Fall evaporated into winter, then the spring rains soaked us for weeks making road construction next to impossible. Finally the warm breezes of the summer of 1967, allowed us to move full speed ahead on the project. Lots were selling briskly, and houses seemingly sprang from the earth along the man made canals.
The commercial hub of the community had also started to take shape with the emergence of a Winn Dixie grocery store and Hess Oil had begun construction on a gas station. A strip mall was being surveyed and any number of other ventures for retail.
Helen Blossom has contacted nearly all of the managing directors connected with the extensive commercial holdings included in dads financial empire, and informed them of our intent to sell our percentage of each property to whoever is interested. We have entertained several bids and accepted each bid as reasonable. Closings on the sale of the holdings had begun with the stipulation that all payments are made by certified funds directly into our corporate account at the time of each closing. No fucking credit or payments!
Rita had advised us on Christmas Eve that we would be expecting a new arrival somewhere around the end of July. Caroline was most interested in how big Rita's tummy was becoming as the summer progressed and she was a big help in getting the nursery ready again for the new youngun. Billy Joe was making tracks in every direction and had joined Caroline and I on our daily treks around the estate. Caroline was learning new words every day and could carry on a conversation just like an adult. Sometimes she made more sense than the grown ups I had conversations with.
Sandra's house was nearing completion. It of coarse had taken on much larger proportions than she had originally envisioned but hey, I never do anything in a small way. It had been constructed using the same concrete and steel method as the main house, veneered with river stone, and clay tile roof. Just under five thousand square feet, it had five bedrooms, with full baths, a family room, dining room and living room, three-car garage and a monster kitchen. It also had a cozy den and a small spa.
The stable had been erected and a beautiful barn. These also built of concrete and stone with clay tile roofs. A rail fence separated the two buildings and surrounded the exercise ring and pasture. We had run 22,000 miles up on the big tractor-trailer rig, hauling the stone from Fernandina Beach.
Gerald and his crew spent all summer brushing out some of the woods to open up the yard. The tall pines dominated the property, but the entire north and south ends of the estate remained choked in Palmetto scrub. I love this place.
The war in Vietnam was raging. In May I received a letter from the Selective Service Administration informing me that the president required my services to help ensure national security. This sent us all into a tailspin. But I was eager to do my duty so on the appointed day, I reported to the induction center in Jacksonville. I went through all kinds of written tests, which proved I was smarter than I thought. When it came time for my physical examination, the good doctors took one look at the miserable condition of my feet and declared me unfit for military service due to FLAT FEET! One of those same doctors told me I was headed for a long painful time with my feet later in life and referred me to a foot man in Ormond Beach who has fitted me with special prescription shoes and I feel like a new man. It actually doesn't hurt to walk anymore. Life is good!
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Camille taught Rita to drive this summer. And in early June she passed her driving test and received the first driver's license of her life. I was proud of her and asked her if I could buy her a car. She told me no, that if she wanted to go any place, she would have me, or one of the others, take her. For some strange reason, I still had the urge to buy a new car so Camille, Rita and I drove down to Daytona to look around. I took a suitcase full of cash along, just in case I found one I liked and wanted to pay for it.
We drove Camille's '62 Lincoln Town Car, which was state of the art, in those days, and only had 29,000 miles on it. I really liked the leather upholstery and power steering. We looked at the Lincolns, Fords, and Mercury's at one dealership and then drove out on US 1 to the GM garage. Rita spied a red Cadillac convertible sitting on the showroom floor. She was drawn to it. They also had a gorgeous black Fleetwood stretch limousine, a Deville, four-door and a two-door.
I added up on my fingers, Rita, Camille, Louise, Helen, Gerald, Marie, Sandra if she learned how to drive, and Susan just because she still wanted to fuck me so bad, even if Gerald had asked her to get married, and myself. Nine altogether.
