Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2009 23:13:00 +0000
From: Jacob Latson <jacob_latson@hotmail.com>
Subject: Agony & Ecstasy Chapter 8

Disclaimer:

This story will describe the life of John Miller from his time as
a divorced man who has been devastated by the divorce and then turns
his tragedy into a new life of wealth.  This story will include
descriptions of male sex, including M/M, M/T, M/b, T/b and b/b.  If
stories involving sex between consenting males of all ages, including
mainly gay sex, offends you, go back to the Archives and pick a
different story for your reading pleasure.

There has been minimal research for this story therefore, names,
places, and events are mostly fictitious and similarities to real life
are coincidental.

Some companies and organizations mentioned actually exist, but
references to the activities, policies, programs and procedures are
fictitious. This story will include references to the United States
government, the FBI, CIA and other agencies.  Any references are purely
fictional, and only used to develop the plot and characters.

Bill, my editor, adds his personal touches to clean up my errors.
Thanks, Bill!!!!


Agony & Ecstasy

Chapter 8

Hitting Bottom and Rising Up!

Thomas Kendrick had retired from his active years as an attorney, but he
still took care of the needs of some special clients.  He was at home when
he got the phone call from Betty Anderson and Martha Jenkins.  Both of the
elderly women were talking at the same time, and he had trouble
understanding what they were asking him.  He finally sorted through the
chatter of the two elegant ladies and realized that they wanted his help.
He knew that the two ladies were being pressured to name a person to
control the business left by James Stanton's untimely death, and he
listened to their request.

"I think I know John Miller," Thomas Kendrick said.  "If you're talking
about the same John Miller, I met him at Abe Goldman's home several years
ago; he's a fine man.  Let me do some checking and I'll call you back."

Betty and Martha were convinced that the John Miller that they knew was a
fine man, but they didn't want to take any chances with the business that
their father had started many years ago.  They were excited about their
attorney's initial comments and couldn't wait for confirmation of their
initial opinion of John Miller.

John was sitting at his second-hand kitchen table having a cup of coffee
when the phone rang.  Bobby Goldman wanted to treat John to lunch, but John
had to go to work at the paint store.  He agreed to spend Friday night with
the Goldman family and looked forward to seeing his godson, Justin.

John got a call from Mike Smith, his neighbor on the lake, and was shocked
to hear that two homes in his neighborhood had been robbed.  John had a
security system on his home, but the annual monitoring fee was over $200
and he had canceled the service.  After the devastation caused by Margaret,
John thought that he didn't have anything worth stealing.  He remembered
the two handguns that were hidden in the bedroom closet and went to make
sure that they were still there and loaded.  He was shocked when he found
that both guns were gone.  He immediately called the police to report the
theft and wondered if Margaret had taken the two guns.

Greg Cook was the police officer that responded to John's call and was
concerned about the missing handguns and ammunition.  He knew that handguns
were favorite targets for thieves and stolen guns were often used in
violent crimes.

"Here's my CCW (Carry Concealed Weapons) license and the serial numbers of
the guns," John said to Greg.  "I hadn't even looked for them until my
neighbor told me about the robberies around the lake.  The last time that I
saw them was almost a year ago.  My ex-wife might have taken them or they
might have been stolen.  All I know is that they're gone."

"So you're missing a Glock 9mm and a Smith & Wesson 38 revolver," Greg
said.  "Do you have any other guns in the house?"

"My two shotguns and my deer rifle are still here," John replied.  "I feel
sick about losing those two pistols.  I've had them for years."

Greg Cook left the home and hoped that he would recover the two missing
guns without them being used in a violent crime.

Betty and Martha were at home when their phone rang.  It was another call
from Glen Young, Personnel Director at the family business.  Betty had
answered the phone and was upset when Glen tried to pressure her into
making an important decision.

"You know that James trusted me and Jacob to run the business when he was
out of the office," Glen said.  "I don't understand why you won't trust us
and name one of us the new CEO (Chief Executive Officer)."

"Martha and I need time to make our decision," Betty replied.  She knew
that her sister was hearing only one half of the phone conversation and was
upset that Glen Young was calling again.  He and Jacob Coleman had been
hounding them to choose one of them to take control of the family business,
but the two sisters didn't like either man.  The family business was too
important for them to make a fast decision, and they both remembered what
their nephew had said about the two men.

