Silver Arrow Ch. 17-19

"Well, I'm not jumping ship until I find something. I've got four mouths to feed and a mortgage to pay. That comes first."

"Sure. Good luck," he said, rising from his seat and extending his hand. I shook it and turned to go. With my hand on the door knob, I turned back to him.

"When are you leaving?"

"I was just about to clean out my desk when you arrived. I'm already done as of yesterday."

I looked at him for a few moments. Was this what I could look forward to? I just shook my head.

"Good luck, Warren. Stay in touch. I want to know you found something and you're okay."

He smiled a wan smile and nodded.

Saturday afternoons weren't usually busy at the depot, but today it was like a morgue. The usual laughter and good-natured kidding was completely absent. It brought home the one truth I had to accept: Silver Arrow was never going to be the same.

Chapter 18 The Next Chapter

Christie and I had a long talk that afternoon. The kids were out playing with their friends and we had the house to ourselves.

"I won't be staying at Silver Arrow," I told her, now sure I had made up my mind.

She nodded sadly. I had given her chapter and verse of what had been going on during the past week and she was very supportive.

"Whatever you decide, Doug," she said, holding my hands and looking directly into my eyes. "Whatever you choose to do, make sure you'll be happy with it."

"Funny you should say that. Warren told me the same thing. And both of you are right. I'm not that old yet, so I have another opportunity for a good career ahead of me. I don't know if it will be here in Louisville or somewhere else. I guess that puts you in an awkward position, Christie. I'm sorry about that. You know how I feel about you. I haven't changed my mind. I love you and I want you to be my wife."

"I know, Doug. I've thought about nothing else since we talked about it. But ... I haven't changed my mind. You're a wonderful man and a great father. I love the children to death, but there's something missing in me. It would be easy to say yes and know that you would care for me and love me for the rest of my life. But it wouldn't be fair to you. I'm still looking for something and I don't know if I'll ever find it. I just have to keep looking, I guess."

"I understand. I wish you felt differently, but I understand. I'll let you know what I'm doing and I hope it won't put you in a difficult spot. I don't want you harmed in all this, Christie."

"I know, Doug. I know you well enough. Just let me know what's going on, that's all I ask," she smiled.

It was Monday morning when I received a phone call I wasn't expecting.

"Hello, Doug, it's Grant Depassie calling. How are you?" he asked in a friendly voice.

"I'm fine, Grant. I wish I could say the same for my friends at Silver Arrow."

"Yes, I know. I'm very upset and disappointed in Murchison. I've written them a letter telling them I'm not happy that they have gone back on what I felt were some verbal agreements we had when I negotiated the sale. I expected some changes, but not to the extent that they have made. I'm also upset that his hatchet man has been as callous and insensitive as he has demonstrated. My lawyer will be following up with them on these matters."

"Well, I've pretty well made up my mind that I'm going to look elsewhere for my future, Grant. I don't think I'd be very happy staying there now."

"I'm not surprised, Doug. In fact, that's why I'm calling. I wonder if you'd have time to meet me for lunch this week. I have a proposition to discuss with you."

That caught me by surprise. I wasn't expecting to hear from Grant, much less with a business matter to discuss.

"I'm off until Wednesday, so anytime before then would be okay," I said.

"How about tomorrow, then? Eleanor will be with me as well. Why don't we meet at the Thoroughbred Club Tuesday at noon?"

"Sure, I can be there. I'll look forward to it. See you then."

I hung up, wondering what he had in mind. Grant was a good man and more importantly, an honorable man. He was genuinely upset with what was going on at Silver Arrow. It would be fascinating to hear what he planned.

I was a few minutes early arriving at Grant's club near Churchill Downs. I waited in my vehicle until nearly noon before walking into the club and announcing myself to the maitre d'. He acknowledged me with a smile and took me to a private table off to one side where Grant and Eleanor Depassie were already seated.

Grant stood as he saw me and welcomed me with an extended hand.

"Good to see you again, Doug. You remember Eleanor."

"Of course. Nice to see you again, Eleanor."

"Have a seat, Doug. I've ordered some sweet tea for us if that's all right?"

"That's fine, thanks."

