The Reunion (6 page)

Marshall found the file right away and copied it to the share then merged it with the information he had from before.  Em had wonderful organizational skills.  He shouldn't be poking around at her computer but he wasn't really in her
business
just looking over her sub directories and system. He saw a folder called "Family" and he couldn't resist. 

Marshall clicked on a spreadsheet file then pushed back from the screen evaluating the information in front of him.  It was unbelievable… a nightmare of names, marriages, divorces, deaths, births, and hyperlinks to a photo gallery.  He decided he shouldn't be looking at this.  He went to the next sheet in the workbook.  Birth dates, marriage dates, divorce dates, death dates. Cross-linked and updated to and from the first page and to other files in the folder as well.  He went to the next sheet labeled locations.  It contained cemeteries, chapels/churches, record locations, document locations, hyperlinks to scanned copies of records: birth, marriage and death certificates.  The next page was one of several pages of histories going back almost four hundred years.  The hand on his shoulder caused him to start guiltily. 

"What have you got there?"  Brockton asked.

"Her family."  The look on Brockton's face was full of censure and Marshall immediately went to shut down the application and Brockton stopped him, just as curious.  Marshall returned to the first page.  They were reading some of the information when Cummins asked what they were doing.  The both looked guilty and reduced the screen to the taskbar.  Brockton closed the application and started the shutdown of the computer.  No wonder scheduling an implementation was a piece of cake for her. Look at the data she had and how it was organized on her own family.  Brockton was impressed all over again.

"Mr. Brockton!"  The man was startled and jumped to his feet.  He was sitting in a restaurant with the mountain and the gigolo.

"Brockton?"  The gigolo looked the man over. "Chairman of the board?"  He asked the mountain.

"Harris.  Having a nice time?"  Brockton smiled.  Nothing should surprise him anymore.

"Yeah, sure."  Jeff Harris looked at Josh and Ty, who shrugged and looked at Brockton. 

"I was looking for Em."  He asked the big guy.

"Just missed her.  She's probably back at the arcade with Mike."

"Thanks."  Brockton turned and headed back to where he had found her earlier. 

"Brockton?"  Josh asked Jeff Harris, one of the cousins from Atlanta.  "Brockton Petroleum?"

"Brockton International."

"Well that explains Curtis and Ham's behavior.  How many do we have working for them?"  Ty snagged a piece of shrimp from Josh's shrimp cocktail.

"Seven, maybe eight."

"How many offices?" Josh asked and slid the shrimp cocktail to Ty and pulled the breadbasket out of Ty's reach.

"Five different offices I think.  Let's see, I'm at corporate in Atlanta, so's Keith.  Ham and Em are in Irvine; Curtis and Jaime in Austin; the Crenshaws in Denver; Meghan in New York and Sam RunningDeer is flying supplies for them in Alaska.  Aren't the twins working for them too?"

"Drilling platform in the Gulf, but that's subcontracted."  Ty finished the cocktail sauce and tried to get the breadbasket back from Josh.  Carole came back, handed Ty the basket and kissed her husband. 

"Your mom was looking for you."  Carole said breathlessly after being kissed by Josh.

"Where is she now?"  Josh asked with a smile.  Carole was flushed and doing this little wiggle thing with her hips on his lap.

"Going into the 9 o'clock show.  We'll run her down later."  Carole sat down in one of the vacant seats, next to her husband. "What's up?"  They heard a scream from a few yards away and forgot the previous conversation completely.

"I guess Aunt Barb finally got here."  Josh smiled.  "Who do you think got her?"

"Tommy was laying in wait, just off the lobby.  Last I saw."

"I thought his wife was coming."  Jeff said.

"You didn't hear?  Patti ran out on Tommy two weeks ago."  Josh took Carole's hand. "
Again
."

"Jesus!  How's he doing?" Jeff asked.

"Devastated.  She ran off with
another
trucker.  Probably only temporary insanity and he'll take her back
again
."  Ty finished the bread and was looking for something else to eat.

"Idiot."  Carole smiled at Josh.  "We need to hook him up."

"Don't even go there babe.  They'll toss you off Stratosphere if they even
think
you're matchmaking."

"I can't believe he keeps taking her back."  Jeff said and stood up to leave.

