The Brass Ring Ch. 01-02

Then Brains got another idea.

"What was the name of the guy she ran off with?" he asked me.

"Damned if I know. I'm not even sure the old man knows. I'll ask him."

"Frank Duckworth, the asshole," Pop said. "Why did you want to know?"

"Aw, just doing a little checking to see what happened to him."

I knew that didn't fool the old man. He knew I was up to something, especially since I was working with Brains. But he didn't say anything, so I just shut up and went back to tell Brains who to look for.

"Bingo!" Brains said with a whoop. "Frank J. Duckworth lives at 2679 Buttercup Drive in Ortonville. According to this, he's a salesman, and he's married to a Rhoda J. Duckworth, no kids."

I sat there, just staring at the screen. That was the old lady, all right; Rhoda Joan. So when did she get the divorce? The old man didn't know anything about it.

"Maybe she didn't," Brains said as he read my mind.

"What?"

"Maybe she didn't get a divorce. Maybe she married him and didn't say anything about being married to your father. Or maybe he knew and didn't care. That would be bigamy, you know."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. How do we find out?"

"Court records. If they're not on file here, then they must be on file in Ortonville. Let's have a look," Brains said, as his fingers began to fly over the keyboard once again.

"Nope. No record of a divorce here in this county, and no record in Ortonville. I think Frankie and Rhoda have a problem, Duke. A big problem."

"No shit, Sherlock. This might be good for the old man, right?"

"Could be. He'll probably need a lawyer to figure it all out, but this might be a very good thing for him."

I wasn't sure how I was going to break it to the old man. I didn't want to upset him. I wasn't sure he wanted to marry Marla, but that was the way he was leaning. Besides, we could afford a lawyer to get him clear of the old lady once and for all. Maybe mess up her life just the way she messed up ours. Seemed like the way to go, as far as I could see.

"No way, kid. No fuckin' way. I don't want nothin' to do with that bitch." He didn't seem to be open to the idea, I thought. But why?

"Look, Pop, you don't have to see her. Just get a lawyer and sic him on them. All you want is to be free and clear of her. This is the best way to do that. Your divorce will go through easy-peasy. Then you can decide what to do about Marla. I know how you feel about her. She's never going to do what Mom did to you."

He sat there, mumbling under his breath. It was a sure sign he was thinking about it. Marla wasn't around, so he could say what he wanted without worrying about hurting her feelings. That was when I decided to leave him alone. He needed to think about it, long and hard.

I don't know what the old man told Marla, but the next morning she grabbed me and hugged me so hard I thought she was going to crack some ribs. I got a big kiss on the lips and an even bigger thank you. Putting the pieces together, I figured Pop had told what I'd done and why and I guess Marla thought that was okay. Well ... maybe a little better than okay.

The guy we used as our lawyer for the business passed us off to his partner who did family law. Apparently, he was a real bulldog, so we were in good hands. He dug up all the facts and sure enough, the old lady had married Duckworth without bothering to get a divorce. The shit hit the fan from dizzy heights, but the upshot was the old man got something called a dissolution order, and within ninety days he'd be legally single. Not only that, he didn't owe her a dime.

Things were going great at the business and at the house. Pop and Marla were going to get married the day the divorce was final. Civil ceremony, just a couple of people there -- me being one of them, naturally. Brains got an invite too, since he did all the spade work. After the ceremony, they were going to take off for parts unknown for ten days on their honeymoon. I was feeling really good for the old man. He was happy. Marla was the best thing that ever happened to him.

*

Chapter 2 Out of My League

A couple of years later, I was still single, but the business was now really big. We had just finished moving to a new warehouse and office building on the edge of town. We employed thirty people, give or take, and the money was really rolling in. I was still the finder and idea guy, while Pop looked after running the whole show. That's what presidents did.

We'd sold the house and bought a new one not far from the new warehouse. It wasn't huge, but it was new and it was nice. Marla nearly wet herself when she first saw it. For me, it worked out great. There was an apartment over the three car detached garage, so I had my place and my privacy. I could bring someone up to my pad and entertain them without bothering anyone. It was working out real well.

I still didn't have a steady girl, but I wasn't worried too much about it. I was getting all I could handle, so why mess with it. I was well known around town and I had money to spend, so I could show a lady a good time. A real good time if she was willing.

