Chapter 44.5: The Housekeepers’ War, Part II
Trenton, Part II
Maria’s POV
The past three weeks in Trenton have been an eye opener. A few days after Stephanie returned from NYC, I went to talk to her, to try to get to know her. I was surprised by her conversation.
I poked my head into the ‘Lion’s Den’. The Trenton boys’ nickname for Stephanie’s office is amusing. “Stephanie?”
She looked up and smiled. “Steph, please. Maria, I want you to know that you’re already being considered a hero by the men.” She motioned for me to come in.
“Why is that?” I stepped in and took a seat. I was genuinely curious.
She laughed. “You order Hector around like a drill sergeant. The men are impressed. Normally, once Hector glares at someone, they find something else to do.” She smiled. “I’m impressed. I’ve finally gotten a useful tip in trying to manage my partner. I can’t cry all the time around him. I needed something else in my arsenal.”
I laughed. “Oh, Stephanie, I deal with much worse in Miami. Those men,” I blew out a breath, “if you aren’t strong enough to make orders and force them to stay in bed, they will act just as badly as Hector.”
Honestly, I enjoy ordering this fearsome man around because he didn’t strike back with a thousand orders. He wasn’t constantly asking me to fetch him water or fluff his pillow or find the remote. No, Hector wanted to be left alone so he could pretend he wasn’t hurt, which would aggravate his injury. I enjoyed ordering Hector around because I could see he wasn’t used to being mothered. His reputation stopped anyone who might try and the rest would stop at his glares.
Too bad he never met my husband. Toward the end, as the cancer sapped his strength, Armand was just as bad as Hector, fearing that I might see him as less than a man. I learned how to ignore that behavior in favor of caring for him. I still miss him so much each and every day.
She nodded, still smiling. “Well, how are you enjoying your time here so far? No one is overworking you, right? Asking you to do things outside your customary duties?”
I blinked. I was surprised she asked. “No. No, on the contrary, I’m doing much less than what I do in Miami. I enjoy working with the boys here. I love the grocery procedures.”
“Yes, Ella told me about those. She thought it was amusing that grocery procedures were the only shopping the men here are eager to do. They’ll do the other stuff but they like grocery shopping. They like to try to guess her menu, and they get excited when they see her pick up baking goods.”
I laughed. “I know. Remember the cake?”
The day after Stephanie’s return from NYC, I make a healthy applesauce cake and place it in the break room. I wait on the response, but thirty minutes later, it’s still there. I’m confused.
“Binkie?”
“Yes, Maria?”
“No one has touched the cake.”
I see him glance at the cake and smile. “We value our fingers. It will be gone soon enough. The CO is on a conference call and hasn’t spotted it yet. Once she takes a hunk, it will be gone in minutes.”
I wait. Sure enough, Stephanie walks into the break room minutes later and finds the cake. I watch her look around and spot me. There’s a look of uncertainty in her eyes.
“It’s healthy. You should enjoy it,” I tell her. I haven’t had much interaction with Stephanie so far, so I’m glad to see Ram and Binkie are correct. Stephanie takes a massive hunk of cake, slices it into three slices, and sticks two wrapped slices into the pockets of her cargoes. She places the last slice on a napkin and adopts an innocent face.
“I wonder what happened to the rest of that cake,” she grins. It’s so adorable I laugh. Her pockets are bulging with contraband cake. I pour her a glass of milk and watch her moan. This is what I hoped for! She loves it.
“Did you get a piece?”
I shake my head. “I’ll grab a piece once the men have each gotten a slice.”
Stephanie frowns. “Get your slice now. The men will assume that you’ve had a slice and it’s free reign on the cake when they walk in. That’s why I grabbed a slice for Hector. If they eat that entire cake under the assumption that you’ve already had a slice, then they’ll be upset with themselves.”
Within seconds, RangeMen pour into the break room. I see Binkie look over at us.
“Since the CO isn’t supposed to have cake,” each man smiles, “I’ll assume you’ve had a massive slice, right Maria?”
I shake my head. “I was going to wait for you guys to get a slice then take mine.”
