After his temper had carried him several blocks at a very brisk stride, he became aware enough of his surroundings to realize that there was a car following him. He slowed down and waited for it to catch up. It was a white Mercedes, driven by a well-dressed man. The window slid down and the driver spoke.
"Excuse me, aren't you Carl Lange?"
"Yes I am."
"I'm Lisa Kreider's uncle. William Hornberger. I have an offer for you that might be mutually beneficial. Hop in. I'll give you a ride while we talk."
William left Carl off at the Moreno mill, watched after him, and pulled a packet of photographs from his suit jacket pocket. They probably wouldn't be necessary. Carl said he wasn't interested, now, but he'd come around. William could wait.
Our emergency services are great. We have several fundraisers every year for equipment, so we've been able to keep up technologically with our ambulance, fire trucks, and police cars. There are a few professional firefighters on the squad, but volunteers are always welcome, too.
"Very impressive!" Chief Walter Lange put down the letters he'd been perusing. Pablo looked across the desk. In the intervening years, it seemed the Chief had quit smoking -- there was no sign of an ashtray and no scent of cigarette smoke in the office. Pablo remembered when he was in high school, the Chief was never without a cigarette. The kids used to call the Chief "Smokin Walter, the fire engine guy" sung to the tune of "Smoke on the Water". It used to make his son Carl absolutely furious, which was half the fun to the cool kids.
"I started when I went to college," Pablo told him. "Football scholarships only cover classes. The local volunteer fire company had a deal that they'd cover housing expenses in exchange for being a volunteer. I signed up, trained, and loved it; I've volunteered just about everywhere I've lived since. He gave a grin and gestured to the letters of recommendation the fire chief was holding. "As you can see."
The chief laughed.
"Yes, I do see. And I've heard as well. I've spoken to several of these guys by phone. How flexible are the shifts in the Tavern?"
"They have a good line in there," Pablo told him, "and a great prep staff. I don't think it would be a problem. And I know they have several others on the staff who volunteer."
"You're right. Welcome aboard, Moreno. If you'll follow me, we'll see if we can't suit you up with some gear."
I worry about some of those carnival people. Campers and RVs are fine in summer, but living in one in the winter would probably not be very pleasant.
"I think that's the last of it." Adrianna came down the steps inside of the garage and sat down in a lawn chair that Lisa had set up. "I really appreciate this, Lisa." Lisa handed her a cold can of diet cola, and Adrianna grinned.
"I'll appreciate the company on the property," Lisa said. "I think that's what I miss the most about Grandma. Knowing there was someone just across the yard. Uh-oh. Adrianna, is that your cat?"
A chocolate point Siamese appeared at the bottom of the garage steps, pausing now and then to sniff.
"Yes, that's Sebastian. He'll stick around," Adrianna shrugged. "He's a seasoned carnival pet. In fact, he is the product of my sister's only attempt to train a cat. It was successful, except that he doesn't like to perform. So he's just a very well trained pet."
"Yeah, but ... Buster."
Buster was on the floor next to Lisa. The cat caught his attention just as she mentioned him, and he got up, trotting over. The cat arched and hissed. Buster cocked his head to the side and tried to do it, too. Both Adrianna and Lisa started to laugh.
"Buster, I think that's a cat thing," Adrianna told the puppy. Sebastian flattened his ears. his fur stood on end, and he started to hop sideways. Buster watched for a minute, fascinated, then started trying to hop sideways, too.
"He's going to mess Buster up, isn't he?" Lisa asked, a little anxious.
"No. If he was serious, he'd be growling. He gets along fine with Gertrude and Bruiser. Get over it, Sebastian. Yes, it's one more dang bulldog you have to deal with." Sebastian gave one final hiss and ran back upstairs again. Buster was set to go after him, but Lisa called him back over to her. He flopped at her feet.
"He's getting really big, Lisa."
"He is. He's almost as big as Bruiser."
"You let me know when and how to help around here," Adrianna instructed her. "I can garden with the best of them. I'm not very familiar with trees but I can learn."
"That's the nice thing about trees," Lisa smiled. "They don't really need a lot of care."
"The fruitwood is the best thing ever," Adrianna told her. "It really adds nice flavor to the cooking. Moreno stopped by to see me recently. He wondered if you had any left over that the Tavern could have."
"Sure. There's plenty. Adrianna, I know exactly what you're going through."
"You do?"
Lisa nodded.
"I do. You're still in love with him. You don't want to be, but there's no choice in the matter with love." Adrianna looked at her. Lisa wasn't teasing; she was being very matter of fact. "You love who you love," she continued, "and you can't turn it off like a faucet. I tried to break up with Fabian over the summer. I ripped my own heart out."
"I trusted him, Lisa! I trusted him!" Adrianna burst into tears. Lisa wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"Adrianna, he trusted you too," Lisa said softly. Adrianna looked at her sharply.
"Why did you break up with Fabian?" Adrianna asked her. Lisa sat back in her own chair again. Funny -- their chairs were in the same garage in almost the same place she and Fabian had stood.
"I feel really stupid and guilty about it now. The only excuse I can offer is that I haven't dated a lot, and this is my first real relationship." Lisa picked up her own can of diet soda and popped it open.
"Someone told me that Fabian was having an affair with Marlene Carrillo."
"Ew! You're kidding? And you believed it?" Adrianna made a face and gagged.
"No I'm not kidding. He was, but it ended a year before he came here. But this person told me that it was still happening, and I believed them. I didn't ask Fabian; I just broke up with him. I didn't give him a chance to explain or hear his side. I just cut it off. Because I trusted him and someone made me think that trust was misplaced, so I hurt and felt foolish. I did talk to him later and I did ask him. That's when I found out that I'd broken both of our hearts for nothing."