My long-range forecast -- chapter 53
Hello there everyone, and a happy December to all! I have not forgot about you, but I am going to submit one chapter a week versus two as I'm finding myself overloaded during the holiday season. We'll see how my schedule works out once 2024 rolls around. Don't worry, the story about CJ and all of his friends will continue.
I continue to rewrite, add to and write more chapters of this story and I'm seeking any suggestions, constructive criticms or positive feedback you have about the story. Please send information to cjwilson328@aol.com. For those if you who have already reached out to me - my thanks! I'm working your ideas into future storylines.
It's the last week of August. CJ prepares for a big week with lots of surprises for his circle of influence.
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It was a good week last week, and I'm excited that August is winding down this week. I have got plenty on my agenda for the week to keep me busy, and I can hardly wait for Wally and I to head south on Friday morning for a long weekend together.
I started off the week as usual with my extensive Monday morning grooming routine. Wally was waiting naked for me at the breakfast bar. I smiled at him as I exited the bedroom and said "wow, you look so damned good this morning that I am going to call in sick and spend my day with you stud." Wally cracked up at me and said "I wish I could babe, but read this note from Alex." Wally handed me the note and it said "Hey you hairy-ass boss! I will have all of my work complete here before 7:00 am. I can either ride with you to the office, or I'll meet you there at whatever time you need me to? Thank you so much for this great opportunity, and I'll be the best worker that you've ever had. Sincerely, your VP of administrative affairs, closet and pantry construction, party coordination, gossip control and every other thing you throw at me, Alex."
I cracked up once I finished it and said "it's going to be a great day at Walters Construction today!" Wally said "yes, it's going to be a fun one for sure. I'm looking forward to having Alex join us today. He is going to be a tremendous benefit to the company." I poured my mug of coffee and said "I'm anxious to hear all of the great stories tonight from the two of you. Take care baby, have a great day and I love you, Wally." After I finished my comments, I gave my man a big bear hug along with a kiss. Wally replied back to me "I love you too CJ. Just think, in four days it's just you and me heading out for our first vacation away together. I can hardly wait my love."
Monday went by quickly for me at the station. I did have one unexpected event when Mindy handed me a card which came in the mail. I looked at the postmark and saw it was sent from San Francisco. I instantly thought of Vicki and wondered if I should open it for fear of some toxic powder escaping onto my skin. I decided to give her the benefit of doubt and opened the card. It was a card from Vicki and once I had it opened, I read her happy birthday wishes to me and also opened a note from her. The note said "CJ, I know you are probably in shock hearing from me but I felt the need to reach out to you. I heard what happened to you with Jasper Jeffers. I am so sorry that the incidents occurred against you. No one should ever go through anything like what you did. I know I was in shock when he stalked me several years ago. I do not wish anyone, including yourself, to ever experience the tremendous fear he brought onto me and unfortunately you. My move to San Francisco has been the right thing to do for myself, and I know I opened opportunities for you to pursue in St Petersburg. Please accept my apologies for how badly I treated you at WPHS, and know that I wish you good luck in all of your future endeavors. Sincerely, Vicki."
I was in shock once I read the note. I immediately shared it with Angela. Once she read the card and note, she looked at me and said "that bitch! Just when we rid her from our life, she turns around and does something nice." I cracked up at my friend and said "yeah, I'm dumbfounded and never expected her to reach out to me like this." I shared the card later in the morning with Ross and Bailey. Both of them agreed that it was a good drug day for her when she wrote it to me.
The day continued on and before I knew it, I was heading back to the beach to pick up dinner supplies and get a workout in. I stopped at Publix first and got fixings for a special dinner for Alex. He loves pork chops, so the menu was a very easy one for me. Scallops, pork chops, baked potatoes, salad and a multi-flavored cheesecake for dessert.
I breezed in and out of Publix in a record time for me. I headed back to the condo, prepared and stored the food for dinner, changed into my workout clothes and went to the exercise room for my workout. As I entered, I was pleasantly surprised with greetings from Carl and Trev. I smiled and said "afternoon you two. It's a nice treat to see the two of you today. Last week I was alone all week for workouts." Carl spoke up and said "both Trev and I have been slacking off on our schedule. He and I decided to get back into a standard routine as best as we can." I replied saying "I'm right there with you two. I'm aiming for three workouts during the week, and one on the weekends. I was successful last week, but I can already see some scheduling problems for this week." Trev said "well if nothing else, let's plan for the three of us to hit it hard on Monday afternoons."
The three of us got a good workout in and wrapped up around 3:30 pm. As we headed back to the condos I said "Alex started at Wally's company today. I'm making dinner for us and if you two can, why don't you stop by for dinner around 5:30 pm?" Trev spoke up and said "thanks CJ, that sounds good to us. We actually got Alex a small gift for his new job, so it will be nice to present it to him. How about if we stop in around 5:00 and help you out with anything you need?" I smiled and said "that sounds good guys. We can each have a cocktail before they get home."