"Let's find Connor and get plowed."  Ty suggested.  They all laughed.

The schedule was simple.  Friday was arrivals, mixer at the downstairs bar at the Lexor, they could get information on shows hang out in mass or scattered about.  There was a large contingency from Texas this time and they had half the bar area.  The three waitresses were going mad but were tipped well and kept working the tables.  There were roving groups from various locations, some couples passing through on their way to shows or other hotels.  It was organized chaos.  And these people weren't quiet types. 

Saturday they had an official welcoming and arrival brunch at the Desert Inn's Garden Room.  The main event was that evening in the ballroom at the Excaliber.  They'd have a sit down dinner (preordered, of course), music and dancing, then departures all day Sunday.  As the various family members checked in they were given the schedule, options for discounts on shows and location of other designated "contact" family members.  Everywhere there were pictures being snapped of groups, individuals, odd behavior and funny poses.  There were several photo buffs in the family as well as any number of camera phones, video and digital cameras.   They assigned primary contact for each of the three main hotels they were using.

Brockton handed Em a coffee and sat down with her.

"How long is he going to stay in there?"  He asked.

"He's twelve, he'll be entertained for days."

"Twelve?  I thought he was older.  Tall for his age."

"Not really.  Josh was about the same height at his age."

"Josh?"

"He was at the table with Ty and Jeff."  She pointed at the restaurant.  "He's my brother."

"The gigolo."

"Josh?  Oh, you saw that, huh?"  Em smiled.  "One of my uncles did it to one of the Great Aunts several years ago and they've tried to replicate it at every reunion since.  No one has pulled it off.  Deedra walked right into it."

"And the Mafia twins?"

"They're something.  They play that up when they're together.  This wouldn’t be going so well if they hadn't worked so hard.  They did a great job."

"Twelve?"

"Twelve."  Em smiled proudly.  This was the most relaxed she'd been, and able to talk, since they had met three days ago.  "Thanks for the coffee.  I have a feeling it's going to be a long night."

"Who screamed a few minutes ago?"

"Aunt Barb from Dallas, she's my uncle's second of three wives."  She smiled.  "Very distinctive scream, it was like announcing she's finally arrived. She's always late.  She'll be late to her own f-ing funeral."  She was suddenly embarrassed again.  "Sorry."

"No, I understand you're around family and it's a different tone than work.  Add this place and I'm surprised you're not on a table dancing."

"That's a long story."  She was very red suddenly and began looking into her coffee.

"What's a long story?"

"Which story?"  She looked up and Ty was standing behind her with his hands on the back of her chair.  He was holding back a laugh.

"Shut up and have a seat or go play Space Pirate with the kid."   Em suggested.

"Dancing on tables?"  Ty smiled, while Brockton was all ears.  "Oh that.  They weren't really stripping."  Ty felt her bare foot collide with his shin and laughed.  "Honey, you should have shoes on if you're going to kick someone under the table."

"One more word and they'll be a dead body in your bed in the morning.  Yours!"  She squirmed and looked at the arcade.  She looked back and saw Ty signaling he would tell Brockton away from the table.  She scowled at Ty. "GO!"  She grabbed Brockton's arm.  "Stay."   She looked over just in time to see Pete and Toni headed their direction.  "Oh God!"

"Hey Pete.  We were just telling Brockton about the bar in Ensenada…"  He broke off again and laughed.  "Flip flops don't count as shoes."  He leaned over and kissed the top of Em’s head.

"Which time?"

"Oh Ty, you didn't!"  Toni pounded him playfully on the shoulder with her fist.  "Some impression we're giving the corporate guys."  Toni sashayed around her cousin and sat between Brockton and Em.

"Here she goes.  Antonia don't embarrass yourself."  Pete warned her.  She smiled brilliantly at her brother.

"I always do."  Toni took Brockton's hand.

"As I recall Toni, RW and Stacy were with us that time."  Ty started again.  This time Em stood up and headed into the arcade.  "She as a weak stomach for this kind of thing."

"Is she really upset?"

"Yes but she recovers pretty quick."  Toni answered then leaned forward, kissed Brockton on the cheek, and followed Em into the arcade.

"Em, Toni, RW and Stacy?  No Ty, that was Rosarito."  Pete smiled. "Em, RW and Teri Crenshaw were Ensenada." 

