She Took It All

  Chapter Five

  Ted had little to say until we reached the main building where the boilers were located. They were massive. The boiler room was spotless and the floor was painted a battleship gray. Much of the piping was copper and I could see it was kept polished in and around the gauges. The gauges themselves were of brass. It made a beautiful sight. Over on the far edge of the room there was a diesel engine that turned a generator.

  “The generator is just for the boilers and the pumps, not for the whole plant. We don’t often lose power, but if we did, it is a bear to recycle everything and get the boilers restarted. Part of that problem is not having the force draft powered up for the smokestack.”

  “I’ll take your word on everything. I don’t know anything about the operation.”

  “Do you want to see where the oil is stored? The tanks are in an underground bunker and they are accessible to view. They have to be checked for leakage and deterioration. They were installed fifty years ago and guaranteed for seventy-five. You never know, though. When and if they do have to be replaced it will be a major undertaking because they are so huge. I won’t be around to be involved, thank God.”

  We toured two of the buildings. There was no equipment of any sort. There was no trash either, just empty space. There were freight elevators, which was something I hadn’t given any thought being needed here. There would have to be modern lifts installed when the remodeling was undertaken. I remarked that having granite underneath all the area was a plus. The shafts for the elevators had to be very stable. Each modification brought its own problem.

  It seemed as if there were a million window openings in each building. When these buildings were constructed, it was before electricity was readily available and natural lighting was the norm. Three of the buildings were three stories high and four were four stories. My warehouse was the only one of two stories.

  Ted and I sat in my office after we finished the tour. “How are you going to get this started? Molly is excited and you are and I guess I am, but you don’t just say let’s do it, do you?”

  “No. I am familiar with a person who has done something similar to this before. He is in the construction business. I will contact him and see if he will come out and look the situation over. He rehabbed a whole riverfront of manufacturing buildings in one town. He did twice as many buildings as there is here. I have no idea what he started with, but it seems as if here there is a lot to work with. Foundations are good. The roofs are slate and tight and the floors are supported with steel.

  “Would you fill Molly in when I drop you off? I’m really getting excited about this. Maybe it will excite her as well.”

  “Good God she doesn’t need to get more excited than she has been lately.” He realized what he had just said and in what context. He looked at me sidewise and grinned, not saying anything. He got into my pickup and looked straight ahead. When we reached Molly’s house, he asked, “Are you coming in?”

  “Naw. Just tell her I’m going to be giving this a lot of time. Tell her this isn’t going to be done in a day, so for her not to get anxious if I don’t have anything right off to report. I do know people and I’m as interested in this as she is.”

  Ted did not repeat his offer to go in with him, so I knew he was just being polite by asking. Shelly was due to meet Molly in the middle of the afternoon. Still maybe time for Ted and Molly and one of those quickies she was always talking about. A load of bakery goods arrived and I put all thought of the Fortiers out of my mind.

  Shelly came home after spending three hours with Molly. “My God, how has that woman ever done anything at all? It is a good thing the people she has dealt with are honest. She brought in seven big boxes of financial statements and correspondence, plunking it down on the dining room table.

  “She has investments all over the country and doesn’t know a thing about investing herself. There are three separate investment houses and of course they don’t interact with each other. That is good I think, but she has charged me with finding out how much she is worth. Crooks could have spent her right into the poorhouse.

  “I told her I wouldn’t give her a figure yet, but doing some mental calculations in my head from the last statements, she must be worth between three and four hundred million. That makes your ex-wife a virtual poor woman with her sixty and seventy million.”

  “How did you know how much Elizabeth is worth?”

  “I was talking to her and she was worried about sending Jimmy to college. She told me and I believe her.”

  “I told Molly I would never know how much money she had, so don’t tell me anything more about her finances.”

  “I was giving you a broad range. It may be less or it may be more. It is going to take a long time to for me to put this all in an account book. The real estate isn’t in the figures I quoted either. I’ll get that amount from you when you start collecting figures to see about financing.”

  “What about taxes? That should give some idea of her net worth.”

  “Her tax man is an eighty-three-old man that tabulates everything on an old upright typewriter. He always has to ask for an extension just because he is so slow and there is so much of it. She won’t fire him. She says it would break his heart. Working with him is going to be part of my job.”

  “Your job sounds as if it is going to be interesting.”

  “Yes, and I’m so glad to working again. I want to pull my weight in our family.”

  “You don’t have to feel you have to work. I’ll be making enough to support us and do all of the things we want to do.”

  “I know that. Tell me how you felt when you were married to Elizabeth. She paid for everything. The roles are reversed in our marriage. If working for Molly hadn’t come along, I’d be your permanent truck driver just so I could show I was your partner. I think if I did that my ability would be wasted. I am a trained accountant. That is what I should be doing and now I have the chance.”

  “I’m with you all the way. You still are the homemaker though. I know you well enough that you will keep the kids and me first above any job.”

