Life after the Lottery Ch. 74

"That was what you said. I'll take care of that," Linda said. "Fuck them...they should build better executive aircraft then..."

Daniel just smiled as Linda kept looking.

"And this total for final build-out...that is for all the hospital improvements?" Linda asked.

"Yes. Right at $58,000,000."

"Including the local places?"

"Yes. Not all of the hospitals need as much improvement as the rural hospitals."

"Okay. Let's hope all our numbers hold up," Linda said and handed the papers back to him.

"James...Daniel is my bulldog when I need help...pulling some strings," Linda said with a big smile.

Rachel came back in after about ten minutes.

"They are finishing the fueling now. A few more things, and we will be out of here," Rachel said and went back down the stairs.

I saw Stan come up the stairs with some big bags from a restaurant, then Rachel came up with two more. Stan went back down the stairs, and Rachel moved the bags to the galley. By the time they had everything put away, Stan was pulling up the stairs.

"Let's get out of here," Stan said as he went into the cockpit.

Rachel came and sat across from Daniel, and we all buckled up as we heard the engines start.

*****

After we had finished lunch, it was about 2:00 our time. Stan had just come from the cockpit and told us it would be five more hours. He said we were moving fast.

Rachel came and sat next to me.

"10:00 their time in the morning," Rachel said.

"At the place they make them?" Linda asked.

"Yes. He got a little frustrated that you wanted him to show you around," Rachel said.

"Good," I heard come from Daniel.

"You are not going to get much sleep," Rachel said.

"We can sleep coming back," Linda said.

"You'll have to do that. It will be about midnight local time when we land. Then it will take two hours before we are in the room. With the drive...to the plant...we'll have to leave the hotel by 7:30 in the morning."

"That gives us time to catch a few hours of sleep and get ready," Linda said.

"Very few," Rachel said.

We took off and climbed fast.

*****

It was midnight local time when we landed. There were two black SUVs waiting for us. Linda and I got in one with Rachel, and Daniel got in the other. The two guards got upfront, and we left.

"You'll have to be up by 5:30," Rachel told Linda, once we were in the room.

"No problem. Have breakfast delivered at 6:00 then."

"I will."

"Let's get some sleep," Linda said to me.

"What about Rachel?"

"She'll be up finishing up some plans."

"I'm sure she will be happy when something like this is Gregg's problem."

"She will."

We went to the bedroom and took off our clothes, and got in bed. Linda rolled to me and wrapped her arm over me.

*****

Even I had trouble getting moving after just a few hours of sleep. Linda and I showered then got ready.

Breakfast was sitting in the big room when we walked out. Rachel was on the phone.

"Rachel, honey. Take a break and eat."

Linda and I sat down at the table. Rachel joined us after a couple of minutes.

"I think everything is ready."

We pulled away from the hotel just before 7:00 local time. By 9:45, we were pulling past a security gate at the helicopter plant. When we stopped in front of the building, two people came walking toward us. They welcomed us and led us into the building.

"Where is Mr. Beirger?" Linda asked.

"He is waiting in his office for you, Ms. Williams," A lady said as we headed to an elevator.

We walked into an office, and a well-dressed man greeted Linda.

"Hello, Ms. Williams. I'm happy you came to see us," he said.

"Good to see you. I wanted to fly over for a short meeting."

"Sure. No problem. Let's go and sit in the conference room."

We walked to a big conference room, and we all sat.

"Mr. Beirger, this is Daniel Worthson, my project manager. And this is Dr. James Smith. Dr. Smith is a friend that wanted to tag along. And this is Rachel. She is my spouse and personal security."

We all said hello.

"Daniel had some questions about the final numbers I thought we should discuss. And I wanted to look around the plant to see where my new helicopter was made."

"Okay. I'll have the manager of your project come in."

"That's okay. I have the latest proposal from you right here," Danial said as he opened his briefcase and pulled it out.

Daniel had sat next to the President, so he handed him a copy.

"You can see right here the final price we were quoted for all 36 helicopters and the total before the proposed 10% tariff," Daniel said.

"Emm. Nothing I can do about that proposed 10% tariff. Seems like Bell Helicopter is pushing hard for it in your congress."

"We know. That is going to add an extra $10,000,000 we hadn't planned on," Daniel said.

"If they pass that 10%...well, at least 10%...tariff, that is going to hurt," Linda said.

