Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 10:07:03 -0700 (PDT)
From: Orrin Rush <orrinrush@yahoo.com>
Subject: The Lifeguard, Chapter 43
Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction. If you are
offended by graphic descriptions of homosexual acts, go
somewhere else.
Copyright c 2001 by Orrin C. Rush. All rights reserved.
Neither this story nor any parts of it may be distributed
electronically or in any other manner without the express,
written consent of the author.
This is a work of fiction, any resemblance of the characters
to anyone living or dead is pure coincidence and not
intended. They are all products of the author's imagination.
--------------------------------------------------------------
THE LIFEGUARD
Chapter 43
We worked on the guest list. It quickly became much longer
than I expected.
"We ought to invite Edgar," Eric giggled.
The two nuggets that we'd picked up at the mine as souvenirs
would be melted down for our rings. Eric wanted to handle
that, along with all the other details.
- - - - -
Spence moved into his condo. I hated to admit it, but I
missed having the little fart around.
He and Eric stayed in close touch, and one night Eric invited
him over for dinner. He came alone, which surprised me. I
expected Jimmy to be with him.
"We've got some business to discuss," he announced. "I'm
moving along on the operating system a lot faster than I
expected. It's looking pretty good, too. I think it's time
we let Micron in on what I'm doing.
"I've been thinking about the trouble Microsoft got into, the
monopoly thing, and if Micron has time to plan ahead, maybe
they can avoid those problems. They'll also need some time
to figure out how they're going to pay us. A billion won't
cut it this time," he snickered.
This kid wasn't just a computer genius, I was quickly
learning. He'd definitely be a force to be reckoned with in
the not too distant future.
"I'll have to work out my own position in all this," Eric
said. "I have a lot of loyalty to Micron, too, so I'll have
to have a heart-to-heart discussion with them."
"You'll handle it," Spence said, "you're so smooooooth!"
This got us all laughing and the subject changed to our
upcoming commitment ceremony. "Can I be the flower girl?"
Spence kidded.
After Spence left, Eric "thought out loud" about the call
he'd have to make to Micron, weighing all the possible
approaches he could take. I listened. He was still
undecided when we went to bed.
"I've decided to wing it, just tell the truth, and see what
happens," he said on the way in to work. "One thing I'm sure
of, and that's that I want you to be there and listen in. I
need your moral support."
"I'm available," I said, patting him on the knee. "Use the
phone in my office, it doesn't sound like you're in a hole
from the other end."
He didn't waste any time, and soon had Greg on the line.
"Dave's here with me," he explained. "I've got something
serious to talk over with you."
"Go ahead," Greg told him.
"It's about Spence," Eric continued. "He's moved down here,
and we've kind of adopted him."
"That's great!" Greg said.
"There's more to it than that. He's been busy, and he's
come up with something else I think you'll be interested in."
"Really? What?"
"There's a problem I need to discuss first before we get into
that. He's given me a piece of it, and that puts me in one
hell of a difficult position."
"Why?" Greg asked. "Now, we won't have to pay you."
"I drive a hard bargain," Eric warned, chuckling. "I'll try
to get the most I can, for both of us."
"Have you talked to anyone else?"
"No, and we don't want to. We both want you to have it."
"OK, what've you got?" Greg asked.
"An operating system to go with the platform you already
have."
There was a long pause. It went on and on. Finally Greg
spoke. "If it's as advanced as what we already have...OH MY
GOD!"
Eric grinned at me. "I wouldn't know, myself, but he tells
me it's a completely different approach from anything on the
market now. He's only planning to come up with the basic
concept then turn it over to someone like you to complete the
package."
Greg groaned. "How far along is he?"
"He tells me it'll be ready before Christmas."
"Has he got anything we can look at now?" Greg asked.
"I don't know," Eric told him.
"Can you find out? We'll be there tomorrow if he does."
"Relax," Eric said. "Are you guys coming out for the
dedication in two weeks?"
"We all plan to be there."
"Come on out a day or two early, you can check it out then.
It's not going anyplace, or to anybody else."
"Oh shit, I don't think I can wait that long," Greg said.
"This is just too fucking hot!"
"Suffer, baby, suffer," Eric laughed.
"Asshole! Do you realize what this could mean..."
"I've got a fair idea. Keep it quiet, will you?" Eric warned
him, jokingly.
"Are you outta your mind? Do you think we'd tell anybody
about this?" Greg shouted.
