D I V O R C E by cmsix

Chapter 23

Fearing the girls might get antsy in the truck, I went out and assured them that things were going well. It took a little time to make them understand that we were getting another truck, and then Helen spoke up.

"New home?"

It wasn't clear to me whether she was asking, wishing, or demanding but whichever it was I was glad she said it, because it flashed another big idea into my head. Double wide, as in mobile home that wasn't really mobile. It seemed stupid that I hadn't thought of it on my own, but I hadn't.

In my heart I'd known all along that we would have to have a bigger house sooner or later. One or more of the girls was probably already pregnant, and even if they weren't they'd certainly been exposed, as they say. The tiny camper we lived in was just that, a camper. It wasn't suitable for a permanent residence for four people, not even considering any children that might come along. I grabbed my spiral notebook and made an entry.

With the girls now at least resigned to a few hours of waiting, I unhooked from the trailer and went back inside to inform the sales manager they were in it and that he'd need to get me before they tried hooking it with the new pickup. As a precaution I'd unhooked from it but left my pickup parked in the way, taking my keys to make sure events didn't get ahead of me.

When I asked, he said I was welcome to use the small office as long as I needed it. I went back to it and called Carl, the security guy, again.

He howdied me but I cut to the chase.

"Carl, there are a few more things I might need to call on you for. I understand that we have a deal in place and that anything more is going to cost extra. I also understand that your time is valuable. Right now I'm buying a new pickup and I'll need a man to take my old one back to the site and get it unloaded, can you take care of it for me?"

He said he could and even told me he already had one of his radio units on site with two men on duty. That was prompt service but wouldn't really do any good for a day or so, but there was no sense telling him that.

A respectable mobile home dealer in this area was now at the top of my rearranged wish list, and I asked Carl about it. He just happened to know of a place. To make it easy for him to collect on his soon to be commission, I asked him to give them a call and tell them I'd be out soon looking for the best double wide they had available. He was more than happy to take care of that detail for me.

Schneider National Carriers was the next call for me and they were a lot more understanding than Carl had been at first. They understood they were going to charge me for everything they did for me and they also understood that I understood it too.

They were more than happy to dispatch five of their fifty-three foot trailers to my location for use as temporary storage for upcoming freight, and they could get started as soon as I took care of the financial arrangements. At least that's what Julia, the sales representative I was put through to told me.

"I anticipate quite a bit of hurry up business in the next couple of weeks, will a prepayment of one hundred thousand by bank wire be sufficient to get us started?" I asked.

"I'm sure it will, Bill, but that isn't really my bailiwick. I can switch you to the proper department right away," she said, but I didn't let her get any further.

"It seems like I've been misled. I was told Schneider's specialty was service. If you switch me to anyone they'll end up with a dial tone in their ear. When you've heard me out I'll give you the phone number for my bank's president and he'll be expecting a call from whoever takes care of those details on your end. If that isn't acceptable Werner Enterprises is going to get their shot at my business," I said.

Sure, it was a little harsh but I didn't care. I wasn't going to spend all day playing phone tag with people just so I could send them money. I told her that aside from the empties I would need between five and fifteen more fifty-three foot trailer loads hauled within the two weeks and that I would want to have the trucks available for loading no more than twenty-four hours after I called for one.

"Now, do you want the banker's phone number or not? He'll be ready to get the details ten minutes after I hang up," I said.

"Yes. I'll take care of everything else from here and when you need other trucks please call me directly," she said, and rattled off a number.

I gave her Milton's number, said goodbye, and called him. He got right to the normal hale fellow well met greeting and I gave him his marching orders. He promised to take care of it right away.

My next call was to Excel Meats and the salesman, Darren, I was switched to there showed me the difference in a man that worked on commission and an order taker. When I told him I needed three straight trucks of frozen beef and three of pork and then asked him if there would be any problem with bank wire prepayment he said no, and he meant it.

We settled the details of the specific things I wanted in those trailers and I gave him an arrival time for all of them ten days from today, telling him to make arrangements for the trailers to be dropped and then picked up about six days later.

