Young and Hungry - For Life - 37. Deal or No Deal

“Julia, we seem to have a problem” Jack said

“Then how do you want to resolve it?”

“I want to work out an arrangement whereby, Francesco will return to the circus until we find a replacement act. I knew this would happen one day. An act as good as him will be in demand anywhere in the world and I know he has ambitions to go to Cirque one day, so yes I was bound to lose him when he reached adulthood. I just didn’t expect it to be for whatever reason he has now, which I don’t think is for professional reasons”

“You’re right Jack, his reasons for leaving the circus now are more personal than wanting to move on in his profession. He has grown close to James lately and James has shown him there is more to life than the circus lot. Do you understand what I am saying?”

“Yes, Julia. As a foster parent I, that is both Candy and I have been lacking in our duty as carers. It’s just that we have focussed on running our business and raising our own daughter. Also, Francesco has always been so independent we just let him live his life as he chose”

“Yet you were happy to take the foster career’s payments, not pay Francesco for his work and not even give him pocket money”

“I understand all that, and I suppose from your perspective that might not seem acceptable, but circus life is very different to your lifestyle. The circus is a vocation, we live our lives differently”

“As may be, but the world has moved on and you can’t justify your treatment of Francesco by hiding in your circus bubble”

“Yes, Julia, I see that now and am willing to talk to you more about it, but for now I have a show advertised for tomorrow and I’m asking for your help in getting Francesco here for that show and we’ll start looking for a replacement immediately. Are you willing to help?”

“I will talk to Francesco, but I won’t force him to do anything. If he is willing to return to the circus for a short time, then I will ensure he gets there. But only if he agrees”

“Thank you Julia”

“And you will begin immediately to pay Francesco a reasonable fee for his performances. Remember we have not yet finished dealing with historical wage underpayments”

“I’ll see what I can do”

“No Jack, you will do it or the deal is off”

“OK, he gets paid”

“Weekly, in advance?”

“Yes”

“Good, now how long do you think it might take to find a replacement?”

“I don’t know, it depends on who’s available at short notice”

“I might be able to help you there. We have a client who is a theatrical agent. We prepare her work contracts for her artists. I’ll give her a call and she if she can help. Is this number the best for her to contact you?”

“Yes, and that would be great”

“OK, I’ll do that first, because no matter what Francesco decides, you’ll still need a new performer. Then I’ll explain it to Francesco and let you know”

“Thanks Julia, I appreciate your offer”

“Now I must warn you Jack, if Francesco agrees to return, he must be treated well and not coerced into staying any longer than is necessary. You are already in breach of industrial regulations and lacking in your duty of care as a foster career. DOCS will certainly be interested in what I have to tell them. Is that clear?”

“Yes, very clear. So I’ll wait to hear from you and the agent”

“And dust off your cheque book”

Jack laughed, then Julia continued, “Oh, one more thing before you go. How is Alex going?”

“He’s doing well. I’ve got one of my best men showing him the ropes”

“I hope you are using ropes metaphorically”

“No, don’t you know tents are held down by ropes?”

“Oh that’s OK, I was just concerned that he wasn’t climbing ropes or anything like that”

“Safety is our top priority here Julia, Alex won’t be asked to do anything that his is not trained in properly, and that certainly won’t include rope climbing”

“That’s reassuring to hear, so is this Francesco business going to affect Alex’s position?”

“Not at all, my daughter has seen to that. I must admit that initially I was pissed off with your family and was going to send Alex home, but Wanda convinced me that Alex had nothing to do with it, so rest assured as long as he does his work, he’s welcome to stay with the circus”

“Thanks Jack and I’d better go now, got lots to do”

***

Julia spoke to Hannah about her conversation with Jack and asked her about their theatrical agent client.

