Marti: A Romance with an Enigma

As they sat back down, Sarah said, "Oh good. You have already met. Jeff, old man Trumble wants to talk to you about his tractor. He says that he will take you up on your offer if you throw in that small trailer."

Marti sat there stunned. She had been sitting with the subject of her visit for thirty minutes and hadn't realized it.

Jeff replied to Sarah. "Tell him we have a deal but I want to put new tires on that trailer before he takes it. The ones on there aren't safe."

Marti found her voice finally, "So Jeff will show up sometime huh? He never misses a meal."

Jeff turned a little pink and replied, "Well I did show up and didn't miss the meal, now did I?"

Sarah added, "You didn't tell her who you were, you rat. I told April to introduce the two of you."

Jeff grinned, "She took care of the important half of the introductions. I have been looking forward to meeting Marti; I just didn't want to scare her right out of the box."

Sarah snorted, "The only thing scary about you is that you pretend you don't exist."

"I..."

"Don't say it; Marti won't believe it. She has heard all about you since Friday."

Marti finally interrupted, "You were looking forward to meeting me? How did you know I was coming? I didn't know until Friday afternoon late."

"I have low friends in low places. I have been expecting someone from down there to show up but was hoping that it would be you rather than one of the hatchet men they usually send around."

"Hatchet men?"

"Yes; they have a group of men that they send around to do their dirty work. They give them a job and tell them to not come back until it is done. I get tired of dealing with those people. You can't talk to them; they like to do all of the talking. I checked you out and decided that you were the only one I could work with. When I heard Friday that they were sending you, I was pleased and looked forward to meeting you." He took a bite of his cake as Marti struggled to respond to this turn of events.

All she could come up with was to turn to Sarah and ask, "Did you know?"

"Not really. He told me last week to expect a visitor from the State but not much else. He does that a lot. When you arrived, I figured that you were the person and I was glad it worked out that way. Jeff, you ought to hear the questions she asks. She is very bright and understands things very quickly."

"That's good because I can't stand morons. Let's change the subject. We will deal with Marti's issues tomorrow. Today is to relax and enjoy ourselves."

Sarah turned to Marti and said, "Told you so." All Marti could do was snicker and nod.

The three spent several hours walking around and talking idly about life in the community. Around seven, Mati and Sarah went inside for a glass of tea and when they returned, Jeff was gone. Marti looked to her new friend with a raised eyebrow.

Sarah sighed and said, "He does that. He feels that if he stays around too long, he will get in the way of people having fun."

"That is stupid!"

"You aren't the first one to say that and that includes me but that is part of what makes him what he is. Actually, I think that he is a closet introvert. He socializes very well but inside, he would rather be alone with his thoughts and dreams. My dad was a little like that. We learned that he wasn't ignoring or rejecting us; he just needed his alone time."

It was Marti's turn to sigh. "Ok; so, what time should I be ready to beat on him in the morning?"

Sarah giggled, "You can't beat on him; it just rolls off. But if you have eaten and are ready at 8:00, he will be in his office by then. I'll take you; I left some things for him to review too."

As Marti snuggled down onto the sofa again, a revised version of her image of Jeff emerged. Now he was flesh and blood with a very calm and easy voice. But at the same time, he was still an enigma. She had no idea what made him tick and how he made decisions but it was obvious that these people trusted him beyond any normal level of casual trust. Now she was excited about the prospect of getting to know him better. Realizing that surprised her. She was so used to dealing with flat, uninspiring people that the concept of dealing with someone like Jeff was almost...she shut down that train of thought immediately. That was a place she was afraid of visiting at this time.

The next morning, she and Sarah repeated their previous two mornings and were eating breakfast at 7:30 when Jeff breezed in. Marti couldn't help but notice that he moved with a casual grace. Everyone greeted him warmly and he returned it in a very natural way. When he sat down with his cup of coffee and a waffle with fruit on top, she suddenly felt something closely akin to nerves.

"Good morning ladies. I hope you slept well. Are we ready for a day of fun?"

