There Must Be A Mistake Ch. 30

"Do you think those rats at Lefortovo might still know you?"

"Their great, great, great grandchildren might remember me. Rats are like elephants, they have very long memories."

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

The maintenance crews removed 6 rows of seats, from the center section of the Boeing 767. They moved the hyperbaric chamber into position, and secured it with bolts into the floor. The technicians came next, and set up all the oxygen equipment, pressure hoses, and gauges needed to keep the machine running properly. Dycke was going to have more oxygen pumped into his system then he had breathe, since the day Payne told him she was keeping Zoey at home, with her.

Since that day, he drove himself maniacally into his work. He said very few words, if any to Payne, because she didn't listen to him. He had constant headaches, and he was not allowed to speak to Zoey without Payne standing by her side.

Payne was always at her side, and this was driving him crazy. It was as if he was no longer Zoey's father. He was a disease in his own home, He decided to leave the house before they got up in the morning, and go straight to bed when he returned. He expected Payne not to talk to him, but so he never made an attempt either. This broke his heart, and his spirit.

Today's call from his friend shattered the glass that kept the two hemispheres of his brain from colliding. His home life, and business life coalesced, and he collapsed.

His friends at work were true to him. They sprung into action to save him from himself. They were not going to allow him to self-destruct if they had anything to say or do about it. And as far as they were concerned, they were going to have a lot to say about it. They had been with him, as friends and employees for more than 20 years. His friendship was more important to them, then the paychecks they received from his company. They wanted him healthy again, and they were willing to do anything to get him back to the man he was before this incident began.

Fiona called both sets of parents, and they were horrified by Payne's actions. Payne did not tell them the wedding had been called off. She did not tell them Zoey was staying at home with her.

Dycke was not at home when the parental barrage began, and that was Payne's prime defensive move.

"Did that bastard husband of mine call you and tell you to attack me? When I was a child, I was the perfect child. I never caused one problem for anyone. I was disfigured at birth, and I never complained. If I cried I cried alone, but I never complained. Dycke fell in love with me the way I was. He didn't care about the way I looked.

Zoey is a different case entirely. She was a bitch every single day of her life. It took every bit of restraint for me not to kill her, or put her in a juvenile facility for wayward girls.

All of a sudden, she turns into this marvelous child, and you want me to give her away. I won't do it. I will not do it. I can't do it. If you want to divorce me from your lives, so be it. I finally have a daughter I can love, and only God will take her away from me."

Her mother and father stood up, and prepared to leave.

Alletta said to her daughter, "Be careful what you wish for Payne, you just might get it."

"You did it to me mother, how does it feel?"

"It didn't feel good Payne, but finally, I came to my senses and did what was right for both you and Dycke. Are you doing the same, or are you doing only what's right for you?"

Chad Schneider asked, "How are you and my son getting on?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you still sleeping in the same bed?"

"I don't believe that's any of your concern."

"He is my son, and when it comes to my son, he is my concern. He is no longer sleeping with his wife, one of the few people in this world he would die for.

I believe it's in his best interest to move to our home, where we can keep an eye on his mental status. What is going on in this house is a war. What you have done goes directly against everything he stands for. You are hiding this from everyone you know and love, because you have not advised any of them that your daughters marriage is canceled. Inside you are ashamed of yourself, because of what you're doing. You are too hardheaded to admit it. If you continue down this road, your life is over. You will have lost your friends and family. You can buy new friends, because of the amount of money you will get from the divorce settlement. Those type friends you can buy anytime, and anywhere. Do you really want those people around Zoey?

You said it before Payne; you were the perfect child. You were the perfect bride, and up until now you with the perfect wife, and mother. If I were you, I would spend a lot of time in church, praying for advice from someone who is greater than all of us.

"As to your question, 'Did that bastard husband of mine call us, and ask us to attack you?' The answer is no. I have not talked to my son in nearly 3 weeks. I heard about this at the golf course from your son Jason. Does that make him a bastard, or do you know where he comes from?"

