#595
Rennie, Toby and Tom had a chat between visits of the lawyer's clients, Tom wasn't impressed with the big house and the supposed importance of his new employers; he was a down to earth man, and if they wanted his help, there were ground rules.
It didn't take Tom, very long to point out that Toby and Rennie were plain foolish with their fancy airs; what he Tom thought they should do to lose the entitlement attitude and if they needed any further advise, he was willing to help them out..
When Tom went back to the kitchen, Toby and Rennie had a heart to heart and decided Tom was correct. The big fancy mansion had them acting like they were entitled nobility, when instead they were good hard working people that had momentarily lost their way.
"Has he always been this way?" Rennie asked, as they prepared for the next session of clients.
Toby was nodding yes. "Maybe a little more outspoken than usual, but he's been a good friend that has seen many, many gallons of water flow under the bridge. I'm going out right now and offer Donny an increase in wages, I'm ashamed of myself for the cheap way I was treating him. Both Donny and Tom." Toby went out the back door, as Tom left by the front door to go pickup the children from school.
Rennie would have done some more soul searching, but her client was driving in.
Gary got himself presentable and prepared to go calling on his lady friend. If nothing else, he intended to buy an hour of her time, ... so she would have to listen to him.
Driving all the way in to Ms. Breezy's house, he found she wasn't home. Gary was of the opinion that it was down right rude that she was gone. It didn't seem to make any difference to the half hour he sat waiting, she didn't show.
Since he was in town, he drove over to Toby's, over the top ostentatious display of a house, searching for Donny. Donny was trimming trees, working the branches off that prevented them from mowing close to the trunks. Several times he had to shoot snakes that wiggled out of the tall over grown grass and brush.
"This is like a jungle, I expect to find lions and tigers at any moment," he told Gary as the man walked close. "So what's happening?"
"There's a thick wad of papers come for you at the house. I figured you were coming out for supper, so I didn't bring them with me."
"Right on, the grub's pretty thin around here; although Toby was just out here and raised my wages by a couple of bucks an hour. I prit near fell over, I was so surprised." Donny stopped to closely examine his duded up brother. "Good grief, what'er you doing in town in the middle of the afternoon? You even smell like you've been into Dad's aftershave."
"I have been, what's it too ya." Gary was a little defensive.
"I'm telling you, you'd better get some of your own; he's real touchy about us kids messin with what he considers his personal stash. Ma likes it if he's wearing it, so he's normally not in a sharing mood." Donny smiled as he warned Gary.
"Yeah, yeah, I didn't find my lady home, so I can go looking for some. It'll pass the time away." Gary rocked back on his heels and shoved his hands in his pockets. "This chasing after women is exhausting work." his opinion struck Donny as funny, and he laughed.
"I can see where you would think that way, so how come you didn't call her and ask if she was gonna be home? That's kinda girlfriend 101. Most of the time they like to know yer coming, so's they can be ready. They look nice all the time, but if they like ya, they want to be extra ready. It really pays if ya compliment them on something, like pretty hair or nice dress. You know, the mushy stuff." Donny felt like some kind of advise columnist, for clueless older brothers.
"Yeah, thanks, I'll remember that," Gary offered a smile. "Well I'm off to find some foo foo that smells good and manly, you be sure and have fun."
"You too," Donny called out, as he went back to work.
