D.W.

"Yes," she replied, and the determination was evident in her voice. "You can't be serious about living here. It isn't livable, and you don't have the money that it would take to make it that way. Now pack your bags and let's get you back home where you belong."

"No, that's not how this is going to work," he said. "Gradation is a week from today, so I guess that that's how much time you have to try to persuade me to go back. I guess you better call your boss and let him know that you have to take a week off. Tell him a family matter has came up, or something."

Sabrina blanched. She had a good working relationship with her boss, but he wasn't going to like her calling in at the last minute. She also didn't like the fact that she would have to call him while he was at home. She had his cell number to contact him for business during the week but had never used it at any other time. What would he say? "I can't just call him out of the blue.," she pleaded. "I need the job. I have an apartment to pay rent on, remember. Please, Doug. Just come back. "

"Brie, I can't go back. This is my home, now. Granted, it needs work, but it's mine."

"What do you mean it's yours? Tell me you didn't put money down to buy this dump."

"No, I didn't buy it. I inherited it. This is where I lived before my mother died. And it's not that bad. There was a company that has been looking out for it over the years so that it wouldn't fall into complete disrepair. Now, are you going to make that call or are you going to go home and leave me alone?"

"You can't seriously be thinking of trying to live here. What will you do for money?"

"That's not a problem, Brie."

"You're not going to make this easy, are you?"

Before he could answer, Sabrina's cell rang. While she answered, he moved away and resumed packing for the hotel.

"Hello," Doug heard her answer. "Yes, Mr. B.... Clean - Am I being fired?....Cindy's Job!....I see. Well, I'm not in town right now. In fact, I'm in the middle of dealing with an issue that has come up. Since he doesn't want me to start until next Monday, would it be alright with you if Cindy went ahead and cleaned out my desk this Monday? I could use the time to take care of the problem here......Thank you, sir. Good day."

"What was that all about?" Doug asked.

"After next week, I'm going to be working for the big boss. I've never met him before. I wonder what he's like. All I really know is that he's supposed to be kind of young."

"So, I guess that means you won't have to worry about needing time off to try to convince me to go back with you." He slung his duffle onto his shoulder and grabbed his computer bag as he headed for the door. "Make sure you have anything you might need from your car. We'll be taking mine for now. There's not a lot of time, Brie. Let's go." He walked out the door and headed for his car.

"What do you mean 'there's not a lot of time'?" she mumbled as she headed out the door to quickly gather her purse from her car before getting in his old clunker.

After eating some breakfast at a twenty-four-hour restaurant during which Sabrina continually tried to get him to return to the city they grew up in, Doug decided to start on his list of things he needed to do. He knew that they would need to get Sabrina more clothes. It was a week until the graduation ceremony, and he was sure that once that happened, she would give up trying. He knew that they would need to go to the mall, but it was still a little early for that, so he made his way to the first place on his list of places he needed to go: the local Mercedes dealership.

"What are we doing here?" Sabrina asked.

"Picking up my new car," he answered.

"Doug, you can't afford a new car. What little money you may have saved up you're going to need for other things. You'll need to think about college and getting yourself a good job that will support you."

"I told you that it's not a problem. Will you trust me on this?"

"May I help you?" a salesman said as he approached at that moment.

"Yes," replied Doug. "I'm Doug Wheeler. You have a car waiting for me."

"Yes, Mr. Wheeler. We were told to expect you today. Right this way and we'll get the paperwork finished."

Less than an hour later, Doug drove out of the lot in a brand-new E-300 with a very confused Sabrina sitting in the passenger seat. She began to wonder if maybe he had done something illegal to obtain the money to get such a vehicle. Maybe he was dealing in drugs. If so, it was one more issue that she was going to have to lecture him about.

Doug drove them to the mall, after getting directions from the salesman, and they spent the rest of the morning looking at clothes. He made sure that Sabrina had enough to last the week, including undergarments, and that some of the outfits were appropriate for business dealings. When he set the charge card down to pay, she tried to stop him. Either it was drug money, which she didn't want to be a part of, or he wouldn't be able to afford it. But he brushed her off and the clothes were bought. Then he made sure that she had shoes to go with the business attire. With all that done, he headed to the hotel he had selected for his stay, now their stay.

