Date: Thu, 5 Feb 2015 21:33:59 +0000
From: Clive Westwood <cfgw2000@aol.com>
Subject: Life's Illusions - Chapter 7 - Honeymoon Heaven and Hell

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Life's Illusions - Chapter 7 - Honeymoon Heaven and Hell.


The arrival of our families along with Leo, Rosa and Reya was exciting and
after greeting them and settling them into cars, Charles introduced the new
crew to me, I apologised but right now I needed to get our family settled
and I arranged to talk with them after dinner.

The afternoon was hilarious with both Grand and Esther absolutely mortified
that we had used our honeymoon to busy ourselves with business matters but
Edward just laughed and said to Grand, "You owe me old man", apparently
they had bet on how long we both could just relax and do nothing and Edward
had won out.

After dinner that evening at which Reya took centre stage and was never far
from Esther's arms, all three crews joined us and I asked the others to
excuse us whilst Lenny, Leo and I took our prospective new crew out to the
balcony bar.

They'd all met Leo and understood he was family security, to Leo's surprise
I stated that Leo's instructions outranked everyones including mine with
the exception of matters relating to any flight in which case during a
flight the pilot in charge ruled.

I told them we would be looking to add 1 member to the crew if in fact they
opted to work with us, in a security capacity (Leo's suggestion).

I asked about the salaries they had previously been on and in case any of
them didn't want to disclose what they earned I asked that they write the
figure down and pass it to me.

I was surprised they were all considerably below what I knew Grands crew
were on so while we chatted I wrote a new figure below the one they'd
entered which effectively would give them an immediate 25% raise from their
previous salaries.

I outlined the main area where we would be operational and that we would
take care of their accommodation both at base in Malaga and whilst working.

Finally I asked them to excuse Lenny, Leo and I for a few minutes and we
withdrew to a separate area to discuss the big subject 'did we like them or
not'.

Leo opened with a background report and agreed he approved of all of them.
Lenny chipped in and said they were a friendly bunch so she saw no
problems.  I agreed, I felt we should grab them.

Before we went back out I shared with Lenny and Leo that I had the new
aircraft lined up and if we took them on now we could potentially have the
aircraft in commission before we went home, so did they agree we go ahead.

I got a resounding 'Yes' so we went back to the crew, "Ok Guys we like you
and we want to offer you jobs so now it's over to you to decide if you want
to work with us, and I promise it is a work with, not for, situation,
before we leave you to decide, these notes you gave me with your salary
figures, I've added a new figure below the one you entered which we hope
you will accept as a fair salary, that's what you're on if you accept, now
we'll leave you alone to make your decision, come give us a shout when you
come to a decision".

At that we left them, but as we walked away they were looking at the salary
notes obviously expecting to be shafted and we heard several distinctive
"Fuck's" and a couple of "Woopy Whoo's".

Around 10 minutes after we left them the whole crew returned to the
restaurant and as a collective looked at Lenny and me and in unison said
"Yes please Boss" and from then on I became 'Boss' even though they all
knew in a formal situation I was PJ or Mr Thorn.

I told them we would talk more the following morning but right now it was
celebration time so enjoy.

I don't think they could believe their luck and they resigned themselves to
celebrating.

Whilst everyone was enjoying the evening I slipped away to make a call to
the agent acting for the aircraft owners and confirmed that I would want
the formal inspection set for tomorrow afternoon at 2.30pm, they told me
the owner would be there to accept payment in person.

I didn't foresee any problems so I called the charter company I was leasing
the Gulfstream V from and told them I was terminating the lease from 4pm
tomorrow and the crew would be free to return the aircraft to them after
that time.

I followed this up with a fax to the Malaga FBO (Fixed Base Operator) to
confirm we would officially take up residence with the aircrafts details
from tomorrow although we would be away for another 2 weeks so I may have
the crew bring the plane back during that time to familiarise themselves
with the facilities at Malaga.