The tea arrived and we exchanged some small talk and pleasantries about family for a few minutes.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I invited you here today," Grant said at length.

I nodded. "Yes, I am curious."

"The reason I sold Silver Arrow was personal. I have to undergo some fairly aggressive treatment over the next few months and it will leave me unable to attend to business. I've been putting it off for a while now, but it can't wait any longer. As a result, I allowed myself to be sucked into the Murchison web, hoping they would live up to their promises. I was more concerned with completing the deal than extracting guarantees that the business would be handled in a manner I would be satisfied with.

I've had a number of people approach me to sell Silver Arrow over the years, but I had no reason to. I liked the business and the people we had working in it, and it was more than a little successful. To be perfectly truthful, it made Eleanor and me very wealthy. At our age, we really don't need any more. However, what's done is done. I'll try to get Murchison to mend his ways, but frankly, my lawyer tells me he has a fleet of high-priced lawyers to drag any action by me out over months, if not years. It would be very costly and little if anything would be accomplished. I regret that it came to this, but it was my own fault."

I didn't know what to say at that point other than to ask one question.

"Your health. Will the doctors be able to cure you?"

"I have had leukemia for some years now, Doug. It's been in remission, but it's back again. At my age, all bets are off. My doctor gives me a better than fifty-fifty chance that he can stop it once more, but there's no guarantee. I owe it to Eleanor to give it my best shot and that's what my retirement is all about."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Grant. I hope the treatment goes well. You're still a fairly young man by most standards."

He laughed and Eleanor joined him. "I'm sixty-four, Doug. I like to think I'm still young, but my body keeps telling me I'm not. But, thanks for the sentiment."

Our waiter arrived once more and took our lunch orders. I chose a pair of appetizers in keeping with my restricted diet. We talked a little about the business once more and the changes that were going on. There wasn't anything I didn't know about. The elegant club dining room was quite quiet, so we could have a nice conversation without being overheard.

"I invited Eleanor today because we have something to discuss with you that may help you decide on your future," Grant said as the waiter cleared our dishes.

"My sister, Margaret, is married to a man named Harlan Cummings," Eleanor began. "They live near Sacramento in California. He owns and manages a number of ranches or farms. I'm never sure what to call them. These ranches grow nut trees. Some are walnuts, some almonds, pecans and some pistachios. There are probably others, but I'm not up on them.

"The ranches ... or farms ... are spread out over a wide area from north of Sacramento down to Bakersfield. He even has a ranch in Hawaii. He's done very well as a self-made man, but like Grant, he's getting older and needs some help to keep up with things. Several years ago he hired a personal assistant. She's been a real help in keeping his affairs organized and out of trouble with the tax man. They travel regularly to all the ranches, checking on the crops and the management of the property.

"Up until recently, he was driving from one place to another, staying in hotels or motels as they went. His assistant goes with him. She's unable to drive, so Harlan has to do it all himself. He's talked to Grant about what options there are and he's decided to buy a custom motor home, based on a bus. He plans to hire a driver to take him from one place to another, and they can sleep overnight on the bus or find a nicer hotel if they are in the right location. Grant thought of you when Harlan asked about finding a responsible driver."

I was quite surprised by this turn of events. It was not what I expected at all. But as Eleanor described the situation, I thought of John Madden of football fame and how he traveled around the country in a custom coach. However, there were a ton of unanswered questions, including uprooting my children and moving them across the country, finding a place to live, finding schools for them, not to mention a housekeeper. True, Debbie and Bill were almost at the age where they could take care of themselves, if they weren't away at some college. But Sandy was still a new teen and needed someone to watch out for her.

"I can see the look on your face tells me there are a lot of complications to work out, Doug," Grant said. "First of all, Harlan and Margaret are fine, fine people. Salt of the earth and brought up to respect hard work and honesty. I wouldn't suggest you investigate this if I didn't think you would get along with them right from the start. They know about your circumstances and your three children. There are accommodations available on the main property where they live. There are schools nearby that are well-rated by the state. You wouldn't have to worry about salary since it would be more than you were earning at Silver Arrow."

"This is a lot to swallow all at one time, Grant. I'm flattered that you'd think of me for this job, but I would like to talk to Mr. Cummings first, and then have a look at the coach as well."