"You know that they'll charge you extra for holding the trailers don't you," he asked.

"I'm sure they will and I don't mind paying. I do want all trailers to be from the same company though and I don't want any problems with worn out reefer units. Book the loads with a company that you have a good grip on. I've got the money to pay top dollar if I don't end up with problems, but I have the lawyers to cause more trouble back if I need to," I said, lying about the lawyers.

"Don't worry about it. I'll book them with Prime and just a threat of losing some of our business would be a gun to their head. I think I'll make them send brand new trailers. I know they're replacing most of theirs right now anyway, they should have them available," he said, and I thought he was doing a little bragging, even though I didn't give a shit if he wanted to.

"Well tell them I'll pay an extra thousand a load if it comes in a new trailer but have the drivers fill the damned reefer tanks before they come to drop. We'll be checking," I said.

I'd no sooner hung up than I changed my mind, so I called him right back.

"Darren, let's hold up on Prime a second. I think I'd rather buy the trailers if I can get them in time," I said.

"Won't be any problem that way either. I know Fred at Prime pretty well and they have a good relationship with Great Dane. Prime does a lease purchase thing for tractors to most of the drivers, so Fred understands how to sell something as well as how to use it."

"The only rub will be that I want reefers with the corrugated stainless sidewalls and a full setup for swinging meat," I said.

"Damn, those are going out of fashion big time, but I'm sure Fred can get them pronto if that's what you want," he said.

"That's what I want. Just so he doesn't worry about his money, give him the bankers number I just gave you and tell him he can call for a bank wire as soon as he can fax an invoice," I said.

"Believe me, Fred won't let a deal like that get away," he said.

The phone calling and deal making had made time fly. Frank came by and told me the truck was ready to hook my camper. I went out to warn the girls and move my old pickup out of the way.

They unassed the camper and moved back to watch while I moved the old pickup. Just as I parked it again a rent-a-cop type car pulled up and I figured it must be Carl or one of his men. It was Carl and he was delivering the driver.

It only took a few minutes to talk him into renting me a small portable storage building and having it set up near the portable office, and he said he'd make sure the contents of the pickup were put into it. We shook on it and he took off, leaving Ned to do the honors with my old pickup.

The new truck was hooked to the trailer by now and all the arrangements had been made with light connections and such, we were ready to roll. Ned confirmed that he knew the way to my new drop yard and when I asked, he said he also knew where the mobile home sales yard was. I had him lead the way in my old pickup while we followed in the new one, pulling the camper.

When we arrived at Woodville Mobile Homes I was surprised. The place was easily five times larger than I'd expected and I wondered where in the hell they sold all these damned trailers. Then again I didn't care and was happy they seemed to have a bigger selection than I'd had any right to expect.

I let Ned go and walked into the office building, which was not a trailer for some odd reason. When I told the girl guarding the receptionist desk who I was and who'd sent me, she called the boss right away.

Jimmy Giles introduced himself and told me that he and Carl were old friends. He also said that Carl had told him my money was good and that I didn't like to deal with the hired hands.

I didn't realize I'd given Carl that impression but I didn't mind at all. This guy had mobile homes to sell and I had the money and wanted to buy one. What's wrong with that?

"I do need a mobile and I don't have a lot of time to get it bought. Show me the best ones you have and lets get too it," I said.

"How big is your lot?" he asked, and I guess it was a reasonable question, but I couldn't help shooting my mouth off.

"I have a little over ten thousand acres to choose from," I said, and it was a nosey question stopper for a man whose eyeballs could only see dollar signs now.

We went by the camper on the way to look over his goods and I had the girls come with us. I'd warned him that they didn't speak or even understand much English and that they were painfully shy around strangers.

I thought he'd never shut up about being on his best, non-threatening behavior.

Louise, Helen, and Nancy did seem a little shy when they bailed out of the new pickup but they stayed right with me as good old Jimmy led us to his first demo. It was a triple wide and to tell the truth I'd never really seen one.