Luckily, I was thinking ahead at Publix and got enough food for eight. I'm not sure why I did it, but I thought someone else may show up tonight to wish Alex congratulations on his new job today. After I showered, I prepared two more pork chops and potatoes for Carl and Trev. I decided to fix the whole supply of scallops that I purchased and added the remainder of them into a gross supply of UD's barbeque sauce. I'm glad UD is shipping us more sauce, because we're going to be running short of it soon! I know I can always whip some up from scratch, but it's so much easier to pull a bottle out of the pantry when it's needed.
After I refrigerated the scallops, there was a knock at the door. I yelled "it's open, come on in." When I saw it was Aaron and Bailey, I was really happy that I purchased extra food for dinner. I smiled at them and said "hey gents, good to see you." Aaron said "sorry for stopping by unannounced, but we wanted to drop off a gift for Alex on his new job. I also had a cake made up for him on his job and for you and Wally's birthdays this week." I smiled and said "Aaron, that is so nice of you! It's the chief's day, and you did not need to remember Wally and me since we had the birthday blowout earlier this month." Bailey grinned and said "that's what I told him, but he insisted that we need to celebrate every occasion around here when we have a chance to be together."
I continued on and said "will you join us for dinner also? It's nothing special, but I know it's all of Alex's favorites." Bailey said "sure CJ, that sounds nice. I was going to take everyone to Mel's but the party patio works great also!" I pulled out the remaining pork chops and potatoes and began work on them. Bailey said "mind if I fix us all a drink?" I smiled and said "that sounds great Bailey, I'll take a Bailey special. You may just want to make up several batches of them. Carl and Trev are stopping by in a few minutes and I know Alex and Wally will enjoy one after their long day at work."
Carl and Trev joined us a few minutes later, and the five of us proceeded out the patio to enjoy our drinks. Bailey spoke up and said "CJ, hang back a minute. I want to share some news about the BANA awards with you." I did as Bailey requested while the others went out to the patio. Bailey smiled at me and said "it's not about the BANA awards, but I picked these up after work." Bailey handed me a box and I opened it to find two beautiful walnut ring boxes. I picked one up and saw our initials with a heart surrounding both sets of initials. I developed some tears in my eyes and said "absolutely perfect. How can I ever thank you for these Bailey?" He smiled and said "no thanks needed, just let me marry you two next June." We both cracked up, I gave him a hug and said "I'm going to go lock these up before Wally gets here and sees them. Thank you so much Bailey. I sincerely appreciate these." He smiled back and said "my pleasure you big Muskie. Get those out of here before your man barges in here and your surprise is ruined." I went into the office to hide the ring boxes and Bailey went out to the patio with the others.
I returned to the breakfast bar and picked up my drink. As I did this, the front door opened and my two construction studs walked in each carrying two boxes. I yelled out to the patio and said "hey everyone our new VP is back from his first day of work." Wally cracked up laughing, and the chief was speechless as he saw the others coming back in all congratulating him on his first day on the job. He finally spoke up and said "thanks everyone. You did not need to be here for me. I had a great first day on the job, and cannot thank my new boss here for all of his help today. I'm going to really enjoy my new experiences at Walters Construction." Aaron spoke up first and said "of course we needed to be here for you Alex. It's a good day for you and we want to congratulate you on your new adventures with Wally's company. On behalf of all of us, we know it's going to be a positive and beneficial experience for both of you."
Aaron led a round of applause with Carl and Trev chanting "chief.... chief" in the background. Bailey spoke up next and said "I've heard of kissing the boss's ass Alex, but bringing home so much work on your first day? Aren't you going a little too far?" Alex grinned and said "it was a great day at the new job, but all hell broke loose here. CJ has decided to make my workshop his drop off for all of his special purchases. Now my work here and at the construction company will never be done!" I spoke up and said "there's the chief coming to life for all of us to enjoy!" Everyone cracked up at Alex as I retrieved the boxes from him. I also took the boxes from Wally and saw that they were all from UD. I said "hey everyone, two more cases of barbecue sauce to get us through the holidays." Trev said "what's in the other two boxes CJ?" I replied "well I think that you, Carl, Aaron and Bailey have something to open tonight after dinner for your new homes."
Aaron, Bailey, Carl and Trev surrounded Alex and were shaking his hand and offering more congratulations to him. I went over to my man, gave him a hug, kiss and said "did everything go okay today babe?" Wally winked at me and said "it's going to work out great CJ. Between Fred and Alex, my work life is going to be more organized than I have ever had it since taking over the company. Alex is going to be a great asset for me in the company operations." I announced "I'll get Alex's special dinner started. If you two want to take a shower before dinner please do so, because I have to tell you both that you're rank this afternoon!" The two agreed and headed for the showers. The remainder of us started getting all of the dinner preparations underway.
