Egalitarian

"I can't remember when McKenna and I have had such a good time. I hope you too are enjoying yourselves as well," Oliver began.

Rebecca jumped in, "Yes, we're having a great time as well, aren't we sweetheart?" She nudged me with her elbow.

"Absolutely," I chimed. "I think I've danced more with McKenna tonight than the entire time I've known her," I added.

"Great, great, glad to hear it," Oliver continued. "There's nothing better than friendship and it's wonderful what friends will to do help each other as opportunities arise."

"I couldn't agree more. McKenna and I always have each other's backs," Rebecca supplied.

"I know that about you two, and I hope that attitude extends all the way around the table," Oliver echoed.

"What are you driving at?" I inquired.

"Well, since you asked, there is something I'm hoping you can do for me as a favor, Royce. Steed Mechanical Services is undergoing a growth spurt. I've been trying to expand our operations nationwide. We now have affiliates in twenty states and what would help us the most is lassoing a national contract. It would be a win-win for our company and our customers. The infusion of cash would be just the impetus we need to springboard off the ground as a national player in an elite arena. I met with Graham Pennington over at Boehning Professional Services. Do you know Graham, Royce?"

"Yes, I do. He's one of our best team members. He's a good man."

"I agree with you on that, Royce. Graham was very accommodating and understanding in my firm's attempt to bid on a national contract through you guys."

"That's great to hear but I was unaware of your interest in a national contract through us."

"That's what I was wanting to speak with you about. You see, Graham explained that our company, structured as great as it was, still didn't qualify to meet the criteria that your firm utilizes to bid on your national contracts. He suggested a greater national presence with stronger financials might edge us into that rare arena with you guys. We were at an impasse. We don't qualify without a stronger national footprint, yet we can't establish a greater footprint without the contract work to support it. That's where you come in, Royce."

"How so?"

"Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather when I heard Graham's explanation for my conundrum. He said that in certain special cases, exceptions can be made but solely at the discretion of the National Contract Manager, you. Imagine my surprise when I learned that my best friend is in the driver's seat of one of the most powerful positions in the country for national service contracts. Sure there are other companies around but Boehning Professional Services is the golden ticket for establishing a national presence. One nod from you guys is like magic. I tried to make an appointment to meet with you in your official capacity but Marge, your secretary says that you are in constant meetings and only accept outside appointments for special circumstances. She offered to advance you my meeting request, but I thought my request would be better served in person in a relaxed and friendly setting. So I'm wondering, Royce, what are my chances of receiving your special consideration of our firm for one of your national contracts?"

And there it was. I knew that there was something unusual going on to induce such a behavioral change in the obdurate Oliver. He was putting the onus on me and endeavoring to capitalize on the friendship between our wives. This was underhanded in my view and distasteful to be immersed in this scenario. If I don't appear conciliatory to his request, Rebecca will give me hell for it. On the other hand, I have a responsibility to ensure that only the best-qualified candidates receive our endorsement for national contracts. I would have to tiptoe delicately barefoot through this proverbial field of glass.

"Marge is correct that my schedule is slammed for the near future. Let me do this, I'll get with Graham and review your case. If we can find any way to massage a better outcome for you we'll run it up the flagpole. You understand that I have to avoid the appearance of impropriety and favoritism with the husband of my wife's best friend. That's all I can promise at the moment. Will that suffice?"

"Of course, it will, buddy," he chortled as he slapped my back good-naturedly. Thankfully I dodged the bullet. Rebecca jumped back in.

"I'm sure Royce will jump through all the hoops to get you your contracts, Oliver," she pledged as she patted my hand in front of them. The remainder of the night with them passed stress-free.

Once we arrived home, she brought the topic up with me. "You ARE going to give him those contracts, right? They're our best friends!"

"It's not as simple as that, Rebecca. My company's selection process requires stringent vetting. Steed Mechanical Services simply doesn't qualify or Graham wouldn't have politely turned Oliver down.

"I understand all about rules. Valentine's Accessories also vets all of our suppliers to ensure that items aren't produced by child or slave labor and that the quality of any product passes muster. But rules can sometimes be bent, even broken under special circumstances and I consider this a special circumstance."

