After the Win

Stephen decided that he was awake fully now and would never be able to finish a nap, so he just went ahead and got up and went into the shower and after shaving and showering, he got dressed and went out to get his new truck and head on over to his oldest daughter's house so he could tell her the news and change her world forever. He thought he would call his other daughter to ask her to meet them there so he would only have to do this once instead of a number of times. He really did not like having to explain it as he really did not fully understand it all, at least not in his own mind anyhow. He grabbed his cell phone and called his younger daughter and invited her to meet him at her sister's home as soon as possible. Neither of his daughters had to work outside the home due to both having married smart and educated men that provided well for them. He thought a lot of them both and truth be told, he guessed they thought a lot of him, also.

He stopped and bought a six pack of his favorite brand of beer and two bottles of wine for his daughters. He did not know how long this might take so even this was interesting, at least for now. When he arrived at his oldest daughter's home, she came out to meet him and saw his new pickup and asked him why he had bought it as he had been saying he would wait for another year or so before buying as his old truck was still just like new an about impossible to find anything wrong with it. He told her he would explain it all to them as soon as her sister got there.

"Uh-oh!! Damn it, Dad, what did you do this time? Who got hurt and how bad was it?" Janis and Bill had been helping keep Steve from stepping off the deep end ever since his wife had died from that cancer. He had depended on them so much and yet had also mentally mistreated them both at the same time with his attitude and untreated depression. These things he was very sorry for as they did not ever deny him aid of any sort. Such was the wonderful attitude of his girls, thanks to their parent's teachings while they were all young.

Right then Stephen's other daughter, Sheri, pulled into the driveway and as soon as she came into the house she asked what he had done this time. Before he could say anything, Janis said that Steve had not told her anything yet and that she was getting angry with him.

Stephen had about had it by that time and he told them to just hush for a bit and give him some time to talk and make them understand. They both sat back wide eyed and open mouthed at this outburst until Steve smiled as he told Janis to go fix them all some drinks and then come in for a sit down family conference and then when it was finished, if they wanted, he would take them all out to dinner someplace.

When Janis came back in, she sat across from Steve and Sheri and looked at him with a questioning look that just screamed the word "What??" at him.

"Last night I stopped at the station down the road from me to buy gas before going on home and while I was pumping gas on my ATM card I went inside and bought a 20 oz. Coke and a candy bar and dropped a $20 on the counter and told the cashier to give me my change back as lottery tickets. Long story short is that I won it all, $343 million and change after taxes when they had the drawing last night.

"I went straight on to their headquarters last night and was there when they opened up this morning. A nice lady helped me fill out the documents and then she processed them and allowed me to keep the family name or any other information out of the media, at least for now, but the public information act could mess that up for us. Have to wait and see I guess.

"When I left their office, an obnoxious freelance reporter followed me all the way back to here even with me spending a couple of hours changing trucks to further confuse anyone that might be have been following. I don't know if he was able to trace my truck tag or what, but somehow he did manage to find the house. I had been asleep for a short while when he stated ringing the doorbell nonstop until I got up and answered it. He was on the porch and was ticking me off bigtime and then he suddenly managed to get inside the house and demanded an interview and photos and the full story about me and my family and friends and I told him to piss off as that was not going to happen in his lifetime. He managed to get a photo of me in just my pants and wanted me to pose for others. I grabbed his camera and it somehow hit the fireplace and broke and then I got the memory card out of it and put it into my pocket. I got Mike and Dave and a couple of the guys to drop by and chat with him while we waited on the police to come. He is ticked and wants to press all sorts of charges and I am ticked and I am going to press all sorts of charges against him and his paper.

"And just so you know, even though you have been rotten kids, I have set up a trust fund for each of you and thereby your family's in the amount of $25 million each to do with as you see fit as soon as it is posted as it will be yours as of then. I also set it up so that in case of a divorce your husbands can not get to it so your money will be safe and it will be yours and yours alone, baring extenuating circumstances. Okay, Ladies, your turn." Steve said as he turned and laughed at them and their expressions.