Whilst I'd been making these calls Leo wondered in and asked if I had the
details of the current owner of the aircraft and he heard most of the
conversation with the agent in Berlin because I had the call on speaker, he
took the details of the current owner with him when we went back to join
the others, though I didn't think anything of it at the time.

It wasn't a late night for anyone and Reya true to form was fast asleep an
hour after dinner.

Anticipating that we would all be hanging together Lenny and I had swapped
our honeymoon suite and taken 6 bungalows in the gardens.

The bungalows formed a crescent around a Patio and gardens and as ours was
central and nearest to the Patio we put Reya to bed in our spare bedroom
with the glass doors open, we were no more than 10 yards away and would
hear any sound.

I'd arranged for the hotel to set up a bar on the Patio and both sets of
flight crews joined us.

The atmosphere was relaxed and everyone got along together well.

Part way through the evening our new Flight crew as a group came over to
Lenny and I, the Chief Pilot who I knew to be Ben Caple spoke for the group
but it was obvious he was voicing a collective feeling.

"Mr Thorn, Mrs Thorn, we don't want to take up too much of your time, but
Sir, Mam, we just wanted to say a heartfelt thank you for employing us, we
were really down until Charles told us he might have an opportunity for us,
but to be honest we thought it was a pipe dream when he described you, we
couldn't even hope that you would be half as decent as he described but
instead you turn out to be everything he promised and more so we just
wanted to say going forward if you want or need anything we will do all in
our power to provide it for you and keep you safe in the process".

Lenny spoke first, "Listen guys from here on I'm Lenny and this here is PJ,
obviously there may be times when we have to be Mr and Mrs Thorn but those
should be very few and far between so get used to using our first names
we're a family, now if I have this right, and I hope I do because PJ bet me
€100 I couldn't get even close to remembering all your names and
I'm a little short on housekeeping this week so you better not cost me,
now, Captain Caple I believe you are Ben, First Officer Rand I believe you
are James or Jimmy, Second Officer Horton I believe you are Robert or
Robby, now this could be the dangerous part because if I get you two wrong
you might spike my drink on our first flight so, Mr Masters I believe you
are Joseph or Joe, and finally Mr Lightyear I believe you are Phillip but
for some inexplicable reason everyone calls you Buz".  All the guys were
smiling, "So how did I do guys, do I have to pay up or not?".  Ben spoke up
first, "Only one letter out Lenny and that's pretty impressive, Joe prefers
Joey so you missed a 'y' that's all and after our last employer who
couldn't be bothered with and honestly didn't know any of our names it's
fantastic".

I noticed Ben and Jimmy were not drinking and asked why, Ben replied that
it was a crew rule there will always be two who don't drink in case we have
to rotate without notice, I decided to have a little fun and told him I was
impressed and it was good they kept to their plan because they would be
flying tomorrow.

Ben was visibly excited now and asked if he could be let in on the details.

Lenny had been watching this exchange and as usual jumped in, "PJ I swear
if you don't stop playing with these guys I'll smack you so hard up the
head you'll be dizzy for days".

The guys and I were all laughing at Lenny and I finally relented and told
the guys about collecting their new ride from Berlin tomorrow, I told them
it only needed 2 of them to go so the others could enjoy a day off if they
wanted but true to expectation all five announced they would be collecting
'The Carriage' together.

Lenny and I looked puzzled and Joey explained it was their name for the
plane they operated, it was our 'Carriage' and would be available to
transport us wherever whenever at our request.

At around 11pm everyone started drifting off to bed, it had been a long day
for the guys who came in from The States and Leo and Rosa looked tired as
well.

Lenny suggested they leave Reya in our bungalow rather than disturb her now
but Leo was hesitant because he knew Reya would be up and full of energy
around 6am but we just laughed and reminded them it would be a practice run
for us so they relented after wishing us goodnight and good luck.

