The Lifeguard

By Orrin Rush (Of Blessed Memory)

Published on Mar 8, 2001

Gay

Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction. If you are

offended by graphic descriptions of homosexual acts, go

somewhere else.

Copyright c 2001 by Orrin C. Rush. All rights reserved.

Neither this story nor any parts of it may be distributed

electronically or in any other manner without the express,

written consent of the author.

This is a work of fiction, any resemblance of the characters

to anyone living or dead is pure coincidence and not

intended. They are all products of the author's imagination.


THE LIFEGUARD

Chapter 40

Four rather dejected young men were led into my office. Eric

had demanded that I sit in, and since my office was bigger,

that's where we had waited for them.

"We come on bended knee," Greg, spokesman for the group,

said. "We're desperate, and you, Eric, are our only hope. I

don't want to sound too dramatic, but we're in a life and

death situation here. Micron's future is at stake."

This sounded serious. I got interested real fast because

Lundborg Rush's future could be in jeapordy too.

"Let me fill you in with some background so you'll understand

what's going on," Greg continued. "A couple of weeks ago, we

heard a rumor about something really hot floating around. It

was rumored to be a 'breakthrough' platform that was so

revolutionary that it would open the door to not just the

next generation of software but be a quantum leap ahead.

"Just like everybody else who heard about it, we pooh poohed

it as being too good to be true. Then, one of our

programmers got hold of a copy, but that's another story. We

looked at it, and it WAS true. Using it, the possibilities

are endless, and whoever owns that technology is going to

control the software industry for years to come.

"The copy we had came off the Internet, and we were able to

track down the source. Eventually we found the kid who

developed it. Jerry jumped on the phone and called him, set

up an appointment and flew out to talk to him."

At this point, Jerry jumped in. "Zip, zero, zilch. That's

what I got. He'd barely talk to me, and I made the mistake

of offering him big bucks for it. He threw me out."

"That's where we stand," Greg said. "Now we hear that all

the 'Big Boys' are after him - IBM, Microsoft and everybody

else."

There was a long pause, then Greg continued. "Eric, you're

the only person we know who can find out what the kid wants

and give it to him. The sky's the limit."

All eyes were on Eric, including mine. The wheels were

turning, that was obvious. He didn't make us wait long.

"I'd have to know a whole lot more before I jumped in," he

said.

"We'll tell you everything we know," Jerry promised, "and

there's one more thing. We'll give you $50 million just to

try, and if you're successful, we'll give you $200 million

worth of our stock. If we have that kid's technology, our

stock'll hit outer space."

"I'm not a miracle worker," Eric protested. "Dave would also

have to agree to my taking this on, it could take a lot of

time and we've got a lot going on right now."

"When do you think you could give us an answer?" Greg asked.

"Give me a couple of hours to think about it and talk to

Dave. I think I could give you an answer later this

afternoon."

"We'll be at the Marina Hotel waiting," Greg said. "And

praying."

"Don't be a drama queen, Greg," Eric chuckled. "I'll think

it over and let you know."

"Fair enough," he said. "Call us."

"Well, what do you think?" Eric asked as the door closed.

"I think they've put you in a very difficult position."

"How's that?"

"Without saying anything about it, they realize that you have

a vested interest in their success. Indirectly, Lundborg

Rush could be affected, then they dangle that big carrot at

you."

"I only own 30% of LR, but I sure as hell wouldn't do

anything to jeopardize your family's interest. They're using

that too, maybe not intentionally, but it's there."

"Don't even consider that," I told him seriously, "we'll

survive, and so will LR, even if we lost Micron."

"What do you think I should do?"

"Whatever you feel comfortable with," I told him.

"You're no help, goddamit," he grinned.

"I didn't intend to be, you're a big boy, you make the call.

Don't worry about taking time off, either, I can watch the

store for both of us."

"I figured that," he said. "I don't need the money, that's

for sure, and I don't want to fall on my face either. Shit,

this isn't getting any easier."

"Take your time. You want lunch?" he nodded, then got up

and nabbed a pad off the conference table.

I went out and had Nancy order lunch for us, then detoured to

the mensroom. He was scribbling like crazy when I wandered

back in. I didn't disturb him.

"OK," he said. "I'm going to give it a try, but only if I

have a fighting chance to succeed, and I'll only know that

after I get more information. I also won't take any front

money. If I'm successful, they can give me the whole amount

in stock, plus expenses. What do you think?"

