“I have one more item of information that I shall leave you with. The so-called ‘golden parachute’ has been withdrawn by the board, and is to be given to a… sorry I had the paper right here, Ah, here it is! It will be given to your replacement, Mr. Dale Farmer.” The board and I are very disappointed in you and your management skills, so don’t look for a letter of recommendation.
“There is a final piece of business we need to attend to” He waved his hand to his wife, “Gabby, the floor is yours!”
I turned my head to look at Gabby confused, all I got in return was a very sexy and sly wink.
“I believe we have talked Jerry’s ears off. So I will turn my attention to your soon-to-be ex-wife, Dale” Then she turned her head to look at Shirley, “I know you don’t know me, so let me introduce myself. My name is Abigail Alders, does the name ring any bells? Are you sure that you are soon to be sitting on the board of ‘Robinson’s Fashion?” All Shirley could do was shake her head a little, but enough so she could answer any ‘yes/no’ questions. Gabby let out a large sigh, “In the business world, I am referred to as, “The Owner of Robinson’s Fashions” Is it clear enough now?”
I thought Shirley’s eyes were going to fall out of her head! Even I had no idea.
“After hearing of your trysts with Jerry here, I had my people look threw every dealings you had with my company. They’re a very thorough group of people, that’s why I hired them. I’ll bet you thought you were being sly, didn’t you? It did take a while but they found your quarter of a percent that you’d set up to make it look like an ordinary tax and attached it to every purchase after you were made manager of your first department with my company so very long ago. My people have found two overseas accounts, one in your maiden name, and one in your twin sister’s name who died 19 years ago”
“But you made two fatal mistakes! You see I started Robinson’s Fashions on my own. I wouldn’t even accept any money from my husband or anyone else. I wanted to prove to myself that I could! I know it’s a foreign concept to you, But I made it and I protect it viciously! So I know you’ll understand when I tell you that because the courts aren’t open today, I’ve had my lawyers work with federal officers to make you a thief on the run and a potential flight risk to another country. It was just a bonus for me when the federal agents added the charge of ‘fleeing from federal officers’ because you are now a criminal on the run from both federal and local law enforcement officers”
“As for your second mistake,” Gabby snatched Shirley’s head as close as possible to her own. Her face was so twisted and red that she looked like a demon from hell itself, even her voice changed! “You fucked with what’s mine, you stupid fucking bitch! Then she straightened up and smoothed out her dress, and pushed her hair off of her face. When she turned around to her husband and me, she was again the Gabby everybody knows and loves.
“If it’s all the same to you, Dale, I believe I would like that drink now” and walked past us on the way downstairs. I turned to Harrison, raised my finger pointing the way down the hall, and started to open my mouth. Harrison held up both hands and shook his head as he followed Gabby downstairs without saying anything about it. I quit trying to figure it out, the only fact that I could come up with was, “You better not fuck with what’s Gabby’s”
We got downstairs, “What is everyone drinking?” I asked.
“I’ll have a bourbon, I believe Harrison wants the same” Gabby said, Harrison just shook his head in agreement. Lisa and I both had a double whiskey, we tried to keep a certain distance from Gabby. “Oh. come on everyone, I’m sorry my ‘dark side slipped out, but the amount of money we’re talking about was close to 2 million dollars. I take that rather personally.
“What we need to do is figure out how we’re going to handle this storm” Harrison said. “We have to be careful to not come out of this covered in the same shit as those two upstairs”
“Don’t worry” I said, “I’ll play the scapegoat for all of this”
Lisa walked over to me, “I’m not about to let you stand alone, Dale. You might as well face it, we’re a couple now, If your so blind that you can’t see that, I’ll take you out back and beat you until you do!”
Gabby looked at her husband and nodded. “You’re probably going to come out of all this covered in shit, you know that right?” Harrison said as I shook his hand.
Then as I gave Gabby a hug, she pulled me in tight, “You better not lose her, Dale” she whispered. As she stepped over to Harrison standing by the door. She told us that if we ever needed anything to call them, We nodded. Everyone was still looking worried.
“Look, my friends, I got this. Hell I even have a half-assed plan in my head already, so don’t look so down, ok?” I smiled at them all.
Gabby and Harrison smiled and said their farewells. Then I turned to Lisa, “Can you drive?” She looked at me strange, then nodded her head. “Great! I need you to go to the store and buy me a burner phone, make sure you cover your face so no one can tell what you look like, ok?”
“What have you got up your sleeve, lover?” Lisa smiled.
“Get a move on please, after I do what I have to do, I’m spending the night at your place, is that alright with you?” My mind was running a mile a minute.
I had barely finished talking when Lisa said quickly, “Going to the store” and then she was out the door and down the street.
I stood still for a minute, making sure I was ready to do what needed to be done. I went upstairs and walked into the bedroom. I went into the closet and found the heavy suitcases we use when traveling. I called it the timex collection, you know, “takes a licking and keeps on ticking” I swung it up in a high arch, brought it down on top of the two of them, rather hard I might add, I lifted it up, “Could you hold this for a minute?” and then dropped it back down on them.
I packed some clothes and a few toiletries, then took a pair of khaki lightweight pants and a pullover shirt crumpled them up, and tossed them in as well. Then I dragged it off of them and set it down on the floor. I went back into my closet and traded my leather shoes for a comfortable pair of deck shoes. “Damn, I need some underwear and a couple of T-shirts” I took the suitcase back over to the bed again, Then I swung it up and back on top of them again. “Look just hold this for a minute, I forgot underwear and a few T-shirts” I dropped it back down on them and loaded what I needed. I lifted it back up and slapped Shirley’s head to get her attention. “Hey, did you do a load of whites? I can’t find my socks” I was rather enjoying this I must say, “Shit that’s right, I rearranged my dresser drawers and put them in the second” Down dropped the suitcase again.
When I had everything packed I slammed the suitcase lid down, then I remembered how much pain they caused me. I got up on the bed and then sat down on the suitcase to close it up. (Ok, I may have bounced up and down a time or two) Then I dragged it off them and noticed some nice new bruises were starting to show. “Ok, it looks like I have everything I need packed up” I reached down and pinched her cheek like Grandma used to do. “Alright, you two play nice, and if you’ve been good, I’ll bring you both back some new orange jumpsuits, you’ll love them so much that that’s all you will want to wear all the time!”