Happy Freddie (Last)

I didn't inform Freddie about the meeting. I thought I'd let him worry about the game plan for once. No harm done. Things worked out fine.

RQV withdrew his plan to ram the amendments down the throat of MSS, saying that he had consulted the matter with his "legal friends." Freddie quoted to me most of what RQV said during the meeting, and I recognized a lot of my own words there. As I said, we shared a laugh when I told him what happened that morning. "Legal friends," indeed.

"I knew you were the key to this problem," Freddie said, his voice so very jovial.

"Yeah, well, I couldn't very well go up to him and say, Look, this is the situation," I replied, tingling all over with warmth. "The problem is, you don't talk to the guy. Maybe you need to build him up a bit, instead of locking horns with him."

"I don't have your charms, Emyn."

"You don't try hard enough. Next time, build him up and, you know, kiss ass a little. He's an old guy. He doesn't need a younger guy in his face all the time."

"That's why I invited him to join the SC. He accepted."

That's my boy. Thinking for himself. Sometimes he really comes through with flying colors.

I'm happy. I made Freddie's day.

I made things happen the way he wanted them to happen and he was happy. We shared a laugh over the phone and his voice was happy. He was chummy and sweet. He thanked me "for the groundwork."

He was happy. And I'm happy to have had a hand in that.