"You have my full support," I told him.

"I already knew that!" he said with a huge grin. "My love,"

he said, putting his arm around me, "I know I can always

depend on you."

During lunch, I was quiet, letting him think out loud. "I

was going to give them a conditional 'yes', but that's

bullshit. I know I'm going to give it a try," he said.

"Hell, I don't even know if I can get to the kid," he

continued, "but I'm starting to get some devious ideas."

We dawdled over lunch, and when we'd cleaned up the mess,

Eric asked Nancy to call the boys and ask them to come back

over.

"I'm enjoying this feeling of power!" he said.

"I'm going to enjoy that feeling tonight," I promised him.


Four uncertain men, each worth untold billions of dollars,

marched in like a bunch of little boys going to the

Principal's office. Under other circumstances, it would have

been comical.

Eric led them to the conference table, seating them on one

side and he and I on the other.

We sat. And stared. I tried to watch both them and Eric.

"OK guys, I'm going to give it a try," he said.

All four jumped up, high fiving each other like teenagers.

"I feel like giving you a kiss!" Ted exclaimed, the first

we'd heard from him.

"Better not while Dave's here. He gets mean," Eric teased.

"Here's what I propose," Eric continued. "First, no front

money for trying. If I get the job done, I'll gladly accept

the full amount in stock. If I don't, I'm out some time, and

you guys don't have to pay me for it. I will, though, expect

you to pick up my expense tab."

"We'll pick it up regardless," Jerry said.

"Next, I'm going to need every bit of information you have

about this young man. Let's not call him 'the kid' anymore.

What's his name, where does he live, phone numbers, all that."

Jerry and Greg had their briefcases on the table, fishing

through them.

"Here's background data," Greg said, "Jerry's got notes on his

meeting with him."

Eric leaned over to me and asked "Can I use Bob?" I nodded.

"Next," he said to the group, "has this young man taken all

the necessary precautions to protect his rights to this

thing?"

"He's a smart little fucker," Greg said, "he's covered his ass

thoroughly and completely. It's his."

"Good," Eric said. "Then we only have one person to deal

with. Next, I may need somebody who understands this

'platform' and can be here to coach me. They'd have to be

able to explain things to me in layman's terms and also speak

the lingo of our young man. Do you have anybody like that

available."

"We'll have somebody here whenever you want them."

Eric continued with questions and requests for another couple

of hours. Where he came up with some of this stuff was

baffling to me. Eric finally finished, and promised them

progress reports.

"Now, the biggest question of all. How high can I go?" he

asked them.

Without hesitation, Greg answered. "Our board has authorized

us to go up to a billion, stock or cash. We'll go higher if

necessary, but we'd have to dig."

"That gives me something to work with," Eric agreed. "That's

all I have."

"I think I'm going to find a quiet bar and get drunk," Ted

said. "Anybody care to join me?"

"No you're not," I told him. "You're coming out to our house

for dinner, and you can get as drunk as you want there.

We'll have a car pick you up at six... and drive you back

later."

"I bow to reason," Ted said. "Thanks, Dave."

After hugs and handshakes, they paraded out. Tired, but in a

lot better spirits.

"Want me to call Bob for you?" I asked.

"I'd appreciate that."

Bob, Metalco's head of Security took only a few minutes to

get to my office. "Eric's got a project for you," I told him.

"This isn't for Metalco," Eric explained, "so could you keep

track of all hours and expenses so the Company can be

reimbursed?"

I left them alone. I didn't need to know what Eric was

looking for. He'd tell me later, anyway. I called to warn

Mary that we were bringing four guests home for dinner, and

arranged transportation for the Micron four.


On the way home, Eric was quiet, thinking. I didn't bother

him.

"How old do I look? Honestly," he asked, startling me.

After glancing at him and thinking a minute, "Early 20's, I'd

say. Why?"

"I'm wondering if I could pass as a College student. Just

getting to talk to this guy could be the hardest part. It's

not like a business situation where you make an appointment

or show up at his office."

"I see what you're getting at," I said.

"The direct approach didn't work for Jerry, so I'm looking at

other angles. Do you really think I can pull this off?"

"If anybody can, you can. You're a real charmer, you know."

"I'm not gonna seduce him, for chrissakes," he laughed.

"That's not what I meant," I said. "If you can get to him,

I'm sure you can find out what he wants and give it to him.

