Modern Day Cavegirls - Happy Friday

The associate nodded, "That's correct. Ms. McLeod has overstayed her welcome as far as Bobbi and her family are concerned."

"Can I go to speak to Jodi - or is that not possible?" Su-jin asked her.

"It probably wouldn't be wise," the woman said.

"I'll go for you since I'm not involved directly," Jane said, "What do you want me to say?"

----------------

Jane came back and asked for the papers. The associate told her that she'd have to come along to witness the signing.

Su-jin didn't know whether she ought to be hopeful or just miserable. She decided that miserable over all of this was probably the correct thing here.

She watched as Jane and the legal associate came back a few minutes later. The associate's face was blank. Jane looked annoyed.

"It's off," Jane said with a tone of disgust, "She wants twenty-five thousand and she stood there waiting like she expected the lawyer there to just pull it out of her ass. Sorry Su-jin, but I can't see this - "

Jodi was there all of a sudden, "Ok, I'll sign," she said.

"That way," Jane said angrily as she pointed to the lawyer, "It's her you have to convince. I haven't got any part in this."

Su-jin just raised her hands and shook her head as she turned away. As much as she loved Tyler, she was about to decline herself.

-----------------------

Thirty-five minutes later, Jodi was driving away as Su-jin watched.

Behind her, the house was a huge mess, since Su-jin hadn't been there since Tuesday. Among the items discarded by Jodi were the laptop and the tablet PC that Su-jin had bought for her.

Neither one had been touched since that day.

Tyler was still sleeping, having gone down for his nap and Su-jin felt awful.

She looked and found that at least there were diapers and food to get by on for a couple of days.

Su-jin didn't really know what to do.

She looked at Jane and Suzi, "Please, wait here. I need to get something out of my house."

They nodded, feeling for Su-jin.

Su-jin opened the door to her house and walked in, she looked around and found Max' pack of dried-out, half-crushed cigarettes. Picking them up, she walked to where Jane stood and asked for the keys to Bobbi's truck. Jane blinked at her and handed them over.

From there, Su-jin put the ignition switch in the truck to the accessory position and punched the cigar lighter, hoping that it wasn't one of the things which weren't working.

With a cigarette lit a minute later, she walked back and handed Jane the keys. Jane's eyebrows rose to nearly her hairline.

"I am prioritizing and ... rationalizing," Su-jin growled, "Not have anything left anymore. For next ten minutes, please look after my son if he wakes up. I trying ... "

She sighed, "Trying not to cry. I have Tyler. I have SO big mess from greedy Bitch Girl. I should be happy now."

She groaned, "I feel like I have just bought my child - with someone else's money. How I can feel happy?"

She sat down on the porch and leaned back against the railing. She took a puff and looked at the cigarette for a moment.

"This is one shit day for Su-jin." She closed her eyes and leaned her head back.

She felt it as Jane sat beside her and said, "Move your head. I want to put my arm around you."

Su-jin did it and took another puff. "Why?"

Jane chuckled," Because you're amazing me again. I am so proud to know you, Su-jin."

She pulled out her phone, "I gotta check in with Bobbi. You want to tell her anything?"

Su-jin's eyes were closed again, "Tell her what you need to, Jane. Let me talk to her after. Last thing.

Thank you for being my friend."

Jane looked over, "Thanks for being mine too." She leaned over and kissed Su-jin on the lips softly and Su-jin understood it completely.

She noticed Suzi next to her on the other side and she sighed when Suzi took her hand to hold, "I need more Tylenol, a fresh package of mild cigarettes, and lots of beer.

And weekend off. That the really important one.

But instead, I will smoke one more and throw these shit things away. Then I will stand up and begin to clean house."

Jane shook her head, "Nope. You're gonna sit here, we'll get Tyler's fold-up playpen, that cool backpack to carry him in and we'll take all of the Tyler stuff to your place. You're not going to live here until we clean it - all of us for you, and even then, not til we change the locks.

I can't believe Jodi. She leaves everything and just drives off. She acted like, with five grand in her pocket, she can always get new stuff. She keeps thinking like that, she's gonna be broke in a week or less. Good thing I asked her for Tyler's car seat."

She called Bobbi and told her it was done and that Jodi was gone. After their conversation, she handed Su-jin the phone.