Of course this one was all assembled and ready for showing and it was impressive inside. It had three big bedrooms, with the master taking up all of the rear twenty feet of the center trailer and half each of the rear twenty feet of the other two. Hell, I was sold already. When he showed us the master bath that had a tub, separate big shower, and even a damned nice Jacuzzi I had to have it.

Of course the girls were amazed and could barely understand that it was to be only for the four of us. To them it was big enough for George's whole tribe. They especially liked the wall-to-wall carpet that was some of the plushest I'd ever been on. It beat hell out of the threadbare indoor/outdoor that my camper had.

After Jimmy had pointed out all the luxury that could be ours I could tell he was about to start his first try at a close. I beat him to the punch.

"Can you have it broken back up and on the lot Carl's guys are watching for me in ten days?" I asked.

"Surely you don't want this demo model," he said, "I can put in an order today and we'll have a brand new one ready to set up for you in two weeks, tops," he said.

"Wait a second Jimmy. Do you want to sell this damned thing or not? We don't have to fuck around with a loan - I have cash. What I don't have is time and if you want to sell me a new one you're going to have to set it up here, completely, let me and the girls inspect it before deciding, and then tear it back apart and take it to my drop yard and do all that within the same ten days.

"Ten days is it, and I'm not buying a pig in a poke, or on wheels either," I said.

Jimmy was standing there with his mouth opening and closing but I didn't want to antagonize him any further. I wanted this house. I knew that it would provide the best chance to get one that didn't come from the assembly point with a lick and a promise.

Mobile home companies were notorious for getting them out and worrying about finishing them after they were sold. This one was assembled and probably most of the fuckups had been tended to already.

During the tour he'd been giving us, I'd carefully but nonchalantly looked over everything. The furniture was obviously higher quality than normally came in mobile homes and I knew damned well carpet this good hadn't come from the factory. This was what he showed the rubes, not what he delivered. I decided to cut him a little slack.

"Jimmy, I can tell that a few of the things in this unit probably don't come with the standard model, and I understand that they cost more, but I want this unit like it is now.

"You set the price and I'll say yay or nay. You won't be doing the setup but I want everything needed for it delivered too. In fact, I want three times as much as you normally use, including three complete tie-down kits and septic systems.

"We need everything to get it up and going, we just don't need it installed. I want that treated wood deck you've built and attached too. I know that it's too wide to truck normally, but I'll send an overload carrier to pick it up and make that delivery for me. You just make sure that I have enough new timbers to put it where I want it. Can we make a deal?" I asked.

Like any good salesman, Jimmy was getting the hint that the customer was about to move on if he couldn't close pretty quickly. He said it would take him a few minutes to get his figures together. I'd seen the fifty-nine thousand dollar banner on the front as we came in and I wanted to get this over with.

"Let me see if I can save you the paper work. I'll go back into your office, call my banker, and have him send you twenty thousand for earnest money. When you get it on site with all the extra materials I'll inspect it and ok the balance of seventy-five thousand to be paid, and we'll sign the paperwork after the money hits your bank," I said.

He couldn't hide his surprise but I didn't act like I noticed. He agreed at once. In his office I called Milton and let him tell him what bank and what account to send the money to. After Jimmy checked with his bank, half an hour later, and found the money had already hit his account he was glad handing and assuring me he'd take it from there.

I used his phone to call Julia at Schneider and asked her if she could set up an oversize load's move. She said she could and then seemed surprised that I wanted to move an assembled deck. She didn't question me though and told me that the truck, trailer, and escorts would be there within the week.

It was midafternoon before we had all this sorted out. Jimmy and I had left the girls in our new home when we went inside to do the hard part, but when I left his office I saw them in the truck. Louise was in the front seat of the new truck; Helen and Nancy were in the back seat. I don't know what they were up to but they looked like they were happy about something.

I discovered the cause as soon as I opened the driver's door. The radio was on and they were listening to a country western station. They were nearly spellbound and didn't even notice me coming up. There were questions though when I opened the door.

