Mommy Was a Whore

Next day Charlotte organized a phone conference call of all board members. She said Gina had excused herself citing possible vested interests and then outlined the doco Gina had organized. The majority of board members agreed to underwrite half the cost of making the documentary. Murray instructed Charlotte to make sure she was involved in preparing the application to seek State Government funding for the film project and to be on any deputation invited to appear before the fund-granting agency.

That same day when calling a cab Gina learned Salty was sick. On the way home she purchased a paperback and a box of chocolates and had the cab driver take her to Salty's home. She delivered the gifts at the front door to the very handsome Mrs Brown who expressed surprise and then asked why would she be surprised. "You are Miss Lott, I recall your face from TV and the newspaper. Would you like to come and see him? Some passenger has given him a nasty cold."

"No thanks, I've no wish to pass a cold on Clara, if I may call you that? I'm Gina."

"Yes please do. Salty is expecting big things from you. What should I tell him?"

"Tell him the Sergeant Tom campaign is on the march again. He'll know what that means. And tell him to watch local news at 6:00 on Sunday week when I launch the campaign to bring Sergeant Tom in from the cold."

"Right, I'll do that. Who is Sergeant Tom? Salty was in the army in his younger days but I never hear of Sergeant Tom."

"Sergeant Thomas Palin, founder of Palin City."

"Ah yes. The guy who dreamed up Indians were about to attack settlers. Salty said you had a fixation about him. I take it you've found evidence to back up your statement you're bringing him in from the cold, as you put it?"

"You not only have lovely features Clara but a good brain as well. Don't catch Salty's virus. Good afternoon."

"Bye Gina. You are so kind."

As they drove off the cabbie said, "Old Salty is an institution in our outfit."

"I'm not surprised Ivan, but why is that?"

"He has the cleanest cab, I don't think there's ever been a complaint against him, he treats us individually as if we were the best driver in the company but if something is wrong he'll ask ever so softly can he have a quiet word. He treats everyone who rides in his cab with dignity, even loudmouths and drunks. People respect him, like you do Miss Lott. Everyone in the company knows you have a soft spot for him and when you call in the dispatcher automatically looks at the locator on his or her screen for Salty. You are already on our list of top regulars Miss Lott."

"Well please have me removed. I've done nothing to deserve my place there."

"Request denied Miss Lott. Salty would fire me if I did that."

Gina laughed and said no way could one cabbie fire another cabbie.

"Salty is a cabbie, yes, but he also owns half the company with Mrs Ryan owning the other half."

Gina gave Ivan treble the usual tip. He'd told her something very interesting about Salty and that explained his fine house the expensive-looking clothes Clara was wearing about the house. But the big gain was she'd ask Salty if company drivers would spread the word about Sergeant Tom. Ivan chatting to her had given her the idea. It reminded her that cabbies liked to chat. Orange and Green Cabs had the largest taxi fleet in the city. Oh how she wished for a photo or even a drawing of Sergeant Tom. In her mind he was just a shadowy figure. A portrait would bring him alive for her and it would mean the campaign could push for a bronze statue of him.

* * *

Fleur lay in Adam's arms, the smell of sex in the air.

"That was lovely," she said. "You must be excited we're going to purchase this property?"

"Could be. Tell me, you and Gina have become very close, so close I'm suspicious. Have you been to bed with her? Now I want the truth."

"Yes," Fleur said in a small voice.

Adam looked at her menacingly. "Yes what? That you will tell the truth or that you allowed her to fuck you."

"Please darling. Don't get mad at me. We just fooled around a bit. It was lovely."

"Lovely? It was fucking disgusting. I'm having it out with the bitch," Adam said, jumping off the bed and pulling on his pants and shirt. "Now you stay here, do you hear? Move off the bed and you're for it."

Fleur began crying and Adam left the room, slamming the door.

"Oh hello Adam, is everything all right?" Gina asked, stepping back defensively, reading his angry face.

Adam brushed past her and entered the loft. "I suspected something has been going on between you and Fleur. I see touchy, touchy and soft intimate smiles from time to time. I forced it out of Fleur. She said you two had fooled around but I think it's a lot more than that."

"It could have been, perhaps not. I don't see it as any of your business."