"It's not going to help. We haven't had any luck from our lobbying people in Washington," Mr. Beirger said.

"They may not know who the right people are to talk to," Linda replied.

"I wish we knew who the right people were," Mr. Beirger added.

"Knowing who to talk to is just a matter of money," Linda said.

"Are you talking about bribes?" He asked.

"Oh, no. When I say it is a matter of money, I mean the more money someone has, the more they get listened to by Congressmen."

"You should have plenty listening to you then!" He said and laughed.

Linda sat quietly.

"If they pass at least a 10% tariff on your aircraft...that is going to hurt," Linda said again.

"Ms. Willaims...do you know who we should be talking to in Washington?" He asked.

I was starting to understand the trip and this setup.

"Probably a few...or more."

"If you could tell my people who to talk to...it could help us both."

"It could. It could save me maybe up to $10,000,000 just on this purchase. I'm glad I got my $10,000,000 helicopter last year."

"You were lucky."

"I may not be so lucky this year."

"Mr. Beirger," Daniel said to him. "I know that these 36 are due to start production this month. Is the nine-month time frame still good?"

"Yes. We are up to eight a month of the EC 135 aircraft. Plus, the time to outfit them as an air ambulance. We can deliver all of them in late July. Is that still good for you?"

"That is still a good time frame. We should have almost all the improvements made to the hospitals by then," Daniel replied.

"There will be two going out at the end of May to the training facility in the US," Mr. Beirger said.

"Good. We can start working on hiring and cross-training pilots," Daniel added.

"Mr. Beirger...how tight is the schedule on ordering a new 135?" Linda asked.

"Oh..wow. We are increasing production as fast as we can. The 135 has been a huge hit here in Europe. If someone in the US ordered one this month...probably 14 months or more."

"Oh, my. That won't work," Linda said.

"Why? What were you wanting?" He asked.

"Dr. Smith wants to order an Executive 135, with all the latest electronics. He and his wife are wanting one for personal use."

"I see. Have you priced an EC-135 Executive?" He asked me.

"I have looked at one with all the IFR equipment and dual pilot controls. I was wanting one fully loaded with everything you could put on it...for my wife's birthday."

"When is her birthday?" He asked.

"August."

"Maybe for next year's birthday then!" He said and laughed. Linda just sat quietly.

"Would that be the best you could do?" Linda asked.

"For a loaded Executive 135? Yes. All of them right now are being built for ambulances and police."

"Well, shit..." I mumbled.

"Mr. Beirger..." Linda started. "You don't even have a show model you take to the air shows?"

"Well, sure. We have three like that we take all over the world."

"Would you be interested in selling Dr. Smith one?"

"My marketing people would kill me if I did!" He said and laughed, then stopped laughing as he looked at Linda.

"You know...I do have a lot of contacts in Congress. I could tell your people who they should be talking to for the best results. I could even make some phone calls to introduce them to the right legislators and even put in a few words against the tariff," Linda said.

"Oh, could you?"

"I'm sure I could....but...what would it be worth to you?"

"It would help us out if that tariff could be reduced."

He just sat with a look that he knew Linda had him by the balls now.

"How would that help you out?" Linda asked.

"You know it would help us a lot...and be worth plenty to us."

"That was what I thought. Would it be worth parting with one of those VIP show models about July?"

He knew he was screwed now.

"I could probably arrange that...if you can get it reduced some."

"I can look into it when we get back. It may be hard to get it killed...Bell Helicopter will scream...but, I can call the President of Lockheed. David owes me a few favors."

"David Burritt?" He asked.

"Yes."

"I'm not sure he will help. They are probably supporting it."

"When I talked to him yesterday, he said maybe not. They would like to see more pressure put on Bell to build better helicopters. I think he would work with you to slow things down."

"Oh, my...that would be...great."

"I just need to call him back."

"Ms. Williams...if you can do that...I'll be happy to sell him one of the VIP models!"

"You may want to find out who much they will let it go for!" Linda said and laughed.

"Hang on a minute." He got up and went back to his office.

"You are ruthless," I said to Linda, and she smiled.

"I'm not finished yet! Jeanine and Stan told me about the one they saw at a show."

A few minutes later, the President came back in and sat.

"Okay. The third one we just built has everything on it. All the latest instruments, dual pilot controls, plus the executive interior and all the latest electronic and safety features. My marketing people are not happy, but $2,900,000. They wanted it for the US air shows."