"Thank you Bobbi," Su-jin said, "But you do so much for me, I do not know where to start."

Bobbi laughed, "Honey, it was my pleasure. You work so hard for me and we all love you to death. Tyler needs a mom and he picked you the first time that he laid his little eyes on you."

Su-jin chuckled tiredly, "Bobbi, he bit my boob. Not great welcome into his life for me, but I love him so much."

Bobbi chuckled, "Well, at least you didn't have to push him out of you. You want to pay me back Su-jin, take me to dinner or you know what?

Make me a dinner of Korean food. I've never had that. I'll take that as payment, ok?"

Su-jin smiled, "Ok, but you have to tell me when in next two weeks or so. I need notice to prepare something. Deal?"

"Deal," Bobbi smiled, "I used to ache when I thought of that boy being raised by Jodi. If I can have just one more thing, please let me be a part of his life. Tell him I'm his Aunt Bobbi, ok? That would really make me happy."

"Sure," Su-jin smiled into the phone.

"I wanted to tell you, but you are not here. I don't think it matters, but Max will live with me now. Jane told you she is with Suzi. I meet her today and I really like her. Max needed place to sleep so ... she sleep with me. We will try. I think it work ok.

I filled out everything for Suzi to start on Monday and called uniform company like you wanted. When will you be home?"

"Sometime tomorrow," Bobbi said, "I might need until Sunday to get some real sleep, though. I'll try to see you and Max and TYLER then. I'm glad about you and Max, too."

--------------

"This is the part that I am afraid of," Su-jin whispered, "How long before he misses Jodi? How bad will it be? I don't know anything."

"We can keep him busy for a while," Jane said, "We'll take him to work and he can stare at everything. I can take him to the ramp and he can watch the planes with me for a little while. With any luck, he might not notice that Jodi's not here until after you put him down for the night. By tomorrow, that's already a day gone, so who knows?"

Tyler was pleased to see Su-jin when they woke him. She changed him and gave him a bottle with fruit juice in it and they all walked to the truck.

He was curious and seemed to notice Jane for the first time then, but he was happy, remembering her from before maybe and they drove to the airport.

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Tyler loved being in his playpen in Su-jin's office too. She shrugged when Max stopped by, "He acts like it is HIS office," Su-jin chuckled, "When anybody comes, he stands up and wants to see them. So good boy."

Suzi was smitten at her first look at Tyler back at the house. Now, he had a lock on her heart too, "Awww, he's adorable!"

For his part, Tyler stood in his playpen, sucking on his bottle like it was a ten dollar cigar. He considered Suzi in a managerial way it seemed, and then he reached for her.

Suzi picked him up and hugged him, so he began to talk to her, but none of the phrases that he knew really covered "I like you" really properly, but he didn't much care.

Jane was passing through the office at the time and she just chuckled, "Another conquest. That kid can snag a woman's heart from forty feet. I can't wait for him to hit his teenage years. Better get ready, Su-jin, it's probably gonna be a little ugly, all the girls trying to get his attention at school."

Max had a different game plan, however.

She took Tyler out of his playpen and sat him down on the carpet with her. While he looked at her, she found a couple of his toy trucks and set them down between them. She lay down completely, right at his level and then she started pushing one truck around, doing the sound effects as she went.

Tyler was delighted! He was right with her and they had a blast together while Su-jin gave up all hope of getting anything done anymore and watched them with tears of laughter in her eyes.

"How did you know that he would want to play like that?" She asked Max, who was trying her hand at changing him afterward.

Max shrugged, "We've got some things in common, that's all."

Suzi was fascinated as she watched Tyler go when he was set down again. He walked over to his toys and began to zoom them around. She looked at Max and asked, "Such as?"

Max shrugged, "I don't know what I want to be when I grow up either."

Jane's phone went off and she keyed the mike button, "Yeah Jimmy."

"Patterson's here. Can you get Max to come down or what should I do?"

Max was already walking toward the glass door then, but she recoiled and came back. Jane saw the look and keyed her mike, "Wait one."

Jimmy double-clicked to acknowledge and he waited.

"What's the matter?"

Max groaned, "Bobbi sent me into town on an errand on Tuesday. I was stopped at a light and that guy there was beside me. He was screwing with his tape player or something and out of nowhere this Led Zeppelin song started blasting out at top volume about juice running down somebody's leg.

