estimates.”
I clap Ned on the shoulder. It’s sort of like hitting a tree… a big hard tree. Boy-oh-boy, I sure hope we can be friends.
“Sounds good,” I reply. Again I flash my winning ‘let’s be friends forever’ smile and I really mean it. Ned looks like a good guy.
And with perfect timing, I hear someone call my name. I turn to see Sheri standing by the kitchen door, waving to me as she again calls out. “Phil, can I see you for a minute?”
I look at Ned and nod good-bye. He does the same with a small smile and a slight wave with his right hand. Walking the short distance to the door, the thought crosses my mind that it would be hard to imagine this woman as ever being sad. She seems to have a constantly upbeat personality. one of life’s persistent cheerleaders.
“Phil, if you have a minute, I would like to show you around the house. A.J. and I are going for a run in a little while, so we might as well do it now while I have the chance. Is that okay with you?”
“That’s great, Mrs. Jackson,” I reply. “I appreciate it, I really do.”
“If you want to bring some of your luggage, you can drop it off in your room. It’s on the other side of the house, near the back. I thought you would like to be on the first floor. But you can have a room on the third floor if you would rather.”
“First floor’s fine.”
“Good.”
I sling a strap over my shoulder and grab two large bags. Before I can say anything, Sheri takes the remaining bag.
“Mrs. Jackson, please, I can come back for it later.”
“Don’t be silly. It’s not heavy and I’m not made of glass. I’ve carried plenty of luggage in my day. Of course, I have to admit,” she continues with a smile, “I haven’t done too much heavy lifting since I married the king of rap.”
She giggles at the thought.
We walk to the foyer and I step aside to allow her to lead the way. It’s a short walk to my room, which turns out to be a small suite. We stack the luggage in the middle of the floor and stand back to survey the area. The bedroom is of medium size, but with ample space for a twin-sized bed, a dresser and a fairly large closet. There’s a bathroom with a shower and a small study area with a desk and a television. It’s not palatial by any means, but then I wouldn’t expect it to be. By employee quarters’ standards, it is really very nice.
“There’s a small room next door if you need to spread out,” Sheri offers as she looks about. “This isn’t very big.”
“This is fine… it’s more than enough. Perhaps I could use the other room for an office.”
Sheri nods her agreement.
“If you want to redecorate, let me know. We’re doing everything else, we might as well do this, too.”
She looks about while making her observation. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had plans in the works already.
“Why don’t we see if Mr. Jackson wants me to stay on before we spend any money,” I say with a grin. “He may not want to invest too much in me just yet.”
“Oh shush, Phil,” Sheri says with a dismissive shake of her head, “haven’t you figured out who runs this place yet?”
We both laugh as I follow her back to the foyer. From there she leads the way to the room where I first met A.J.
“This is the library,” she says as she executes a ballerina-like spin in the middle of the floor.
The room is very large… well over a thousand square feet. There are many apartments smaller than this and a great number of houses that aren’t much bigger. A.J.’s desk is near a large bay window. The wall on the left is lined with bookshelves. The wall to the right has two windows and then a massive fireplace that is surrounded with dark variegated marble. Two large sofas extend from either side of the fireplace and face one another. Between the sofas sits a wooden coffee table resting on an oriental carpet. To the right of the fireplace, as you enter the room, is a bar. There is a tray ceiling extending at least
I clap Ned on the shoulder. It’s sort of like hitting a tree… a big hard tree. Boy-oh-boy, I sure hope we can be friends.
“Sounds good,” I reply. Again I flash my winning ‘let’s be friends forever’ smile and I really mean it. Ned looks like a good guy.
And with perfect timing, I hear someone call my name. I turn to see Sheri standing by the kitchen door, waving to me as she again calls out. “Phil, can I see you for a minute?”
I look at Ned and nod good-bye. He does the same with a small smile and a slight wave with his right hand. Walking the short distance to the door, the thought crosses my mind that it would be hard to imagine this woman as ever being sad. She seems to have a constantly upbeat personality. one of life’s persistent cheerleaders.
“Phil, if you have a minute, I would like to show you around the house. A.J. and I are going for a run in a little while, so we might as well do it now while I have the chance. Is that okay with you?”
“That’s great, Mrs. Jackson,” I reply. “I appreciate it, I really do.”
“If you want to bring some of your luggage, you can drop it off in your room. It’s on the other side of the house, near the back. I thought you would like to be on the first floor. But you can have a room on the third floor if you would rather.”
“First floor’s fine.”
“Good.”
I sling a strap over my shoulder and grab two large bags. Before I can say anything, Sheri takes the remaining bag.
“Mrs. Jackson, please, I can come back for it later.”
“Don’t be silly. It’s not heavy and I’m not made of glass. I’ve carried plenty of luggage in my day. Of course, I have to admit,” she continues with a smile, “I haven’t done too much heavy lifting since I married the king of rap.”
She giggles at the thought.
We walk to the foyer and I step aside to allow her to lead the way. It’s a short walk to my room, which turns out to be a small suite. We stack the luggage in the middle of the floor and stand back to survey the area. The bedroom is of medium size, but with ample space for a twin-sized bed, a dresser and a fairly large closet. There’s a bathroom with a shower and a small study area with a desk and a television. It’s not palatial by any means, but then I wouldn’t expect it to be. By employee quarters’ standards, it is really very nice.
“There’s a small room next door if you need to spread out,” Sheri offers as she looks about. “This isn’t very big.”
“This is fine… it’s more than enough. Perhaps I could use the other room for an office.”
Sheri nods her agreement.
“If you want to redecorate, let me know. We’re doing everything else, we might as well do this, too.”
She looks about while making her observation. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had plans in the works already.
“Why don’t we see if Mr. Jackson wants me to stay on before we spend any money,” I say with a grin. “He may not want to invest too much in me just yet.”
“Oh shush, Phil,” Sheri says with a dismissive shake of her head, “haven’t you figured out who runs this place yet?”
We both laugh as I follow her back to the foyer. From there she leads the way to the room where I first met A.J.
“This is the library,” she says as she executes a ballerina-like spin in the middle of the floor.
The room is very large… well over a thousand square feet. There are many apartments smaller than this and a great number of houses that aren’t much bigger. A.J.’s desk is near a large bay window. The wall on the left is lined with bookshelves. The wall to the right has two windows and then a massive fireplace that is surrounded with dark variegated marble. Two large sofas extend from either side of the fireplace and face one another. Between the sofas sits a wooden coffee table resting on an oriental carpet. To the right of the fireplace, as you enter the room, is a bar. There is a tray ceiling extending at least
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