America 1982-Chapter 232 - 79: Preparing for the Charity Dinner_4
"No wonder Charles specifically warned me before he resigned, to pay as little attention to Tommy’s dumb ass as possible. To him, the Fraternity is like a Trojan horse, something to use when needed and toss in the drawer when useless. And what the hell are you up to now? Planning to sell our veterans like they’re merchandise?"
Visibly displeased, Tommy looked at Ian: "I’m not selling veterans, I just want to expand some social connections, which is good for SSD too. Don’t look at me like that, I donated a damn $500,000 in cold, hard cash. With a dinner of this scale, you’re not even talking about West Point Military Academy, even the White House charity dinners can’t compare. Moreover, it’s going to be held during yours and Ted’s stupid terms, enough for you both to brag about ’til death. This is a glory that Charles never had while in office."
Ted flipped Tommy the bird: "First, the money needs to hit the account, then you write up a good event plan, and we’ll sign off on it and submit it to the headquarters. Now scram, and remember to put my name and Ian’s before yours in the plan, dumb ass."
"That’s a good idea." Ian and Ted high-fived: "Remember to call Charles and rub it in."
Tommy responded by giving them the finger and then walked out of the conference room.
...
Driving her brand-new Tiffany blue Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham, bought with her scholarship money, Sophia looked at Tommy through the rear-view mirror as he sat in the backseat flipping through a stack of old newspapers:
"You and Renee broke up, right? I mean, under these circumstances, you still plan to... let her father design the overall plan for the charity dinner and, seeing as you’ve dated his daughter, offer you some discounts?"
Tommy was browsing through dozens of newspapers, mainly issues of Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times, and Marine Corps Times. When he heard Sophia’s words, he did not even lift his head as he said:
"No one told me that you can’t look after your girlfriend’s father’s business after breaking up. Uh... Right, remind me to call Renee later to tell her to pick up the clothes she left at my place the other night. If she doesn’t take them soon, I’ll give them to the maids at my villa."
"But you guys broke up, right? Didn’t you say she already has a new boyfriend?" Sophia widened her eyes in disbelief: "You two are... back together?"
Every now and then Tommy would find a news snippet and circle it with his marker: "No, it’s just some guy from the geology department chasing her. Renee wanted my advice as her ex-boyfriend, to compare my performance in all aspects with this guy. It’s just that our conversation got a bit deep toward the end..." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
"Can we change the subject, Tommy? I really don’t want to hear more. So, what do you need me to do for you with the new semester starting?" Having been away from Tommy for a whole summer, Sophia had almost gotten used to normal human thinking again, until school started and Tommy, this asshole, came looking for her again.
Busy with his task, Tommy kept responding: "Go see Mr. Benjamin Moore and explain our needs to him so he can come up with an overall design proposal for the charity dinner. Then contact Delia and tell her to call my place after work. I have some things I want to discuss with her in Washington. Call Senator Pete Wilson’s office and find out when he’s free, I want to visit him, that’s my schedule for today."
"Then you could’ve just... called me with all these arrangements, instead of having me drive over here," Sophia said, gripping the steering wheel.
"It’s on your way to drop me off for class. My place is five kilometers from campus. Why do you think I strongly suggested you get a car? And why do you think I insisted on accompanying you to pick it out while I was so busy? Miss Sophia O’Connor? You can park right ahead," said Tommy, lifting his head to look outside and placing the newspapers on the back seat:
"Don’t mess with the newspapers, and after school, drive us back to my place. I need to continue reading them. Have a happy day," he said.
Sophia slowly parked the car, looking straight ahead: "I wish you a day as happy as mine, Tommy-Hawk-the-asshole. I’m not free this afternoon; I have to go to..."
"Los Angeles." Dropping the newspapers, Tommy looked over at Sophia and suddenly interrupted her, saying the name of the city.
Sophia, caught off guard, responded: "What?"
"What do you think about celebrating your birthday by going to Los Angeles for a couple of days with Susan, Jason, Holly, and your other friends? I remember you once mentioned to Holly in a conversation that you wished to visit Universal Studios. We could fulfill that small wish on your birthday," Tommy said, giving Sophia an inquisitive look.
After taking several deep breaths, Sophia replied: "Don’t try to tempt me. I’m not falling for it, Tommy."
"So?" Tommy opened the car door but didn’t hurry out, waiting for Sophia’s response.
With her head down, Sophia admitted: "Yes, actually, I’m not that busy this afternoon."
"See you this afternoon then," Tommy got up from the back seat and walked towards the campus: "Oh, and when you call Delia, ask her to check with Pinkerton about some tough guys who can stay up all night and might recommend a couple of decent-looking, intimidating bodyguards slash drivers on a rotating schedule, and don’t charge too much. If the salary is too high, you’ll just have to keep moonlighting. Repeat the employer’s requirements."
"So they can take hits for you, throw punches for you, and most importantly, they must be the cheapest." Sophia summed it up succinctly.
As Tommy walked away, he called back: "Preferably retired vets. With all the fundraising I’ve been doing for the vets lately, providing jobs for two retired servicemen would definitely be a point in my favor."