"Just kidding," Eric told him. "I'll let you know whether
Spence's got anything for you to look at."
"This is going to be the most horrible two weeks of my life,"
Greg groaned.
"Relax and think about the possibilities."
"I already am! That's why I'm going nuts!"
"See you in a couple of weeks," Eric said.
Greg moaned, said goodbye, and they hung up.
"I can picture what's happening in New York right about now,"
Eric giggled. "Greg's screaming for Jerry, Ted and Mike to
get to his office."
- - - - -
The schedule was set. Metalco and Hydra offices would close
at noon on Friday, and an army of movers would come in to
move everything over the weekend. Monday and Tuesday would
be spent unpacking. The commitment ceremony would be Saturday
evening, and the dedication on Wednesday.
What Eric didn't know was that after the ceremony on Saturday
and the reception afterward, I was whisking him off for a
two-day "honeymoon". We'd take a longer one later. I wanted
that one to be much, much longer, in Egypt.
"Tell me about this commitment ceremony, how it works," I
asked Eric who was perched on my desk in front of me.
"The minister, and he IS a real ordained minister, will
conduct it. We'll exchange rings, then at some point, you
and I will have an opportunity to say something to each
other. That's it."
"Thank God," I groaned, relaxing for the first time in
several days. "For some reason, I got the impression that we
had to write our own vows," I told him.
"You did?" he asked incredulously, then started laughing.
"Now I understand why you've been so tense."
"What a relief! I know you could have done it, but I was
really dreading it."
"Relax babe," he said, leaning forward to give me a light
kiss. "It's not going to be painful afterall. It's just a
simple ceremony."
"How are all your plans coming along?" I asked.
"Looking good! Maurice and his boyfriend will be here to
handle the food for the 'reception', and he's staying on to
supervise the buffet for the party Wednesday night. I'm
sending a plane for him, and Sarah's riding with them. She'll
be staying with us. Just about everybody else we invited has
accepted, so there'll be around sixty people there."
"I want YOUR ring as soon as you get it," I told him.
He grinned, knowing what I had in mind.
- - - - -
I talked to Annie and Tina about entertaining Sarah while
Eric and I were away on our "honeymoon". About that, they
were delighted, but Annie was a bit skeptical about the
ceremony itself.
"Why are you doing it?" she wanted to know. "It doesn't
really mean anything."
"It does to Eric," I told her. "It's more symbolic than
anything else. A public declaration of the fact that we're
committed to each other. It's not going to be a public
spectacle. Just our friends will be there, so relax."
"I can live with that," she smiled, "if that's what you want."
"I want."
But, did I really? I'd agreed to this "commitment ceremony"
thing to humor Eric. It wasn't that big a deal, and wouldn't
hurt me a damned bit. I did feel it was rather superfluous
and meaningless. I'd made a commitment a long time ago and
fully intended to live by it.
Why did Eric, all of a sudden, feel the need for something
like this? I was pretty sure I hadn't done anything to give
him any doubts about my complete devotion to him. Maybe he
wasn't sure of his own commitment and needed something to
confirm his own feelings. Now that made me nervous. False
fears, I convinced myself. Nothing to worry about, and I
sure as hell wasn't going to quiz him about it. He'd tell me
eventually.
- - - - -
We were all there to meet the plane. After hugs and pecks on
the cheek all around, Annie and Tina whisked Sarah off. Eric
and I took Maurice and Pierre to their chain's hotel in
town. Maurice would be supervising the catering from there.
Over cocktails, Sarah pulled me aside. "I think what you two
are doing is perfectly marvelous," she said.
"It was Eric's idea," I told her.
"He's such a wonderful romantic! I've never been to one of
these, so it will be a new experience for me."
"Quite frankly, neither have I," I admitted.
"Knowing Eric," she said, "it will be simple and elegant."
The "Back 40" was off limits to me until the ceremony that
evening. The house itself was relatively quiet that
Saturday. All the activity was out there.
Sunset would be at 8:23, so the ceremony would start at 8:15.
As far as I knew, everything was ready. Eric's ring had been
delivered. I'd had a simple inscription engraved on the
inside, "I love you more each day". Not original, but the
truth.
I liked the rings that Eric had had made. They were simple
bands, no ornamentation, not too wide, but definitely
masculine. The gold was slightly off-color because it was
unrefined, but, to me, that made them even more special. I'd
given some serious thought to the idea, and planned to wear
mine at all times. It would take some getting used to, but
I'd make the effort.