Once Alex and Wally were finished up showering, they joined us in drinking some Bailey specials. Carl took control of the grilling duties, and Aaron, Trev and I got the other items ready for us. Bailey pulled out a couple of bottles of wine for all of us to enjoy with dinner.
The dinner was nothing special, but it turned out to be a very special event for Alex. He was so excited about his day and continued telling all of us various stories about experiences he encountered during the day. As I was listening intently to him, I looked over at Wally and gave him a wink and sent him my telepathic waves of "good job my love!"
After we finished dinner, I said "Alex, Aaron and Bailey got you a cake for your first day of work. How about we enjoy it with some coffee everyone?" Everyone agreed, and I started clearing the table with help from Trev, Carl and Aaron. Bailey stayed at the table with Wally and Alex and kept watching me to make sure I was out of his line of sight. He pulled out a box from his pocket and slid it to Wally. Wally opened the box to find the ring boxes, and produced a huge smile. Bailey said "do those look okay for you?" Wally replied "oh my God Bailey, they are so beautiful. Thank you so much!" Wally showed one to Alex, and Alex said "perfect. A job well done Bailey." Bailey smiled at both of them and said "why don't you put those in your pocket, or even better go lock them up someplace in the condo while CJ is occupied." Wally stood up, put the ring boxes in his pocket and said "I'll be back in a couple of minutes you two."
Alex waited for Wally to leave and said "did you give the other two ring boxes to CJ yet?" Bailey nodded his head yes and said "I should have put hidden cameras in all of them to capture the hilarious moment when they exchange them next weekend." Alex and Bailey both cracked up laughing and Alex said "well done my friend, they look absolutely wonderful and I know this will produce a fond memory for both of them next weekend and every time they look at the boxes."
While everyone was still away Bailey said "do you think we should have a small celebration ready for CJ and Wally when they return next weekend?" Alex smiled and said "I have been thinking about it. Yes, I think they will appreciate it. I'll ask CJ to give me a text with the status of events and when they are going to be back at the condo. We can work with the others here next weekend and get everything prepared in advance." Bailey smiled and said "sounds great chief! I'm glad to be in the know with you on all of this." Bailey raised his hand and gave Alex a high five just before the others returned to the patio.
Everyone returned to the patio, and I handed the knife to Alex to let him cut the cake for all of us. As he opened the cake box, he said "thanks everyone. This has been so special for me tonight, and I want to thank you all for remembering me on this day." He cut huge pieces of cake for everyone, and we all enjoyed it with a cup of coffee.
After eating cake, Alex opened his gifts. Aaron and Bailey got him a construction helmet with the Walters Construction logo on it. They also had "Chief Alex" inscribed in it. Carl and Trev got Alex a tool belt with `Chief Alex' stitched into the belt in four different spots. Alex loved both of the gifts and said "thanks everyone. I can't tell you how much I plan to use these. Wally sent me to two sites today and all of the workers at each site had a construction hat on. I planned on looking for one tomorrow at the office, but now I will have one and fit right in with all of the other company associates. I appreciate everything so much."
A few minutes after Alex opened his gifts, Ronny appeared at the patio door and said "what's this, another party and no one bothered to tell me?" Alex got up, went over to his man gave him a hug and kiss. Ronny said "Congratulations sweetheart. I'm so proud of you and hope you enjoyed your first day. I guess I'm just in time so I can give my present to you. Let me go get it for you."
Ronny returned with a nicely wrapped box. He handed it to Alex and gave him another kiss. Alex tore into the nice wrapping paper like an excited child on Christmas morning. Ronny spoke up and said "Wally told me that you have a desk at the office, so I hope you can use everything." The box included multiple desk supplies for Alex. There was a coffee mug with "Chief Alex" labeled on it; a nice pen and pencil set with his initials of APT on them; a business card holder with a supply of personalized Alex Turner, Walters Construction business cards included; and several other items. Alex broke down in tears and got up to give Ronny a kiss. He said "thank you sweetheart, I love everything and will be able to use it all."
I got up and said "Ronny, there is plenty of food left so let's go fix you a plate." Ronny followed me into the kitchen and loaded up with a pork chop and all of the other fixings. I said "Aaron and Bailey got a cake for the occasion and it's out on the patio when you want some." There was still some wine left, and Ronny poured himself a glass of chardonnay to enjoy with his dinner. He took his plate out to the patio and I followed him with the two boxes. I looked at the first and just as I thought, UD had marked each one for me. I saw a large bold "BS" on one, and "PR" on the other.
