Chapter 1 Initiation
Warning: Please don't take this seriously. I didn't.
Characters:
Victor Thomas: College student, age nineteen
Brian Thomas: College student, age eighteen
Tuck Tucker: Owns three restaurants, age fifty-five
Elizabeth Tucker; The Witch, Tuck's second wife, age Thirty-two
Betty: Bookkeeper, petite, meek, age thirty-seven
Trudy: Office worker, age twenty. Large eyes are her distinguishing feature.
Vera Tucker: Tuck's first wife and mother of his daughters. Age forty-three
Eric: Restaurant Manager and fiancée of Caroline Tucker
Caroline Tucker: Tuck's older daughter, age twenty-three
Sarah Tucker; Tuck's younger daughter, age Twenty-one
Melinda: Housekeeper in Tucker home, a Black girl with needs, goes by Missy, age Twenty-eight
Salvatore: Tuck's cousin, Manager of Tuck-South.
After four hours on the job I was bewildered. Why had I let my brother talk me in to spending my summer working for a family-owned restaurant chain? The job description, 'driver and miscellaneous duties' appealed to me, along with the promise of a place to sleep, with meals provided.
So far, I'd been read the riot act by the owner's wife.
"You'll sleep in the cottage at the rear of the house. The maid will deliver your evening meal. You are not to come inside the house unless you're specifically invited," Mrs. Tucker told me when I first arrived at company headquarters. I nodded to confirm that I understood her and was relegated to the first floor storeroom.
"Move everything from the front to the back and everything in the back to the front," the witch told me. "Don't break any of the china. If you do, I'll deduct the cost from your pay."
I was especially careful, carrying stacks of plates, cartons of glasses and individual mugs to shelves at the rear of the storeroom. The mugs had the company logo, a photo of the smiling owner and 'Tuck', screen-printed on them.
The same logo was on the side of a white van, which was backed into one section of the downstairs stock room.
I heard the footsteps of the three women tread the floor above. It was easy to tell which one was crossing the room. The sound Mrs. Tucker's high heels made was distinctive. It had a ring of authority when she walked to the kitchen for a cup of coffee or to the lady's room to take a leak. The sneakers Trudy wore scuffed the floor as she went about her tasks of printing menus, sending facsimiles or sorting the mail. Betty, the petite bookkeeper, only went to the kitchen to fill her coffee mug once that morning. Her heels made a sound to reflect her personality, soft, pleasant and unobtrusive.
At ten A.M. the witch used the intercom to tell me to go pick up her husband. "The keys are in the car, along with directions to the house. Bring him straight here."
I spoke to the box on the wall, "Yes, ma'am," and went outside and got into the Lincoln Town Car. The directions were easy to follow, and it only took a few minutes to drive the two miles. The home was large, and there was another car parked in front of the garage. I wondered why Mr. Tucker needed a driver.
He came out the side door of the house, looking older than the picture of him on the logo. I judged him to be in his middle fifties, much older than the witch whose footsteps had made such an impression on me all morning.
Should I get out and open the back door for him? He was seated in the passenger's seat next to me before I could decide.
"Victor? Please call me Tuck," he said, extending his hand.
"Thank you, Sir," I said, shaking his hand.
Tuck was not a big man. He was wearing a dark, summer suit. His dark hair was slicked back and his mustache was neatly trimmed.
"Did Professor Sawyer brief you about our business?" Tuck asked as I maneuvered the big car into traffic.
"Not really, Sir."
"We run a lean and mean operation. My wife manages the office and I...well, I'm not sure what I do. We only have three restaurants. Two are in the suburbs, catering to families, and one is downtown, concentrating on the theater district.
"I have a short meeting and then you can drive me to Tuck-North," he said as he got out of the car. I noticed a dark SUV was now parked in front of the building.
As I moved cartons of paper goods, cases of canned goods and boxes of cleaning supplies around in the stock room, I listened to the footsteps above. Now, in addition to the witch's high heels, there were scuffing sounds, which I assumed were made by men's shoes.