But, he's still an unknown quantity."

"If Bob is successful, I'll know a whole lot more."

"You can count on him. If it's there, he'll find it."

Walking into the house, I warned him. "We don't have time

now, but I fully intend to collect on that 'power' thing

later." He just grinned at me.

The Micron boys were a lot more cheerful when they arrived.

The burden had been shifted, and they acted like success was

a certainty.

The cocktail 'hour' turned into several, while they expounded

on the possibilities of what they could do once they had the

new platform. I didn't understand any of the technical

implications, and I don't think Eric did either, but from a

practical, business standpoint, the potential was

unimaginable.

While Eric and I sipped, the four of them gulped. By the

time we got to dinner, they were pretty unsteady on their

feet. Soon after, we packed them up and sent them back to

their hotel.

"It's really, really late," Eric giggled as he snuggled up to

me. "I don't think I could do you justice."

"I agree," I told him. "I got off on watching you in action

today. You handled yourself beautifully, I'm impressed! You

had them in the palm of your hand but you didn't abuse your

position, in fact, you gave them something. That's how real

power is exercised."

"Now you're getting me all hot and bothered," he chuckled.

"That was my intention," I laughed, "but I meant every word I

said."

The kisses were gentle but passionate. That's about all it

took, and he was inside me. Connected, we became one, the

waves sweeping over us. The physical sensations were

secondary, the oneness I felt with this man inside me were

primary, bring me to the edge, then over, again and again.


"Bob just brought me a report," Eric said when he walked into

my office. "Want details or a summary?"

"Do I really need to know any of this? It's your baby."

"Hell yes," he grinned. "I get my best ideas when I'm

thinking out loud with you. I promise to stick to the

basics."

"OK, let's hear it," I said.

"His name's Spencer Young III, he's 19, lives in Boise, Idaho

with his parents. Dad's an exec at Boise Cascade Corp., good

middle class Mormon family. He's a Sophomore at Albertson

College in Caldwell, about 40 miles from Boise, majoring in

Computer Science, not surprisingly, and minoring in Business.

"He lives on campus during the week but goes home most

weekends. Kind of a loner, few friends, and active in the

church. He's a straight A student, and Bob was even able to

get pictures of him. That's about all I have to work with."

"It's a start," I told him, and looked at the pictures Eric

handed me. There were long shots and closeups, showing a

rather nondescript young man, somebody you'd never notice in

a crowd. It was hard to tell his height because he was alone

in all the pictures without any background to give

perspective.

"What's next?" I asked.

"From Bob's report, it doesn't seem like he's under seige

from the other software companies, so I might be able to

approach him informally. I think I'm going to go up Monday,

look over the situation, and go from there. I'll check out

the campus, and having the pictures, I'll be able to

recognize him if I run into him. I'll go dressed in my

"collegiate" getup and try to blend in."

"Might work," I said, thinking to myself that there was no

way, even with the current baggy style of clothes, that he'd

"blend in". With his body and looks, he'd get noticed, but I

didn't want to discourage him and kept my mouth shut. It

might work.

"I've got a million scenarios running around in my head about

what I'll do when I corner him, and I'll probably come up

with a lot more. I'm beginning to wonder if all this

thinking is a waste of time, and to just ad lib it when the

time comes. The main thing is not to come across as

threatening like Jerry probably did.

"Bob's going to have another report by the weekend, and

Micron's 'whiz' will be here to coach me on Saturday. Guess

I'll be tied up all weekend. I've asked the 'whiz' to stay

with us, is that OK?"

"Sure," I chuckled. "Pick his brains."


"What's going on with you guys?" Tina asked. "Haven't seen

much of you this week and when I have, you're in another

world."

"Eric's doing a 'Special Project' for Micron," I explained.

"It's pretty intense." This seemed to satisfy her.

When I saw her, Annie was more demanding. "What's Eric up

to?" she asked. "He acts like he's someplace else."

I told her about the project he'd undertaken but gave no

details.

"Doesn't he have enough to do with LR, the Development

Company, and everything else?"

"This is something that they feel he's the man for. It's

really, really big, and he'll make a bundle if he can pull it

off. It won't take long, and he has my blessings to do it."

"Another merger?" she asked.

"Not really, something a lot touchier. How's Andy?" I asked,

trying to get the subject changed.

"He's fine, but will you tell me what this's all about later?"