I handed the BS package to Bailey and Aaron, and the PR to Carl and Trev. I smiled to the four of them and said "a house warming gift to each of you from Alex, Ronny, Wally and myself." The four of them began to open the boxes and like mine, the pub sign was enclosed in a large amount of Styrofoam. They each finally unveiled their pub sign from the Styrofoam case. Carl was the first to belt out "thank you guys, this is so wonderful. Look Trev, our playroom is never closed!" Trev said "everyone, thank you so much. This is going to look so nice on the patio. We really appreciate this, but it was not needed after all you have already done for us."
Aaron and Bailey were smiling, looked at each other and gave each other a kiss. Bailey started with "thank you all, and I echo what Trev said. You four have already done so much for us and this gift was not needed. I will say, it's so nice and I can already envision it on the patio. Thank you all so much for the generous gift." Aaron chimed on with "everyone, I cannot say thank you enough for this special gift and all of the help that you have given Bailey and me during our move in. I love you all, and I cannot wait until we get this back down to our place and hang this special creation up at our place."
Trev spoke up and said "I'm sure you two also have a note from UD in your package, but I'd like to read what he sent to Carl and I." He started reading the note which says "Carl and Trevor, congratulations on your new home as well as your partnership together. I'm so happy for the both of you, and I cannot wait to see this on your patio when I return in September. I hope that Jack and I can enjoy a cigar and drinks with you on your patio, and I cannot wait until we get to use the playroom, if you will let us! All of my love, UD."
Aaron spoke up and said "UD sent us a note as well which says: Aaron and Bailey, congratulations on your new home and your partnership. I'm so happy for both of you, and I hope you can position this around your bar or the hot tub. Jack and I want to have cigars and drinks with the two of you in your hot tub when we get there in several weeks. Take care my friends. All of my love, UD."
It was an enjoyable evening for all. To be honest, I wasn't even thinking about a party for Alex. I knew I wanted to fix him a special dinner, but I was in shock when the other group members came through with the pleasant surprises for him. What a group they are and I'm so fortunate to have them all surrounding me in my life.
Tuesday ended up being a `Groundhog Day' repeat of Monday. There was nothing exciting at the station and the shows went well. Bailey and I were the only two wanting to go to breakfast after the morning shows. The morning was nice and we decided to walk to Cecilia's.
On our way there he said "I'm glad it's just the two of us this morning as I want to talk about the Gasparilla race meeting this afternoon." I smiled at him and said "let me guess, the Bailey 2.0 model is deciding not to run with us in the race?" Bailey cracked up on that and said "quite the contrary, I will be running in the race and Aaron said to include him as well. Please do me a favor and step back from a leadership role on this. I'd like to see you lead from afar. You have created a role for everyone to model themselves after. Let's give you a break, and let some other people spread their wings to soar like you have." I smiled and said "thanks Bailey, you read my mind this morning. I'm thinking the same thing on this race, as I want to start focusing on the Bay Area Corporate Challenge. I'm hoping that others will take this Gasparilla race and run with it." Bailey replied "they will CJ, trust me. You have fostered an environment where people want to be involved. I'm not asking you to step away from it all. It's your baby, and at the end of it you'll hold a major stake in getting it off the ground. I just want to see others emulate what you are doing at this station so that we can continue building a solid foundation for our channel 2 house."
Our breakfast was wonderful and the fatherly mentoring session continued on many different topics. I enjoy the private conversations I have with Bailey so much. He's so much like my dad, UD and James Thompson rolled into one individual. I feel so relaxed with him and it's so comforting to know that I can share a multitude of subjects with him in order to gain his advice or perception on directions I may want to take along my journey.
He started a new subject and said "have you thought about how you will propose to Wally this coming weekend?" I smiled and said "I have thought about a couple of ways I can do it. I know I want to do it in a private setting with him and myself only. I don't want to do it in a restaurant or public place." Bailey replied "that sounds good and I concur with you. When I pop the question on Aaron it will be just the two of us in a very romantic setting. What all do you two have planned for the weekend?" I said "nothing much at this point. We're going on a tandem parasail ride; we'll be taking his boat out one day and the rest of the time we want to enjoy our time together on the beach or at his family bungalow." Bailey smiled at me and said "I think if I were in your shoes, I'd plan to do it on the boat. When he finds a secluded place to dock for a while, I can see you now dropping to one knee and popping the question on him. I don't think I'd do it on the parasail in case you two get too excited and drop the ring into the gulf." I cracked up on that and said "wow, that's a good point I had not even thought about. I have to agree now with you, the parasail may not be the best place to propose."
On our walk back to the station, Bailey asked "have you thought about how you're going to discuss the proposal with UD? I've been thinking about him and want to offer you any help I can when he comes back down in several weeks." I replied "thanks Bailey. Yes, I have been thinking about how I will broach the subject with him. I think it's going to be best for him, Wally and myself to sit down and discuss the proposal while he is here. I know when all is said and done, he will be supportive of us. I believe his biggest concern will be the age difference between Wally and I. You may be able to help me out there with any words of wisdom you can offer UD?" Bailey replied "let me think about that topic. I'll come up with something for you CJ."