  “I will. I don’t ever want our children in the same position my girls and me were in when I first met you. Jimmy was right there with my girls and he had a different problem. You recognized that he was being denied the attention he should have had. As little as I had, I was providing a service to him. I will continue to do so.” Shelly and I were on the same wavelength, no doubt about that.

  ———————

  The next three months brought about many changes. The first was that Ronnie was laid off from his job. By this time, Shelly was solidly entrenched in the good graces of Molly Fortier. Molly had moved in with Ted, as his house had the more modern conveniences. Shelly wrangled a job for her ex-husband, Ronnie, by suggesting Molly totally remodel her house as long as it was empty.

  Renovator’s Supply must have been happy to start receiving such large orders for period fixtures. The several coats of paint were stripped from the casings and old paper stripped from the walls. The tin ceilings were carefully removed and taken to a shop where they could be stripped as well. One room where there had been a water leak, the tin tiles had rusted, and had to be replaced. Again, tiles were found in the catalog at Renovators Supply.

  I was concerned about Ronnie’s ability to do quality work, but found out the reason why he was laid off first when a layoff came. It was because he worked with so much attention to detail, he came off as being slow. This was just what Molly needed in a house of this type and he was coming into his own. He eventually hired two helpers of the same bent. Molly was tickled as the progress began to show what she wanted and willingly signed the checks.

  Shelly’s job too, was evolving. She freely admitted to Molly that certain segments of the job were beyond the capabilities of what she was trained in doing. She knew what was needed and was a big player when a three-man financial planning group was hired. She still did any personal finances of Molly’s, and she worke
d closely with the group. Her only comment to me was that Molly would be paying an extra million in capital gains the year after she started work.

  Shelly was home with the kids when they were at home. I wasn’t so lucky. It seemed as if I was always having a meeting to go to in the evening. Sometimes I had to be away a few days at a time, but I absolutely refused to be away on the weekend.

  This was family time. Neil was back and I guess he and Elizabeth had come to some kind of agreement. He did not have much to say about his week with her in the east, but he was content enough. I put him right to work investigating what was needed to get this project underway.

  At this point Molly wanted me in charge, although I felt a little weird about it. Neil did not seem to mind and was willing for me to pilot him through the hoops. Ted would also do anything asked of him.

  Two weeks after we got down to this, Elizabeth was sitting in her vehicle waiting at the house when Shelly got home from Molly’s. Jimmy recognized his mother’s car and went running inside after getting off the school bus. Elizabeth had presents for him and for the two girls, treating them all equally.

  My question to her when I arrived, “Are you staying with us the same as you did before?”

  Her face flushed when she replied, “No, I’m staying at Neil Fortier’s house until I find a piece of property. I’m looking for something a lot smaller than I had back east. Oh, by the way, the property we owned together one time has been sold. I am moving out to this area permanently. I want to be near the kids. You know I have had what I consider many friends, but none are closer to me than you and Shelly.”

  “What are Madie and Will going to do? They have been working for you since we bought the house shortly after we were married.”

  “That has been the holdup why I haven’t bought a place yet. I want them to have their own home so what I’m looking for is two small houses close together. Neil is working with some realtors who are searching for just what I need.”

  “What about you and Neil?”

  “I’m attracted to Neil, but we have different goals in life. He is finally awake to the fact that he is the last in a long line of the Fortiers. He is looking for a woman who will give him children to carry on his name. I don’t blame him. I am sad that my father’s name ended when I married you. My people just never had the sense of family that Neil’s has.

  “Mrs. Fortier wasn’t so much worried about Neil pissing away his money, as she was worried about him not carrying on the family name.”

  “So what is the problem? You are still young enough to still have children.”

  “Yes, but I’m not sure I want anymore babies. Just to produce a child to carry on a family name seems shallow. What if I have girls instead of a boy? I just don’t think I’m in love with Neil that deeply.”

  “You still may fall in love with Neil and you may change your mind yet. Elizabeth, I am impressed. I think you are correct and are wise to hold off getting married for only one single reason. Stay for dinner tonight?”

  “Sure, I would like to stay. Neil is coming over to take me out, but I want to visit with the kids. I’ll call him and put him off.”

  “Invite him for dinner with us. That is if you are still friends.”

  “John, we are a little more than just friends. I’m just not sure, that is all.”

  There was genuine affection shown between my ex-wife and Neil when he arrived. They did make a handsome couple and I couldn’t fault her for being a little uncertain. She had one failed marriage (ours) under her belt and one half-year relationship (Brian) that turned out badly. She was definitely gun-shy. It was early in their relationship, and it needed time to mature.

  I made an announcement as we were having coffee after the kids had gone to the other room. “I have arranged for Christian Stone to fly out from Massachusetts. He is head of the construction company I told you about that was from the east.