"Bill, what?" Louise asked, pointing to the radio.

"It's the radio and it's playing music," I said.

"I touch, sound come," Louise said, looking like she was afraid she might have done something wrong.

"Do you like it?" I asked.

"Yes we like," Nancy said, from the back.

"Good. We'll have to get more. Are you ready to go? We have to go a long way. Do any of you need to use the bathroom?" I asked.

"No need. Use house. Not flush right," Louise said.

"Doesn't matter. They'll fix it. That's our home now," I said.

"We camp here?" Helen asked.

"No, they'll bring it to our place for us. We'll have to put it back together though," I told them, knowing they probably didn't understand; they'd know about it soon enough.

There was nothing else on my list that I could take care of here, so I put us on the road for Lone Star. We'd already accomplished a lot more than I could have imagined but it was because of the bank account I had been given. I would have never considered buying the triple wide or any mobile home at all with the money I'd thought I'd be limited to, and my mind worked all through the drive on what I could gather up now.

The trip to Lone Star wasn't just for old times sake. Of course most of the shopping I was planning on couldn't be done there, but I was going to make arrangements to get my smoker where it needed to be and I intended to buy some of the product that my former employer had available, but the main point was getting in touch with a few people that could find some not exactly normal things that I wanted.

A welding truck was high on my list. Now that I had the means to collect some metal to work with I could think of a thousand things I might want to make back then. I was also going to buy several large tanks in order to have enough propane to last quite a while. I knew that I couldn't furnish myself with enough for from here on, but I could make a start on it.

Nobody even noticed when I pulled into my normal trailer lot and parked in my same old space. I had us level and connected to the electricity and water in no time. I even hooked up my phone line and it was still working.

While Louise, Nancy, and Helen started on a meal I got on the horn. My first call was to a guy I knew pretty well that had a welding shop. He had quit pipeline welding and opened a shop about a year before the big layoff. He'd kept his truck but he bought a big shop type welding machine and other equipment. For a while he coined money, making and repairing things that the steel mill needed occasionally.

They had their own millwrights but they hadn't been able to keep enough of them hired while things were going good, and they'd farmed out a lot of work to local small contractors. I figured Bruce might be feeling a little pinched about now.

After only a few minutes into the phone call I knew I'd been correct. Bruce seemed like he couldn't wait to tell me how shitty things had turned. He admitted that he'd even tried to get back on a pipeline job but that the money for those wasn't even very good now-a-days.

"I guess you could take care of a few things pretty quick for me then, huh Bruce?" I asked.

"You got that right. Do you really need something, cause I do need some work," he said.

"I need a few things and need 'em within ten days. You sure you're not going to go back on a pipeline job?" I asked.

"Not unless I lose my shop, but that's looking like a possibility," he said.

"The first thing I need is your truck. Is it still in good shape and ready to work?"

"Sure, I keep it in top shape. I even park it inside every night. I'll sell the hell out of it though if you've got the cash," he said.

"I've got it, and if you can find another one that needs a buyer and is even close to as good as yours I want it too," I said.

"Hell, Jack Parsons is about to lose his to the bank and I think it's even a little better than mine, you can get it cheap," he said.

"Jack never did me no wrong and I don't need it cheap. Call him when we get done and tell him to price it where he'll do himself some good. Same thing for yours, I don't want it cheap, but I do want it in tiptop shape and stocked up. I'll pay for anything you think either one of them ought to have, but it has to be within the ten days," I said.

"I'll do it for ya Bill, and I appreciate it, a lot," he said, and I knew he thought the call was coming to an end.

"That ain't all Bruce. Do you remember my meat smoker, the one you liked so well you copied a couple of times?" I asked.

"I don't have to remember it. When you let me copy it the first time I drew a good sketch with all the important measurements. Why?" he asked.

"Cause I need four more of them right away. If you can't find used tanks go to the dealer and buy new ones. I need you to buy me some pipe from the mill too, or from T&N or where ever you buy it. You still got a deal with them don't cha?"

