Saving the Starlight Ch. 03

At the club Fenton was introduced to Stan, the co-owner and chief executive of a steel fabrication and erection firm and was told that the fourth player would be a senior engineer from the Council, Tony Pennington.

Next day Paul and Fenton were paired together and won, which meant ironically the custom was they had to pick up the lunch tab and pay for the first round of drinks.

Late lunch after golf took two hours - there was no hurry. Paul, Tony the engineer and Fenton stayed on to down another beer. They talked about golf, fishing, holidays and finally talked about the cinema fiasco.

Tony said, "Oh, I'm sorry we and the law and regulations have thrown some spikes into your planned development Fenton but you have to accept we have to play it by the book otherwise we all could face recriminations under law."

Fenton told Tony that he was really keen now about trying to save the cinema because he was finding how strongly it figured in the minds of older adults and they fondly wished it could serve another generation or two. He was prepared to sink some of his own money into any feasible project but nowhere near $2,000,000.

Tony asked how much, was told and whistled. He looked thoughtful.

"Get us two more beers, buddy, while I make a phone call."

Something inside Fenton told him Tony was attempting a rescue mission that would allow him to win back Trinity by saving the Starlight Cinema.

He waited impatiently.

Tony returned to the table beaming and said he'd been speaking to the Council's chief engineer and a legal adviser and there was good news.

"Sit down my friend. I'm about to tell you something that ought to win my wife and me an invitation to your wedding if you are planning one soon. It's something so big that you now have an excuse to ply us with liquor."

"Let it rip," Fenton grinned. "I promise not to interrupt. Cheers."

* * *

That evening Paul, Tony and Fenton had to leave their vehicles locked overnight at the golf club. They had rather over-imbibed.

Paul invited Fenton home to dinner and his housekeeper Milly Matson, being sober, had a wonderfully hilarious time at the table with two very funny men.

An hour after dinner Fenton was asleep on the sofa with a blanket over him and Milly had put Paul to bed then went off to watch TV.

Later next morning Milly drove Paul and Fenton to the golf club to collect their vehicles. Milly kissed Fenton as he leaned through her window to shake her hand.

"She's really taken to you buddy," Paul smiled.

"He's our new friend," Milly said. "I always kiss our friends."

A few minutes later Fenton was on his way to see someone who'd been more than a mere friend. He stopped opposite Trinity's apartment and phoned her.

"Hi it's Fenton. Don't hang up, look out across the street - that's me in the big 4x4. Let's go for a walk along the beach. I have some things to tell you Trinity and surely you cannot deny me the right to have a conversation with you. There is only one thing between us, only one."

"I really have nothing to say to you," she said sounding sad.

"That's fine. Just listen to me talk. I'm off to the pier and will wait in the parking area at 10:00; after ten minutes if I haven't sighted you I'll disappear."

* * *

Trinity Wentworth watched her potential lover drive off after their phone chat, desperately unhappy about the outcome. Why did men drive women to distraction? Happiness rarely rested with her for long when with men. It began with her father - she'd not had a happy childhood because her parents were unhappy and as she became older their unhappiness seemed to intensify - often been at each other's throats.

If that was upsetting for Trinity it was little better when father and daughter were observing a truce as she knew another upset would arrive sooner than later. She was sixteen when they finally separated. Her mother wanted her and her father wanted her. She wanted her daddy so it was agreed that daddy could have her for three years and then perhaps she could go to her mother.

In later years Trinity found her daddy only began having other women in his life intimately after her mother abandoned the marital bed. Equally surprising was during all those years of upset her mother apparently never sought the company of another man.

Males of all ages had mistreated Trinity, although never criminally. Such harshness and, on odd occasions, even abuse, kept her unhappy. She found happiness in the company of other females - though never in their arms in the ugly sense - and today most of her friends were female.

And then into her life strode Fenton Murdoch.

She signed accepting that without apparently even trying hard Fenton had flipped her heart and made her think of him during periods of quietude. He'd appeared to measure up to her ideals of Mr Right, which explained her eagerness to grant him physical favours to win and maintain his interest, as she wanted to ensure he stuck to her.

