from the horse’s mouth. I don’t know why I feel this way, but I smell a rat. Perhaps it’s the taste in my mouth leftover from the other night with A.J.’s pals, or simply the air of mystery lingering about… but something isn’t right with this deal. I’ve decided to check it out before saying anything to A.J., and I’ve asked John to put a lid on it until I get more information.
The drive into the city gives me a little time to reflect on things in general, but the increase in traffic soon requires all my attention and there’s no time to daydream. I make my way to the restaurant and park in a lot that’s less than a block from my destination. It’s only eleven A.M. and the restaurant is virtually empty. John has reserved a booth for us in the back, well out of the way of the lunchtime crowd.
I hang up my coat and sit in the booth opposite John. This is the first time I have spent any time alone with him and I notice he’s rather hyper this day. Perhaps he has a reason to be nervous, but it would seem there’s little I can do about it. John is a tall, slender man. Well groomed and impeccably dressed. His nails manicured, everything in its place, John would normally exude confidence… but not today. It’s obvious this meeting has knocked him off-center and if that’s the case, then maybe there’s more to this than what he has told me so far. Mr. Ralph Espy, the man I’m here to meet has not yet arrived.
“What’s the deal, John?” I ask. “What do you know about this guy?”
John looks away and then over his shoulder as though he’s about to tell an ethnic joke or some story he doesn’t want overheard.
“I don’t know what to say, Phil. It came out of the blue.” John’s right eyelid is jumping, a nervous tic I hadn’t noticed before. “This guy, Espy, came in the other day and said he wants a meeting with the boss. He’s decided to come in. That’s the way he said it, like he’s made up his mind and now it’s a done deal just ‘cause he thought of it. Naturally I asked around.” John shakes his head in dismay. “We’re in trouble, Phil. Espy is connected. If these guys want in, there’s going to be trouble. I don’t know a lot about the mob. That is, I don’t know any more than anyone else… but I know what I hear and Espy and his pals are bad news.”
“When you say the mob, are you sure it’s one of the crime families? Maybe he’s just some jerk freelancing, or a mob guy who’s doing a little moonlighting. It’s hard to believe a small operation like ours is going to attract any serious attention. I mean, we do a good business and all, but we’re certainly not at the level where we’re going to become the heart’s desire of the organization.”
“I know what you’re saying and I don’t have a good answer for you. It could be them, or it could be an entrepreneur. The word is the guy’s connected… that’s all I know. I don’t even know how high he goes or if he’s just a wannabe. I didn’t want to ask too many questions and draw a crowd… know what I mean?”
“Good point. Well, let’s meet with him and see what comes of it.”
“Phil? There’s something else… “
John looks around again, this time with a pained expression on his face.
“Would you mind if I didn’t sit in on the meeting? I think it would be better if I appeared to be on the outside of this deal. I mean, I have to continue working here and I don’t want him to think he can lean on me for information. I mean… what the hell… I really won’t be in on the final decision anyway, so why make it appear otherwise?”
“I think that’s a good idea, John,” I reply. “It would be better to cut you out of the loop now, because it wouldn’t work later on. I’ll make it plain to him that you’re nothing more than a messenger… at this point your job is done. I think he’ll buy it.”
“Thanks, Phil. I don’t need any heat from these guys if things start cooking. I know A.J. will never go for any deal with the mob, if that’s what it is. And forget doing a deal with some jerk trying to cut his way in. A.J. would laugh him out of the restaurant… and then all hell will break loose.”
I’m about to answer when I look up and see a short, heavy-set man enter the restaurant and look our way before heading in our direction.
“I think our friend is here,” I say in a conversational tone. “Why don’t you stick around and make the introductions… then excuse yourself and go into the kitchen. Whatever you do, stay out of earshot. Don’t let him see you again while he’s here unless you are out front working. Generally it would be better if you stay out of sight. Okay?”