When the call ended, Betty said, "I just don't trust Glen or Jacob!  Jimmy
said that they were both ruthless, but he never fired them!  I think that
they had something over Jimmy that kept him from canning them!"

"Philippe always seemed like a nice man, but Jimmy always ran things his
own way," Martha said.  "I think Jimmy was prejudiced against black people
like Philippe.  I wish that we didn't have to make a decision so fast!"

"We'll just wait to hear from Thomas," Betty replied.  "Let's call John and
see if he'll come over for supper with us.  I love to see him eat what we
cook and I love to talk to him.  He's a fine young man!"

John was happy to accept the offer for another fantastic meal from Betty
and Martha.  He stopped at a grocery store and bought some fresh flowers to
take to the wonderful old ladies.

Betty and Martha were thrilled with the flowers and fussed around in the
kitchen to trim the stems and find a vase.  It had been a long time since a
man had brought them flowers and they kept thanking John for his kindness.

"Mrs. Jenkins, would you like a Manhattan?" John asked Martha.  They were
alone in the parlor while Betty was getting the ice.

"Please call me Martha and call Betty, Betty instead of Mrs. Anderson,"
Martha said.  "You're our friend and we don't need to be so formal."

Betty had brought in the bucket of ice and agreed with her sister that John
should call them by their first names.

"I was brought up to show respect for my elders," John said.  "It wouldn't
be polite to call you by your first names."

"What did you do when your parents had their friends over?" Betty asked.

"I called them aunt or uncle," John replied.

"Would you consider calling us Aunt Martha and Aunt Betty?" Martha asked.

"I'd really like that if you two don't object," John said.

"Then it's settled!" Martha said.  "Now we have a nephew again!"

Betty and Martha didn't tell John the significance of having a nephew, but
he registered the "again" and wondered what had happened to their real
nephew.  He could tell that the two ladies wanted to change the subject, so
he talked about work and mentioned that two of his guns were missing.

"Let's show John our guns," Betty said.  "Maybe he wants to take some of
them home for safety and to protect himself."

John was surprised that the two old ladies had a gun in their home, but
decided to go with them upstairs to see what they had.

"We keep a gun in each of our bedrooms for protection, but we keep most of
the other guns in this room that we keep locked," Martha said.  She
unlocked a bedroom door and walked in with John and Betty following.

John was shocked!  Instead of bedroom furniture, the entire room was full
of rifles, shotguns and handguns!  Custom gun racks had been built along
the two sidewalls and John estimated that over 100 rifles and shotguns were
cabled and locked to the walls.  On the wall opposite the door, there were
glass cases with semi-automatic pistols, revolvers, dueling pistols and
guns that he didn't even recognize!

"That one is an Uzi," Betty said calmly when she pointed to a sinister
looking automatic weapon.  "It's been a long time since we shot any of
these, but once in a while we take our Berettas out in back for target
practice."

"You've got an arsenal here!" John blurted out.  "The only place that I've
seen this many guns is in a gun store!  Where did you get them?"

"Our nephew bought them and stored them here," Betty replied.  "We grew up
on this farm and when we were young we lived off the land.  We both could
drop a pheasant with one shot from a shotgun."

"We keep Berettas in the parlor, dining room and kitchen," Martha admitted.
"All of them use the same ammunition so we don't get confused.  They're all
9 mm."

"I can't believe this!" John said.  "Two beautiful ladies are armed like
Bonnie and Clyde!  I hope that you aren't going to tell me that you robbed
banks to buy all of your beautiful furniture!"

Betty and Martha laughed and said that they didn't need to rob banks
because their husbands were very successful businessmen.  They asked John
if he wanted to take a gun home, but he refused their generous offer.

"Please don't tell anyone about our guns," Betty said.  "We can protect
ourselves but we don't want anyone to know what we have in this room.  All
of the Berettas are registered to us and we both have licenses to carry a
gun.  If we are going somewhere that we don't think is safe, we carry
these."  She showed John two pearl handled 25 caliber semi- automatic
pistols that were sitting on a table.

John looked at the two pistols and the two sweet old ladies and started
laughing.  "I'm going to church on Sunday to thank God that you didn't
shoot me when I changed your tire!" he teased.

"We weren't packing heat when we went to the hairdresser," Betty said.  "We
had mace, but had left the guns at home."

