The name is Dan Florintine. Barely twenty one and just having fun, that was me. Six foot tall and in shape at 180 pounds, blond hair kept on the rather long side, cute as a bug's ear, which is word for word what Mom told me lots of times.
Easy to believe, the mirror told me the same thing. Lopsided "up to something" grin, quick with a wisecrack, and growing up talking to complete strangers every day about anything and everything blended total confidence into the mix.
I didn't go on to college, probably should have but my folks owned an auto parts store.
Actually several of them, it was one of those franchise deals where the main company sets up the program, supplies the inventory and the stores sell off of the inventory. Then once a month everything is added up and the main company sends a bill.
Usually what was left over was pretty good.
Especially since my Mother kept some parts lines around that were our own brand, some with over 100% markups. I never did know how she figured all of that out and got it all done, but I did have a few suspicions.
My Mom was the driving force in our family, way back before I was even born she and Dad bought the property that the first store was on, beginning with mostly private brands.
Mom had insisted on that. At first, breaking into some major brand lines was tough, there were of course regional salespeople, local, then main warehouses and the like, all taking a piece of the pie.
The systems and people involved in the distribution is what cost the money, the product and the packaging is normally just a fraction of retail.
Mom knew that, so she began touching bases with manufacturers. Of course they wanted to protect their own customer base, which meant they did nothing to upset them.
Like sell product to some tiny little auto parts store. That kind of stuff can create a big outfit out of a tiny one, and that means competition.
Major brands don't like competition much. Things happen, like suppliers suddenly jack up the wholesale price, or say product is "out of stock" or even go so far as to refuse to sell.
All because one of their BIG customers tell them to..or else.
Sure, that stuff is illegal. It happens every single day.
Which also means that the part you pay $30 for cost someone somewhere about a buck. Then all the middlemen in between grab a piece as it goes by, so yep.
$30 to you.
Anyway, that is the auto parts business, and I grew up in the middle of all of that.
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So Mom started having certain items made by smaller manufacturers, insisting on nothing but the very best quality.
That meant she was often flying all over the world. I remember once when I was about 8 years old, she came back from a business trip to China. That time she was gone 18 days.
That one I remember because things between Mom and Dad were very cool for quite awhile and I had no idea why. Mom fixed things by turning into the happiest person in the world, always kissing and rubbing up against Dad, cooking all the things he liked best.
Like I said, I was only 8 years old but I noticed that.
The next trip a few months after was to Australia, and my Mother insisted that Dad go.
Dad came back empty handed, saying something about no way could they cut a million dollar contract.
Mom left just a few days later, she was back in a couple of weeks with a contract in hand.
I had no idea at all at the time how she did that, but somehow she always managed.
Our colorful F/A logo began to appear on the boxes.
Then other parts stores started wanting things, so Mom sold them cases of stuff at discounts.
By the time Mom had selected and purchased the 3rd property for another store, then bought a warehouse down by the river, the sales people were coming by with hat in hand.
Mom was still taking those trips, some back east but often to other Nations.
She did send Dad a few times but he usually came back without a contract, or paid way too much.
Mom always came back with the contracts, and she never paid too much for anything.
Other than that one time, there were no more arguments.
+++
I had a broom in my hands by the time I was six, the school bus dropped me off at the store instead of at home like all the other kids.
When I was in my middle teens I was as good on the counter as anyone.
Florintine Auto Parts, it was called, of course. If a part was even made for any make or model, our stores had it. Even if we didn't have it on the shelf we could have it the next morning, the truck rolled in every day at 10 O'clock.
My job was mostly cleaning up and stacking the shelves. Customers come in, pick up items and pack them halfway across the store, then set them down where they don't belong.
My job was to find those and put them back.
By the time I graduated from high school I knew where everything went.
Actually, I thought I knew everything about everything, too, in spite of my Mother's best efforts. She loved me, no, she worshiped me, but she was also firm and took no nonsense.
Like I said, Mom was the driving force behind everything, if my Dad was left to his own devices, he would be living in a tent out in the woods with his fishing tackle.
My Dad loved to catch fish, and he often took me along. Those were always good days, just the two of us.
