The Toronto constable smiled, and led the man from the room. Robbie turned to the other officer. "I think it is safe to release my assistant now. He seems to have stopped frothing at the mouth." The police officer laughed, and let Brian go. He went over to Gwen immediately. What the hell has been going on around here while I was away?!
It took most of the rest of the morning to fill out police reports and lay charges. Robbie called her lawyers to represent Gwen and Brian and the company nurse to see to Gwen. She now sat leaning back in her chair with her eyes closed. Brian sat across from her.
"Okay, Brian, I'm waiting, make it good." She sighed, tapping a finger on the arm of her leather chair.
"I got here a little early for our meeting and found him manhandling her so I hit him. He got up, so I hit him again," explained Brian with dignity.
Robbie nodded and lifted her hand to wave him on. Brian cleared his throat. "About five weeks ago, I found Gwen crying. She'd found out her husband had been cheating on her for some time. So naturally I offered her condolences." The hand waved again. "And took her to lunch."
An eyebrow arched up and Robbie looked at Brian through one blue eye. "Are you fooling around with me secretary?!" she snapped.
"No! She won't let me," responded Brian with heated annoyance. Robbie burst out laughing.
As her private elevator rose to the top floor, so did Robbie's spirits. She was going home to her family, Janet was well, and Christmas was coming. Robbie hummed a Christmas carol as she rode up. The doors opened and Janet was there to meet her. She pulled Robbie back into the elevator and pressed down. Then she said hello properly in a long, probing kiss. On the way back up, they tried it again.
"Voom, voom," came two children's voices, one baby like and the other taking on the deeper tones of adulthood. "Foot out! Lean to the curve!" Robbie looked at Janet for an explanation.
"Ryan's teaching Reb how to race a snowmobile on your exercise machine," she giggled, and Robbie rolled her eyes.
"Hi, Oby! Hi, Oby! Peas fly me!" squealed a delighted two and a half year old, running to be scooped up and spun over Robbie's head.
"Hi, Reb! Hi, Ryan!" Robbie laughed, looking over her shoulder at her daughter, as she came out of Robbie's gym room.
"Boy this place is swell! It's just like a mansion on stilts! Wait until you see what I did to your computer!"
Robbie paled and lowered Reb to the floor. "You were playing on my computer?" she asked weakly.
"It's okay, mom, I saved and closed all your stuff. Boy, are you messy. So you're into special effects huh?! What until you see mine," Ryan bragged.
Janet put a restraining hand on Robbie who was about to say something she might regret. "Show us what you've been doing, Ryan!" Janet cut in.
"Come on, Reb!" she called, heading down the hall to the state of the art editing room that Robbie had set up.
"If I drop her from the twenty-fifth floor will she die before she hits the ground?" growled Robbie, under her breath, as she shed her coat and boots.
Janet grimaced. "It's partly my fault. I didn't see any harm in her using your computer to do her homework."
"That is NOT a computer room! It is a two million dollar editing room that just happens to have a bank of computers in it!" explained Robbie, shaking her head in disbelief as she stomped down to the room. It could be worse, at least it's between films, she consoled herself philosophically.
"Oh boy," whispered Janet, and followed along in Robbie's wake.
Ryan waited until they were grouped around the main computer. Then in a circus announcer's voice she said, "Ladies! I present the X rated Rebryan Production of Bear Facts! Okay, Reb, press the key!"
Reb giggled and carefully pressed the key that Ryan had taught her. The screen saver flashed to video mode and the music to Teddy Bear's Picnic started to play. Little yellow Winnie the Pooh bears in red shorts waddled across the screen. In their midst was a cartoon character looking remarkably like Reb. The character sneezed and all the bears lost their shorts.
Reb broke into gales of laughter. "Play again, Sam! Play again, Sam!" Reb squealed with delight. Janet and Robbie laughed until the tears rolled down their faces.
They laughed through dinner too, Robbie telling them the story of Brian's gallantry and Ryan and Janet telling Robbie about their trip to the grocery store near by.
"We got a grocery store around here?!" Robbie asked in amazement.
The aunt and niece laughed. "Mom, you have to see this place! They've got the food locked up!"