John roared when he heard Betty use a street term for carrying a concealed
weapon.  He couldn't believe that the two innocent looking ladies could
have so many weapons at their disposal.

The trio returned to the parlor to finish their drinks and talked about the
weather, politics and how Detroit and the State of Michigan were in deep
financial trouble.

John had noticed that there was a crack in the ceiling of the parlor and
that the wood floor was showing wear.  He correctly guessed that the floor
had been covered with carpet before the carpet was removed to make room for
the exquisite Persian rug.

"Have you ever considered getting that crack fixed and refinishing the wood
floor?" John asked.

"Mr. Kramer gave us an estimate of $20,000 to fix the crack, paint the
ceiling and walls and refinish the floor," Betty said.  "I don't trust him
and we stopped hiring him to do odd jobs around here.  He thinks that we're
two stupid old bats that will pay his exorbitant fees."

"My hours at the paint store are down until spring, so maybe I can fix
things up for you," John offered.  "It would make a big mess, but I have
the time and need something to do for the next month.  I'd be happy to fix
this room for you!"

"We'll pay you the $20,000," Betty said.  "We can certainly afford it, and
we'd rather pay you than Mr. Kramer!"

"Now how could I charge my two aunts for helping them out?" John asked.  "I
could ask my neighbor, Mike Smith, to help me move these beautiful antiques
into the dining room so I have room to work.  How about it?  Can I please
do it for my two aunts?"

Betty and Martha choked back their tears and accepted John's generous
offer, but insisted on paying for all of the materials.  It was wonderful
having a concerned nephew again, and they started talking about what color
to paint the walls.  It had been over 15 years since any part of the home
had been painted, and they were excited.

After work the next day, John drove to his aunts' home to show them paint
samples that were available from Taylor Paint.  He suggested a flat,
ceiling white for the ceiling and a cream color for the walls.  Betty and
Martha were excited about having the parlor repaired and painted and
quickly agreed with John's suggestions.

"I'll get started tomorrow," John said.  "Mike said that he could help me
move out the furniture and we can cover everything to cut down on the
dust."

"We'll empty all of the furniture so nothing gets broken," Martha said.
"We rarely use the dining room table, so we can put all of the glassware
and lamps on the table.  Will that work for you?"

"Just don't lift anything that's heavy," John said.  "My boss at work said
that I can use his furniture dollies for moving the furniture and he even
said he would let me use the floor sander for free."

"We insist on paying for renting his equipment!" Betty said.  "We can
afford to pay, and he needs the money for his business.  We won't accept
charity!  Here is an envelope with $10,000 so you can pay him for
everything!"

"Holy Crap!" John exclaimed.  "Please don't ever keep that much cash around
or show it to anyone!  Jim Taylor is a great boss and friend, and he will
just keep track of our expenses.  I don't think that the entire job will
cost more than $800, and that includes the paint for the ceiling and walls
and the polyurethane for the floor."

"What about the baseboard?" Betty asked.  "I never liked it when my husband
painted the baseboards.  Can we remove the paint or replace the
baseboards?"

"I'll look at Landon Lumber for some new oak baseboard," John replied.  "I
agree that the room would look beautiful with baseboards that match the oak
flooring.  I'm excited about getting this job started, and I suggest that
we take some `before' and `after' pictures to show the changes."

John and his two aunts enjoyed a pitcher of Manhattans before their evening
meal.  John loved being around the two ladies because they brought back
memories of his childhood.  "Dinner" not "Lunch" was served at noon and
"Supper" not "Dinner" was served in the evening.

In less than two weeks, the parlor was finished, and John and Mike Smith
moved the exquisite furniture back in place.  Betty and Martha were
thrilled that John had stripped and refinished the archway and glass doors
that closed off the parlor from the rest of the farmhouse, and they loved
the look of the beautiful room.  The two ladies insisted that John and Mike
and Mike's family come over for a special supper to celebrate the new room.

Mike Smith, John's neighbor at the lake, his wife Amber, Tim and Amanda
were happy to have supper with Betty and Martha.  They all went into the
remodeled parlor and had cocktails before the supper was ready.  John made
the drinks and also made alcohol-free drinks for the two children.
Everyone marveled at the beauty of the room and the exquisite antique
furnishings except the two children, who thought that everything looked
ancient.