Sabrina was perplexed when he pulled to the front of a hotel and a valet jumped to the side of the car while a porter pushed a cart forward to get luggage. She was even more surprised to learn that reservations had been made for both of them, and their rooms were ready and waiting.

"Let's meet in half an hour for lunch," Doug suggested as he and the porter dropped her off at the door to room 846. "You can just knock on my door when you're ready."

"His room is right next door, Miss," the porter added. "Room 848."

"Wear something suitable for business, please. We still have a lot to accomplish this afternoon." He then walked on to his own room to prepare for the afternoon, the porter moving Sabrina's belongings into her room before delivering Doug's.

Forty-five minutes later, the two of them were seated in the restaurant and waiting on their food. Doug looked at Sabrina. She was dressed in a smart pants suit with her hair and make-up done just right and all he could think was 'how beautiful she is.' His experiences growing up hadn't included many relationships. Indeed, after the first two years living in the Townsend home, friendship was not something he looked for, knowing that he didn't dare have anyone over to the house. There had been no girlfriends over the years, very little dating. It was only once in a while that he would go to a movie that he wanted to see. Sometimes, Sabrina would go with him, but usually he went alone. Only once in a great while did someone else go with him.

"How come you haven't gotten married?" he asked suddenly.

"You just turned eighteen a few months ago," she replied. "And you're just now graduating high school. I think it better that we wait until you're at least half way through the year. Maybe even wait until after your next birthday."

He chuckled then got serious again. "You are the one thing I didn't like about leaving there. You were the only one to act like they cared. I had to move here, but I was really going to miss you. Still, I remember that first day, and you wanted nothing to do with me. Why did you change your mind?"

"That first night, you had to sleep in my bed. I knew what was going on. I knew that you had just lost your mom and that you didn't know who your father was. I woke up and heard you sniffling in the middle of the night, and I thought it has to be absolutely miserable to lose everything like that. I decided to be nice to you from that point on and help you in any way I could."

"I had hoped that you had just stayed asleep that night," he said.

"I know. No little boy is going to want people to know that he would cry. Part of the way they are built, I guess. But, it is okay to grieve for our loss when someone dies, and that includes crying."

"Yeah, well. There won't be anyone crying for me when I die."

"Are you kidding? I would be a blubbering idiot if you were to die," she replied. "I love you, Doug. Never doubt that."

"You would be the only one."

'Good,' she thought to herself. 'He didn't catch on to what I said.' "I think that Roman and Mom love you too, in their own way."

"That's the second time you've called your father Roman instead of Dad. What gives?"

"It's a long story," she answered as the waitress brought their food. "Maybe I'll tell you about it later."

During the meal, Doug had his phone sitting on the table. Once they were done and enjoying a last refill of soda, he started looking at it as if he expected it to ring. It waited until they were finished, and he was pulling out his room key card to have the meals added to his bill before it did so.

"Hello?" he said in answer. "Yes..... good, good." He grabbed a pen out of his inside jacket pocket and his napkin and began writing. "Got it..... thirty minutes sounds fine. Thank you." He hung up.

"Thirty minutes for what?" Sabrina asked.

"Time to go to work, Brie. Come on."

The Mercedes' GPS directed them to the address that he had received within twenty-five minutes instead of the thirty that he had agreed to. He pulled into a space next to another car parked outside a warehouse and got out.

'Here it goes,' Sabrina thought. He's going to make a deal right out in the open with me watching. I can't believe he would do that.'

"Ms. McDonald?" Doug asked as everyone exited their cars.

"Yes," the woman answered. "You must be Mr. Wheeler. Good to meet you finally."

"You too. I hope you have found what we need."

"I have three possibilities to show you, sir. I'm sure one of them ought to do."

"Let's have a look than, shall we?" The two of them walked towards the front door of the warehouse with Sabrina following, wondering what was going on.

As they walked through the warehouse, Sabrina realized the woman must be a Realtor. Doug kept his face slack, showing no emotions while looking everything over. They looked at the office area in the front first, which he found to be adequate, then headed to the main area. Racks for whatever product had been stored there before were lined up in rows throughout the whole warehouse, which didn't have much room to begin with. He was not happy with what he saw.