Vince shakes his head. “Doesn’t work like that here, Maria. Make sure you serve yourself and Steph before you put things out for us. We assume that you’ve taken care of management and we’re free to have the rest.” While Vince is giving me that explanation, Binkie brings me a slice of cake.
Steph grins and leans over. “Told you. Anything left for the men is open season.”
I nod and watch as the men begin slicing up the cake. I sit at the table with Stephanie, eating my slice, and we both try not to laugh. It’s like a plague of locusts descending. I set out the other two cakes and watch them disappear.
I timed it. Twelve minutes. I turn to Stephanie. “How did they know?”
She grins. “They heard the moans. It’s like Pavlov’s dogs. They know better than to touch cake before I get to it. I was on a conference call, but I smelled it the moment you pulled it out the oven. An hour ago, right?”
I nod, amused, and file this information away. RangeMen here ensure that the ladies are cared for first. Change in behavior from what I’m used to. Also, the CO loves dessert. I need to ensure it’s healthy so she’ll eat it.
I have the rest of the day off. I have no idea what to do, but I decide to make copies of Ella’s healthy meals. The men have been clearing their plates of those meals, so clearly they’re preferred here.
It was a great chat and I really like Stephanie. She’s a sweetheart and very hard working. She’s also been very protective of her partner lately, which is sweet. She spent the week in the bed next to Hector, working on her duties and napping. Once, when Hector thought no one was looking, I saw him twist her curls around his finger and smile. He watched the video of her in the gun range repeatedly and when she flipped Woody, he grinned big. Of course, the moment he caught me watching him, he glared and pretended to be hard at work, talking to the Atlanta boys about some project and “speaking” in Spanish to people. Somehow, I get the idea that threats are a normal part of his vocabulary, and I teased Ram that Hector only appeared to be scarier than his reputation.
Ram looked at me. “Hector is known as a man of his word. He doesn’t make threats. He issues promises.” Ram’s facial expression said I shouldn’t be fooled.
I blinked. OK. Message received. I see why the Miami boys are terrified of him.
I know now why Ella is considered a goddess among housekeepers. It’s because the men here treat her like she’s special and important. They found out that my birthday fell during the visit, and I walked into my kitchen that morning to find masses of flowers, everything from roses to tulips, and a birthday card in the kitchen. I found the good Godiva on a table and a new Wüsthof Chef’s knife on the countertop.
The knife made me cry.
Every year of our marriage, my husband purchased one Wüsthof knife. They’re so expensive that I knew he saved up for that purchase. At the time of his death, I nearly had the entire set, but my Chef’s knife, the first one he ever purchased, was getting dull. Stephanie walked into the kitchen just as I was pulling myself together. She handed me a hankie and rubbed my back.
I smiled at her. “My husband used to buy me another knife every year on my birthday during our marriage. This is the first time in five years I’ve gotten a new knife.”
She nodded slowly and smiled. I could see the tears forming in her eyes. “Hector had a hard time deciding between that and the sharpener. I think you can expect to receive the sharpener by the end of the day.” She swallowed hard and smiled. I handed her the hankie so she could wipe her eyes.
“Why?”
She pointed at the cameras. “Your tears concerned them. They thought you might be a bit beyond hankies and hugs.”
I looked at Stephanie, looked at the cameras, and laughed.
I leave for Atlanta next week. Rose will take my place in Miami, and the Miami men are not looking forward to the fact that I’m not returning immediately. Pedro let it slip that I might be reassigned to San Antonio. The calls are getting more pleading and angry now, but I’m in a different place.
This time in Trenton has shown me that I’m not being treated well. I thought my men in Miami loved me, worshipped me, and would do anything for me. I see now that I was very wrong. Those men love me because I do whatever they want. You want a special meal? OK. You don’t like oatmeal or granola? Here’s a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon. When do you need these six loads of laundry back?
The men in Trenton adore me. They love their Ella, but I’m considered a good alternative. I cook very well, their uniforms are spotless, the building smells fresh and clean, and each one was made to feel very special. They consider it their duty to ensure that I’m not overwhelmed and overburdened, and if they need me to do anything special for them, they ask if I have the time to assist them. They don’t take it for granted. Eddie helped me understand why that attitude prevailed here.
“When I first started here, I told Ranger that having a housekeeper was a perk of working for RangeMan that I never expected.”