Betty and Martha had worked hard to prepare a special meal of salad, French
onion soup, prime rib, baked potatoes, green bean casserole, corn and
carrots for their special guests.  The dessert was warm apple pie with
vanilla ice cream, and everyone was stuffed.  They were sitting at the
dining room table having coffee when Mike offered a suggestion.

"Now that your parlor is done, maybe you should consider doing something
with this room," Mike said.  "The ceiling could be painted and maybe the
carpet could be removed to make the room more formal.  I bet that there is
some beautiful hardwood flooring under this carpet."

"We couldn't ask you and John to do more work for us!" Betty said.  "We
wanted to pay you and John for all of the work you two men did in the
parlor, but John refused to take anything more than the cost of the
materials."

"I think Mike has a great idea!" John said.  "We could paint the ceiling
and walls and add a chair rail around the entire room.  This carpet shows
quite a bit of wear, and a wood floor would look much more elegant."

"We could get that other rug out of storage," Martha said to her sister.
"I love this room and it would look beautiful with a new coat of paint."

"Martha!  How can you expect John to do more work for us?" Betty asked.

"I love doing things for my two aunts," John replied.  "What rug are you
talking about?"

"Jimmy gave us another Persian rug, but we put it in storage," Betty
replied.

"Who's Jimmy?" Timmy asked.  "Is he your son?  Where is he?  Can I play
with him?"

John knew that Jimmy was a special person to Betty and Martha, but he had
never asked them about Jimmy when one of them slipped and mentioned his
name.  Here was an inquisitive 9-year old boy asking an innocent question,
and he wanted to change the subject when he saw tears forming in the eyes
of the elderly ladies.

"Jimmy was our nephew, but he died," Betty said softly.

"He always wanted us to move out of this house, but it was our family home
when we were young like you, and we wanted to stay here," Martha said to
Timmy.

"How did he die?" Timmy asked.  He was a young boy who didn't understand
that the two old ladies were upset by mentioning their nephew.

"Maybe we should change the subject," John suggested.

"You have a right to know," Betty said to John.  "Jimmy took over the
family business from his father James, our brother.  Jimmy was on an
African safari and was trampled by elephants."

John was shocked.  He remembered the article that Jim Taylor had showed him
about a CEO who had been trampled by elephants in Africa, and suddenly
realized that the man who had died was the nephew of his two new aunts.  He
could see that both of his aunts were visibly upset, and he wanted to do
anything to keep them from talking about their dead nephew.

"Let's talk about remodeling this room," John suggested.  "I think that
flat white paint on the ceiling will brighten the room, and a chair rail
would be beautiful.  We can remove the carpet and refinish the wood floor
to match the parlor."

Betty was relieved that John had changed the subject, and added, "We could
use the other rug under the dining room table.  What color should we paint
the walls?"

Mike and Amber Smith picked up on the need to change the subject, and
offered suggestions for the color of the walls.  The two children were
bored and finished their second helpings of dessert while the adults
finally settled on a cream color for the walls with an oak chair rail to
match the wood floor.

After their guests left, Betty and Martha cleaned the dining room and
loaded their dishwasher.  They had refused the offers of their guests to
help clean up after the meal and hoped that their guests would return for
another meal in the future.

"It's time we talked about the business," Betty said to her sister.

"Thomas said he would call us when he finished his investigation," Martha
replied.  "But you and I already know that our John is a wonderful man, and
his education makes him a perfect fit."

"Maybe he won't want to run the store," Betty said.  "Jimmy did a lot of
traveling and John has his family here in Michigan.  John's done so much
for us, and I don't feel right about asking him to do even more."

"You could see it in his face that he loved working on the parlor," Martha
said.  "When Mike talked about our dining room, John's face lit up like a
Christmas tree!"

"If he won't take money from us, maybe he'll take money from the store,"
Betty said.


Thomas Kendrick did a thorough investigation of the background of John
Miller and was pleased with the findings.  Abe Goldman was his personal
friend, and gave John the ultimate compliment by calling John his "second
son".  The private investigators didn't find anything in John's background,
not even a parking ticket.  He reviewed the tapes and transcripts of John
Miller's divorce from Margaret Miller and was surprised about the
allegations of possession of child pornography.  He knew from his time as
the family lawyer for the Stanton family that James Stanton was a gay man
who had never married and had spent a great deal of time in Thailand and
Mexico, two countries known for areas where men had sex with underage boys.
Thomas thought back to his own love of boys and felt sad when he thought
about the man that he had loved.  Keith was only 12 when they first met,
and he loved the boy with all of his heart.  Keith grew up and became his
legal assistant, and their love affair lasted for 20 years until Keith was
killed in Vietnam in 1967.  He looked at the photo of Keith on the wall of
his home office and shed a tear for his lost lover.  His investigation was
complete and he was ready to talk to Betty Anderson and Martha Jenkins.