The following morning around 5am I woke with that strange feeling I was
being watched and on opening my eyes I was greeted by a smiling Reya who
had crawled out of her bed and was leaning against the edge of our bed she
giggled when she saw me awake and stretched out her arms indicating she
wanted to get in with us so I lifted her in and no sooner had we snuggled
back down than she was fast asleep again and didn't rouse until around 8am.

At around 7am Lenny and I slipped quietly out of bed and in our Robes went
out onto the Patio, ordering Tea, Coffee and Juice which was delivered
within a few minutes.

Slowly we gathered extra numbers as everyone woke and drifted outside, Leo
and Rosa couldn't believe Reya was still asleep and they sat chatting and
enjoying coffee in the morning sun.

Just before everyone retired the night before I'd told Ben that Lenny and I
would be joining them on the trip out to collect 'The Carriage' and I saw
his frown, he'd asked "Does Leo know of your plans?", I replied that I
hadn't mentioned it to him yet and again he frowned, at the time I
dismissed it as nothing but apparently I was wrong.

Leo pulled me aside while Lenny, Rosa and Esther were playing with Reya,
"Ben mentioned to me that you were planning to go along with them to
collect the new aircraft", he paused, I think deliberately to try to judge
how I would react to his next statement, "I don't want you going along on
this trip PJ".

I was taken aback I'd never been dictated to and I wasn't happy to be told
I couldn't go, "I think you're overstepping the mark Leo, I'm not as you
put it, going along, I'm the one buying the aircraft, I'm the one signing
the contract, more importantly I'm the boss and if I decide to 'go along'
as you put it, I damn well will", Leo started to say something but I cut
him off with a raised hand.

I realised my voice had risen several levels on that last sentence, and the
others on the patio had turned towards us in surprise, more than that I
knew straight away I'd overreacted, I'd just acted like a spoiled brat
something I absolutely hated to see in others and yet I'd just done exactly
that.

Leo was staring straight at me his expression hadn't changed in the
slightest he just nodded, "I understand, I guess that was a deciding
moment, if you're intending to do exactly as you want you certainly don't
need me, now if you'll excuse me I appear to be surplus to requirements so
I'll rectify that immediately", he turned and walked away, collecting Rosa
and Reya along the way as they headed for their bungalow.

I was about to go after him, to apologise but seeing the way he was moving
across the patio I decided we both needed some space to cool down so I
picked up my coffee and walked to the edge of the patio overlooking the
gardens.

I stood sipping coffee for a good 20 minutes trying to analyse what had
just happened.

Leo had asked me not to go on this trip and I'd blown a gasket, why?, I
hadn't taken the time to ask him his reasons I'd just exploded, it was just
not me, I didn't act like that, unless I was provoked and Leo had been
nothing but courteous in his request, I reasoned that I'd have to apologise
and discuss it with him but I didn't get the chance as an obviously angry
Lenny marched out onto the patio.

"PJ what the fuck have you done?". My first thought was, Leo went running
to Lenny, but I reasoned that was not Leo, I realised with a sinking
feeling in my stomach I might have just caused a really big problem.

I turned to Lenny, " Ok Lenny I had a discussion with Leo and we didn't
agree but I realise I was wrong so I guess I'd better deal with it, now
calm down woman it's no great shakes".

I realised quickly from her expression that I was on a roll, a really bad
one, and that had been my second big mistake of the morning.

Lenny was fuming, "You think it was a simple disagreement, no great shakes
you reckon, and you're going to deal with it are you?, well you might want
to get dressed and lose the attitude before you try that because Leo, Rosa
and Reya left for the airport a few minutes ago, Rosa and Reya were in
tears, all I could get out of Leo was he wouldn't stand around and watch us
put ourselves at risk he thought far too much of us for that so he was
resigning, now I repeat, what the fuck have you done?, oh and PJ, I know
married life is new to both of us but I would seriously suggest you drop
the fucking condescending attitude when you speak to me or I promise you
they won't be the only ones heading for the airport".

Right at that moment I almost made my third mistake of the morning, I
almost laughed, but sanity and a sense of self preservation told me to
stifle that impulse thankfully.

