The Foursome Trucking Co. prospered. Aside from their previously individually and privately owned trucks between the four owners, they now owned eight of them and had extra drivers to operate most of those rigs. In the office, there were two employees: a receptionist and a dispatcher. Henry was overseeing both, and Barb was still doing the bookkeeping, but that was about to change.
John and his wife, Gina, had become parents and were very happy. Gina, who worked for a large corporation as an office manager, found it quite far to commute to work and wanted something closer. John had mentioned this to Barb and asked her if she could use Gina.
“John, you realize that I couldn’t pay her what she was earning there?”
“Well, we were talking the other day, and Gina would be willing to work for less, since it is the family business. Barb: this is just between the two of us for now, but what would you say if you and Gina were to join forces in a partnership? Would you consider giving it a thought?” John was almost pleading.
“Let me have a talk with Sam. Better yet — give me a few days to work on it. I just might come up with a better idea yet.” As soon as John asked her about including Gina in the business, she remembered that she had actually contemplated this possibility when Gina went on her maternity leave. But at the time, Barb did not know that Gina wasn’t going back to where she used to work. As far as she knew, Gina liked her job. It was the distance from home that was a problem.
“All right, then, you will give it a thought?” John asked again.
“How would you like to come for dinner on Saturday? We can discuss it then.”
“Great! See you then. I’m sure Gina would like that very much. Are we supposed to bring anything?”
“Yes — the baby. Don’t you dare come without her!” Barb laughed and waved him away.
That night, Barb had a talk with Sam about everything. “Has John mentioned anything to you about Gina’s joining the bookkeeping business? I mean, is this common knowledge?”
“I’m afraid I don’t know anything about it. Is she not going back to work at Dominion?” Sam had no idea Gina was not going back there. “Isn’t she supposed to go back at least for a while in order to qualify for her maternity pay? There are rules about things like that, you know. But of course, I could be wrong. So, what about it?” Sam wanted to know.
“Perhaps we should have a meeting about this . . . your company is expanding quickly, and I’m very busy. Maybe you guys could hire her and have all the books in one place, providing you added to the office space so she could run a proper office right there . . .”
“You mean, all of us, as in the partners and the two of you?” Sam wasn’t quite sure what she meant.
“Well, first we should discuss it by ourselves, the four of us. Don’t you think? Then, if we come up with a clever idea, we should present it to the partners. What do you think?” She was trying to feel him out, see what he thought about the whole proposition. “Why don’t we invite John and Gina for supper so we can discuss it?” She was afraid he might think she was being a bit pushy, but Sam was ahead of her.
“You mean, you have already invited them for dinner? Well, I’m glad you did. So when are they coming?” Sam was puzzled as to how come Barb was willing to share her business. She was always so protective of her work, never letting anybody mess with it. Barb had a good reputation regarding her work, and whoever wanted to help her had to be on her toes in order to satisfy her. “But why the sudden change?” While Sam was contemplating that, Nicole walked in and seemed quite upset.
“Well, my dear — what’s wrong?” Barb asked her daughter.
“Oh, it’s nothing — I think. The Lamberts are driving me crazy. Not that they don’t always, but sometimes I just want to scream and get as far as I can away from everything! Good night, Mom and Dad. By the way, do you mind if I go to the movies with Dominic tomorrow? We haven’t had a chance to go in a long time.” With that, she departed for the night.
“Yes, you may . . .” Her mother answered. “What was that about, I wonder? That girl puts up with a whole lot more than meets the eye. She must love him a lot.”
“I am very proud of her. She is a loyal friend. That daughter of ours is quite a girl, don’t you think?” Sam was truly proud of Nicole for being such a reliable leaning post for Dominic, as well as for Sasha. “I wish Olivia would give it a try. She keeps a distance from most everyone in order to protect herself from getting hurt. I strongly believe that if you don’t take risks, you never learn anything. Yes, you might get hurt at times but you get over it. One must be willing to learn from it.” He wanted to go and shake his daughter, to bring her to reality. “Speaking of Olivia, where is she?”
“She’s in her room,” Barb answered.
Sam went up to see her. “Livy, are you in? I just want to speak with you for a minute.” As he said that, he knocked on her bedroom door and entered the room. Olivia was nestled in her bed, with a load of pillows as usual, and reading a book. “Are you studying? If you are, I can talk with you in the morning.”
“It’s all right, Dad. I am reading about theatre. What was it you wanted to talk about?”
“I have often wondered why you dropped Sasha as a friend some time ago. Was it her home life that you couldn’t be bothered with, or was there another reason? Nicole just came home a few minutes ago all frustrated about them, and I wondered if that is what you felt when you rejected her friendship?” Sam waited while his daughter contemplated how to answer his questions. She decided to go with the middle.
“Dad, what brought this on all of a sudden? Has anybody said anything to you regarding Sasha and me? Why the questions now, when you had the chance and plenty of time to ask them all along? You are making me uncomfortable.
“Oh, I might as well tell you, since you will hear about it anyway. Of that, I’m sure.”
Now it was his turn to feel uncomfortable. “What is it? So something IS going on. Why haven’t you come to us and asked for our help? You know that you can talk to us about any of your problems.”
After she told him, she also asked, “Dad, do you think her father will come after me if he finds out about me telling Sasha about it?”
“I don’t know what he thinks, period! The man is a menace to society; that much I do know. We as a family should discuss this further and decide what should be done. I can’t believe you never told us about this.” Then he paused . . . “I know, I know; you were going through a difficult time of life just about then. Am I right?”
“Yes, Daddy, whatever you think is best. But I am no longer worried about my weight.” What she didn’t tell him, or Sasha, for that matter, was the most crucial part of her secret.
In the meantime, Barb was busy getting Trevor’s hockey gear in order so he would have it ready for the next day. There was no end to those chores, no matter how much she wanted to relax. The family always came first. She often joked how being busy is keeping her young, but in reality it kept her exhausted and she never complained.
Dinner went well that Saturday at the Prestons’. Barb advised hiring Gina at Foursome Trucking Co. She was capable of running the office. Gina seconded the motion and hoped the others would agree.
When they asked the other partners, they were fine with it. Gina was happy with the results. “I won’t let you down, Barb; I am sure I can depend on you to help me get started. I really appreciate this.”
Henry had to comment about having to look at Gina every day at the office: “You can count on me for being there every day from now on!” Then he winked at Gina. It was his way of showing approval. They all knew that Henry could get along with anybody.
By the end of June, the young folks were out of school and working again. That is, except for Trevor. He only had a part-time job looking after Serge, which pleased him. He took the bus daily into the city of Hamilton, and that in itself gave him a feeling of importance. The Lamberts of course lived nearby, and Dominic loved the times spent with “that loyal dog,” as he called old Serge. He often joined Trevor and Serge on their walks, whenever he was off work.
“You know, Trevor, I am jealous of you for the privilege of walking that loyal dog.” Then, he winked at the boy. Another one of Dominic’s favourite things was mussing Trevor’s hair.
Henry was keeping busy, and it worked for him. Even Anna Miller complimented him on his being “the Henry she used to know.” This impressed Henry, who valued her opinion. The Millers had been good to him in more ways than one. They cared about Lily and never forgot him when he struggled to pick up the pieces after her death.