I bought a '62 Corvette that I had professionally restored. It came with a 327 fuelie and a four-speed. When he was done, it was cherry! Bright red, with the big whitewalls and white leather. It even had the removable hardtop. Everyone knew that car. I also had a new pickup with the company name in big letters on the door. I used it for work. Life was good.

I had talked the old man into joining the Chamber of Commerce a year or so earlier. We were now a big deal in town and I figured we should make sure everyone knew who we were. The meetings were a place to be seen and make some new acquaintances, so since that was my job, I was the guy who would be attending.

Each year, the Chamber chose a company to honor as business of the year. I couldn't believe it, but we were chosen for that award. There would be an awards dinner and a big story in the local newspaper telling everyone about how great Hunsinger Auto Services was, and that was good for business. Since Pop was the president, naturally, he'd be the one to get the award.

"No fuckin' way," was the answer I got when I told him about the awards dinner. "I'm not gettin' up on no stage in a monkey suit and makin' a fool out of myself."

"Look, Pop. This is a big deal. It's good for our business. This town has been good to us. The bank had been good to us. The customers have been good to us. We owe them. If they want to say 'atta boy' to us, then we should be grateful as hell."

"Fine ... you go up there and get the trophy."

"Pop, it's not a trophy. You're the president. You're the guy they expect to see up there saying thanks. You don't have to make any big speech. But don't spoil this for our employees. They get to see the guy they work for being told he's done a good job. Don't cheat them out of that," I pleaded.

"I wouldn't know what to say. I'd probably make a fool out of myself. I'm not a real president ... just a boss," he complained, but no quite so loudly.

"Helmut," Marla interrupted, "you are every bit a president. You run that business and everyone knows it. Just because Dieter is the majority owner doesn't mean you aren't the man. I'll be very disappointed if you don't do this," she said with a hug and a sorry smile.

Marla could do what I couldn't. She could get the old man to feel guilty. He would do anything for her, and if that meant maybe embarrassing himself in public, he would try to please her. I wondered if I'd ever find a woman that could love me like that and that I could love that way in return. She made my old man better, and everybody knew it.

The night of the awards dinner, we were sitting at a big round table with ten people. I didn't have a date, but it didn't matter. Every seat was full. There was Pop and Marla, Frank and Sheena Wilcox from Wilcox Plumbing, Bert and Harriet Abbott from Centerville Construction, and Gerry and Paulette Jenkins and their daughter Merilee. Gerry was one of our best customers. He had two dealerships in town. Toyota and Mercedes. Go figure.

I learned something from Marla that night. When you went to these big dinners, you were supposed to sit boy-girl-boy-girl. So, with Marla on one side of me, I was pretty pleased that Merilee Jenkins was on the other. She was a babe. Way out of my league. I'd seen her around town a few times and wondered who the lucky guy was who had her.

She was tall, maybe five-eight. Nice build, great rack, perfect round ass, short, curly blonde hair, sky-blue eyes, a heart shaped face with rosy cheeks like she just came in from outside, and lips that looked like they needed to be kissed. She was hot!

Naturally, we struck up a conversation.

"My father says your company is his best supplier. He's really pleased you're getting this award," she told me.

"Thanks ... I mean ... I'll have to remember to thank him personally. He's one of our best customers and I'm always glad to hear that he's happy with us."

She nodded. "He tells me that you look after all the customers and your father looks after the office."

"Yeah. I know what I'm good at, and he knows what he's good at. That's what makes it all work, you know. The old ... I mean Pop ... knows everything about what it takes to make us successful. I'm just the front man. I make sure I find out what the customers want and that we're doing what they want us to do."

"I get the impression you're more than that," she said smiling. "Dad says you're always looking for ways to do things better. He's trying to get our people to do the same things as you do. You know ... like listening to the customer."

"Well, I worked at a place before I ... worked ... at this business. I saw how not to do it, so when Pop and I got Hunsinger going, I swore we wouldn't make those same mistakes. So far so good," I grinned.