Marti couldn't think of anything less fun than going over all of the documentation and remained silent. Sarah however replied, "Only you would look at a Monday full of details as being fun."

"It kind of like doing the laundry; no one likes to do laundry but it is necessary and when it is finished, you can forget about it for a week or so. So, we get this out of the way and we have a full week ahead to enjoy."

Marti couldn't help but snort. The mere idea of returning to her office was not something that she considered enjoyable. Sarah nudged her and whispered loudly enough for Jeff to hear, "Some mornings you just want to strangle him but he would probably like it."

Marti almost choked. Jeff smiled and responded, "Finish your breakfast and you can begin the choking when you get through." Then he was gone.

Marti was just beginning to collect herself when Sarah leaned over to her and said quietly, "You got it bad, don't you?"

All Marti could do was turn red and respond, "What do you mean? Of course not. How can you say that?"

"Because you wear it all over your face. He shows up and you can't talk. Don't worry about it; a couple of hours with him and you will still will feel it but you will learn to talk to him."

"I think that you are the one I am going to strangle!"

"I thought so. Let's get a to-go cup and see if you can survive the morning."

"Sarah!"

"That's my name." They both broke down in giggles but Marti was still feeling warm under the collar as they walked out into the morning air.

As they walked down the street that had been the center of town, Marti asked, "What is going on with the buildings here? You said that the houses are being lived in."

"Yes, they are. How we will use some of the buildings is still one of the things being considered. Right now, the hotel is what it is and will be refurbished. The bank over there now houses the offices for the various community teams. That is also where I office and work most of the time. The building at the end used to be a hardware store. It is now the library and computer center. Jeff also has his office in the back. He likes being close to information. You will be amazed at some of the things he knows or has researched. He can be a walking encyclopedia sometimes."

They entered the front and found two people on computers looking up crop data. They both nodded to Sarah and Marti as they passed through the room and into the back. Sarah entered a closed door without knocking where they found Jeff sitting on a sofa reading through a sheaf of papers.

"Good morning again. I trust that Marti talked you out of strangling me, Sarah. These are good reports like usual. Send them around. Did the report on the well come in?"

"It came in the Saturday mail and copies were made for the team. I expect that they will be discussing it tonight."

"Excellent. We need to get that resolved. So, Marti, welcome to the Crossroads Community."

"Thank you; I can't tell you how impressed I am." She could hear Sarah cough and shot the evil eye at her. Obviously, Jeff wanted this morning to be somewhat formal. He must have sensed that too because he smiled at Sarah who smiled back and left.

"Ok, the formalities are over. Let's talk for a few minutes and then get down to the reason you are here. Is that all right with you?"

"That is fine. I am interested in how and why you started this place. It is so unique and the potential seems so great."

"Thank you. But let's just say that for now, the less you know, the better."

"Ok, now you will have to explain that."

"Here is the short, sanitized story. And I would prefer that you don't tell this to anyone including Sarah. Everyone here has been dumped on by the system and this is their hope to rebuild their lives. I don't want to spoil that hope. If things get really ugly, they will hear about it soon enough. Ok?"

"You make it sound like a spy novel or something."

"In some ways, it is. Simply stated, I bought this place for personal reasons but that also stomped on someone's commercial dream to make another fortune. He has been putting a lot of legal and political pressure on me to sell this place to him. I don't want to do that. I have spent a lot of time over the past four years trying to fill in the cracks and loopholes that are the obvious tools that can be used against us. The material over there is everything my lawyers know how to do. You reviewing them and taking them back is the final step. The next battle will probably get ugly. That's why I don't want you to know too much. You could get dragged into something you don't want to be involved in."

"I don't see how I could be dragged into a legal mess like this. I'm basically just a high paid clerk for the state."

"That is where you are wrong. I became aware of you five years ago when you were running the Compliance Section. The efficiency and accuracy you brought to that section resolved several very expensive lawsuits but you probably don't realize it. Since you became the department head, the same diligence has upgraded an otherwise worthless department into one that important people trust. You probably don't realize it but others would love to get rid of you. They hope that when you finish your law degree, you will leave. That's why your budget has been gutted and most of your requests for help have been denied. At certain levels, inefficiency and inaccuracy are beneficial."