"Teri, Don's wife?" Ty asked.

"Don Crenshaw?" Brockton asked.  He was from the Denver office.  He hadn't seen him around.

"Has he checked in yet?"  Ty asked.

"This morning.  They're at the Circus Circus."  Pete responded.  "You know they met that trip? He was surfing and we met them earlier at the beach."

"No shit?" Ty sat back.  He started drinking Em's coffee, grimaced and put it back down.  Signaled the waitress and ordered a bottle of Chivas.

"I don't think I want to know."  Brockton looked from one to the other.

"They made $30 bucks and only took one layer off."  Ty was evil.  Brockton liked him.

"How many layers did she have on?"

"Three." The two of the answered simultaneously. "Mostly." Pete paused.  "Two over a bikini."

"Who are we talking about Em, Teri and/or RW?"

"Whom?"

"Never mind."

"Em?"  Toni laid her hand on her shoulder.

"I'm fine.  It wouldn't be a reunion without rehashing the stories.  I just don't want Mike hearing ALL of them at once."

"Keep away from Connor then.  He's been telling how he was the one that caught you and Ryan skinny dipping."

"I had a suit on, sort of."

"Ryan didn't and yours wasn’t exactly a suit, it was your underwear.”

"That wasn't my problem."

"Hey, I was there, remember."  They laughed.

"Those were great times."  She hugged Toni, putting her head on Toni's shoulder.  "Mike, let's go.  We have to be over to the other hotel early to help get things set up."

"One more mom."

"One more game or one more hour?"

"Hour?"

"Rock, paper, scissors??"  She let him win again.  He kissed her cheek and didn't lose a life at the game he was playing.  Em and Toni went back to the table and the three men had been joined by Tommy and Jeff.  They looked up guiltily as they returned.

"Who was lookout when Em went shopping?"

"Shoplifting?"  Pete swirled the liquid in his glass.

"Let's not be technical, but the chip and dip time we were at the park…  Who was lookout?"

"That would have been me."  Ty shifted uncomfortably.  "Almost got her busted.  She was smooth."

"No arrests.  No convictions."  Em crossed her arms over her chest, defensively.  "There is no reason to bring that up."

"Except that I need something to eat to soak up this liquor."  Ty smiled at the stubborn looking woman.  "Even after all this time you can't look intimidating.  Give it up."

"I think we should cut and run."  Toni laughed.  "Who has cards?"

"They'll throw your ass out of here playing for sugar cubes."

"HA.  Strip poker then and I'll deal."  Toni laughed and produced a deck of well worn cards.  Em started to walk back into the arcade and was pulled down onto Ty's lap.

"Sit down sweetie.  We'll count each shoe as an item of clothing."  He winked at Pete. 

Some of the stories were just simple mischief, who got caught jumping the neighbor's fence after turning on the sprinklers, got caught ditching school or smoking.  Some stories were specifically to embarrass one another or crack the others up.  They hadn't been bad kids.  They were competitive and tried to outdo one another but nothing really bad.  They played for close to an hour and every time security came by (and for some reason were under orders to ignore them) the cards went under the table and came back up switched around.

"You see Charles, we
all
cheat."  Toni smiled.

"Hand signals, palming, blinking."  Pete offered.

"We also stack the deck and mark the cards."  Jeff smiled.  He was leaning back in his chair keeping the back of his cards hidden behind his hands.  He had a hat pulled low over his eyes and kept watching the others.

"That's why I don't play.  I've never been good at cheating."  Em was sitting there not touching her cards and pouting.

"She's right, she never was."  Tommy laughed.  "She doesn't have a poker face.  Her face might as well display in neon what her every thought is.  One of the reasons she usually ended up mostly…"

"Losing.  Hi Mike.  You done in there?"  Pete cut Tommy off.  Em went to jump to her feet but Ty held her in place.  "Take your mom's hand."

"Usual rules?"  Mike turned his baseball hat bill forward and pulled up a chair between Ty and Toni.

"What rules?"  They laughed.  Ty stood up and handed Em to Brockton.

"Hold this."  Ty walked away and talked to a floor supervisor.  They laughed and nodded, pointed to the surveillance, shook hands and did some hand signals.  Ty came back and picked Em up again and sat back down.  "Thanks."  A waitress appeared with another bottle and took orders.  Em ordered another coffee and Mike a soda.  "Whose deal?"

