Little White Lies by Paul Watkins Page A

together and work as a team. Individuals can work and learn by themselves, but teamwork comes only when we learn and train as a team. And that’s what I’m after… a security staff that works as a team.
    Getting the security people in place has been well timed since business started picking up as soon as neighbors and fans alike learned about the great Himself living here. Predictably, the reaction to A.J.’s new residence has had mixed reviews among the neighbors and townsfolk. So far, however, the intruders have been harmless and the neighbors practically invisible, since no one is that close to begin with.
    Many of the uninvited visitors are the types of people who seem to pester stars from all galaxies, whether it’s sports, entertainment, or the media. Some of them seem to think it’s their constitutional right to go anywhere they please for the autograph, picture, piece of clothing, or whatever it is they treasure. Intrusions to the property have occurred frequently. Knock on wood, to date there have been no real problems and no one has come close to getting in the house.
    While our security is tight, we try not to overreact and do more than the occasion calls for. We have to remember that our A.J. is a star and these people are his fans… no matter how weird, so the gloves are always on. Usually we give them an autographed picture of A.J. along with a stern lecture informing them of the probable outcome should they trespass again. To make our point, we photograph and take fingerprints of every ‘fan’ we apprehend. It’s probably illegal as hell, but so far no one has complained. Only the people from other planets would not realize they have crossed a line they would cross again with far more serious consequences.
    The point we try to make is that it simply would not be worth it. While the trespassers have not been that many or that frequent, it would take only one person with the wrong intentions to do serious damage, so we take every situation seriously until we know otherwise. While it’s not a numbers game, we do focus on a number and that particular number is one. All it would take is one, if it’s the wrong one. That one doesn’t have to be evil, crazy or even unbalanced. He just has to be in the wrong place at the right time. He would be sorry with tears streaming down his face, vowing it would never happen again, explaining how he didn’t know what came over him, etc. … all too little, too late. We aim to see that ‘one’ doesn’t happen.
    Over time A.J. and his family have grown more used to the security staff around them. Hudson says good security people are like furniture… not exactly in the way, but always there in case you need them. The men themselves like working with the family. That’s considered easy duty. The tough duty is covering A.J. when he leaves the estate. The moment he passes through the gates, he’s ‘on’, and as a result, hebecomes an instant security nightmare. While the guys know they’re not guarding the president of the United States, which a couple of them have actually done at one time or another in their careers, we have a man who presents a similar set of problems. In each case, their man’s livelihood depends on getting up close and personal with the public. Things might never go wrong, but if they ever did, they could go real wrong in a hurry.
    When it comes to cooperation, the kids are the easiest. Jeff-Jeff usually does what he’s told without an argument and certainly Shana is no problem. Sheri is the next best client. At first she was tough to handle, but we talked and I was able to get her to understand that she was being inconsiderate to people whose jobs depend on keeping her and the kids safe. That’s all it took. I think Sheri always has thought of herself as considerate, but she simply had not thought of security in terms of other people’s jobs and their sense of duty. But the boss makes up for all of them when it comes to control problems.