Collectors

The ladies gathered and considered. Drinks in hand, they could, if they wished, look up and see the six candidates on video screens - the finalists were still in the rooms where they had been interviewed, and were now waiting and amusing themselves - but the ladies looked up only occasionally. They had done enough to have clear mental pictures of all six finalists.

“There’s something about number four,” mused Margaret, the youngest of the group.

“Jamie the plumber?” Ivana replied. “Yes, I think so too...”

“Quite beyond his size and attitude - there’s some ambition, too,” noted Charlotte. “He’s hungry - and not just for food.”

“Ambition?” queried Amy. “Really? Just look at him!” she said and lifted her eyes to fourth screen. The others dutifully followed, to observe the plumber’s substantial frame stretched out in a recliner, feet up, drink in hand.

“Hey, he’s entitled to relax, we 'played' him pretty hard earlier,” retorted Charlotte. “Remember, he heard about this opportunity and then applied himself - he’s the only one who wasn't asked to apply.”

“That is certainly in his favour,” noted Aisha, the senior of the group, “as are his size, his quiet strength - physical and mental - and a certain determination, or grit, as well. I could see him pushing through some difficult situations, some challenges, with considerable certainty. I suppose, Charlotte, we could call that ambition. And another plus, he also knows to look after himself - how and when to rest, for example," she added, gesturing to the screen, "That's also in his favour.”

“And he didn’t - doesn’t - really know how big he is,” mused Margaret. “Of course, most of them underestimate their size - that’s a man thing, a societal thing - but not by as much as he did. 225! He hasn't weighed that little since he was in trade school!”

“Or probably even high school,” ventured Amy. “That’s probably what he weighed when he played football in grade 12. He probably hasn’t been on a scale since then!”

“So, shall we select number four?” asked Chin-Sun, working in her usual role as moderator of the group. “We had earlier also discussed number three and number six.”

“Number three’s a lot smaller,” remarked Ivana.

“Number six is a lot older,” noted Margaret.

“Let’s go with number four,” chimed in Charlotte and Amy together. “A fine addition to the stable.”

"Well Margaret, would you like to do the honours?" Chin-Sun asked. "You're closest in age to Jamie - you might moderate his reaction when he meets Asbjom. Our Norwegian 'Divine Bear' is a bit of a shock, when you first encounter him."

"Certainly," replied Margaret, "though I have this feeling that Jamie's reaction to meeting his potential 'future' will be fairly positive...."

"Yes, I sense that too," added Ivana, her Russian accent coming throught softly. "He is special, that one - becoming twice the man he used to be may just amuse him...."

"Certainly it seems to have amused Asbjom...." Aisha noted.

******

Jamie looked up at the knock on the door. In one swift movement, he was off the recliner and standing up, the remains of his drink still in his hand and unspilt, thanks to his exquisite sense of balance.

"Ooohh," was the collective intake of the breath of the five ladies watching, as Jamie strode solidly to the door to open it. The door opened and he found Margaret just outside.

"We've decided - and your name came up lucky," Margaret said to Jamie, beaming. "Please come with me, so we can attend to the paperwork and other formalities." She strode off without waiting, but Jamie was right behind her, his longer stride easily matching her shorter one. The images on the video screens quickly changed, as the house tracking system followed Jamie's progress. Margaret brought him up the ramp, where a close-in, low-angle HD camera gave a particularly sharp, fine view of his chunky butt at work to the assembled ladies.

Margaret paused outside another door, then turned to Jamie. "I think we mentioned that there are other people whom we 'employ'," she began. "You are about to meet the most senior of our employees, Asbjom, who is a great manager and, like you, is also a skilled tradesman, though he is not a plumber, but a mechanic." She knocked gently on the door and then opened it. "Asbjom! Someone to meet you," she called as she stepped inside. Jamie followed her, only to be brought up short as an enormous blond man stepped forward, his hand outstretched. Asbjom was taller than Jamie, by a couple of inches, and much more than twice his weight.

"So good to meet you," said the huge man to Jamie. "I had heard the ladies were hiring. Welcome!"