As Payne was turning fire engine red at Chad's remark, Bacillica said, "It's okay Payne, you don't have to tell us where to go, and how to get there; we know our way out."

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

"You lied to me mom. You said you and dad were having troubles, but they did not concern me. All of the trouble that is happening here, is because of me?"

"No it's not Zoey. It's because I don't want to let you go, and everyone else believes I am making the wrong decision. I had 2 boys that grew up to be normal healthy boys. I had one beautiful baby girl and she had a disorder nobody could diagnose until her 16th year. Then my baby girl blossomed. Now she is 17, and they want me to give her up forever. It's not fair, it's just not fair."

"I don't remember reading anywhere it saying life was fair. Was it fair for you to go through 17 years of your life being disfigured? Is it fair giraffes can't talk? Is it fair that Donald Trump's hair doesn't move?"

"That's enough Zoey, the Donald Trump remark was not necessary."

"I was just trying to lighten the mood mom."

"You did, thank you very much."

"Do you want to go to the card store and have them print up notes saying the wedding has been canceled? It is the proper thing to do."

"Yes, and we have to put a rush on it. I've waited much too long to do it."

"I'm driving, so that means two cars."

"Who's with you today, I'll say a prayer for him."

"That's not a nice thing to say mom. I am a very good driver. I have no tickets, no accidents, and I am an 'A' student. Now all I have to do is learn how to drive in a straight line."

"Maybe you need glasses?"

"I just had my eyes checked mother. I am 20/10 in both eyes."

"My goodness, just like your father."

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Zoey's SUV was leading the parade up the Savannah Highway towards downtown Charleston. They crossed the Ashley River and turned onto Bee Street traveling north at 30 miles an hour. She was lucky enough to make the traffic light at Ashley Street and made the left turn traveling west. The traffic light at Rutledge turned green, and the car in front of her moved across. She had her turn signal on, waited for the traffic on the opposite side to pass. She began her turn, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw a white panel truck careening down Rutledge at a high rate of speed. She made an instant decision. She turned her wheel hard to the left and hit the accelerator spinning the wheels of the SUV, which headed her in the opposite direction, back onto Ashley. It was an almost, but not enough. The white panel truck crushed the back of the SUV as it attempted its escape. The airbags deployed, and Zoey and Steve were temporarily in shock, and immobilized.

The 4 men in the panel truck jumped out, and tried to escape. They were carrying automatic weapons, and bags of money stolen from the back of an armored car. They were looking over the shoulders for the police, when they ran into a fusillade of bullets from the agents who were trailing Zoey. They robbers fell to the floor, dead, or dying.

The police arrived seconds later to take control of the situation.

The agents put their guns on the ground, and held their hands in the air, with their identifications displayed in them.

Payne didn't care about any of the shooting going on; all she cared about was Zoey. She was not allowed out of her car, until the police had everything under control. When they said she was allowed to go to her daughter's aid, 3 agents led the way.

Zoey was outside her car, looking at the damage.

Her agent was standing by her side telling her that she made the correct move, at the perfect moment. If she made any other choice, they would be dead.

He didn't leave it at that, he explained each of her other options, and told her why they were lethal. When he was finished, she was very proud of herself, but she was also sick to her stomach.

Steve took her behind the SUV where she gave up part of her breakfast. He said, "You have nothing to be ashamed of Zoey. That's all the adrenaline that built up in your system. It needs a way to get out, and it's the way it does it. It's perfectly normal, and we all do it the first few times we go through an episode like this. I want to thank you for saving my life."

Zoey turned around and hugged him.

"When my mother gets here she's going to yell at me for not doing something better. She will probably stop me from driving until I'm 90."

"I will back you up Zoey. You did marvelous work just now."

Through the tangle of men, Payne pushed her way through.

"Zoey are you okay?"

"All 10 fingers and all 10 toes mom."

"Don't you be snippy with me young miss; are you okay?"

Steve said, "Mrs. Schneider, you should be very proud of your daughter. If she made any other decision, but the one she made, we would both be dead. I just finished proving it to her. She was positively perfect in her decision-making. I'll drive with her anytime, even though she doesn't drive in a straight line."