  “He is the contractor who rehabbed the waterfront factories. He is going to bring a design engineer and an architect with him. They’ll be here Monday afternoon.

  “Molly is going to open up her house for them to stay in. It is not finished yet, but enough is completed so they will be comfortable. We should know before they leave if what we have is a go. Neil, I want you there of course and Ted should be there to answer any questions. I will be escorting Molly so she can veto any suggestions immediately if she thinks they are too radical.

  “I have cautioned her and the same to you, Neil. Please don’t mention money or where the financing will come from. I don’t want them to know anything beyond what they see on the ground. We’ll all meet in Molly’s living room every evening to discuss what has been looked at during the day.”

  My ex-wife asked, “May I be present too? I can walk with you and Molly.” There was silence. It went on for a little longer than was comfortable.

  Then Elizabeth burst out laughing. “I saw Molly when she left Ted’s house as I was coming from Neil’s to come over here. She has invited me already. I just wanted to see your reaction. Molly called me and apologized for leading me wrong with Neil. We have been on the phone together several times lately.

  “She has come to grips to the fact that I’m not after his money, so therefore I’m acceptable. Boy Neil, does your mother have a vocabulary. She just has the courage to say what she thinks. I wish I was more like her.” This made us all laugh. None of us could imagine Elizabeth swearing like Molly.

  When Shelly and I got in bed and were snuggling together, I said, “I’ll lay a bet that Elizabeth and Neil will be married someday. I think they are sleeping together and they haven’t known each other very long. I was watching both of them tonight. They kept looking at each other, she at him as much as him at her.

  “Another thing, I don’t think she is as adamant about not having children as she says she is. Sandy crawled up on the couch and Elizabeth hugged her to her bosom. When Sandy laid her head in her lap, Elizabeth was looking down on Sandy with love in her eyes. Jimmy was treated the same way when Sandy got up. She’ll be having little Fortiers, mark my words.”

  “That’s like us having little Rheingolds isn’t it?” I rolled over and snapped the light on. There was a happy grin on Shelly’s face. “I missed my monthly two weeks ago. I’m going to wait one more week before I do a test.” I went to sleep a happy man.

  Christian Stone, Developer; George Caruthers; Design Engineer, and Mindy Evans, Architect, arrived late in the day on Monday. They came into my office saying it was too late to do any business today. I drove them over to Molly’s house where she met them and showed them where to put their things. She and Ted were going to entertain them in Ted’s house for the evening and I would pick them up when they were ready in the morning.

  They were waiting. Neil, Elizabeth, Ted and Molly were with them and she was giving Mindy a tour of her house and showing off what Ronnie Waters was doing to it. Mindy was impressed and said so. “I’m inclined to have him do Ted’s house where we had dinner last night and the middle one that belongs to Neil as well.”

  “That would be nice. When you get to redoing and repairing the stucco, you should go with some soft colors and get away from the cement color they are now.”

  “I’ll do it. That would take away from the period look.”

  When we arrived at the factory building, it was all business. The three of them were talking an almost different language and it left us wondering what they were saying. They walked up the middle of the street between the buildings and were making notes continually on their pads. They concentrated on one side and then would concentrate on the other side when returning.

  Christian asked, “Is this a public street?”

  Ted answered, “No, the public way ends where the warehouse begins. At one time Mr. Fortier tried to turn it over to the city, but it is three and a half feet too narrow and they wouldn’t accept it. There are streets bordering both the other sides of the buildings.” More scribbling on the pads of paper.

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p; The design engineer took many photos of the buildings. Ones where the building were shown together and each one separately. Ted did the tour of the boiler rooms and heating plant. The subject about the warehouse was pretty much ignored. “We’ll go inside tomorrow and look at the condition of the buildings from that angle.” That was it at the location today.

  We all went home to clean up for dinner. Molly was having caterers come in and cook dinner in Ted’s kitchen. There would be a meeting after that where it was comfortable. Shelly wanted to be with me, but she couldn’t round up a babysitter. “Get one for tomorrow evening. We’ll be meeting again after another day of the same.”

  The meeting began after Molly had served brandy. Christian recapped what they had covered during the day. He then asked a question. “Who operates the business in the warehouse? I saw a lot of activity in and around it. Does whoever owns the business own the building?”

  Molly answered as eyes swung my way. “I own the building, but John has a lease and an option to buy if it is sold. It is pretty well tied up. Why?”

  “You must realize it has to go. It chokes off two thirds of the access to all of the buildings.”

  There was silence and I sat there looking unconcerned. Molly spoke again. “John, this upsets your applecart doesn’t it. You can hold up the whole project or tie it up in court for a long time.”

  “I knew this was coming Molly. I think if you and I get somewhere where we can speak alone, we can come to some agreement on the disposal of the warehouse. I’ll present my thoughts on Friday morning giving these people time to look over my proposal. Let’s do the buildings and forget about the warehouse for the time being.”