"What?" asked Robbie blankly. I don't recall any food locked up in Bartlett, although for what you had to pay for a good, thick steak it ought to be.
"They've got a locked cabinet with small rolls of truffles and pate for a hundred and fifty dollars! There was this container about the size of a bread roll of black carviar from Russian sturgeon for seven hundred dollars! They had live lobsters in tanks too. I wanted to have lobster for dinner, but Aunt Janet couldn't bring herself to condemn one. So we bought dead lamb instead! We couldn't find toilet bowl cleaner though, could we, Aunt Janet?!"
Robbie looked at Janet. "I've got a cleaning staff."
"I wanted some to take back with us," Janet explained, as she took Reb's spoon from her, and helped her clean up the last of her dinner.
"The manager was impressed that you had live in staff," Ryan giggled.
"What?!" Robbie laughed, simply because the other three were.
"The manager thought we were the maid service," Janet explained, "because I asked for toilet cleaner.
"Boy, do you live in a snobby neighbourhood, mom!" teased Ryan holding her nose in the air.
"Don't let it go to your head, kid. I'm leaving all my money to the Canadian Tax Department."
Much later, Robbie lay in bed feeling just about as happy as a person could feel with out exploding with joy. Janet lay partly draped over her body fast asleep. She grinned. What I and Janet have together is just...great! She lifted her head to drop a kiss into soft hair. Life is great!
We'll head back up to the cabin tomorrow early because we needed to take the truck back. It's Sunday tomorrow, and Janet and Ryan need to be back at school on Monday. I think I'll take a month off. Practise for the winter carnival that is coming up and then it will be Christmas.
Christmas! Robbie's eyes popped open and sleep fled. Didn't families buy presents and things?! Damn it! What the hell am I going to get them?!
Monday morning, six girls sat around Stacy Nona in the dining hall. It was there secret meeting place before classes started. "So I'm tell you, Robbie Williams is gay!"
"Why would she want to be gay?" asked Angela, who failed to see the logic in it, "She's really feminine and good looking. I thought only ugly girls became gay because they couldn't do any better?"
Taira blinked in disbelief. " Angela, your talking nonsense. At one time homosexuality was thought to be caused by over possessive, dominating mothers. We now believe that it might be genetic. You are born gay."
"Weird!"
"No, perverted and a mortal sin! We've got to do something. We don't want their kind here! Ryan must be gay too, if it's in the genes. She's even got a guy's name. I say we make her want to leave this school!"
"You're just angry because she caught you taking her lab kit and made you give it back," observed Debbie.
"I needed it. I lost stuff out of mine and she wasn't using hers then, anyway! She's a bitch! She's been kicked out of other schools, you know!"
"What for?" Angela asked, loving a bit of gossip.
"What do you think. Like mother, like daughter if you ask me. And they're staying up there with our principal. Makes you wonder!" stirred Stacy.
"Do you mean..."
"Shhh, here she comes."
Ryan saw the looks and steeled herself. She'd gone through enough hazings to know the signs. "Hi, guys! Some storm on Friday, huh?"
Stacy lifted her big bulk and stood in the doorway, blocking Ryan's path. "We've been talking. We know what your mother is and we don't want your kind around here."
"I'm sorry you feel that way. I don't know my mother very well yet, but she seems like a very nice person."
"She's a damn queer and so are you!" snarled Stacy, pushing Ryan back into the wall while the other girls crowded around to act as cover. "You're going to leave here, got it! Leave! Leave! Leave!"
The blows fit on each word. Ryan could have fought back. At other schools she had but she wanted to stay here. She wanted to live with Aunt Janet and her mom, so she let the blows fall.
Robbie had just come in from doing her practice laps on the snowmobile, and had to pull off her boots and run for the phone. "Robbie."
"Robbie," came Janet's professional voice, "There's been a situation. I need you to come over to the school right away. There has been a fight. Ryan's okay, but pretty battered around."
"I'm on my way," came the grim response.
Stacy and her mother were already in the office when Robbie walked in. "You gotta get her kind out of here!" Mrs. Nona was yelling. "She tried to beat up on my daughter! And Stacy said that Ryan's the one who has been stealing all the stuff from the girls!"