Ms. McDonald gave them a ride in her car to the next possibility instead of them following in their own. The second warehouse was much larger. As they pulled in to the lot, they passed a small building at the end of the drive for a guard to sit in and a gate. Inside, the offices were large and roomy as was the space of the main area. There was a ramp that vehicles could use to get into the warehouse as well as twelve dock doors for unloading trucks. Doug liked what he saw, and thought it would be great to have the lot secured. But it was more space than he needed and he couldn't justify the extra expense.

The third and last place was somewhere in between when it came to size. There wasn't a guard gate at it, nor was it surrounded by fence, but the ramp for vehicles to pull into the warehouse was present. The front offices were of a good size, and the main area also seamed to be roomy enough, with five dock doors for loading and unloading trucks. After touring the inside, the group walked around the outside.

"How much land does this include?" Doug asked as they took in the measure of the docking area. "I mean, how far back does the property extend here in the back?"

"I'd have to check to be sure, but I think it goes over to where that fence is for the place next to it."

"That would be good if it does," Doug remarked. "Please find out for me. I like what I see here, and the parking area is quite sufficient as well as the warehouse itself, but if possible, I would want to extend the pavement back here for the docking area. It would make it easier for the big trucks to dock. Either way, I think this one will be the one we take. Anything to add, Brie?"

"Uh, no," she answered not knowing exactly what he might be looking at warehouses for in the first place. 'Big trucks?' She thought. 'What exactly was he bringing in? What was he shipping out?'

"Can you have the paperwork ready on Monday, Ms. McDonald?"

"I'm sure I can," she answered. "As long as you have the funds available, I should be able to have everything finalized and the keys in your hands by Tuesday, Wednesday at the latest."

"Good. If we can agree on the price, we ought to be able to get through this rather painlessly."

"Shall we meet at say ten on Monday to negotiate?"

"Brie?" Doug asked. "Does that sound alright to you?"

"Uh, sure. I guess," she answered. They were driven back to the first place and parted ways with an agreement to meet again on Monday morning in the Realtor's office.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing, Doug?" Sabrina tore into him after they were once again alone and in his car. "Where do you think you're going to get the money to buy a warehouse? And why do you even need one? And how did you come up with the money for this car? And the rooms at the hotel? That's a really fancy hotel, Doug. You can't afford stuff like that!"

"I told you this morning that money was not a problem, Brie. The car is already paid for. I had that transaction completed a couple of months ago when we came to search out the area and see if we could get some contracts for our service. The money for the warehouse isn't mine, though. It's the company's. And the hotel rooms are being paid for by the company, as well."

"Company?!" she yelled. "What company? No company is going to pay for accommodations at a hotel that expensive for a lowly employee to buy a warehouse."

"Well, I guess that just proves my point about my having money doesn't it. I suppose could have upgraded the accommodations."

"Upgrade..." she began. "You actually upgraded the rooms? What for? I mean, there's actually a bidet in the bathroom. Do you actually feel like you need one in your room?"

Doug chuckled. "I didn't say I did upgrade. I said I could have. And, no, I don't feel it necessary to have a bidet in the room."

"That leads us right back to why would a company pay for such a place. No company does that. And they especially wouldn't add another room on for another person."

"It does when you own the company," he answered. "Haven't you put it all together yet?"

"Put what all together?"

"I have money, Brie. I own my own business. I've been in business for years and I'm quite successful."

"What business?"

"D.W. Landscaping and Lawn care."

She gasped. "You...you....you."

Doug laughed at her expression as she tried to formulate her thoughts. "Yes, Brie. I'm your boss. The one you are going to be working for from now on instead of Cindy. She's going to be working for John who will continue to run the operation back there while I will be in control of the operation in our new location with your help. That is, if you take the job."

"But...but... but."

"Gee," Doug laughed again. "You have a remarkable grasp of the English language. Do you teach it as a second language?"

"How...how...how?"

"You know? Native Americans didn't really go around saying 'how' all the time. That is a very poor imitation of one."

Sabrina swallowed and tried again. "How did you get this done?" she asked finally getting a coherent thought through her mind and out her mouth.