Before the Gasparilla race meeting, I called Wally to check in with him. He answered his phone quickly and said "well this is the highlight of my day! How are you babe?" I replied "I'm doing great sweetheart, how is your day going?" He said "it's going well CJ. I'm heading over to Fred's construction site now to consult with him on something."
I continued on and said "why don't you and Fred just meet me at The Beachcomber tonight? Tell Fred that I will bring Jimmy over after study hall, and I'll check with Randy and Leo to see if they need a ride over as well." Wally chuckled and said "my planning guru extraordinaire! That all sounds wonderful babe. I'll run it by Fred, and if you don't hear from me, we'll meet you at the restaurant around 5:30 pm. How does that sound CJ?" I replied "perfect Wally. I'll talk to you later babe, and I love you."
The meeting about the Gasparilla race went fine. I kicked off the meeting with some general comments and said "when I originally pitched this race to station management, I really had no expectations on how it will come to fruition for this group. I know that the race has three different lengths, and I'm not sure where all of your interests lie as far as how long you want to run in the race. Let's use today to get ideas on the table about how to move forward as a channel 2 team running in the Gasparilla race."
My comments seemed to break the ice and before I knew it there were a number of ideas being discussed by the station associates. Mindy acted as our secretary and kept meeting notes as best as she could. I was very impressed with the excitement in the group, the ideas generated and the commitment level of the participants.
We left the meeting with several accomplishments: three people agreed to lead the meetings and the group moving forward; several running groups are going to be established for anyone who wants extra practice or just to participate in a station running group; Betty is going to check on getting race outfits for all participants as well as a banner that we can all hold when crossing the first finish line together; and finally Ross and Angela are going to start planning for the tv race coverage on the day of the race. The meeting went very well, and Bailey gave me a wink once it had adjourned. I'm pleased with the initial kickoff of our team event and I believe we're going to have fun with this event as we plan for it through next February.
I had plenty of time to kill before the study hall and decided to go back to the bookstore for more ideas for the kids. I did not find any additional books for them, but they did receive more calendars in. There were two more in stock with weather content and a new one featured nothing but cloud pictures. I picked up one of each off the display rack and checked out with three calendars in hand for the kids to use in their science projects.
I made it to the Pinellas Partners in Action center about 15 minutes before study hall was scheduled to begin. I walked into the center, greeted the receptionist and went to the room to get set up for the upcoming study session. Randy entered the room a few minutes after I had and said "there he is, our gifted teacher!" I cracked up and said "how are you doing today, Randy?" He replied "I'm doing wonderful CJ. It's been a very good day for me around here, and I'm anxious to hear the kids report about their science subjects. Do you mind if I sit in with you on the study hall?" I smiled and said "that is a great idea and I appreciate your help, Randy. I'm going to take Jimmy to The Beachcomber for dinner after study hall. Do you and Leo need a ride over?" Randy smiled at me, blushed and said "Leo is going to pick me up here for dinner, and then the two of us are going to spend the night at his place after dinner. We're all set for transportation, but thank you for asking CJ." I smiled at Randy and said "are things working out well for you and Leo?" Randy nodded his head yes and said "I will never be able to thank you enough for inviting me last Thursday to your event. I'm so glad I met Leo, and I'm excited to see where our adventure together may end up."
Our conversation was interrupted by the giggling and talking of four youngsters entering the room. Jimmy was the first to say "Hi Mr. Oster and Mr. Walters." I replied back to Jimmy and said "hi Jimmy and hello to all of my future meteorologists!" Ralphie looked at me and said "what's a meteorologist Mr. Walters?" I smiled and said "a meteorologist is someone who studies weather Ralphie. They can work in a broadcasting position, like me to report the weather, or they can work in a laboratory studying weather trends and its effects." Ralphie said "okay, that makes sense now. I'll be a winter meteorologist then. I'm really liking the book on snowstorms Mr. Walters. I hope I get to see some snow this winter in person."
All of the kids began to sit down at the desk when Betsy said "my mom and I made cookies for everyone as a snack. She told me to leave the leftovers here for us to enjoy the rest of the week." Betsy opened up the storage container and the kids selected their choice of a cookie between chocolate chip, sugar and peanut butter. Ralphie and Jimmy went over to the refrigerator and brought back six milk containers for everyone to enjoy their cookie with.
I took a bite of a sugar cookie, enjoyed its delicious flavor and said "how was school for everyone today, and do you have any homework you need to work on?" Jimmy spoke up and said "Betsy, Ralphie and I finished our math homework at school. We want to spend the entire study hall working on our science projects." After Jimmy finished, Scott said "I got my math homework done at school also Mr. Walters. I've learned so much about tornadoes which I want to share with everyone here." I smiled at the group and said "let's finish up our delicious cookies from Betsy, and then we'll get started on science everyone."
