A Surprise Lunch Crush

"Do YOU have preschoolers?"

She said, "Yes, two."

"Who takes care of your kids?"

"I pay for a sitter."

"What percent of your income goes to pay for the sitter?"

She told me about forty percent. I asked the HR manager about the four large empty rooms just down the hall. "Who is using them and what are they for?"

"No one, they are in reserve."

"For what?"

He did not know. I turned to the same HR lady and asked, "Would you like to have your children on site being cared for?"

She said, "Sure, but I doubt I could afford it."

"If it was free?" She broke into tears. I said, "I have a task for YOU," as I looked at the HR manager.

"What is your name ma'am?"

"I'm Lisa."

"Lisa, I want you to research what it will cost for the company to provide child care for preschoolers and after-schoolers up to eleventh grade. How much would it cost to hire full-time caregivers or unemployed grade-school teachers to cover our employees' children? What do we need to do to those rooms to accommodate children? What permits or licenses do we need? This company service will be free to all employees. That is my goal. Can you make it happen?" "Can you present me next week with a power-point detailing a plan, answers, and project costs to the end of the year?"

I got a "YES SIR" from Lisa.

All the HR women were staring at me, and I could see a new zeal in their ear-to-ear smiles. I kept thinking - just one small step at a time.

The entire human resources office was staring at me, wondering who was this bloody Yank? I knew the gossip lines would be burning up, as soon I left HR. These were small relatively inexpensive fixes, but would build loyalty tenfold and give them all a serious indirect pay raise.

I had that private conference with Marsha and she unloaded on me of who appeared to be on the take, who was doing drugs, lots of stuff. I followed up on all of it and yes, in time, some employees were shown the door. Others were promoted and some demoted but to different areas within the company. One employee that got promoted came to me and asked to be demoted. He hated responsibility, he hated giving orders. He just wanted to work. He was a solid employee with a wealth of legacy knowledge. I asked him if he would rather be a trainer, as his knowledge was invaluable to the company? He now loved his new position, as our lead trainer, and I saw a smile on his face every day. Not everyone wants to climb the managerial ladders, I can respect that.

In the months that went by, the company childcare was put into motion. We hired a plant nurse putting her office adjacent to the childcare rooms, one retired teacher, and two teaching assistants as the general child caregivers. I got a mobile canteen to roll up outside the cafeteria for alternative hot fresh lunches aka meals-on-wheels. Parents could have lunches with their children in the care room and fence enclosed outside playground with numerous shaded picnic tables. Playground fence was eight feet tall with privacy slats and only accessible through the building care facility.

The production numbers doubled in sixty days. Employees walked around with a smile and a kick to their steps. Daily, I was bombarded with 'good-day, mate' and a smile. It did not take much, but what I was spending, was reaping dividends for the company in productivity and reduced turnover.

Frank was ecstatic and flying down-under to visit the new facilities and rub palms.

With things settling in, I'd been able to start enjoying New Zealand's sights and sounds. I called Lizzy every week to see how all was going for her and the group. I missed those easy days with my old group. I'd turned on my old cellphone and there were no new texts and I had never cleared out my voicemails so no one could leave a message. I got a text from my father-in-law wishing me a happy birthday and great success. Mikey called my new sat phone, leaving me dirty messages at least once a week.

I was being invited to many civic social functions to show the company flag and getting hit up for donations, eating their rubber mutton. I attended, I smiled, I rubbed palms, and I would slip out as quickly as possible without being tagged as rude. Since I was still wearing my wedding ring, it saved me from the single women, but the older busybodies wanted to know when my wife would be joining me? It was getting more and more difficult to dodge the wife queries.

I began delegating attendances to the plant senior management more and more, as a perk for them to rub palms with the local New Zealand's movers and shakers. My managers and spouses were overjoyed at being invited. Little did they know that they were saving me from snobbish prudes embarrassing me with inappropriate personal queries. I began to think one of these do-gooder hags would soon ask me for my condom size. I began avoiding all civic attendances.