At eleven-thirty, two men came downstairs and drove off in the SUV. A minute later, Mr. Tucker appeared, saying he was ready to go. He directed me to a route that would avoid the city traffic, and proceeded to tell me more about his company's operation.
"My managers work four long days and are off two days. We move them around, with one exception, and that creates a scheduling nightmare. But I pay them well. That keeps them happy. I can't remember the last time one of my managers missed an assigned shift."
I wondered what the one exception was, but didn't ask. He seemed to be willing to tell me more and I was glad to listen.
"We serve a quality meal at the right price. My bartenders serve a damned fine cocktail, too," he said, and then turned his head to look at me. "I can't let you drink during working hours. What are you, twenty?"
"Nineteen, Sir," I said.
"You may as well know, Victor. I'd rather you hear it from me than one of my wives. I have a drinking problem."
He was looking straight ahead. I saw no need to comment, so I looked straight ahead, too. He directed me to Tuck-North and told me to drop him at the door and then park the car at the rear of the parking lot.
It was a few minutes past noon and the parking lot was filling up fast. Business must be good, I thought as I went inside. I found Tuck at the bar with a drink in his hand. He introduced me to some of the customers and the bartender. "Victor's a college student, but he's my driver for the summer."
During the two hours we were there, I was introduced to other customers, most of the staff and the manager. Eric was a big guy, tall and heavyset. His hands were enormous. "Are you still going to marry my daughter, Eric?" Tuck asked, laughing.
"I plan on marrying her if she doesn't kick me out of the apartment, Dad," Eric said.
Eric asked us if we wanted something to eat. I said "Yes," and a waitress brought me a sandwich a few minutes later. Tuck declined the offer.
We stayed in the bar until two P.M. when Tuck was ready to leave. He told me to drop him off at his house. "Did you keep track of how many drinks I had, Victor?"
"No, Sir."
"Good. Don't make a habit of it either."
"I won't, Sir."
"Give this to Liz," he said, handing me an envelope.
I wasn't sure who Liz was, but it had to be Mrs. Tucker. She took the envelope when I handed it to her. "How much did he drink?" she asked.
"I didn't keep track, ma'am."
Mrs. Tucker's eyes were like daggers. I stared back at her, wondering if she ever smiled. If it were not for her sour mood, she would have been an attractive lady. She was dressed in a smart, business suit and she had a nice figure. "I'll expect you to count his drinks from now on," she said, walking away from me before I had a chance to tell her I would comply.
Which one was I going to obey? The witch must have known her husband ordered me not to keep track of how many drinks he had. I went back to my job of rearranging the downstairs storeroom until quitting time. At six-fifteen, the upstairs was locked and Mrs. Tucker told me to drive her home. She rode in the backseat, without talking until I parked in front of the garage.
"Clean this car. It's filthy, inside and out," Mrs. Tucker said as she was getting out of the car.
A black lady came out and introduced herself to me. "I'm Melina, but everyone calls me Missy. I'll show you to the cottage," she offered. I got my luggage out of the back of the car and we walked past a swimming pool on the right. I tried to get Missy to tell me about our employers, but she wouldn't answer my questions.
"This is it," she said, stopping in front of the cottage. "I'll bring you something to eat after awhile," she offered.
"No rush. I have to wash the car," I said. She nodded and turned back to the house.
The cottage was small. There was a table and four chairs, a bed, a cabinet full of towels, and a small television. The bath was the only other room.
I changed into short pants and proceeded to wash the car. I was vacuuming the inside when a small sports car came to a stop in front of the garage.
"You must be the new boy," a blond said, removing her sunglasses and inspecting my bare chest.
"I'm Victor," I said, inspecting her covered chest. She ran to the house, turning back and grinning at me before entering the back door. She must have known her short skirt got my blood pumping.