"Yours."  Pete stopped shuffling and handed the deck to Toni to cut, then handed Ty the cards.

"I saw that Aunt Toni."  Mike laughed.  He took her hand and she was palming the Ace of diamonds.

"Good catch kid."  She smiled.  "Pete?"

"Me too."  Pete turned his hand over and had the Ace of clubs.

"Damn.  Do it again.  I want to see you do it."  Mike took the deck from Ty and handed it back to Pete.

"Some education."  Brockton scowled.

"Don't get Screwed in Poker 1-0-1.  Comes right after "Don't talk to Strangers" and before "Where to Leave an emergency change of clothes", you know just in case…"  Tommy solemnly told Brockton.

"I missed something in my upbringing."  Jeff laughed.

"We told your mom she should send you out to California for summers."  Pete laughed, remembering taking Jeff a number of times at cards in the early days.

"We're playing cheater's poker?"  Josh and Carole pulled up chairs.  "What's the anti?"

"Shoes, we'll take your watch though.  We're playing for your sister."  Ty said after he picked up the cards Pete had shuffled and Toni had cut. 

Mike was trying not to laugh.  "Got it.  You took it off the bottom before she cut."

"We need some honest to God cigar smoke to make this look real."  Josh laughed.  "Put the aces back and deal."

"Sorry kid you're out this hand."  Ty started "Five card draw, pair or better to open, nothing wild.  Watch this Mike."

"Your cards are from the bottom."  Ty held up his hand and no one picked up their cards.

"What's the hands?"

"This deck?"  He looked around.  "Whose cards are these?"

"Mae's."

"No shit!"  Mike looked up at Brockton and turned red.  "Sorry."  He looked at the cards face down.  Spread them out slightly with his fingers, still face down. "Two pair, threes and nines.” Flipped them over and that’s what they were.  “Three of a kind, fours.  Three of a kind sixes.  full house, queens and twos.  Dealer has four aces."

"How'd you get Mae's cards?" Carole asked.

"She left them to me."  Toni's eyes filled with tears.  "Sorry."  She got up and Em followed her into the bathroom.

"You would think she'd leave them to Stacy.  Toni's a step."  Jeff said.

"Yeah but she's like Em and me.  She was always one of us."  Josh reminded him.

"That's true."  Tommy confirmed.

"Mae was their mother."  Mike pointed to Pete and Tommy.  "Uncle Joe's third wife and Ryan and Stacy's mom.  Nick was her first husband and Toni is Nick and Palma, his second wife's, kid."

"And you remember all this?"  Brockton was impressed.

"Sure.  It's easier when you can put the faces to the names.  Like Jeff is the one from Atlanta I told you about at dinner."

"You told him about me?"  Jeff sounded guilty and looked at Brockton.

"Not by name, I said I had cousins in Atlanta."  Mike looked indulgently at Jeff.  Jeff was as nervous around this boss guy as his mom was, Mike thought. They reshuffled and continued to play and drink.  Doing more of the latter and less of the former.

"Carole?"  Josh asked, pulling a sixth card out and making it disappear just as quick.

"Sure I'll drag them out.  But if you need anything, any little thing just whistle.  You know how to whistle don't you?" 

"To Have and Have not."  Pete said.

"That can't be right that doesn't sound like a movie."  Jeff called.

"Bogart Becall, her first movie.  She was Slim, he was Steve, you know… put your lips together…"  Tommy laughed.

"Yeah but that can't be the name of it."  Jeff tried to remember.

"Hoagy Carmichael was the piano player."  Brockton mumbled, getting the other's attention.

Carole went after Em and Toni who were both sitting in the lounge area laughing.  "Come on we're drinking to Mae and Ty's buying."

"Liar."  Toni laughed.

"Ok I'll buy."

"We're there."  Em smiled.  The three of them exited the bathroom.

"This round is on Carole."  Toni announced.  Josh instantly looked pissed knowing how these people could drink.

"Another bottle of Chivas.  Please." Ty ordered from the waitress who appeared magically when he signaled.  She was being tipped well for being observant.  She had brought snacks, drinks and cleared quickly.  The group weren't grabbers and were having fun.  Even with a kid there, she observed.

