Gifted Ch. 06

Sawyer spent the morning making arrangements to pick up his winnings. The people from the lottery office were excited to meet with him and wanted to splash his name all over the country, but he had other plans. He wanted to collect his winnings, and disappear quietly. Sawyer had also placed calls with several real estate agents looking for property that could accommodate his new lifestyle. He had another task he needed to handle before the circus he was about to walk into.

The parking garage was full, but it was a Monday morning so he expected it. Sawyer found an empty spot on the top floor and pulled in between a newer Mercedes and a pristine vintage '66 Aston Martin. Sawyer shook his head in disgust that the Aston Martin was sitting in the scorching Florida sun.

He took the elevator to the sixth floor and walked the short hallway to Weatherspoon Securities. Pretty little Sally sat behind the central receptionist desk. She was the pretty face that Darnell wanted everyone to see before seeing his gruff hardened mask. She was a skilled typist and her voice was soft and non-threatening on the phone.

Sally had just disconnected with someone when she saw him. She jumped out of her chair and ran to him, wrapping her arms around his neck pulling him down to her shorter level. "Oh Michael, I'm so glad you're alright," she started. "I wish I could have been in town to come see you, but I got back last night."

"Its okay Sally," he said. "How is your mom?"

"She'll be okay," she started with a grin. For her mother's fortieth birthday, Sally had purchased a tandem skydive. The first jump was it, she was hooked. She was like a tweeker who hadn't had her meth fix in a week. The woman was jumping almost every weekend, and on her first solo jump, the wind shifted and she flared too late and broke her leg in the landing. "Never thought she'd actually go through with the first jump, let alone the hours and hours to get a license."

"Why would any sane person jump out of a perfectly good airplane?" He said.

"Weren't you Jump Qualified?" She asked slipping back to her seat. She knew his military record, she was the one that did the background check on him when he was hired, and she had a photographic memory.

"You know darn well I was a Jump Master. But, I waspaidto jump out of perfectly good aircraft; I never did it for fun." He said leaning over her desk. "That's just plain crazy." Nodding towards the office "the Colonel in," he asked.

"He just walked in five minutes before you did," she said reaching over and touching the intercom. "Colonel, Mr Sawyer is here to see you."

His deep baritone voice erupted from the box, "send that lazy, no good, S. O. B. in here, on the double." Sawyer grinned, hearing the smile in Weatherspoon's voice.

"On my way boss," Sawyer said kissing Sally on the cheek as he passed her desk. Sawyer slipped into the office. Darnell was on his cellular phone nodding and agreeing to whoever was on the other end.

Darnell Weatherspoon was as tall as the trees and just as solid, standing six foot seven inches, and rippling muscles. He had a hard gruff exterior and was as the black as night, thanks to a Haitian grandparent. At a distance, you would be correct to be afraid of him, up close down right terrified. He was an expert in two forms of martial arts, and training in his third discipline. He had taken to MMA like a duck to water, but never went further than local matches to keep him in tune. He spoke three languages, and was skilled in the art of etiquette, that he's able to rub elbows with royalty, and then drop by the block and hang out with the "homies". He had turned himself in Hollywood's wet dream of an action star.

He had a lucrative security firm that handled everything from mall security to diplomat protection to industrial espionage. There were even rumors that he had mercenaries on his payroll. But, none of that mattered to Darnell. He was a devout Southern Baptist, and was dedicated to his wife and five little girls.

Sawyer couldn't help but grin as he couldn't help but eavesdrop on this half of the conversation. He knew exactly who he was talking too. "Yes baby I understand. No baby, you can't have the cheerleading team over, yes I know you want onto the team, but bribery will not work in this case." The large man rubbed his forehead sighing deeply. "We can talk about this later when I get home, no there's no need to talk to your mother, she will agree with me. Yes baby, love you too, bye bye," he said disconnecting the line. Darnell slipped the phone into his pocket and looked at Sawyer, daring him to laugh.

"So boss, the bosses want you to bribe their way onto the team?" Sawyer said grinning. Darnell narrowed his eyes and glared at him. "Which one? Latrice?" She was Darnell's oldest daughter at sixteen, and would put the man in an early grave. "No, I bet it was Claire," Darnell's five year old.