John finished the remodeling of the dining room and was pleased with his
work.  Mike Smith had helped him move the furniture out of the room before
the work started, and also helped him move it back in when the room was
done.  Both men were impressed with the beautiful Persian rug that had been
delivered to the home after being cleaned at a special company that dealt
with vintage rugs.

During the celebration supper when the dining room was finished, Timmy
asked another question about Jimmy.  He was still confused about what had
happened to Jimmy and asked, "How did elephants kill Jimmy?"

John wished that he could evaporate!  Children always had the innocence to
cut through any sense of propriety with their direct attitudes and
questions, and John was embarrassed that Timmy had remembered the
discussions about Jimmy from the last visit.

"He was hunting for a trophy bull elephant, and the wounded elephant
charged him," Betty said.

"The elephant killed our nephew and his friend who always went hunting and
fishing with him," Martha added.  "It hurts us to talk about Jimmy, so can
we talk about something else?"

"Timmy do you want another piece of chocolate cake?" John asked to change
the subject.  He was relieved when Timmy seemed very interested in how
large a piece of cake Betty was cutting for him.

Amber insisted that she help clean up after the fantastic meal, and worked
with the two elderly ladies until the dishwasher was loaded.  She knew that
John was very attached to Betty and Martha, and could see that the two
women loved John.

"John, can you stay for a few minutes?" Betty asked John when the Smith
family was getting ready to leave.  "Martha and I have something to ask
you."

John wondered if the ladies wanted another room painted, and was willing to
do more work for them.  He had grown to love the women and enjoyed their
cocktail visits to the parlor and the fantastic meals in the kitchen and
new dining room.

When they got inside the parlor, Betty offered John a crystal glass of
Crème de Menthe.  John normally didn't drink after a large meal, but he
could tell that his aunts wanted to sit and talk, so he accepted the drink.

"Jimmy was in charge of the family business before he died," Betty said.
"For several months we've been pressured to find a person to take over the
store."

"Stop beating around the bush!" Martha said.  "We both want you to take
over the store!"

"What kind of store?" John asked.  "The only store that I have any
experience with is Taylor Paint, and I'm only a part-time salesman there."

"It's an import store," Betty replied.  "Our father started the store and
then his son, James, our brother took over after daddy died.  James died
and Jimmy took over almost 30 years ago."

"I don't think that I'm qualified to run an import store," John said
honestly.

"I hope that you don't mind, but we asked our attorney to check on you,"
Martha said.  "Thomas Kendrick's a personal friend of Abe Goldman, and he
says that your degree in Business Administration is perfect to run the
store for us.  Abe said that you're a second son to him, and we both love
you like you were our real nephew!"

John knew that his financial situation was getting worse with the reduced
hours at Taylor Paint.  His savings account was empty and he couldn't touch
his Chrysler stock or 401K for many years.

"You'll make a lot of money," Betty said.  "Jimmy spent most of his time
hunting and fishing all around the world because he had people to run the
store."

John wondered what kind of store a man could own where he spent most of his
time hunting and fishing, and it sounded too good to be true.

"Maybe someone in the company should take over," John said.

"We both love you and want you to take care of our family business," Betty
said.  "The company makes a lot of money, but we want someone who cares
about other people to run things.  If you need time to decide, we can
wait."

"Our attorney will meet with you to show you the business," Martha said.
"Here's the business card for Thomas Kendrick, and the address for the
business office.  Please go talk to Thomas and then you can decide."

John agreed to meet with Thomas Kendrick and finished his drink before
kissing his two aunts goodbye.  He drove home and was overwhelmed by the
offer to run his own company.  He spent a sleepless night thinking about
his current financial situation and the chance to start a new career.