“You’ve dealt more with her than me, do you think she might be able to help” asked Julia

“I’m happy to talk to Ruby. Her agency, Jumping Through Hoops, specialises in circus type acts for theatre and corporate functions”

“Good, while you do that, I have to talk to Francesco and see what he wants to do”

“But it’s Sunday”

“This is urgent, we need Ruby on the case immediately and I don’t think she will mind giving up some of her Sunday if there’s a chance of securing a lucrative contract”

“Good thinking, but be gentle with Francesco, I think he’s still very fragile”

“Of course”

<>

Julia explained the proposal to Francesco and James. They both listened silently until she had finished, then Francesco asked “I won’t have to stay always will I?”

“No, only until Jack finds a replacement performer or until you want to leave”

“OK, I’ll do it for you because your family has been so good to me”

“Excellent”

“Mum, how do we make sure Jack treats Francesco fairly?”

“Smart thinking. We’ve got a couple of things going for us there. Jack is letting Alex stay on with the circus, so at least we have eyes on”

“And he’ll be staying in my van”

“Yes, of course that’s an excellent arrangement. Also, I’ll ring Jack daily so he knows we’re on his case and it goes without saying that you will be talking or texting Francesco every day, if not every hour”

“You bet I will”

“Are you happy with all that” she asked Francesco.

“I think so”

“I want you to call anyone of us at anytime if you feel you are being treated unfairly or are not happy with the arrangements, especially if Jack tries to get you to stay longer”

“Thank you, now I feel like I have a real family”

***

By dusk on the long Sunday:-

The circus was fully set up and artists started testing the equipment and rehearsing their acts.

Julia had called Jack and assured him Francesco would be at the lot by lunch time the next day.

Alex was exhausted and went to the van for a rest before dinner.

Ruby had promised to send Jack some show reels of artists on her books that she thought were appropriate.

While at Hurstville, the family that was down one son, but had gained another, had regained their appetites and were all preparing dinner together. James had requested pizza, so Hannah put him in charge of operations.

Julia was wrestling with uncooperative dough, James was crushing tomatoes with gusto, Hannah was grating cheese while imagining it was Jack’s face and Francesco was let loose with a knife, a stack of very nervous vegetables and a couple of rashers of bacon.

<>

Over dinner, Hannah asked Francesco “What’s your favourite meal to cook?”

“Nothing, I’ve never cooked before. All the meals are provided in the food tent”

“Well you did pretty well wrangling those vegetables, so I would say you show promise as a cook”

“You think so, that’s nice. Will you show me how to cook?”

“We all will. We each have our speciality”

“Yeah, mine’s pizza” enthused James “Do you like it?”

“It’s scrummy. Is that the right word?”

“Works for me” replied James “And Mum Hannah’s great with salads, Mum Julia is our roasting expert and Alex and I used to fight over who cooked the best barbecue. So I’ll teach you my way and you’ll be an expert too”

“That sounds great, James and Francesco’s barbecue, the best in town”

<>

“Mum, I know you said Francesco should sleep in Alex’s room, but just tonight, could he sleep in my room? It’s been such a stressful day for him, I think he needs a cuddle tonight”

“Is that what you want Francesco?”

“Oh yes, if I may”

“OK you two, but no funny business, just support each other”

“Yes Mum”

<>

On Monday morning all were up early, breakfasted and on the road north by 8.00 am. Hannah and Julia messaged their office assistant to say they would not be in and James’ school was advised he would be absent due to family commitments.

They encountered the usual Monday peak time traffic on local roads but once on the M1 had a good run as most of the traffic was southbound that time of day. As they drove through Gosford city and on to Erina they saw the circus posters on every second light pole. James said “You’re still on the posters Francesco”

Then Hannah said “That is why Jack really needs Francesco back just now. He does not want to be on breach of his advertising. I can understand that, however I will remind him today, he has to change the posters before the next town”

“Do you know where the circus goes next?” asked James

“No, I just go wherever they take me. I don’t really know one town from the next, I rarely ever see them”

“I suppose they’ll keep heading north” suggested James.