"Someone look out for Connor, I ain't sharin' with the bloody fool this time."

"He's at the show with Mom."  Josh told Ty. "She's working her way up the strip trying to see every show she can."

"Perfect."  Ty poured.  "To my darlin' Mae, our inspiration for this exercise in insanity."

"They came up with the plan for this reunion at Aunt Mae's funeral two months ago."  Mike explained to Brockton.

"You did this in two months?"  He continued to drink the whisky with the others. 

"It seems like a logistical nightmare but these guys are really organized."  Mike smiled and pointed to the brothers and then his mother, then to her brother and his wife.

"Mouse here did communications follow-ups and website updating."  Ty grabbed Mike's hat and put it on his own head.

"To the family.  God bless 'em every one."  Tommy laughed in his best cockney accent and they drank again.

"A Christmas Carole."  A couple of them shouted and they all laughed.

"Very Tiny Tim."  Carole laughed.

"Whose driving?" Jeff laughed.

"No one, Mouse can keep his hands to himself this time."  Pete smiled at Mike.

"That's right you lifted Connor's keys at the airport."  Brockton looked at Mike.

"No DUIs."  Em stated.

"To No DUIs."  Toni lifted her glass, laughed and they all drank again.

"Are you sitting on his lap all night?"  Tommy smirked.  "My turn Em."  Tommy stood up and danced Em around the table then sat on her lap causing everyone to crack up.

"Damn Tommy what do you weight now?  Get the hell off me."  Em shoved at his back. 

"Come on Em I haven't sat on you in ages."  But Tommy stood and put her on his lap.

"I’ve sat on her a number of times.  I even fell on her once or twice."  Ty laughed.  "She was a lot bigger then or I was a lot smaller."

"She's been the same size since she was twelve.  You've gotten bigger and dumber."  Josh smiled.  "To my beautiful wife and every day she's blessed me with her love."  They all did a romantic sounding AHs and they drank again.

"Where you working now Carole?"  Ty asked innocently.

"Atescader
o
and we've received your reservation."  Everyone laughed but Brockton and Jeff who looked puzzled.

"It's the state mental facility, where they house the criminally insane.  Sorry. 
Locale
joke."  Josh filled in.  "She's still at the same school I am."

"You're going to cause Toni and Em to cry again.  All this togetherness shit." Ty stated and winked at Toni.  "Ok kiddies do we get another bottle or call it a night."

"I'm calling…"  Pete started.  "Tom, who the hell am I calling."

"The brunette from the six pm flight.  He's stupid when he drinks anymore.  Where's Kimmy, Pete?  Can I have her tonight?"  Tommy joked.

"No.  And that woman I was helping was Hannah's first husband's daughter from his second or was it third marriage.  She's married."

"Damn."  Tommy got up to leave.  "Pete, Jeff, Josh.  Go find your women.  Oh yeah Carole's right here.  Kid you're too young.  You married or anything Brockton?"

"Free as a bird."

"Hot damn, you're with us."

"I'm coming."  Toni stated. 

"Baby sister, you're
not
welcome to come with us.  Find yourself a man, two men.  We're bar hopping."

"Not this time, love.  I don't have bail money."  Em put her arm around him and slipped his room key card from his front shirt pocket.  "Mike, help me with Tommy.  Pete.  Jeff.  Rooms Now."

"Bossy bitch."  Jeff winked and stumbled out of the bar and into a group a couple of tables over that were just as wasted and a lot louder.  They all seemed to know him.

"Damn straight."  Em leaned down and kissed Pete.  "g'Night Pete say goodnight to Kim for me.  See ya in the morning."  Pete was wobbly but was able to handle himself out of the bar and to the elevators.

"Mike, help Carole with Josh and I'll take Tommy.  Toni see Charles across the street."

"Can I keep him?"

"No."  Em laughed.  Toni stuck out her bottom lip, pretending to be hurt.  “Leave him with the guys.”

"Come on Ty give me a hand."  She immediately saw that he was no help whatsoever.  "Em."  Toni nodded towards Ty and Em rolled her eyes.

"I'll help you with him in a minute."  She got Tommy on his feet and pointed to the elevators.

"How come you two aren't as drunk as the rest of us?" Ty slurred.