  “John, when are we going to get together?”

  “I’ll come for coffee early Friday morning. I will want you, Ted and Neil present. Shelly is involved, but the kids need to get off to school and I promised her I would tell her all about it when she arrived. I want us all in agreement before I say anything to Christian.”

  “Okay, you have evidently thought of something. I’ll leave it until we meet Friday.”

  It seemed as if every one of us walked miles when examining the interior of the buildings. George and Mindy had their heads close consulting about what they observed throughout the day. Everyone was tired and Molly came through again for the evening meal.

  It was cold today and she had a barbecue set up in the carriage barn behind her house. A different crew catered the meal. I looked over at Elizabeth and she was eating ribs with her fingers—and she had grease all over her face. It was not so long ago I was dressing for dinner and Madie and Will would be serving us. Jimmy would be dressed and sitting beside his mother.

  She would have her eyes on him teaching him table etiquette and deportment. I understood that this changed after she and I were divorced and he then often ate in the kitchen with Madie and Will. Elizabeth most usually dined out while Jimmy was being ignored at home. So much has changed.

  Shelly was late and when she arrived she had Sandy, Kathy and Jimmy with her. Molly had never met the kids before this and she felt it was about time. They were all dressed in sweatshirts and jeans. Jimmy stepped to his mother for a kiss and hug. She opened her arms for the two girls and she gave them the same.

  She turned to Mindy Evans, explaining, “These are my ex-husband’s children. I love them all. My son Jimmy found the girls and then John found Shelly, the girl’s mother, and then I found them. I’m now included in their family.” Shelly and Elizabeth both presented them to Molly.

  Sandy spoke to Molly, “My Daddy works for you. He said you are very happy with his work and loves his job. I think he is going to get married soon. I like Pam an awful lot too.”

  “Well if your daddy asks his lady friend to be his bride, we will have to see that they have a nice wedding. I haven’t met her yet, but I’m sure I will soon.” The caterers served hot apple pie and ice cream for dessert. We then went inside.

  Molly took the kids in hand and went around to the rooms their father had been working in. She had one back bedroom to compare the completed ones to the one in front. It was torn apart, with the old paper stripped from the walls and some of the moldings were out having the paint mechanically removed. These she planned on having varnished.

  Meanwhile those of us in the meeting went over what had been covered today. The number of windows had been counted, and all would be replaced. It was going to be extremely expensive because the window openings had an arch to them and were not rectangular. This would entail a small curved sash at the top of each one. The saving feature was that the windows were all identical in size.

  To anyone who thought this was just for beauty would be mistaken. The windows were arched to support the weight of the bricks above the window. It was the same principle as the Romans used in building their bridges for their troops and war machines to travel over from one end of the empire to the other.

  “How are you going to finance this?” This was Christian Stone asking. No one answered. “I take it you haven’t reached that point in the process yet.”

  Neil answered, “No, we haven’t yet. We were waiting on you to tell us if it was something worth doing.” Molly had come in with the kids as he spoke.

  “It definitely is worth doing. I haven’t run into anything that isn’t structurally sound. This was what I was concerned about at the time John called me about the buildings. He assured me they were solid and that is why I agreed to come out and take a look. In fact when we get all of the specs drawn up, I would like to have my company bid on doing the construction.”

  He continued, “What you need to do is form a holding company to own the companies that are actually involved in the workings of the project. An entity can go after the government grants and the bank financing. You can put only what part of your personal fortune into the company you feel comfortable with and won’t have your remainder at risk.

  “John is your consultant and he has discussed this just a little with me. He has mentioned a man that he knows by the name of Bret Turnbull. He is tops in his field at this sort of structuring companies and you couldn’t do any better if you can get him to work for you. There are others of course, but if you want, have him call me when you are ready.”

  The meeting continued with us discussing leasing the first levels and what stores we would want. The second floors would contain offices. The third floors would become apartments. Those buildings that had four floors would have apartments on both the third and forth.

  The huge open lofts in all seven buildings would be divided into storage facilities for the apartments as the elevators would reach up to this high level. There were no windows in the lofts and with slate roofs except in the ends. It was determined that water could seep in around any dormers cut into the roof. It would be better not to disturb the slate.

  I held a meeting with Molly, Neil, Ted, Shelly and myself Thursday afternoon. At the last minute, I asked Elizabeth to be present as well. We met in the warehouse office. “Molly, I have been hired as your consultant. I realized early on that that at some point it would conflict with my own business interests. I do think if the project goes forward, it will provide many jobs for the city. Also, it will give us a chance to create a memorial to your Frank and to those who helped build this city.

  “The buildings here are unique in that they are solid, so why would we want to destroy them and build something modern and ugly in their place. My idea is to reconfigure several things. First, the warehouse does have to go, but in its place, a parking garage should be constructed. This garage should be twice the footprint in size of the warehouse. There is room so that makes it possible. It also should rise to the height of the tallest of the old factory buildings and it should be designed to look much like its neighbors.

