Security - 12. Chapter 12

That evening at dinner, I informed the Prime Minister that I’ll be leaving the company after this project has been successfully concluded. He wanted my assurance that if they go through with the project, I’ll stay involved. I assured him I’d be involved until the project was deemed successful. I also assured him that team leading the project has quite a bit of experience on other projects and would do quite well on this project.

David and the guys had cleared the room of the devices they installed except the Prime Minister wanted the camera that we used to record the meeting left as installed. We agreed in good faith, looking forward to a successful installation.

I stayed for one more day and departed for home on Thursday. I had a meeting with David before I left instructing him to call me if there are any problems. I had estimated that the job would take a minimum of six to nine months. We also would need to supplement the crew with electricians, and other building crafts, i.e. carpenters and cabinet makers.

On Thursday I flew home. The guys took the proposal and began to price out the various programs that would complete the project. David reviewed the numbers with me and I reminded him to include our contingency factor.

Arriving at my cottage Thursday evening, Bobby was swimming with a few of his friends. The cottage was clean, with no liquor anywhere. He did have burgers on the grill. I walked out to the pool, Bobby didn’t know what to do, he hadn’t asked but since he abided by my rules, I was okay with it. “Any hamburgers left or beer?”

Bobby smiled, “Yes hamburgers but not beer. We have ice tea.”

I went and changed into my comfortable clothes. Called Noah, confirmed our arrival Friday morning, called my realtor, and told him I’ll inspect the cottage Friday and if it’s as he said, I'll have a cashier’s check ready for him. Then I went for my hamburger.

The boys swam around, horsed around for a while, then decided to go home. “Chaz, you aren’t mad at me asking the guys over for a swim?”

“No Bobby, I’m not mad. But I would’ve been if there was beer. I trust you to know my rules and I don’t mind you having some friends over.”

“Thanks, Chaz. When are we going to California?”

“Tonight, well actually this morning. We’ll leave at five am, so pack tonight and get some sleep. You’ll have a busy day tomorrow.”

I didn’t worry about waking Bobby, he pounded on my door and said breakfast was ready. “Did you sleep at all last night?”

“Yes, a little, I’m very excited about going to California and I just tossed and turned. So after a while, I got up, fixed breakfast, and then called you.”

I could see the excitement in his eyes, he was bouncing on his feet when he wasn’t sitting down. “Packed?”

“Yes, the day I called you, I started packing.”

You could see the excitement and a little trepidation in his eyes. I think more excitement than any false fear. I was getting a little excited for him as well. Breakfast finished, “Did you say goodbye to your mom and dad?”

“I called, dad answered, he said to have a good trip and to call when we got there. I didn’t speak to mom and dad didn’t mention she was up.”

“Okay, get the luggage in the car and we can lock up and leave.”

Driving to the airport, every time I glanced at him he was smiling. I wonder what he was thinking. I parked the car in my usual spot, Marco waved us on the plane. I helped him stow our luggage, “Carlos went to get some coffee and will be right back. We’re cleared for take off so no problem.”

Carlos brought more than coffee, he had several egg sandwiches, cartons of orange juice, and some donuts. I suppose the donuts are for him and Marco and maybe Bobby, they know I don’t eat sweets in the morning.

Bobby looked the plane over, Marco showed him the cockpit and then told him we were ready to leave. He came and sat next to me. “Once we get to altitude, you can have a cup of coffee or orange juice and an egg sandwich if you’re still hungry.”

“Maybe some juice, I don’t think I could eat anything.”

I noticed he was a little nervous. He kept looking at me and smiling. The take-off was smooth, Marco and Carlos could fly in a circle and you would never feel it. They were excellent pilots and I was glad I had them.

While in flight, I received a call from David. The Prime Minister wanted to know if we could break the project down into a series of smaller projects and price each separately. “We could do that but the overall cost of the project would be more. Did he indicated why?”

“No, but I got the impression from the General that he is concerned about how the public will feel about spending so much money on security for the palace. There appears to be a faction that thinks the palace should be a tourist attraction, which would generate revenue.”

“That has been the trend in some countries that once had royalty. What’s the General’s position?”

“He said that the conversion to a tourist attraction is a strong possibility. He thinks that the minimum we should do is secure the doors. Did you know that the Prime Minister will complete his tenure in two years?”

“No, I’m guessing that those running for Prime Minister are in favor of the tourist attraction. How about the Chamber?”

“They seem to be leaning to keep the palace as is with a few exceptions. They think they can do both. The idea is to create offices and personal space and open the rest to the public, like the throne room, dining hall, and royal bedrooms. We could do this but the cost will be higher since we’ll need to monitor the public area, the office area, and the private areas.”

“What are the chances of that happening?”

“The General said it was the best option offering the public. He has been talking to one of the contenders for the position which he says is open to the idea."

“Okay, get a layout of the building, sit down with the General and Prime Minister, mark up the various areas and bring it back to the States. Tell them we need to review it and make a new proposal. How would the family like a vacation in California?”

“Sounds great to me. I’ll check with Pete and Jim and see what they say.”

“Okay, let me know.”