“Admiral, I have to tell you what a great impression you made today. Not only did you give us upright and truthful answers to our questions, but in some cases dazzled us with your insight. Although some may have had doubts, I doubt there will be any real opposition to your appointment. I plan on a vote on Tuesday. By the way, I know your wife is up to her ears in California. Is she well?”
“She is fine, Senator. I am planning on a quick trip to take care of a few things, then will be back on Monday.”
Raymond slapped him on the arm. “Good! Please convey my personal best wishes and thank you again for being with us today,” he said warmly.
“My pleasure, Senator,” said Hammond.
As he exited the building, Hammond was surprised to see a blue Rolls sitting at the curb. Jeffers was standing beside the car waiting. He opened the door for Hammond to get in.
“Well, what’s this for?” Hammond asked.
Jeffers started the car and pulled into traffic. “I’m here to take you to the airport. Your boss, the CNO, and a certain friend of yours told me to get your ass on the next flight to LA. Your bag is packed and in the trunk.”
“I thought I was supposed to debrief.”
“No need. The CNO and the President watched it on C-SPAN. You were a big hit, from what I heard. Then I was given orders, and you know how I follow orders,” Jeffers grinned.
Hammond threw his hands up. “I will give in this once,” he said.
Jeffers handed some brochures to Hammond. “What are these?” Hammond asked.
“Boss, I found out your home was pretty much leveled during the quake. I talked to Boats Patnaude and he said Patricia and Steve are in your old cabin for now, but they can’t stay there forever. He told me to call a guy named Jack Latham. When I mentioned your name he told me to tell you to see about buying or renting some sort of an RV to live in temporarily. He said he would take care of the rest. So here are some local dealers. If you see something you like, let them know. I was told by each of them they would cut you and the mayor a sweet deal,” he said while he drove.
Hammond looked at the brochures, but didn’t really see them. It seemed that O’Bannon wasn’t the only guy with good friends. After a minute, he seemed to settle on a particular model. It was a pull behind trailer, but had some nice features. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number. By the time he reached the airport, they had agreed on a price. The unit would be delivered and set up by the time he got home. “Just come in and sign the papers sometime in the next couple of days,” the owner had said.
Within an hour, he was on his way home.
Chapter 5
Getting Started
It was eight in the evening when an SUV pulled into the parking lot next to the Iowa. There were still hundreds out on the tarmac resting after the evening meal. Televisions had been set up and most were watching some of the local channels. Patricia Hammond saw the vehicle pull up and silently dreaded one more family coming in for help at this late hour. Little Steve was standing on the deck above her and she was getting ready to put him to bed when he called out “Daddy!”
She turned to see a man in summer whites get out of the car and wave to his son. Steve rushed past his mother and down the brow. It didn’t take long before he was in the welcoming arms of his father. Hammond hugged the boy hard. “How’s my little man? Have you been taking care of your Mom?”
“Of course, Daddy. She let me sleep in the Captain’s bed.”
“Oh! Now that’s special,” Hammond said a Patricia walked up. “Hi, beautiful,” he said to her.
Patricia threw her arms around her husband and began to cry. They stood and held each other for a long while until Steve asked, “Why’s Mom crying?”
“Just happy to see Daddy home,” she told her son.
“About time you got here,” shouted a voice from the ship. Bos’n Patnaude stood on the main deck with his hands on his hips. He was grinning from ear to ear as he made his way down to them.
“Hello, Boats. Good to see you,” Hammond said.
“Bull. It’s good to see them. Now take this pretty woman home and get her out of this madhouse a couple of days. I just got the call from Mister Latham. You are all set. I’ll make sure everything keeps going around here, but when you bring her back, some of the guys would like to say hello,” Boats said with a grin.
“Boats, we don’t have a place to go to. Our house…”
Patnaude interrupted her. “No, Mayor Pat, we took care of all that. You two go home a couple of days. He’s probably got to run off again. Us sailors do that, you know. Take a little break and when you come back things will be even better,” Boats said.
Patricia looked at Boats, then back at Roger. She threw up her hands. “I give up. We might be in a tent, but as long as we’re together, it’s okay with me.”
Hammond winked at Patnaude and then bundled his wife and son into the car. Twenty minutes later they pulled into the driveway of their house. It looked terrible. Two walls had fallen and the roof had collapsed, but sitting in front of the house was a huge RV. The lights were on and a man was standing outside waiting for them.
Patricia looked at Roger. “This is for us?”
Hammond nodded. “Jack set it up and I bought the trailer sight unseen. I hope we like it,” he said, getting out of the car.
“Admiral Hammond?” asked the man waiting.
“That’s me.”
The man handed over the keys and a slip of paper. “Here are the keys and the location of the office. The boss told me to tell you not to worry, but come by when you can. The paperwork will hold. If you need anything, he says call that number. There are some instructions about the RV inside on the kitchen counter. Mister Lathum had his guys set up the water, electricity and sewer, then brought in some groceries. Is there anything I can do for you?” he asked.
Hammond took the keys and shook his hand. “No, thank you for all you’ve done.”
“Yes, thank you so much,” Patricia said.
The man grinned. “Mayor Pat, my family was at the Iowa for two days before we were able to move back home. We were one of the lucky ones. With all you’ve done, I am really happy to do this for you. As a matter of fact, everyone is. Have a good evening,” the man said as he turned, got in his truck and left.
“Can we go in now?” asked Steve.
Both laughed. “Let’s go, Sport,” Hammond said to his son.
The RV was much nicer than Hammond had imagined from the brochure. There was a large sitting/dining/kitchen area in the front, and in the rear was a large bedroom with a king size bed and a bath. In between, were a separate bath and a space for two bunks.
Little Steve let out a shout of glee. The bunk beds were his. Already in his pajamas, he crawled right in and pulled the covers up. “This is ours Daddy?” he asked.
Hammond laughed. “Yes, Sport, it’s ours. Now you just go to sleep and we’ll talk some more tomorrow, okay?”
Steve smiled. His Daddy was home and he had a new house. The world was fine. “Okay, Daddy,” he said as he rolled over and closed his eyes.
Hammond walked to the front, closing the door behind him. Patricia was looking out the windows in the front of the RV. “Our house is gone,” she said.
Hammond put his arms around his wife, kissing her on the neck. “We’ll build another.”
In the sitting area was a fake fireplace which was already running, a couch and two easy chairs. Both walls moved out adding floor space. The kitchen had everything including a pantry. Hammond led his wife to the couch and they sat down. She leaned into his chest. “Is it true what Boats said? You have to go back?”