  “The narrow street between the buildings could be covered and become a huge patio with no vehicles allowed. Office workers, tenants, and customers alike could utilize this space to relax. The people permanently living here would hav
e garage space in the new garage, which would be included in their rent. That would take up nearly a third of the spaces as I conjecture. Another third of the parking spaces would be for the daily office holders and the rest would be available for customers who would be shopping the stores.

  “The factories in the past were always serviced from the streets on either side so the street between the buildings was not ever part of the city. Very fortuitous for our project. This could even be a blueprint for that other abandoned manufacturing building farther up the street to the north of us.”

  Molly spoke now that I paused for breath. “How much is it going to cost me to buy you out of your lease here on this warehouse?”

  “I can’t answer that yet. I have found another piece of property that I can make do to replace what I have leased here in the warehouse. It is not as good as this is, but it is convenient. The one problem is, the owner doesn’t want to lease, he wants to sell. It is located the other side of the beltway, and that part is good, for it is closer to the pig farm.”

  “What is the biggest problem with it other than having to buy it?”

  “It is another small old factory building located at 1437 Meldrin Street that has been mostly converted into housing all ready. The two upper stories have been completed. There were to be five new apartments on the ground floor and that would be where my machinery would go. I think the ten apartments in the two floors above are okay, but the tenants might not like a business being conducted below them.”

  “If you can use it, John, we will work it out with the tenants.”

  “Okay Molly, but I might have to come to you for financing.”

  “Fine, tell me how much and when you need it.” She started smiling. “I think you set me up John. We all knew before we started this that the warehouse had to go. You kept quiet about it and we hated to say anything in case it upset you.

  “We had the feeling if we upset you; you would raise the cost of us buying back the option and the lease. I should have known better. We’ll work together in getting you set up somewhere else and I promise you will be the better for it.”

  “Thanks, Molly. To relieve your mind further, I really believe in this project and I am glad to be a part of it. We will be meeting with Christian and the people I brought in tomorrow as promised. I have some sketches to back up my ideas. This should round out to what the project will look like in five years when it is completed. I guess this wraps it up for today.

  “I’ll have a short meeting with Christian in the morning. I will be back for our usual sit-down after dinner tomorrow night. Is there anything else we should cover?” There wasn’t.

  The meeting in the morning went well and was brief. I had a lot of work of my own to do and I didn’t make the dinner meeting. I had a phone call from another bakery who was interested in my operation. It was in another city.

  Before this, I had never considered going this far from my base, but I would listen to what those at the bakery had to say. It meant an overnight stay and I hated being away overnight. I left immediately so I could be back in the early afternoon on Saturday.

  Shelly was waiting for me to get home to talk about the meeting last evening at Molly’s house. “You were the main topic of conversation you know? It was the consensus that you be offered the job of devoting your efforts totally to getting this project started and seeing it through until it is completed. Something such as a general manager.

  “When the job is complete, a well paying job would be created to give you employment the rest of your life.”

  “Whose idea was this?”

  “Christian brought it up. He is impressed with what you have done so far. Molly signed right on of course.” Shelly stopped speaking, but I knew she had more to say. I waited. “John, all of a sudden, I’m earning good money and you are being paid an exorbitant amount as a consultant. However, I feel as if we are losing control of our lives. I was happy when you were just a small business owner making pig feed.”

  “What brought this on?”

  “It was something Elizabeth said. She said you deserve to become rich. You could say you were rich once before or at least you had a rich wife. Do you want to be rich again? I am just asking, because I want to know where we are heading. To me, I’m living the richest right now I have ever been in my entire life. I don’t need more, but I’m with you wherever we are heading.”

  “I’ve certainly changed direction since I met you. This project is such an incredible chance to do something for the city and the hundreds of people that are going to be living and working here. Yes, and we are doing something for ourselves as well. We are being productive. It is a good lesson for the kids.

  “I hate to keep mentioning Elizabeth, but she never has had to be productive. She is somewhat lost right now. Neil is involved. Molly and Ted certainly are just as we are. She has had to take a backseat when we are busy.”

  “John, don’t give up on her yet. She is your biggest booster and I believe she is taking a big interest in this project. I think she is falling for Neil and if she wants to make a life with him, she will find something to do to help him. Molly was giving up on Neil at one time and look at him now. He is a major player in all of this. Elizabeth just might become one too.”

  Christian stayed around for two more weeks. His contracting business was getting ready for a job he had successfully bid on, Mindy Evans and George Caruthers were now on the payroll working at getting prepared for the permitting process. They were promising they would have everything squared away to start applying for the necessary permits by September, 1st.