When Francesco saw the circus flag on the big top, he grabbed James hand and said “I’m scared James. I don’t want to go”

“Julia, stop the car please. I need to talk to Francesco before we get any closer” asked Hannah.

They all alighted from the car and Hannah positioned herself so that Francesco had to stand with his back to the direction of the circus, to talk to her.

“Francesco, what exactly are you scared of?”

“Jack, he’ll be mad and yell at me and will make me stay and I’ll miss James”

“I know you’ll miss James, but it won’t be for long and you can talk on the phone every day. As for Jack, I have his assurance that he will not punish you in any way or force you to stay any longer than necessary. As well as you talking to James, we have Alex on site to watch what’s happening, so if I suspect there is anything untoward happening to you, I won’t hesitate to intervene. Also, later today I will be talking to child services on your behalf. Do you understand all that?”

“Yes, Hannah. Maybe I’m being a bit silly. I trust you and your family, I know you will look after me”

“That’s good, now are you ready to go”

“Yes”

“Then I want you to walk onto the lot as a professional and with all the confidence you can muster. Every member of this family is not only on your side but looking out for you. We won’t let Jack get away with any coercion”

“What does that mean?”

“Coercion means making you do something against your will, like making you stay with the circus, when you don’t want to”

“OK, thanks”

“Right, now all back on board and off to the circus we go”

<>

Hannah and Julia asked Francesco and James to wait in the car when they arrived and went off to talk to Jack and Candy first.

“Where’s my act” Jack asked demandingly, when he saw the women approaching on their own.

“Jack, after all that has happened recently, I thought you would by now see Francesco as a human being with a name, maybe even as a foster child, not just an act, or am I wrong?” asked Hannah.

“I’m sorry, it’s just been so stressful, the last two days. I apologise, but where is Francesco, I thought we had a deal?”

“We do and Francesco is here. I just want to be sure you will honour that deal and Francesco will be treated fairly while he is with you”

“Of course, just as you demanded and I agreed to”

“Excellent, then I’ll get Francesco, but please be gentle with him. He is very nervous about coming back and frankly Jack, I don’t think he trusts you”

“OK, I get it. Maybe if Candy and Wanda and your boy are all here to welcome him back, would that help?”

“I think that’s an excellent idea and we can all sit down together for a friendly chat”

“Good, while you fetch him...that is Francesco, I’ll get Candy to make a brew and we’ll all sit down to a nice cuppa, hey?”

<>

As they walked back to the car, Julia asked “Is that the same man who was yelling down the phone yesterday?”

“You may be right, he could have been captured and replaced by intergalactic aliens”

“And had a brain or personality transplant”

“Yeah, have to keep an eye on him. Let’ see how tea goes”

<>

“They must be somewhere in the van” said Candy “Look under the bed Wanda”

When Jack saw Francesco and the family approaching, he rushed into the van, to find both his wife and daughter on their knees. “What are you two doing arse up and heads down ? Our guests are here and you two look like you’re praying in a mosque”

“Here they are Mum”

“Good, unpack and give em a quick rinse, while I go and see if there’s any cake in the canteen”

Outside, Jack greeted Francesco and James. To avoid taking them into the van until his wife returned he said to Hannah and Julia “We’ll go find Alex and ask him to join us, and I can show you around the circus while we look for Alex”

They found Alex at the monkey cage, yelling obscenities at Coco for all the droppings she had thrown at him.

“Alex” Jack called “We have visitors”

“Not interested at the moment” he answered, without turning around “I’m gonna teach this monkey some manners, if it’s the last thing I do”

“And how are you going to do that?” asked James

“What?” he asked as he turned. “Oh hello Mum, what are you doing here?”

“Being entertained by you and your friend. You seem in a bit of a mess”

“Oh don’t worry about that. Coco and I have yet to make friends. She seems to have taken an instant dislike to me”

“I’m not surprised the way you are swinging that broom around in front of her” added James.