"Lenny I'm sorry, Leo asked me, no asked us, not to go on the ride out to
collect the new plane and I guess I was miffed, I wanted to go so I
basically told him no one tells me what to do, but I raised my voice, I was
extremely rude, I promise I'll make it up to you later, but right now I
need to hustle, I have some serious grovelling to do", and at that I
hightailed it to our bungalow, dressed and called for a car to meet me at
reception.

It took about 45 minutes to get to the airport and a look at the boards
told me Iberia was the only flight to Malaga in the next few hours and the
check-in desk hadn't opened yet.

I saw them right away queuing at the check-in, Reya was still crying.

I'd walked up behind them and Reya spotted me first, she stopped crying and
smiled at me.

Leo and Rosa turned together to see what had cheered her up so miraculously
and as one their eyes fell on me, neither looked all that pleased to see
me.

"I guess one out of three being pleased to see me is as good as I could
hope for right now", I said smiling.

Leo almost smiled, but I saw him pull that back to a blank expression, then
Rosa spoke, "It's really good of you to come and see us off Mr Thorn but
there was no need we'll be fine honestly and by the time you get home we'll
be out of your hair".

Rosa was quite plainly telling me they would move out of the apartment as
soon as they got back to Torremolinas.

Oh I liked these people they weren't about to be bullied and in a subtle
way by using my surname Rosa just told me to go fuck myself.

"Actually Rosa I came to remind you both that your contracts dictate that
you give a months notice", but I was smiling and so was Rosa.

Leo crossed his arms as if he was done with the small talk, a gesture I
understood.

"Look guys, I did something earlier that I'm not proud of and I would like
if possible to talk to you about how we, no scrub that, how I, can put it
right if possible, Leo could you and I step outside and chat for a few
minutes please?, I promise I won't stop you catching your flight if you
want to but I'm asking for a chance to talk about what happened earlier.

Leo told Rosa to hold their place in the queue and moved towards the doors
as I followed, outside Leo approached a group of guys and bummed a
cigarette, I asked if I could be cheeky and beg one too, the guys happily
gave us one each and a light before we moved off and stood silently
smoking, I realised I had to start this off.

"Leo I'm sorry, I was a Prat, you asked me to do something and I acted like
a spoiled brat, I was focused on going to Berlin and I was annoyed you were
putting the mockers on my plans so I lashed out, but you've got to assume
some blame here".

I saw Leo look a little confused.

"Think Leo, if one of your platoon had spoken to you like I did this
morning would you have walked away?, no you wouldn't, you would have
reigned the situation back in and explained however forcibly the situation
required, exactly why you were insisting your plan was followed and you
didn't do that, you caved and walked away, that's no good, I may not always
see the big picture so you can't just let me have my way you have to stand
firm".

Leo hadn't said a word and his expression had only changed once to a
slightly confused one when I said he had to bear some of the blame but as I
watched him he seemed to be processing like a computer and finally he
spoke, " You didn't ask why, you just assumed I was the bad guy taking away
your toy.  I'm not a bully, I won't and didn't ask you to defer from your
plans to piss on your parade, I had concerns, I was concerned for your
safety, for you and for Lenny, it's supposedly what you hired me for but
you cut me off at the knees so end of story, I can't do my job, there is no
job, simple as".

We lapsed again into neither of us saying anything just puffing on our
cigarettes until Leo broke the silence, "You haven't asked why".

I was puzzled at first, then it dawned on me he was saying I hadn't asked
why he didn't want me traveling with the crew today so I went along with
his lead, "Ok, I know I'm going to regret this and feel an even bigger
idiot than I do now but why didn't you want me to travel with them?".

Leo smiled, "Now that is the question that should have followed my request
to you earlier, not that mouthful of shit you dumped on me".

I nodded, "Point taken, so?".

"I found out late last night that the owner of the aircraft you're buying
is a South American Drug Lord suffering from the authorities hitting his
operations and desperately in need of cash to fund his fight back.  I
didn't want you and especially Lenny and your unborn child to be in a place
where he might have you kidnapped for ransom".