  Molly and Elizabeth stopped by the house. Spring school vacation was coming up. Elizabeth wanted to take the kids to Disneyland. She said she would take us all. Sandy, who really liked her father’s girlfriend, asked if Pam could be included. This was agreeable, as we were friendly with her. Ronnie and Pam were planning a June wedding, so she was eventually going to be a part of our extended family.

  Neil wanted to go, of course. Molly said, “By God I want in on this little junket. Ted doesn’t want to go. Get Ronnie to go too. He has been working hard all winter. Who is going to make reservations, you Elizabeth?” Elizabeth nodded that she was.

  The kids went to their room all excited to be going to Disneyland. Shelly spoke up, “Count John and me out. He is taking me up to Chicago to see some plays and maybe a concert. We want to hit some really fine restaurants. What I am saying is, this is our honeymoon of sorts. A woman should go on a honeymoon before she begins to waddle. That’s what will be happening soon.”

  “Knocked up are you? Congratulations.” Only Molly would ask if Shelly was with child this way. “Good, we will give the kids a good time. The kids know about the baby yet?”

  “No, not yet. We will tell them when we all get home.”

  The kids were wired for the next three weeks waiting for the day they would leave. I had to get on Jimmy and Kathy about doing their homework. Sandy was never a worry. This was something I had never had to do before. Monday, on the day after the decision to go on vacation, I went by the old factory where I was thinking of moving my business.

  It was still for sale and there hadn’t been any offers made on it for more than three months. The owner had stopped the renovations for the first floor after deciding he was going to sell. I informed the realtor I might make an offer in a few weeks. I didn’t want to appear too anxious and claimed I still only wanted to lease the property.

  The vacation finally came. Shelly and I were at the airport to see the children, Molly, Ronnie, Pam, Neil and Elizabeth board. We were driving to Chicago and planned to make a leisurely journey of it. We checked into a hotel and had dinner there as well. There was dancing in the evening and as we weren’t going to make a late night of it, we stayed just long enough to dance a couple of sets.

  “Are you happy?”

  “John, I’m so happy. A year ago, right after I lost my job, I had to worry about paying the rent, feeding the kids and getting enough ga
s into the tank to take the kids to school. Now look at me, I’m snuggled up to a man who treats me like a queen. My children love him as much as I do. I have a new son who adores me and I’m pregnant by the man I love. Not only that, I’m friends again with the man who I figured was never going to be able to pay me child support. Now the check comes every month and the kids enjoy visiting him and his girlfriend. I feel so rich!”

  “Is being rich one of your dreams?”

  “No, I don’t have to have any more than I have right now. Let’s go to sleep with a smile in our hearts. You can expect an early wake-up session in the morning before we go for a late breakfast.” That sounded like a plan to me. That is pretty much how the week went.

  One thing we did do. We asked where we could find the best steak in town. We were pointed toward one on the outskirts of the city. We were also a little nonplussed when we found out it had topless waitresses. The steak was the best I had ever eaten and the scenery was excellent. Needless to say, I didn’t wait for a wake-up session in the morning. I took care of business before we went to sleep.

  All too soon, it was time to go back home and face the everyday problems. We were rejuvenated though, and eager for whatever might come up. George Caruthers and Mindy Evans had been working on the plans we would need to remodel the empty factory buildings. Soon we would have enough details to go to the city board with our intentions to rehab this section on the north side of the city.

  The kids came back with all kinds of souvenirs from their trip. We understood Molly was as excited and acted much like the three children. She collected as much junk as they did too. Shelly and I didn’t buy much in Chicago, but we sure had many of the memories of the theater and the one country and western concert we had attended.

  I guess the Steak House was mine. All I had to do to break Shelly up is to mention going somewhere for a nice juicy steak. She would go into a fit of giggles.

  There was help that we weren’t aware of right under our noses that became known during the trip to Disneyland. Pam said she had done some grant searching at one place she was employed. She was thirty-six, five years older than Ronnie, and their work histories paralleled each other’s in that they never had held a job for more than a few years at each place.

  She had also written copy for a newspaper. Molly hired her on the spot and said she would keep her busy until the project demanded all of her time. She said her husband Frank, had kept some journals that belonged to his ancestors and wanted the facts in them put into a chronological history of the factories they had started.

  Shelly and I informed the kids that Shelly was pregnant and would be having a baby some time around Thanksgiving. Jimmy was slightly embarrassed, Kathy said wow, and Sandy wanted to know details. Shelly promised to share. Sandy was eleven now and it was time for her to know. Why Kathy had never filled her in, I couldn’t say. You would have thought an older sister would have.

  It was a week after our vacation that I decided I would go talk to the realtor who had the old factory building listed. I called for an appointment to see if the salesman I had talked to previously was in. He was. “I am sorry to inform you Mr. Rheingold that the property was sold two weeks ago. A person came in and offered the asking price. She paid cash. I told her you had an interest in leasing the property, if she wanted to go that route. She was quite noncommittal. In fact the woman has the same last name as you.”

