Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 (C) Copyright 2002.  M.C.  All Rights Reserved. All Reproduction for fee or
profit forbidden.

   Copies of my stories can be downloaded from:
</files/Authors/MikeC/>

   Send all comments and suggestions to MikeC@NSpace.net



   =============

   Brenda 01

   This short story is based on the characters from my series 'James' and
runs parallel to the main story, at approximately the same time frame as
chapters 47-53.





   Chuck threw the magazine down to join the sections of the half-read
newspaper already scattered on the floor, victims of his sudden
irritability.

   And he knew the reason for it too.  It was that girl, Brenda.  Smart,
vivacious and outgoing, she had come into his life like the morning sun. 
He felt good when she was around, he felt alive and vibrant, but she also
showed him parts of himself he would rather not acknowledge.

   He sighed, what she, and her friends had done, was to wake him up to
life, the good, and also the bad.  All day yesterday, they had opened his
eyes; to his work, his family and himself.  It was disturbing, their
insight into his personality.  He had thought he would be glad to see them
go, but early this morning, he had found himself waiting by the jetty and
hoping in his heart of hearts they would return soon.

   And what was he doing with his arm around the girl, grinning like a
goddurned fool, long after the little boat had disappeared round the bend?
She had been so warm and soft, and he had not felt that for so long.  After
an eternity, she had kissed his cheek and taken his hand, saying, "Come,
it's a new day..."

   As he prepared breakfast, something he'd always done on weekends and
whenever the cook was away, the girl was there too.  She hovered around and
helped where she could.  Then, just as he was thinking about it, she had
gone and returned with Anna.

   His heart glowed as he remembered the pride he felt on seeing his
granddaughter, and the shock when he realized she would soon be shoulder
height to his six feet.  And so, so pretty.  She was still rubbing sleep
from her eyes but the joy she showed on seeing him was inescapable.

   After the meal, during which they had laughed more than he could
remember, Brenda had stood and gave Anna a peck, then leaned to kiss him. A
soft, lingering touch on the side of his lips.  It tingled as he thought of
it and, as he touched the spot now, it brought a soft smile.

   "Bye-bye guys, I'm off to work!" Brenda had trilled merrily and
disappeared down the drive.  Then the conversation had vanished; the spark
gone and he and Anna had cleared the dishes in silence, after which he had
drifted to the study.

   Chuck could hear the patter of the gardening staff below as the sun
reached halfway up the morning sky.  The garden had been Helene's pride and
joy, and, since the cancer had claimed her life, it had become his refuge
and solace - stubbornly keeping it exactly as she had left it.  Suddenly he
smiled, 'and he could outstubborn any mule', he could almost hear Sara
comment.

   With a sigh, he turned and went to Anna's room, where she was sprawled
over an encyclopedia.  She looked up at his knock, "Er, honey, I'm not
disturbing you, am I?"

   "Er, no, grandpa..."

   He saw her push a sheet of paper, a drawing he realized, under the book
and, for a moment, was tempted to leave her alone.  "Honey, let's go do
something..." inspiration struck, "Let's go get something special for
dinner tonight." At her quizzical look, "Something Brenda would enjoy."

   Her face blossomed in an amazing smile and for long minutes they grinned
like idiots at each other.  Then in a flurry of activity her hair was
combed and brushed and Anna declared herself ready for their adventure.

   "We're taking Jackie?" Anna said incredulously as he went around the
M-class SUV and started pulling the tarp off 'Jackie', his 1970 Jaguar XKE
2+2 roadster in Hunter Green.  Long ago relegated to 'special-events'
status, Chuck had no difficulty convincing himself that today WAS, indeed,
a 'special-event'.

   The E-type was his first 'real' car, and his all-consuming passion from
those early years when he was still learning his trade.  After getting his
degree on the GI Bill, Chuck had been a Chief with the 'Water Rats', the
Maintenance Crew of Task Force 115 based in Da Nang during the Vietnam War,
servicing the Swift Patrol boats used to police the rivers and inshore
waters.  After a second stint, and the termination of the operation, he had
resigned his commission and started his Marine Engineering business.