"Simple," Doug answered. "I started when I was eight years old doing whatever I could to make a bit of money. When I was ten, I went to invest some of it and met John. With his help, we set up the business and by the time I was sixteen, the business was well established. It was a lot of hard work and I had to learn the ropes of doing business on top of doing the business, but it's worked out pretty well."

"But, you kept all of us in the dark?"

"Well, that was the hardest part. Your dad didn't want to have anything to do with me, and yet, it seemed like every time I turned around he was grounding me. Think about how hard it was for me to try to work when he didn't want me going out of the house. When I told him I had to go for work, he relented, though. He figured if I was making money, he could take some of it for my upkeep. Although I found out he was getting money for that purpose already. So I had to keep hidden how much money I was making so that he wouldn't try to take it all from me." Doug heard her mutter something but he couldn't make out the words. "What?" he asked.

Instead of answering she hung her head slightly and then asked her own question. "Why did you hide it from me?"

"Yeah. That was the hard part," he replied. "It really got tough when you started working there. I had to hide from you all the time, and it wasn't easy. But your life was already so complicated and I didn't want to make it any worse. I invaded your home and you ended up having to deal with me and a lot of the problems I ran into. Then you moved out but were still coming back to the house nightly to make dinner and make sure I had my schoolwork done. Still dealing with me when neither of your parents would or could. You had your own place that you had to worry about plus you were always there to try to help me. I was being enough of a burden to you already. How could I add even more to it?"

Sabrina blinked her eyes several times in surprise. He thought of himself as a burden? That wasn't right. But she didn't say anything, just looked at him strangely.

"We'll go back by the house, so you can get your car," Doug suggested not noticing her reaction. "You might want it later. Let's have dinner at, say, five-thirty?"

"That-that will be alright," she answered weakly, and they fell silent for the rest of the ride.

*********

"You're kidding," Brenda Townsend said as she sat on the couch in her daughter's apartment. "I mean, you have to be kidding, right?"

"No, mom," Sabrina answered from her hotel room. "And I'm going to be working directly for him now. I never suspected, did you?"

"Never. I knew he had a job, but I thought it was just like any other's his age usually have. Are you sure about it?"

"Mom, I'm sitting in a room of a hotel that has a bidet in the bathroom. We spent the afternoon looking at warehouses for him to expand his business. That's after picking up his new car: A Mercedes E 300. A Mercedes, mom! And not only that, he took me shopping to buy clothes so that I would have what I need for the week. Including business suits as well as more casual stuff, and shoes. And he paid for it all."

"Then why didn't he tell us about this before?"

"Roman was taking money from him. Did you know about that, mom? That he was taking money from him to, according to him, pay for his upkeep?"

"No, baby. We got a stipend from a trust fund for that. Why would he do that?"

"I guess because he's greedy. Anyway, Doug couldn't say anything about his company because the old buzzard would have tried to take more of his money."

"Have you told him?" Brenda asked after a pause.

"No. I don't know if I should. Maybe it should come from him. Either way, he's going to be hurt by it when he finds out." she paused. " Have you been talking to him?"

"Yes, some. I don't know if it will lead to getting back together, though. But that's not for you to worry about. I'll take care of things at my end of this messed up muddle. In the meantime, have you gotten him to agree to go through the graduation ceremony?"

"Not yet. Still working on it. I got a week."

Sunday

Sabrina sat in her room trying to think of what to do. All through the service at the church they had gone to, she had been turning things over in her mind. She hadn't even heard the sermon and didn't know whether the minister was any good or not. Her mind was kept busy on the things she had learned but not divulged yet to Doug. Yet, the one thing that she kept returning to the most was one statement that Doug had made the day before. He thought of himself as a burden. But he wasn't a burden. She loved helping him. It was a joy. It gave her the chance to be near him. To sometimes lightly touch him. To revel in the feelings she had for him. But, now, she had no idea what to do. She was surprised that she had made it through dinner after the service. Perhaps she should do something to distract herself from her thoughts. A swim might be nice. The hotel had a very nice pool. But that meant she needed to go buy a swimsuit. She grabbed her purse and headed out, making sure she had the room key.