Services needed:

One of the areas that I found that needed serious improving was the plant IT-infrastructure. It was just barely hanging on. We needed a whole new system upgrade and regular system back-up to off-island storage to Australia, Singapore or Malaysia. This was an area that I needed help finding. We solicited for bids per our specifications. With the bids came the sales pitches giving me some fun in nailing overzealous arrogant salespersons with very technical questions they should know but usually do not, it's a typical failing of pure sales weenies.

However, at one of these IT sales pitches, I got my clock cleaned by the most glamorous, beautiful, petite Asian woman I'd ever seen. She was so beautiful with a soft chocolate complexion and the biggest almond eyes I'd ever seen. I could just stare into her eyes for hours, and never waste a minute of my time. Every question I asked, she nailed the answer. It was like she could read my mind. That IT group was good, very good with a good price, and they got the contract. Plus, the back-up system servers were in Australia, which is secretly what I wanted, as it gave me an excuse to make some long visits in Aussie-land, hooyah to down-under.

To my great astonishment, she was to be our IT project manager and my direct interface for all things IT. I found myself having a hard time remaining professional with her. She invited me out for a working lunch every other day, to brief me to her company's project's progress. This was a three-month project and then some of their company IT would remain on-site to run and maintain the whole computer, server, and LAN system. Her name was Kerri, and she was originally from Thailand. Kerri would laugh hysterically at my attempts to speak Thai, she would correct my pronunciation, chuckling at my parroting un-skills. When I was in the US Navy training my room mates were from Thailand. I wanted to learn a foreign language so we soon made a pact that I had to first try to speak Thai to them and two of the three must always speak English to me (as they were really struggling with English). It was comical how much we killed our languages and how much correction we had to do with one another, but we learned over 8 months and progressed to sound conversational Thia and English.

Eventually, Kerri and I became romantically involved. Over many months of lunches she knew of my marriage status, and what had taken place. As far as I knew, I was still married and had not communicated with Anita in over eight months since arriving. I told Kerri I check my old cellphone once a month, and even cleared out my voicemail to take voice messages, but no messages have appeared. Anita had never contacted me since my query text copied to her father. I was still paying half the mortgage, and I was sure Frank Kawalski had taken my place in my bed and home.

I told Kerri I no longer hated Anita, I just no longer love her, and I just did not care what happens to her. I did have a local attorney on retainer, ready to serve her separation or divorce papers, if the need arose.

Kerri understood all of this, and still loved me. She maintained an apartment, but lived in my bungalow. I fell more in love with Kerri every day, more than I could ever have been with Anita. I put my dead wedding ring into my dresser drawer two months ago, to never put it back on. Kerri did not care about my, or our, marital status; she just wanted to be in my arms and if I did not have to go to work, she would never leave them. Kerri was the most dynamic lover I'd ever had and I strived to please her in every way, every day, and to keep her orgasms rolling. I loved her more than life itself. Kerri took over all house duties and seemed to live to please me.

Kerri is a savant, having the Midas touch, when it came to the stock market using my online trading account. She was my master and I her padawan. She taught me how to research, place trades and set limits. Later, we got into puts-and-calls, a very risky place to lose money very fast, but not Kerri. She seemed to be able to visualize the future and the logic of what would happen, capitalizing on all of it; Kerri's reading of the stock market 'tea leaves' always made money. In six months we doubled my $500K investment. Then the second year, we struck gold in puts and Bitcoin. Soon, we were multi-millionaires with enough cash to ensure a very very comfortable early retirement, and security for our future children. We then pulled back into more conservative trades, but still made good returns on our stocks and calls in only a few hours per week of trading.

The Asian mind is wondrous when it comes to making money - total focus when committed to the goal of making money.

Year three and all is great:

I had been the general manager for over two years. The monthly plant numbers were right where corporate wanted them to be. We exceeded corporate goals by cutting costs by 22.1 percent and employee retention was at an all-time high of 97 percent. Our employee childcare system was opened to include children of our on-site consultants. Most of our consultants requested conversion to full-time employment - we would do so when it suited the needs of the company.