"Consider this, if you found a supplier that provided the finest quality product available, and the price was right, and there were no shenanigans involved in the manufacture, but the supplier could only provide fifty percent of your estimated demand, would you still go with them?"

"Of course not; we'd need to engage a supplier who could meet or exceed all of our perceived product demand."

"Exactly my point," I gainfully stated. Enlightened, she finally dropped the subject for the moment.

True to my word, I met with Graham Monday morning to review the Steed Mechanical Company situation.

"They're only in twenty states, Royce, and four of those states don't have our target clients. I explained that clearly to Mr. Steed but he was insistent upon receiving special treatment. Would you like me to pass their file on to you for exemption from our normal protocols?" Graham courteously asked.

"That won't be necessary, Graham. I suspected as much. Their name recently crossed my desk so I thought I'd check with you since you had their file. No need for special exceptions in their case. Perhaps one day they'll grow to the size where they could be reconsidered."

"Well, to be perfectly honest, it's not just their size that flagged them. Some digging into their financials uncovered that they're stretched as tightly as a piano string. Their budget is balanced on a razor's edge. If they encounter a single loss of any kind, their whole house of cards will likely tumble hard and fast," he informed.

"Thanks, Graham for all of your diligence. You've told me everything I need to know."

Of course, that Monday evening, Rebecca was distraught to learn that I would be unable to help 'her' best friends. I say 'her' because they'd never been my best friends, neither of them, especially Oliver. I just hoped this wouldn't drive a wedge in our marriage. Rebecca was cold to me for nearly two weeks after my revelation but soon warmed up to me once more getting us back on track. Though we still met with Oliver and McKenna, it was with mildly reduced frequency. I had no complaints about that. During the times the four of us did spend together, either out or at each other's homes, the subject of national contracts was never broached. Oliver must have finally realized that I was unable to grant his request for exemption. Since he never mentioned it again, I wasn't about to initiate anything on that front.

= = = = = = = = = = = =

It was approaching 2:30 am when Rosie began barking incessantly. This was totally out of character for her. I tossed a coaster from the nightstand next to the bed at her to get her to shut up but she would not be silenced. I began to worry for a moment that perhaps someone had broken into the house which excited her but if that were the case, she'd be in the room with him barking her head off, not in my bedroom. As I rose from the bed to figure out what was going on, I noticed an unusual flickering in the bedroom window on the side of the house. When I pulled the curtains aside, I saw that the Paulson family's house next door was on fire. I screamed at Rebecca, rousing her instantly.

"CALL 911 RIGHT NOW! THE PAULSON HOUSE IS ON FIRE! I DON'T SEE ANY OF THEM OUT IN THE YARD! GET THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND AMBULANCES OVER THERE NOW!!

She shot up from the bed and reached for her phone as I ran outside in my boxers and robe. I flung my front door open and dashed next door. I could see flames near their kitchen on the right side of the house preventing entry from their garage. I sprinted back to my garage, grabbed my eight-pound sledge hammer and rushed to their front door. I yelled for anyone to respond but heard no replies. Three blows burst the door open rupturing the doorframe at the latch. My first thought was of the kids. The children's shared bedroom was down the hall on the left. The suffocating smoke was choking me, making it nearly impossible to breathe as the fire was quickly spreading from the right side of the house to the left. I held my breath for as long as I could as I searched and found an unresponsive five-year-old Anthony, shoveled him into my arms, and sped as fast as I could outside.

"Oh my God, is he dead?" Rebecca urgently appealed to me.

"Check him. Give him mouth-to-mouth if you have to. I think he succumbed to the fumes. I'm going to look for Tabitha."

I searched the children's room again thoroughly but there was no sign of the little three-year-old girl. Greg and Debra's room was across the hall so I stumbled through the open door and called out. The unresponsive forms lay motionless within the maelstrom. Knowing Greg would approve of my prioritization, I scooped Debra into my arms and stumbled with her outside to the front yard, where Anthony was already showing signs of life. As I laid her on the ground next to Rebecca, I noticed that she was naked except for her panties. I removed my robe, quickly draped it over her, and ran back inside wearing only my boxers to retrieve Greg. Thirty seconds later I hastened to get him outside before it was too late. Debra was coughing but responsive now. When she saw me carrying Greg, she screamed.