"Well, I'll be double damned" Janis exclaimed loudly. This is just about the last thing I ever expected to come out of your mouth, Dad. The very last thing in fact. This is so going to change all our lives so much, and for the better, too. I love you, Dad, and thanks from all of us."

They rounded up the spouses and children and then stopped by to get Mike, the lawyer and his family and they all headed out for the Olive Garden for supper. "$340 million and he takes us to a chain restaurant. Gosh, last of the big spenders. Yep!! Wouldn't you just know it" uttered Janis' husband with a smile on his face as he said it, knowing he was going to catch hell over it later.

During supper, Mike was asked about the photographer and he said that he was still professing total innocence of any wrongdoing, and that all he was trying to do was earn a merger salary to support his family when he was viciously attacked by you and your friends without provocation.

"Humm. Looks like me and the boys, except for Ole Mike here. need to turn ourselves in tomorrow for some questioning the sheriff might want to do for a while. Who knows what someone might hear if they listen hard and long enough. Nothing will come of it all as I or rather we did nothing wrong so this will go away very quickly." And it did.

Things had been running pretty smoothly for several months now. The fiasco of the lottery and the photographer had been forgotten by most everyone and only those heavily involved even remembered it all. This is how Steve wanted it to be all along... a nice smooth transition for all concerned.

As he was driving down the road just looking at the houses as he drove along, his phone rang and he answered it he was pleasantly surprised to find his attorney and lifelong friend Mike on the line. "SUP, Michael? You lose another jaywalking case and need someone to hold your hand while you cry in your beer? I'd be available for you, Bro." This was the type of banter these two practiced almost all the time and it was practiced so smoothly that onlookers never knew if either was serious or not. They weren't, and a pair of bulldozers could not tear their friendship apart.

"I know that your ugly ass has not had a date, well, with a human woman anyhow, for a long time and was wondering if you might like to go to the pigpen tonight so see if we might break the drought. If not, I have two dollars so we might get to buy you some. Oh, sorry, Steve. I almost forgot what I called for. You know the Carpenter estate out on highway 9 going to the lake right past William's station and boat yard? Real nice house and a big barn and a couple of equipment sheds or garages and a pool to die for?"

"Yeah, I know of it. I have never been to it though, Why?

"Old man Carpenter died last month and his kids want to sell quickly and move on to newer and prettier playthings. They want this place sold as soon as possible so they can reenter the party life and live big for a couple of years before they crash and burn. It would be perfect for you and I can get you into it for about $2.5 million. And yes, that is pricy, but look at it this way, there aren't any more party homes like it around, and this one is sharp and it has a lot of land with it. An Olympic sized heated pool, 640 acres-a full section, pens, corrals, out buildings and more. Plus, it is very close to town in case one needed to go to town. Like I said, perfect? Oh, and the house is fantastic, too. And if and when you get off your ass and join the real world, it is perfect, made for children and families even. So, you want to go eat tonight and then come out here and look at it?"

"If it is going to be dark soon and all, maybe we should go look at it now and give it at least a a quick look or we can wait until tomorrow if that would be better."

"I thought you might see it my way. Meet me there in 15. Bye now" and blew Steve a kiss.

Stephen almost laughed out loud. They had been best friends almost since birth and loved each other as friends dearly and would do anything for each other or for one of their other friends, too.

Steve made a quick "U" turn and pulled into a Sonic Drive Inn and ordered two Route 44 (44oz) cherry limeade drinks that just happened to be half priced from 2-4 every week day afternoon and drove on to the Carpenter place just in time to see Mike pulling his BMW convertible through the gate. He pulled his F150 Ford up beside him and after handing Mike his big drink, said that he should hurry and sell his BMW and get a pickup so he could get a job at something so that when the authorities finally found out that he never really went to law school so he could feed his illegitimate children until they caught up with him anyhow.