I heard it and I thought it was funny. There was nobody around, so when he looked at me, I just smiled and blew him a kiss after mouthing the words to him. Then I left.

The next light, he got the tape thing working again but it was still the same song, so I sang along about falling out of bed while he was staring at me and we laughed about it.

Then I buggered off and forgot about the whole thing. I didn't know who he was, but now he's here!"

She looked down, "But this is for Bobbi, so I gotta go, I guess."

Su-jin was up and walking over, "I have to see this man who makes you do these things. Might be fun or something."

Max pointed and Su-jin nodded, "He's cute!

Ok, you do your thing. I'm good." She said as she walked back to her desk.

Jane and Suzi began to laugh and even Max smiled over it.

Max was still smiling, "Do my thing?"

Su-jin hadn't gotten around her desk by then but she just threw up her arms and danced a little because she felt a lot better now over getting Tyler, "Do what ya wanna do."

"I'd rather stay and watch more of that," Max chuckled.

"Ok," she sighed, thinking about having to meet Patterson, "the Ice Princess Cometh," and she walked to the door thinking of maintaining her distance.

Jane keyed her mike," Max is gonna meet Patterson at the farm, Jimmy. Tell him that I'm coming down and I'll lead him there before I head out to grab a few things for Su-jin."

"'Kay.'" Jimmy replied.

Jane looked over at Max, "I can stick around a little if you want once we all get there.

Bobbi and I always try to spend a little time with Patterson whenever he comes. He always looks so lonely, and we just like him. Once you get past his shyness and draw him out a little, he's a nice guy.

We don't know it of course, but we always get the thought that being with us always makes his day. I've seen him when he gets here and he's all looking down and even sad. But when he leaves if we fuss over him a little bit, he's almost springing with every step. I've never figured out why he's like that, but if it is because he's lonely, it's just wrong to me.

And you'd better believe that he knows his business. If he was any better at his job, you wouldn't even have to help him get the cowling off. He could just tell you everything from about ten feet away."

Max looked at Suzi, "Can I borrow Jane for about twenty minutes?"

Suzi was sitting with Tyler and she nodded, "Sure, Max."

Jane keyed her phone and told Jimmy that she'd be down to lead him to where the old plane was.

----------

Su-jin was sitting with Tyler, thinking that her day had really picked up at last. She was feeling much better about everything now and if there was any trouble, well she'd just handle it.

Her eyes widened as a thought came to her and she pulled out her phone.

Kwang-jo picked up on the second ring and Su-jin told him that she'd gotten Tyler and had him in her office at work.

Su-jin told him about the nerve-wracking progress of the delaying and the dealing and then it was suddenly over.

She mentioned that the house looked like a warzone and that she had a huge cleanup awaiting her. Kwang-jo didn't hesitate and offered to help. She was little surprised and said that some of her friends had also offered, so Kwan-jo suggested that they make a day of it and he offered to bring something, asking if she had a barbecue.

So they talked about it and it became a project.

------------

Patterson was standing near the open door to wait for Jane when he thought that he heard the Harley start and looking back though the doorway, he saw the mystery man as he backed it out of the parking spot.

Without a look back, the trike rolled off.

Patterson sighed just before Jane walked up with the smile that he always got from her and he felt a little better then. At least he knew that his guesses over the past few days had been correct.

He wanted to shake his head. Fat lot of good his guesses would do. He was stuck very firmly in his closet and he knew it.

-----------

"It's right up there in that big shed, Patterson," Jane pointed, "I'll meet you up there in a minute. I live just over there and I'm just gonna check my messages to see if there's anything from Bobbi."

He nodded and turned toward the old rutted path. He saw the old trike there as he'd pulled in and he wondered now, but he was here to do something, so he thought that he could wonder later on his own time.

-------

Jane met Max as she came out of the door to Su-jin's place, "Where did you disappear to?"

Max shrugged, "Had to pee when I got here. All that coffee, y'know?"

Jane nodded, but she also knew that Max was usually nervous about being near men that she didn't know at all - which probably covered most of the male surface population, anyway. She understood.

"You ok now?"

"Yeah," Max sighed, "I just want to get the feeling stupid part over with."

---------

Patterson was walking up the hill toward the shed and Max and Jane were behind him. He hadn't noticed them yet.

