After Benton dropped his daughter Frieda off to school; Benton made a trip to local hardware store. He knew a lot of the children at Moon Lake High were snapping photos of Frieda climbing out of his Lamborghini Veneno; he didn’t care. Any chance he had to drive his favorite possession regardless of cost to fuel; always made him happy. Which is why he was in a relatively good mood when at the checkout; after paying for the brooms, dust pans and garbage bags; he pops the car trunk, which is in the front to put his purchases in.
After an uneventful drive back to his estate; Benton collects the cleaning supplies he bought and heads to the master bedroom. While the room did suffer from his anger after yesterday, the damage was only minor, compared to his dressing room and study. He knew Amanda will be back from whatever errand she was on; so he made sure to get all the broken crystal and vases swept, bagged and disposed of.
The next room he went to tackle was his dressing room. Noticing that most of his suits were ripped torn and shredded when he was in his fursona; he made a mental note to visit his preferred tailor in New York the next time he was there for business. Grabbing up the destroyed suits he was dismayed when he was only able to put two in each bag. Knowing that the suits would eat up all the bags he bought he decides to put off tossing the suits. Noticing that a portrait of him with his parents and brother was ripped he takes it off the wall and places with the trash from the bedroom; “Never liked that picture anyway,” he chuckled.
He was about to collect the trash and take it to the garage when he receives a call. It was from his partner in New York. After spending a few minutes assuring him that the dive Knight Industries stock took from his failed takeover of Tachibana will bounce back; Benton hangs up and gets back to his cleaning.
It was some time before he started on his study. After taking the master bedroom trash to the garage; he noticed some empty moving boxes. Realizing that these would be perfect for his destroyed suits it was not long that his dressing room was done; as well as considerably empty. Looking in his study, Benton sees debris everywhere. From shattered crystal tumblers and matching decanters from his liquor cabinet to picture frames and several books. It was the books that made him sad; most if not all were rare first editions. It’s mostly American literature and a few encyclopedias. The encyclopedias he could replace easily, since they were dated. It was the copies of his Great Gatsby and books from Mark Twain and Ernest Hemmingway that would be difficult if not impossible to replace.
Benton picked up The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; he had fond memories of reading the book to Frieda back when she was four. Wanting to spark a desire in her to be reader he pursued just about all of Twain’s works. But it was when Frieda was six that he beamed when she read to him A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court. Seeing both books destroyed he tosses them as well as all the rest in garbage bags. It was a collection he was sad to see going in such an ignominious fashion.
It was just afternoon when he reached his desk in the study. Looking at the file containing the medical bills of the employees at Tachibana Enterprises he injured. Benton knew that he would have to address the issue of restitution. It makes him realize that he never bothered to find out if Jeffery his butler was all right. He was about to call when Amanda calls him.
“Yes Amanda, what is it?”
“Do you know that the elementary school has sustained major damage from last night’s storm?” Amada tells him.
“What of it?” Benton asks.
“It may be a way for use to mitigate the disaster you caused at Tachibana yesterday;” Amanda states.
“I’m confused here. What does an elementary school have to do with Tachibana?”
“Look I’m almost home, with some lunch. I’ll fill you in then,” Amanda responds.
The call goes dead and Benton scratches his head. “What is she on about?” Benton wonders. Deciding to wait and see, he goes back to cleaning the mess in his study.
****
Amanda pulls into the garage; she notices a large pile of boxes and filled trash bags. Knowing that her husband Benton was cleaning up the mess he made; she heads to the kitchen with the lunch she bought. Placing the sub sandwiches on the island she heads upstairs to view Benton’s efforts. What she sees pleases her. Both the master bedroom and Benton’s dressing room are free of debris. While there are still several fist sized holes in the walls; she cannot deny that Benton was busy.
Heading downstairs to his study; Amanda notices Benton nearly finished.
“You hungry?” Amanda shouts.
Benton turning around smiles; “fuck yeah.”
“Language,” Amanda scowls.
Benton only shrugs his shoulders as he heads to the kitchen.
“The steak sub is yours,” Amanda states; “Tuna melt is mine.”
Both eat in silence for a bit before Benton speaks up; “What were you trying to tell me when you called?”
“Oh yes,” Amanda answered; “I had coffee with Martha Anderson.”
Benton chokes on his sub; “WHAT!”
“Look,” Amanda scolds; “Since Frieda intends to spend time with Eric Anderson and Spencer Lawson, it makes sense that we at least get to know their parents.”
“Fine,” Benton answers; “But what does that have to do with the elementary school?”
“Martha Anderson is a teacher there,” Amanda states; “While talking to her she told me if the school wasn’t shut down from the damage the storm caused, she wouldn’t of been able to meet with me.”
Amanda explains to Benton what the damage to the school entails. Flooded basement, possibly water damaged boilers and heaters; leaking roof in the administrative area and a tree knocking over the schools power line.
“She suggested that if we put forward the money to fix the school, we would regain some social standing; Amanda looking at Benton. “You of all know that by now the town’s who’s who know what you did at Tachibana.”
“I’m not throwing money into a money pit,” Benton responds; “while I’m in favor of the school needing repairs; I’m not spending money on a one hundred year old crumbling portion.”
“Which is why she suggested that we build a new school at a new location,” Amanda counters; “Once they get the school temporarily fixed we come in with an announcement that you will help fund a new school for the elementary students. Hell we can provide temporary trailers for the faculty to use for office space as the new school being built.
Benton thinks upon what Amanda just told him while finishing his steak sub; “Okay let’s do that,” Benton answers amicably; “But first I still have a study to finish cleaning,” he gets up but turns around; “We both need to figure out how to cook diner. We can’t live off of sub sandwiches and burnt toast.”
Amanda just sighs; Benton was corrected, both need to figure out what to make for supper especially for Frieda's sake. Take out and fast food is not healthy for a growing girl.