Chapter 74: I Demand Respect
Steph’s POV
I pull up outside Lula’s 20 minutes later. I stopped for ice cream and Tastykakes, just in case.
“Hey, Girl! ‘Bout time you made it.” Lula is all smiles and I’m even madder at her. “What’s up?”
“We need to talk.”
Lula’s smile fades. I walk in and sit on the couch. I hold up the ice cream and she grabs two spoons and her ice cream from the kitchen. She settles on the couch and we dig in. It’s silent in the room for a few minutes before I say anything.
“We’ve been friends for a long time, Lula. We’ve been through a lot. But today, you put me in a dangerous situation and left me there.” I finally look at her and she’s shocked. She’s stopped eating ice cream to look at me.
“I knew something was wrong. I felt it and I wanted to get out of there. It took forever to convince you to leave with me and then, once I did convince you, we walked right into a problem.”
“Ain’t like we haven’t before—” Lula begins, but I cut her off.
“You’re right. It’s happened before and it keeps happening time and time again. It’s got to stop. Lula, if you had actually shot and killed Thomas Mann, you would be locked up in the county jail right now surrounded by cops. Not to mention you would be sick if you had killed him. So exactly what did shooting at him accomplish?”
Lula’s red and angry, but now that I’m actually looking at her, I’m calming down. I’m glad I decided to do this face to face. If I’d done this over the phone, I would have been really mean.
“So, wait a minute. You came over here to cuss me out for your shit luck?” Lula puts her ice cream down, nostrils flaring. I see the beginnings of rhino mode and I clench my jaw.
“No, I’m blaming you for not listening to me and for shooting when you didn’t have to.” I stick my spoon in the ice cream and sit up. “Tank is just one of many people who have told me that I have to stop relying on luck to survive. He’s right, especially considering how bad my luck is sometimes.
So, tell me Lula, what have I said so far that was wrong, huh? We went to the store, I sensed a problem. It took forever to convince you to leave. We walk outside and my former FTA starts shooting at us. You shoot back, miss him completely, but hit a lot of other cars. You left the window down on Lester’s car and Thomas Mann tosses a Molotov inside. Car goes boom!, cops show up, you leave. Where, exactly, have I said something that wasn’t a fact?”
Lula is silent. She picks her ice cream up again and starts eating it while staring at me.
“What if you had hit Thomas Mann, huh?”
Lula stops eating, eyes wide. I can see her hand start to shake.
“If you had hit Thomas Mann, the cops would have arrested you. That’s a whole lot of cops to deal with, and lawyers, and an angry Tank, I’m sure.” Lula swallows hard. “As it is, the Stop and Shop had cameras. I called my cousin Eddie. He told me that ‘reckless discharge of a firearm’ is a possibility, maybe even reckless endangerment.”
The tears are rolling down Lula’s face now.
“The state is getting serious about that kind of stuff. Reckless discharge is a crime. Fourth degree, which carries 18 months in jail and fines up to $10,000. I’m not sure about the reckless endangerment, but that’s what you’re looking at right now, Lula. Plus, you could be sued by the people whose cars were damaged by your shooting. So …$100,000 in damages and jail time? For what? Thomas Mann? Did shooting at him mean more than moving to Texas with Tank?” I pass the Kleenex to Lula, who is crying. “This could completely ruin your move to Texas.”
Yeah, I’m glad I decided to do this in person. I would have been really really mean over the phone, but in person, I just don’t have it in me. She’s still my friend and I can’t scream at her. You don’t scream at your friends, as ML and I both learned once, unless you’re ready to completely end the friendship and, honestly, I’m sure Lula’s surprised by this. I’ve never brought this up with her before. I’ve always just swallowed my anger and put a happy face on it. Well, not this time, but I’m sure this is hitting her out of the blue.
I sit back and eat my ice cream while watching Lula cry. After a few minutes, I hop up and turn on her air conditioner then go grab a washcloth and run it under cold water. I return to the living room and pass her the washcloth. She’s still crying and biting her lip. Finally, she wipes her face and looks at me.
“What did Eddie say?”
I sigh. “Because the guys know you, they’re trying. Problem is they have a new boss in their unit and he believes in arresting gun violations.” I smile. “He’s not from Jersey.”
Lula snorts and wipes her face. “So I’m going to jail?”