"Eric will, once it's over," I promised. "Now, tell me about

Andy. You put him in a rather awkward position when he was

here."

"I didn't mean to, and I apologized to him. I wasn't

thinking."

"He handled it nicely. I was impressed," I told her.

"He's such a sweet guy. Kinda naive, though, but I'll change

that!"

"Kinda cute, too," I commented.

"DAD!!!"

"I can look, I'm not dead yet. Look only, though."

"OK then, but you snatched Eric right out from under my nose."

"You forget, my dear, Eric 'snatched' me!"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Is Andy meeting us in Dallas or is he coming here first?" I

asked.

"I'm meeting him there a day before the rest of you guys get

in. We've got several hotels there that I want to look over,

and I'd like a little time with Andy by myself."

"Be good!" I warned.

"I intend to be excellent!" she shot back.

"You shock me, girl!" I laughed.


It was a very quiet weekend. Eric was closeted in his study

with "the Whiz" and I puttered around and did a little

reading.

"The Stalker," the name I'd given Eric, was on his way Monday

morning. He had no idea when he'd be back.

He called that evening. Nothing much to report. He'd found

the campus and looked it over, even got a glimpse of his

quarry between classes.

Nothing for me to do but wait.

Tuesday night's call was different. "Contact!" he screamed

through the phone. He was excited, that was obvious. "I met

him today and we're talking. He knows who I am and why I'm

here. He's like a little boy looking for a 'big brother'.

It's way too early to tell what's going to happen, but I'm

sure as hell a lot more optomistic today than I was

yesterday. I'm going to save the whole story for when I get

home in a day or two."

"Allright!" I managed to get in.

"I'm seeing him again tomorrow. This is NOT going to happen

overnight, but I'm pretty sure I have the inside track. I

don't know what approach the other guys took, but they scared

him half to death."

"What's he like?" I asked.

"Pretty immature for his age, I think. From Bob's reports

and seeing him, I'd guess he's led a rather sheltered life.

I've been completely honest with him, and plan to let him

lead the way. He's a real lonely kid looking for a friend.

I want to become that friend."

"That makes sense," I said. "What have you told Micron?"

"Nothing yet, and I don't think I'm going to say anything

until after tomorrow's meeting. I'll have a much better idea

where we're heading by then."

We talked some more, drifting to other subjects, mainly us.

The next day, he called in midafternoon. "I'm on my way

home," he said. "I'll tell you everything when I get there."

"Don't you want me to send a plane for you?" I asked.

"That'll take too long. I'm at the airport and a United

flight is taking off in a few minutes. Will you pick me up?

Don't come in, I'll meet you at the curb at around 5:30."

"I'll be there, babe," I told him.

Eric was cheerful when he hopped into the car, but not

anywhere near as excited as I expected him to be.

"Problems?" I asked after a kiss.

"Not really," he smiled at me. "If anybody's going to get

Spence's stuff, it'll be Micron. At least that's where we

stand at the moment."

"Something's bothering you, I can tell."

"Can't hide anything from you, can I?"

"Nope."

"Let's wait until we get home. I'll tell you all about it."

We talked about other things on the ride home. He was

obviously deeply troubled about something, but I'd wait until

he was ready to tell me about it.

We sat in the den with a drink, my arm around him. "I'm

starting to feel pretty bad about what I'm doing," he

started. "I'm trying to manipulate this poor kid, and I

don't feel too good about it."

I gave him a squeeze but didn't say anything.

"Let me start at the beginning so you can see where I'm

coming from," he continued. "Monday, I got familiar with the

campus. It's pretty small, so it wasn't hard to find my way

around. Yesterday, having his class schedule, I was able to

catch him on his way to the dining room. I followed him in.

The place was packed, but he found an empty table. I went

through the line and got lunch, then wandered around looking

for a place to sit, ending up at his table.

"I asked if I could join him, he nodded and I sat, introducing

myself. He was shy and really wary. I didn't attempt to

talk to him. I noticed that he was watching me pretty

closely, though. Eventually, he said 'You're not a student

here, are you?' I shook my head and told him I was there on

business.

"He thought about that for a while, then asked 'Are you THE

Eric Lundborg, the one the papers call the 'Wall Street Whiz

Kid?' I admitted I was. Then he wanted to know what I was

doing there. I told him I was looking for a guy named

Spencer Young, totally innocently. You should have seen his

face. I don't know whether he was scared or elated.