A few moments later Ralphie spoke up and said "okay Mr. Walters, I'm ready to go first. I have a lot to share with everyone about winter storms and blizzards. Is everyone ready to start?"
Randy looked over at me and gave me a wink. I said "that's great Ralphie. I think we're all ready. Mr. Oster is going to work with us so that the two of us can help all of you with your projects. Does that sound okay to everyone?" All four children said "yeah" at the same time and I said "okay Ralphie, tell us what you want to share about snowstorms and blizzards."
Ralphie stood up at the table and pulled out three pieces of notebook paper. I looked over at the top piece of paper and noticed so much writing and scribbling. I smiled and said to myself "wow, he has over three pages of notes. I'm so glad he is writing information down and I can tell he's excited about sharing all of it with the group."
Ralphie started in with the group and told us about basic subjects first: what is a snowflake; how snowflakes are formed; how snowflakes come together to form a snow storm; and what the difference is between a snow shower and a winter storm. He took a pause and drank some milk. Betsy asked him several questions, which he was able to elaborate on for the group. Ralphie continued on and flipped to his second page of notes. His next topics included: how winter storms are formed; the different types of precipitation found during the winter months such as rain, freezing rain, sleet, and snow; and the different types of winter storms where he expanded on clippers, blizzards, ice storms and nor' easters. Once he said nor' easter, Scott said "what's a nor' easter? I've never heard that word before". Ralphie did a fine job in answering Scott's question, and continued on with his third page of notes. Ralphie continued on with special topics such as thundersnow, frost quakes and lake-effect snow. After he finished, he looked at the group and said "that's what I have so far. Does anyone have any more questions? Jimmy asked him about snowflakes and if they all look alike? Ralphie did a great job with the question and before I knew it Randy jumped in ahead of me with a question for Ralphie. After Ralphie answered his question, he was beaming with pride at how he had done. I said "wow Ralphie, you have done a fantastic job so far! I think all of the topics you talked about today are very good concerning winter weather. You've got a lot of great information, and I can easily see you creating a project from this information. Do you have any ideas about how you can create a project from what you shared with us today?" Before I even finished my question, Ralphie blurted out his answers of how he wants to create storyboards with the information. He continued on for several minutes and eventually we all gave him some applause for a job well done.
Betsy, Scott and Jimmy all did a similar report as to what Ralphie delivered. Betsy expanded on the different types of clouds and what they do for us. Scott covered multiple topics about tornadoes and eventually ended his report with an explanation of the Fujita scale. Jimmy took the remainder of the time with so many topics concerning hurricanes. Like Scott, he went into great detail on the Saffir-Simpson scale and before I knew it the time was approaching 5:00 pm.
Randy and I gave everyone tremendous compliments about their work. Randy spoke up and said "you four have done a wonderful job so far. I learned so much from all of you today, and I want to start helping you on Thursday to put your ideas together for your science projects." Jimmy spoke back up and said "Mr. Olsen, my daddy told me to tell you and everyone here that he will get us left over wood from his construction job. We can use it to build our storyboards. Daddy said he will come to a study hall and make sure our storyboards are within the measurement guidelines that the teachers gave us."
Randy smiled and said "that's great Jimmy, and I appreciate your Daddy helping everyone out. How do you all feel about your projects? Is everyone happy with them and do you want to continue on with the subject you have started?" All four kids screamed "yeah" which caused Randy and I to break out with big smiles on our faces. I pulled the calendars out of my box and said "hey everyone, I found some calendars which have pictures of weather, I'm hoping we can use these in all of your projects." The kids began to look at the calendar pictures and Scott said "this is great Mr. Walters. I was not sure how I was going to draw tornadoes. These pictures will be even better for my project."
I looked at my watch and said "okay you four, it's time for study hall to be over. Let's clean up the table, put our supplies away and go look for your parents." All four kids were very happy, and cleaned up very good. They stacked the calendars, their books and notes on the bookshelf. Betsy put the container of cookies into the refrigerator and soon everyone was heading out to meet their parents.
Jimmy did not see his daddy and said "he must have had to work late today. I'll just stay here and wait for him Mr. Walters." I smiled at him and said "I have a surprise for you today. Your daddy and the other Mr. Walters are going to meet us at the restaurant for dinner tonight. You are going to ride with me in my jeep to the restaurant. Is that okay with you?" Jimmy smiled at me and said "yeah, does your jeep roof come off?" I cracked up and said "it sure does. Do you want to take the top off and ride to the restaurant tonight?" Jimmy smile grew even bigger and said "yeah Mr. Walters, let's do that!"