It was time to dress. We'd agreed on dark suits, and had
both gotten new ones for the occasion. We showered and
dressed together. Eric was making an effort to contain his
excitement, but it was nevertheless contagious.
We walked around the corner of the house, and walked along
the trees toward a podium where the minister waited. Unseen
strings were playing "More". At that moment it hit me. This
wonderful man walking at my side was mine forever, and I was
his. I got a catch in my throat and my eyes misted over.
Eric heard and looked at me with those loving eyes and I
almost lost my composure.
This reaction caught me completely by surprise. Up until
that moment, I'd had a ho-hum attitude toward the whole
thing. This was it.
We reached the podium and stood facing each other. Eric's
eyes were a little misty too, but he had a huge smile. I
smiled too.
The minister started talking. I tried to pay attention, but
looking into Eric's eyes, concentration was difficult.
He talked about the commitment we were making to each other,
for the rest of our lives. It didn't take long to get to the
ring part. He nodded to me, I took Eric's hand in mine and
slipped it on his finger. I felt a jolt of electricity
coming from the contact. With the ring on his finger, I
looked him in the eye. "Eric, I love you more than life.
You are the focus of my life, the center of my universe. You
are the catalyst that makes good things happen, and I love you
more every day."
I was lucky to get through my little speech without breaking
down. It was Eric's turn.
He took my hand in his and slipped on the ring. Holding my
hand with both of his, he looked up, and in a clear voice
spoke, "David, you ARE my life. Loving you makes my life
complete. You are my inspiration, and best of all, you're my
best friend. I will love you until the day I die."
He let go of my hand and took me into his arms. His lips
were on mine for a gentle kiss, then we just held each
other. When we broke, the minister took us each by the
shoulder and turned us toward the group. "May I present
David and Eric," he said solemnly.
A cheer went up, there was clapping and laughter. For the
first time, I noticed the crowd which soon enveloped us.
Still holding Eric's hand, Annie and Tina were all over me,
hugging and giving me a kiss on the cheek. "That was
beautiful, Dad," Annie said, finally giving her approval.
Eric's mother had him in a hug and his father was waiting his
turn along with a lot of others. I was surrounded too. This
definitely wasn't going to be formal with a "receiving line".
Bill came up to shake my hand, said "Aw hell," and gave me a
big hug.
That's the way it went. Hugs, kisses and handshakes from the
shy. All of a sudden I was overtaken by all the Texas
Widows. Hugs, kisses on the cheek, and tears in their eyes.
Their husbands were standing back, looking a little awkward,
but Big George stepped forward, grabbed my hand, then pulled
me into a bearhug. "Know I'm not supposed to say this," he
said, "but you two make a mighty fine couple and I thoroughly
approve."
I was able to find Eric, and pointed at the horizon. We
watched as the sun dipped below the ocean, and the sky became
filled with wondrous colors. It was perfect.
Torches were lit everywhere and dinner was served. Even
though he was a guest, Maurice flitted around to make sure
that everything went to his satisfaction. The strings
continued to play in the background.
Sarah sat at our table with my two brats and Eric's parents,
sipping her champagne with each of the seemingly hundreds of
toasts. I don't think I had ever felt so happy, content and
loved. It was a night I'll never forget.
- - - - -
When the party wound down, I said goodnight to the girls and
Sarah, then grabbed Eric. "Say goodnight," I told him. "We
have to go."
He looked at me quizzically, grinned, then together we said
goodnight to all those who were still there.
I led him back to the house, through it and out to the garage.
"As usual, you're full of surprises," he kidded as we got
into the car.
"We gotta have a honeymoon, even though it'll be a short one."
When we got to the hangar, Ron and Jason were waiting. They
had been at the ceremony but had left early.
"Where are we going?" Eric wanted to know.
"Just up the coast for a couple of days," I told him.
On the plane, we snuggled on the sofa during the short ride.
"I know you were pretty skeptical about this," Eric said.
"How do you feel now?"
"I didn't know what to expect, at first," I admitted. "I
thought it was kind of silly, unnecessary, but that all
changed when it actually happened. I didn't ever expect to
get so emotional, but dammit, I love you so much, and this
brought everything together."
"I love you too, just a little," he giggled, and kissed me
gently. "Since we couldn't do anything 'official', this was
the next best thing. I don't know why, but now I feel like I
really belong to you."
We talked about the reaction of some of our guests. Of
course all of them were friends who already knew we were a
'couple' and accepted that, but their support was surprising
to me in its intensity.