“I don’t know. I think that you better call Tank and tell him everything. He may need to come back and lean a little on Trenton PD to get them to ignore this. The fact that you’re moving to Texas may encourage them to let this go as long as you leave soon.”
Lula’s shoulders slump, but I’m not done. I might not scream at her but I’m going to make the point. Ranger was absolutely right and I’m never going to allow anyone to make my life a joke ever again.
“Still, it doesn’t change the fact that you left me there to deal with all of it.” Lula looks up and slowly drops her eyes back down in shame. “I know you don’t like cops, Lula, but you left. That’s what I’m pissed about. I never would have left you, but you leave me all the time. Why?”
Lula clenches her jaw and looks at me, biting her lip. After a few minutes, she finally responds. “Every time I see a cop, I wonder if they think I’m just some uppity ‘ho. I’m not a ‘ho anymore but seeing them brings that back.” She looks at me. “Think of it like looking at Dickie when you least want to see him.”
I cringe and Lula nods.
“Yeah. I look at cops and wonder how far I’ve really come in life. If they still judging me. If they still think they can still get a free ride in exchange for not arresting me.” My eyes are wide and Lula barks a laugh. “God you innocent, White Girl. What? You surprised? I’ve done most of Trenton PD. That’s why I can’t stand to look at Carl and Big Dog. I did Big Dog once to get out of a solicitation charge.”
My mouth drops. Lula eats a spoonful of ice cream. “Just once, way way back when, but still. That kinda shit sticks with you. I don’t respect those fuckers and I hate to see ’em. You right. I leave you there ‘cuz looking at them is looking at every bad decision I ever made in my life.
Besides, once the cops show, you safe. Them fuckers known you forever. They’ll protect you.” Lula snorts. “Their sworn duty to serve and protect, unless you a working girl. Why you think the girls on Stark didn’t talk to Morelli when he was FTA? He was known as one of the few good ones, but he was a cop. He could turn bad at any moment.”
I sit back, sobered.
“Now, anywhere else? I’ve never abandoned you. I’ve followed your ass into some crazy situations when there wasn’t a guarantee that anyone else would have your back. We survived and we made it out. Today? Yeah maybe I shouldn’t have shot, but my first thought was ‘protect my partner’, especially since you don’t carry all the time, like you should.” I wince. Shit. Lula looks at me and nods. “Umm hmm. You got your gun?” I pull the Glock 26 from my back and she sits up and smiles.
“Well damn, White Girl! You got the gun and you wearin’ it. I’m proud. It got bullets in it?” I nod. “More than one?” I hang my head and laugh. I pull the clip so she can see it’s fully loaded.
Now, this is surreal. I came over here to tell her off and I have to acknowledge that I understand why she did it. Still doesn’t make it right but jeez. She automatically assumed I didn’t have the gun and couldn’t protect myself, and a few months ago she would have been right. “I just passed RangeMan standards, Lula. I have the gun. I’m prepared to protect myself.”
Lula nods. “Yeah, I see that now. I see I’m going to have to change my thinking to assume you do have the gun and that it’s loaded. Like I said, today? OK, so maybe I didn’t need to shoot. Maybe that was the wrong thing to do. But he was shooting at us and I assumed you didn’t have the gun and you weren’t prepared. You normally don’t have the gun and when you do, it’s not loaded. You’re my best friend. My first thought was ‘protect Steph’ and I was aiming, although my aim clearly sucks.” She sighs. “You tell Les about this?” I nod. “Shit. He’s gonna make my ass live in the fucking range.”
I’m eating my ice cream now to avoid saying anything, because she’s right and I hate having to acknowledge that. I’m not sure how I expected this conversation to go, but I didn’t anticipate a pillowcase for me in the middle of it.
“Now, the cops? You right and I’m sorry. My friendship with you means more than my hatred for them. I just reacted cuz I hate them. I hate to see their grinning faces walk up, especially Carl and Big Dog.”
I know that feeling. My anger is gone now. I kick off my shoes and lean back. “Really?” I ask quietly.
Lula understands. “They men, Steph. Somebody wasn’t givin’ it to ’em and I was a ‘ho.” She swallows hard. “I still haven’t told Tank about my past with them. He thinks I hate ’em because I’ve been arrested so much.” She shrugs and looks at me. “Carl and Big Dog? I hate looking at those two in particular and they always the first two fuckers to show up.”
I’m quiet.
