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One in a Billion Chapter Ten
Sirens screaming are what woke Jim at about
When he was about four houses from the fire, he saw
Jennifer standing near a fire truck with a small boy in her arms. Jim made his
way over to her and asked if everyone was ok. Jennifer told him yes that both
she and her son were able to get out unhurt, but the house was a total loss she
feared. Jim asked her if she and her son were home alone and she replied she was
divorced for about 4 months now so it was just the two of them. Jim asked if
she had somewhere to go for the rest of the night. She told him not really and
he asked if she would like to go to the motel as he had a room there and she
and her son were more then welcome to stay there. She agreed that would be a
good idea as she was getting a little cold in her damp pajamas and her son
needed to be dried as well since it was raining a little still they both had
gotten wet. Jim took his jacket off and draped it over the young boy and
Jennifer’s shoulders then proceeded to escort them back his motel room.
As they walked Jim asked Jennifer if she knew what caused
the fire, she told him a neighbor across the street seen lightning strike the
house and had called the fire department. Then he had run over to wake them by
beating on the door till she answered it. As she came past her son’s room she
smelled smoke and grabbed him and headed on to the door. Once she opened the
door, the neighbor pulled her outside quickly as the whole roof was ablaze by
that time. She said she even forgot to get her purse or anything else as she
didn’t really have time. If the neighbor hadn’t waked her, she and her son
would have probably died in the house. Jim told her not to think about that,
for she was safe now.
Once at the motel, Jim handed Jennifer a spare pair of his
pajamas and a robe, and told her to go get changed and to dry that young boy of
hers real good. He then told her he would be back shortly and if she needed him
to call his cell number that he had written down by the phone. She said she
would be ok and she wanted to dry Tim, her son, and get him back to bed before
she changed. Jim excused himself and went to the parking lot. He got into
Donna’s car and drove to her place.
When he pulled into the drive of Donna’s house the lights
were on in the house. He went to the door and knocked. Donna answered it and
Jim was amazed to find her totally dressed. She told him to come on in and
asked if had heard about Jennifer’s house burning. Jim told her yes for that
was the reason he was there at that hour of the morning. He then told her
Jennifer and her son were at his motel room since she had no place else to go
and he thought maybe Donna could go there and help her a little. He then asked
if she might have some clothes that she thought Jennifer and her son could
wear. Donna told him she was one step ahead of him as she had already called
several of the workers and they were meeting in about 20 minutes at the
restaurant with everything they thought would help Jennifer.
Jim told her that was great and that if she wouldn’t mind he would have her drop him
by the motel to get his van to put the stuff in and he was going to get
Jennifer a motel room for as long as she needed it. He then turned to Donna and
said if he was to let his real identity be known he could let Jennifer move
into the company apartment. Donna told him not to even think of it, for a motel
room would work ok for now anyways. The
kids were ready to go as they came into the room where Donna and Jim were.
Donna told them to get in the van as she was also ready to go.
Donna dropped Jim by the motel to get his van and then
headed on to the restaurant. Jim knocked on his motel room door and heard
Jennifer ask who it was, he told her and she opened the door. She was in the
pajamas and robe he had given her. He noticed Tim was asleep in the bed that he
hadn’t used. Jim told Jennifer he was going to the restaurant as a lot of the
workers were gathering stuff for her and Tim and he was going to get her and
Tim a room of their own for as long as they needed it. He told her he was going
to use his van to haul the stuff back in and asked if she wanted any coffee or
food when he returned. She told him yes to the coffee and thanked him for his
help. She then told him she knew of the workers doing this type thing for each
other as she had helped several times in the past, but never figured she would
be on the receiving end.
Jim left and drove to the restaurant. He parked right in
front of the door, backing the van in so everyone could load stuff into it.
Once inside he found Donna standing near the door and everyone else was
sitting. She turned and motioned Jim to come to her. He stepped over next to her and she then spoke
up and told everyone that Jim had took Jennifer and her son to his motel room
to get them out of the weather and get some rest. She also said that Jim had
volunteered to get Jennifer and her son a motel room of their own for as long
they needed it and was going to let them load their contributions in his van to
haul back to her. She then went on to say that she would be passing the
contribution sheet around for everyone to fill out and sign. After they had
written down their contribution they could load it into Jim’s van unless it was
monetary then they could put it in the jar on the counter.
Jim asked if he might say something at this time and Donna
told him to go ahead and stepped back a little. Jim told them he just wanted to
say how much he enjoyed being a part of the group and that if it was ok with
everyone, he would like to match any monetary gift given. There was a cheer to
him on this and he quickly told them he should be cheering them for doing this
for a fellow worker. They started loading Jim’s van with items they had brought
for Jennifer and her son. Jim noticed the clock showed
Jim ordered a breakfast plate to go for Jennifer and a
couple of coffees. The waitress handed him a bag and said there was enough
there for him and Jennifer both and then handed him a large thermos of coffee.