"You smart-ass slut. Of course it's my business. I'm Fleur's husband, I have rights."

"Well you have no rights over me. Get out of my rented room."

"Oh I see. Miss High and Mighty are we? Well I'm pulling out of the contract. I don't want any property you've contaminated."

"We have a contract Adam. You pull out and I get to keep the 10% deposit you signed over to my accountant today. No, I'll do more than that -- I'll sue you for breach of contract and seek to take every cent you have in punitive damages."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. You let Fleur do most of the work and you think you are capable of making the executive decisions. Well you attempt to pull out of this deal and it will be the end of you. With you both penniless Fleur will head home and you'll have lost her."

"You bitch."

"My name is Gina."

"Well, the deal sticks but I'll get even with you your filthy slut."

"Good night Adam. I suggest you leave the door on its hinges."

He stomped out, leaving the door wide open.

Gina remained calm. She called Nathan who took sometime answering because he was in the bath and his cell phone was in the kitchen.

"Hi, I'm walking back to bath with my phone."

"Oh sorry. Look, do you still consider I'm your fiancée?"

"Yes, of course. You are the woman I shall marry as soon as my marriage is dissolved."

"Something has come up. May I come and live with you?"

"Yes of course. Do you want me to fill in Adam?"

"No, it doesn't warrant that. They are buying this property from me. He has become drunk and abusive, accusing me of sleeping with his wife and I neither confirmed nor denied it."

"An excellent response. I'll wash my sweaty dick and my sweaty feet and will be over to collect you. Start packing."

"I was hoping tonight but the morning will be okay?"

"Give me twenty minutes tops darling. I want you sleeping with me."

Gina had paid her rent in advance. She thought Fleur was the kind of person to hand back the surplus, not including this week. She hoped Adam would settle in full because she had no wish to force Fleur into court -- Adam yes, but not Fleur.

Half an hour later as Nathan drove Gina and her possessions away she saw Adam staring at them through the shades. She stared back and refrained from tossing an obscene gesture of one upright finger in his direction. She thought Fleur the fool should have kept her mouth shut. On the other hand, Adam would wake up in the morning feeling glad he hadn't acted stupidly. They would have devised a marketing plan to pump more people through the retreat and probably had plans to up grade it into a spa resort hideaway.

Gina stayed home -- now Nathan's house -- all day next day as she had nothing scheduled and marveled it was the first day without business or social appointments for quite some time. At 11:00 she called Alex Smith, director of TV programming at K0Z0 and arranged for him to set up the TV launch to run on TV (Palin was on the KOZO regional network) on Sunday week and use that interview to announce commencement next day of filming the documentary.

"But we have already started work."

"Well call it the start of the Palin section of filming."

"Oh yeah. Thanks for doing the groundwork for the Post to underwrite 50% of the cost. They couriered back their signed copies of the agreement yesterday."

"Good. And your people?"

"There is some dissent so no progress at present. Don't sweat. Something usually happens."

And something did.

Alex called at 2:30 highly excited. "Can you come to the capital now? This is too important to describe on the phone. Our researcher is back from Kansas with a treasure trove."

"Well all right. Give me your address. I'll grab a hire car with GPS. Starting early afternoon like this I should be there inside four hours. Will you stay at the office and wait for me?"

"Yeah, Amy will as well. I'll then take you guys to dinner. Amy lives at home and says her mom says you can stay the night."

"Okay, I'm on my way. Thank Amy for me."

Nathan was apologetic but couldn't take time off work because he had a full caseload. "Take my car."

"No, a hire car is fine. You vehicle is not comfortable for me so I'll tire over long distances. I'll get a fully equipped small BMW or Volvo. Bye darling. This obviously must be a sensational breakthrough."

"Bye my darling."

Oooh.

* * *

Gina looked at the photographs, her eyes bulging. "Ohmigod."

"That's exactly what I said," Army laughed. "Aren't they wonderful?"

The freelance researcher Alex had contracted, using information collected and collated by Gina, had found the young Kansas cowboy Thomas Palin had joined the cavalry at Fort Riley shortly after his eighteenth birthday in late 1851 and after induction training was put to work in the stables, the heart of any cavalry. Troopers were stationed at the fort to help protect travelers on the Santa Fe Trail from Indian attack.