I don't remember much about the meal they served. It was good I suppose, but I spent most of the time talking to Merilee and she didn't seem to be bothered by it. I knew she was out of my reach, but just the same, it was nice to spend some time with a beautiful woman who didn't mind talking to me. I was feeling pretty good about that evening.

When the desserts were finished, it was time for the speeches. I could see the old man getting more uptight as time went by. He had a card with some stuff written on it and I could see his lips move as he went over what he was supposed to say. Marla was hanging on to him, whispering words of encouragement I guess. She was the best medicine for his nerves, I figured.

Pop didn't drink much and tonight was no exception. He wasn't going to get pissed and make a fool of himself. He could do that stone cold sober, he said. I wanted to laugh, but I knew he was really nervous, so I didn't want to make it worse. Marla had him as calm as he was ever going to be, telling him that he was going to be just fine.

When the master of ceremonies got around to the big award, Pop was looking pretty pale. I kept my fingers crossed that he would be okay, and when they called his name, he got up real slow, and walked fairly slowly to the podium. He shook hands with the MC, then put his card on the podium and cleared his throat.

"You folks that know me ... you know I don't go in for makin' big speeches. So this is going to be a short one."

That brought a chuckle from the audience, including me.

"I want to thank you all for giving Hunsinger Auto Services this award. I know I'm up here in this outfit to accept it, but the guys and gals that work there are the ones that make it go. I just sit at my desk and drink coffee all day."

That brought a bigger chuckle.

"But there's something a lot of you don't know. I'm not the real boss. My son, who's sitting over there," he said pointing at me, "he's the brains of this outfit. He talked me into running the show while he went out and found out what we needed to sell and what kind of service we had to have to make us a success. He's the real guy you should be giving this award to."

I was surprised that a lot of people applauded that. Everyone at the table, including Merilee, turned to me with big smiles. That felt good.

"We make a hell of a team," Pop went on. "When we got Marla ... my wife ... to join us, we were unbeatable," he said with more force than I expected.

Marla flushed as he pointed to her, but smiled in acknowledgement.

"So ... just so you don't think I did this all by myself ... now you know better. Thanks a lot for this," he said, holding up the plaque, "and everyone at Hunsinger has a piece of it. Thanks again."

The applause was immediate and most of the people stood up to my surprise. He'd made a hell of a speech for a guy who didn't want to be up there. I was real proud of him, and Marla was smacking her hands together with tears coming down her cheeks. When he worked his way back to our table after shaking a whole bunch of hands, she gave him one of her patented bear hugs and a big kiss. He came around to me to hand me the award. I shook his hand, then gave him a hug too. I don't think I'd ever done that before. It just felt right.

"You must be very proud of him," Merilee said, as things quieted down.

"Yeah. Always have been. Tonight was good for him," I said quietly, hoping he hadn't heard me.

I shouldn't have worried about it. Pop was standing with Marla beside him, accepting the congratulations of a whole bunch of people. He was smiling and thanking them and Marla was holding onto his arm while people congratulated her too. Then it was my turn. Several people approached my chair and wanted to congratulate me too. I stood and thanked them one by one.

I noticed that Merilee hadn't left, but was watching as I talked to the people who came to our table. Her father got up and gave me a real hearty handshake, telling me that he was hoping he could get his people to treat his customers the way we treated ours. That felt real good, I can tell you. He was a nice guy, not just a big customer.

I felt relieved but happy when all the hand-shaking was done with. Not because it was over, but because these people seemed really pleased that we had won this award. I didn't quite understand how Mr. and Mrs. Joe Public would know about Hunsinger Auto Services, but I guess they just liked to know successful people and that's what the award said we were.

When I sat back down, Merilee turned toward me and raised her wine glass. I picked up my water glass and we touched.

"Congratulations, Dieter. You must be very proud of what you and your parents have achieved," she said.

I wasn't about to correct her. Besides, Marla was as good or better than a mother, so it wasn't an insult.

"Yeah. I'm real happy for Pop and Marla. I'm really lucky to have them," I agreed.

"The next time you're at Jenkins Mercedes, stop in for a coffee. You'll find me in the office."

"You work there?"

"Yes ... I'm in the accounting department. But I want to get into the lease and credit department some time soon. It's much more interesting."

I didn't have a clue what the lease and credit departments would have that would be interesting, but I nodded my agreement at her ambition and smiled.