"I didn't expect the whole Texas contingent to be there," I
commented. "I thought we only invited Claire and Big George."
"We did, but when the rest found out about it, they insisted
on coming. Claire called me last week and in the chaos, I
guess I forgot to tell you."
"I'll bet they didn't know what to expect," I chuckled. "For
a bunch of supposed 'rednecks' they're a damned nice bunch."
"Do you think they expected a bunch of prancing fairies?"
Eric laughed. "We could have done it that way, you know."
"I'm glad we didn't. Up until the ceremony happened, I
didn't take it too seriously myself, but, as you could see,
all that changed. It was dignified and serious, as it should
have been. You did a great job, my love."
- - - - -
The resort had a car waiting, and we were whisked off.
It was dark, and the place was pretty quiet. We had a
detached "bungalow" among the trees, private and secluded.
It was late and cooler than we were used to, so we crawled
into bed to continue snuggling. "I hope you threw in some
warm clothes for me," he giggled, moving up next to me for
warmth, "otherwise we can't leave the room."
"That's not a bad idea," I told him, leering. "I think
you'll find everything you need. I packed all MY favorites
for you."
"I can guess! Everything that fits skin tight, you dirty old
man!" he giggled. "Another thing, you cheapskate, you didn't
even buy me a wedding present."
"Was I supposed to?"
"Hell yes!" he continued giggling. "Since I knew you'd
forget, I got something for both of us. You're going to have
to wait a few weeks though, it wasn't ready yet."
"What?" I asked.
"You'll have to wait. It's something really special."
"Asshole," I laughed.
Eric got serious. Even though we had full-body contact, I
could feel his dick limp against my leg. Mine was
surprisingly soft too.
"I just want to hold you tonight," he said, pressing tighter
against me. "I need to 'feel' you and know that all of this
isn't a dream that I'm going to wake up from."
"I feel exactly the same," I told him, holding him in my arms.
We hardly moved all night, and I awoke to him blowing in my
ear. "I love you," I said as I turned to look at his face,
giving him a kiss on the nose.
We held on to each other for a few minutes then stretched.
"What're we going to do today?" he asked.
"First, I think we should consummate our marriage," I told
him, "then we can think about it."
We took turns in the bathroom. Morning unloading and getting
rid of the awful breath that champagne gives you. I stopped
to grab two bottles of lube and handed him one when I crawled
back in bed.
He looked at me with an arched eyebrow. "Why two?" he asked.
"We'll both need some," I answered, shutting him up with a
kiss.
"Age before beauty," I said, rolling him on his back and
flipping the covers off onto the floor. Even though we
usually didn't need it, we always prepared each other before
making love. The head of his dick was in my mouth while I
probed with my fingers. He nodded, and I got into position.
When I was all the way in, he put his heels against my butt
and tried to pull me in further. As I rocked, he'd force me
forward with every downstroke. The rhythm built, faster and
faster, and I couldn't hold out. Neither could he, and with
our lips locked, I gave a final thrust that pushed both of us
over.
Eventually I softened and slipped out. Rolling off of him,
his eyes were glinting. "I love you," he said, choking a
little, then kissed me ever so gently. "God, what you do to
me!"
Lying on our sides, we held one another, glued together by
his cum. "More?" he asked when he felt me hardening. I
nodded.
The sensations of him entering me took my breath away. He
just felt so damned good. This time took a lot longer but
with the same results.
We were recovering when there was a discreet knock on the
door. "Come back later," we yelled in chorus, then broke up
laughing.
"What are we going to do today?" Eric asked again. The
moment was gone.
"They have a full spa here," I told him. "We could take
advantage of that."
"You mean mud baths and all that stuff?"
"Yep, body wraps, facials, and a massage. Want to try it?"
"Sounds like fun, relaxing. Better be a masseur, though,
because I'll get hard, sure as hell."
"Just save it for me," I laughed.
"Do we get breakfast first?"
- - - - -
The "treatment" took most of the day. We "soaked", were
"wrapped" from head to foot, and had all sorts of weird
looking stuff smeared all over our bodies and faces. It was
relaxing and funny.
The massages went as predicted. The pretentious young hunks
were evidently not used to working on men, and when both of
us unasahamedly got erections, they didn't know how to
react. The results, however, were a feeling of total
relaxation.
The only time where we said "no", was when they wanted to put
makeup on us. I did, however, allow them to "clean up" my
eyebrows that had gotten rather unruly.