No one mentioned the fact that Michael and his father were two of the very best and most expensive attorneys anywhere around their area, and what he or they did not know they could find out from one of their myriad of associates scattered around the world whose names would surprise and probably scare the hell out of most people also. Very heavy hitters.

Stephen gave Mike his drink and they started the tour. Mike was trying to show him the parts a woman might like and Steve wanted to see those a man would like. After all, he was a man, right? Steve suddenly stopped and looked at his friend and said, "Who is she?"

Mike got a deer in the headlights sort of look and said very intelligently, "Huh"?

"Come on, Mike. This is me. Tell me what is going on or I tell everyone where you hide your pink panties and tutus. You thought no one knew, but guess what? So, come on and give. How large a clock will she stop and does she really have a great sense of humor?"

"Let's sit in the shade here for a bit. And, Steve, I really do think that this place is perfect for you in almost every way except you will want more even horses and cattle and need a much bigger place, but we will talk about that in a little while. Other than that, it's absolutely perfect throughout. I had it checked by professionals and they agree whole heartedly.

Now, the girl is Christie. Christine McVay. Remember her? Her folks, actually her aunt and uncle, owned a business over in Dallas for a long time. You met and visited with her many times when she came to visit during the summers back when and enjoyed being with her as I remember it. Her folks were killed in an auto accident a few months back and she had a really rough time with it but is supposed to be doing well now. And no, you are not supposed to immediately fall into lust and run off into the sunset, although from what I have heard from mother, that would be a very nice option to both of our mothers. They say they worry about us, meaning you and me both, but I think they just want some grandbabies to spoil. Mom and dad divorced way back when and she has been lonely but would not remarry, so small children have been absent from her life.

Now, like I said, you are not supposed to fall in love overnight, but you are supposed to, however, fall into an immediate like and allow her, even encourage her to follow you around the ranch a lot and help manage things and do the sort of stuff we men tend to excel at. She needs to learn to feed the animals and when to feed, what and how much and also why certain feeds were used. Learn about the farm equipment, planting, harvesting and more. She needs to learn all she can about the farm and ranching business as soon as possible. And finally, it would be desirable if she could catch and saddle her own horse and learn to use it and to work cattle. Even brand."

"Mike, we have been friends for years, all of our lives really, I love you and feel closer to you than anyone on the face of this earth, bar none. Always have and always will I would guess. But right now, I am l in quandary about all this as none of it makes any sense at all. Are there things you are not telling me or things I am supposed to find out on my own or are there things that are never to be discovered? Help me out here so that I do not lose the one person in the world that matters more to me than a handful of sand, would you? Okay? Please?? Why are we going to try to make a real Texas cowgirl out of whatever she is now?"

"All that will come out later and you will understand fully why she needs to be seen as a local farm and ranch girl that also has training in the business world, but I cannot explain it all right now. Trust me please, I beg you."

They sat there for a bit and when Mike started to get up, he told Stephen to sit tight for a minute or two while he got something from his car. Steve agreed and sat back to enjoy the shade for a few minutes.

When Mike returned to the now resting Steve, he had two cold tall cans of beer and a folder with him. "Steve, this folder could destroy a very sweet little girl that does not deserve what life and circumstances have thrown at her, and without her knowledge I need to add. Christie is not just some crazy girl from a crazier family and town, she is family, close family. Especially to me. Take a drink and let me explain, if I can and what I can.

"I did not know any of this myself until just a short time ago when this information came out during some legal investigating we were doing for a company that was being investigated by another company and what we found sent shockwaves through several boardrooms and many more through some bedrooms. Steve, for now, and I do not know for how long, this has to be kept a total secret. I hate to say it, but even Christie does not know about any of this. None at all, and that is how it has to be kept. If you weren't my brother and my confidant, I would not even whisper a word of what you are about to be told, now or ever.