We gathered up his bookbag and my supply box and headed out to the street to where my jeep was parked. I unlocked it and Jimmy handed me his bookbag to put in. He said "okay what do we do now to take the roof off?" I smiled at him and showed him the levers which released the jeep roof. I showed him how it folded back and then said "are you ready for a ride with the top down?" He said "yeah, but should I wear a pair of glasses so no bugs hit me in my eyes?" I cracked up at him and said "once I get you strapped into the jeep, I'll give you my extra pair of sunglasses to wear. How does that sound Jimmy?" He yelled out "neat Mr. Walters, let's go!"
Throughout my lifetime, I have been notorious for misplacing expensive sunglasses. Several years ago, I decided to buy cheap ones with fun colors when I find them. I had two pairs in the jeep: one with red color frames, and one with blue color frames. I showed them both to Jimmy and said "which pair do you want to wear?" He said "blue is my favorite color, so I like these." Jimmy took the sunglasses from me and put them on. They were a little big for his face, but he liked them so all is well in his world!"
I put the other pair of sunglasses on and started the jeep. I forgot that I left the radio on when I parked earlier and it was set to my favorite station. Taylor Swift came on singing "Karma" and Jimmy screamed "Taylor -- I love her songs!" I pulled out of the parking space, and soon we were both singing along with the radio.
Jimmy and I had a fun ride over to the restaurant. He waved at people when we stopped at stoplights and was so excited when they waved back to him. I wish our ride had been longer than 20 minutes as I saw how much he was enjoying it. Sadly though, we pulled into the restaurant and I turned the ignition off. He turned his head to me and said "thanks Mr. Walters, that was too much fun. I hope I can ride again with you soon." I smiled at him and said "we will Jimmy, I promise you."
Wally and Fred were waiting for us at the hostess stand. Jimmy saw Fred and said "Daddy, I got to ride in a jeep over here. We put the top down, I waved at people, we sang songs together on the radio and Mr. Walters gave me a pair of sunglasses to wear on our drive. It was a lot of fun." Fred's smile grew bigger the more that Jimmy talked. He looked at me and said "thank you CJ, I can tell you're making a good impression with him on everything you do together." I smiled and said "hey Jimmy, before we leave remember that we need to get your bookbag out of the jeep. You can also keep the sunglasses in your bookbag for our next ride together." Jimmy smiled, raised his hand and gave me a high-five. He said "I won't forget Mr. Walters, and I like those blue sunglasses. It was fun to wear them today."
Randy and Leo soon joined us, and Randy introduced Leo to Fred and Jimmy. The hostess sat us at an outside table where we had a view of the gulf. Jimmy spoke up and said "wow, this is the second time in a week that I've eaten at the ocean. I like this a lot. In our next house Daddy, can we have it near a lake to where we can look at the water?" Fred smiled and said "maybe Jimmy. We'll add it to our list of possible things we want in our next home. Does that sound okay to you?" Jimmy smiled, nodded his head yes and said "sure Daddy. We need to make sure we have a big grill outside also to cook up cheeseburgers for everyone."
We all made our food and drink orders. After the waiter left, I opened up the conversation by saying "Fred, Jimmy told the group today that you are going to work with them on their projects with wood supplies for any visual boards?" Fred said "yes, I plan to help everyone out if they want visual boards or a collapsible tri-fold display. I have the measurements from the school, and there are size limitations on the display so you will know." I cracked up and said "I'll get those from you yet this week. Your young man there has enough information on hurricanes to fill at least ten displays. All of the children are doing great, and I'm anxious to help them put their creativity into the upcoming projects."
The waiter brought us our drinks and Jimmy said "who's doing the toast tonight?" Everyone got a good laugh at him and Fred said "why don't you lead us in a toast tonight, Jimmy?" He smiled and said "to all of us here in front of the ocean, it's been a good day, and I hope we all enjoy our dinner tonight. Cheers."
After Jimmy's toast, I said "Fred, the last time we were together I told you about the chamber of commerce recognizing me at a dinner this past Thursday." Fred replied "oh yes, Wally told me it was a very nice event for you and your guests." I continued on and said "it was a very nice event, and the chamber presented me with a cash reward in addition to the recognition. I've decided to donate the reward to three beneficiaries sitting at this table tonight and that is why we are here."
Fred was still smiling, but his facial expression turned to a puzzled look. He responded with "that's wonderful CJ. I hope you're telling me that all three beneficiaries are under the Pinellas Partners in Action umbrella. I don't know where Jimmy and I would be right now, had it not been for Randy and his wonderful organization." I smiled and said "Yes, I made a presentation of part of the reward to Randy and his organization last Thursday at the event. I'm also donating part of the reward to Walters Construction. Wally has agreed to help the ten families who your former boss left high and dry on their house construction." Fred's smile grew and he said "that's wonderful CJ and Wally. I cannot tell me how happy that makes me feel. It still ticks me off when I think about that greedy idiot and how he treated those people so poorly." Wally spoke up and said "I agree with you Fred. I told the whole story to CJ and informed him that I want to help them on a pro-bono basis. I was dumbfounded when CJ announced at the presentation that he was donating part of the reward to Walters Construction to assist in the finalization of the projects in progress. After the ceremony was over, I received numerous other donations and two more construction companies have engaged with us to assist the families in need."