Robbie saw her daughter sitting forlornly in the corner of the principal's couch, her face bruised and her lip cut. A ball of ice filled her gut as she slid in beside her daughter and let the young girl snuggle into her. "You all right?" Robbie whispered into Ryan's ear. Ryan nodded yes.
"I didn't do anything. It was a hazing, mom. Stacy's got them worked up that we are all gays."
"Lying bitch!" Mrs. Nona yelled.
"That will do, Mrs. Norna!" snapped Janet, interrupting before Robbie lost her tamper. "We are here to work out what happened, not to yell insults at each other!"
"We know what happened, that girl attacked mine. There are witnesses! She's been stealing too, and I want her out of this school! My husband pays good money to send Stacy to this school. We deserve better!"
"Mrs. Nona, the thefts at the school are indeed a concern, but they have been going on a lot longer than Ryan has been here. She is not involved in that issue. Stacy, have you any bruises, cuts or anything that need attending?"
"No, I fought the queer off, and taught her a lesson," smirked the girl.
"Neither your language nor your tone, Stacy, are acceptable to me. If you wish to stay in the office, and participate in this discussion, then you will please talk politely or I will ask you to leave."
"Hey, stop picking on my daughter! You're just protecting your relatives. That's not fair!"
A knock came on the door and Amanda Singh stuck her head in. "Sorry to disturb you, Mrs. Williams, but I have Debbie DeLuca out here and I think you should hear what she has to say."
"Okay," nodded Janet. Amanda walked in with a very scared looking student.
"Yes, Debbie, what is it you want to say?" asked Janet gently.
"Stacy told us if we didn't support her story that she'd beat us up. But Mrs. Singh talked to us one day about what it is like to live with prejudice, and I don't want to be part of that hate. Ryan didn't do anything, Mrs.Williams! Ryan always tries to be nice. Stacy said we had to get rid of her because her mom's gay!"
She stopped and blushed, turning to Robbie. "I'm sorry, Ms. Williams, I didn't mean to call you a name."
"That's okay, Debbie, I don't consider gay to be derogatory term. Go on."
Debbie nodded. "Stacy has been the one stealing stuff. A lot of us knew but we were afraid to do anything in case she beat us up."
"You're lying! You sleep with Ryan!"
"Enough!" snapped Janet. "Mrs. Nona, some serious charges have been laid against your daughter. It would not be appropriate for me to investigate because I am related to the Williams. I'm going to suspend Stacy from school, and call a special meeting of the Trustees. They can evaluate the case and make some recommendation as to how to proceed. We'll notify you as soon as we have set up a time for the meeting."
"You're going to take this kid's word over my daughter's?! My daughter was the one victimized here! Come on, Stacy. This damn school will be hearing from our lawyer!"
The Nonas stormed out, slamming the door behind them, leaving the room in a bubble of silence. Robbie stood, rigid with emotion. "Thank you, Debbie, for having the courage to live up to your convictions," she said with feeling, offering Debbie her hand.
Debbie took it in a daze. "Thank you, Ms. Williams!"
Robbie turned first to Amanda and then to Janet. "And thank you for your assistance in this matter." She reached down and helped her daughter up and left without another word.
Janet felt a massive headache forming. Was Robbie angry at her for doing her job? This was one hell of a mess and it was going to get worse, she knew. She became aware that Amanda had said something. "I'm sorry. What was that, Amanda?" she responded absently.
"Do you want to talk to Debbie? Or should I take her back to class?"
"No, leave Debbie here, I'll need the names of the other students involved for the board. Thanks Mrs. Singh," responded Janet, giving herself a mental shake and reminding herself that she had a job to do.
Robbie drove back to the cabin with a quiet Ryan at her side. She was having a melt down again, Ryan could see and she didn't want to remind her mom that she was part of the cause. The truck came to a halt and Robbie slammed out, coming around, to Ryan's surprise, to help Ryan from the truck. "Do you need a doctor?" asked Robbie, seriously.
"No, I'm okay, mom. I'm sorry."