Giving me a close inspection, Eric pronounced that I looked
at least ten years younger. He positively glowed, and we
agreed that we'd do this more often. It felt good, and with
results like these...
The resort's dining room had a four star rating, so we had a
leisurely dinner there. We were relaxed but invigorated by
the day's treatment, so decided to explore the local gay
scene. I had a list of bars that Dan had given me, so off we
went.
There wasn't much to choose from. A piano bar, a leather bar
and a country western one. We decided on the country western.
It was large, friendly, and filling up fast, but we were able
to get a booth with a good view of the dance floor.
We watched for a while, then my ego got a tremendous boost
when a gorgeous young green-eyed cowboy asked me to dance.
"No more 'treatments'," Eric kidded. "I can't handle the
competition."
When Eric suggested that we dance together, I surprised him
by quickly agreeing. It was fun. I felt confident and
enjoyed it immensely, much to Eric's delight. There were a
few slow dances that I particularly enjoyed, a first for us
together. Eric let me lead, and it felt so good to have his
body next to mine.
"You guys are GOOD!" a fellow at an adjoining booth commented.
"He's good, I'm learning," I said. This led to conversation
and introductions. They were a friendly local couple and soon
joined us in our booth.
Kent and Ray were witty, funny and fun to be around. When
they learned that we were on our "honeymoon" they kidded us
unmercifully.
- - - - -
The "Do Not Disturb" sign was heeded and we slept late. We
drove into Carmel to look around and have lunch. There were
a lot of "cutesy" art galleries with stuff in them that I
wouldn't own. Eric was persistent, so we continued. In one,
amid a lot of "cat" paintings was a striking abstract. He
went straight to it, drawn to the first decent thing we'd
seen.
I was surprised when I looked at the price. It was about
half of what they were asking for the goddam cats!
"What do you think?" he asked me.
"If you don't buy it, I will," I told him.
"Let's see if they've got any more."
We wandered over to the little white-haired lady who ran the
store and inquired.
"That awful thing!" she snorted. "If he weren't my nephew, I
wouldn't allow it in here."
"Do you have any more of his work?" Eric asked.
"The back room's full of it," she said. "Nobody in their
right mind will ever buy that stuff."
We asked to see them and she reluctantly led us back through
a draped doorway into the "back room". More of the ghastly
cat pictures were stacked everyplace, but in a back corner
was a stack of unframed canvases leaning against the wall.
"That's them," she said pointing. "Help yourself," she said
in a disgusted tone and left us.
One by one we turned them around to look at. The artist's
style was obviously in transition. There were pure abstracts
and some that were expressive. Bold brushstrokes and
brilliant color were represented throughout. Personally, I
thought they were all very good, possibly great, but I waited
for Eric's reaction.
"I want them all," he said, and started counting them.
"There's 27," he said, "plus the one out in the shop. Can we
take them home with us, or should we have them shipped?"
"If they'll package them with a little protection, we can
take them," I said, pleased at his excitement.
"Let's go see what kind of deal we can make."
The little old lady looked at us like we were some sort of
aliens. When Eric told her that he might be interested in
all of them, she seemed to say "good riddance" to herself.
"I don't take a commission on that stuff," she said, "so I
can give you a good price. I have to ask $500 for the one
that's framed, but $200 apiece for the rest would be
reasonable. I will have to charge you sales tax, though."
"I'll take them all," Eric told her. "Credit card OK, or
would you accept a check?"
"No out-of-town checks," she said, and seeing money, added
"We'll have to charge an extra 5% if you use a credit card."
Eric grinned at me. "How much would you charge to wrap them
up so we can get them home?" he asked her.
"That'll be $20 each," she said.
"Here's my card," he said. "Please wrap them up and we'll be
back in an hour or so to pick them up."
Outside the little shop, Eric couldn't contain his excitement
any longer. "I've never bought a painting before in my
life," he said.
"You're getting off to a roaring start," I told him.
"I really like them, but I'm going to buy one of the 'Cats'
when we go back to hang in our bedroom."
"You wouldn't dare!" I shot back, watching him giggle.
"Those awful things would give me nightmares."
"Just kidding. I'm not into sadism, but I really am pleased
with the ones I bought. What do you think of them?"
"You made a good investment," I told him. "With a little
exposure, that artist could get the recognition he deserves.
The price was certainly right!"
"You know I love a bargain," he laughed.