“That’s why people in Trenton respect RangeMen more than they do the cops. RangeMen will protect you regardless of who you are, especially if they see some illegal shit going down. Girls on Stark respect RangeMen cuz it’s known that they won’t touch you like that. You see a RangeMan and that’s like most folks seeing cops. We calm down. They’ll protect us.” Lula snorts. “You fuck a cop to get out of some shit and you don’t have a choice. You fuck a RangeMan because you want to, not because you have to, but it ain’t gonna happen that often.”
I smile slightly. How in the hell are the guys getting laid? Lula laughs and I look over.
“Yeah, you said that out loud. Atlantic City and Philly. RangeMen do their dirt out of town. They got a reputation in Trenton, so if they need a hit of the kitty, they get out of town.” She grins. “You know how Candy met Hal?”
I shake my head and Lula pulls her feet into the couch and leans back.
“They threw Hal a congratulations party in Atlantic City. Guess who the star stripper was?” My mouth drops and Lula nods. “I know girls there. I started asking questions ’bout her after you introduced us. I didn’t believe she ever stripped, not a minute in her life, but I was wrong. Anyway, it was love at first sight. She took him to the champagne room and he came out tripping over his own feet.”
I start laughing. “Hal? No wonder no one would tell me this story!” Lula starts laughing and we shake our heads.
“Yeah. They started dating immediately. The girls I know were laughing that she got a RangeMan sprung in one hour.”
I slide down to the floor and roll. That’s about right. Hal is completely in love with Candy and she with him. It gives me hope. Hal and Tank give me hope that Ranger can be more affectionate sometimes.
“OK.” I smile. “I get it.” I look over. “So, are you hanging up your cuffs?”
Lula nods. “Yeah.” Her smile drops and she stares at her ice cream before looking at me. “I’m sorry, Steph.” I feel the tears in my eyes and I put my ice cream down and scoot closer. We hug tight (well, Lula hugs tight. I hang on.) and we both break apart and wipe our eyes. “I mean that. I’m sorry. You right. I didn’t need to shoot but I wanted to protect you. And I shouldn’t have left you there by yourself. I should have faced down the cops, hell anyone, for my best friend.”
I nod. “Apology accepted and you’re right. You didn’t expect me to have the gun on me.” I smile. “I have the gun, Lula. I was mentally prepared to protect both of us.”
That’s the best thing about female friendship. We cried, we ate ice cream, we apologized, and now we’re ready to move on.
Lula sniffs and wipes her face. “Your right. That shit won’t swing in Texas. The cops here leave me alone cuz of you and Tank. That won’t be the case in Texas. Bobby already told me that. I felt like I was getting cussed out in the nicest way possible.”
I laugh. That sounds like Bobby. “Are you going to get the training?”
Another sigh. “Tank said I have to. He has enemies and us living in Texas means we close to his enemies. He wants to know that when I shoot, I kill.” Lula clenches her jaw angrily. “He said I gotta train. Exercise, range time, all that shit. I hate the range cuz Lester has me in there for hours at a time. I told Tank I wasn’t interested in the rest of it and he said that was gonna be a problem.” She looks at me, angry. “He didn’t go so far as to say we wasn’t gettin’ married but . . . “
I’m suddenly glad the guys tricked me into doing this. If Ranger had presented me with this ultimatum, I would’ve been pissed. Actually, now that I think of it, he did present me with the same ultimatum and I had a fit with Mary Lou. Cringe. I owe Lester a thank you. I’m no longer angry about the psyop. The guys know me. They forced me to get training in a way that made it feel like it was my decision, and it was my decision. Lula’s not being given that same opportunity. Let’s see if I can help.
I sit back. “Why not do it?”
“I saw that shit you had to do. No thank you.”
“Talk to Cindy and Monica. I did all that because I’m a RangeWoman now. You won’t be. Ask them what they had to do and how they felt about it.” I grin at Lula. “I had a fit about having to do this. I called ML at 2AM. That’s how much I hated the idea.” Lula looks shocked and I nod. “Talk to Cindy. After all, you and Tank marry and you’ll be the senior WAG in the company. You were going to work with Candy on this stuff, right?” Lula nods slowly, thinking. “OK, so you’ll be the person reaching out to new wives and girlfriends about this stuff. You have to do it too, in order to help them.”