But Dad's pleasant and easy manner helped with customers, everyone liked him. He knew just how to stand, how to speak, and he could really sell people stuff. I did my best to copy that and in time got pretty good at it myself.
What Dad just could not do was buy products, he was way too nice and sales reps usually got the best of him.
My Mother had no troubles with that at all.
Mom was of course a catalog, she knew every part number in every manual we had, and by the time I got out of high school we had those little discs that had all the info about parts on them.
That helped a lot, sales became easy and fast.
Except for Dad, the one time I saw him put his foot down was when Mom came out to collect all the manuals because we didn't need them any more.
There was quite a discussion, damn near an argument. I went and hid a few rows over, in all my life I never saw them go at it like that.
Finally Dad went in the back room and threw the main power switch. He came back out and looked at Mom.
"Now. Look something up YOUR way!" He said.
Mom stared at him for several long seconds, then she walked over to him and kissed him.
"I'm sorry, honey." Was all she said. Mom had changed almost instantly from being stern, being the boss into something completely different.
Dad's crossed arms came down, he was holding her and I saw that clearly. Mom manipulated him with ease.
That was the moment I realized just how beautiful my Mother was, up until then she had just been Mom. She had switched from an in charge attitude to something entirely different in seconds.
Dad got to keep his manuals.
Still, Mom ran the stores.
+++
The stores made good money, I was set for life because Mom and Dad paid me about twice what they could hire anyone for.
I was one of those only sons, you see.
Cute as a bug's ear.
No point in going on to school, Mom and Dad doted on me, I got just about anything I wanted.
Mom and Dad made me manager of one of the stores about 30 seconds after I got out of high school.
I was feeling my Oats, and wanted to get going, out into the world. The truth there is I wanted to have some girl friends and I couldn't bring them home.
I had discovered girls quite some time before, but experimenting in cars was awkward. I decided to sneak one into my bedroom.
I did that just once, her name was Kathy Simpson. We had the house all to ourselves since my folks had left to have a nice dinner, one thing led to another and Kathy came with me into my bedroom.
To look at my new computer, of course.
Time flies when you are having fun, is the term.
I guess we made some strange noises because Mom came into my bedroom to see what was the matter and caught us. Dad was right behind, I saw him looking over Mom's shoulder.
Our positions could be described as delicate, I was doing my best to hold back as long as possible because I was enjoying the hell out of having lots of room and Kathy was actually lifting me clear off the bed, trying to get more of me inside of her.
I think he liked seeing Kathy like that, he was sure grinning. Kathy let out a squeal and grabbed a blanket while I tried to get my hands on enough of it to cover up my stuff.
Which was going off all by itself at that exact moment.
And Mom standing there with her mouth hanging open.
Dad grinning.
Kathy was..well..sort of not dressed just then and I wasn't either, not even socks. Kathy did finally let go of enough of the blanket for me to cover up, barely, after I yanked on it several times.
Of course that let one of her rather nice oversize titties poke out and Dad was looking some more. Kathy brought one hand up to cover her bare boob, the other hand jamming the blanket between her legs.
Mom got all sorts of upset and chewed me out, going on for at least a half hour about birth control and all sorts of diseases.
That came later after Kathy went out the front door with her head down and her face all red.
I didn't try that again. Dad never said a single word about it, except to mention that Mom really wasn't all that upset, she just wanted me safe.
Finally that was over, totally embarrassed at how my Mom and Dad had caught us, I went into the living room.
I heard funny noises coming from the main bedroom a few minutes later, so I turned the TV up a little bit.
Later when Mom was busy in the kitchen Dad patted me on the shoulder, I think he was proud of me.
At dinner, Mom kept looking at Dad with a smile. Dad was in a very good mood. Not a word was said about earlier, so I kept my mouth shut.
+++
Anyway, I found a nice Condo and bought it not too far away. Mom didn't like that much but by then I was 19, and I really wanted to do my own thing. I could have bought a house but cutting grass, trimming brush and fixing stuff was not in any of my plans. The condo units had a management company, part of the deal.
I bought myself a shiny new bright red Corvette, too. It had six speeds forward and could go like the holy hubs of hell.