“Why is that?” I asked, smiling. I’m going to miss Eddie so much.
He shuffled for a moment then looked at me. “I was a foster kid for a few years,” he said quietly. “In the system, you learn not to get attached to your caregivers. They might be replaced at any moment. Working here was the first time I’d had a ‘mommy’ since I was six. Ella made me feel special and cared for, and I’d do anything for her.”
He sighed and handed me his hankie. I was crying buckets. “Don’t cry. It is what it is. I’m telling you so that you understand the feelings of the men in this building. A lot of us had parents who didn’t give a damn, which is why so many of us joined gangs or enlisted in the military the moment we were legal. Having Ella here was a treat that no man in this building takes for granted. Ella is the house ‘Mom’ and the CO is our pesky but much loved little sister.”
I laugh. That really does sum up the way the Trenton men treat both myself and Stephanie. Eddie takes my hands and sits me on the couch. I watch him fish a paper from his pocket. “Have you ever really read your contract, Maria?”
I shake my head. “No, not really. I understood the basic requirements and the salary and living conditions were acceptable so I signed. My husband had just died and I just needed something new and fresh to do.”
Eddie pats my hands. “That explains a lot,” he says. “Well, you should reread your contract. I got this from Vince, who got it from Hal.” He passes me the blank copy and grins. “Knowledge is power.
Ella’s POV
The reeducation of the Miami men is going very well. Maria informs me that they call her almost nightly to beg her to come home. Last week she stopped answering the calls. She is now answering their calls once a week. No more.
I’m proud. The woman is finding her backbone.
I call Vince to ask him about her time there. I asked him to help me with this little project because I knew my ‘baby’ would be happy to give me the info I need. Tonight’s discussion is very interesting.
“I want to kill them.”
Harsh words from Vince, and Luis and I are both surprised. Luis asks, “Who do you want to kill and why?”
“I would like to toss each of the Miami men into the Atlantic with cement shoes. Those assholes took advantage of a grieving widow.”
Luis and I are stunned. My month with the Miami men has shown me that they are inconsiderate, arrogant, and condescending. Stephanie will tear them to shreds when she gets here if they aren’t softened up first. I’m not sure who I want to be angriest with. Armando, for not getting control of this problem? Lester and Carlito, for knowing, not doing anything, but allowing Stephanie the hard work of cleaning it up? Or Maria, for aiding and abetting them, further cementing their attitudes and actions?
I’d like to toss them all into the Atlantic, but if these men took advantage of a grieving widow then I’m going to be slightly vindictive next week.
I listen in horror as Vince tells us everything he and Eddie managed to get out of Maria. How the Miami men manipulated a grieving widow into becoming an overworked maid in this building. How they beat her self-confidence down so far that she sees nothing wrong with their behavior. How the Trenton men have spent the past month putting her on a pedestal and making her feel good about herself. How my men have demonstrated to her how she should be treated.
I smile.
“You should see it, Ella! Maria’s behaving more like you now, which is a relief because we weren’t sure what to do at first. I mean, knowing that she would slave over a meal, set it out, and not keep a plate back for herself before serving us made us all nervous. We had to start reminding ourselves to ask her if she had taken care of herself first before serving us. We didn’t want to eat everything away from her. And I think she’s enjoying not cooking those heavy meals anymore, which is a relief because my stomach couldn’t take it.”
Luis laughs quietly. Hal called during the first week and told us about Maria’s first three days in Trenton. All the men had the runs. None of them were used to that much butter and grease. “Just when we get the meals we’ve always wanted, none of us can eat them in comfort,” Hal said. I could hear his chuckles. “Every man here found himself praying for roughage and buying softer toilet paper. We were grateful Ram addressed it with her. I wasn’t sure how.”
Luis and I had laughed ourselves silly after that call, imagining the Trenton men running for bathrooms and fighting for Angel Soft. A greasy meal, like ribs or pizza, is an occasional treat. They were overdosing on too much of a good thing and their systems couldn’t handle it. I watch as my husband tries, and fails, to contain his laughter remembering Hal’s comments.