Lula sits back and thinks. Finally, she nods, smiling. “Right. Gotta walk the walk to talk the talk.”
“Right. And you might want to talk to Ram before you leave.” Lula looks at me quizzically. I pull my Glock and pass it to her. “Ram chose this gun for me as a personal piece because he thought it would be easier for me to handle. Talk to him about your gun. Your gun is big and has a pretty big recoil. It might be easier for you to have a smaller gun that doesn’t have as much kickback.”
Lula looks at my gun and snorts. “You can’t scare no damn body with this.”
I smile. “If I pull that gun I’m not scaring anyone. I’m killing them.”
Lula’s eyebrows rise. “That’s a change in attitude.”
“Not really. I’ll always try to get away without shooting or harming anyone, but every time I’ve ever pulled my gun, I’ve hit the target. Every time.”
Lula nods solemnly and stares at my gun. “OK. I’ll try to see Ram before I leave Jersey.”
I lean back. Mission accomplished. “OK, so what’s left to pack?”
I spend five hours at Lula’s, helping her pack and talking. She disappears into her bedroom to talk to Tank and returns pale. Tank’s not happy. He’s teetering between furious and resigned. They had the self-defense and gun training talk again and Lula agreed this time. She told him she’d told Candy that they would work together on Candy’s new project for that so she needs to get trained while Candy’s in training to be a RangeWoman.
Tank apparently didn’t say much but he did say they would have a serious talk about her gun later. Lula’s not looking forward to it.
“I didn’t have it in Texas, so I had to beat people down with my words.” Lula sighs, shifting another box. “Tank said that it might become a part of my life for a while. ‘You don’t respect guns, Lula Bear. That’s a huge problem for me’,” she says, mimicking Tank.
I love Tank for that. Anything to keep a gun out of Lula’s hands. I call Eddie. His new boss, Lt. Ward, is still gung-ho on charging Lula. I tell Lula this and she bites her lip and eats another half-carton of ice cream. I call Tank and tell him. He doesn’t say anything except “Thanks, Little Girl” before hanging up.
In any event, by the time I leave, it’s 5:30. I slide into my new car (I love Ranger! This is perfect.) and call Hal.
“Hal?”
“Nope. Haven’t made it.”
I consider possibilities. “What’s Ram doing?”
I hear a quick conference then “Need me, Steph?”
“Yeah. I want to see if I can strike two blows at the police department. I want to file that complaint, but I also want to see if I can get Lula out of her predicament.”
Ram snorts. “Sure about that?”
“Yeah. After all, it’s safer for her to be in Texas, in love and in training, than in New Jersey moping and shooting.”
Ram laughs. “Got it. Meet you there?”
“Please.”
Fifteen minutes later, Ram and I walk into the building. It’s quiet as I ask for the forms to make an official complaint. Two minutes later, Jimmy Neeley walks out with a bag.
“Steph!” He attempts to hug me but I have my blank face on and I move back, allowing Ram to move slightly in front of me. Jimmy backs up and looks at the two of us before swallowing hard. “Look, I heard about the five o’clock deadline but—”
“But my ultimatum wasn’t serious. Just like you don’t consider my life serious.” I shrug. “That’s OK. Now I get to prove exactly how serious I am. I’m filing against all the cops in the pool, not just you, but I’ll take that.” Ram grabs the bag and hands it to me. I take out the winnings and count. “$1550.” I whistle. “My life is pretty cheap, huh Ram?”
“The cops consider it cheap. We consider it priceless.”
“Which is why I’m a RangeMan.” I look at the small crowd gathered in the lobby. “You didn’t think I was serious. Well, I am. I haven’t allowed RangeMan Trenton to put me through hell over the past six months for this to be a joke. My status is not a joke. My life is not a joke. I passed Army Basic PT at 80%. That’s how much it’s not a joke.”
There are a few whistles throughout the room. A few eyes go wide and I see some nodding. Robin Russell is smiling at me and she gives me a ‘thumbs up’. I turn back to Marjorie List, who is manning the desk. “The forms, please.”
Arnie Rupp and Chief Dixon have joined the group in the lobby. “Stephanie—”
“Ms. Plum.”
Everyone stops. I’m filling out the forms and I haven’t looked up yet.
“Ms. Plum.” I look at Chief Dixon. “Ms. Plum, on behalf of the Trenton Police, we apologize to you for the rampant speculation and betting on your life. I will send an official email today, clearly stating that you find it distasteful and that it has to end.”