Marti just stared at him in disbelief. It wasn't that she didn't believe him, it was that she had no idea that the internal struggles she had faced were known outside of her building. And he knew about her working on her law degree. Only her closest friends knew that.

"I...I don't know what to think or how to respond. How do you know so much?"

"I do my homework. Now that is enough of this. I only told you this much to get your attention."

She was very flustered at that moment. "Uh...what do you want me to do? I mean...oh shit, I don't know what I mean."

"First, calm down. All I want you to do is to do your job just like you have been doing. If we made a mistake, tell me. If things are in order, say so. Just do your job and file the paperwork. That is all I can ask of you at this time. The next step will be up to others."

She stared hard at this man that seemed to know so much but was about as opaque as a brick. "First, I don't know how to do what I do any other way. Second, second...when this is over, I want the story; the whole story."

"If we are lucky, that is what you will get. If not, you will hear it before you are ready to hear it. The papers are on the table over there. I am going to check on a couple of things and will be back before lunch. Call Sarah if you need me before then. Just pick up the phone and punch her name on the speed dial." He took a deep breath and then added, "I said that I was glad that they sent you; now I am much more confident that things will turn out well. Thank you for coming and being you." He stood up and left Marti alone in the fairly small office with a stack of papers on the table.

She worked diligently for an hour before she stood up to stretch. While stretching she walked around and looked at the prints hanging on the wall. On one wall was a watercolor of a sailboat gracefully sailing out of a harbor. Another one was a print of a Toulouse-Lautrec work. The next wall held a series of oriental silk prints. On the wall above the sofa was a print she recognized. It was one of Monet's Haystack paintings. This one was a single haystack with a village in the background. She admired it and saw that it was an excellent print.

"You like it, don't you?" Sarah's voice broke her gaze. "I brought you a drink. I figured you were ready for a break."

"Thanks. I needed to stretch. Working through those papers gets tedious."

"No kidding. By the way, that isn't a print."

Marti almost spit her drink out and sputtered, "You're kidding!"

"Jeff is full of surprises. The others are originals too. He says that they are part of his IRA. I'll check back again in about an hour."

Marti took another, closer look at the walls and discovered that Sarah had been right; they were all originals. Jeff's had just added another layer onto his mystique. Finally, in spite of her reluctance, she went back to the table and went back to work.

Two hours later, she got up for the third time to stretch but this time, she was finished. She had reviewed all of the documents and found them to be in perfect order before she signed and dated each one. Sarah had brought her another soda earlier but now she felt that it must be lunch time. Since he hadn't returned, she wondered if she would see Jeff there. It also dawned on her that she had no more reason to stay except that she wanted to. For the first time in a long time, she realized that she wanted a long break from her boring routine. A vacation! She wondered if she could come here and stay for a week or two as a vacation. She would ask Sarah.

She was lost in the sailboat painting when Sarah entered. "Done, girly? Let's eat; I'm starving."

"I was just thinking. If I took a couple weeks of vacation, could I come here to stay and work and stuff? I could stay at the hotel."

"What's the matter; is my sofa not good enough for you? Come on, let's eat and of course, you can come and stay anytime."

They walked to the community center and found a full house of people eating. Sarah simply said, "The truckers are busy today; it's Monday. Let's eat on the patio." They got their plates and walked out to the patio and found an empty table in the shade. They were just about through eating when Jeff walked up. His shirt was dirty and bloody as were his jeans.

"Sorry. I told you I would be back before lunch. We had a calf that was coming out wrong and we had to help her along. Marti, did you get things finished?"

"Yes; but go clean up and get something to eat. We will wait for you."

"Thanks. I'll do that." He wandered off towards his office.

Without being asked, Sarah said, "Since he lives so far away, he keeps some clothes at his office to change into. There is a shower there too."

"Did he grow up on a farm? He seems to know a lot about a lot of things out here."

"Actually, he grew up in the city but his grandparents had a farm and he spent summers and breaks working there. He said that he loved being outdoors after being cooped up in the city during school."