"WHERE'S TABITHA? WHERE'S OUR DAUGHTER? WHY ISN'T SHE HERE?"

The moment I laid Greg in the front yard, he too began wheezing and coughing as fresh air invigorated his lungs during the sensed emergency. An explosion in the kitchen blew out the front windows of the house as dragon's breath flames engulfed the entire house. I figured it must be the gas line to their kitchen stove that melted in two.

"I couldn't find her! She wasn't in their room where I found Anthony. Oh, my God. I'm so sorry," I sobbed as I realized that the little girl wouldn't make it."

As the four of us rose to our feet in unbearable anguish, we heard the most ungodly yelps and loud cries of pain from a dog. I looked around and didn't see her anywhere. "It's Rosie! She must be in the house!" My sobbing continued unabated at the additional loss. There was no way in hell anyone was going into those flames.

Then the most inconceivable, unimaginable scene unfolded before us. It was Rosie! She urgently sprung through the flames appearing from inside the blazing inferno. She was wailing in pain at the top of her lungs. Her howls of pain were immediately evident. Her back was on fire! Miraculously, she was dragging an unconscious little girl between her legs underneath her own body to shield her from the flames. Tabitha! It was Tabitha!

I ripped Rebecca's robe off of her and ran to the burning dog and wrapped her in it to snuff out the flames. Greg arrived and tried to pull Tabitha away from Rosie to get her further away from the flames. Instinctively, Rosie refused to let go. Her mouth could not be opened. I tore at the fabric, ripping the collar from Tabitha's sleeping gown enabling Greg to remove her to safety. Debra took Tabitha from Greg as he returned and turned on his outside water faucet. As Tabitha began coughing, Greg sprayed cold water on Rosie to help soothe her pain. She continued baying in my arms from her incessant pain. I lovingly caressed her as my tears bathed her face.

Just then, the fire department appeared and undertook immediate action to deal with the destructive fire. Once they were assured that no one else was in the house, the commander had a fireman locate and turn off the gas to the house while the others rapidly hooked up the fire hoses. An ambulance arrived moments later. The four Paulson's were administered oxygen to help them breathe. Careful examination of Tabitha revealed that her hair had been singed but never caught fire. Luckily, U.S. regulations require that children's sleepwear must be flame-resistant and must self-extinguish if set on fire. Since she was wearing a nightgown, the bottoms of her feet sustained her only injury, first-degree burns, which the paramedic assured would heal with treatment and would not be a longstanding problem for her.

Although the paramedics stated that they weren't permitted to treat Rosie in any way, Greg defiantly insisted that not a single member of his family was getting on any ambulance or being taken to any hospital until they first treated Rosie to the best of their ability. "That dog saved my daughter's life and the life of my whole family. NONE of us would be alive if it wasn't for her! HELP HER!" He demanded.

"Royce, whatever you do, don't put that dog down. There is no price I can put on Tabitha's life, much less the life of my entire family. You get her the very best care that money can buy. I'll pay every penny. I'm not kidding, the BEST!" He entreated.

The paramedic applied some burn creams that he had on hand to Rosie's back and tried to mitigate her pain somewhat. I spoke with the fire chief who had arrived on the scene and asked him for his recommendation for the best possible veterinary care for Rosie and a place that would have emergency response for these situations. He made a call to a vet that he knew and told them I would be there within 15 minutes with a wounded dog. I made it in eleven. The vet and her assistant knew precisely what to do and began treating Rosie and promised me that she would do everything she could for her.

The vet kept her there for a week before releasing her to me. She would require convalescent care but had every reason to believe that Rosie would lead a full and productive life. They had surgically cut out a section of her badly burned skin and sewed the opening closed. She would have a few burn spot scars on which hair may never grow back but should otherwise be healthy. Afterward, Greg contacted the local news channels and announced to the world how Rosie had awakened me, enabling me to save most of his family and how Rosie had single-handedly rescued Tabitha who had already made a full recovery. His family publicly proclaimed us both heroes.