"Of course," Grant said immediately. "Harlan is willing to have you check out the coach he is having built in Chicago, and if it meets with your approval, he would fly you out to Sacramento to look at the home and check out the people you would be working with."

I nodded. "That would be very good," I agreed. "Of course, I'd have to talk to the children about this ... as well as Christie. She may decide not to leave Louisville, so I'd have to find a live-in person for the children when I'm away."

"I thought you and Christie ...," began Eleanor, then stopped.

I shook my head. "No ... I asked her to marry me, but she's turned me down. I had it all planned out, but it's not going to happen."

"I'm surprised, Doug," Grant said, his face showing his concern. "I was sure you two were going to make a life together."

"So was I," I said with a rueful smile. "But it's not to be, I guess. Maybe this opportunity is the best thing for me. A clean break. It won't be easy on the kids, but better now than later on."

Eleanor nodded her agreement but said nothing.

"So, what should I do first?" I asked.

"Why don't I arrange for you to meet with Harlan and Margaret? They're coming here later next week. If you get along, then you and Harlan can fly up to Chicago to have a look at the coach. I understand it's almost finished. If that works out, then you could fly out to Sacramento to decide if the job is right for you."

"Okay, that sounds sensible. In the meantime, I'll talk with the children and get their opinions. I don't know what to expect from them, so I won't make any promises at this stage. They are the most important people in my life right now, so I've got to start there."

We broke up shortly after that and I headed home. I would talk to Debbie, Bill and Sandy that evening to see how they felt about the offer. Christie would be included, of course.

I don't think I could have been more surprised than I was that evening when I approached the children and Christie about the potential new job and where it was located. Their eyes lit up immediately the name California was out of my mouth. I was deluged with a dozen questions immediately. Bill took off for his room, returning with his atlas and put it on the kitchen table, open to a map of California.

"Is it true it's always sunny there?" Sandy asked, wide-eyed.

I laughed. "No, I don't think so, but I guess it mostly is. I know it doesn't snow in Sacramento, but it gets pretty hot in the summer."

"It's the capital of California you know, Dad," Bill said.

"So I've heard," I grinned. "You could probably find out a lot about it on the Internet.

That sent Bill and Sandy scurrying to the computer. Debbie and Christie remained behind, smiling at the enthusiasm of the two younger ones.

"What kind of a job is it, Dad?" Debbie asked.

"I'd be a private driver for the owner of all the ranches. I'd take him from one ranch to another to make sure everything was running okay. His ranches are mostly in the central valley, so I would be gone about one week at the most, probably twice a month. I'm not sure what my duties would be besides that. Those are things I'd have to find out."

"Do you think you'd like that?" she asked.

"It would depend on the people I was working with, Debbie. I've got to meet them and decide if the job is right for all of us."

Debbie turned and looked at Christie, the question obvious at that moment.

Christie shook her head. "I won't be going, Debbie. I have a business here and this is what I call home now. I'll miss you guys like crazy, but I'm sure this is the right thing for me."

"But what about you and Dad?" Debbie said, obviously distraught at her friend and mentor's decision.

"We are very good friends and will always be so," Christie explained, "but we've decided that we would never be man and wife. It's something we decided a while ago and we knew that this day might come. We didn't say anything to you because we didn't want to upset you or your brother and sister. I love you guys like you were my own, but you aren't and I want to have my own family. I'm still young enough to have that, so I'll stay here in Louisville even if you don't move to California."

"If we didn't move to California, would you still live here?"

"Only for a little while, Debbie. I have to get out and meet people if I want to find that special someone. I think your Dad is a wonderful man, but I'm not in love with him the way I would have to be to marry him. He knows this, so it isn't a big shock to him. I know he's disappointed, but ... that's the way it is. If we married ... well ... I don't think it would work out for us. Then I would have lost any chance at finding the man I'm looking for."

Debbie nodded solemnly and looked at me. I could see the beginning of tears and I took her hand.