Oh god, I was physically trembling at the thought of what I might have
done, I started talking and I know I was rambling at bit but I had to make
Leo understand.

"I was wrong I know that now and I do apologise sincerely Leo, I don't just
feel like an idiot, I feel numb.  I could have put Lenny and our child in
danger and it's frightening, I realise in the past it was how I've always
lived not really listening or caring when someone told me a situation might
be dangerous because I was the only one at risk and apart from Gramps and
Billy there was no one else close who would miss me, my father certainly
wouldn't, and you're right I hired you for a reason and I really do need
you to do what I hired you to do, so how about we rehash your contract so
that I can rant all I like, though if I do I'm sure you would have Lenny's
permission to smack me on the back of the head, but ultimately you rule,
please Leo?".

He'd listened to me but his expression gave nothing away.

"In principle okay but Rosa has to agree". I was beaming, "Come on let's go
ask her, though I have to say I'd feel more confident if the decision
rested with Reya".

Leo laughed, "Oh she'd forgive you anything, she thinks you're all sunshine
and roses, she doesn't know what a nasty mouth you have on you".

And so with Rosa's agreement we headed back to the hotel where I had
serious penance to pay to Lenny.

The two crews left in time to reach the airport at Arrecife and allow time
for the flight to Berlin, at 3pm I received a call from Ben Caple to say
the handover was completed and he wanted confirmation that all permits,
registration and insurance were finalised, whilst Ben held the line I
called Pip my PA and dropped all parties into a conference call, Pip
confirmed the payment had been made, the aircraft registered in my name,
its airworthiness certificate issued and a copy received at our Malaga
office, she also confirmed the insurance was live from 3pm so they were
good to go.

Leo, Rosa and Lenny had been listening to the call, Lenny was used to these
amounts of money but Leo and Rosa looked visibly stunned, Leo said, "You
just dropped all those millions like I pay 50 cents for a newspaper".

I understood it was hard to imagine someone spending that much without any
hesitation and although I'd told Leo initially that we were in the
billionaire bracket I still didn't think he appreciated exactly how wealthy
we were but he was slowly getting the picture.

Before they left earlier I asked the crew of our leased Gulfstream V to
accept our thanks for looking after us for the past few weeks and I gave
each of them an envelope with a bonus of €1000 inside and an
invitation if they were near us to drop in or if they were in need of
employment to make sure and call us.

That evening our guys had not returned and were expected in quite late,
Gramps crew were going for a night on the town as Gramps had insisted he
would not use his plane the following day so the whole crew could go out as
one without restrictions.

Dinner was just family, plus Leo, Rosa and Reya, we enjoyed a nice meal and
whilst waiting for desert I stood and tapped my glass.

Everyone around the table turned towards me and Lenny looked puzzled, "I
hope you will allow me a few minutes because there's something I need to
do, I need to make an apology".

Lenny knew instinctively what I was about to do and reached out to hold my
hand for support.

"This morning Leo advised me he didn't want Lenny and I to travel with the
crew collecting the new aircraft from Berlin.  He was courteous, he acted
in a civil manner, I however did just the opposite, I acted like a spoiled
child".

I paused for a moment to direct the next part at Leo.

"I was extremely rude to Leo and as I executed this rude and ill mannered
performance in public I feel my apology should also, however humiliating,
be made in public.  Leo, I am so sorry, I was rude and arrogant when I now
know your only aim was to ensure the safety of Lenny and I, would you
please accept my most sincere apology?".

I held out my hand not knowing if Leo would take it but in true gentlemanly
fashion he stood and shook my hand.

"It's true you acted like a Prat and were extremely offensive but it's also
true to say it takes a big man to admit his faults and for that I thank you
and I accept your apology now let's hear no more on the matter please".

The crew returned around midnight, they'd arrived back at Arecife around
10pm but they were not impressed with the interior appearance of the plane
so they had set about cleaning and listing the various areas that needed
attention and finally concluded a good valeting was what was needed.

