There Must Be A Mistake Ch. 29

"Equal."

"It doesn't feel like we are equal. It feels like you're always winning."

"I not win, we win."

"She has you again baby, she makes you smarter, even though you have to work harder to get there."

"I used to live with a man that did the same thing to me. I had to get married to get away from him. He was a tyrant, and I had to keep putting money into this jar, which his son always cleaned out on Thursday mornings."

"That jar certainly cleaned up your language, didn't it?"

"It also took more than $4000 out of my pocket."

"$11,260 was the total from everyone."

"What did you do with that money Gordon?"

"I gave it to my mother."

"You are truly out of your fucking mind."

"That will be $10 please."

"Dammit."

"When I asked mom for something, she never said no."

"I don't remember you ever asking for anything Gordon."

"Neither can I," said Delicious.

"Well, I'm sure I did. Mom never said no."

"He is the perfect houseguest. His room is always spotless; his clothes are always in the hamper. He goes to bed when he told, and he never asks for anything. Just feed him three times a day, and he's happy. Give him long reddish/blonde hair, a bowl of water and he's a perfect Golden Retriever. He'll even sit on your lap if you rub him behind the ears."

Gordon threw a pencil at his sister, and it stuck in her blouse.

We continued to brainstorm. I sent Newton, Gray, and Delicious home at 5 o'clock. For our first day's work, I thought we did very well. Gordon stayed with me until six, and then he went downstairs to prepare for his match.

As he left he said, "Wish the other guy luck dad. I'm going to tear him a new asshole tonight."

"I will be very happy, if I don't have to pick you up at the hospital tonight. I will consider that a victory in itself

"Thanks a lot dad, I always liked these cheerful pep talks we have."

"You're welcome son, if there's anything else I can do for you tonight, just let me know."

"Okay, I have one request, show up on time, and watch the match. This way you can come to the hospital with me, in the ambulance."

"Since you put it that way, I wouldn't miss this for the world."

After he closed the door, I pounded my fist on the table.

"I feel sorry for the guy Gordons fighting tonight. My son is going to take him apart, limb from limb, and he will be looking at me while he does it."

************************

142. Home Coming

The one thing Payne didn't want, when they walked into the apartment, was an immediate confrontation with Dycke. As she walked into the vestibule of the apartment building, her agent said her husband was not home from work yet. She breathe a sigh of relief.

"Can I call some of my friends and tell them I'm back mom?"

"Absolutely, you can do it on the balcony, or from your room, wherever you want."

"I think I'll do it from the balcony, so I can smell the sea air."

"Okay, just be careful."

As Payne was walking towards the bedroom, she passed the dining room table and saw that to the remains of Dycke's racquet. She stopped moving, and screamed, "NO!"

The agents standing outside the door burst in to see what was wrong.

Zoie dropped her cell phone, and ran to her mother.

When she was asked what was wrong, all she could do was point at the broken racquet.

Zoie said, "So dad broke his racquet, what's the big deal mom."

Payne didn't answer; she ran to her room, closed, and locked her door.

She said to the agents, "She was fine in Paris. I have no idea what the big deal is over a broken racquet. I think I'll call my dad, and tell him we are home."

*********************

"Hello dad, we are back."

"I want to know which one of you has returned. Is it the nice young woman I met at Doctor Luck's home? The young woman who made me a bacon egg and cheese sandwich, and warned me about my cholesterol?

Or is it the young lady I wanted to throw the off my balcony for most of her life?"

"It's the same me, but I am acting normally now, if that's what you're asking."

"That's what I wanted to know. How are you feeling?"

"Mom and I had a great time in Paris. She cried, because I was so good to be around, and not the bitch I used to be. We would just go for walks, and talk for hours, just to get to know one another again. All those years were wasted dad, just wasted. I am so sorry."

"It's okay Zoie, it wasn't your fault. It wasn't our fault. Each of us tried everything we knew. Every kind of Doctor, every kind of treatment. You never said no to any of it. You were willing to try anything to change. It wasn't that you liked being the way you were. You tried hard to change, but your body was out of control.