"You had to say that, didn't you?"

"I said your decision-making was perfect, not your driving."

A policeman walked over, and asked who was driving the SUV.

Proudly Zoey raised her hand.

"May I have your drivers license and registration please?"

Zoie handed him her drivers license, and Steve retrieved the registration from the glove box.

The policeman winked at Steve.

"Miss Schneider, I'm going to have to give you 2 tickets."

Payne and Zoey screamed in tandem, "What?"

"Yes ma'am, you were going the wrong way down a one-way street, and tearing up city property. We can't have everyone going around spinning their wheels, and tearing up the streets of our fair city, without being punished. Your license will be suspended for 90 days, and the fine will be $750."

Payne stepped forward. "Officer Scalia, our lawyers are going to take your badge away. My daughter attempted to get away from a speeding van in an attempt to save her life and the life of a man dedicated to protect her. If our men had not interceded, those robbers would've gotten away with all that money, and possibly killed other civilians. They also may have killed my child, and her agent."

"Madam, are you threatening a police officer?"

"You bet your ass I am."

"Would you put your hands against the car and spread your legs 18 inches apart please."

"May I ask why?"

"You just threatened a police officer."

"Verbally, you asshole."

"There is another ticket, using offensive language in public. I must admit I love my job."

Steve said, "I don't think you should use your paper forms. You don't have enough of them."

"Why do you say that, this is a new book?"

"She's married to Dycke Schneider. You would need a forest of books to make a dent in their monies interest."

"Mrs. Schneider, your husband gave $22 million to our unions widows and orphans fund last year, and he demanded it be kept anonymous. All South Carolina's orphaned kids go to college, and our widows are not forced from their homes, because of lack of money. We are not allowed to tell them who paid for it, because your husband is a very humble man."

"As for you young lady, we always know when you're driving. Please don't drive at night; you will be pulled over to take a sobriety test by every police officer that sees you."

"Steve that's not funny."

"Steve didn't say a word young woman; we know your license plate number. Your dad gave it to us."

"Well, it looks like I'm going to get a new one."

"No, they will put it on the floor, and have a police cruiser run over it a few times, until it straight."

Zoey looked at Officer Scalia to see if he was lying. He kept a straight face, and continued writing in his little book. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.

"You are lying to me aren't you?"

Without lifting his head, or bothering to stop writing, Scalia said, "Yes."

"You son of a bitch."

"There is another ticket; using offensive language in public."

Three black SUVs drove up alongside them, and Steve said, "Thanks for keeping them occupied Vic. We will leave you alone now."

"Anytime Steve, I love the looks on their faces."

Payne looked at him and asked, "You set that all up?"

"Yes ma'am. All our people who were involved in this will have to go to police headquarters, fill out reports, have their weapons tested, and make an oral statement. That will take a lot of time. If you were standing here waiting to leave, with nothing to do, you would have become very upset with the police for keeping you here for no apparent reason. However, there is a good valid reason, and you would not want to hear it, because it was ruining your day. By keeping you busy for 15 minutes or so, I was able to get replacements here, and now you can continue with your days agenda."

Payne said, "I hate men, they are sneaky."

Zoie replied, "What are we?"

"Devious."

"It's the same thing."

"Whose side are you on Zoey?"

"Mine."

"Good girl. Is there anything you want to tell me?"

"No, I just don't want to see any more panel trucks coming my way."

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

Steve and Zoey were sitting in the back of an SUV. She was not allowed to drive, and she was unhappy about it.

Steve said, "You just avoided being killed in a major accident. Driving now, you would be looking at every car as a possible accident waiting to happen. You have to wait at least until tomorrow to get your wits about you. Then you can start driving again. I will sit beside you, without worrying, but it will be tomorrow."

"Okay, I don't have a choice in the matter anyhow, so I'll just wait until tomorrow."

"Here is the card store, go inside, and get it done quickly."

"My mother is in the next car. Have you ever heard of her doing anything quickly?"