Ben caught up with me at breakfast next morning and seemed a little nervous
about asking if he could commission a full valeting job, I assured him it
was no problem and an expected expense when he felt it was needed.

I brought him up to speed on the hangar facilities at Malaga and the
maintenance and cleaning contracts that were in place, he was amazed and
told me they had been responsible for cleaning the aircraft in their last
job so after each flight the crew spent another hour or more cleaning even
though it was never good enough for their previous employer and his wife.

I told Ben that was no longer the norm, they were Flight Crew, anything
else would be contracted out, we were here for another week and a half so I
suggested if they wanted too the crew could take the plane back to Malaga
whenever they were ready, it would serve to get them orientated on the
hanger etc and the valeting could be done there.

I wanted them to fly to Geneva on Saturday to pick up Ramon and Raul and
bring them back here.

Ramon had taken Raul to one of the best Prosthetic Clinics in Switzerland
to have a leg made and they were joining us for a week of fun.

The rest of the week was really restful, Leo arranged for the hire of a
mini bus and we took several sightseeing tours besides relaxing by the pool
and we even spent a day on the beach with Reya being excited beyond belief
at all the attention.

Lenny had excelled in finding an architect who understood her vision for
our future home, but she was having a difficult time finding a contractor
who understood her vision and in typical Spanish fashion none of them
understood her insistence on a specific time frame.

In light of Lenny's difficulty I called the guy I'd bought the Torremolinas
property from because he was a developer/builder and following our purchase
he had been contracted by Lenny to complete the remodelling.

If he understood the complexities of building in Spain he should fare well
in The Canaries, he agreed he would look into a proposal to be an appointed
builder and settle the appropriate permits if he were approached.

I'd chatted with Lenny and she agreed they'd worked well together before so
this should be just as easy not having to second guess the builders
capabilities.

Ben Caple called me around 10.30am on Saturday morning from the plane and
told me they had Ramon and Raul on board, they had just reached cruising
altitude and expected to be on the ground in Arecife around 2pm local time.

I told Ben there had been a slight change of plans in that Gramps and
Edward needed to go back to New York on Sunday but they had Gramps plane
and we had decided to surprise the kids with a visit to Disneyland Paris,
we'd be flying to Paris for a 3 night stay on Sunday but we didn't need to
leave until around noon.

Lenny had secured several suites of rooms in the Disneyland Explorers Hotel
along with the park passes we would need but by agreement only Lenny, Leo
and I knew what we had planned.  The crew had accommodation arranged at a
hotel close to the airport.

We decided to take the minibus and as a group went to collect Ramon and
Raul.  Ramon and Raul deplaned into the FBO centre and within a few minutes
had cleared incoming and were walking towards us and then as one Lenny and
I looked at each other and realised Raul was walking towards us, he'd never
walked, and he had a smile on his face that was as proud as could be.

It wasn't a normal walk it was more of a swagger, not intentional but a
byproduct of the way he compensated for his missing leg, Lenny screamed at
seeing him walking and dashed forward scooping him up in her arms and
spinning him around.

Ramon was beaming at us and Raul was giggling as Lenny spun him around,
eventually Lenny set him down and he made straight for me arms outstretched
expecting the hug he knew he would get and he did, "Wow little man you're
walking I am so proud of you, it must have taken some real hard work to do
this".

After greeting Ramon with the usual hugs we all loaded into the minibus and
headed back to the hotel where we had reserved a bungalow for Ramon and
Raul.

We had a fun afternoon around the pool and Raul showed us the leg and it's
workings and how easy it is to remove and reattach.

Ramon told us he was so proud of the way he had taken to his new leg, but
the way he was working it meant it would probably be worn out in no time at
all.

I pointed out it would be no use anyway in 12 months when he would move to
a new limb in proportion to his growth so the more use he gets out of it
the better.