“Will that email include a request that all individuals in the pot for Morelli vs. Mañoso immediately rescind their bids?” I hear the sharp intake of breath and I scowl. “What? Am I not supposed to know about that pot? I want all bets on my life to end, not just the internal cop one.”
Chief Dixon nods. “Agreed. You are a member of the public and it’s our duty to protect you, not make your life more difficult.”
I nod. “Wonderful. Now, if I could talk to you alone, that would be great.”
He nods and waves for me and Ram to follow. I hand Ram the forms and I smile. I can see that the fact that I haven’t let go of those forms makes everyone nervous.
The Chief’s office is on the 3rd floor and it’s a spacious office. It also lives up to the idea of Trenton PD’s best years being a few decades ago. The wooden desk is scarred in places, the file cabinets overflow and the view out of the windows is a tossup between the municipal court office and US 1. It’s a sad place to be.
I look around and Chief Dixon is smiling. “Yeah, I don’t get the $1000 view. I get the view that allows me to be called as a witness when needed.” I laugh and he motions for me to take a seat. “Personally, I’m glad to see you finally take it seriously.”
Again, this is getting ridiculous. “Why didn’t you stop it?”
Chief gives me the exact same reason Eddie did, but with a twist. “I knew at some point, there would be a reckoning. Either you would get serious about your life or one of the men in your life would. I assumed Ranger would be the one to force you to take yourself seriously.”
I’m flabbergasted. I look at Ram. His blank face is in place.
“Why not Joe?”
Chief snorts. “Because Detective Morelli wouldn’t need you to. If you chose him, you would be at home becoming a clone of his mother. He would want you to take your life seriously because you have so many enemies, but life with him would mean getting out of the security business.” He smiles at me. “The moment I heard you chose to work at RangeMan, full-time, I assumed you had decided on Ranger.”
I sit back, stunned then angry. “That sounds like you had a bet on Ranger.”
Chief stares at me for a moment before answering. “No, I don’t bet on the lives of the citizens I’m sworn to protect. As Chief of Police, it’s my job to understand human nature. I understand Joseph Morelli because he’s a member of my force. I’ve seen him in action. I’ve learned what makes him tick. Now, Mr. Mañoso is quite different.” He snorts. “I doubt anyone on the face of this earth quite understands what makes him tick, but the one thing I know is this: you are important to him. Your life means a great deal to him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t continue to show up at your scenes, loan you cars and men, and employ you as he has. As I said, I assumed that at some point, he would have had enough of you tossing your life away so carelessly and he would force you to get the training that you have. By the way, congratulations. That is impressive.”
I’m quiet. I look at Ram, who has his blank face firmly in place. I can’t ESP Ram. Crap. “Thank you, and thank you for not betting on my life, but are you telling me that the Chief of Police couldn’t put an end to the betting around here?”
The Chief sighs and sits back, lacing his fingers together across his stomach. “Ms. Plum, when you first started having these ‘incidents’ and the men here started betting on them, I did send an email out asking for it to cease. However, I attended a few of the scenes with the response teams. You were just as culpable as they were. You made it clear you didn’t care, so I was left trying to enforce an order for someone who was blatant about the fact that it didn’t matter.
It’s like telling a homeowner to stop leaving the front door open for thieves. I can respond to the house alarm every time it goes off, but if they continue to leave the door wide open, the cops and the thieves stop taking the alarm seriously.” He snorts. “The ‘boy who cried wolf’ syndrome.” He looks at me hard. “Now that you’re finally taking this seriously, I can send that order out again and enforce it. You don’t find it funny and I never did. Thank you for giving me the power to make that order stick.”
The Chief passes bottles of water to me and Ram. Good thing; I need it. Even the Chief of Police assumed I didn’t care about my own life. Wow . . .
“As it is, Ms. Plum, I’ve been fighting the political powers here in town to avoid having you deemed a threat to public safety. You, by yourself, have been involved in over $4.5 million dollars in damage to private and public property in the state capital over the course of the past four years. It was a very close thing. The state police commissioner is dying to strip you of your license to bounty hunt. He would except for the fact that you’re successful, you’ve never been the driving force behind the damage and Ranger and Joe Juniak are both pressuring him not to by pointing out that the damages are rarely your fault. Frankly, your family and friends have been saving your job for years.”