"How long is it going to take for your mother to say, 'I'm sorry folks the wedding is off?"

"Would you like to bet a year's salary on it?"

"No, but you could be helpful in that situation."

"You are such an optimist Steve."

Nearly 3 hours later, the 2 women came out of the store smiling and laughing, carrying 2 packages each. Two agents followed behind them. They were pissed. They were carrying enough shopping bags between them they qualified as pack animals. Several agents rushed to help them, and made sure they were not in the cars the women were in. Language was going to be used that tender ears are not supposed to hear.

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

Dycke woke up in the hyperbaric chamber, with his son, Jason, looking down at him. He spoke into the microphone.

"Tell the son of a bitch who put me in here I'm going to kill him."

"Which son of a bitch would that be dad?"

"The son of a bitch who thought up the idea to put me in this chamber of horrors."

Bob Short walked up on the other side of the chamber and said, "That son of a bitch would be me. Fiona wanted to put you into a submersion chamber, but I told her you would come out loony tunes. How do you feel?"

"My headache is better."

"That's because of the 3 atmospheres of pressurized 100 percent oxygen your breathing. We want you to go back to sleep for as long as you can, or as usual my darling wife has options for you. You can go back to sleep naturally. You can take the 2 pills that are on the tray above your left hand, or my wife's favorite, we can spray a gas into the chamber instead of oxygen, which will knock you out for at least 8 hours, when we will be landing in Stockholm."

"Why am I going to Stockholm?"

"Don't you remember the orders you gave us?"

"No, would you please enlighten me?"

"I better get Fiona, because you spoke to her."

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

"Hi boss, how are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling better thank you. Why am I going to Stockholm?"

"You called me, ranting and raving about something called Vanadium. You needed 20 pounds of it, and you needed it yesterday. I looked it up quickly on my computer, and I told you it was impossible, because of the import/export permits, and licenses we would need. You nearly ripped my head off.

We have most of the senior staff on this aircraft going there with us. Even has given us an open checkbook to get that stuff back to our plant to build, whatever he told you he wants built. You never told me what it was. You yelled at me to get my ass in gear, and we were leaving at 4 o'clock this afternoon. I was going to come down to your office, and kick your ass myself, but I had things to do, so I sent Bob to do it for me.

By the time he got there, you were in the bathroom throwing up. Cheryl told Bob what was going on at home, and you had not been sleeping. That is why you are in a hyperbaric chamber. It helps get rid of the toxins in your body. It fights bacteria, stimulates stem cell growth. It promotes healing, reduces headaches, and relieves chronic fatigue syndrome. Since you have been exhibiting all of these factors lately, plus a dozen others that are on the list, you are not coming out of there, until we reach our destination.

We have a world famous psychiatrist on board, and you are going to talk to him. Did you hear what I said Dycke, you are going to talk to him, or Bob is going to beat the shit out of you. He's looking forward to you saying no. You are his boss, and he hasn't hit you in a very long time. These are extenuating circumstances, so he feels hitting you would do you some good. He knows it would do him some good, because you're turning into a pussy.

I would hit you myself, because I could get away with it. However, I don't want to break a nail."

"While we were in Sweden, you are not going to do anything, unless you are told to do it. You will sit in the hotel, and talk with Doctor Russell. We know what your problem at home is, and we all empathize with you. We know you will not strike Payne in anger, so while we are here we are going to try to figure out a way to hurt her, without violence."

"The first thing we have to do is get you well. We have all decided that we will use anything and everything in our power to do it. We want it to work, regardless how brutal it becomes. You can fire all of us or some of us when we get back, and we don't care. Our jobs are not as important as your health is to us. We want you healthy for a very long time."

"When we finish our business in Sweden, you are going back in the hyperbaric chamber, and you are going back to sleep all the way home. As Bob told you, there are 3 options, which one have you chosen for your trip there?"

"Is there water for the pills?"

"Reach your right hand up, there is a tube there. Drink at least 6 ounces of water, because pure oxygen dries out your system."