"What are you going to do with them?" I asked.
"Oh hell, we'll worry about that later."
When we got back to the shop, a wiry young kid was helping
the old lady package the paintings. "This is my nephew, the
one who painted all these," she told us.
That surprised me. Somehow I'd expected someone more mature,
more robust, to have created these works. I had trouble
connecting this kid with the masterful, confident style he'd
demonstrated.
"This is my first sale," he admitted shyly. "Do you collect
new artists?"
"Dave does," Eric said, pointing at me. "All of my collection
is old masters."
"You own an old master?" he asked incredulously.
"I have quite a few in my apartment in New York. Dave here
collects modern artists and impressionists."
"Wow! And to think that you like my work!"
"I want your name and address," Eric told him. "I don't
think we're the only ones who are going to be interested in
your work."
The kid's eyes were about to fall out he was so excited.
We got all of the paintings loaded into the car with the
kid's help. The smaller ones fit in the trunk and the larger
ones in the back seat. We had a load.
Promising him that we'd be in touch, we took off back to the
resort.
Eric was still excited. "I can't wait to get these home so we
can spend some time looking at them," he said. "They're
'ours', you know."
"I know," I laughed, "community property!"
- - - - -
We got up early to go home, and back to work. It took a
little effort to get all the paintings aboard the plane, but
we finally got them all on. "Shopped til you dropped, I see,"
Jason commented.
"Do you realize that we didn't talk about business once in
two whole days?" Eric asked when we were airborne.
We went directly to the new office from the airport. We both
had unpacking to do. What had been an empty building the
last time I was there was now a beehive of activity, but
nowhere near as chaotic as I expected.
Eric went to his office to get started, I went to mine. As I
passed Nancy's desk, she was smiling broadly. "I finally
have a window!" she said gleefully. "This place is so
wonderful."
I went into my office. All new furniture, pretty much like
the old one, but warmer. Looking around, I saw it. A huge
painting that I'd never seen before dominated one wall. I
walked closer to get a better look, and immediately recognized
it as one of Picasso's masterpieces. Sarah. That's the only
place this could have come from.
I sat and stared at it in awe. Every museum in the world
would kill to have this, even on loan.
The door opened and Eric stuck his head in. "Come here," he
said, his face flushed with excitement.
I followed him, saving my surprise for later. His office was
in the Lundborg Rush and Hydra section. From a distance, I
could see something in the middle of the foyer on a
pedestal. When we got closer, I could see that it was a huge
whitish rock with a dark shiny band running through it.
"It's from the mine," Eric explained. "I'll bet Loren and
John sent it over."
We walked around it. On the far side there was a placque on
the pedestal that said "Ore from the LOVEBIRD MINE", the
date, and a list of all the people involved. The "rock"
itself was irregularly shaped, flat, about three feet in
diameter, with the wide band of gold showing on all sides.
"I wonder how they got that thing in here?" I asked.
"Bet it wasn't easy. Isn't it great though?"
"Rather impressive," I said. "There's a real chunk of money
sitting there."
Eric started calculating in his head. "Nah, that can't be
right, too many zeros." He stood there shaking his head.
"Since you're here, come on, take a look at my office," he
said.
You bet I wanted to be there when he went in. I followed him
in, he turned and swept his hand around then stopped. There
on HIS wall was another Picasso, as huge as mine, but not one
I recognized.
"Oh my God," he said softly, "Sarah's been at it again. It's
fucking awesome!"
That wasn't all. On the other walls were more paintings,
impressionists and expressionists. Not many, but several
spectacular pieces. Eric was still staring at the Picasso
like he was in a trance.
"Better look around," I suggested.
He did, his eyes boggled as he walked over to inspect each
one. "How in hell did she know I didn't have anything for
this place?" he asked.
"I don't know," I confessed. "Don't start feeling
'special'," I kidded him. "I got one too!"
"You did? What?"
"You'll have to see it to believe it," I told him. "Let's go
look."
Out in the foyer, a crew was installing ceiling spotlights to
properly light the rock. They'd already put up a
velvet-rope enclosure around it.
Back in my office, Eric just stood and gaped at the painting
on my wall. "I've seen pictures of that one," he said.
"It's in a lot of art books. I wonder where she's had these
big babies stashed."
We sat and stared at it. That would be something I'd be
doing a lot of.
"I think we ought to find Sarah," Eric said. "Next to you,
she's the most generous person in the world and I want to
give her a big hug."