Fenton appeared so right for her and, of course, her mind told her if ever there was a man in need of a good woman it was Fenton Murdoch. Er she hoped she was that kind of woman,

Grabbing her keys and handbag, Trinity set off for the pier. She'd let Fenton talk to her as much as he wished, but nothing could change her heart which had closed to him. He'd let her down when she trusted him to rescue her and her friends and their cause. Fenton had purchased the property, thereby making himself the power player. But when it came to applying power he'd failed her.

A cool breeze was blowing in off the sea, so they pretty much had the beach to themselves. Their greeting had been just as cool.

Fenton had told her it pleased him to be left to talk uninterrupted.

The golden sands were fluffy to walk on and pitted with white shell fragments. Fenton told her how much he admired her and was captivated by her. She looked out to sea at a big white cruise ship moving slowly in the dredged navigation channel, waiting for the arrival of the harbour pilot and the fussy little tugs.

Captivated by her? Well, that was emotional. And how was it that he'd antagonised her so much that she'd walked away from him and he let it go.

He'd gone on about them 'being made for each other'. Oh, come on Fenton she thought; now he couldn't mean he really wanted her apart for sex. Ah that was a little unfair, she thought when acknowledging he'd twice explained himself to her romantically and she'd found that rather endearing.

He had mentioned lonely nights and hey he knew would have had them too. He's right about that. He admitted to being well endowed. She had to keep a straight face, almost losing it when he cancelled out any chance of misunderstanding by restating that he meant financially endowed. In that case the business he was developing might not be heavily financed on borrowed money, which ought to interest some unfortunate woman who chanced to marry such a heartless blackguard. Er, perhaps it was a little over-emotional to tag him as severely as that.

Although somewhat diverted, she heard him clearly: "Will you take me back?"

The question shocked her; it sounded so pathetic. She couldn't take back something she'd never had. But being naturally nice - well almost all the time - she chose to answer somewhat neutrally, thinking it might dampen any exchange of angry words that might follow.

"I don't think so."

His reply flummoxed her: "Shall we turn back?"

It was said without bitterness, almost with indifference.

They turned and settled into an even pace for the return journey. Although they had never touched since setting out, the gap between them had widened and she was nonplussed. Where was his fight? Didn't he care for her at all? Surely it wasn't because he cared too much? Well, she wasn't going to walk in silence like this. She was...

"Please discuss with your group whether they should instruct you to withdraw the objection to the issuing of the demolition permit. You surely have to agree no purpose would be served by pursuing the fight against demolition."

Hello he had something on his mind other than snuggling up to her.

"We meet this evening for that very purpose."

"Good will you phone me with the decision?"

"You shall be advised in writing of the outcome of the meeting."

"I would like you to phone me."

Trinity had to admit that was a reasonable request, and although he'd let her down terribly, when stripped of its emotion, it had only been a bricks and mortar matter. Except for his stance in that matter, he'd treated her like a...like a gentleman.

"Very well."

Fenton then switched the conversation completely, unbalancing her a little. "If you had a garden would you grow roses?"

She turned to look at him, but there was no smirk, no sign of teasing. He glanced at her expressionlessly and then went back to staring straight ahead.

"Why roses?"

"If I grew only one flower it would be roses. My mother grew roses, in a curved garden outside my bedroom window. And in humid summer evenings I would lie in bed, without sheets in just in my pyjama bottoms, and I would smell a wonderfully array of scents."

"I imagined I was being bathed in rose scent. That's done something to me; I often ask people if they like roses. Men think it's an odd thing to be asked and women look at me, not unkindly, but more often than not suspiciously as if wondering where the conversation was leading."

"And where is this conversation leading?"

"It's going nowhere Trinity. But it's taught me that when pressed, most people I question admit they like roses."

Well that was better than being asked one's view on euthanasia, she thought, saying, yes she liked roses and probably the smell drifting into his bedroom would have been from dark red roses.

"They were all dark red roses in that garden Trinity."