“Anyway, Eddie told her tonight to reread her contract. You know, she never read it after she signed so I’m sure it will be an eye opener. Oh, and Hector said to thank you for the hint about her knives. She cried so much we had to send Steph after her. Apparently, her husband would buy one for her every year on her birthday and those assholes in Miami didn’t keep up the tradition. It was the first time in years she’d gotten a new knife.”
Luis looks at me and shakes his head. His reddening face tells me that if Vince chooses to toss the Miami men into the Atlantic, he’d happily assist.
I’m not going to bother. I’m going to be mean.
The Miami men have made it clear that they can’t wait for me to leave. I’m not cooking like Maria does. They get breakfast, lunch, a light dinner, and snacks. I’m not cooking banquet meals. I don’t do their laundry. I don’t press suits for anyone except Core Team here.
I’m not the maid.
This week I’m going completely vegan. Every meal. Every snack. I’m not even attempting to hide the menu’s roots. Enjoy!
I think my words got to Armando, because when the men attempted to complain to him today, he shut it down. Well, he tried to. I now see his problem and I may owe him a small apology. He tries. His men are fools.
“Armando, I’m submitting a request to present this petition to the Leadership Core on behalf of the Miami RangeMen, for the removal of Ella Guzman from our building.” Antonio, the head of bodyguard services and the worst sexist in the building, stares at me coolly. The management of RMMiami is all gathered in the conference room for the daily staff meeting and Armando looks confused. I’m getting cold looks from the men seated around the table. I get the feeling they aren’t appreciating ‘vegan’ week. Hehe.
“Her meals are unacceptable and don’t come anywhere near the standards that Maria has set. She’s also been rude, unfriendly, and unhelpful since she arrived, and we’d also like to petition the Leadership Core for a reassignment of the Head Housekeeper duty to Maria. Since Maria is the housekeeper for the home office that should be her duty.”
I turn toward Armando, who is turning red at an impressive rate. Finally he calms and looks at Antonio. “Request denied. Next item of business—”
“Wait a minute! You don’t get to just deny our request! I’m speaking on behalf of all the men, not just myself,” Antonio yells.
Armando waits until he calms. “It’s inappropriate to submit that petition to the Leadership Core. Mrs. Guzman is overseen by the CO. Submit that to Ms. Plum.”
“Ms. Plum will ignore it.”
“And you know this because?”
Every man at the table knows why the CO will ignore it, just as I do. Stephanie will ignore it because a) she knows me, b) this is ridiculous and c) the Leadership Core designated me Head Housekeeper. I really want to smile here but I can’t.
Armando sighs. “If you really want to take that bullshit petition anywhere, Antonio, you need to follow chain of command. Elevate that to Ms. Plum for a decision. However,” he stares at all the men, “since you’ve brought it up, let me address it now and save you the trouble. You can elevate that to Ms. Plum for a decision and allow her to whack you over the head with it. You’re right that she will ignore it, especially if you don’t have any concrete facts to back up your claims. She isn’t going to demote the housekeeper she knows best just because she isn’t making three-course meals for you.”
Armando sits back and rubs his temples. This is going to be a long staff meeting. “Quite frankly, Mrs. Guzman is well inside the RangeMan dietary restrictions, which I know that she knows back and forth because she was the one who worked with Lt. Brown to create them. Am I correct, Mrs. Guzman?”
I nod, looking at Antonio a bit smugly. He looks furious.
“And as she created them, you aren’t going to win the diet argument. Plus, she’s already stated that the standard that she’s setting will be the one Maria will have to follow when she returns, so I suggest you get accustomed to the menu. I’ll address the Head Housekeeper role next. Am I correct in assuming that it was the Leadership Core who designated you as the Head Housekeeper, Mrs. Guzman?”
Again, I nod.
“So that’s a lost battle. If you really want to piss off Leadership Core, take that one to them, especially as Mrs. Guzman is related to both Ranger and Lester, is that not correct?”