"Me too," I said.
From home, we learned that she was somewhere with Annie and
Tina. Come to find out, they were all in Annie's office -
somewhere in this building.
Before we left to find them, Eric turned serious. "Before
this, I couldn't wait to show Sarah the paintings we bought,
but now, I'm going to hold off for a day or two. I don't want
ANYTHING to detract from what she's done."
"Very wise," I said, nodding. "The spotlight should be on
Sarah only."
I was lost, but Eric knew the way to Annie's office. I
followed. I'd need a goddam roadmap to find my way around
this damned building!
They were sitting around talking when we walked in. Sarah's
eyes were sparkling more than usual. Eric rushed over and
pulled her to her feet. I hoped that the hug he gave her
didn't crack any ribs.
When he let go, I stepped in. I took both her hands in mine
and looked her straight in the eye. "Thank you," was all I
said, then leaned forward and gave her a peck on the cheek.
"Those poor old things haven't see the light of day for years
and years," she said. "Now somebody can enjoy them."
Looking around, I saw that the kids had made out too. A
painting I recognized hung on the wall. Seeing me look at
it, "It's a Miro," Annie said proudly. "Dontcha love it?"
"Living with all the art we do, I'm going to learn more about
it," Annie announced. "All of you guys know something about
it, but I don't know shit...oops, sorry Sarah."
"Be yourself, dear," Sarah laughed. "That's what I love
about you!"
"Has anyone heard from the Micron guys?" Eric asked,
remembering business.
"They've been calling here, home, everywhere," Tina said.
"They sounded kinda frantic. Maybe somebody ought to give
them a call."
"I totally forgot about them," Eric said. "You're going to
have to excuse me. I'll see you all at dinner."
"Guess I'll be riding home with you guys," I said. "Don't
forget me."
After giving Sarah a hug and another "thank you", I found my
way back to my own office and went to work.
It was getting close to quitting time when my phone rang.
The first time! It was Eric, breathless. "They came, they
saw, but we conquered," he said.
"What in the hell are you talking about?" I asked.
"I took the guys over to Spences'. They took a look at what
he had and fell off their chairs. It's THAT good. Then,
they offered him half of Micron for it." All came tumbling
out in a rush.
"Congratulations, my love," I chuckled. "You did it again!"
"This is cause for celebration!" he roared, then meekly, "I
invited them all over for dinner, is that OK?"
He made me laugh. "You know the answer to that without
asking, asshole," I told him. "Should I fill Tina, Annie and
Sarah in on what's going on?"
When they came to get me, I asked them to sit down for a
minute. Annie and Tina knew about Eric's first dealings with
Spence and Micron, but Sarah didn't, so I started at the
beginning.
When I finished, they were all shaking their heads in
amazement. "I wanted you all to know about this," I
explained, "because Eric is bringing all of them, including
Jimmy, home for dinner. I didn't want you to be left out,
and I know you can all keep this quiet." The only thing I'd
left out was the huge "fee" Eric had received.
"Hell," Sarah said. "I've got a few shares of Micron, and
now, I can't buy any more."
"We can't either," Annie said.
- - - - -
We were already home when the "boys" came roaring in. Greg
already knew Sarah and introduced his cohorts, then Eric
introduced Spence and Jimmy. Poor Jimmy looked lost in this
setting, but Spence seemed right at home.
They all congregated around the bar while Eric mixed. Spence
and Jimmy had cokes. Seated with drinks in hand, Jerry
proposed a toast. "Here's to the guy who is about to give
the computer world the biggest shove forward since computers
were invented."
The conversation got technical. Greg moved over to sit
closer to Eric and me. "Can we rent more office space from
you guys? It looks like we're going to have a lot more
'presence' on the West Coast than we expected."
"How much do you need?" I asked.
"Hard to tell at this point," Greg answered. "I haven't
talked it over with the others yet, but I'd like to build a
staff here to work with Spence on the basics. We can do the
rest in New York."
"Under one condition," Eric said, smiling. "Spence is going
back to school this fall, and that comes first. He can work
with your people on a consulting basis, but don't expect him
to be available all the time."
"Have you adopted him?" Greg asked with a chuckle.
"You might say so," Eric answered. "Look at him. He's a
sweet innocent kid, and nobody's going to change that. He
needs a chance to grow into his new position gradually, and I
intend to see that it happens that way."
"Fair enough," Greg said. "Just having him available to
answer questions occasionally would speed up the process
enormously. I promise that we won't interfere with his
education."