Two weeks later, after the hullabaloo had died down, the entire Paulson family visited us. Tabitha and Anthony gently petted Rosie, mindful of her wounds. They lavished her with praise, doggie treats, and enough play toys to fill a toy box.

Greg began, "Royce, we can't thank you enough for what you did to save our lives. If Rosie hadn't awakened you, if you hadn't bothered to respond, and if you had lacked the courage to do the right thing and rescue us, my entire family would now be dead and buried. We owe you and Rosie our lives. If you'd give me a hand outside, we've got three hundred pounds of Rosie's favorite dog food in the trunk of our car. We as a family took a vote; you'll never have to spend another penny on Rosie. We insist on providing for her every need for as long as she lives. Thank you for allowing us the privilege of paying her vet bill. I thought I was going to have to twist your arm there for a bit. We're glad you came to your senses. The insurance company says the foundation and shell of the house are sound and it can be salvaged. Although the exact cause of the fire remains unknown, the investigators have not turned up any evidence of arson or foul play. We already have a contractor selected to do the reconstruction. For the next eight to nine months we'll be staying at a long-term stay hotel courtesy of our insurance. If you don't mind, Debra and I would like to take you and Rebecca out as our guests two to three times per month until our house repairs are completed. It's a paltry gesture, I know, but we simply must do something to return the kindness all of you have courageously shown in the face of death."

We gracefully accepted their acts of benevolence, knowing it would insult them to do otherwise. The Paulsons are good people and we felt fortunate to have them as neighbors. I, for one, was pleased to have another couple besides the Steeds to spend time with, even if only for a few months.

Chapter 5 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Months later, McKenna was chatting as usual with Rebecca in the company break room. The girls got together as often as they could during an average workday.

"I have a special request, Rebecca, and I must admit I'm nervous about asking it of you."

"You've got to be kidding me, girl. You know as well as I do that there's nothing, I mean NOTHING that we can't talk about. Hell, we practically know every intimate detail about each other's lives already. I can't imagine what you could be nervous about with me, silly." Rebecca considered that McKenna may be about to suggest that they both become pregnant at the same time so the children would be the same age and grow up as best friends. That thought, though a pleasant one, was off target.

"Promise you won't get upset with me if you're put off by my request?"

"I swear, McKenna. You should know by now that there's nothing we wouldn't do for each other. There's no way I'd allow anything to come between me and my best friend. What is it?"

"You're right, of course. That's why I feel as though you're the only one I can come to about this. As you can imagine, Oliver lights my fire every night; I mean every night. We have hot and heavy sex and I couldn't be more pleased with him as a husband. He's a dynamo in bed."

"That's nothing new, silly. You've shared intimate details about the sex-fests you two have on a regular basis."

"Well, as forthcoming as I've been, I have left out a few intimate details due to my shyness but my courage has now risen to where I feel bold enough to bring you in on our innermost secrets."

"Oh, yeah? Do tell," Rebecca murmured with salacious undertones.

"McKenna quickly looked both ways to ensure they were alone and hunched over. "You've got to swear to keep my secret. Not even Royce can learn anything about what I'm about to tell you. If you're uncertain about holding my confidence, then I'd rather drop the subject and not tell you," she warned.

"Of course, I will. You already know that I don't share everything with Royce. I tell him only what I want him to know. I give you my word, he will never hear a peep about whatever this is from me."

"Oh, good. I knew I could count on you. Okay," deep breath, "Here it is. As you know, Oliver is a stud in the bedroom. That man knows how to deliver me to Nirvana and back multiple times. What you don't know is that I have him under my complete control. As you should know, I'm a dominant force of nature and I have subdued him to become my submissive. He has contractually surrendered his all to me and I have accepted his gift of total, unconditional surrender."

Rebecca chuckled as she gasped, "You're kidding!"

"No, I'm not. I'm as serious as a heart attack. The man will do anything I ask of him, regardless of what it is. There is nothing I may demand that he will not do for me. I've been dying to tell you about the current nature of our relationship but I wanted to give it enough time to ensure it was a permanent genuine submission and not some temporary flight of fancy."