Chapter 10

Destiny’s No Darling
by Al Tommervik

“What the ...?”

Yvette propped herself up on an elbow in bed and tried to focus on the source of the sound. It was Hank, singing in the shower while his iPhone blared out Ode to Joy.

She opened the bathroom door and shouted over the sound of the shower, “Hank! You win the lottery or something?”

Hank opened the shower door and grinned. “No. Tonight I see Kate.” HIs persona exuded joy. “Oh, Hank.” Yvette jumped into the shower and hugged him.

Neither of them thought to turn off the shower as they embraced.

---

Jerry hustled into Hank’s office. “Ready for some good news?”

“I’ve already had good news, but I’m a glutton. Give me more.”

“Destiny Living will not be closing escrow in time to evict you in May.”

Hank raised his eyebrows. “What’s going on?”

Jerry was gleeful. “The damn fools made a clerical error in the paperwork that they submitted to the Planning Commission. Their application has been rejected.”

Hank was perplexed. “I can’t believe a big company like Destiny Living would make a silly error. Their ads are everywhere: ‘It’s your destiny to live luxuriously.’ Won’t they just correct the mistake and resubmit?”

“Sure, but such resubmissions usually get ‘misplaced’ by the commission staff. They really hate it when applicants cause them extra work through carelessness. And there’s still some dicey requests for zoning variances to be considered.”

Jerry snorted. “It’s typical of that outfit. Some of my crew work for their contractors during my downtimes and they tell me that it’s amazing that they pass building inspections. My guys say they don’t plumb bearing walls properly, use green wood, and skirt around the edges of the building code. Apparently this Kucinich clown is a real jerk and forces the contractors to cut corners. If there was an Asshole of the Month award, he’d have permanent possession of the trophy.”

Jerry drew a deep breath. “Now you have time to address your real problem.”

“That’s not my real problem?”

“Nope. Your real problem is that there might be motivated sellers. The Van Alstyne heirs are divided about continuing to honor the preferences that Pieter Van Alstyne included in his trust. He urged his heirs and trustees to keep this building a squash club, but he didn’t absolutely prohibit selling the building or finding more lucrative tenants.

“Henrik and Margarethe, Opa’s grandson and granddaughter, have honored his wishes, but his great-grandchildren are now pushing to monetize this asset. After all, they aren’t exactly being enriched by the rents you’re paying.”

“Who’s Opa?”

Jerry sighed. “Opa is the Dutch word for grandpa and Pieter was beloved by his grandkids. But he’s ancient history to their kids.”

“Maybe the younger generation needs the money.”

“Are you kidding?” Jerry laughed. “The Van Alstynes are real old money. They probably complained about the lack of immigration standards when Peter Stuyvesant landed in New Amsterdam.

“It’s about money to the younger set. But for Henrik and Margarethe, it’s about their grandpa and the feud between Opa and Harry Saint and between Eastside and the Uptown Racquet Club.

“Nobody knows why Opa and Saint had a falling out, but when Saint built the Uptown Racquet Club, Opa built Eastside just down the street. When interest in squash diminished, the stubborn old Dutchman stayed the course. Opa really loved squash and he asked his grandkids to keep the club if possible.

“So you need to give them some ammunition to repel the importuning of the youngsters. Otherwise, they’ll find another buyer if this sale falls through.”

Hank mused, “Before this sale came up, I was exploring an outreach to disadvantaged kids. I think there may be squash’s answer to Arthur Ashe or Althea Gibson out there.”

“Why didn’t you do it?”

“Well, for one thing, I didn’t have enough available court time. And for another, I couldn’t afford to hire a teaching pro to conduct the program.”

“Hold that thought. I’ll get back to you.” Jerry bounded from the office.

---

Last night, April had been wowed by Kate’s sketches of possible Mayhem uniforms. She might have been partially influenced by the amount of wine consumed, but she seemed genuinely impressed.

Kate mulled Mayhem possibilities as she finished accessorizing one of the studio’s hot Spring dresses for a private showing. She released the model as her cell buzzed.

“Hi. It’s April. I was telling Stormy, our team owner, all about your super sketches for our uniforms and she’d love to see them. Can you show them to her tonight?”

‘Hey, I was just thinking about the Mayhem. But, I have plans for tonight. How about tomorrow night?”

“Um ... Stormy’s leaving town in the morning and won’t be back for a couple of weeks. Any chance you can change tonight’s date? If Stormy likes what you show her, she can give you a go-ahead tonight.”

“Sold! I’ll cancel my squash gig. What time were you thinking?”

“It needs to be early, so she can pack for her trip. Can you make it around four?”

“Wow, that’s pushing it, but I’ll be there.”

---

Kate left work early and made a beeline for home to pick up her sketches. She found the door unlocked and the place a mess. All her sketches had been ripped up and strewn about.

Kate cursed in anguish and frustration. She immediately called Marie and was shunted to her answering device.

“Our apartment’s been broken into and all my sketches have been ruined, just when I needed to show them. It doesn’t look like anything is missing ... Sassy is OK ... it’s just the destruction of my sketches. I need to get to my client meeting. But you need to change the locks and exercise care when entering. Talk to you later.”

Kate grabbed her sketch pad. She’d have to rough out a couple of ideas on the way to the meeting. She dashed for the door.

As he heard the lock engage, Pike stepped out of the closet. “That was close! That crazy bitch wasn’t supposed to be home this early. Lucky she didn’t linger. I don’t need a repeat of that Christchurch fiasco.” He looked around, satisfied. “She deserves this. If she’d gone home with me, I wouldn’t have gotten beat up.”

---

Jerry was back mid-afternoon. “Got some stuff for you to think about. An architect friend is willing to take a look at your layout. He thinks he can show you how to use your fitness gear more efficiently and save enough space to reclaim two courts. That’ll give you court time for your outreach program.

“Plus, guy in the Bronx just bought out a small security company. He’s willing to set up a comprehensive closed circuit TV network in hopes of making a sale if the club stays open. You’ll be able to watch your kids on several courts at once. It’s called leveraging your expertise.”

“Jerry, the kids will need individual instruction and we don’t have the means to provide that.”

“In a perfect world, you’re right. But you need to show the Van Alstynes that this club is worth keeping open. Use the CCTV to identify the kids who will most benefit from more intensive training.”

---

For Hank, a day that began with elation ended in disappointment. He was at the Village club, but Kate wasn’t.




Al Tommervik is a journalist, tech writer, and pseudo-techie.

__________
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.