  “I’m guessing her first name was Elizabeth.”

  “Yes, that was her name. Do you know her?”

  “Very well. We have a son together, although we are divorced.”

  “I’d say if you two are friendly at all, you might make a deal with her.”

  “That’s a thought. Thank you anyway.”

  I called Shelly. “Guess what. That building I wanted to lease when I had to move has been sold. Elizabeth bought it. I wonder what she has in mind. She damned sure is not going to produce pig food or manage a bunch of apartments. What should I do about this?”

  “John, I imagine she has some plan and I’m sure you will be involved. I guess I would pretend you didn’t know she purchased the property. She’ll let you know when she is ready to divulge the details.”

  “I’m a little disappointed. I thought this would be the perfect place for my business. Well, I’m going to start looking again. I won’t have to move for at least a year, so I have time.”

  I saw Neil and Elizabeth that afternoon together as always, for lately one never went anywhere without the other. She looked at me as if she was waiting for me to bring up something. I didn’t. As they left, she looked a bit worried. I would wait her out. I wondered if she felt she had done something and now regretted it.

  Two days went by. I was busy in the warehouse and I was meeting daily with George and Mindy. Mindy wanted her firm to get the contract to draw up the blue-prints. My thoughts were on the project when Elizabeth called, “John, when you leave the warehouse this afternoon, may I have five minutes of your time?”

  “I have time for you anytime. Where would you like me to meet you?”

  “I’ll sit with you if you have your truck. As I said, it will only be for a few minutes.”

  “Here, outside the warehouse?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, see you at five.” I called Shelly and told her I would be a few minutes late because I was about to find out what Elizabeth was up to.

  It was a few minutes after five by the time I had the warehouse closed and locked up. Elizabeth got out of her vehicle and stood beside my truck waiting. I opened the passenger’s door. She had on a tight skirt and had to hike it up high to climb in. “John, showing you my legs was unintentional. We should have got into my car. I thought you would be more comfortable in your truck with what I am going to tell you.”

  “Hey, I’ve seen your legs before. I am more concerned about why you wanted to see me.”

  “John, I have done something and it may have been a mistake. I wanted to do something good for you, but after it was done, I worried that you would not be all that happy with me.”

  “Just tell me what it is. I can’t imagine my being too upset with you.”

  “Okay. What I did was to purchase the property you indicated you wanted to lease for the upcoming move of your business. Now I’m worried you will think I am interfering. I have made some changes to what I intended as a gift and the papers have not been filed yet, so if you will accept it as a gift I will be pleased and I worried for nothing. Will you?”

  “I don’t think I should. It is too much, but I think you were great for thinking of helping me. Tell me how you can change from giving me the property?”

  “What I have done was also to have papers drawn up to have the property transferred to Jimmy and his sisters to be held in trust until they are of age. You can lease the property from the trust. Jimmy is my son and it is time he starts to accumulate some wealth on his own. You can give him your values, but I still want to be involved. I can see where you wouldn’t want him to have the same values I had by just having millions of dollars turned over to me at some point.”

  “His stepsisters are included?”

  “Yes, totally. I watched them while on vacation and I do not want any of them treated better than the others. All you have to do is sign the papers.”

  “Why do I have to sign any papers?”

  “Because I have you down as trust manager.”

  “Who thought this all out?”

  “Somehow I knew you wouldn’t accept the property from me. I had Neil set it up and make out the paperwork. Do you think this will make it more acceptable to you?”

  “Who sets the terms of the lease if I go forward?”

  “I’d say you do. You will have to go through a trust officer who hasn’t been named yet, but that is pretty much a formality. Just as long as the property is intact when the youngest child comes of age. This will not include your new baby. You’re on your own with the new one.”

  “Let me talk it over with She
lly. I think she will be happy with the children having something in place for the future.” Elizabeth started to get down out of the truck.

  She paused. “One other bit of news. Neil has asked me to marry him. He is five years younger than I am, but it doesn’t seem to concern him.”

  “You said one time you didn’t want any more children. Has that changed?”

  “Yes. I see how happy you and Shelly are with Jimmy and the girls. Ronnie and Pam are just as comfortable with Jimmy and his two sisters. I’ve decided I really am missing something by not having another family. I have come to love Neil and I want what he wants.

  “John, I could wish it might have been you, but we never would have got there. I was two shallow when I was married to you and you were too serious about life. I think now we are approaching some middle ground even though we aren’t together.

  “There is another situation that I am contemplating. The realty agency that has been handling your lease that listed the buildings here is up for sale. I may invest in it and I might even become involved in its management. I’ve been a drone for thirty-one years. It’s time I did something productive.”

  “You amaze me, you really do.”