I know I’m pale. Ranger and cousin Joe have been saving my ass and I never knew. Shit! What else has Ranger been doing for me that I never knew about? I need to call Joe Juniak tonight and thank him. I’m betting that pressure has been coming from Dad. Oh man, is there any possible way to make me feel any lower right now?
“So, quite frankly, the news that you’ve finally gotten some training is welcome. You do realize that you need to submit that to the state authorities and sit the classes to renew your license? It will help decrease the political pressure on all of us because if the state police commissioner strips you of your license, you cannot bounty hunt in this state, which will make your employment at RangeMan difficult.”
Again, I’m stunned. Ram squeezes my hand and I nod at him. Please take over. I’m a little shocked right now. This is not going the way I expected.
“I’m certain you’ve heard about today’s incident at the Stop and Shop, Chief,” Ram says.
Chief rolls his eyes and sits back. “Lt. Ward is looking at reckless discharge and reckless endangerment. Given Ms. Jackson’s criminal record and the number of times she’s shot at someone heedlessly, I’m not inclined to prevent him from following through.”
Ram nods. “Completely understandable. Even Ms. Plum understands, which is why I would like to suggest a compromise.”
Chief leans forward. “I’m listening.”
“Perhaps, if Trenton PD could see their way to considering this incident ‘Defense of a Third-Party’, RangeMan Trenton will work with Ms. Jackson to ensure she does not have any more ‘incidents’ during the remainder of her residency in New Jersey.”
“Remainder?”
Ram smiles. “Ms. Jackson is affianced to Mr. LaPierre, the former second in command at RangeMan Trenton. Known as ‘Tank’.”
Chief’s eyes light up and he sits back with a smile. “Yes, I remember Tank.”
“Well, he’s out in Texas right now bringing up a new branch, but he intends to make Texas his permanent residence. Ms. Jackson is currently packing her apartment and Mr. LaPierre will be back in two weeks to move her out there.” Ram shrugs. “It would be helpful if there were no impediments to her moving to Texas. After all, as I understand it from Ms. Plum, Thomas Mann shot at Ms. Plum first. Ms. Jackson was attempting to defend her.”
“She’s leaving in two weeks?”
Ram nods. “Yes, and we know how excruciatingly slow the judicial process can be for even minor charges. Perhaps, for the safety and security of so many, it would be best to remove Ms. Jackson to someone else’s jurisdiction.” Ram smiles. “Especially since she’s been told that Texans won’t stand for her actions and that she’ll have to undergo RangeMan training before being allowed to bounty hunt under the company’s name.”
I smile at Ram. Everything he’s said is truthful but the way he’s saying it . . . he’s slick.
Chief smiles. “That’s true. The judicial process works in mysterious ways. It would be even more helpful if Ms. Jackson didn’t have a gun . . . “
I smile. “I’ve spent the past five hours helping Lula pack her apartment. It would relieve her mind to know she can finish and move. I’d rather help her pack than supply her with ice cream and discourage her crazy schemes. I think I can remove the gun from her possession while we do that.”
Chief laughs. “OK. I’ll need to review the video myself but I think I can agree with your compromise, Mr. . . . “
“Sinclair. Ramsay Sinclair, Head of Client Services at RangeMan Trenton.”
We stand and Chief shakes our hands. He nods at the forms. “Those forms?”
I hand him my card. “If I’m CC’d or BCC’d on that email, I’ll file these forms in my file 13 and I’ll forward the information to the state police commissioner.”
Chief smiles. “I’ll send it out immediately.”
Maria’s POV—Sunday
There’s a party going in RMTrenton right now. Apparently, Stephanie took on the police department and won. The email the Chief of Police sent out to order his men to stop the betting pools on her life was printed, blown up on 11 X 17 paper, laminated and hung prominently on the 5th floor. Everyone is proud.
Stephanie is preparing for her trip to Boston now. She is leaving by train, meeting Jorge and Daniel in NYC, then continuing on to Boston, and she’s looking forward to it. Hector is not; so far, she’s winning the argument in favor of him staying here in Trenton and joining her in Miami when she leaves Boston. The new head of HR, Candace, will join her in Miami. Stephanie says that there’s so much for Candace to do here in Trenton that she’ll need to make a separate trip to Boston to do her work.