I nod and smile. Now every man around the table is looking at his fingers. Armando is pointing out to them that they have no grounds for their actions. I’ve learned in the past month that Armando isn’t so much a snake in the grass as he is overrun. Armando is a man who attempts to reason, logically, with the men he commands and that’s the problem. He can’t command them. Well, he can command them, but they want to know why. He’s more of a consensus manager and that doesn’t work in this office. I can see now why they straighten up when Carlito is here. Carlito gives orders and that’s that. They don’t dare question him and, based on what I hear about Diego, that’s exactly how they treat Diego. Armando explains and reasons, as he’s doing now, but the men don’t respect that. They will go full throttle into something and get smacked because they don’t listen to reason.
It’s a shame. A manager anyone else would respect isn’t respected here.
“Finally, I haven’t seen any evidence that Mrs. Guzman is rude, unfriendly or unhelpful.”
“Really? Have you been walking around with your eyes closed, hermano? The woman barely speaks, doesn’t do laundry, doesn’t bring anyone drinks, doesn’t—”
“My eyesight is just fine.” Armando’s voice is dripping icicles, and Luis squeezes my hands. Everyone else looks shocked. “The woman, as you have so rudely just referred to her, is not a maid. She is a housekeeper. She’s not required to do your laundry. She’s not required to bring you drinks at your desk and, considering SOPs state that all drinks at desks must be in closed lid containers, I don’t see how it would be appropriate anyway. Mrs. Guzman is not your mother or your girlfriend. Technically, she and Mr. Guzman are here for some R&R and are pitching in to help while they are here for the month, as payment for staying in the apartment here. They really aren’t required to help as much as they have, so you should consider Mrs. Guzman’s services a boon.”
The room is silent. Finally, Antonio speaks. “As I’m a representative of the men’s concerns, I’d still like to kick this up the chain of command.”
Sigh. And now to get smacked.
Armando shakes his head. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He dials Stephanie’s number.
“CO?”
“Hi, Armando. Need something?”
“Antonio has a petition that needs an immediate decision.”
Antonio addresses the men’s concerns to Stephanie. We await her verdict.
“Armando?”
“Yes?”
“Is he serious?”
Luis chuckles. Every man looks at him, frowning.
“Yes.”
“Request denied. Tell him to never bother me again with something so ridiculous.” Click.
Smack.
I’m going to have fun teasing Stephanie for picking up RangeMan phone manners.
Antonio smiles. “Well, as the CO has denied the request, I’d like to have a review of the CO’s decision by the men in the Leadership Core immediately.”
Oh, I see. He expected Stephanie to deny the request, and he expects that Tank, Bobby and Lester will give it some consideration, since they’re men. He’ll accept the decision from men, but not a woman. This will definitely be an eye-opener.
Armando calls Tank.
“Sir.”
“Armando.”
“The men have a petition they would like to present.”
“Was it submitted to the CO?”
“Yes, sir.”
“She give a definitive ruling on it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Request denied. CO’s decision stands.” Click.
SMACK.
I’m biting my lip trying not to laugh. Luis has no restraint. He’s chuckling. Armando gazes at Antonio, who is red and angry. “Satisfied?”
“No. Please try again.”
Armando calls Tank.
“Sir.”
“Armando.”
“The men have a petition they would like to present.”
“I just gave you a ruling.”
“Sir, they want to be heard.”
“They have been heard. By the CO. Why do they want this petition heard so badly?”
“It concerns Mrs. Guzman.”
Silence on the line. Finally, I hear Bobby’s voice. “OK, you have the Leadership Core here. Present.”
Antonio details the men’s concerns again. Again there’s silence on the line.
“Please tell me that you did not pull us out of a meeting with the San Antonio RangeMen to present us some bullshit,” Lester says, furious. “Armando, please tell me that’s not what’s going on here.”
Antonio finally realizes the extent of his mistake. “Sir, this petition has been signed by all the RangeMen here.”
“So in other words, you men would like my aunt to serve as your maid and dogsbody for a month. Is that what I’m being told? That you men want a slave?”
Silence.
“Alright, here’s what I’m going to do. First, Antonio, you and I are on the mats for an hour the next time I’m in Miami. You should’ve known this was a bullshit petition and stopped it before it even got up to the CO. I can’t believe you wasted Steph’s time with that! Second, Armando, tell Ella to go straight from the standard contract, no addendums. Finally, I’ll call Ella tonight and let her know that Maria will be reassigned to San Antonio the moment this branch is up and running.”