Then my friend tells me to put you on birth control pills, and look what happened to you. In a few days, in just a few damn days you are a totally different person. Who knew baby, who knew it would happen so quickly, or if it would happen at all."

"Just think dad, they also kept me from getting pregnant."

"Thank you very much for the information, but I don't think I wanted to know about it."

"You nodded your head at me, as I walked into the bedroom in my robe."

"I have no recollection of that incident at all."

"What incident dad?"

"The incident when you went into the bedroom with your robe on."

"You are such a terrible liar daddy. I didn't have to try hard to get you to tell the truth. Why did mommy scream when she saw your broken racquet on the table?"

"If you don't mind that is between your mother and me. Please don't get involved in it."

"Why?"

"I am your father, and I asked you nicely not to get involved. I should be home about 7 o'clock. I will bring dinner home with me. I don't believe your mother will be cooking tonight."

"Would you like me to cook? I'm very good at it."

"I'm sure you are. However, I believe you need food in the refrigerator to cook". Since you have your drivers license, why don't you go shopping tomorrow and pick up whatever we need."

"Are you going to advise my trusty agent that I am allowed to drive?"

"I'm probably going to have to increase his salary for the hazardous duty pay he will require."

"That was not funny daddy."

"Funny, I didn't mean it to be funny."

"When you get home, I think I will sit you down and have a talk with you from the old Zoie."

"Tell the old Zoie I will not be home, ever."

"Okay, you can come home. The old Zoie is gone forever. I missed you dad."

"I missed you too sweetheart. I'll see you around seven."

***************

Zoie knocked on her mother's door, but did not receive a reply. She began to worry, and knocked harder. Payne still did not answer her.

She tried to open the door, but it was locked.

Zoie screamed, "Answer me mom, or I will have Scott break down the door."

Zoie heard the door unlock, and it opened about an inch.

She walked in quickly, and closed the door behind her. She got to her mother just as she climbed into her bed.

She climbed in beside her, and asked, "Please tell me what's going on?"

"I can't honey. This is personal, between your father and me. That's why he broke his racquet, and left it there as a message for me to see. It will blow over, but it's going to take a very long time."

"Neither one of you is capable of having an affair. Money can't be an issue, because we have more of it than France does. What the heck is going on mom?"

"Stay out of it Zoey, this is between your father and me, and only we can find our way through the mess we've made for ourselves."

"I just got the same lecture from dad. It was nearly word for word. Did you two talk about this before we got home?"

"I only spoke with your father on the day we arrived in Paris. When I called to tell him what time we were leaving and our arrival time in Charleston, I spoke with his secretary. I have not spoken to him in nearly 3 weeks."

"I'm sure that made the situation better."

"Zoie adults can be as obstinate as children at times."

"Mother, I don't want to come from a broken home. I don't want to be the one that causes it to break. This is all about me isn't it?"

"I told you this is between your father and me. This has been coming on for a long time. Don't stick your nose into a place where it doesn't belong. It could get cut off."

"Dad said he'd be home around 7 p.m., and he is bringing dinner home with him. He didn't think you would be up to cooking."

"Sometimes your father is a very smart man. When there's no food in the refrigerator, it's very hard to cook."

"Dad said the very same thing. He told me to go driving tomorrow and stop to buy groceries. You two can't split up, you are on the same wavelength all the time."

"There is a better reason than that. It would take the court 30 years to figure out who gets what money, and what properties. While they are figuring it out, the money would triple, and the businesses would double. The accountants would shoot themselves because it's so complex."

"Naturally the boys and I would call it a fraud and demand a recount when it was over. That would add another 20 years to it. That brings you to 93 or 94 years old."

"It wouldn't be all that bad. Your dad would be living here, and I would be living on the French Riviera."

"You would trust someone else to guard your interests in a multibillion-dollar divorce? You must be out of your mind."

"What do you expect me to do, live in the same apartment with your father?"

"It makes sense, and you can make sure he doesn't have any girlfriends."

"Zoie go away, you are making me feel good, and I want to feel miserable."

"Why would you want to feel miserable?"

"Because your father broke his paddle, and that's not fair."

"So break yours, and get even with him."