I picked out a young salesman in a double-breasted, pin stripe suit, how gouache, and I decided to make his day. I collared him and walked him over to the limo and asked if we could sit inside so as not to be disturbed. Camille and Rita climbed in on either side of him and I sat on the long seat on one side. I explained my problem to him simply. I wanted to purchase nine vehicles, I wanted to pay cash and I wanted them today. Could he handle the sale?
His face became ashen at the prospect of a fleet sale, but I think he thought I was jerking his chain. I handed Camille the key to the Lincoln and asked her to retrieve the valise from the trunk and bring it back to me. Our little salesman produced a notebook from his breast pocket and was hastily jotting figures on a page in the book. From another pocket he fetched a sheet listing all the cars available in their inventory and asked about which models I would be interested in.
Camille returned and as she entered the back of the limo, she displayed a yard of bare brown leg and left the skirt pushed up on her hip as she retook her seat. The exposed expanse of skin did not go unnoticed, resting against the sales guy's leg. Camille handed me the case and settled back in her seat. Rita, even with her big pregnant belly, had scooted a bit closer to our man and I could see that he was a trifle nervous with the two mischievous vixens sending heat waves in his direction.
After a few calculations he nervously asked, "You did say cash?"
"Hard cold," I answered.
"And whose name would we put on the titles?" he asked.
"Virgil Ellis," I replied.
"Well, Mr. Ellis, the window sticker price on the vehicles would come to, $326,334.55," he said. "Excluding Tax, Title, and Tag."
"Is this your best deal?" I asked.
"Certainly not," he answered, hurriedly. "I can sweeten the deal, a bunch, with some accessories and of coarse, on a deal this size, we have a little room to negotiate."
"Oh?" I asked.
" Let me speak to my sales manager for a minute and I'll see how far I can go," he hastened.
Rita's hand dropped into his lap and she searched for his meat. Camille was wiggling her ass closer to the guy and he was starting to sweat.
"Look, Chum," I said. "The girls are getting antsy here in the car, and you know exactly how far you can go on the deal so here's my offer. I have exactly three hundred and sixty thousand bucks in the suitcase. I want the nine cars we spoke of and everything General Motors has to hang on them, hung on them. Jesus, Rita, leave the man's dick alone until I get done fucking him out of these cars and then you two can do whatever you want with him."
Rita whined, "Can I have the red one?"
"You sure can, Honey," our salesman assured her and excused him self to get the paperwork rolling.
When he had exited the limo, we laughed our butts off. The girls both pulled their panties off and handed them to me. The skirts were hiked up even farther in preparation for the guy's return. The dark tinting of the windows made it virtually impossible to see into the back of the long car. I decided to wander around the lot and look at the cars I was buying and leave the girls to their own devices. Our salesman, James as he told me finally, hustled me into one of those little offices and I started signing a mountain of papers for the purchase of the Caddies.
My wrist was nearly broken after the ridiculous number of times I had to sign my name. Then a more distinguished looking gentleman, with a thin moustache, strolled into the room and introduced himself as the owner of the dealership and thanked me profusely for my business. I told him I was hopeful that we could do more in the future and he was most agreeable with the presumption.
James disappeared from the little office and Mr. whatever his name was, passed me on to the finance lady who he introduced to me as his wife, to finalize the deal and count the money. The cars would have to be serviced but I was assured that by the end of the day, they would be delivered to Islands Estates.
I stepped into another larger room with the woman who was supposed to count the cash. As we entered, she snapped the lock on the door and grinned at me. She was a pretty woman of about forty years with soft brown hair and dark flashing eyes. I expect she stood about five four and weighed in at a hundred and twenty-five. She also had a set of forty-twos on her that threatened to do damaged to the clothing that was feebly attempting to contain them.
"My husband asked me to count the money, and thank you properly, for your business, but I think you're an honest man," she said, standing full height and thrusting her gargantuan knockers in my direction.
"I am honest, the money count is accurate. Now you can show me your tits, which is obviously exactly what you want to do," I said, and sat down in the chair next to the table.