Robbie stopped and looked at her daughter with eyes as cold as the Arctic snow. "No, I'm sorry for exposing you to that sort of abuse."
Ryan smiled and gave her mom a hug. "You are the greatest! Aunt Janet will work it out. We're kind of a weird family but we are a family, aren't we mom?"
Robbie held her brave daughter close. "Yeah, we are. Come on let's get out of the cold."
Mother and daughter sat drinking tea, their socked feet side by side on the coffee table and the fire blazing. "Ryan. There could be more days like today, you know."
"Yeah, I know. I can handle it, mom. Don't chicken out now, okay!" Ryan laughed although there was a worried catch to her voice.
Robbie took Ryan's hand and held onto it. "I'm never going to leave you, Ryan. Doing so all those years ago was a mistake. One made for the best of reasons, but a mistake. Actually, ahhh, I was wondering how you would feel if, well, ahh, maybe, if your aunt was willing, we could, I mean I could..."
"You're going to ask Aunt Janet to marry you?!" laughed Ryan with glee.
Robbie blushed deeply. "Well, there isn't enough room in this place and the work at the lodge is going really well. I thought, in the summer, we all could move in over there. I don't know how Janet would feel about that. I mean there is her job and well, she loves this house...and I'm kind of old and grumpy," listed Robbie.
"Boy, I hope you do a better job when you ask her, mom. That was awful! You want me to do it for you?" teased Ryan to cover her nervousness. On the one hand, she wanted to be a family. On the other, she didn't really want to have to put up with the abuse from idiots like Stacy. Living in a gay household was sure to make her a target.
"No! You butt out of this. I'll ask her. Sometime, maybe, when the time is right. I just thought we'd do it quietly. You know, no one needs to really know. It would just be a family thing. What do you think?" asked Robbie searching her daughter's eyes. I don't want to hurt any of you but my love for Janet could do just that.
"So instead of you coming out of the closet we are all going to get in?" asked Ryan cheekily, hyper with the tension of having to deal with this day.
Robbie laughed. "No, but I don't think we need to shock Bartlett too much. Let's let them get to know us, and in time, they'll probably figure it out for themselves."
Ryan smiled, "Sounds like a plan," she said heading for the washroom.
Robbie winked at her daughter, and picked up the phone, dialing the school. "Hi, Carolyn, it's Robbie Williams, can I speak to Janet, please."
"Hang on, Robbie," came Carolyn's pleasant voice.
"Hi," Janet answered anxiously. She had just hung up from talking to the Chair of the Trustees, John, B. for bastard, Bartlett. Her headache was much worse and it was parent interviews tonight! She wasn't sure she could handle a show down with Robbie too.
"I just phoned to tell you I think you are the greatest and that I'll try to be objective when it comes to my daughter. I needed some time to calm down before I could say that, though!"
Janet laughed, a rush of relief flooding through her. "I love you. Ryan didn't do anything wrong that I can see. We'll just have to ride this storm out. The Chair of the Board is anti gay and works with Stacy's father at the car dealership, so we'll have to see... Don't forget it's parent interviews tonight. I'll be home for dinner, but we'll need to take separate cars because I'll have to stay to the bitter end.
"Parent interviews? I don't want to go! You just tell me what I need to know," whined Robbie sulkily. The last thing she needed was to meet the Nonas in the hall tonight.
"No. You are Ryan's mother and you need to talk to her teachers. This has nothing to do with me!" stated Janet firmly.
"Why the hell am I sleeping with the principal, then?" Robbie responded indignantly.
"Fringe benefits," pointed out Janet with a laugh, leaning back in her seat and feeling some of the tension of the day slipping away.
"Mmmmm, like those," responded Robbie, feeling the warmth of desire building deep in her being. "See you for dinner."
"Okay. Let Ryan cook. I can't face another meal of beans on toast," Janet fired her parting shoot and hung up. Robbie pulled out her tongue at the receiver and hung up too.
Janet never made it home. Carolyn phoned to say she was at a meeting with John Bartlett and to please bring a sandwich when she came for interviews. The last hope Robbie had of faking a headache to avoid the evening faded. She was going to have to do her duty.