"It took him a while, but he finally asked what I wanted to

see this Spencer Young about. I told him it was a private

matter, and started to get up. 'I'm Spencer Young,' he

admitted, 'what do you want to talk to me about?'

"I sat back down. 'Are you really?' I asked him. 'I've got

ID,' he said reaching for his wallet. 'That's OK,' I said.

"If you're really Spencer Young, you'll know why I want to

talk to you.' 'That program I wrote?' I nodded.

"He wanted to know why I wanted it. I told him that if he'd

read about me, he'd know I worked for Micron. I didn't

mention that that was past tense.

"He seemed to be struggling with the decision of whether to

dismiss me, or to talk. 'I'll talk to you if you don't try

to bully me,' he said. 'I don't use those tactics,' I

assured him. 'I'd just like to talk about the possibilities

with you.'

"I think he believed me, and suggested that we meet there

again today. I waited for him by the dining room. He

actually seemed happy to see me. We got our lunch which, by

the way, was perfectly awful. I don't know how those poor

kids survive on that slop! Anyway, he wanted to hear all

about the mergers I'd worked on. I told him about a few of

them, giving him all the gory details. I actually think

Spence is more interested in business than he is in computers.

"When it was time for him to go back to class, he asked if

I'd be around this weekend, and if I'd be interested in going

fishing with him. I accepted his invitation, and he told me

not to worry about his program. He wouldn't even talk to

anyone else until he heard everything I had to say. We'd

talk about it while we were fishing.

"Well, there you have it," Eric finished.

I thought about it for a few minutes. "Where's the problem?"

I asked.

"You haven't met this kid. He's so damned nice, so

innocent. I feel like I'm leading him down the garden path,

like I'm using him."

"Helping make him a billionaire isn't what I'd call 'using'

him."

"That kind of money would ruin him. At least now. He isn't

mature enough to handle it. He trusts me, and in less than

two hours with him, I've grown to like the kid."

"Better you than those other vultures," I told him. "At

least you're not trying to steal what he has."

"I'm still uncomfortable. Maybe after Sunday, I'll feel

differently."

"Have you said anything to Micron yet?"

"Oh shit, I forgot. I'll go call Greg right now. Come on

over, I'll put it on speaker."

Before he could get up, I grabbed him and pulled him around

to face me. "Before you call them, I have something to say,"

I told him, very seriously. "First of all, the more I see of

you, and how you think, the more I love you. I understand

your concern for Spencer, and love you because you care.

You're a damned fine human being, and I know you'll find a

way to give everybody what they want. Now cheer up, dammit,

and go give them the good news."

Then I pulled him to me. After a few minutes, we disengaged

and he was smiling.

"I'll make it work," he said simply and headed for the phone.


"I'm a city boy, I've never drowned a worm in my life," Eric

wailed.

"Let him be your big brother for a change and have him teach

you," I suggested. "It'll make him feel good."

"He'll have to. I don't know a damned thing about it."

It was a day trip. Eric left early Sunday morning and came

home late that night. His spirits were vastly improved.

"He's a sharp little fucker," he said laughing. "That

doesn't mean he's not innocent and naive about everything

other than numbers."

"He's got to be brilliant to have come up with whatever it

was that he did," I commented.

"He claims it was an accident," Eric chuckled. "It might

have been, but I doubt it. I just don't think he realized

what he had until the wolves showed up at his door."

"Well, tell me what happened."

"Spence likes to fish. Says it gives him time to think. We

went out to some lake on the Oregon border, a big reservoir,

where he has a little aluminum boat at the marina. It's a

little boat but he's got a bigass outboard on it. We went

all over that goddam lake, he had to show me all his favorite

spots. We fished for bass and crappie and caught a whole

slew of them. I actually enjoyed it.

"When the fish weren't biting, we talked. Thank God I got

briefed by the "whiz" or I wouldn't have understood a word he

was saying. By now, he has a pretty good idea of what his

idea is worth. He also understands that by itself, it isn't

worth anything, but as a base to other programs, it has

enormous value.

"I tried to kid him into telling me how much the others had

offered him, but he wouldn't give me anything, and insisted

that I put my best offer on the table first. No haggling.

When I told him a billion, stock or cash, I expected some

sort of reaction, but all he said was 'That's about what I

figured it was worth. I'll take stock."

"He hedged, though, wouldn't give me a yes or no answer. He

wants to 'think about it'. I'm just about certain we have a

deal, particularly since he didn't want a bidding war.