The next morning, John showered, shaved and put on a Polo shirt and Dockers
slacks for the meeting with Thomas Kendrick.  He thought about wearing the
only sport coat that he owned, but decided that it wouldn't be appropriate
for a casual meeting with an attorney.  He drove his old Silverado pickup
truck to the address on the back of the business card and was sure that the
address was wrong when he came to a large metal gate.

"How can I help you?" the guard asked.

"I think that I'm at the wrong address," John said embarrassedly.  "I'm
supposed to meet with Thomas Kendrick, but I don't think that I'm at the
right place."  For the first time, John saw the large sign on the brick
pillars that said "Sea & Jungle Imports, Ltd. North American Operations."

"Mr. Kendrick has already arrived," the guard said.  "Please drive forward
to the visitor's parking area and then go to the reception desk and ask for
him."

John drove his truck past the gate and knew that his clothes and his
beat-up truck didn't impress the guard.  He drove along the winding road
and was awed by the manicured lawn, shrubs and rose bushes.  When he turned
the last curve in the road he was overwhelmed by the huge fountain and
statues of dolphins.  It was the most beautiful building that he'd ever
seen, and he still thought that he was in the wrong place!  He parked his
truck in the visitor's area and looked at the cars in the parking lot.
Every brand of expensive car was there.  Mercedes, Lexus, Cadillac, Lincoln
and even a Bentley were parked in the lot and he wished that he could hide
his battered Chevrolet truck.

When John walked into the front of the building, he was awestruck when he
saw the reception area.  A large waterfall of over three stories in height
cascaded down into a deep pool of water.  All around the waterfall and pool
was a tropical jungle that was complete with brightly colored parrots and
he even saw some monkeys swinging through the palm trees.  He was
spellbound by the beauty of the jungle area and couldn't believe that it
existed in Michigan!

"Welcome to the Sea & Jungle Imports North American Headquarters.  May I
help you?"  a pleasant voice asked John.

"I'm John Miller and I was supposed to meet Thomas Kendrick, but I'm pretty
sure I'm in the wrong place!" John replied. "I've never seen anything like
this in my entire life!  This place is beautiful!"

"Our jungle area always shocks visitors," the receptionist said.  "My name
is Regina Henderson, and I'm the receptionist at S&JI, Ltd here in Detroit.
Mr. Kendrick's expecting you!  I'll page him and you can explore the jungle
while you wait for him."  She looked at the handsome man and wondered why
he was coming to the building.  She knew that Thomas Kendrick was the
attorney for Betty Anderson and Martha Jenkins, and wanted to call Helen
Baxter, personal assistant and office manager to tell her that an important
visitor had arrived.  She knew she had to wait before calling Helen, and
was polite to the visitor.

"Is this place for real?" John asked.  "I can't believe that a place like
this exists in Michigan!"

"The jungle's a creation of our CEO, James Stanton," Regina said.  "He
wanted our visitors to see what Africa looks like, so he created this
building for our North American Operations Headquarters.  The waterfall is
50 feet high and the glass walls and ceiling are triple-thick to hold in
the heat needed for the plants and wildlife.  Some of the koi fish in the
pond cost over $5,000 each and the macaws are over 20 years old.  The
parrots are friendly, but the monkeys can be mischievous when they're
hungry.  Anyone who goes into the jungle takes the risk of having the
monkeys harass them or having some parrot droppings hit them."

John laughed and decided to look through the glass walls at the beauty of
the atrium.  He was marveling at the beauty of the huge parrots when he
heard a voice calling to him.

"John Miller, we meet again!" Thomas Kendrick said.  "I'm Thomas Kendrick
and I met you at Abe Goldman's home several years ago.  Please come with me
to the conference room!"

John shook hands with Thomas Kendrick and vaguely remembered meeting the
elderly man when he visited the Goldman family several years ago.  He had
recognized the name when Betty and Martha had given him the business card,
but he couldn't remember that he had met the man before.  He followed
Thomas down a long hallway that had glass cases on each side filled with
trophy animals and fish.  He wanted to stop and look at the beautiful
mounts, but Thomas seemed indifferent to the majesty of the jungle and the
gleaming halls of granite.

"How do you like the reception area?" Thomas asked.  "I remember the first
time that I saw it, and I wanted to spend a week looking at the jungle and
all of the trophies."

"I thought I was in the wrong place," John admitted.

Thomas laughed and led John to a glass elevator that went up over 10
stories.  John walked into the elevator and was surprised that even the
floor was solid glass.  His breath was taken away when Thomas pushed the
button for the 12th floor and the elevator rose rapidly.  "What was he
getting himself into?" John asked himself.

