Free The Krakow Klub by Philip C. Elrod Page B

land management office
and arranged for a telephone conference with some very specific
upper managers. The local office manager very graciously agreed to
accommodate his request. She was a widow who found him to be most
attractive and would have probably done almost anything to prolong
his visit to her office. Available men in her age group were a
scarce commodity in Key West, and she was only
one of many who would attempt to make his acquaintance.
    Soon, all the required individuals were on
the line for John. He introduced himself and then gave a detailed
description of what he needed for his newly purchased island.
    After several minutes of questions and
answers, he reached an agreement that was quite satisfactory to
everyone. He, again, thanked them profusely for their time and
their acceptance of his proposal. The final approval was made by the director of land management; the
others just gave their verbal stamps of approval.
    No one questioned his request to build a
“small” golf course on his little island. He had complied with the
letter of the law as he would swear to any bureaucrat that ever
questioned him about it in the future.
    After concluding the call, John left the
office in an elated state of mind, leaving the
attractive widow standing in her office doorway alone.
    He was quite surprised and gratified that he
had achieved his goal with only a single phone call. Bureaucracies seldom excel in the quality of their customer service or the promptness of their decisions.
He felt lucky; it had been a great day, and it felt good.
    Right then and there, he decided to have
Mister T contact a local florist and send flowers to show his
appreciation to the office manager. She had been most helpful when she could have just told him that his
request was not within their standard procedures and could not be
addressed. It was a thoughtful gesture, but one that would most
likely be misinterpreted by the lady in question. Hope springs
eternal.
    Before taking a cab back to the warehouse, he
dropped into one of the more colorful local bars for a final
celebratory drink. He sat alone at a table near the entrance and
marveled at the quaint technology that he had just
used for that very important conference call. If only he
hadn’t needed the help of the office manager, he could have had
Maxxine handle the situation in a much more modern fashion. He
smiled and said quietly, “Oh, well, one must slum it once in a while!”
    A sudden squall brought refreshing rain that
cooled the hot pavement outside and caused tourists to scurry like
rats toward the nearest shelter. He waited for a few minutes until
the rain ended and walked out into the air that was now
oppressively humid and steamy.
    At the warehouse, Mister T was busily
unloading the van full of supplies. Even though his new bar was
well stocked, John had made a few special requests to complete the
inventory, specifically, a case of his favorite scotch, Macallan,
and a few excellent wines.
    He made a mental note to send Mister T on a
special trip to France soon for his favorite brandy that wasn’t
available in the States. It was from a tiny village that only
produced a very limited quantity every year. He had visited the
place and been given a tour by the owner. John Scott admired little
people who stood toe-to-toe with giant
businesses and produced a product that was equal to or
better than the competition.
    Speaking to Mister T, John said, “Mister T, I
am going to stay in Key West tonight. I may have the good fortune
to have a date with a fascinating woman.”
    Mister T paused and then replied,
“Outstanding news. I can do a little research on her if you’d like.
I’ve become quite knowledgeable about you humans and can use one of
my applications to do a thorough background check.”
    “No thanks, my friend, not necessary. You know very well that I could do that
myself with Maxxine’s help. I met the lady on my flight from Grand
Cayman to Miami, and I could have just