Ella and I are helping her pack. I’ve never seen Ranger’s Trenton apartment but it’s nearly a copy of the Miami apartment. Ella allowed me up since I’m allowed into his Miami apartment. In any case, I enjoy having more time with Stephanie. Plus, she said she had a new assignment for me.
“Basically, I just need to understand the personalities in Miami. I can get everything else from RangeWorld, but I need to know which men don’t get along, which groups don’t get along, that sort of thing.”
I continue packing her clothes in her suitcase neatly while Ella packed her toiletries and snacks. “Well, the biggest thing to know is that there’s a little group there that is the center of the problems.”
“Antonio?”
I nod. “Antonio, Ignacio, Patrice, Juan and occasionally Pedro. There are a few more, but it really depends on whether or not they agree with what the group of five are saying.” I sigh and sit on the bed for a moment. “I feel for Mando. He’s such a good man, but having his cousin in the branch is such a problem.”
“Why?” Stephanie says, bewildered.
I smile. “You have a sister. Could you fire her from a job knowing she might not get hired anywhere else?” I watch as Stephanie’s shoulders slump. “Exactly. I think Mando would have fired Antonio if not for the fact that his family would go crazy if he did.”
“I don’t get it.”
I look at Ella, who grins and shakes her head. I motion for Stephanie to sit. “Let me give you a quick primer on Latin families. If you can count exactly how many generations back you are connected, that’s too close to fire. For example, Ella, can you count Luis’s relation to Lester and Ranger?”
Ella nods. “Les and Carlito are second cousins. Their mothers are cousins and Lester’s grandmother is Carlito’s grandfather’s sister. Luis is their great-grandparents’ grand-nephew, so Luis is a second cousin, once removed.”
Stephanie’s eyes are bugged, so Ella writes a quick chart. “Perhaps I should have said that Luis is in Carlito’s and Les’s parent’s generation and they were all close as children, which is why Luis and the boys are close. Luis was like another uncle.”
Stephanie shakes her head. “I still wouldn’t have understood.”
Ella and I laugh, watching her study the chart. “Now consider, Ranger brought Luis in and that’s the relationship between them. That’s why Mando finds it so hard to fire Tony. He would be firing someone he grew up with, just as Ranger would be if he fired Les. Ranger might be a hard man in some things, but Lester would have to commit murder before Ranger abandoned him.”
Ella smiles. “And even then, it would depend on who Les killed.”
Stephanie is biting her lip, looking at the chart. Finally she nods. “So, it would take something extreme to get Armando to fire Antonio.”
Ella and I nod. “Diego being in charge is a gift to Armando right now. Diego will fire him in a heartbeat but Antonio is crafty. He knows he’s on the line. Antonio will keep his head down and his mouth shut until Armando returns. I expect that when you arrive in Miami, Antonio won’t say much. He’ll study you, looking for weaknesses. That’s how he will attack. He’ll wait until you’re off guard.”
Stephanie looks at us, shoulders squared. “Good luck. I’m ready.”
Ella and I look at each other and grin.
When Ella recalled me to Trenton, I was nervous. I had a chance to see how my colleagues were treated around the company and I was mad. I’ve given my boys Mommy care and love, and I’ve been manipulated, overworked, taken for granted and disrespected. I didn’t see how clearly it had happened until I reached San Antonio. I wasn’t coming behind another housekeeper. I was the first and this was the first time the men got a chance to have a housekeeper in residence. These men had absolutely no idea of the standards and expectations toward the housekeeper, but I was treated extremely well there. Even better, Benjy, Teddy, Russ, and Mario G. were glad to see me. They didn’t treat me like they normally did in Miami. They were much better behaved and they took the lead in showing the men how to treat the housekeeper.
I’m still stunned by their attitude. Not having a housekeeper worked wonders on their attitudes.
So when Ella recalled me to Trenton, I wondered what she would say. Instead, she started with a hug.
“Maria.” I was surprised that she enveloped me in a hug. She rubbed my back and I started crying. I cried and sobbed and started telling her about my trip around the company, everything I learned, every sweet and considerate thing the men did for me. Once I was done, and tired, she smiled at me and handed me a glass of water.
“Good,” she said softly. “I wanted you to see how the rest of us are treated so you would understand that it was not acceptable, but I owe you an apology. Maria, I am so sorry that I have not supported you more.”