"This is the South American Conference Room," Thomas said when he opened a
door in the beautiful hallway.  "Let's sit down and talk for a couple of
minutes."

John walked into the conference room and recognized many of the
furnishings.  He saw Brazilian cherry flooring, walls covered with Aztec
murals and teakwood furniture.  The floor alone cost more than John's
entire home, and he felt dizzy.

"Just for the record, I've taken the liberty of reviewing your financial
status," Thomas began.  "I see that you have a home mortgage, a second
mortgage and some credit card balances.  I hope you don't mind that I
checked up on you, but Betty Anderson and Martha Jenkins are very special
clients of mine.  I retired a long time ago, but I still take care of the
legal issues for both of them.  Even with your income from Taylor Paint,
you're headed for some tough times if you don't accept the offer from my
clients."

"I'm still confused," John admitted to Thomas.  "I was asked if I would
take over a store, so I don't know why we're meeting here."

Thomas laughed and then realized that John was embarrassed.  "Two wonderful
ladies told me that you call them both `aunt' and that they chose you to
take over the family business.  The family business isn't a single store;
it's the Sea & Jungle Imports, Ltd with the world headquarters in Nassau,
Bahamas.  This building is the North American Operations Headquarters for
all of the stores in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and controls
imports into 75 outlet stores.  The worldwide operations have another 235
stores around the world as you can see by this world map."

"HOLY SHIT!" John exclaimed.  He had never dreamed that Betty and Martha
were involved with a business that covered the entire world, and couldn't
believe that he had been asked to run a store for them.

"Mrs. Anderson and Mrs. Jenkins are special friends to me," Thomas said.
"I call them by their first names, but they said that you are their chosen
nephew and they want you to take over the reins of the entire corporation.
Of course, you'll be well paid if you accept!"

"You mean they want me to take over all of this?" John asked incredulously.
He looked at the map on the wall of the conference room and was shocked!

"That's exactly what they're offering," Thomas replied.  "The first James
Stanton built up the company and expanded around the world, and his son,
James, Jr. took over when his father died.  Your compensation for accepting
the position of President and Chief Executive Officer of SJI, Ltd., North
American Operations is 20 million dollars a year, but that pales when
compared to the income from the worldwide operations and WWI, Ltd.  Just so
you know, WWI stands for World Wide Investments, Ltd and it's the largest
privately owned investment company in the world.  WWI loans money to
developers that build casinos, resorts, office buildings, shopping malls
and port facilities around the world.  I honestly don't know what your
income will be from the international operations and WWI, but I can only
imagine that it will be huge."

"I'm honored that Aunt Betty and Aunt Martha would offer this to me, but
I'm not qualified," John said.  "I could never run an operation like what
you've just described."

"You can and you will!" Thomas replied.  "What this company needs is a man
who's honest and has the desire to satisfy customers.  Your staff will do
most of the work, and you'll spend most of your time entertaining important
customers on ocean cruises and hunting and fishing trips.  The trophies you
collect will be displayed in the outlet stores."

"I'm getting dizzy!" John admitted.  He had to sit down to catch his breath
after hearing what was being offered to him.  He had often dreamed of
winning the Mega Millions Lottery, and what Thomas Kendrick was offering
was even greater.

"I know that this is a big shock, but you're the right man for this job,
and I strongly suggest that you accept this offer!" Thomas said.  "There
are two wonderful ladies who are anxiously awaiting your answer, and
they're both in the next room waiting for your acceptance.  Think about
what you can do with 20 million dollars!  Of course the IRS will take a big
chunk, but you can pay off all of your bills and help your son,
daughter-in- law and new grandson have a wonderful life!  You've been
working at the soup kitchens and homeless shelters in Detroit, and now you
can make some serious financial contributions to help the needy.  I'm a tax
expert, and I'll help you through all of the IRS bullshit."

John thought back to the terrible times from his marriage to Margaret and
the painful divorce.  He was broke and feared that he would have to sell
his home and move into an apartment without improvement in his income.
This opportunity was too good to be true, but he trusted Aunt Martha and
Aunt Betty and said, "I'll take the job!"