He asked her how much he owed and was told he couldn’t pay for it as it was
part of their contribution. The waitress told him that the factory workers were
their main customers and without them they would have to close, so helping one
out when they could was their way of giving back. Jim thanked her and left to
go back to his motel room.
Once Jim got back to his motel room he found Donna was
already there along with a couple of other woman from the factory. He told them
to let him get his stuff and he would move to anther room so as not to have to
disturb Tim from his sleep. Donna gathered his things for him as he got his
laptop case and his suitcase. He then put them in his van front seat till he
could get to the office and rent another room.
Donna and the other women started unloading stuff from his
van and he handed them the bag of food and the thermos of coffee. He then
headed for the office to rent another room. Donna and the other women continued
unloading the stuff from his van and had it all done in about 15 minutes.
Jim returned from the office with a card key to the room
next to the one he had been in. He unloaded his stuff from the front seat and then
showered and got ready for work. As he came out of his room, Donna and Jennifer
were coming out also. Donna told him that Jennifer’s babysitter had come here
after someone told her they were staying in a motel room and she was heading to
the house to change and then she and Jennifer would drive to the factory. Jim
said he was heading to the restaurant and would see them at the factory later.
He watched them get into Donna’s minivan where Josh and Chrissy were waiting
for them. He got in his van and headed for the restaurant.
There were several workers at the restaurant when he
arrived, but not as many as usual for this time of morning. He sat down at his
usual booth and the waitress brought him coffee and asked if he had eaten yet,
he told her he didn’t get a chance as he had been busy since he left earlier.
She then left to get his usual breakfast. Jim spoke to a few of the other
workers as they were discussing the fire and what all had been done to help
Jennifer and her son. One of the men said that when he left the fire just a
little bit ago that the house was nothing but a pile of smoldering ashes and
even Jennifer’s car had been burnt completely. One of the other workers said it
was a miracle that the neighbor just happened to see the lightning strike.
Jim was curious as to why the neighbor had been up and was
quickly informed that the neighbor had just got off work for he had worked over
and was usually home by
When he arrived at the factory it was
The buzzer rang and everyone filed out of the break room
and headed for their departments. Donna walked along side of Jim holding hands,
she felt like a school girl again. As they reached her department Jim turned to
her and gently kissed her quickly and told her he would see her at break. Donna
just nodded and watched him continue on to the shipping area.
At break, Jim and Donna sat together and were looking for
Jennifer; she wasn’t in the room anywhere. Jim stood and told Donna he would be
right back. He headed to the front area to see if Jennifer was busy or not. As
he passed her reception desk he noticed she wasn’t there and heard a loud voice
coming from Mrs. Wilcox’s office. As he stepped closer he heard Mrs. Wilcox
telling Jennifer, she was sorry for her loss, but there was no way she could
let her take off work even for one day and that she would have to wait till
Friday before she could get a replacement check for the one she that burned in
the fire. Jennifer told her she had lost everything including her purse and all
her money and at the moment she only had what had been taken up by fellow
employees. She then told Mrs. Wilcox she needed time off so she could speak
with her insurance people to see what all was covered and when any of the
benefits would start. Mrs. Wilcox repeated to her that she couldn’t let her have
any time off especially with the new owner coming for a visit and all. Jim
turned and went back to the break room so as to not let Jennifer and Mrs.
Wilcox know he had heard their conversation.
Donna saw a puzzled and worried look on Jim’s face when he
returned and asked what was wrong. He told her he would explain later and that
he needed to do some thinking about a few items. He walked with Donna back to
her area and then went back to the shipping area. He tried to think of a way to
help Jennifer without disclosing his true identity. The more he thought of what
Mrs. Wilcox said the angrier he got.
When the lunch buzzer rang Jim caught up with Donna and
asked if it was ok if she drove to the restaurant for lunch as he needed to run
some errands and would try to get there as soon as he could. Donna told him she
had planned to drive since Jennifer was going to lunch with her. Jim said ok
and headed to his van. He wanted to make some phone calls and wanted to make
sure no one was around him to overhear them. Once in the van he drove to the
alley in which Donna had lived in her car. He then took out his cell phone and
called the number the attorneys had given him for Mrs. Wilcox.