"It doesn't work that way. It was a message aimed straight at my heart, and it hit dead center."

"You adults have the nerve to say us kids a weird? I'm going to have to see a psychiatrist, while this is going on."

"Please remember to keep your nose out of your father and my business. We don't want you to get hurt."

"Would you explain to me how that is possible?"

"I'll send you over to your grandmothers'; that should take the tension off you for a while."

"I'm sure they're going to love that intrusion on their lives. They just settled down to their second empty nest, and now you're throwing me over there. Welcome home Zoey."

"It's not going to be for that long, and your grandparents haven't seen you in a long time. They haven't ever seen you like this. It will come as a pleasant surprise to them."

"So you're kicking me over to grandma Schneider first, and then over to grandma Temple. Do I go to uncle Steve after them?"

"No, you will come home."

"Good, don't forget to sign me up for school in January. I will be a senior, and graduate in May. All my online scores are A's or A+, so there won't be any problem transferring them. I guess you are going to want me to go to University of South Carolina so I will be close to home."

"I would like that very much Zoey. I don't ever want to lose you again."

"Okay, you can get the application form online. It's a general college form for all the colleges this year."

"When you are out tomorrow, go to the Apple Store, and get the best laptop they have. Put every app you want on it, and leave it with them so they can test it. Get the best warranty, and put it on your credit card. I will call the company and increase your credit limit to make sure it's approved."

"Gabriel is going to hate me tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Not only does he have to sit in the car while I'm driving, but he has to follow me around, while I shop. If there are two things in this world he hates, besides me, is being in the car while I'm driving, and following me around while I shop. I'll be lucky if he doesn't tell me before we get home."

"There is a reason why they will not let your father and I in the same car with you when you drive. You do not know how to stay in the center of your lane. Most lanes are 12 to 15 feet wide, and you take advantage of every inch.

Most people stay in the center of their lane, because it is the courteous and safe thing to do. It prevents accidents, and gives the cars to your sides a little room to maneuver, just in case they have a bicyclist or pedestrian on their side.

As far as shopping goes, men don't have that gene. A man knows what he wants when he walks into a store. He point to it, go to the register, pays for it, and leaves.

Women must touch everything, before we can decide if it's worth our while to purchase it. This drives men crazy.

We can look at one item, and say no. Then go through 15 other items that are close cousins of the first item. After three hours of going through everything in that department, we return to the first item we looked at, and purchase it. We have decided it is the best in the store for our needs. Our husbands want to kill us, but we have taken the time and made the effort to be sure this item is perfect for us.

If we take it home, and it doesn't work, we hand it to our husbands', and have him return it. He would rather throw it through a concrete wall then do what we told him to do.

When the salesperson sees him with the item in his hand, it takes all their willpower not to laugh. Our husbands' face is so red, he is about to explode. We can't understand why he? While he is away, we are preparing dinner. It is an equal distribution of labor, and we got him out of the house, so he couldn't complain to us directly."

"You never did that when we went shopping."

"You're forgetting Zoey; I had you to contend with, while we were shopping."

"Oh, I forgot about that. I'm sorry mom."

"We've worked it out, everything will be fine."

*************************

Fred was half a head taller then Gordon, and had arms like a gorilla. Not only were they muscular, but they nearly reached his knees. He weighed in at 193 pounds to Gordons 179 pounds. When they began warming up, Fred went over to Gordon, said hello and shook his hand, politely.

"I've seen you around, but we've never worked together. What area are you in?"

Gordon didn't want him to back off, because of who he was. "I'm downstairs with the computers. I do maintenance on them."

"Did you go to college for that?"

"No, I don't have a degree. I've always had a natural ability with them."

"Well, good luck tonight, and let's keep it clean."

"I agree that is the best way to keep Jeff happy."

"Jeff trained you too?"

"Do you know anybody else the trains around here? You come up through the ranks, until you reach Jeff. Then you find out how much you don't know."

"Man, you can say that again. I thought I was good, until I took my first class with him. He put me on my ass in three seconds."

"I think he does it just to show us how little we know. We better warm-up he's looking at us."

After warming up for 15 minutes, Gordon walked over to Jeff.