Darnell snorted and he smiled as he dropped into his leather chair. "It was Claire," he confirmed.

"That little one always did have you wrapped around her little finger."

"She will most likely be the death of me," Darnell said. He leaned forward onto the desk, "You look good Gunny, lost some weight, got that gleam back in your eyes, how long have you been sober?" That was Darnell, straight to the point.

"Since getting out of the hospital, and I've had some time to think about things. I'm in a better place. The other night I had some drinks socially, but not to the excess I had in the past. I've been sober since." He said, reaching into his shirt pocket. He withdrew a plain white envelope and slid on the desk. "It's my resignation."

Darnell looked at the envelope as if it were a snake, and Darnell was terrified of snakes and spiders. Sawyer went on; "I recently came into a large amount of money and even though I can never thank you enough for taking in a drunk, I wanted to come in and do this face to face."

Darnell smiled as he picked up the envelope and leaned back in his chair. "Tell you what I'm going to do," he said looking at the envelope, "I'm going to shred this," he said slipping the resignation letter into his office shredder. The machine whirred as it ate the paper. "Now I am going to place you on an inactive status, keeping you on the books, but not earning anything," he said leaning forward in the chair resting his elbows on his on the edge of the desk. "My family and I owe more than we can ever repay." He held up his paw of a hand as Sawyer opened his mouth to protest. "You are a part of my family, and will be treated as such, including keeping you on the books. That way if you ever need anything, you won't hesitate to come to me."

"Colonel, after everything you've done for me, you know I wouldn't hesitate coming to you." Sawyer said. He sat back in his chair and began telling him about the vivid dream of Sarah and the girls, and how they wanted him to move on. Darnell got up from his chair and walked around the desk taking the chair next to Sawyer, encouraging him to continue. Sawyer told how he and Lien-hua connected, leaving out the gratuitous sex. Then he told him about the girl at the cafe, and how she looked so lost and when her mother showed up, it was like they were starting to heal. He spoke of Kara and the connection he felt with her, and that they got together later. Darnell told him that he was glad he was beginning to move on, and asked which of the women he was going to pursue. He wasn't surprised when Sawyer said both women were in his life to stay. Darnell told him that he needed to bring these women to Vivian, Darnell's wife. Sawyer knew this was to get her approval, but he knew Vivian would love them regardless.

They sat and spoke for almost an hour, and Sawyer could tell that Darnell was glad to have his friend back. He couldn't fool himself, he was glad to be almost back to normal himself. Sally interrupted them a few times on the intercom. It wasn't until the third call, that Sawyer excused himself not wanting to take up to much of Darnell's time.

"Gunny, stop by anytime." Darnell said standing. The two men shook hands, before pulling each other into an embrace, slapping each other on the back. "It's good to have you back Mike," Darnell said holding back the emotions that threatened to spill out.

"Its good to be back," Sawyer said. He left the office as the intercom started going off again. Sawyer left the office, said goodbye to Sally and made his way back to his truck. He left the parking garage ready to face the world.

__

A week later he was in the regional lottery office. He had gotten the huge check and the tons of photographs were snapped of him. The media was there. They wanted to speak with him about the incident at the mall and now about his winnings. He politely declined to speak with them.

As he was leaving the building, his cell buzzed in his pocket. As he pulled it free, he saw that his realtor was calling. Swiping the screen with his thumb he answered the call, "Monica Berry, I'm glad you called."

"I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back with you Mr Sawyer. The requirements you gave me were rather strict. But I have found a few places in the area that meet your requirements. More if you are willing to expand your boundaries." Sawyer quickly went over the requirements that he had given Monica. He wanted acreage; after living on an apartment he wanted space, and something that he could put a gun range on if he wanted. A new or updated five bedroom or more house, with a pool and a barn. Close enough to a town that making a late night pizza run wouldn't be a hassle, but far enough out that neighbors wouldn't be bothered if he was out shooting at midnight.

"Can you send the listings to my phone?"

"Yes. I have an appointment in a few minutes, but the rest of my afternoon is free if you'd like to take a look."

"Sounds good," he said looking at his watch. It was just now eleven. "I'll grab a bite to eat and meet you at your office at two O'clock?"