The kids were fun and the local school system gave our childcare staff awards for their tutoring and in preparing kindergarteners for school and tutoring grade school students with difficult subjects. Most of our kindergarteners could count to fifty and write the alphabet, some were even doing very simple math (addition and subtraction). The older kids were drafted to help the youngsters with our teachers making a game of everything. I was drafted twice a week to read a nappy-time story to the kindergartners, but I tried to wear a story related hat and usually acted out the characters to some degree, getting raucous laughter. I was often scolded for making the kids laugh too much, keeping them from their sleep.

I came home this evening to a candlelight supper, and a very provocative Kerri. Something was up. Supper was traditional Thai food, spicy hot, but very tasty (Kerri's specialty). I went to my recliner with a glass of Riesling and just closed my eyes. Next thing I knew, Kerri jumped into my lap and laid a solid, hot smooch on me. That confirmed Kerri was up to something, but it was so good I let her play it at her speed. Kerri asked how I liked reading stories to the kids at work?

I told her I loved it, it was the highlight of my day.

She said, "Good answer," asking, "isn't that little Asian girl cute?"

"Absolutely, she is adorable."

"How would you like to have your own adorable?"

"Kerri, it would be a dream come true."

"Well, in eight months, your dream will be real - DADDY."

I wrapped my arms tighter around Kerri - I so loved this woman.

"Kerri, I will call my attorney in the US, and get the divorce moving."

Kerri said, "No, you do not need to, but I won't complain if you do. We will live together as husband and wife. When our baby is born our names will be on the birth certificate as mother and father. Legally, our child will be both of ours and our child will take your name, Paladin. I will be changing my name to Palidin next week, if you would let me."

"Of course, I love you and you are my life and now my forever wife. I will have a will, trust, and upon-death-transfer created, and change beneficiaries to protect you and our family giving you access to my estate ensuring our children's needs are always met and keeping Anita away." Other than the hassle of being out of the US, I could not find a reason to remain married to Anita. I'll just give her the house - as Kerri and I have plenty of money to live on forever. I resolved that as soon as I got to America, my first action would be to formally divorce Anita's shank ass if she hasn't done it to me already.

Kerri was now 'Kerri S. Palidin'. We even got matching wedding bands. Christina came screaming into the world the following June. All the digits were there and she was a beautiful five-pound-six-ounce baby girl. The first day when Christina wrapped her hand around my little finger, was the day my heart melted to her. She was perfect, she looked like her mother, she was pure beauty. Mom was doing great, and three days later, Kerri and Christina were home. Kerri became a full-time mother and we were very happy. Uncle Mikey flew in to see his first and only niece, and to meet Kerri. Uncle Frank and Aunt Carol flew in becoming Christina's godparents.

Mikey, on that visit, asked me if I'd heard anything from Anita. I told him, "Not a word, not a text, not a voice message since the one I sent her in front of you."

Mikey said, "A little birdie told me last year, Frank Kawalski can no longer have children he has no balls to make them."

I just said, "Really? That must have tickled." We both cracked up, laughing so hard that I was crying. We knocked our Dalwhinnie glasses together in a bro toast.

At that same time, Frank never returned to Anita's house after leaving the hospital. No one knew where he went. Anita was still in the house, but wasn't dating0 much. Her father disowned her and wouldn't even let her come home for holidays. "Anita is still looking for you - be careful. I'm sure she never realized that XYZ has foreign operations."

I told Mikey that I checked my old cell phone once a month, but that even might be too much. "I will be smashing it and giving it the deep six tomorrow." We both nodded to each other, and again knocked our Dalwhinnie glasses together in a bro toast.

Life continued and two years later, Dale Jr. came into our lives and we were now complete. If Kerri wanted more, all was good by me. But her last child caused her some internal issues and the doctor said this should be her last. For her health and safety, she had her tubes tied. Mikey was ecstatic at becoming an Uncle, again. Micky would come to New Zealand every chance he got to play with his new niece and nephew over the years.

