Senior Year Box Set

I walked across the street to talk to the concierge about what my options were for an afternoon. He directed me to a historic district called Le Rocher, or The Rock, located in Monaco-Ville, an upscale area.

But I would have to do that later; I wanted to catch the changing of the guard at Place de Palais, Monaco’s palace, and had to hurry to make it. It turned out that the opera house was on the same square, but I’d be seeing it later. Next, I took a stroll through St. Martin’s Gardens, a park that had views of the sea. I took a lot of pictures for my dad because the flora looked so well-cared-for and varied.

At the far end of the park was the Oceanographic Museum. They were reputed to have the best aquariums in all of Europe. I would agree that they were impressive.

I had a late lunch at a little place with seating outside so I could people-watch. The server suggested I get pâté and a fish stew with French bread.

After lunch, I spent some time in Le Rocher, wandering the narrow streets. I discovered that this part of Monaco dated back to the 13th century when the principality was founded.

You could feel the history of the place with all the colorful houses and little shops. I was happy when I discovered that the area wasn’t very big, so I had no fear of getting lost.

As I relaxed, I realized that I needed a day like today. I’d gotten to explore a new place, and no one expected anything of me. My biggest decision for the rest of the afternoon was whether to check out another area or instead go back and take a nap before the big gala. With a full tummy, the nap won out.

◊◊◊

When I arrived back at the condo, only Cindy was there.

“Some lady keeps stopping by, asking for your parents. I had no idea what to tell her, so I sent her away. She left her number and asked to have them call her.”

“Besides that, what’s been going on?” I asked.

“Ashley won her ticket into the high-roller tournament. She’s on her way back. The rest of them are taking a boat tour.”

“Have you gotten out of the house?” I asked.

“I ran across the street for lunch, but I’ve been working. Call your mom or dad, and then I want to show you what all I’ve found.”

The way she said it had me a little worried.

◊◊◊

“You are a dead man,” Mom said when she answered. She spoke deliberately so I would understand each word.

I chuckled.

“What?” I asked, playing confused.

“Don’t even try it. I made Mr. Sullivan tell me, and he said it was all you. He also wanted me to tell you that you owe him big-time.”

“You don’t like your new car?”

“I admit it, you got me. They made a big production that they had someone lined up to buy my car, so they hauled it to the back. They said another dealer was there to take it off their hands. Then they told me that my new car hadn’t come in yet. Mr. Sullivan assured me it was on its way, and I would only have to wait for a half-hour for the delivery. When the truck pulled in, they said it would be another hour for them to clean it and have it ready for me.”

“You had to wait for an hour and a half? You poor thing,” I said to show my sympathy.

I had predicted what would happen next. My mother wasn’t the most patient person in the world.

“I told Mr. Sullivan I would take the car as-is, and I would bring it back some other day for detailing because I had clients coming to the office. He agreed and had them pull it around. At first, I thought they were joking,” Mom said.

That made me chuckle again. I’d asked Mr. Sullivan to find the worst vehicle on the lot and to dump some trash in the front seat like a homeless person had lived in it. Of course, I’d made sure to ask him to video her reaction. I couldn’t wait for him to send it to me.

“I almost lost it when I saw the beat-up old pickup truck. As soon as I saw it, I knew you’d been up to no good, so I just grabbed the keys and left. The expression on Mr. Sullivan’s face as I drove away was priceless. I met my clients, and once I wrapped that up, I drove back to the dealership. He had my car waiting for me and confessed what you’d set up.

“Like I said, you’re a dead man walking,” Mom warned me.

I shared my day so far and gave her the name and number of the lady who’d been lurking on our sidewalk. I promised we hadn’t played any loud music or staged a satanic ritual that she had to explain away. Mom promised to find out what was so important it had the lady camped out front.

◊◊◊

After my call with my mom, I found Cindy at the dining room table with papers spread out.

“I have good news, bad news, and really bad news. How do you want ’em?”

“Let’s start with the good and work our way down,” I suggested.

“The good news is you have a basement. I discovered the entrance to the stairwell in the pantry in the kitchen. I haven’t had a chance to see what all is down there yet.”

“Okay. It’s probably a bunch of old stuff that needs to be hauled off,” I guessed.

“The bad news is I want to get rid of all the furniture and gut the kitchen and baths.”

That funny smell I’d detected earlier made me agree.