"I'll do that. I can usually find time for a coffee with a customer."

"I'll look forward to it then. Make sure you do," she said with a look I couldn't quite figure out. Hell, if a babe like this wanted to have coffee with me, who am I to say no?

The evening was coming to a close and most of the people were heading to the coat room. I had come in my own car, so I wasn't waiting for Pop and Marla. As it turned out, I was walking with Merilee and the Jenkins as we headed for the parking lot. Gerry was driving a big E Class Mercedes. That was one nice ride. I'd brought the Corvette. The truck didn't seem quite right for this shindig.

"Oh, Dieter, is that your car?" Merilee exclaimed when I stopped at the 'vette.

"Yeah. I had it restored a while ago. Always wanted one."

"It's really nice," she said, obviously admiring it.

"Any time you want a ride, just let me know," I said, not thinking about what I was promising.

"I'll take you up on that. Gotta go now," she said as she saw her parents opening their car doors. She hurried off, looking back and waving as she got into the back seat of the big Mercedes.

What the hell. She wants a ride, it's no big deal. Doesn't mean anything. Just a ride in a sports car.

It was still early when I got back to the house and I saw the lights were on in the kitchen, so I went in.

"Want a glass of champagne, Dieter?" Marla asked.

"Sure. I've been dry all night, so I could use something to celebrate with."

She poured the sparkling wine into one of the wine glasses and passed it to me. She and Pops were one ahead of me, I figured.

"Here's to Pop," I said. "The best damn president in the county." I raised my glass. "You made a hell of a speech tonight, Pop. I was real proud of you."

"Thanks," he grinned. "I got to tell you, I was real uncomfortable at the start, but when people started applauding, I sort of calmed down. I figured I wasn't doing too bad then."

"You were wonderful, Helmut," Marla smiled. "You said all the right things. I'm so proud of you. I'm the luckiest woman in the world," she gushed, kissing him hard.

"Yeah ... I guess I am too," Pop said, holding Marla tight to him.

"What do you think about the Jenkins girl?" Marla asked after we sat back down.

"She's a beauty ... but way out of my league."

"Oh no, Dieter. Don't say that. No woman's out of your league," she said, looking upset with me.

"Marla, I don't have a college education, and I don't wear a suit and tie. I'm a workin' stiff and I know it. That's what I'm good at and that's what I want to do. Girls like Merilee Jenkins don't hang out with guys like me. They want to be around lawyers and doctors and guys like that. That's just the way it is."

"Don't you dare talk about yourself that way, Dieter," Marla spat. "You are much better than that. Besides, I saw the way she looked at you. She was checking you out very closely tonight. You should find a way to get to know her."

"Well, I don't think there's much chance of us getting together, but so's you know, she wants me to stop in at the dealership and have coffee with her sometime."

"There!" Marla said triumphantly. "I knew it. She's got the hots for you, Son. I could see it in her eyes. Make sure you stop in next week and have that coffee. You may be surprised what happens," she said with a sly grin.

Marla had called me Son. I don't think she could understand quite how much that affected me. I hadn't had a mother for a long time, but if I was going to have one, it would be Marla. I moved over to her and wrapped my arms around her and kissed her.

"Okay if I call you Mom now and then?" I tried.

"Yeah," she said, wiping a tear from her cheek. "Yeah ... that's fine."

I didn't get to Jenkins Mercedes until the middle of the following week. I had to see the parts department manager and check on some aftermarket pieces that were supposed to fit the older Mercedes models. I went over them with the manager and his top guy, a German fellow, and we agreed that they would be fine. Sometimes it's not a bad thing to have a German name.

The receptionist, Teresa, and I had some history. We had dated a few times. She was a nice girl, but not my type. A little too young and flirty for me.

"Hey, Duke. How are you?"

"Good, Teresa. You look good."

"Thanks. What can I do for you?"

"Is Merilee Jenkins in?"

"Yeah ... I think so. Just a sec," she said as she picked up the phone and punched in a couple of numbers.

"Hey, Merilee, Duke Hunsinger is here. Should I send him back?"

I couldn't hear the other end of the conversation but I assumed she said yes, because Teresa gave me instructions on how to find her office.