She laughed, no longer feeling so cross with him. What a pathetic way to unwind her by asking does she like roses. She had to continue this wacky conversation.

"As a girl I used to dream of a tall blond man riding a big white horse to rescue me from drudgery, though I'm sure as a seven-year-old drudgery would not have been the word I used. But I often had that dreamy thought, and only whenever I was alone. Was that silly of me?"

"No I'm of the opinion daydreams substitute for companionship. I daydreamed as a boy and continue to this day. You're really relaxing when you can daydream so it must be good for you."

Trinity confessed: "My daydreams never brought me any good" and he answered rather profoundly when she thought about it, "They're under no obligation to do that."

She was aware he'd flashed a look at her.

He said, "For years my father and I jointly owned a beautiful statuesque mare called Garfia, named after a famous forebear. When I rode her she galloped like the wind, so powerfully. She was a white Arabian."

Trinity's thoughts became confused but she ended up picturing a young version of Fenton riding on Garfia to the tree where she sat perched, daydreaming.

As said earlier, they were conversations going nowhere.

They parted to go to their vehicles, not quite like two strangers. Trinity didn't have the heart to continue being cold-hearted towards someone who rode a white charger called Garfia.

"I'll call you tonight," she waved as she drove off.

His return wave appeared under-powered.

Eleven people attended the save the Starlight meeting at Rick's bar.

After everyone had their drink and the plates of finger food were being consumed, president Sally Tucker opened the informal proceedings by saving the developer, although willing to help, and to sell to the society the renovated theatre at cost, had abandoned his goodwill intention after finding out saving the theatre came with a price tag of $2 million in extra costs.

"Any discussion?" Sally asked.

There was none.

"Trinity may we have your recommendation please."

Trinity replied professionally.

"I recommend that the group withdraws its legal challenge to the issuing of a demolition permit forthwith. It's pointless pursuing that objective."

Sally: "If everyone agreed."

Everyone said aye.

Sally: "Well, that's it; we have some outstanding invoices to pay and will have a meeting in two months from tonight to begin the winding up of the society. Who's buying me a drink?"

Trinity had to be driven home by one of the low-imbibers who lived close to her. She had a bath and just as she was going to bed at 11:10 remembered her undertaking to call Fenton.

"Hi Fenton. I can confirm the society has agreed unanimously to abandon its objection. I shall courier you a formal letter in the morning to your home address."

Fenton thanked her and said he would apply in the morning for the cancellation of the scheduled hearing before Judge Watson.

* * *

Lawyer Trinity Wentworth had completed stretching exercises and was about to climb into bed when her phone went. She groaned, picked up the phone and saw the caller was Fenton. She smiled. He would be calling to apologise for the anguish he'd caused her.

"Hi it's Fenton here. Don't wind up your society because I'll lead the new push to save our cinema. Oh and it may have escaped your thinking that I too spent many happy hours at that cinema when I was a kid and until I left town."

He cut the call without giving Trinity the chance to reply.

She climbed into bed, that message roaring through her mind. She wanted to phone him back; it was stupendous news. She figured he'd want the society to raise the $2 million.

She phoned Sally who complained of being sexually assaulted and sniggered; heavy breathing and squelching sounds were grossly evident.

Trinity gave Sally the news.

Sally screamed with delight, saying, "There can be no mistake about that?

"No."

"And he definitely said 'our cinema'.

"Yes."

"I'm going to phone him right now and get the full story."

"Look finish what you're doing there Sally. You and I shall take him out to lunch tomorrow and get details. Do you think we can raise two million bucks?"

"Of course. I reckon we should set the target in excess of that, say $3 million and then we can buy that whole level from him as a unity title and operate it as a Community Trust. How the hell he thinks he's going to save that derelict building has me beat, but that young man is experienced in commercial building. Are you two screwing?"

"Good night Sally dear. Phone me where and when - we should take a couple of hours and call it a business lunch."

Sally picked up Liberty and then Fenton from his new office on Marine Parade - a spare office at the back of his accountant's premises, a converted house. It was only three properties along from Fenton's planned construction site.