Life was great and getting better. Two years later, when Christina was four, we wanted her to interact with other children for a normal social life. Kerri decided to be an extra plant childcare volunteer. We did not need the money, as I was earning a million every year with bonuses, so Kerri became an unpaid volunteer. Every day, we got the kids ready and we drove to work. She went to the childcare rooms and I went to my office. When the IT guys found Kerri was on-site, they began visiting and seeking her counsel on various problems - Kerri was all smiles. Happy wife great life.

When God sh*ts :

Then one day, my world caved in on me, again. Kerri could not get out of bed. She was in severe abdominal pain, in agony, I had to call an ambulance. The doctors ran their tests took biopsies, and determined Kerri had stage-4 uterine cancer and not long to live. We cried together, we held each other, I pleaded with God to take me in her place, and then I asked Kerri for another gift.

Only if she was up to it, I wanted her to make MP4 videos of herself, talking to our kids about key moments to come in their lives. Giving them her perspective and her wisdom.

Kerri thought it was a great idea and she began making videos for our kids' birthdays, high school graduation, college graduation, marriage, their first dates, Christina's first period. Christina's need for a bra and more personal girl-woman stuff. What Christina needed to look for in a man; what JR needed to look for in a woman and many more subjects.

Then she left more private intimate videos for me for after her passing, coaching me as to what to do for the kids. But in all, she told all of us to continue living, to find love, and live a full life - she would be watching. All the videos were saved to separate DVDs and labeled with who and when to view, and a special note on the label to each from mother, my loving Kerri.

Kerri passed away in my arms at 3:25pm, the same day Anita cut my legs out from under me six years previous. Kerri's ashes were kept in an urn on the mantle with her picture on one side and the family picture on the other. We shall never ever forget her.

Life went on. I had two lovely smart kids to raise. Christina was now seven, and JR was five and a ball of energy. I had to employ an au pair-nanny-housemaid, as the kids took up so much of my time outside of being the general manager. One great thing was we got the school bus to drop off all the kids attending school at our main office that housed the childcare center. Some of the kids were in high school and volunteered to help the staff and tutor younger kids, since their parents worked at the plant.

I had a standing rule to have no meetings from 3:00pm to 4:00pm, blocked out of my PC Calendar, as the kids got dropped off from school at 3:15pm. They would hit the door and run into my office jumping into my lap. My personal assistant tried to stop them a few times to no avail. One day, Uncle Frank was in my office and JR came ripping in, with his sister chasing him telling him to be quiet. JR jumped in my lap hugged me, kissed my cheek, and then realized someone else was in the office. He spun his head around and spotted Uncle Frank, screaming, "Uncle Frank, I missed you."

JR zipped from my lap into Frank's arms doing the same hug and kiss. Frank was ecstatic; my PA standing in the door, just shook her head. Christina was almost nine years old and slightly more reserved until she got within three feet of me, when she jumped into my lap, gave me a big hug and kissed both of my cheeks. Frank got the same and was blushing with pride. The kids took off to the childcare area just down the hall from the company executive offices.

Frank's trip, this time, was to tell me he was going to retire and that the board wanted me to take his place. That was a shocker for me -- I never expected the big chair. I told Frank I needed to think about it and I needed to discuss it with the kids. It would be a totally new world for them and everything they know would be ajar. And this was where Kerri would always be, all our memories were in our bungalow. I'd been out of the States for almost ten years.

And I didn't know if my pickup truck would still start.

Frank said, "Your old pickup gave up the ghost last year, but sure did haul a hell of a lot of feed and hay bales for me."

"Did I tell you I got followed by Anita a few years ago? She saw the old pickup and I'd just picked up a load of bales. She followed me right to the barn. Jumped out of her BMW and ran to the truck door calling your name. She was crushed to see it was just me. Carol was in the barn and came out to find Anita slumped to the ground crying. But Anita jumped in my face and wanted to know how I got your truck. I told her I bought it from you when you left the area. She was not buying it. But we never gave her anything. You better start looking over your shoulder, buddy.