"When he got around to telling me about the other offers, you

were right. The rest of them tried to rob him. His best

other offer was $10 million. It wasn't so much the amount of

the other offers that turned him off, but the way they were

presented. They treated him like a kid, just about demanding

that he sign the papers they threw at him. One of the really

biggies even threatened him, telling him that if he didn't

sign with them, they'd see that nobody else would touch him.

"Unfortunately, that guy had assaulted him just before Jerry

showed up, and he was in no mood to talk to anyone. To me,

that's rather understandable. He asked me to give Jerry an

apology for him."

"What's the bottom line, then?" I asked.

"He's going to think about it, and since we're going to

Dallas next weekend, I'm going back up the weekend after

that. He suggested I bring the contracts along which, to me,

is a very good sign."

"How do you feel about the whole thing now?" I asked.

"Much better. He told me a lot about himself and his family.

They're not close, and the only reason he's involved with the

Church is because they demand it. I think he'll be OK, and

I'm not going to get his name on the dotted line and forget

him. He needs a friend, and I intend to be there for him."

"I don't know how you can be such a good businessman and such

a nice guy all at the same time, but you are," I told him.

"I know it's late on the East Coast, but I'd better let Greg

know what's going on."

This time I listened in.


We had one more dance lesson during the week. I felt pretty

confident, and, quite honestly, damned proud of myself.

Maybe this is what Mother had in mind 40 years ago.

We decided to fly to Dallas Friday and come home Sunday. The

party was Saturday night, so that gave us Friday night free.

We left early enough on Friday so that we could take a look

at progress on the new plane.

Everyone was in high spirits. Eric was floating on his

success with Spencer, even though the deal wasn't final yet.

His excitement during the past week had gotten me on a high

too.

Tina was bubbly, Rick was quiet as usual. Even though Rick

had been around us for several months, he was still an

unknown quantity. He always stuck real close to Tina when he

was around us, so neither Eric nor I had had much of an

opportunity to get to know him.

Once we were airborne, Eric went after Rick. It wasn't an

attack, but he separated him from Tina, who came over to talk

to me, and the two of them got to talking. Before long, they

were laughing, seeming to have found common ground.

"Tell Eric 'Thank You'," Tina said softly. "Rick's so shy

that somebody else has to make the first move. I really

think he's still a little intimidated by you two, but that's

only because he doesn't know you."

"Does our being gay bother him?"

"Oh hell no," she answered. "We've talked about it and he

admires both of you for having the guts to be yourselves. He

says that he wishes I'd look at him the way Eric looks at

you," she giggled.

The hotel was waiting for us. There was a two-bedroom suite

for Rick and Andy and another for Annie and Tina. Eric and I

had the Presidential suite, same one we'd had on our last

stay there.

"How long do you think it'll take for them to switch rooms?" I

chuckled to Eric.

A limo was waiting to take us to see the plane. When we got

to the "Completion Center", the plane looked about the same

from the outside, but when we were led inside, progress had

definitely been made.

The interior was a medium brown, the dull finish of the suede

gave the cabin unexpected warmth. "This is the second

version," our guide explained. "Your Designer decided that

the first wallcoverings we installed were too dark, so he had

us replace it with lighter material. By the way," she

continued, "he's really good, and we're going to be sending a

lot of business his way."

None of the seating had been installed, our gal explaining

that they were waiting for FAA approved fabrics. The galley

had been installed at the factory and was awesome, and the

"Crew Quarters" seemed really spacious.

I was more than pleased. Eric was wildly enthusiastic.

"When will you be finished?" he asked.

"The plane was flight tested before we got it, so as soon as

we complete the interior and give the exterior a paint job,

it's yours."

"About when will that be?" he asked.

"Another month, tops," our guide answered.

Back at the hotel, there was a message from Annie to call as

soon as we got in. I called, and she and Andy were on their

way up.

Andy seemed a lot more comfortable, no tie this time.

"I know tomorrow's your anniversary," Annie said, looking at

Eric then at me, "so we're going to celebrate a day early.

We're all taking you out to dinner tonight at our other hotel

here in town."

"That'd be great," Eric said. "No surprises, I hope."

"Nah, just us," Annie answered, but the twinkle in her eye

made me nervous.