Raul became hero to Reya because he spent most of the afternoon in the pool
with her even when his Popa asked him to come out and have a rest, he
replied that he couldn't because he'd promised Uncle Leo he would keep Reya
safe and she didn't want to get out yet.

At dinner I was completely stunned when, before taking his place Raul came
to Lenny and I and taking both our hands he looked a little nervous so I
winked at him and he relaxed.

"PJ, Popa told me how you gave me the money to get my new leg, I want to
say thank you PJ, I can play football now and ride a bike and go wherever
my friends go, Popa let me buy you both something, it's not much but I
wanted to give you something".

He handed us each a small box, in mine sat a gold tie pin with what looked
like a diamond set into it, inside Lenny's box was a small delicate broach
again set with what looked to be diamonds in the shape of the sun.

He leaned in close and whispered, "The diamun things aren't real, Popa said
the real ones were too much money".

Everyone laughed at that and Lenny responded, "Raul you'll understand as
you grow older that the cost of a gift is not really what matters, what
makes us both happy is that you were working so hard learning to walk with
that new leg and yet you still found time to buy us each a present that we
will always treasure because we know it was chosen and given with love", at
that Lenny kissed him on the cheek and he blushed before scampering off to
his seat next to Reya.

The following morning we said our farewells to Gramps and Edward, Esther
had decided to stay on for the last week and Gramps was sending his plane
back to get her the following week.

Esther had taken to both children and doted on them both as would a
Grandmother, we told her it was good practice for when our little bundle
was born.

After seeing off Gramps and Edward we called everyone together and to
surprised looks announced that everyone needed to pack for a 3 night
adventure and we would be leaving at noon and as a special treat the first
out of Raul and Reya to guess where we were going would get to host a
special party of their own.

Reya came to us all morning with a string of guesses which we noticed were
suggested to her in whispers by Raul who we figured was determined that
Reya would win the prize.

After leaving the hotel we arrived at the airport to a welcome from Ben and
the crew minus Jimmy and Joey who were enjoying time off.

Raul surprised us all when he asked Ben if he could visit the cockpit
during the flight and his eyes lit up when Ben invited him to take the jump
seat behind the pilot for take off.

Before going with Ben to the cockpit Raul and Reya were seen whispering and
she nodding in agreement, we assumed he was telling her he would be back
after take off, we couldn't have been further from the truth.

15 minutes into the flight Raul came back to the main cabin and he was so
excited telling us all about the build up and actual take off and how the
pilot makes the final decision to take off or not by saying out loud
'Rotate'.

Raul couldn't wait to get back into a whispering huddle with Reya, we were
all straining to hear them but they were careful to keep us in the dark
except when Reya asked, "but how do you know that", and again they went to
whispering and finally Reya got up from her seat and came over to Lenny and
said, "Aunt Lenny are we going to see Mickey at Disney?".

We were all shocked that she had guessed the right answer and Lenny
congratulated her and told her yes she was right, and as a prize she would
get to host her own breakfast party with the Disney Characters she chose to
be there as well.

Reya scampered off back to her seat but there was obviously something wrong
because although she and Raul were still whispering Reya was continually
shaking her head as if disagreeing with Raul, we heard a slightly louder
"No, it's not right", finally she got out of her seat and again came over
to Lenny, "Aunt Lenny, I shouldn't have a party because it was Raul who
guessed where we were going not me so it should be Raul who has a party".

Lenny kissed her and pulled her onto her lap then pointed at a now blushing
Raul, crooked her finger and beckoned him to come over.

Raul looked nervous as he approached but that evaporated when he got close
enough for Lenny to pull him in for a hug and to give him a big smacker of
a kiss on his cheek.

I could see Ramon was absolutely beaming listening to Lenny praise his son.

"Young man I am so proud of you, Reya is so lucky to have you as a friend,
so caring and generous you would let her win the prize and still be happy
for her, well I'm changing the rules, I declare you are equal winners so
you can have a joint party or you can have one each, you decide and let us
know before dinner tonight".