Mrs. Wilcox answered on the third ring and he introduced
himself to her as James Albert Davies, the new owner of the factory. She
quickly told him she was very pleased to hear from him personally and asked if
he was in town, He told her he would be arriving in town on Friday of this week
and had called since he had heard some news of one of the employees having lost
everything in fire. Mrs. Wilcox told him he had correctly and the girl was her
receptionist, Jennifer Barker. She went on to tell him that she and her son had
escaped with nothing except what they were wearing and their lives. Jim told
her he was very sorry to hear that and asked where she was staying and when she
would return to work. He said it this way so as to give Mrs. Wilcox a chance to
let her off if she wanted to. Mrs. Wilcox told him she thought they were
staying in a motel and that she was at work today, as she was a valued employee
of the factory and it would be very hard to get a long without her even for a
short period of time.
Jim asked Mrs. Wilcox hadn’t he been told there was an
apartment for him to stay in when he was in town that was furnished and was
owned by his factory. Mrs. Wilcox assured him there was and that it had been
recently cleaned and was ready for his arrival. Jim asked Mrs. Wilcox wouldn’t
she think it would be a better place for the fire victims to stay then some
motel room, at least in the apartment she could cook her meals and have more
room. Also he believed the factory could get along just fine for a week or two
or however long it needed to while Mrs. Barker was off tending to her personal
matters due to the fire. Also he asked if the factory owned a vehicle. Mrs.
Wilcox told him yes they did it was a two year old Caprice that she usually
drove. He asked if she had a personal car of her own and she told him yes.
Is Mrs. Barker there now he asked her? She in turn told him
she believed she left the factory during lunch and would return in about an
hour. He then told her that was ok, and he wanted her to do the following for
him. First he wanted her to tell Mrs. Barker she could use the company
apartment for as long as she needed and second that she could take as much time
off from work as she needed and she would still receive her check since it was
a family emergency, third, he wanted her to turn the company car over to Mrs.
Barker and also a gas credit card if the factory had one. Then he added that
since she lost everything she would probably need money right away so please
draw $500 out of the factory petty cash account and give it to Mrs. Barker as a
gift from him and the factory. Mrs. Wilcox was almost flaming mad, but she held
her tongue as she agreed to do all he had asked. She did however inquire where
he would stay once he came to town if not at the apartment. He told her he
would be ok in a motel room as he would go out for meals mostly anyways. He
then bid her goodbye and hung up.
Jim quickly drove to the restaurant and walked in smiling.
Donna saw the smile and how happy he looked and after he sat down next to her,
she whispered as to what made him so happy. He just told her to wait and see
when they got back from lunch. He ordered his lunch and as the three ate and
talked he continued to smile just from thinking about how mad Mrs. Wilcox must
be by now. Donna and Jennifer left just before Jim did and were already walking
towards the factory when he parked his van and got out.
Once they entered the factory the three of them stopped
quickly, for standing next to the time clock was Mrs. Wilcox and she was
holding what looked like a time card and an envelope in her hand. Jennifer
looked scared, for she was thinking she might be fired just for asking for time
off earlier. Donna was worried for she might be the one fired for losing so
much time over the past month. Jim just thought of what he had instructed Mrs.
Wilcox to do and curbed his smile so as to not let on he knew what she was
going to do. As the three stood there Mrs. Wilcox motioned for them to come
closer. She told Jennifer that the new owner had gotten news of her house
burning and had called and instructed her to do some things for him.
She gave Jennifer the envelope and told her it contained a
gift of $500 from the new owner and the factory to help her out, she then
clocked Jennifer’s time card out and told her the owner said she was to take as
much time as she needed to get her personal affairs in order and she would
still get her regular check as it was a family emergency. Jim was having
trouble keeping a straight face as Mrs. Wilcox grew angrier with each word she
spoke. Mrs. Wilcox then handed a credit card and set of keys to Jennifer and
told her the owner had insisted she use the company car and company gas card
till she was able to have her own vehicle again.
Jennifer started crying she was so happy. Donna almost
fainted for this wasn’t normal actions for Mrs. Wilcox and she could tell that
the woman didn’t really like what she was doing. Donna looked at Jim who only
smiled and winked at her. Mrs. Wilcox, then handed Jennifer another key and
said she was to move into the company apartment and the owner had said not to
worry about how long she needed to stay, for he would be just fine in a motel
room when he came to visit since he was alone and would eat his meals out.
Donna smiled when she heard this and seen the way Mrs.
Wilcox face reddened with anger as she said it. Jennifer couldn’t speak, just
continued to nod her head yes. Jim offered to help her to a chair and she said
she was ok. Mrs. Wilcox then turned to Jim and Donna and told them that if they
wanted to go help Jennifer move her stuff from the motel to the apartment that they
would still be on company time and get paid for doing it. Jim hadn’t mentioned
this and figured it was Mrs. Wilcox’s way of trying to show she was human also.