"Asbjom, this is Jamie. He's a plumber, I'm sure we can make use of his skills. Jamie, this is Asbjom," Margaret said. Jamie looked Asbjom up and down, then stepped forward, hand outstretched. While Jamie was certainly substantial, he was completely over shadowed by Asbjom, who had indeed 'doubled' in size while in the ladies' employ, and then some. Margaret noted that Jamie's body language on meeting this colossus was not one of intimidation, as some men exhibited when they met the Norwegian Bear, but of interest, intrigue, perhaps even engagement. The two men shook hands, though not without more than a hint of hand tightening - strength rivalry - before they broke off.

"He challenged him!" one of the remotely watching ladied exclaimed with satisfaction.

Back in Asbiom's quarters, Margaret looked at the two of them, and smiled - if Jamie were to expand to anything like Asbjom's size, then he would be magnificent, a handsome addition to the group, with his dark hair and bronzed good looks a complete contrast to Asbjom's blond locks and clear, pale skin.

"Well Jamie 'the plumber'," Asbjom began, with his usual directness. "This is a good place to live and work, as the ladies are demanding but fair. I know we can make use of your skills with pipes, and you will surely find you have other skills as well, and those will be made use of as well. If there is something you need - professionally, or as gear, or just an ear to listen - do not hesitate to speak to me. Margaret," he continued, "do you wish me to introduce Jamie, or is he on his way up?"

"He is on his way up," Margaret replied.

Jamie wondered who 'he' was, but was content to wait and see.

A few minutes later, Jamie heard an elevator door open, and shortly another man appeared. Asbjom and Margaret both watched Jamie's reaction with interest, as Jamie saw a man shorter than he or Asbjom appear. A man shorter, but not lighter, than Asbjom.

"You must be Jamie," the newcomer said, his rich baritone voice seeming to come from the bottom of his immense gut. "I am Kubwa, accountant and researcher to the ladies and to the company. Welcome!" Kubwa's hand - pudgy and dark, like his face - was extended, and Jamie shook it. "There are, of course, certain legal niceties to the hiring process that we need to cover - I'm sure you'd like to have a contract! - tax forms, Workmen's Comp, and so on. Asbiom, may we use your table?"

"Of course!" Asbiom agreed. "And I am happy to host."

Kubwa trundled his rotund frame over to a dining table, put his briefcase on the table, then dropped his substantial mass onto a hefty chair. "Have a seat, please," he said, as he pulled a tablet out of his briefcase. He tapped the screen, then passed the table to Jamie. "Read through this, ask any questions you have, then sign," Kubwa explained, putting a stylus within Jamie's reach.

As Jamie read, Asbiom reappeared with a large tray, on which there where tankards of beer, two uncorked wine bottles and glasses, and a serving platter of cheeses, fruit, and buns. "A little something to help your thinking and reading," Asbiom remarked, as Kubwa took a tankard. "Beer, or white or red wine, and something to nibble."

Jamie paused his reading and poured himself a glass of red.

"Unexpected," remarked one of the distant viewers. The ladies watched avidly as Jamie also took slices of cheese, tore apart a bun, then resumed reading. "A plumber who likes wine," another mused.

Jamie shortly paused and initialled one page, then another, then another. He paused after the fifth page. "This concern about clothing and weight," he asked Kubwa. "It reads as if I am expected to gain weight?"

"Yes, while the ladies do not require it, they do expect it," Asbiom answered genially. "Neither Kubwa nor I were this size when we were first hired here."

"Indeed I was NOT!" Kubwa exclaimed, then smiled. "It's one of the better perks of working here. I am more than twice the man I used to be!" he joked.

"OK, that's actually good," Jamie replied, "because I have put on a few pounds since I started working, and I was wondering if I should be heading back to the gym to lose some weight...."

"We have a gym here," Asbiom observed, "and I myself workout six days a week, but I haven't lost any weight!" He gave a mock rueful grin. "But then, I know the ladies prefer me bigger, not smaller!"



To be continued.