I looked at her and she nodded. “Having to spend a month walking in your shoes was more painful than 3″ heels.” I giggled and we both collapsed in laughs. Ella left and returned with ice cream for both of us.
“I didn’t realize what you were dealing with in Miami until I had to deal with it. I was ready to kill them at the end.”
I smiled sadly.
“Rose threatened to poison them.” I looked up. Ella had a sly smile on her face. I laughed. “Susan either only served eight servings or she ruined their meals. And Lucia slammed one to the ground in the middle of Costco.”
My mouth dropped. Ella nodded. “We all got a taste of your life and we realized you are much stronger than all of us because you survived that without going insane. Honey, we salute you!”
We laughed and I curled up on the couch and ate my ice cream. It was silent for a few minutes. There was a knock on the door. Moments later, Stephanie walked in, hugged me, and sat down.
“What do you want, Maria?” she asked. I smiled.
“I’m not sure yet. I enjoyed my time in San Antonio, but I’m curious about what’s happening in Miami. Plus, I want to be there when you visit. You’ll need someone there to take care of you.”
Stephanie smiled and rolled her eyes. “I survived before, but I would like you there.” She grinned mischievously. “I get the feeling the men of Miami are not quite done with their arrogance. Diego’s fired five so far.”
I was shocked. “Really?”
She nodded. “He’s on a tear. He wants the branch clean and ready before I get there. The men are doing manual labor.” She grinned. “Thomas reports that no man is brave enough to grumble because Diego is thrashing them left, right, and center on the mats. They’re starting to appreciate Armando’s willingness to explain things first, thrash second. Since Diego has made it clear that he doesn’t answer questions and insubordination means painful mat time with him, they miss Armando more than they can tell him.
Antonio made such a big deal about the building not being pristine and you having a lot of work ahead of you when you returned that Diego made him put his money where his mouth is. He pointed out that if you and I returned at the same time and the branch wasn’t perfect, it would count against them. So, the men are scrubbing floors, windows, vacuuming, everything. They had to clean out the refrigerator. They had to polish and scrub. The men are exhausted and Mando’s only been gone 10 days!”
Ella and I collapsed in laughs. Stephanie grinned and grabbed some ice cream from Ella’s fridge.
“Once again, the power of the housekeeper is being pointed out. Thomas says the men are eager for your return.”
“Why? So I can work like a slave again?”
“Nope,” she replied, digging into her ice cream. Ella grinned. “So they can show you how much they appreciate you. The past month without a housekeeper has pointed out to them exactly how much work you and Rafe do. Rafe being gone just reinforced it. Best part?” She smirked. “They asked Braulio?” I nod. “Braulio to ask his mother to come in and assess the building.”
My eyes widened and I rocked back and laughed. “Oh Lord, that couldn’t have gone well! Mrs. Crevecouer is fierce in her pride in her work! Did she take the white gloves?”
Steph and Ella were laughing and Steph nodded. “She told the men that she would charge them $12K a month for her services”–I gasped–”and that they were ungrateful. So they’ve been working.”
I leaned back and laughed. “It’s hurricane season in Miami. They must be cleaning windows every day.” I considered all the duties Rafe and I have during the summer hurricane season and laughed. The boys should be good and tired and ready to see me when I return. They should be very appreciative of my work.
Ella sat back. “So, you’re going home Wednesday. What do you want?”
“I already know what I’m going to do. First thing. I’m not diving back in until Monday.” They nodded, smiling. “Second, I’m pointing out that I need grocery procedures and assistance like everyone else.”
“I can help you here.” Ella passed a piece of paper that I recognized as my contract. “This is your official contract. You’ve been working outside this for four years. It must end. So, if the men want you to do anything extra, you need to come to an agreement and send it to Armando, since it affects his budget. Armando will send it to me and Stephanie for approval. You can begin working from the addendums only after you receive the signed copy back from us.”
“If I were you,” Stephanie began, “I would go in dictating what I want. Present examples from other branches and stick to your guns. After all, you have all the power. Your contract allows for…” She read the contract quickly. “Damn near nothing.” She smiled. “So anything you do is because you agree to. Use that to your advantage.”
“Do you have a copy of the procedures from other branches?” I asked.
Ella pulled the copies. “Shall we work on your terms?”
I nodded. “Yes. Maria Salgado is going to dictate her terms. Never again will I work like I have for nothing at all.”