Jane called out, "Hey Patterson, wait up!"

He stopped and turned around. Max looked down at her feet as she walked.

Since Tuesday, Paterson had three days to wonder every so often who that person on the Harley was. He wasn't one of those fools who obsessed over a lot of things, but with a social schedule as ... absolutely empty as his was, he had time to think. Even if he didn't want to.

He recalled seeing the coveralls and by Thursday morning, he'd gotten past the leather jacket and wondered if there was a large logo across the back of those coveralls. It had come to him when he was at the bank behind a Quicksilver's employee who wore his coverall into town.

As he'd pulled into the lot today, he'd looked around and - there it was - the silver-gray Harley trike.

Now he was looking at Jane walking toward him and he liked that. But now he was looking at the figure walking next to Jane. He saw the coveralls, but then everybody wore them back at the hangar. He noticed the brown hair too and the overall build.

With all of the cold, calculating thought processes that the human penis can bring to bear on anything, Patterson felt the twitch and sighed inwardly.

Not now.

Please not ... not now.

But as they approached, he got the message over the internal intercom.

'Yup. Now. Deal with it, Jocko. We're going to action stations with or without you.'

Patterson held his red metal toolbox in front of himself, like it was a lunchbox and he was waiting for the bus.

Jane gave no sign that she'd seen anything, but as he watched, Patterson saw those sea-green eyes come up and look at him.

The act of tightening of his groin muscles once was something that was ... just, semi-preventable, but in an erect male, it always felt a little good to do it. He fought the small urge.

And he lost.

There was no outwardly visible sign that anything had happened because he was clothed after all and he had the toolbox in the way.

But if it was any more ridiculous, there would have been an audible clang, since the tip of his dick was now ready to fight it's way through the underwear and the zipper and the red steel that was blocking it.

He switched hands on the handle of the toolbox, trying to think ahead to the inevitable introduction followed by the handshake.

"Hey Patterson," Jane smiled, "This is Maxine Klein. She's gonna be working on dealing with getting the Norseman out of the mess on the other side of this door here. After that, she'll be playing a large role in it's restoration.

Max, this is Patterson Dillon of Tempest Av Engines, they're our prime supplier of rebuilt piston engines."

Max stopped in front of Patterson and held out her hand as Jane stepped past to open the door. Patterson was wondering if he'd heard the name properly. This was a woman?

A moment later, Patterson was intrigued - but without meaning to, Max brought the reality of this back. He greeted Jane in his usual heartfelt and slightly shy manner and then he held his hand out to Max.

As she shook Patterson's hand, Max looked down and Patterson wanted to run away.

"Nice tool ... box," Max said quietly.

She stepped past him, wondering how she could save this. She hadn't meant to embarrass him, but ... it had been a bit of a surprise. Most men that she ever met weren't ready to wave the flag quite that quickly. As in - it hadn't ever happened before and the line was out of her mouth before she'd even known it.

"I saw you in town the other day," she said, wanting to make conversation and then realizing that it was ...

Oh fuck it, she told herself, Just try to get past this.

"I was having a bit of trouble with the cassette player in my car - which is prehistoric," he said.

"I didn't mind," she looked back a little, "I've always had a thing for that song."

Right, she told herself. You try to sound cheery and you make it worse. Fucking awesome, Maxine.

She led him to the old Norseman, but he tripped over two large blocks of cast iron, since he was looking at her coverall-covered ass, which was as lean as the rest of her so it was a stretch to do. Even bringing the overrated X-Ray vision into play didn't work, since there weren't enough visual cues to connect any dots.

The second time, he dropped the toolbox and hearing the crash, Max turned back instantly and knelt on one knee to help, before the box opened and spilled tools everywhere.

Her efforts caused her to reach for the handle and her hand grazed the lump in his pants.

Patterson groaned.

Max looked into his eyes and smiled because she couldn't help it. She doubted that he'd see it the way that she did, but she thought it was just funny, one of those little awkward comedies that happen sometimes.

Doing that turned her eyes on without her meaning it and Patterson was almost lost.

Max looked back at Jane and said there was nothing wrong, but Patterson had dropped his toolbox and she was giving him a little help picking it up.

She was a little proud of herself at sidestepping the obvious little joke about her giving him a hand.