Donna and Jim spent about two hours moving the stuff that
had been donated to Jennifer and her son from the motel room to the apartment.
Jennifer still couldn’t believe the change in Mrs. Wilcox and asked Donna if
she by chance knew what could have happened or how the new owner could have
found out about her situation. Donna just smiled and told her that news travels
fast and if the new owner was a good business person then he probably kept
track of everything that happened at the factory since he took possession of
it.
After Jennifer, her son and her babysitter were situated in
the apartment Donna and Jim returned to the factory to finish out their day of
work. As they were walking to their departments the break buzzer rang so they
turned and headed to the break room. Once there they were bombarded with
questions as to where they had been. Once they explained, everyone wanted to
know what happened to Mrs. Wilcox, for she had never been one to give in to
anyone or anything. Jim made the comment that maybe she valued her job a little
more then everyone thought.
After break Jim was busy enough that time seemed to fly by.
He was still smiling and thinking of how mad Mrs. Wilcox must be for having to
do all he had told her to do. He wondered who it would be that would give her a
ride home so she could start driving her car since Jennifer had the company
car. He also was thinking of how he could make changes to the way things were
handled at the factory so that everyone could help as well as be helped when
the need arose. Jim almost missed hearing the quitting time buzzer as he was so
indulged in his thoughts.
After he clocked out he caught up to Donna and asked her if
she would be free later for he needed to discuss some ideas with her as how to
improve the factory operations. She told him that if he wanted he could come to
supper at her place and they would discuss it after they ate. Jim told her he
would see her about
Jim drove to his motel room and showered and changed
clothes. Then he drove to a local florist and picked up a dozen red roses in a carved
crystal vase. He then drove to Donna’s house, arriving a little after
Josh answered the door and told Jim to come on in that
Chrissy and his mom were fixing supper in the kitchen. Jim walked through to
the kitchen and sat the roses on the counter just as Donna was turning around
from the stove. She was delighted to see the roses and almost jumped over to
Jim and gave him a tight hug and then kissed him passionately on the mouth. She
felt him slide his hands up and down her back as he kissed her back and she felt
a little weak in the knees as they finally broke from the kiss.
She stepped back a little and asked Jim if he would like to
join Josh in the living room as supper would be ready in about 20 minutes. Jim
said if he had to he would, and smiled and winked as he headed to the living
room. Josh was doing some homework and asked Jim if he could possibly help him
on some math problems. He told Josh he would be happy to teach him how to do
the problems but Josh would actually have to do them himself. Jim sat down next
to him and after about 15 minutes he had helped Josh to learn to do the problems. Just as Josh was finishing his homework,
Donna came in telling that supper was ready.
After they had eaten their meal, Jim asked Donna if the two
of them could do the dishes so the kids could have some free time to watch TV.
What he was actually doing was trying to get Donna alone so they could talk
without the kids bothering them. Donna said it was ok with her and asked the
kids what they thought. The two kids immediately excused themselves and headed
for the living room.
After the kids left the room Jim stood and started helping
Donna clear the table. As she was setting some dishes in the sink, he came up
behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He gently kissed her neck a
couple of times. Donna turned to face him and they kissed even more passionately
then before. Donna’s hands were rubbing all over Jim’s chest as he tried hard
to keep his hands on her back only. After a few minutes they broke from the
kiss and Jim told her they needed to finish the dishes so they could talk.
After they had finished the dishes they sat down at the
table and Jim asked Donna if she would be willing to ask around the factory and
get ideas from the workers of how they would like to see things run at the
factory. She said she would try to do it, but wasn’t sure if she could do it
alone. He told her that if she needed help she could ask some of the other
workers to help her. She said that would be ok and she would do her best.
He then explained to Donna what he had told Mrs. Wilcox and
that he would be arriving this coming Friday at the factory. He also stated he
would like to have a meeting on Thursday evening with all the workers that
could make it about the changes that needed to be done and that he would
disclose his identity to them then. Donna asked if he thought that would be a
good idea and he assured her it was what he thought was the best way to handle
it. He told her that hopefully she could get enough ideas that he would be able
to utilize some of them and the workers may not be offended as mush about him
deceiving them.
He had only wanted to get an idea as to how the workers
were in their natural work environment and that the only way to do it was to
become one of them, for everyone changed their actions and words once a boss
came around. He had done so in the past and was no exception to that way of
thinking either.
He then told Donna that they both had better get some sleep
as it was already after
After Jim left Donna’s house he drove back to his motel
room with a lot of things running through his mind. He sat at the table and
wrote some of things down that he had already heard workers discussing as
needing to be changed. The first item on his list was asking that Mrs. Wilcox
retire. After about a half hour, he decided to shower and get to bed. He was
very tired and thinking made him even more tired.
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