Every man around the table is horrified. This is not what they wanted, but Lester isn’t done.
“Housekeepers are a privilege of RangeMan employment, not a right. Ella retains her position and the right to move housekeepers around as she pleases, but I think in this case, we’ll help her from on high. When Miami learns to appreciate having a housekeeper around, we’ll consider rehiring one.” Click.
SMACK!
Smacks: 3. Reason: 0. This is Armando’s life. Poor man.
The silence around the table is absolute. Armando looks at Antonio in disgust. “Congratulations. Not only did you not get what you wanted, but you lost us our housekeeper. Thanks.” He takes a deep breath and shakes his head. “Next order of business.”
Lester called me later that night, and I informed him that I was in the room during that call.
“Ella, please tell us they really didn’t disrespect you to your face like that.” Lester’s voice was pleading, as if he really wanted to believe that Miami couldn’t be that bad.
“Lester, you and the boys should sit and let us tell you what’s been going on here.”
Over the next hour, Luis and I detailed everything that had happened in our three week stay in Miami. Ranger’s initial call to set the entire thing in motion. The rude greetings at the beginning. The attempts at manipulation. The constant complaints about my cooking, although I did admit I’d served a mostly vegetarian menu all month. The calls at 2AM and 3AM when a RangeMan might have a stomachache or was too hung over to get aspirin or medication. The lax standards with medical records, which infuriated Bobby. We told them everything we’d seen and heard and at the end, the boys were shocked speechless.
“Like everyone in this company, I don’t know what Stephanie’s standards are during her reviews,” Luis stated, “but a simple ‘Surprise!’ inspection of this office will prove that they aren’t prepared. You could pull a ‘Surprise!’ inspection in Trenton any day of the week and the boys there would pass. Here, they wouldn’t. Bobby, I don’t think a surprise medical review would be amiss here.”
“Do you think they’re that bad, Luis?” Bobby asked quietly.
“Let’s just say that the vegetarian menu Ella has been serving all month has made a difference.”
I was thrilled to hear Lester say that I could go directly from contract. I only have three days remaining, but they’ll be the hardest three days yet.
You see, the RangeMan standard contract for housekeeper services states that the housekeeper is only in charge of
- Light snacks meeting a certain dietary requirement, as outlined in the guidelines, in quantities great enough for each man to have one serving twice (2x) a day.
- Light laundry duty for members of management, which includes, but is not limited to:
- Pressing suits
- Stain removal
- Laundering non-personal items, such as pants and shirts. Underwear and socks are prohibited.
The original contract allows a branch to hire a housekeeper to do general maintenance and cleaning for the building, but if they feel they don’t want or need a housekeeper, they aren’t required to hire one. However, every branch always hires a housekeeper; the benefits of having one outweigh the costs of having this person on payroll.
So every RangeMan housekeeper is doing ‘extra non-contractual’ duties that are usually approved by me, with an addendum to their original contract which I must sign. I’m trying to remember what was specified in the addendum I signed for Maria, so I call back to Trenton to ask Hal to search my records to see if he can find it. I also ask Armando if he has a copy. He searches and cannot find it. Hal cannot find a copy in my records.
Excellent! However, I realize that I am also part of Maria’s problem. I’ve also allowed this situation to fester. Maria was my first hire and we didn’t have the addendum when I hired her, but I should have gone back and had her sign one. I failed in the record keeping portion of my job, and I failed to hold her to the standard she was contractually obligated to follow. Sigh. I will have to apologize to Armando. We both failed her, and I cannot hold this against Armando any longer. I wrote her up on her annual reviews, but I’ll also have to ding myself in my annual review for allowing Maria to do this without approval for so long.
After reviewing the medical records I realized that the majority of health problems reported were related directly to diet. I intend to hammer this point home to Maria when I call her to Trenton at the end of this exercise. Acid reflux, indigestion, constipation, loose stools and oily discharge, excessive flatulence (that made Luis laugh. This has been a great month for fart jokes.), all of these conditions are symptoms of the unhealthy diet here in Miami.