"Yeh, I can still buy from T&N and they ain't short of stock, in fact they'll cut a pretty good deal now if you want any quantity," he said.

"Well I ain't drilling a well or nothing, but I need two trucks of two and three eights N80 and two trucks of two and seven eights N80, plus two of three inch and two of four inch N80 casing. Think they have that much laying around?"

"Hell yeh, and they're begging to get rid of it. That's not the kind of thing I normally buy from 'em but I know they'll be happy to share with us. Hell, they'll be tickled," he said.

"Great, I'll tell Milton to take care of the bills and I'll have him call you tomorrow. I need a winch bumper for a new truck too. I bought a brand new dually today. Can you rig it up as about a match for the one I had on my old truck? I'll want the same type receiver hitch on the front like you put on the other one for me," I said.

"I can do it all right. Hell, I bought a new dually about two months before the layoff myself. I can use it to get the frame measurements and if you remember I helped you build that other bumper in the first place," he said.

"I remember. Can you take care of getting the winch too?" I asked.

"I hope to shout. Damn, I've got six in stock. Got caught with them since I was expectin' a lot of that kind of business last summer, and you know why I didn't get it. You don't think you'd want to spring for stainless for that bumper do ya? I bought materials for a few stainless bumpers too," he said.

"Well damn. I'd never even have thought of it if you hadn't spoke up. Sure I want stainless, I wish I had my old truck up here so we could change that one out. Tell you what, go ahead and put one on your welding truck and one on Jack's too after you buy it for me," I said.

"You want me to buy it?" he asked, and sounded skeptical.

"I want you to make the deal and tell Milton how much to write the check for. I probably won't even be able to get by there for a few days. Hire you some help if you think it'll make things go faster.

"I need this all done and ready to go in ten days, and money ain't the problem. I'll tell Milton to pay for your truck tomorrow and Jack's too if you can make a deal with him, and I'll tell him to put ten grand in your account up front, in case you need some cash to help things get moving," I said.

"Hell, I don't need near that much to get started. The labor and materials probably won't even run quite that much for everything you've spoken for, cept the trucks of course," he said.

"Are you forgetting your cut on getting the steel? I ain't about to let you make less than five percent on that," I said.

"You ain't got to do that, it's no skin off my ass to order that steel, I won't even have to see it probably," he said.

"Don't matter. It ain't right for you to do it if you don't get paid. Besides you'll need to do a lot of figuring on the other steel I need you to buy. I want four trucks of plate, channel, angle and some expanded metal too. You just kind of guess at what you might need for a year or two if you couldn't get any more for that long. Buy it and I'll have it picked up. See if you can get it all at one place," I said.

"Friedman will have it no problem. You want me to have Milton pay for that too?"

"Yeh, I'll let him know to take care of it. While you're at it might as well build me a good stout stainless rear bumper for my old truck and the new one too. No sense in me not bein' shiny on both ends. Matter of fact I'll call and have my old one sent up to your shop. That's another thing. Can you put me one of those tombstone lifts on my old truck, and mount another winch back there to use with it?"

"Sure, you going into the tombstone business?" he asked, and I knew he was joking.

"Naw, but they can be handy for other things," I said, remembering the damned bear. With one of those lifts frames and a winch in the bed I wouldn't have had any trouble with the bears at all.

"Ok, I'll get it done when the truck gets here. Anything else you need?" he asked.

"That's all I can thing of right now, but I am in a hell of a hurry for it. I'll call you tomorrow and see about getting the trucks coming for everything," I said, and we hung up.

That was a damned big load off my mind. I knew Bruce was probably wondering what the hell I'd fallen into and I also knew he'd be calling Milton first thing in the morning, so I'd have to beat him to it. That meat smoker had saved me one hell of a lot of legwork.

Supper was ready before I got off the phone but the girls didn't give me any grief over it. They probably wondered what in the hell most of that had been about. Nothing for it though, even two weeks would be over before we knew what happened.