"That's what I wanted to hear!" Thomas said excitedly.  "You're making the
best decision of your entire life, and I'm going to help you through the
paperwork to make it all happen.  Right now, I'm going to ask Betty and
Martha to come in to join in our celebration!"

Thomas went to the door and opened it.  He wasn't surprised when both
Martha and Betty almost fell into the conference room.  Both of the ladies
had been listening at the door and were very excited when John had accepted
their offer.

"OH JOHN!  WE'RE THRILLED TO PIECES!" Betty exclaimed.  She grabbed John
and gave him a big hug and kiss and then let her sister do the same.

"This is the best day of our lives!" Martha exclaimed.  "Wait until you
meet Helen!  She's your Administrative Assistant, and she's a wonderful
lady!  You'll love her!  She's been in charge since Jimmy died, and she's a
saint!"

Helen Baxter was in her office on the 12th floor of the building and was
anxious when she got the phone call from Regina Henderson from the
receptionist desk.  Helen knew that something big was happening at the
headquarters building when Thomas Kendrick had arrived shortly before
Martha Jenkins and Betty Anderson.  She had been working over 70 hours a
week ever since James Stanton had died, and she desperately needed some
relief from the constant decisions that had to be made.

"He's a handsome man about 50 years old," Regina had reported.  "He was
very polite and Mr. Kendrick took him to the South American Conference Room
on the 12th floor."

"I hope that he's the right one for the job," Helen said.  "I'll let you
know what I hear, and thanks for calling me when he got here."

Helen hung up her phone and wondered if the two elderly ladies had finally
made a decision about who would head up the company.  Her family life had
been strained to the limit, and she needed relief.  She hoped that the new
CEO would recognize the deficiencies in the NAO (North American Operations)
Staff, and take some aggressive actions.  If the visitor was going to be
the new CEO, she'd have to wait and see if he'd follow the policies of
James Stanton, or if he'd make the needed changes.  She was filled with
anxiety when her phone rang and she was asked to go to the conference room.

"John, this is Helen Baxter, your Administrative Assistant," Thomas
Kendrick said when Helen came into the conference room.  "Helen has been
running things since the untimely death of James Stanton, and she's the
reason that the company's still in business!  I'd trust Helen with my
life!"

John shook hands with Helen and wondered what he was getting into.  The NAO
Headquarters was an imposing building and he was still unsure if he could
handle a job that was bigger than anything he could ever imagine.

John watched while Aunt Betty and Aunt Martha hugged Helen, and that proved
that his two aunts liked Helen.  Everyone sat down at the conference table
to discuss the next steps in the change of leadership.

"You'll have some resistance from a few jerks!" Martha said to John.  "I'm
sure you'll sort out the people that you can trust to take the business
into the future."

"Helen will help you get settled in," Betty said.  "She's been a saint to
us since Jimmy died."

"Do you have a passport?" Helen asked John.

"I got one about four years ago when my wife and I went to London," John
replied.  "I think that it's still valid."

"Good, because you should leave for the Bahamas tomorrow," Helen said.
"I'll call Phillipe and have him schedule an emergency meeting of the Board
of Directors to formalize your appointment as President and Chief Executive
Officer of our company.  It's only a formality after these two ladies have
made their decision to hire you.  They own all 100 shares of the parent
company, and no one can block their choice."

"This is all too much for me to comprehend," John admitted.  "I came here
today to take over what I thought was a small store, and now everyone is
telling me that I'm a millionaire with control over a company with
operations around the world!"

"If I'm not mistaken, you're much more than a millionaire!" Helen said.  "I
honestly don't know the compensation for the WWO (World Wide Operations),
but Mr. Stanton said the NAO compensation was peanuts!"

"Here's how we suggest that we handle things for the first couple of
months," Thomas Kendrick began.  "We'll introduce you as a management
consultant until you get your feet on the ground and learn who you can
trust.  I'll be honest with you in saying that this company needs a strong
leader, and I'm thrilled that you've accepted this new job."

"I took the liberty of creating a document for you to read about our
company," Helen said.  "I'll continue taking care of the day to day
business decisions, but the important ones will be yours to make.  You and
I will decide when to make the public announcement of your appointment.
It'll be a huge media event, and Newsweek and Time Magazine will do a
feature story on you and your new job when the time's right."

John was reeling with the thoughts of having a new job and incredible
wealth!  Fate had given him a new lease on life!




Stay tuned!!!


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