"That seems high," Linda said.

"They don't want to let it go."

"Maybe you need to explain what it will be worth to your company...if they do."

"It only has 15 hours on it."

"You could have in the states by July?" Linda asked.

"There is an air show in late July. It's the Oshkosh show. We could ship it from there when it is over."

"Would that work, Dr. Smith?" Linda asked me.

"That would be great...but that is a bit more than I thought it would be."

"You would have the only VIP one in your country for over a year," he said.

"How do you get new helicopters from here to the US?" I asked.

"By ship usually. The show helicopters are flown over on a big plane, then shipped by truck from show to show."

"Does the end of July sound good?" Linda asked me.

"That would be great, but...I was wanting to get a custom paint job for it...for Dawn."

"You know what, Dr. Smith. There will be a few months between air shows before July in Oshkosh. That is a huge show, we could go ahead and get the custom paint job, and we can market that we are delivering the first Executive EC-135 in the US!"

"Is that Oshkosh, Wisconsin?" Linda asked.

"Yes. That is one of the biggest fly-in air shows in the world there every year," he said.

"James, that is only about 600 miles from home. Will you and Dawn have your initial license by then?" Linda asked.

"Jeanine said maybe July."

Linda got out her cell phone and dialed.

"Hey, Jeanine...do you think Dawn and James will be ready to fly by the end of July?" Linda said into the phone.

"Okay. Would you be able to fly with them from Oshkosh to home?"

"That was what I was thinking. They would need the...hey, that would work!"

"Because the VIP EC 135 we just bought for Dawn will be at the show..."

Linda listened for a minute

"I guess we could...okay...check into it..."

Linda hung up.

"Okay. I have an idea," Linda said. "You know that getting that tariff reduced is worth a lot to your company. The bill is in congress now. Mr. Beirger, I'll make you a deal."

"What is that?" He asked cautiously.

"It should be worth more than what I am going to propose, but it would help me too. How about this? For every percentage point I can help you get the tariff reduced...you take $200,000 of the price you just quoted for Dr. Smith's helicopter..."

"Sure!" He said. Jumping too soon, if I knew Linda.

"And...$250,000 off each of the ones in production for me if I get at least 5% taken off."

"Just $250,000? Not for each percentage point?" He asked.

"That will be good enough...and you can owe me some discounts in the future?"

"Hmm...5%...that could be..."

"Nine million total," Daniel added.

The President thought for a short minute.

"Sure! It would be well worth the money!" He exclaimed.

"I thought it would be. I knew I could count on you for a small favor," Linda said. "Would that work for you, Dr. Smith?"

"Sure. If you can get 5%, I would only have 1.9 million in it."

"Great. Mr. Beirger, do you have a cafeteria here?" Linda asked.

"Yes, we do. A nice one."

"We'll go get something to eat, and you have someone type that up for us quickly," Linda said.

Linda stood up, and everyone else did.

"I'll have my secretary show you the way," he said.

A lady came in and she took us down to the cafeteria, and we grabbed something to eat.

"That will be a big discount if you can do it," I said to Linda as we sat.

"Just wait."

"Can you help him out?" I asked.

"Of course, I can!" Linda exclaimed. "Jeanine said if you two, or three, were ready in late July, it would be a good cross country flight for each of you from Oshkosh, Wisconsin. She even said it would be good hours for the transition from the Bell helicopter too. Now, just figure out a reason for all of you to go to the air show."

After we had finished, we went back up to the conference room. There were a couple of other guys there.

"Ms. Williams. I'm Randy, and this is Stefan. I am the VP over Sales, and Stefan is the VP over marketing. Can we sit and talk?"

"Sure," Linda replied

We all sat.

"Mr. Beirger said you twisted his arm!" Stefan said.

"A little, but I think your company will benefit."

"Oh, it would. We hope you are successful."

"I hope I am too."

"We wanted to discuss this VIP EC-135 you talked him into."

"No backing out. Too late now!" Linda teased them

"Oh, no. We were just curious why Dr. Smith wants such an...expensive aircraft?"

"It is for my wife. She needs to be able to fly back and forth a few hundred miles on a regular basis. Instead of her renting a helicopter, we just decided it would be better to buy one."

"Is she a former military pilot?"