   He folded the covering carefully and placed it under the sign which
stated, "You Must Wash Your Hands Before Touching The Engine.", a crucial
piece of information, Jackie's former owner had informed him when he had
sold Chuck the car.  Chuck had taken this advice to heart during the three
decades he had had this affair with Jackie.  Just the 4.2-litre 12-cylinder
with its balky transmission and the thrice-cursed Lucas electrics were the
stuff legends were made of.  Add to that heavy disk brakes and even heavier
suspension on a light, flexible body, it was a barely-controlled beast
under the best circumstances, but it was what made it such a JOY to drive.
High strung and demanding, she was a mistress he could not bear to part
with.

   He did the walkaround, and replaced a rag under the engine block with a
fresh one, noting the solitary weeping oil streak on the crankcase, the
only accurate visual indicator that the oil level was adequate.

   Anna helped him with the intricate dance of opening the top, with the
deft skills learned from years of wrenched wrists and nipped fingers.  He
mentally noted a couple of spots which would need a touchup with the
single-boiled Linseed Oil upon their return.

   The engine fired with a satisfying rumble, not quite a menacing growl,
but definitely NOT a purr, and Chuck felt the hackles slowly recede on his
neck.  That first press of the ignition was when you found out whether
Jackie was going to make it a good day or not.  If she did not fire in the
first 4 seconds, there was no need to try any more; and he might as well
take the time to give her a wash and another change of oil.

   There were few people at the plant today, it being the weekend; just the
cleaning crew taking down the pavilion and tables used for the shoot.  He
had hired Kelly's outfit for his brochures after he'd seen how much his
competitors were spending on advertising.  He shook his head, it's no
longer good enough to have the best boats on the water, you have to have
the prettiest pictures too!

   Bowing to necessity, he had made quiet inquiries.  Subtle yet powerful,
was the phrase used to describe the team of Kelly and Todd, and after
seeing the results in a number of brochures, he could only agree.  So he
had taken the plunge and he was sure he had made the best choice.  If
nothing else he had made the acquaintances of James and his irrepressible
group.  And Brenda.  He sighed and almost ran over the figure who darted
out of the plant to wave him down.

   "Uh, oh, hello...  Sir!" It was Peter somebody, one of the new hotshot
computer programmers in R&D.  "Er, I'm very sorry, sir, but they sent me
out to get coffee and, and I don't know where the stores are!" The poor kid
was wringing his hands and hyperventilating, "I-it's not for me, you see,
it's for B-Brenda!" He was quickly turning bright red, "She doesn't like
our coffee and the other guys sent me out to get her s-some!"

   "Calm down son..." Chuck waited until the wild look left the eyes, "Go
inside and tell them I'll get the coffee.  And don't waste her time!  Or
yours!" He reminded the young man's disappearing back.

   "You really going to the store for coffee?" Anna asked amazed.

   "Hmmm."

   "You know we have the Sumatra Fimo at home, and she seemed to like it
this morning..." The rest of Anna's sentence was drowned out as he flung
them in a screeching 180 to head back the way they came.

   They were a frenzy of activity; Anna filling the pot with water from
their artesian well as Chuck measured the Fimo and carefully ground the
beans medium-coarse.  It was more wasteful, but allowed the flavor out
while keeping the bitterness and excess caffeine behind.

   They came back out, loaded with a pump-thermos-ful of fragrant brew and
a tray of snacks.

   Anna laughed, "Grandpa, when was the last time you left Jackie sitting
out in the open with the top down?"

   He smiled sheepishly, that was one of his cardinal rules, but, "It's for
a humanitarian cause, child!" They drove, more carefully this time, back to
the plant with their precious cargo.  Both Engineering and DP were ablaze
with lights and they could hear heated voices from inside.

   "We can't do it this way!" Chuck could hear Vic, head of Engineering
yelling, "The computer guys don't know why we need the information, they'll
just screw up and waste our time!" There were murmurs of agreement.

   "We don't need your 'educated guesses' anyways!" Kenneth from Computers
shot back, "And we certainly don't need you to tell us what to do!"

