Page 21 of Wolf's Whistle
“We have to get Richard a new phone. He’ll want one where he can download both regular and audio books. We can order him Colin’s new series from Amazon,” Sean announced. Julio kicked him. Sean’s mouth formed an O.
Richard rubbed his eyes. “I may have to use my new medical benefits quicker than I anticipated. There’s a yellowfloaterin my eye.”
“What’s a floater, mon ange?”
“My dad had them. They’re small moving spots that appear in your line of vision. Usually, they are age related. My father saw strings. I keep seeing this yellow string that keeps getting bigger and bigger. I should see an eye doctor.” Richard continued rubbing his eyes.
“Give it a few days, mon ange. You’re adjusting to the city.”
Richard regarded Julien through narrowed eyes. “It’s not that different from Chicago.”
“Julien’s right. I saw floaters too.” Julio giggled.
They arrived at Abbott Tailoring and Haberdashery, and Marcel dropped them off in the front. The six assistants got out of the Navigator that followed them and lined their way from the shop to the limousine.
Richard turned around and bumped into Julien. Julien grabbed his arm to steady him, and he shivered.Boy, only a day and I’ve got it bad.
They entered the shop that resembled a men’s club with paneled walls and leather seating. Richard took Julio aside. “I can’t afford to buy anything here.”
Julio shrugged. “Julien is paying for it.”
“I can’t let him do that. What would people think?”
“At Garou, it’s more like what would they think if he didn’t. As we told you, Garou is very competitive. All of the board dresses their interns. The family entrusts the board with all their money and receive dividends from Garou as their income. If the board doesn’t exude prosperity, the family won’t trust the board to do the best job of handling the company and their funds.” Julio picked up some fabric swatches.
“I don’t understand.”
Julio began pairing swatches with ties and swatches for custom shirts. “All the members of the Garou family, for instance, the people at my wedding, get a stipend from the company. Call it a dividend. Depending on the way the Board of Directors handles the business, that stipend can be larger or smaller. They howl if it gets smaller and start howling for a change in management. It’s important for Julien to dress well to convey the air of wealth his people expect.”
“How can he remain prosperous if he spends all his money on me?” Richard questioned.
“You don’t get it, do you? Julien is personally one of the wealthiest men in the country, the top one percent of the one percent, as are all the Garou board members. He’s going to teach you how to invest your money so that it grows and makes you wealthy in addition to teaching you your job. When a board member takes on an intern, they mentor his life as well as his work. It’s a very coveted position.”
“And all of this is because I’m your friend?” Richard asked.
“Of course not, Etienne told me that Garou searched for you after the Switched Power Design fiasco. They wanted you for Garou. You could have written your own ticket. Your integrity brought you to their attention. Your resume cinched it. If you hadn’t been the person that you are, because you are my friend, Etienne would have helped you get another position, just not with Garou. They are very picky.”
“Oh…I don’t know how to take all of this.” Richard sighed, running his hand along a silk tie.
“Sit back and enjoy the ride. You’ll be working hard soon enough. I know how hard Etienne works. Garou asks a lot of their employees.”
Julien snuck up behind him. “Are you ready to be measured?” Richard glanced at Julio.
“I’ll stay out here and go through the fabrics with Julio, Julien. You go in the back with Richard while Mr. Abbott measures him,” Armand pronounced.
“Richard,” Julio took him aside, “get extra room in the crotch.”
“Why?” Richard gaped at Julio.
“Just trust me. You’ll need it.”
“Okay…” Richard followed Julien to the back of the shop to be measured.
§ § §
When Mr. Abbott finished his measurements, Richard and Julien returned to the front. Armand and Julio were arguing over a fabric sample. Sean rolled his eyes, Etienne sighed, and Julien hid his laugh behind a practiced cough.
“Come over here, Richard.” He obediently went over to Armand who held up two swatches of fabric.