"Christie is right, Deb. We like each other a lot, but sometimes that isn't enough. She's looking for true love and I can't hold her back. I hope you look for the same thing when your time comes. It may be difficult, but you'll know when you find it. I found it with your mother and maybe some day, I'll find it again. I truly hope Christie finds it. She's a wonderful woman and I'll miss her when she goes."

My daughter was silent as she thought about what we had said. I think she understood that she couldn't change Christie's mind. She didn't like it, but she was resigned to it happening at some point, whether I took the California job or not.

Later that evening, just before Sandy's bedtime, I asked my children what they thought about the idea that we may have to move to where I could find a job.

"If we have to move, I hope it's to California," Bill said. "That would be pretty cool."

"I'll miss my friends," Sandy said sadly. "If we have to move, I hope it's to someplace nice like here."

Debbie sat quietly as her siblings spoke. "You have to have a job, Dad, so wherever you find one, that's where we'll be," she said. She wasn't smiling, but she was being adult about how the decision would be made.

"Okay ... well ... one thing I can promise, it won't be Alaska," I chuckled.

"Oh man, no way," Bill said immediately.

Sandy scrunched up her nose to show her disapproval. Debbie just laughed, knowing full well it wouldn't happen. Christie didn't participate, but watched silently from the sidelines.

Chapter 19 A Big Decision

I met Harlan and Margaret Cummings at Grant and Eleanor's home. Grant made the introductions and we sat in the living room after Eleanor had served some sweet tea.

"Grant tells me you are exactly the type of driver I want for my private motor home, Doug. I want someone safe and reliable and willing to work. I've had the good fortune to hire an excellent young woman as my personal assistant, and I'm hoping I can land an equally good driver to complement my staff.

"I'm well aware of your driving record at Silver Arrow and Grant has filled me in on some of your personal background, but why don't you tell me a bit about yourself in your own words."

I hadn't expected that particular request, but I thought about it for a moment before I began.

"Well, let's see. I've been married and divorced and then remarried to the same woman again," I grinned. "I have three children that I love very much. I'm originally from St. Cloud, Minnesota, and so was my late wife. We met there and were married ten years before our divorce. I'm not a very big guy, but over the years we were married, I got pretty lazy and sedentary and gained a lot of weight. An accident caused me to lose all that weight and change my lifestyle.

"The excess weight and my inability to do anything about it was the reason my wife divorced me. I had an industrial workplace accident that nearly cost me my life, but only ended up costing me a hundred and thirty pounds, all of which I could afford to lose. After the accident and having restored my body to something resembling normal, she took me back and we had a great four years. Unfortunately, she was murdered by her step-brother while I was away on a road trip. That really took the stuffing out of me for a while. Anyway, I have a live-in nanny whom I've become very close to in the past couple of years. Unfortunately, she isn't a permanent replacement for my wife, Diane. I'm going to be on my own once more."

"That's a very unusual story, Doug," Margaret said quietly. "How do your children feel about the possibility of moving away from Louisville?"

"Well, Bill is all for it. California is a heck of a magnet for a sixteen-year-old. Sandy, who's twelve, thinks it's okay too. She'll miss her friends, but she's proven to be very adaptable and, since she makes friends easily, I doubt it will be a problem. My eldest, Deborah, is seventeen going on thirty. She's been a rock through some difficult times despite her youth. She'll be in college next year and so that's going to uproot her no matter what. She'll be fine, of that I'm sure."

"Then, I guess it's all up to you," Harlan said. "It'll be a decision you can make knowing you have the family support behind you."

"Yes, and that does take a lot of pressure off me. There are still some unanswered questions, but at least I can examine my options without wondering if the children will approve."

"Well, that's good to hear," Harlan said, with Eleanor and Margaret nodding in agreement. Grant was sitting back in his chair just listening to the conversation.

"So," I said with a sigh, "I'd like to examine the opportunity in more detail, Mr. Cummings. Grant said something about the coach being built in Chicago."

"It's Harlan, Doug. We're pretty informal. And yes, the motor home, or coach as you and Grant call it, is nearing completion at the factory. I'd like to take you up there and have you go over it to make sure it's what a professional driver would be happy with. It's a bit unique in that it has some features not found in a regular motor home. It's been set up to be a business machine and that's how I want the I.R.S. to view it."