"Jeff, if you going to introduce us just use first names. He doesn't know who I am, and I'd like to keep it that way."

"No problem Gordon, when this match is over, you won't need a last name anyhow."

Gordon mumbled to himself, "Did Jeff purposely set me up? Did my father tell him to set me up? I don't think Monty would have done this on purpose, because she said he would find someone equal to me in his ranks. Well, if this is a set up, they have a surprise coming to them. I am going to take Fred down, and I'm going to do it quickly, before he can wear me down with those long arms of his."

As 7 o'clock approached, the gymnasium was full. There had to be 120 spectators there to see this match. I watched my father walk in at 6:58 PM. He walked directly over to the scorers table, and sat down next to Monty.

Jeff took us to the center of the ring, and introduced us by first names only. He announced that it was to be a 30-minute match, which he would score.

Fred and I shook hands, nodded to each other and went to our corners. The bell rang and we approached each other cautiously. Fred threw a right hand directly at Gordon's throat, and he went down gasping for air. I could hear Fred screaming that it was an illegal blow, and he was trying to help me. Monty, Jeff, and one of the trainers were at my side with an oxygen canister helping me breathe.

Jeff was screaming at Fred to go to his corner, and I opened my eyes enough to see that he was smiling on his way there. The son of a bitch had done it on purpose. He probably knew who I was, and wanted to take me down. I was not going to let that happen. That bastard was not going to win. I was not going to take this lying down, even though I was lying down.

I heard my father say, "You are floating on air Gordon. You are looking down at your mother and I standing on the front portico of our house, northwest of Fairbanks. Nothing bad can happen to you here. No harm has come to you. You own this land. No one can take this land away from you, not even someone, who tries to steal your breath away. You already know how to defeat him. Stand up and do it."

"I opened my eyes to thank my dad for his pep talk, but he wasn't there. It was just Jeff, Monty, and the trainer. I must've had a nice nap."

"Would you guys give me some air please? I'd like to knock this guys' block off, if you wouldn't mind."

Jeff asked, "Are you certain you are able to continue. You have won this flight by default, due to an illegal blow. If you continue, it can go either way."

"Score the illegal blow against him, and let the fight continue. I'm sure he didn't mean it."

As Jeff and the trainer left us, I said to Monty, "He threw that punch intentionally. He knows who I am, and wants this victory badly. I'm gonna put his asshole where his mouth is, and I'm going to do it quick."

"That's my boy; kick his ass, and shove his balls down his throat."

Gordon got up, shook his head, and walked around for a few seconds. He walked over to Fred and shook his hand, acknowledging the fact that he said it was accidental contact. Then he returned to his corner.

Jeff shouted, "Fight," and they began. Gordon ran right at Fred, jumped in the air, captured his head between his calves, twisted his body, and brought him to the ground on his face. He let him go and moved away. The crowd roared.

Fred was very unhappy, and moved at Gordon in a low crouch so it could not happen to him again. With his long arms touching the ground, he reached out to grapple with Gordon's hands.

Gordon had other ideas. He took one-step back, and used Fred's head and back to do a somersault over him. As soon as he was clear, he used both legs like a donkey, and kicked Fred in the ass, knocking him forward, and down. He did not press his advantage again, because Fred was not hurt, only his pride was.

Fred roared with fury, not only at Gordon but also with himself for falling for such a trick.

"Try that again monkey boy and I'll break your fucking leg."

"My mommy doesn't let me use such vile language. However, the next time your big backside is available, I'll be sure to kick it."

Fred came at him in a more balanced approach, and Gordon went for his legs. Unfortunately, he missed and he got trapped underneath him. Fred went for Gordon's throat, while Gordon used his legs to change his position 180 degrees.

While making it appear he was trying to break Fred's hold on his neck, Gordon said to him, "I know you did it on purpose, so I owe you this one."

He took his thumbs, and began crushing Fred's larynx, all the while appearing to try to break Fred's hold on his neck. No one could see what Gordon was doing, but Fred was feeling the pain and the loss of oxygen to his brain. Fred let go, and Gordon backed away. No one understood why Fred was out of breath, but Gordon did.