   It was a constant problem getting the theory and the practical people to
work together.  Fortunately that was Bob's job - not only was he a
first-class designer, he was the catalyst that made the guys work as a
team. Chuck missed a step as he realized Bob's Saab was not in the yard;
oh-oh, trouble.

   The shouting was getting louder when suddenly Brenda's clear voice rang
through, "Guys, I don't want you to 'give' anything to the others; what I
am proposing is a mutual checking system.  From what you've told me, Design
wants numbers that are relevant to their work, and Computing needs more
feedback in design changes.  But guys, you're missing the point here..."
There was a pause, "Can any of you tell me why our boats need trim tabs?"

   The audacity of that statement made Chuck miss a step again and almost
ran into the door.  The room broke out in excited babble, "Every boat has
it!" "To adjust for weight distribution!" "Changing sea conditions!".  All
very legitimate answers, and all very trite Chuck suddenly realized.

   Brenda gave him a small wave and a smile as he entered, and continued,
"I grant you all that; but those are relatively static conditions, now can
you tell me why, even if it's set for optimal performance for the
aforementioned reasons, we STILL have to adjust it as the boat gets under
way?"

   "That's easy!" Vic nodded, it was covered in Chapter 1 of the Marine
Engineering text, "At different speeds, the hull-propulsion combination
changes the approach requirements..." he faded as he scratched his chin and
frowned, "It's for irregularities to the performance curve..." he faltered
again.

   "I think we are on to something here, the REAL question is, why can't we
build a boat that gives optimal performance without having to change the
trim constantly?" She looked thankfully at Chuck and served herself a cup
of coffee and a cookie, "Think about that, I'll be right back."

   She led Anna and Chuck outside as she took a sip of the coffee and
hmmm'd in appreciation.  "How are you two?  Going somewhere?" She nodded at
his driving scarf and gloves.

   "Yes, we are on our way to pick up some things in town and wondered if
you'd like us to get you anything," He could not help but smile and add,
"Or if you'd like to come with us for lunch!"

   "Thank you, but no, I think we have a good discussion going here.  I
want to hash it out today and have something concrete for the modeling and
propulsion people tomorrow." She looked fondly at Anna, "And someone is
going to take me water-skiing this afternoon, right?" Anna grinned and
nodded, "OK, why don't you come back for me at 4 and we'll do that?" Anna
added more enthusiastic nods.

   Brenda turned to Chuck, "And I'd like to take you two to dinner, it'll
be my treat."

   "Thank you, but we've already decided to treat you to something special
tonight." Chuck smiled back, "And..."

   "Well, tomorrow is my treat.  Pick the fanciest restaurant and we'll go
dazzle them, eh, Anna?"

   "Oh yes!"

   "Then we thank you in advance..." Chuck nodded, "It was quite
revolutionary, what you suggested inside..."

   "But I'm sure it's do-able.  They're all very bright guys, but seem to
be running in circles a bit.  I just gave them something in common to worry
about, is all!" With another brilliant smile, she turned back to her group
inside, "OK guys, here is what I think..."

   Closing the door quietly, he looked at Anna, "She's something, isn't
she?"

   "Oh yes, she's amazing!" She agreed.

   It was good to have the wind and sun in his face again, and Anna seemed
to be enjoying it too.  He took her hand and gave it a little squeeze,
smiling his joy at her, and was pleasantly surprised she held on tightly to
stop him pulling back.

   The trip into town was an enjoyable one and he took his time; the leaves
and flowers were in full bloom, and birds called out from every branch.  It
was especially good with a warm little hand in his grasp.

   Geo the butcher came out at the sound of the engine and waved him into
the chained off parking area.  Anna helped with the tonneau cover that
protected the leather seats from the sun, and other hazards.  She took his
hand again as they entered the store.

   "What's your pleasure today?" Geo beamed, his Italian accent magically
disappearing as the other customer left the store.  Geo had grown up around
the plant where his mother had worked in the upholstery department, and he
was as accent-free then as any of the other plant-brats who spent time at
the day-care center.