Fred said "this is so wonderful. CJ and Wally, I cannot tell you both how grateful I am to both of you. If I were not in such a predicament with the insurance companies over the arson, I would have reached out to the previous customers to see if I could have assisted them to finish their construction projects."
I took a drink of water and said "Fred, for my third beneficiary I want to help you and Jimmy out with a downpayment on a new residence for you two." I handed Fred an envelope with a check for $25 thousand made out to Fred and Jimmy Peterson. Once Fred opened the envelope, his eyes filled with tears. He looked at me and said "CJ, thank you for this generous gift. It's too much, and we cannot accept your generosity. Please use this to assist more victims at Pinellas Partners in Action." Randy spoke up and said "Fred, CJ took care of the organization very nicely. Please let him help you and Jimmy out with his offer. I cannot tell you how amazed I was with his speech last Thursday. He told the group about you two, and how he wants to use all of the reward money to pay it forward for his community. You two deserve this, and I know it will be put to good use." By this time, Fred was crying at the table. Jimmy said "Daddy, are you okay? Why are you crying?" Fred looked at Jimmy and said "Mr. Walters is helping you and I to move into a new place for us Jimmy. He's giving us a very big amount of money for a down payment on a new house."
Jimmy got up from his chair and came to me. He smiled at me and said "I'm not sure I understand why you're doing this Mr. Walters, but I just want to say thank you for helping Daddy and me out." After he finished his comments, he gave me a big hug. Fred saw the genuine action of his son, and also joined Jimmy and I in a hug. Fred looked me in the eyes and said "I can never thank you enough for this generous gift CJ. Please know that I will pay you back when I can, but know that Jimmy and I do sincerely appreciate your generous gift to us." I looked into Fred's eyes and said "there is no need to repay me Fred. Just allow me to continue being part of Jimmy and your life. When I see good people in need, I want to help in any way I can."
Everyone at the table was in tears. The waiter asked Wally "is everything okay, and can I do anything for you and your guests?" Wally smiled at the waiter and said "all is good here. These are happy tears, but thank you for checking in. If you will, please bring us some more napkins."
It took us all a few more minutes to recover as Fred continued to grip me in a bear hug. He looked at me again and said "God bless you CJ. From this day on, you are part of our family. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for this generous help."
Our meals finally came, and we got back into a normal conversation mode. Jimmy devoured his cheeseburger and onion rings, while the rest of the adults enjoyed their meals.
Once we had finished, I gave a wink to the waiter which was his queue to bring out Wally's birthday cake. The available servers all came out singing happy birthday to Wally, and Jimmy got up, went to Wally's seat and helped him blow out the candle on his cake.
Everyone enjoyed a piece of cake along with a cup of coffee. Jimmy drank another glass of milk with his cake. After he finished his cake, he looked at Fred and said "can Mr. Walters come with us to look at houses this weekend?" I smiled at Jimmy and Fred said "oh I'm sure Mr. Walters has plenty of other things to do this weekend. We'll take pictures for him and you can show him the pictures on Tuesday." Jimmy turned to me and said "is that okay with you Mr. Walters?" I smiled and said "that's fine Jimmy and from now on, just call me CJ. Is that okay with you?" He said "sure, but Daddy always tells me to call people older than me by Mr., Miss or Mrs." Fred laughed and said "it's okay Jimmy, you can call him CJ from now on."
Jimmy was getting tired and Fred said "everyone, I hate to see this joyous evening end. Jimmy and I have had a wonderful evening and are so grateful to have all of you in our life. It's time to get this young man ready for bed though." Jimmy looked at his dad and said "thanks everyone for what you did for my Daddy and me tonight. I love you all, and CJ remember we have to get my bookbag out of your jeep."
Hugs were exchanged, and Fred and Jimmy were the first to leave the parking lot. Leo came up to me, gave me another hug and said "thank you for allowing me to be part of this beautiful event. It was a joy for me to see the appreciation on Fred's face. You're a wonderful person CJ." Randy also shared similar expressions to me and said "I'll see you on Thursday teach!"
Wally and I were left in the parking lot. He looked at me with those beautiful blue eyes and said "you already know what I'm going to say, but you are the love of my life and my influencer CJ Skinner. Will you walk with me on the beach before we go back and make love tonight?" I smiled at my man and said "that sounds so beautiful to me you sexy man. Let's go hit the beach."