"Oh, no. She will be starting from scratch soon. But, Ms. Williams' two pilots also fly her EC-155. They are going to help my wife and me and another wife get certified all the way through instrument training."

"That will be helpful," Randy replied.

"Ms. Williams hospitals will be some of the first American hospitals to put the EC 135 into service. We are hoping that there will be many others waiting to see how well her EC-135's work out. May I ask what type of business your wife will need hers for?"

"My wife, Dawn, is now the Tribal Medicine woman of the Cherokee Nation in North Carolina. That is over 200 miles from where we live. She wants to be able to fly there and back on weekends or when needed, instead of spending over 4 hours driving each way."

"She is Native American then?"

"Yes, she is."

"That sounds very interesting," Randy said. "Will she be traveling there and back every weekend?"

"I hope not! Probably once or twice a month. Why?"

"Well, she would be one of the first civilian pilots in the US, and I think the first female. Would it be possible for us to use her for some publicity?"

"I don't see why not."

"Once she is flying, we would like to have a few video spots made and write a few articles for the trade magazines and the internet."

"I'm sure she would do that."

"Featuring a new female pilot that did not come from the military would say a lot about how easy it is to fly the new EC-135."

"Don't underestimate my wife."

"Oh, no, sir. Obtaining an instrument license is no easy task. If she'll have it by Oshkosh, that would be a lot of work."

"James, maybe you should tell him who else will be flying it," Linda said.

"Well, Dawn and I are going to train together, and one of my other wives."

The two of them sat there, not sure what to say at this point.

"Tell them how old Samantha is...your other wife," Linda said.

"Samantha is nineteen...will probably still be nineteen when she gets her license," I replied.

"Nineteen?"

"Yes, as long as it doesn't take away from her studies for med-school."

"She is going to be a doctor?" Stefan asked.

"Yes. She is going to be a plastic surgeon," Linda added.

"That would be some great PR," Randy replied.

"He can't get his other wife interested in flying," Linda said straight-faced.

The two guys looked at her, then back at me.

"Uhh...Dr. Smith, are you going to take delivery after Oshkosh?" Randy asked.

"I'll see if we can be there."

"Oh, wow. Listen, if you and the other two...ladies...have your license by then...we could do some promotion that you are picking it up! Hey, that would be great!"

"He said that the custom paint job I want will be ready for the air show."

"No problem!"

"If they can do what I would like for the paint job, you can probably make a story off it," I said.

"What is special about the paint job? Does it have a logo?" Stefan asked.

"If I get artwork showing me they can do it after I send some photos, I'll have copies sent to you," I told them.

"Oh....okay."

"Give me a call in a few months," I said to the two guys.

The President came into the conference room with a handful of papers.

"Here we go," he said, laying the documents in front of Linda. "We made it all formal...but we didn't need to."

Daniel took one of the documents and started reading.

"Oh, your word was good enough for me...but you know lawyers," Linda said.

"Dr. Smith said we could use his wife...or wives...for our publicity," Stefan said.

"Great. And Ms. Williams, I am counting on you to promote our air ambulances in the states."

"Dr. Smith will take delivery at the end of the show in Oshkosh," Linda said.

"That will be perfect."

"And, my pilots said they would be willing to display me new 155 at the air show."

"Would that be okay with you?"

"Sure. They can fly Dr. Smith and his family there, and one of them will fly back with them."

"If you can show your new 155 that will be great. It was really loaded and set up for executives."

"I can do that then."

"Thank you!"

"Everything else will be up and running by early winter. Check with me then," Linda replied.

"We got everything," Daniel said as he slid the document back to Linda with a pen.

"Dr. Smith, can you send us the documentation for who the aircraft will be sold to?" Randy asked.

"Here," I got out one of my cards. "That is my email address and cell number. Send me an email explaining what you need. There will be a corporation that will be the owner. It is being set up."

"That was what I assumed. I'll send you what we need."

Linda signed the other paper and slid it over to the President to sign. Once he did, Daniel took it and put it in his briefcase.

"Is there anything else?" The President asked.

"Show us around now," Linda said and stood.

Everyone stood.

"Randy, why don't you and Stefan show Ms. Willaims and Dr. Smith around."

It was interesting to see how they put everything together. We walked through the facility for several hours before Rachel said we needed to head out. I had stopped and talked to a couple of the painters for a bit.