Chapter 6 From Ecstasy to Anguish
January 2006
Phillip, two months shy of age five, was enrolled in kindergarten. Brian rode in the backseat with him, giving him instructions as how to interact with other kids as Peggy drove the SUV. "Don't try to kiss any girls the first day," Brian advised.
"BRIAN," Peggy shouted from the driver's seat.
"Wait until the second day," Brian said.
"BRIAN," Peggy shouted again. "Do you want to get him kicked out on his second day?" she asked, blushing.
"On second thought, it may be better if you wait until you're my age to kiss the girls," Brian said.
"Now you're confusing him," Peggy scolded him.
She stayed in the car while Brian delivered Phillip to his classroom.
"Did he cry when you left him?" she asked when he got in the car.
"No, I think he was glad to be rid of me."
"I don't blame him," she said, smiling fondly.
When Mr. Bennett failed to show up for dinner, and he didn't answer his phone, Peggy called Mrs. Nixon, his bookkeeper.
"I was going to call you, Mrs. Driver. George was taken to the hospital this afternoon."
Brian and Peggy rushed to the hospital, but were not permitted to visit their friend. They were told that only family members could see him.
"We're as close to a family as he has," Peggy complained.
The following evening, they were able to see him for two minutes. Mr. Bennett was hooked up to all sorts of equipment. "Go see Mr. Weston," George Bennett was able to whisper before they were whisk from the room.
Peggy phoned Brian at work the next day, telling the administrative assistant that it was an emergency.
"Mr. Weston will see us at two," she said when Brian came to the phone.
"What's this about?" he asked, showing irritation that a meeting had been interrupted.
"He wouldn't tell me."
"I'll pick you up at one-thirty," he said, thinking that he could work through lunch and leave the office at one.
They were five minutes late getting to the lawyer's office.
"George Bennett wants you to take over his business interests," Mr. Weston said as soon as they were seated.
He handed them a document and told them he would expect their decision to accept or reject Mr. Bennett's offer by the end of the week.
Brian went back to work, dismissing Mr. Bennett's offer. They were not equipped to manage his affairs. By the time he got home, Peggy had had time to digest what was in the document.
"I think we should do it," she said.
"Have you lost your...are you serious?"
"Listen to this. He's willing to forgive our debt to him if we accept his deal. I spoke to Mrs. Nixon. Fifteen of the sixteen apartments are leased. She says that income will cover our monthly payments to the daughter. The hardware store is profitable, but the café is barely making ends meet. We get his house, as is, the same as this house was when the Browns died suddenly. We made out all right with the antiques, didn't we? Do you have any idea what those glass pieces are worth? The house next door is rented to the town librarian and her friend. Mrs. Nixon says they're contended and not going anywhere. Did you hear me say that he'll forgive our debt? We'll be in clover."
"What about operating funds? Is he leaving us his bank accounts?"
"The cash on hand is minimal. Mrs. Nixon said he cleaned out his accounts and sent everything to his daughter. He must have had a feeling that his health was failing."
Something didn't sound right to Brian. Why had the old man selected them to operate his businesses? Why didn't he put them up for sale? Brian thought he knew the answer; it was Peggy. Mr. Bennett had confidence in her abilities.
"You really want to do this, don't you?"
"It's a great opportunity for us to expand, Honey."
"Will I need to quit my job and help out?" he asked. In the back of his mind he was thinking that this could be a way out of a job that was not to his liking. It was no longer fun. A new incident took place every day that required a stern hand, something contrary to his personality.
"John will take over some of my duties here. He's very competent and ready for increased responsibility."
Brian tried a different tact. "His house is in poor condition. How much could we realize if we cleaned it up and sold it?"
"It's stipulated in the agreement that we can't sell any of the real estate until we've paid a substantial part of the debt. We can sell the antiques, though. I can't even guess how much they are worth. We'll need to do some fix-up work, and rent it."
"Peggy, we've been together since January of 2000. Do you realize that we've never taken a vacation? Do you realize we don't have any friends outside business acquaintances? All we do is work. The kids talk about their friends going to Disney World. If we do this, we'll never be able to take them."
"We'll go in March. I promise."
Brian was skeptical. "Can I tell them we'll celebrate their birthdays at Disney?"
"Yes, Sweetheart, you can tell them."
Brian was thoughtful. He would need to make arrangements to take time off from work. He decided to wait a few days before telling the kids about the family vacation. "I want to visit some orange groves. We may make a deal to have citrus fruit shipped directly here."
"Now, who has his nose to the grindstone? Is this turning into a working vacation?" Peggy teased.
"We have a few days before we have to give the lawyer our decision. I want to study the document."
"There is one more wrinkle. It's stipulated that we must retain Mrs. Nixon and Lois Banks," Peggy said, watching him for a reaction to this news.
"That doesn't bother me. They've always had Mr. Bennett's best interests at heart. We should tour the apartment building and that relic where the restaurant and hardware store are located."
Peggy picked up the phone, spoke to Mrs. Nixon, and said, "Done, we'll tour the buildings tomorrow."
That night in bed, Peggy was even more receptive to his overtures than usual. She told him how happy he made her, and how excited his touches made her feel.
"It's always like that first time you put your hand on my ass when you were helping me out of the boxcar."