“Now folks, let’s head back to the van. Alex, will you join us when you clean up a bit?”

“Sure, right away boss”

<>

By the time they got back, Wanda had washed and set out the tea cups, Candy was slicing fruit cake and the kettle was on the boil.

“Please come in” invited Candy “It’s good to see you all again”

As they squeezed round the small caravan table, Alex arrived and Candy offered him her seat. “You sit with your family Alex, I’ve got to fix things”

Candy put a jumbo sized teapot on the table, then handed Wanda the plates matching the teacups and asked her to share them around.

“No standing on ceremony around here folks, help yourself to cake, there’s plenty to go around”

“Looks delicious” suggested Julia “Did you bake it yourself Candy?”

“No, I wouldn’t do that to you so early in our friendship. I got it from our catering tent. Even the elephants, when we had them, baulked at eating my rock cakes”^

They all laughed and hoped that was meant to be a joke.

“I’m afraid my wife does not cook much, as we usually eat at the communal food tent. We have an excellent cook”

“Good to know” replied Julia “I mean about the excellent cook, not the...well you know what I mean”

Candy guffawed, slapped Julia on the back and said “I can see where Alex gets his sense of humour from. He has me in stitches sometimes”

“Oh does he?” Julia asked

“Yeah, right from the get go. You now he told us he was conceived from an anonymous sperm donor. I’ve never heard of a one night stand being called that before. What a hoot”

“Yes, he can be a funny boy sometimes” Julia replied without acknowledging her annoyance. “Now get this inta ya cakehole, no sense wasting cook’s efforts” Then realising, to her way of thinking, that she had made another joke, she found it necessary to explain. “Get it...cake...cakehole”

Hannah let it pass and said “Now we need to talk about Francesco’s return on a temporary basis, and be sure we all understand what has been agreed to”

“Don’t worry Missus” said Candy “I’ve already started giving Francesco pocket money each week....” Jack gave his wife a sideways look, but she continued “...and Jack is increasing his performance salary to current rates”

“That’s good news. I understand you deposit his salary into a trust account for him”

“Yes, have done since he was seven years old” replied Jack

“Jacks, very meticulous about that” added Candy.

“Now you just said you were increasing his salary to current rates. May I ask how long since he had an increase?”

“Do we need to discuss this now?”

“Since we’re all gathered under pleasant circumstances, seems like the right time” suggested Hannah, trying to take advantage of Jack’s good mood.

“Well I have paid him the same amount since we started. It was the recommended minimum wage at the time”

“You can’t be serious, you are still paying him the minimum wage of ten years ago?” asked Hannah

“Well he was a child at the time, but we paid him the adult minimum wage for one hour, even though he was so young”

Julia’s ears pricked up when she heard the words ‘minimum wage for one hour’ and sought to clarify. “Excuse me Jack did you say you pay him for one hour, surely you mean the minimum hourly rate for what a forty hour week?”

“No, just the one hour. It seems fair enough to pay him for the full hour, even though his performance is only fifteen minutes”

Hannah could see Julia was about to explode at this revelation, but to avoid the discussion turning into a legal argument, or worse, she said “Thanks for telling us Jack. I think we’ll leave it at that for now”

“But...”

“It’s fine Julia, fine” Hannah replied and twitched her eyebrows at Julia, who caught on to her partner’s body language and said “Thank you Candy for such a lovely morning tea”

“You’re welcome missus. I’d like to do it again sometime, but we’ll be off in a few days, so...”

“Maybe when we come to pick up Francesco in a few weeks” she replied by way of a reminder that the arrangement was only temporary.

“Yes...we must do that” Candy replied in a distracted manner.

<>

Goodbyes were said, hugs were exchanged, Alex was wished well by his mothers and as a final reminder to Jack, Hannah said “I’ll check with Ruby tomorrow and ensure she has sent you some referrals for new talent”

“Yes, looking forward to that” replied Jack.

*****