Stephen closed up the back of the UHaul and began to drive it to the dealer and thought about his life. As difficult as the last 18 months had been, he was glad to finally be making a new start in a new town, with a new job. After his wife of 21 years passed away, he found himself with no ties to New York and decided to try somewhere with better weather. His background as a property maintenance supervisor gave him many quality options around the country, but his loyalty to his previous employer ultimately led him to deciding to move to and manage an 18 room apartment building that was just acquired in Los Angeles. He hoped the mild and sunny weather would be gentle on his body, which while still in incredible shape from the physical work at the NYC Compound, was beginning to feel older than it had in years.
The apartment building was in generally good shape, a 60s design with 4 units on the bottom and 5 on the top on each side, both facing a pool with deck chairs. Parking surrounded the building on 3 sides with a laundry room on the 1st floor tucked in the back, and his apartment tucked into the back on the other side. The views of the parking lot weren't great but at least it was free, and he could use the pool to exercise.
He took a cab back to the apartment and walked into his place. He surveyed the sea of boxes and decided to get the TV hooked up first, so he could at least have some background noise while he sorted through the things he carried with him. As he was getting the TV on the stand, he heard a knock on the door. "Here we go" he thought to himself.
He opened the door to find Alan, the short, energetic lawyer in his late 60s who represented Mr Petersen, his NYC based employer.
Allen walked right past Stephen, putting a folded sheet of paper in Stephen's hand as he surveyed the apartment "Hey there Steve, hope you like your new place. Just had it painted for you a few weeks ago. Anyhow, I just put that letter under the tenants' doors so they'll know who you are and how to get in touch with you. That letter is from Mr. Petersen so hopefully you will understand the full situation soon. Just sign this document right here, and I'll be all done." Stephen walked toward the kitchen counter where Allen was standing and took the pen, signing the back of a long legal document he assumed was an employment and privacy agreement. He'd worked for Mr. Petersen for decades and his loyalty to Mr. Petersen had been returned in many ways, the largest of which he was about to learn. Mr. P was a prominent Wall Street tycoon, who was fond of making money for himself but also rewarded his loyal and long-time employees with their own pieces of investment deals. This was enough for Stephen to leave with a few million dollars in his 401k to supplement his Social Security and military pension from his service in 20s and 30s.
Allen shook his hand and without a word walked right out of the front door.
Stephen folded open the paper, welcoming him, giving them his phone number, and instructing the tenants to call him with any maintenance questions instead of the service they had been using in the past.
Stephen then noticed that Allen had left a large manila envelope on the kitchen counter, with Stephen's name on it. Stephen opened it, finding a blank copy of the long document he had just signed along with a letter from Mr. Petersen.
"Stephen, we've had some great times together, and I'm really sad to see you leave the team. It's hard to find people you can trust here with all of the tabloids and TMZs of the world waving money in people's faces, and yet you always did an admirable job of being truthful and loyal to me, and for that I'm deeply grateful. The document you signed includes our standard confidentiality agreement, but also you should look over the addendum. As a reward for your hard work and loyalty, you're now the proud owner of this small apartment building. The rental income should provide you with a nice pension of sorts, along with a lot of flexibility on how you want to run your business. Now we are partners here, so you call me if you ever need anything major, and you know I will have your back just as you've had mine for decades.
Sincerely,
MHP