Chicken A La King Page Fourteen

Ali and Scott lay back in bed under the sheets.
“Wow”, said Ali
“Wow yourself”.
Scott reached for the remote and flicked the TV on. He surfed through the chanels until Jay Leno came on.
“I like this guy, he’s funny....Cracks me up everytime....”
The show had Julia Roberts on talking about a movie she just finished and then Jay announced the next guest.
“And tonight we have the lovely and very talented Mona Meredith with us.”
There was a big round of applause and Mona came out wearing a white dress with two long slits on the sides showing off her long shapely legs. Jay Leno wasted no time cutting her up.
“So I hear you’re into chickens now.”
“Yes, they are wonderful.”
“I used to be a chicken in one of my past lives......”
She laughs.
“Cluck, cluck, cluck....”
She laughs again and then looks serious.
“No, actually, it’s very serious whats happening out there. Chickens are being abused and it must stop.”
“Man has been eating chicken for a long time now”.
“I know but the way they are being killed is barbaric.”
“Is there any humane way to kill a chicken?”
“No.”
“Well, alright...Enough about chickens, what about this divorce you’re going through? Is there any humane way to get divorced?”
She laughs.
“No.”
“And there you are, ladies and gentlemen, there is no humane way to kill a chicken and there is no humane way to dump a husband.”
She laughs again.
Ali turned to Scott.
“I saw the guy she’s talking about on the news, that Uncle Sam the Chicken man.”
“Yeah! I saw that dude too!! He’s a nut job!”
“They said in the papers that his farm is up in Arkansas.”
“Yeah, lots of farms in that country up there.”
“I wish we could save a chicken”.
“You do?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, we might just do that sweet thing.”
He held her tight in his arms.
Manuel Vargas was busy picking up eggs with Rosalita at his side carrying a basket.
“I’m in trouble now, the boss is watching me Rosalita.”
“The newspaper?”
“Yes.”
“What are we going to do?”
“Keep your eyes open at all times. If any strangers come to the ranch get me immediately.”
“I will”.
“Trust no one Rosalita.”
She gathered up the eggs and carried them out of the Big house. The chickens were about four weeks old, two more weeks and it would be time for the next crop of birds.
Rosalita went inside and put the eggs into a large refridgerator. She hated to think of Maunel being in trouble. He might lose his job and where would they go? They were so settled here.
She thought of the Boss Sam and his wife Mindy. They were so rich but had so many problems. She loved the simple life here on the ranch. She began cooking supper, roasted chicken and potatoes and an apple pie. An all American supper for her Mexican husband.
Sam was dressing for the evning in his master dressing area. The closet was totally customized in bird’s eye maple and his suits and shirts hung in perfect neat rows. He finished putting on his tuxedo and shiny patent shoes. In a small bag he tucked away a fake beard and an eyepatch to be applied later on in the evening. He dabbed on a little cologne, Eau De Costa, the newest scent by Montrachet of Paris.
His driver opend the limosine door for him.
“Good evening Mr Fullbein”.
“Hello Fred.”
“Where to sir?”
“The Club.”
“Yes sir.”
The Egret Club was just a few blocks away on 57th street. It was in a lovely Art deco building, constructed in the 1930’s. They arrived at the club and Sam emerged from the limosine. A doorman in full uniform held the door open for him and he stepped inside.
The Egret Club had red carpeting on the floor and dark wood panelling on the walls. The furniture was masculine and austere, with armchairs and lounges throughout the space. Sam proceeded to the billiard room.
David waited in an overstuffed lounge chair. He was anxious to talk to Sam because no progress was being made with the merger.This seemed like a good place to discuss business, maybe he would drum some sense into him.
The two men shook hands.
“Hello Sam.”
“Good to see you David.”
A waiter took their drink order. David looked Sam straight in the eye.
“To get to the point, I must say that we are very disappointed that you choosen not to jump aboard.”
“I haven’t made the final decision yet.”
“We are making you a very generous offer Sam.”
“Yes, yes indeed. I am very tempted.”
“What would it take to change your mind?”
Drinks were placed in front of them. David lifted his drink.
“To China.”
“To America.” Sam said slyly.
They took a sip of their drinks.
“You are one stubborn goat.”
“Didn’t get where I am today by not having backbone.”
“You see, we want to take Uncle Sams and change the public conception of fast food chicken. We want to call it Healthy Chicken.”
“Healthy Chicken?”
“Yes, it’s our marketing concept of the future of fast food. Healthy. Todays consumer wants healthy.”
“I see....So it wouldn’t be called Uncle Sam’s anymore....”
“No, I’m afraid not.....But we would still be using the secret recipe.”
Sam was quiet. All his years of hard work would be washed away. The daily drama of running his empire would diminish and all he would have would be a mountain of money to show for it. The world would forget about him.
“i’ll think about it David.”
“Good....I hope we can come to an agreement soon.”
They stood up to leave.
“I’ll give you a call.”
“Goodnight.”
Sam sat in the back of the limo.
“St. Regis Fred.”
“Yes sir.” Sam opened the small bag and took out the beard and the eyepatch. He applied the beard with some adhesive tape and studied the job in a mirror. It looked passable. Then he put on the eyepatch. What a transformation! He studied his image in the mirror....He hoped that no one would recognize him.
“Damn good!” He said to himself.
The limosine door opened and Sam emerged in his disguise. He nodded at the driver who looked at him in surprise. Mr Fullbein was always full of surprises. An odd duck, that was for sure.
The St Regis was a grand old hotel with wonderful architecture and oplulent interiors. Sam strolled through the lobby to the reception taking place. He stood at the entry to the room and for a moment all eyes were on him. He nodded, hoping no one would recognize him.
Sam spotted Mona Meredith across the room. Her long blonde hair was piled high on top of her head. She was wearing a tight shocking pink dress that hugged her curves and was laughing with a group of people that surrounded her. He made his way through the crowd to her side, edging between bystanders and bodyguards.
“Excuse me, may I have the pleasure of meeting the loveliest woman in the room?”
Mona turned to look at him.
“Yes?”
He took her hand and kissed it.
“Hello, I am Edwardo De Rossi, the ambassador to the Humane Society representing the islands of Turks and Caicos. It is a pleasure, Madame to meet you.”
“Pleased to meet you Mr. De Rossi”.
“I have admired your telvision show very much.”
“Thank you.”
“I am a great animal lover also.”
“Oh yes?”
“Yes, absolutely. It is my mission to save God’s creatures, not matter how big or how small.”
“Thats’ wonderful.”
She was smiling at him and he gazed into her blues eyes. What a wonderful creature she was, too bad she hated him, he thought.
“Would you care for a dance?”
“Yes, I would like that.”
He took her hand and lead her to the dance floor. They danced slowly. How wonderful it was to hold her in his arms. She was an angel on earth, he was a mere mortal and she a goddess. She was even more beautiful in person than on TV and magazines.
“I have a ranch in the islands...It is a wonderful place with horses and many animals...” he crooned in her ear.
“Sounds wonderful.”
Yes, it is. Maybe one day you could see it.”
“Sounds like a brilliant idea Mr De Rossi.”
A tall, burly man came over to them and tapped him on the shoulder.
“Ah, excuse me but Ms Meredith has some photos to take.”
“Of course.”
They stopped dancing and she was lead a way by her entourage. He had been so close...so close to his fantasy woman. It had been a heavenly five minutes.
Sam left the reception in an elated mood. The disguise had worked and he had made contact. Now he would make a plan to meet her once again.