It took only a few seconds and whispers between them before they announced
in unison, "One each please", and we all laughed, these two were a
formidable team.

I asked Raul how he worked out where we were going, he told me he and Reya
had agreed they would both try to get time in the cockpit to see if they
could get any clues from the pilots but as luck had it when Raul was there
for take off the pilots had been discussing flying time and one of them
mentioned the weather in Paris was fine and warm and Raul immediately knew
that's where Disneyland was.

Our time at Disneyland was magical and the kids had their two breakfast
parties with Reya nominating the characters for each while Raul just stood
back and soaked up her happiness, it seemed as though her happiness was
like a battery charger for him, when she was happy he was happy, oh my,
young love.

All too soon we flew back to our hotel in Lanzarotte for the last few days
before it was time to head for home.

Back in Torremolinas Lenny met up with John Winters the builder Lenny
wanted to build our home in Lanzarotte, within a few minutes they were
talking as one and I left them to it, about an hour later Lenny called me
in on the meeting.

John was British and had worked in most of the EU countries, he spoke
first, "PJ I've made Lenny an offer and she agrees it is interesting but
she wants you to weigh up the pros and cons before she makes any decision".

I nodded at him to continue.

"I've asked Lenny to form a company with me to develop property.  I have
real incentive here because I know how to build a great building to a high
end spec but Lenny has this extraordinary insight of the end product and
she's forceful enough to push it through without compromise, I feel
together we could be a formidable team but obviously she needs your
approval before we can move forward".

I saw Lenny's expression change when John said she needed my approval.

I knew what needed to be done for my sake if not for Johns.

"John I understand you want this but I have to tell you, you just messed up
big style, if as you say you believe Lenny to be a formidable force then
you should also know she would never need my approval, she has asked me in
only to scour the proposal and see if I can identify any pitfalls, she is
an immensely wealthy independent woman who doesn't need anyone to approve
her next move least of all me, so I propose I butt out while you mend your
fences".

Unseen by John I gave a smirking Lenny the thumbs up before leaving.

Around an hour later they emerged from the office and John announced that
after much grovelling he had convinced Lenny to be his partner in
'Winter-Thorn Development' the company set up would be 45% owned each by
Lenny and John and they wanted a third party to hold 10% of the shares in
the event they couldn't agree on something.

I agreed their approach was sensible but was curious who the third party
would be and to my amazement John told me it would, with my agreement, be
me.

Lenny told me later that she was as surprised as I was when John suggested
me as the third party but his reasoning was spot on, in that he was
confident I was of sound morel and ethical judgement and would side with
whomever I thought to be right or whomever made the most compelling
business argument.

Apparently Lenny asked, was he not concerned that I would side with her for
a quiet life and he threw back a question, "What would you do if PJ voted
with you, knowing you were wrong, just because you were his wife?".

Apparently Lenny's answer had brought them both to hysterical laughter,
"I'd make his life hell because he'd be patronising not validating me".

And so John made his point, I may be Lenny's husband but in business I was
focused on the correct result and I couldn't and wouldn't compromise.

It took about a week to set up the new business and once they were up and
running John departed for Lanzarotte to start on building permits and
ordering for our new home.

Lenny was approaching 5 months into pregnancy and we attended her first
serious antenatal appointment, we'd missed one session but her doctor had
been happy for that to happen, I'd sat nervously in the waiting room for
over an hour wondering what was taking so long when her doctor came out
looking a little shook up, he asked me to accompany him to his rooms as
Lenny needed me.

To say I was worried would be the understatement of the century, I was
bricking it, there had to be something wrong with Lenny or the baby I just
knew it.

By the time I got to his room I was a wreck and there in front of me was
Lenny looking shocked just staring at me but not really seeing me.  "Lenny
what is it, is the baby ok?".

TBC

Constructive comments, good or bad to cfgw2000@aol.com please, headed
"Life's Illusions" in the subject box.  Thanks for giving your time to read
this.

Author ARB