At present day Fort Riley Cavalry Memorial Research Library the TV researcher was handed a photo of young Palin and two other young recruits grooming horses. It was one of several photograph taken in 1852 by an itinerant photographer, one of many traversing the mid and far west in those times commissioned by newspapers and magazines back east. There was another photo, undated of Thomas Palin, who appeared to be in his late twenties, receiving a commendation from his Lieutenant for 'inspirational bravery', but the caption stated nothing else, not even the place where the photograph was taken.

The last photograph was a close-up taken off a glass plate, remarkably clear and showing character in the face of cavalryman Thomas Palin, in 1869 on his promotion from a line sergeant to first sergeant. "Oh it's gorgeous but this is so frustrating, the place is not named."

"No, and the official at the memorial library said there's nothing, absolutely nothing, to give a clue where it was," Alex said. "Fort Riley has no record of the promotion to sergeant being made there."

Amy said, "Our darkroom technician has taken a copy and run off a couple of prints for you to take back with you tomorrow. I have the day off until noon so can show you around the city if you'd like."

"Yes I'd like that very much. Do you guys enjoy champagne?"

* * *

Amy had arranged copies of all photographs for Gina and after she dropped off her hired car after he arrived back in Palin Gina rushed to the Post's offices but was told Robyn was chairing a news conference.

"Do you know who I am dear?" Gina asked the young receptionist who nodded.

"Just go to Robyn and say I would like to see her for just one minute. Off you go."

Robyn came off looking hassled. "Hi, we're in dispute in there over the cartoon -- thirty seconds is all I can spare.

Gina turned around the print she was holding and smiled, "Meet Sergeant Tom -- guaranteed."

"Ohmigod!" Brenda screamed, and people came running to her assistance from all directions including three beer-belly heavyweights from her office.

"It's okay everyone. We have something that will give us one of our best stories in all the years we have been publishing. Back to your work and thank you for your interest."

"Better than the drought stories?" asked a journalist, lifting his glasses to take a good look at Gina.

"I said one of our best stories Bruce. Back you guys go into my office. Richard and I will catch you Saturday night."

"Where?"

"Must go Gina."

Well if it hadn't been for Robyn screaming like a stuck pig, that little visit would have been a fizzer, Gina groaned to herself. She walked over to see Nathan but according to a nurse he was up to his wrist...well, never mind.

"Oh it's Gina," called the receptionist who usually took Gina's incoming calls.

"She's wearing the ring," said the nurse who'd been talking to Gina.

Women came from out of the woodwork to gather round Gina and oooh and gurgle.

"I choose to have a small solitaire. Bigger rings look ostentatious and get caught in stockings.

"Your stockings I'd hope," someone said, causing an outbreak of giggling.

Gina thought she was disrupting office routine so said, "Thanks for your interest girls. Bye."

"Bye Gina," they replied and someone said they would catch up on Saturday night. It was then Gina became aware Nathan had decided to throw her a surprise engagement party. She felt all lovely and warm and knew that she loved him.

Fleur called Gina early Friday morning and they met for coffee, Fleur deeply apologetic as she handed Gina's mail across and a refund of room rental. She said she'd crumbled under Adam's bullying.

"I thought as much. Some men flit to becoming paranoid is their dick feels compromised."

Fleur raised her guilty eyes and frown, considered what Gina had just said, and burst out laughing and they were in tune once again.

Gina said, "Will you come to my surprise engagement party on Saturday night? Being a surprise I don't know where it is or what time or in what form. I'll have someone call you. Don't tell Adam. Say you are staying with a friend overnight after going out drinking with the girls. You can stay the night with us."

"God you are devious."

"Yes, aren't I? If you don't show up I'll understand."

"Watch him Gina. He came to bed muttering 'The bitch, the fucking bitch; I'll get even'."

"I'll deal with it darling. You just try to relax and fuck him to get that baby you want."

After Fleur left Gina opened her mail and one item was a check from the newspaper and printing company for close on $198,000 being the quarterly payout on her large stockholding in the company. Still with the warm fuzzy feeling Gina decided to buy a present for her man. She walked to Nathan's office and asked Nathan's PA if she could borrow the SUV for an hour. She also gave the PA Fleur's phone number and to invite just Fleur to the party on Saturday night.