   "Hmmm, the steaks and roast you've been keeping, and let's put another
batch in for aging." He always had about 120lbs of AAA meat in Geo's
special meat-aging freezer, and he was expecting a certain group of young
people who seem to relish red meat as much as he.  He looked around the
meat counter, outside season, fresh game was rather in short supply, except
for alligator, which was far too gamey for his taste, although the red-hots
were a specialty here, and he picked up a case of that.

   "We're entertaining a young lady tonight and maybe you can suggest
something a little different." Geo's eyes lit up.  Since retiring, his
Mother had been tightly monitoring her old boss' social and domestic life,
and had been disappointed at his lack of effort in trying to find himself
'another nice girl'.

   "A friend?  Have we met her?"

   "No you haven't!" Chuck laughed, "And how IS Rosa these days?"

   "Ah, the same, everything hurts but she's still up at the crack of dawn.
She'll outlast all of us!" Geo smiled.

   Together they decided on an entire mountain goat bred on a farm upstate.
He asked for the shoulders cubed for stew and chops and roasts from the leg
parts, dressing the rest but keeping the ribs intact.

   "And a pint of your home-made white wine vinegar mint sauce." Chuck
added.

   As the meat was being packaged, they crossed to the green grocers and
picked out salad greens and baby carrots for the meal, adding fresh fruits
for dessert.  Chuck placed another order for the Griesheim Asparagus from
Germany.

   "Let's go to Scaramouch tomorrow!" Anna said breathlessly.  Although
there were a number of decent restaurants in town, Scaramouch had a fine
decor and Dee, the owner and dinner-chef was actually Cordonbleu trained.
Leaving their purchases at Geo's they walked the block to the restaurant
and lunched there.  Anna was a sparkling joy to have around and he marveled
at the changes in her.  She seemed so positive and so sure of herself,
telling him he should let Brenda handle the check tomorrow, after all, it
was her invitation.  He demurred, but insisted that Dee charge the drinks
to his account.

   The trip back was smooth and enjoyable, but their cheerfulness seemed to
dissipate as they drove into the compound.  Anna had hoped for a glimpse of
Brenda but she was not outside.  She helped Chuck put Jackie away and
carried the food into the house.  She wandered into her room and stared at
her homework, unable to concentrate.

   She went on the Internet instead and looked up Beethoven, and found out
that his Pastorale Symphony was actually his Sixth one, and it was supposed
to be about a shepherd tending his flock.  But she liked Sherri's version
better, she decided, especially the part about Anna-bird and James-bird.

   It must have been lonely for Anna-bird too, all by herself in the
valley, even though it was perfect everywhere else; no Mommy-bird or
Daddy-bird, just Mr Sun, and he was too busy all the time.  She sighed,
wishing she could talk to Sherri, or Brenda.  Suddenly she got up and went
outside.  The coffee jug was still over at the plant and they probably need
more just about now.

   Anna could hear them talking and seemed like they were laughing too. 
She knocked on the door but they did not hear her.  She looked inside. 
They had obviously ordered in - scraps of hamburger and fries were all over
and they were laughing loudly.  Brenda noticed her with the coffee pot and
helped her carry the jug outside.

   "Do you want more coffee?"

   "Yes, that would be lovely, sweets..." Brenda looked at her, her head to
one side, "But you know what I need more?"

   "No..."

   "I could do with a hug..." Brenda knelt on a knee and softly pulled Anna
into her arms.

   It was the warmest thing Anna had ever felt, and safe.  Tears sprang to
her eyes and she sobbed against Brenda.  Abruptly Anna leaned back and
wiped her eyes, "I'm s-sorry, Brenda, I'm NOT a baby any more!" She shook
her head angrily, "I'm not!"

   "Honey, oh honey," Brenda smiled, with tears in HER eyes too, "You're
not a baby to want to cry.  We cry for different things..." As she helped
wiped their tears, whispering, "Sometimes, we cry when we are happy too!"
She placed the coffee jug on the floor and opened her arms, "Come here..."
This time Anna lost herself in them and welcomed the tears.



   (to be continued)

   =============

   (C) Copyright 2002.  M.C.  All Rights Reserved. All Reproduction for fee
or profit forbidden.

   Copies of my stories can be downloaded from:
</files/Authors/MikeC/>
   Send all comments and suggestions to MikeC@NSpace.net