We met in the lobby, then out to a waiting limo. At the

other hotel, we took the elevator to the top. Annie's eyes

were sparkling even more than usual, and I started to smell a

rat. When we got off, I was sure that something was up.

Annie turned to Eric and Tina got in front of me.

"The view from up here is so spectacular we want it to hit

you all at once," Annie said, whipping out a scarf. Tina

followed suit, and we both were blindfolded. I knew then

that we'd been had.

We were led forward, seated, then they ripped off the

blindfolds. A cheer went up as I blinked and looked around.

The room was full. Sarah was sitting across the table from

us with an impish grin on her face, Eric's parents were

there, as well as just about all of our closest friends.

Even Claire and Big George and Greg and his wife from New

York.

We both jumped up to go say hello to everyone. It was mostly

male-female couples, but a few male couples too, Jack and

Wayne, Dan and Ted, even Joel and Aaron from Tucson.

Dinner was wonderful, but that wasn't the end of it. I

hadn't noticed the lectern on the side of the room until Bill

got behind it and asked for everybody's attention. "A toast

isn't enough for these two who we all know and love," he

started. "We all have something to say, so I'll start. Dave

and I go back to college days..."

Ohmigawd, it was going to be a "roast".

He told a funny story about an event that I'd totally

forgotten, getting big laughs. Next was Ingrid, Eric's Mom.

Her opening line "I never expected that my daughter-in-law

would have to shave every morning..." set the tone.

The stories were ribald but in good taste. The teasing was

good natured, but nevertheless, both of our faces were red

most of the evening. Claire told about the "dressing"

incident on the cruise ship which got poor Eric really red.

Sarah was last. Her comments were more poignant than

suggestive. It was finally our turn.

Eric went first. He was incredible, responding in kind to

everyone who had spoken, getting more laughs than they had.

"I'm not as quick on my feet as my partner is," I started,

when it was my turn. "It scares me to learn that you all

know us so well." I rattled on a little longer, then grabbed

a glass and proposed a toast "to all our wonderful friends

and particularly to the man who has made my life complete."

"You little shits," I said to Annie and Tina on the way

back. "How long have you been working on this?"

"Quite a while," Tina giggled, "but we had a lot of help,

Claire in particular. She even invited everybody there

tonight to her party tomorrow night. Don't worry," she

added, "There won't be any mention of your anniversary

tomorrow night. Claire has class."

"Did you know anything about this?" I asked Eric when we got

to our room.

"Hell no! I had something else planned," he said, leading me

to the other bedroom. Unlit candles were everywhere. It was

pretty obvious what he'd had in mind.

"Let's not waste it," I suggested. We didn't.


There was a welcoming committee when we arrived at the

Mattison mansion. All the Texas Widows and their husbands

were waiting. When we got out, they went after us like we

were edible. The kids, particularly Rick and Andy looked on

with stunned expressions on their faces.

They weren't ignored by any means, and en masse, we were led

through the house to the "back yard", and watched while they

were all dragged off in different directions. Eric

disappeared and I was left standing with Big George.

"Can I talk to you for a minute, in private?" he asked. No

trace of a drawl, must be serious.

I nodded and he led me back into the house to his book-lined

study. He poured us a drink then we sat.

"Did you get all the Railroad's land when you bought it?" he

asked, still no drawl.

"Sure did," I told him. "That's what we wanted in the first

place. We didn't really care about the Railroad itself."

He let out a long slow whistle. "You got any idea what

you've got?"

"We're learning," I told him. "We've got a pretty good

handle on the developable land, and we're working on the

rest."

"Forget the development land, you've got a helluva lot more

in your other land. There's a couple of guys here tonight

who'd give both their nuts to have a crack at those copper

deposits you've got."

"We haven't gotten that far yet."

"Wanna meet 'em? I wouldn't say anything unless I had your

permission first," he said.

"Why not?" I answered.

Big George rose, "I'll go get 'em."

"Get Eric too," I said. "He's in this as much as I am."

George turned and looked me straight in the eye. "I'm not

surprised, he's one sharp fella. You're a very lucky man,

Dave."

While I waited, I wandered over to the bookshelves. Quite a

collection. Mining and Petroleum texts, a huge selection of

the classics, and over behind the door, some framed

diplomas. Rice, Colorado School of Mines, and an MBA summa

cum laude from Yale. There was a lot more to Big George than

what he let on.

George came back in, followed by Eric and three other men.

He took care of introductions, and we all sat. Eric looked

at me questioningly, I smiled and nodded at him.