"Two would be great, thanks. See you then." She said and hung up. A few seconds later the phone buzzed again with the listings. He looked them over and one or two would be close to what he wanted. Sawyer jumped into his truck and hit the bank depositing his money.

He drove around town for a few minutes killing time. He found a little storefront Mexican restaurant in an old shopping plaza. It was close to a busy retail store, so the front parking lot was full. He found an empty spot along the side near the dumpsters. As he got out of the truck, he saw a white van sitting across the alley, the windows were darkly tinted and the engine was running. Sawyer thought that it looked a little out of place, but there were several stores that still took their deliveries at the back door.

Sawyer was rewarded with the warm smell of pungent spices that he'd come to associate with good Mexican food. The restaurant was small and cozy. It was tastefully decorated in hushed earthy tones that said Hispanic. It wasn't screaming Mexican; there weren't any garish sombreros and gaudy ponchos lining the walls. The décor was somber and subdued, but homey. The music coming from the speakers was a single Spanish guitar playing a slow sultry tune. There were eight booths along the wall opposite the long bar. Most of the booths were taken, as was the bar, by the lunch rush.

Sawyer managed to find an empty seat at the bar towards the back wall near a small girl. The girl was about 4 years old, with hair so black that it appeared to be shimmering blue in the light. The stark hair was pulled into a loose pony tail. She wore a brightly colored sundress. The tip of her pink tongue peeked out of her mouth as she was coloring a zebra purple. What set her apart from any number of Hispanic children; her eyes were a pale green. She was intent on keeping the color in the lines. There were several other coloring books neatly stacked next to the open one. Her box of crayons were open, but the only crayon out was the one she was using.

A beautiful Mexican-American woman in her mid twenties slid a bowl of fresh fried tortilla chips and fresh pico de gallo in front of him and handed him a menu. "Good afternoon," she said with a slight accent. Her faded denim jeans hugged her every curve. She wore a black T-shirt sporting the name of the restaurant over her large left breast and comfortable athletic shoes. Her long black hair was pulled back into a tight severe ponytail. Her makeup was light and accented her natural beauty. The only jewelry she wore were pair of large hoop gold earrings.

She told him a list of specials. Her smile was bright and infectious; Sawyer couldn't help but smile as he ordered a plate of carnitas with a side of white rice and black beans and a bottle of Negra Modelo. She wrote his order on a worn pad, before reaching down into the cooler in front of her. She produced the beer and set a tulip shaped glass in front of him.

"Take your time with that order, I don't have to be anywhere for a few hours," he said. She smiled and said something in Spanish to the little girl who only nodded, then made her way down the bar.

Sawyer couldn't help himself but to watch the woman out of the corner of his eye as he poured his beer into the glass. She moved around the bar refilling water glasses and speaking with the customers comfortably. He sipped at the dark beer and listened to the conversations going on around him. There were business deals being made, wedding plans discussed, a surprise party planned and an illicit affair taking place. He savored the dark brew's malty aroma and the full flavor as he munched on the delicious chips and salsa.

Sawyer was surprised when he looked back at his beer to see the girl looking at him. There was intensity in her face that he never saw in a child so young. When he looked her in the eye, there was an intelligence that seemed to be trapped, but had no outlet. After a few seconds, she smiled warmly at him and went back to coloring. The similarities between the waitress and the little girl could only mean that they were mother and daughter. He smiled and absently munched on his chips and salsa. He felt her hand on his arm and looked down at her. She held up a blue crayon. When he didn't take it right away, she nodded at the crayon. Opening his hand she gave the crayon to him and pointed to an uncolored elephant.

"Would you like me to color the elephant," Sawyer asked softly. The little girl smiled again and nodded her head. "And what should we name this elephant?" She looked at him like he had three eyes. Smiling he said: "everyone needs a name, especially blue elephants." He had begun slowly filling in the elephant's ear, watching the girl out of the corner of his eye. He could see she was deep in thought. "We could call him Sheldon?" He paused dramatically, then shook his head. "Sheldon is a good name for a turtle, not an elephant." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. In his mind he could hear the girl going over all the names she knew.

"How about Esteban?" He asked. She smiled and nodded her head. "Now let me tell you how Esteban became the most loved elephant in the world," he began telling how Esteban was born the only blue elephant to gray elephant parents. The girl took a yellow crayon and began coloring the sun in the picture. She listened to him speaking occasionally looking at him and then going back to her coloring.