Like most real estate salespersons, Sally drove with one hand on the wheel, the other hand making emphasises in the air, or pointing, and one eye on the road and the other on properties or people she knew and either tooted at or waved.

"Fenton we're taking you to the wharf restaurant when I've book the proprietor's private booth. We want you to lavish us with charm and tell us everything; in return we promise to be good listeners, sexy company and Liberty and I will pick up the tab."

"Okay providing that in future I pay as we'll need more business meetings as lunches. It will be an expense against development costs. I'll have a budget for that."

Trinity had twisted and turned the previous night attempting to figure out how the cinema could be saved when previously it couldn't. It seemed such a typical male logic that she couldn't unravel it. Yet she was certain Fenton would not be playing with them; he was not that sort and it was noticeable Sally was carrying on with him as if she had a different sort of playing in mind.

Over drinks Fenton described the engineering solution that would involve drilling down from the upper side of the curved beams then drilling on the side of beams to insert a thick steel plate with a nut welded to it to be slipped into the beam under the concreted-in horizontal steel reinforcing. The steel vertical rods with ends threaded would be inserted and screwed into those steel plates and then the drilled holes would be filled under pressure with epoxy grout. The exposed top ends of the vertical rods would be integrated into the steel formwork of the new the floor of the car park above the theatre. Then would follow a massive pour of concrete.

"Huh?" commented Sally.

Fenton pulled out pencil and paper from his briefcase and sketched the tie-in system he'd just described.

"Oh, is that all?" said Trinity. "You made it sound very complex."

"Well that's the different between procedural description and simple sketches, isn't it? The drilling has to be very precise in order to screw the vertical rods into the nuts positioned midway in those beams as there will be only slight sideways adjustment."

Trinity asked how could the workmen be sure that rods had mated with the hidden nuts on the steel plates.

"Mated?" Fenton asked, raising an eyebrow and Trinity coloured and the two females giggled.

He said under simple testing if the rods could not be pulled back up that confirmed they were tightly er mated.

The women then heard in amazement how the simple invitation of Paul Wentworth to invite a Council engineer Tony Pennington to join his four for a game of golf had as Fenton termed it 'Saved the day'.

Tony headed the Council engineering section responsible for approving new and extensions to commercial structures and regular inspections of commercial buildings.

"Paul, Tony and I had another beer, a number more," Fenton grinned.

"When I described to Paul the impasse I'd found myself he went off to a corner and phoned his boss. Ten minutes later he arrived back grinning and gave us a thumb up sign."

"The big news was that if we save the theatre as a building of significant local community historic interest, the Council would be obliged to exercise its powers to grant me a bonus right allowing me to take the building to nine levels, instead of the arbitrary limit of eight floors coupled to a maximum height restriction.

"Tony said since the Council adopted that rarely used bonus provision in 1932, there never has been a successful appeal brought against implementation of the bonus provision before independent planning authorities."

Sally said hugging Fenton's arm, "It's a great discovery for you, Fenton, as well as us."

Trinity agreed.

"Losing the ground level disadvantages my owner-occupiers somewhat and pushes parking from ground level up one level; no way was I going to put a basement underneath of the cinema because being so close to the sandy seafront poses possible water infiltration problems and installation of permanent pumps with unwanted maintenance costs.

"So the bonus floor will guarantee that my mother and I get a decent return for our outlay from the total development and will guarantee an extended life for the Starlight."

Sally said that's how commercial enterprise was supposed to be rewarded, and Trinity had to agree.

She told Fenton about the fund-raising campaign aimed at allowing the society to own and operate the cinema after a complete re-fit.

Fenton suggested they should try to persuade Milly Jessop, an art historian at the city's cultural centre, to join their executive.

"Milly is the wife of my engineer friend Bruce and she suggested that you ought to be in line for a number of grants to assist in retention of the cinema - or theatre as she calls it. She confirms that fresco is a unique piece of art, like no other in the entire country."

Trinity was pleased about this about turn; it seemed so positive. If the group was able to pull the public behind it, perhaps they could raise the huge amount of funding required.