"By blood, Christie is my aunt, believe it or not. In my heart, she is my sister, as you are my brother. I love that girl with a love that rings as true and clean as a church bell on a cold winter morning. No, not in a romantic way. That could never happen in a million years and we all know it, but in a family way. The kind of family that you and your present family have built for yourselves over the years. Those feelings and thoughts are mutual. What I mean is that looking around, between me and you and the flowerpot over there, you have the best overall family setting, feeling, compassion...and so much more than anyone else I know, anywhere. If we were to discuss everything that is needed for a family to make it through life without the trials and tribulations that occur in that life derailing it and sending the members down a different path, often to destruction, we can use you as the example, dear friend.

"Here it comes now. My grandfather is Christie's father. She does not know anything about it but will soon. When she finds out, her whole world will come apart at the seams. She has never met her father and she doesn't even know who he is. I won't go into too many details right now, but suffice it to say that I can vouch for everything you have heard or will hear today. Let me go on by saying that what I told you earlier about mother and even your mom being pleased as punch if you and Christie hooked up is way more than true. It would be an answer to a prayer said by many of us.

"Steve, my special friend, brother... You are unique and don't even know it. For years, I have been so thankful that you are not an opposing attorney as none of us would ever get to win a case, so here goes. There would have been a scandal of epic proportions if the news of the tryst between Christie's parents and some of what happened between him and the involved board members and executives had of ever gotten out and billions, maybe even trillions of dollars changing hands between husbands and ex-wives that only knew how to spend money and not make it. Companies would of have been flat out ruined by the loss of management personnel because of divorce settlements and the resulting share price droppings. Takeovers would have been everyday news. Stocks around the world would have been adversely affected. The only people that would have made any money would have been corporate raiders, attorneys, and stock brokers. Average investors would have lost trillions in stock valuations. There are only a handful of us that know the whole story and it is best left untold. Christie does not need to know all that much, either.

"What we, I, would like, no, love for you to do is just to meet and spend some time with her and teach her the way of life we have grown up with around here. I bet she will take to it like a goose takes to water. Just be nice to her. Don't go out of your way to be a suitor or a buddy or any of those other terms for would be or wanna be suitors. Just be yourself and let nature take its course, please.

"Steve, I am not trying to set you up here. Well, maybe a little as I think you two are as near a perfect match for each other as I have ever seen. Serious as a heart attack here on this one, Steve. I really am as serious as a heart attack. Please trust me.

"Let's go look at the house and grounds you are going to buy. A couple of our friends are going to show up in a minute with more cold beer" Mike said as they stood.

"Sounds to me as if you are pretty damn sure of yourself there, Mike," Replied Steve seriously.

"No, not at all, Steve, but I am pretty damn sure of you." Mike smiled as they walked towards the barns, corrals, and out buildings.

Mike was not a cowboy as such, but he had helped all his friends and family numerous times with their roundups and other stock activities for years, so he knew what he was doing or looking at wherever he went and he liked what he saw everywhere he looked. Nothing but quality everywhere. Probably too much so for a working ranch. He thought the old man must have spent a fortune on it to get it to look like this and yet remain natural looking at the same time. A show place for him for some reason. he though, but loved what he was seeing.

When they toured the house, Steve saw the same thing as he had seen in the barns, quality. Total quality everywhere. He was unsure of why there had been so much spent on the high quality of the things they had been looking at. He wasn't sure if it had been to impress or if it had been done this way for comfort, but it all just seemed to fit together seamlessly and it did not really matter why so much had been spent on quality. It had and it fit and looked beautiful. Besides, some people just liked and required quality.

The same thing presented itself throughout the house, and that was quality. Quality of materials and quality of workmanship. It sure did make for a fine home. Did he want it??? Hell, yes, he did. Did he need it? Well, that could be argued either way he thought. Now, for the biggie?? Christie...