  “Maybe, but it is all because of you.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “I guess I was getting sick of the life I was living after we divorced. I knew you did not love me for my money, and after awhile you did not even love me. It took awhile until I was aware of all of this. After the divorce, I thought I could find love anywhere. I had plenty of money to buy love. However, I was hollow until I came out here after the Brian fiasco.

  “The thing is you care about people. You cared enough about me to fold me into your new family. What more could a disillusioned rich woman want. You showed me the way to have the same.

  “You’ve done the same for Molly, Neil and Ted. You also did the same for Ronnie, the father of Kathy and Sandy. Oh hell, go home to your wife. I love you John, but the only way I can show you how much is through our son, Jimmy.”

  Elizabeth slammed the truck door and headed over to her car. She turned once and I could see tears trickling down her cheeks. I knew we would never have a more intimate conversation than the one that had just occurred. I signed the papers the next day and returned them to Neil and Elizabeth.

  “Elizabeth, when everything is recorded, would you have dinner with us and explain what you have done for the children. It is a gift that can keep on giving and I want you to have the total credit for it.”

  “I wouldn’t know how to tell them. You can do it much better than I can.”

  “You just come to dinner and we will work it out. The kids are more intelligent than we give them credit for and will soon realize how much of a gift it is. I want them to know a little of what is behind it as well. I’ll explain that part.”

  “Okay, but don’t get too carried away.”

  It was two weeks later when Elizabeth and Neil came to dinner. She shared with us that she was in fact going to marry Neil. Jimmy had no problem with Neil becoming his stepfather. This was much different from the problems he had had with Brian. The girls liked him, as he was familiar to them while on vacation at Disneyland.

  He announced, “Elizabeth and I are soon going to have a civil ceremony. When summer comes and after Ronnie and Pam are married in June, we are planning a big blowout. It will be behind my mother’s house. We might get some horses for you to ride. If you have any special friends, we will invite them too. My mother has planned a big wedding for Ronnie and Pam, so the blowout will be for all of us.”

  We ate dinner and then Elizabeth said we should all go into the living room as she had something more she wanted to say. She spoke first to Jimmy. “Jimmy, you are aware that I have some money. While I was married to your father, he was intimidated by this fact and eventually it became contentious between us. This was one of the reasons we parted. I have always wanted him to receive more from our late marriage than he has.

  “He now needs a place to move his business to. I have resolved this by purchasing the building where he wanted to place his business. Still he will not accept it from me directly. This is what I have done. I have put the property into a trust for you, Kathy, and Sandy. You three in essence now own it. When Sandy, the youngest of you three become twenty-one, it will be owned in your names.

  “This trust was arranged at one of the banks here in the city and as such there is an officer to make sure the terms of the trust are fulfilled. He has okayed that John Rheingold be named manager of the property. Therefore, this boils down to you kids own property and your father works for you. As manager, he is expected to look out for your interests to the best of his ability and have the property show a profit.

  “I would suggest you lease a part of said property to him and his business. There are, as you may know, ten apartments above where his business is going to be. He has to see that all are maintained and he has to collect rents etc. The money from the rents and his own lease is where money to pay him as manager and profit for you as owners comes from. Do you understand how this is going to work?”

  “I do. You bought property and gave it to us. The money we get from that will be used to pay Papa for taking care of it for us until we get old enough to do it for ourselves.”

  “That’s right Sandy. When you have the property in your names, you may want to sell it to him and bank the money. This will start you all on the road to be well set in life. You could even sell the property to your father for any price you wish as long as it is agreeable among you three. Or maybe you will want to continue as property owners and take over as managers. It is for you to do what you want with the property.”

  “Dad, when can we go see what we own?”

  “Tomorrow we will. I have to meet the tenants and explain what is happening. I have to tell them there is a business going in on the first floor. I will mention there might be some jobs available for those that need one. I’m sure we will lose one or two tenants, but that is to be expected and they can be replaced with new ones.

  “You kids can help by being friendly and listen while we are talking. Remember the old man back east, who was your landlord, and how he hated to evict you. That was showing concern for his fellowman. We will try to be like him as much as we can.” The children ran into the other room to discuss this.

  “You’re all right with this, John?”

  “Yes, and it will be a good learning experience for the kids. I have a place to move to and it is a good piece of property to own. It should generate quite a bit of income for them.”

  I smiled and then spoke, “You know Elizabeth; you are finally beginning to see what I was trying to get across to you while we were married. I imagine someday you will make Jimmy an heir to part of your millions. That is what happened when you received the money from your parents.

  “You didn’t earn those millions so they didn’t hold as much value to you as they will to Jimmy. He’ll work and try to increase his property value and that is where the real appreciation of wealth lies. In the meantime you are making things a lot easier for me and I thank you.”

  “Great, I feel good about making this move and to see you have a place to put your business. I do understand, finally.” There was a self-satisfied smile on my ex-wife’s face and I granted it was well deserved.