"These here fellas," George announced, indicating Eric and

me, "own them Copper deposits over in Arizona that y'all been

droolin over for the past 20 years. Thought I'd introduce

ya." He was folksy again.

The three of them stared at us, assessing us before saying

anything. By introducing all of them at once, George had

given us the advantage. If they all wanted it, as he'd said,

this had the effect of opening an auction. I liked his

methods!

They were concentrating on me, ignoring Eric. "Are they for

sale?" one of them asked.

I glanced at Eric. "Might be, if the price is right," Eric

said, grinning. "We'd like to look at a joint-venture or a

royalty arrangement too."

"You guys ready to talk turkey?" another of them asked.

"Not tonight," I said, laughing. "We came to party."

The meeting was over. The seeds had been sown and they knew

where to find us.

"Goddam, kid," Big George said, throwing his arm around Eric's

shoulder. "You really know how to handle yourself."

We went back outside to the party. Eric hung around long

enough to ask "What the hell was that all about?"

I explained that they were big in the mining game, and Big

George had set them up for us. Eric giggled then suggested

we eat and then dance our asses off.

There were a lot of familiar faces. My hand got crunched so

many times I was afraid it would go limp. Couldn't have that!

How many ways can you do barbecue? Whoever Claire's caterer

was had a helluva imagination and the food was completely

different from the last time.

I saw Sarah and stopped to give her a peck on the cheek. She

was holding court.

I only got glimpses of my family until the dancing started.

They were all anxious to show off their newly acquired

talents. Me too. One of the Widows drug me onto the floor,

and I surprised both of us by melting right in. It was nice

to actually know what I was doing.

When I took a break, my buddy Bubba was chuckling. "Took some

lessons, I see."

"Not willingly!" I answered.

"Them young 'uns run our lives," he chuckled. How true.

One by one, the three copper guys came over to ask for

meetings. I politely asked them to call me at the office to

set one up. We weren't in a rush but evidently they were.

I found Ingrid and Karl. They appeared to be having a good

time. "Was that you I saw on the dance floor?" Ingrid asked.

"Afraid so," I admitted. "Your damned son forced me to take

lessons."

"You seemed to be having fun," she continued.

"I won't admit it to him, but it is a lot of fun," I laughed.

Back in conversation with the Oil Barons, Claire nailed me.

"I saw you!" she said, "Now y'all just have to dance with me."

I dutifully followed her onto the floor. She was good, but I

kept up. She wasn't the only Widow who'd noticed, and I was

traded around until it was time to eat again. With all that

exercise, I was ravenous.

I ran into Eric in the Chuckwagon line and we sat together to

eat. "Having fun?" he asked.

"No, I hate it!" I shot back, but couldn't help but smile.

Eric went back to the dance floor, I looked for Sarah. Her

"court" had thinned out and I was able to talk to her.

"Thank you for coming," I told her.

"I wouldn'tve missed last night for anything," she said.

"Tonight's not bad either. These Texans entertain a little

differently than we do in New York," she laughed. "Didn't

know what I was missing."

"How do you like Andy?" she continued.

"He seems like a nice boy but I haven't had the opportunity

to get to know him yet."

"You'll have that opportunity, trust me!" We both laughed.

"I'm spoiled now," she said. "No more airlines if your offer

still holds."

"Always," I assured her. "Just call."


By noon on Monday, all three of the "Copper guys" had called

to set up appointments. Eric and I had already agreed that

we wouldn't talk to them until we'd conferred with John's

Mining Attorneys and knew more about our options, so meetings

were set well down the road. Eric volunteered to check them

out and the companies they represented.

His meeting with Spence was on Sunday, and Eric was anxious

to get it over with. He repeated his desire to remain

Spence's friend, but once the agreement was signed, the

tension would lessen substantially.

When he left Sunday morning, he was in high spirits, telling

me "I'll see you tonight as a rich man." I kissed him godbye

and waited, praying that everything went as planned.

That evening when he walked through the door I could tell that

something was wrong.

"That little bastard threw me a curve," he roared. "He says

he's in love with me and won't sign unless I sleep with him."


To be continued.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I thoroughly enjoy hearing from you and

answer all Email. Comments, suggestions and criticism are

all welcome. I also send out an Alert when new chapters are

posted to those who want it. Let me know at

orrinrush@yahoo.com

Next: Chapter 41


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