The waitress arrived with his order in hand. He had been so engrossed in his story that he didn't see that the small restaurant had thinned out a little. She listened to the story smiling at the two. "Normally, Maria won't let anyone touch her crayons let alone color in one of her books. She hasn't been bothering you has she?"

Looking down at the plate he was rewarded with a large plate of tender cuts of pork in a zesty sauce. "Nah, she's been a perfect princess," Sawyer said setting down his crayon and picking up his fork. He dug in and was amazed at the taste. As he ate, out of the corner of his eye, he would see the girl watching him intently then go back to her coloring book.

The waitress came back to check on the little girl as he was finishing up the last of the beans and rice. "Are you okay my little pumpkin?" She asked in Spanish. The little girl was back to her coloring and only nodded.

"Quite an appetite," she said turning her attention back to him.

"It was delicious, I've never had better." He said wiping his mouth with his napkin and taking a sip from his beer.

"I'll tell mama that you approve," she said with a warm smile reaching over the counter. "I'm Esmeralda."

"Michael Sawyer," he said taking her hand. His skin tingled when they touched. When they let go he could still feel the warmth of her touch, and found himself missing it. "You have a beautiful daughter."

"I wish her father had felt the same." She said. "When he found out I was pregnant, Pablo went out looking for eighteen year old baby sitters, and never came back." She looked at the girl lovingly, but there was fire in her voice. "Last I heard he had shacked up with a flight attendant in Los Angeles."

"What an idiot," Sawyer said looking down on Maria who was looking back at him. "She doesn't talk much."

"No, I've taken her to several doctors to only have them tell me there is nothing wrong with her," Esmeralda said taking his empty plate from him and taking it to the back. While she was gone he slipped into the girl's mind. It wasn't the chaos he was expecting. It was jumbled with thoughts and flashes of emotions that he had come to expect from children her age, but there was something more.

So what is it little one, you have nothing to say? Is that why you don't talk?He asked her. She mentally shook her head and giggled.

The woman with the golden hair said you would come and that I should save my words for you.

The woman with the golden hair?He asked. She nodded again, closed the coloring book and began flipping through sketch book that had been buried under the other coloring books. It took her a few minutes to find the page she was looking for. She set it in front of him and pointed to the pencil drawing of a woman dressed in furs and armor that looked Norse. Her delicate features were soft and feminine, yet steely. She had a strength about her that reminded him of Sarah. She was Sif, the Norse goddess.She told you I would be coming?

Yes.

He was about to ask a few more questions when Esmeralda came from around the counter and sat next to him. They chatted for almost an hour between her taking care of customers. He was surprised that was ease with this woman, and felt a little guilty. She was flirty, bright, funny and well versed in several subjects. He found it easy to talk to her. Glancing at the clock, Sawyer saw that he had an hour to get across town to keep his appointment. He handed her a fifty with his bill, and told her to keep the change. The room seemed to lighten up when she smiled.

"Thank you, it was very nice meeting you Michael," she said.

"The pleasure was all mine." He said, and then looked to the girl. "I'll see you tomorrow for lunch."

Maria nodded with a smile. The warm smile Esmeralda gave made him all warm and fuzzy inside.

--

Monica Berry's office was the left half of a converted duplex and was walking distance to the beach. Sawyer found a nice parking spot between the ocean and her office along the main boulevard where businesses lined the street. He enjoyed the leisurely stroll along the boulevard stopping at a small ice cream store to get a cone. Sawyer finished up the last of the crisp cone as he opened the outer door. He was greeted by an older man dressed smartly in a stylishly cut suit.

"Mr. Sawyer so nice to see you again," Thomas Berry said standing and offering his hand. Thomas had made a name for himself in the culinary world and would have been the next Wolfgang Puck had he not met and fallen in love with Miss Tennessee 1984, then Monica Swagger. The two were inseparable in their personal and professional life. Thomas retired early selling his successful restaurant chain to an upstart for a hefty sum. It was enough for them to retire to Florida where Monica obtained her real estate license and worked business as a hobby, albeit a very successful hobby. Thomas was happy to take a back seat to his lovely wife and ran the front office while she and two other women bought and sold houses.