----------------Wednesday May 18
My cell phone buzzed, waking me up, the room was dark, thanks to the new black shades that were just put in place the day before. It's early, the clock on my phone says seven thirty.
"This is Roy," I said into the phone.
"Roy this is Mike Stephens out at the construction site, do you have time to stop by here today? We need to discuss a few things." He told me.
"Okay, l can be there by ten, I need to do a couple of things first." I tell Mike, and push the phone off icon.
In the bathroom, I take care of my morning rituals.
A few minutes later, I am dressed and in the kitchen cooking breakfast. Rindi came in when the aroma of fresh baked biscuits reached the bedroom and she claimed they told her to come out to eat with me. We put freezer jam on four biscuits, two for each of us, I had also fried several eggs and sausage patties.
"Mike needs me at the construction site to discuss a few plans," I told Rindi, "Do you want to come with me or stay here? I'm not sure what he wants or how long it may take us?"
"I'd like to go with you, I want to see what the buildings look like too, and it might be fun seeing all those muscular college boys on the work crew." Rindi teased me by saying.
We drove to the location where the buildings were being built for the new restaurant, bar and ballroom. The parking lot looked great, freshly painted yellow lines on the black asphalt show the designated parking spots. There is one spot by the main doors that says reserved for Uncle Roy. I pulled into the space a few inches from the concrete parking block.
Mike had watched us pull in and promptly met us as we got out of the Escape, Rindi opened her own door, getting out on the passenger side.
"Roy we will finish construction on the main buildings by the end of the month, nearly two weeks earlier than we planned, the weather has been great and my crew knows exactly what they are doing." Mike informed me.
"That's really good to hear," I told him.
"The thing I wanted to talk about or ask you about, shit, I'm not sure how to ask?" Mike said with doubt in his voice.
"Start at the beginning and just tell me what it is, if it's even within my power to do?" I told Mike.
"The thing is I'm getting older, I don't like climbing ladders, walking on roofs or even lifting lumber anymore. I'd like to retire after this job finishes. It's my daughter Michelle, (Shelly to her friends), I've had her helping me during the summers since she was about twelve, she turned eighteen two weeks ago. Anyway I was wondering after hearing about your long range plans if you would consider hiring my daughter for any position in the new restaurant or bar. Construction is hard work and lately she's been complaining of aches and pains in her back. She's a strong girl and I'm not against her taking over my business but I'd like to see her do a lot more with her life." Mike said.
"How much money are you charging me for the construction? I wonder if we couldn't work out a deal, instead of paying you, we take Michelle on as one of the partners in our business? Or pay you enough that you don't feel like you are being cheated, and figure out how much of a share she would get. Michelle may have her own ideas about what she wants in the future also?" I told Mike.
"That's exactly what I was hoping you'd say," Mike said, "I don't need a lot of cash right now, It's been a good year and what I made just building your house and others, has set me up pretty good and I start collecting social security in June and I already get a military retirement."
"Why don't you have Michelle come over here and we can discuss what she wants?" I told Mike.
He texts his daughter that we want to meet her by the main doors and she comes over a few minutes later.
She was wearing coveralls with a toolbelt steel toed shoes, a hard hat and carrying a hammer.
"What's up dad I was just finishing the sheetrock in the bar area?" Shelly asked Mike.
"Do you really enjoy construction work? Or is there something else you'd rather do? I don't mean like flipping burgers or minimum wage type jobs but I want to retire and Roy will need lots of help once this place opens. Bartenders, cooks, waitresses, managers, accountants and probably others.
"If I'm not mistaken, he has some plans that promise big money to every one of his business partners, I have decided not to make any profit on this job and retire in two weeks. I was going to hand you my construction business but instead, I'd like Roy to make you one of his business partners instead of paying me." Mike informed his daughter.
"Mom's been begging you to retire for ten years now," Michelle told her father, "I could run the business but you know the guys don't really respect me enough to follow my orders, they constantly criticize me about every job I do. I want to go to college in the fall and study architecture and computer drafting, maybe even interior designing?"
"You have never mentioned any of that to me before," Mike said to her.
"It's not that easy to talk to you dad, when we are at a job there's so much noise we can't hear and at home, I never know what might upset you?" Michelle admitted.
Rindi walked over to me and pulled me several feet away from Mike and Michelle.
"They need to talk in private," She told me. "Let's invite Shelly to dinner tonight at Pirates Cove and we can find out what she decided to do but I bet she winds up going to college and taking the classes."
"I would bet on her doing exactly that," I told Rindi.
We walked back over and Mike and his daughter both have a few tears in their eyes, and had just finished a tender hug.
"Michelle when you finish here today, Roy and I would like to take you out to dinner at Pirates Cove number one, if you would like?" Rindi asked her.
"I should be done here around three, then I'll need to go home to shower and change clothes. How about if I meet you at six thirty?" Shelly asked.
After shaking Mike's hand, Rindi and I got back in the Escape and drove slowly around the huge parking lot. There were five hundred parking stalls exactly, Mike had told me, plus the one extra, reserved for me.