Robbie directed Reb's spoon from her ear towards her mouth and looked at Ryan over her shoulder. "Hey, you're a good cook"
"Mom, it's frozen fish, carrots and stuffed potatoes! All I did was heat things up!" pointed out the ever practical, Ryan.
"More than I could do," confessed Robbie. "Listen, is there anything I should know about before I go to this thing? Have you blown up any labs or anything?"
"Mom!"
"Just asking!" responded Robbie with a laugh and Ryan threw her napkin at her.
Robbie looked at her watch. "I'd better get going. Don't forget to let Rufus out for a bit, then put on the exterior alarm. Make sure Reb doesn't eat anything valuable and don't watch Aunt Janet's collection of dirty videos."
Ryan snorted. "You call Simba's Pride a dirty movie?! In this house, I have to make do flipping through old copies of National Geographic!"
Robbie gave her special daughter a hug and slipped on her parka. The last thing she wanted to do tonight was go to the damn school. She picked up the paper bag with Janet's dinner in it and headed off.
To Janet's surprise John Bartlett was very conciliatory. "We don't want this to go to a board meeting, Janet. Can't have that," he said wiping his brow. "I don't know if you realize this but Ted Peel owns the dealership. I'm just the manager. Ted is married to Olivia Nona, that's her second marriage, so Stacy is my boss's step-child."
Janet's face showed interest, inside she was sighing. Damn, small town politics! "If you think that puts you in a conflict of interest, John, you can let the rest of the board handle the situation."
"No, no, Ted, he don't want it going to the board! He came to me today after his wife called. He don't want this leaking out to the community. Seems Stacy confessed to beating on the Williams kid and doing the stealing. She's a smart enough kid to realize she'd better after Debbie blew the whistle on her. According to Ted, Stacy's a lying trouble maker but you know how mothers are, they just don't want to see it."
"That puts us in a difficult position, John. We do need to resolve this issue. I can't pretend that things weren't stolen and that there wasn't an assault here today."
John Bartlett loosened his tie. "Look, this is what Ted wants. He said he'd shut Olivia up and move Stacy to a school in Toronto. He'll pay for all the missing stuff, and in return, we let this issue end. I don't want any trouble from all this."
Janet leaned back maintaining her poker face; inside she was doing cartwheels of joy. She'd been worried all day that Bartlett would get his teeth into the gay issue and run them all out of town. Now, instead, she had him over the barrel.
"My sister-in-law is a very volatile woman, and she needs to be concerned at all times about her public image. These are very serious charges and I've got to tell you, she was furious when she left here today. She has the money and power to bring a team of lawyers from Toronto and crucify all of us. All I can promise you, John, is that I will do my very best to pacify her and comply with Mr. Peel's wishes.
"I'm sure you are worried. I am. I'll let you know as soon as I can." After I let you stew for a few days, you rotten bastard. Janet stood. "Thanks for being so forthright, Mr. Bartlett."
John Bartlett struggled to his feet, and left, looking a drained and worried man.
Robbie fumbled the list she had been given by a student at the door. Okay, first on the list, Mrs. A Singh, science teacher. Hey, that's Amanda! Okay, I can handle that! Robbie headed down the hall and found the science lab. She walked in gingerly. She wasn't used to dealing with Ryan's schools on friendly terms.
"Hi, I've got the seven o'clock appointment," Robbie said stupidly, standing at the door feeling very warm in her parka.
Amanda got up. "Hello! Come on in, have I got great things to tell you about your daughter!"
"You do!? Hey, that's good!" beamed Robbie, walking forward, as she shed her jacket. "I can do great."
In the end, Robbie was the last parent to leave, having stayed to hear what Janet had resolved with John Bartlett. She had been satisfied with the arrangement much to Janet relief, and Robbie had followed her home. Principal and parent walked in to find a worried daughter playing blocks with Reb.
She was on her feet in a second. "Is it all right? Can I stay?!" she asked nervously. Janet and Robbie glanced at each other, belatedly realizing just how stressed Ryan had been about the evening.