"You know about it?"

"Only that a party is being held; nothing more than that."

Nathan came out with the keys and kissed Gina warmly and ducked back into his office as he was amid a consultancy.

Gina returned later and left the keys of a new model of the same SUV but top of line with the kinds of extras men drool over. The PA didn't notice the access key was actually a card and the leather tab was orange leather, not black. Gina thought that figures: many women have no interest in vehicles apart from wanting them to start and stop when required and have someone ensure it has gas and is serviced on schedule.

Mid afternoon a Flower Car from a florist delivered a gigantic bouquet of flowers to Gina. The woman said, "He insisted on the phone we write on the card his exact words. We do hope it doesn't upset you."

Gina put the woman at ease, reading the card and laughing in glee. The message stated, 'You are a fucking amazing woman. Are you a millionaire?'

Gina went off to bath in scented water to prepare for the early homecoming of her man with his shiny new SUV. In the bath she thought about Adam and decided he was a bit of a wet. He was likely to attempt to embarrass her publicly and if that failed would give up. He'd have to be careful about alleging she was a whore, as without proof that could backfire on him. So what else could it be? The rat would probably find something.

The Saturday night party took over a restaurant and was a delight, almost everyone revving up. It was dress-up so on Saturday when Gina arrived back from her hairdresser Nathan had to reveal the surprise. Some people who were invited, including his parents and an uncle and two aunts and their spouses had apologized for being unable to attend. The invitation said, 'Arrive in just underwear or if shy wear underwear over other clothes. People not wearing exposed underwear will no be admitted'.

Fleur didn't arrive, too scared not doubt of telling Adam she wanted to go out without him and stay away for the night. Gina wanted to pay half the cost of the party but Nathan kissed her and said it was his treat. It turned out to be a dream party for her. Everyone had great fun and most got plastered.

The TV interview with Gina and Harry was pre-recorded on Friday and Dot West invited Gina and Nathan over on Sunday to watch the news item and then have dinner. It was right at the end of the bulletin and ran for six and a half minutes. The presenter called it, "A remarkable story about the efforts of a handful of people to correct an historic injustice'.

"Powerful words," said Dot.

"Hush woman," Harry said, sitting on the edge of his chair.

Gina scowled when the bright-faced female reporter said, "This is a wee story about one woman's fight for justice for a man who has been discredited as the founder of Palin City since it was founded way back in 1871." Gina knew it was more than one woman's fight.

But Gina was happier again when she found her comment about 'Harry West and the Boys' and the archives of the Palin Post and especially the strong support of editor Robyn Hudson had been included. She was filmed saying resolutely, "The monument in the memory of Sergeant Tom will be erected and this is where I want it placed." The scene switched to the intersection of the Central Avenue and River Road with police officers holding up traffic in four directions, impatient motorists flashing lights and tooting horns, while Gina and Harry were photographed standing in the middle of the intersection, each holding up a thumb in mock triumph.

The next shot was of CEO Charlotte Ramirez and Post chairman Murray Green shaking hands with Alex and Amy from the TV K0Z0 after confirmation that the newspaper would guarantee payment of half the cost of making a documentary about Palin's Great Mistake. Gina did the voice-over for that segment and she ended the film clip saying, "In recent days the team working on this exposé has made some breakthrough discoveries in support of our Sergeant Tom campaign and tomorrow filming for the documentary begins in Palin. Whether Palin City comes in behind us and a monument is erected remains to be seen. We have been tremendously encouraged by our efforts to date to bring the rebuffed founder of Palin City Sergeant Tom Palin back in from the cold."

Harry rose and began applauding Gina and Dot and Nathan joined him.

"Stop clowning around you fools," Gina said, very relaxed but she burst into tears when Nathan said, "Honey I couldn't understand why you were so worked up and devoting so much time to this Sergeant Tom thing. But after seeing that piece on TV I understand what is all about. Congratulations for taking such an uncompromising stance. The very community he founded shafted Sergeant Tom Palin. Boy, would that guy admire you if he were alive today."

Gina brushed aside her tears and her phone began ringing. Only her friends had her cell phone number so all the calls were complimentary. But provoked opponents were already activating, a few writing letters and rushing in to the Post demanding they be published in the edition about to go to press.

* * *