"What else has he done?"

"That is sort of a mystery. He has said that he graduated from college and worked in the commercial world for ten years. Then he bought this place four years ago. He hasn't said what he did in between and no one knows. As far as we can tell, he has never been married. I think he dates some when he is in town working with the lawyers but not out here. When we take a day off, we usually don't see him. He stays out at his house."

"Have you ever been to his house?"

"A couple of times. He usually has a group Thanksgiving and Christmas there. Believe it or not, he cooks most everything himself. He will only let us help clean up a little. He's a good cook too."

"Crap! Is he perfect?"

"Around here, you won't find anyone to disagree with that. I guess he has some flaws but they don't show up very often. I have seen him when he is so tired that he can barely keep his eyes open but he never complains."

Sarah shared a few more stores about Jeff until they saw him coming towards them again in clean clothes and carrying a plate of lunch. He sat down heavily and let out a sigh before he said, "Ok, now tell me about the forms and papers. Are they all right?"

"Hush. You eat first and then I'll tell you. Work can wait ten minutes." Marti shot back at him.

"Yes, momma."

"I'll momma you." She poked him in the side and he winced in pain. "Crap! I'm sorry. What happened?"

"The momma cow got fidgety and kind of kicked me in the ribs. It will be all right."

Sarah jumped up and ran inside before coming back with Megan, who asked, "Which side?"

"Megan, can't this wait? I'm eating."

"Just shut up and eat; I'll just fondle your body for a minute. Be a good boy and I'll give you a sucker."

He mumbled something like, "I'll paddle..."

Sarah grinned and said to Marti, "There is his flaw. He threatens defenseless women with a paddling but never does anything about it."

Marti grinned back, "So is the flaw that he threatens or never does anything about it?""

That brought a groan from Jeff and a laugh from three women. Megan finally said, "Ok; it appears to be just a bruise but a nasty one. If it stays painful or swells up, you are going for an x-ray. She might have cracked a rib or two."

"I'll be all right. Now let me eat."

"Stubborn like a man!"

"I'm glad you noticed."

Megan shook her head and went back into the kitchen muttering under her breath. Jeff looked innocently at Marti and Sarah and said, "What?"

Sarah shook her head while Marti responded, "You are so funny. Not ha-ha funny but cute funny."

Jeff turned a light pink and said, "Ok; change the subject. What about the reports?"

"I ought to tell you that they are all screwed up but I can't do that. I couldn't even find a typo. I signed and dated all of them and will file them when I get back. So, you are off the hook as far as Compliance is concerned."

"That is a huge load off of my back. Now we just wait for the next hammer to fall."

"The next hammer?"

"I shouldn't have said that." He sighed before continuing. "Like I told you earlier, What I have done messes up someone's plans. He won't let it go simply because these reports are filed. They would have been the easy way; now he will have to play hardball. So, it might get nasty."

"Will you get hurt?"

"Me personally, no. But depending on what happens, people here might and that is what I am concerned about."

Sarah interrupted, "Jeff, we have talked about this. All of us have been able to rebuild because of you. We are better prepared to deal with a problem because of this. Stop worrying about us so much. What about Marti? Will she get hurt?"

Marti looked surprised. Jeff replied, "On the surface, no. There is nothing they can point at to cause her problems. Having said that, they can always use this as an excuse to isolate her and try to force her out. That would piss me off a lot but there isn't a lot I can do about that. Marti, we talked a little about this too. When you go back, keep your nose clean and follow the book. If the pressure gets too much, do what you feel is right. If need be, you are always welcome here."

Sarah grinned, "Maybe I will have another bed by then."

Marti swatted Sarah and replied, "Jeff, I talked to Sarah earlier. I have a lot of time built up and I may take some of it and come visit for a couple of weeks. Is that all right?"

"It would be perfectly all right. However, give it a month or so before you do anything. I suspect that whatever will happen fairly soon. If you have any questions or want to talk, call Sarah. Until everything settles down, it would be better if you and I didn't talk directly. That could hurt you a lot."