Robbie walked over and smothered Ryan in a big bear hug. "The teachers all agree that you are human and that you can stay as long as you stop eating your peas off your knife." she joked. Into Ryan's ear she whispered. "I am sooo proud of you!"
Janet smiled and walked over to rub Ryan's back reassuringly. "Stacy has confessed to causing the problem and stealing. I've arranged for a boarding school placement for her in Toronto. That is not to be blabbed around though, okay?"
Ryan beamed, her smile the same white flash of delight as her mother's. "Okay, Aunt Janet. I knew you'd fix it!" Janet and Robbie took off their coats and Ryan went to put the kettle on for hot chocolate.
When they were all seated around the fire, Ryan announced that she had a surprise. She picked Reb up off Janet's lap and stood her on the coffee table. "Okay, we've been practising all night, haven't we Reb?"
Reb nodded seriously, adoring eyes looking up at her big cousin. Ryan cleared her throat and Reb did too. Robbie and Janet tried not to laugh. "The letter R by Rebecca Williams!" proclaimed Ryan. "Say, room, Reb"
"Room," giggled the two and a half year old, and everyone clapped and cheered.
"Say, Rufus."
"Rufus!" yelled out Reb, her eyes sparkling with the attention she was getting. More clapping and cheering followed with the successful attempt at Ryan's name.
"Okay, Reb, say Robbie."
Reb giggled and hopped with joy. "Oby! Oby!" she chanted and launched herself at her aunt. Robbie easily picked her out of the air and twirled her over head with much laughter.
Ryan sat down with a sigh and shook her head in dismay. Janet giggled, "I think your mom will just have to be Oby," she concluded.
Reb, now snuggled in Robbie's arms nodded her head, and said stubbornly, "She Oby."
Janet used the tip of her tongue to tease the corner of Robbie's mouth. They had got the kids settled and then had shared a shower, taking turns washing each other's hair. Now they lay warm and relaxed in bed, Robbie on her back and Janet curled around her.
"Did I tell you that Bill Anderson, he's the Math teacher, said that Ryan is one of the strongest students that he has ever taught."
"Yes, and you told me that Jason thought she showed talent as a cartoonist, that Amanda felt she could easily follow in her Aunt Elizabeth's steps and that Milka was impressed by the maturity and depth of her writing," murmured Janet running a finger over a hard, pink nipple.
"These parent interviews aren't so bad!" concluded Robbie with a smug grin, pulling Janet in for a hug and kissing her on the forehead absently.
Janet laughed. "You can absorb praise like a sponge, Williams! Talk about smug with yourself!"
Robbie wore a grin so wide her jaw ached. "Hey, that's my kid!"
"Shut up, Oby, and make love to me," ordered Janet, kissing Robbie soundly.
Isabelle Selo unfolded the letter again that she had picked up at the post office. She read about how the investigative reporter wanted to meet her. Mr. Lucier sounded like a very caring and nice man. Yet you couldn't be too careful. There was all sorts of perverts out there. She'd meet him in a public place and not tell him yet where she really lived.
She looked up at the big poster she had on the hall of Robbie Williams. It was the one of her dressed in a black sleeveless T-shirt, looking hot and dirty and carrying a machine gun in her long, strong hands. She liked this poster best of all although she had all of them. She liked the way the sweat beaded on the bulge of her forearm and the way her eyes shone so blue through the dark tangle of hair.
Robbie looked around the crowded room with disinterest. It was the annual Bartlett staff and trustee Christmas party, and it was a bore. Educators were conservative and nice, and they threw really well organized and predictable parties. She thought about some of the parties she had attended in the film industry and smiled.
The man, who had cornered her,was John Bartlett. He managed the car dealership, and he had been going on for some time about the possibility of Robbie's companies buying off them now that she was settling in town. He was the Chair of the trustees, and Janet disliked him. Robbie disliked him too, just on principle because he was Stacy's step-father.
Her mind suddenly clicked in to what he was saying. "These teachers have to understand that the tax payer wants value for their money! They're well paid to work for ten months of the year and it's a job anyone could do, just standing up there talking. Yet, they're not getting the job done! Kids today can't read or write, and that's a fact! Now if teachers had to work in the real world..."
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