The men may not enjoy my diet, but they’re healthier. The monthly health check was three days ago, and every man here has lost, on average, nine pounds. Some have lost even more and they were stunned. The rampant acid reflux here has cleared up. Luis reports that the flatulence issues have been taken care of (he is really having fun slyly telling fart jokes around the men). Each man is now healthier than he was when I arrived.
There has been grudging respect for me and my diet lately. The men who are wearing smaller cargoes are definitely my newest fans.
I send Luis to the health food store for agave nectar and I set out making granola. It’s a light snack in line with their dietary requirements and it doesn’t require a grocery run. I make enough for all three days and set it out Thursday morning. I don’t add any additional food all day. The men are confused but no one says anything.
Finally, Armando approaches me quietly and asks me to join him in his office.
“Shall I assume that granola is a light snack in line with our dietary requirements?” he asks with a sad smile.
“What gave me away?”
“Nothing. I reread the contract.”
We sit in silence for a moment before I speak. “I am sorry for the harsh words I spoke when we arrived.”
He shook his head. “No, you were right. I do appear to sit back and wait for someone else to take care of the problem but I will say, in my defense, that I never do that without trying to solve it myself. I put considerable time and effort into attempting to solve problems. The point I was trying to make with you, Ella, is that I can’t hand out unlimited mat time for men’s thoughts.” I nod, sadly. I’ve seen his point. “I can hand out mat time, but all it will teach them is to keep their mouths closed. I need something else that makes the point, that shows them the error of their ways. That’s what I attempted to do before and it didn’t work. I can’t punish people for their thoughts or feelings as long as it doesn’t impact their work. That’s where I’m stuck.”
I smile. “I understand now. The way you handled that petition showed me that you try, but your men are fools.”
We sit back and look at each other, smiling.
“Here’s what I need from you, Armando. I want you and your Core Team to stay out of the way.” He nods and picks up a pen to write notes. “I’m going to cycle every single housekeeper in RangeMan through your office. My way of saying ‘I’m sorry’ and I’m going to help. You’re right; you can’t take the men to the mats for their feelings, but we ladies?” I grin mischievously. “We ladies can hurt them where it counts. In the stomach.”
Armando laughs. “You mean, more than you already have?”
I laugh. “Oh, much more. They will learn to respect the housekeeper because, as Lester said, having us around is a privilege of their employment here, not a right. I’m going to send each housekeeper here on a two week vacation. She will perform her normal duties, as she does at home. Your men will need to make the effort. Agreed?”
Armando grins. “Absolutely. Agreed.”
“Do you think they will? Your men are a bit foolish.”
The bluntness of my assessment makes Armando snort, then smile. “True. I have dunces and fools and no way to manage them.”
I stand and smile a very sad smile at him. “Yes you do. Problem is, RangeMan brotherhood also applies, right?” He nods. “Well, this is the moment where you need to ask for some brotherhood from your management. That’s what Javier did.” I incline my head and Armando’s eyes grow big. Now he understands how and why Javier managed to get all the help he needed. “Start with your CO. She’s smarter than you think.”
Sunday night, I call Rose. She’s scheduled to fly into Miami tomorrow as the next phase in this plan. It took a while to find someone for the Atlanta office and I think Rose was the right fit. Miami won’t know what to do with this strong black woman.
“Rose, dahling, how are you?”
“Ella, dahling, I’m fine. I hear I’m about to be a part of an attitude adjustment.”
I blink. Who’s talking? “Who said that?”
Rose chuckles. “Hal and Danny talk. Don’t worry. They’re discreet between them. Nothing shared between the two of them ever goes anywhere else, but Hal did call here and inform Danny that a psy-op was being run on behalf of Maria and that she needed kid gloves and star treatment. Since I was about to be subjected to Miami, Danny told me what to expect in that office. I could only come to one conclusion.”
I exhale and smile. I should have known that my boys would clear the way. “Well, he’s right. Let me give you the scoop on Miami.” I fill Rose in on Miami and listen as she curses a blue streak. Rose has a filthy mouth, but they love her more for that in Atlanta. I shake my head. “Anyway, you’ll be there for two weeks, Rose. Think you can handle it?”
“I can’t wait to land. You went vegetarian?” She laughs. “I’m stuck between giving them a raw diet and a macrobiotic one.”
“Cruel.”
“They deserve it.”