"Then, you can have all the space you want," Eric laughed.
"If we run out at the new building, the old Metalco building
downtown is available too. Annie's handling that, so talk to
her."
Sarah hadn't missed a word. She was beaming with pride, and
so was I. She looked at me and winked. We were both proud
of Eric.
I didn't find out the real details of what had happened that
afternoon until we went to bed.
"Spence was all ready for us when we got to his condo," Eric
told me. "That kid is fucking amazing! Before he'd show the
Micron guys anything, he insisted they sign a 'Non-disclosure
Agreement' that he had all ready for them. This would
protect him and me, and is something I'd never have thought
of.
"Greg and the gang had no problem with it, and when he had
their names on the dotted line, he fired up his computer.
He's got one of Joel's bigass flat screens so everybody could
see. It looked like a lot of gibberish to me, but everybody
else understood, so I just sat back and watched them.
"They listened and stared at the screen while Spence
explained. After about an hour of this, Greg got up and
motioned for me to follow him out on the deck.
"I admitted to Greg that I was lost, which he understood.
Greg admitted that he was too, but that at first glance, it
looked to him like Spence had jumped over several generations
of computer evolution, and what he had developed was truly a
quantum leap forward. 'We want it, and we'll pay just about
anything to get it,' he told me.
"I told him that I didn't know exactly what Spence wanted,
but that he was fully aware of the potential value of what
he'd created. Greg was really relieved when I told him that
Spence wanted stock, not cash.
"When we went back inside, they were talking about what to do
next. Spence agreed to let them have copies of what he'd
done so far for them to analyze, and Jerry had an option
agreement for Spence and me to sign. That would give Micron
the right to buy Spence's creation at a price we would all
agree on. The figure of 20% of Micron was mentioned."
"Not bad," I commented.
"I won't believe it until it actually happens," Eric said.
"It's just too much to comprehend."
- - - - -
The dedication ceremony was a big media event. The biggest,
most expensive office structure ever built in our area, with
everybody from the governor on down in attendance.
It was held outside, in front of the main entrance. Bill, as
president of Metalco was our "Front Man" on the podium,
allowing Eric and me to mingle anonymously in the crowd.
The speakers were windy, all hoping that just one sound bite
would make it to the news. Cameras were everywhere and they
pandered to them.
I had a good time talking with people, basically ignoring the
ceremony. When it was finally over and tours of the building
started, we gathered up Sarah and headed home.
"That really IS a beautiful building," Sarah commented on the
way. "So different, and I'm sure you've heard this before,
but it'll be in the design books soon."
The "reception" that evening was by invitation. We expected
about 400 to converge on the "Back 40." All the politicians
were, of necessity included.
I knew about them, and they, no doubt knew about Eric and me,
but neither of us had ever actually met any of them. I've
been apolitical all my life, interested but not involved. I
gave to both parties equally, not taking sides. Now that we
were in the land development business, that would change.
We'd need favors and approvals, so it would be necessary to
be at least cordial.
The party was informal, so we just walked up and introduced
ourselves as they arrived, had a short conversation then left
them to their own devices.
Bars were set up all over, and I noticed that they were
getting a lot of use. Chef Maurice had several lavish
buffets set up, and tables all along the cliff.
While we were eating, the governor couldn't resist, and rose
to make a short speech about how Metalco and Hydra were such
driving forces in the state's economy and other assorted
bullshit. Thank God nobody else decided to speak.
It was over early, thankfully. Sarah and I wandered back to
the house, leaving Eric to handle the stragglers. "We've
never had a chance to talk, just the two of us," Sarah said.
"I know," I said. "That damned boyfriend of mine is always
in the way," I laughed.
"He's a pretty wonderful person, and I love him to death,"
she said. "He idolizes you, you know. He can't stop talking
about you when you're not around."
I smiled. "I care just a little bit about him too," I said.
"I love your daughters too. They're so smart and full of
life. I wish they were mine!"
"There are times when I'd give 'em to you, cheap," I laughed.
"I don't have any of my own, you know," she said wistfully.
"The doctor and I had a very full life together, but as I get
older, I wish that we'd taken the time to have a family.
Until Eric came along, then the girls, I haven't really had
much interest in young people, but the three of them are so
vital that some of it rubs off on me."
"Eric refers to you as his 'second mother' and both the girls
have said that they wish you were their mother instead of
Georgia," I confided.
"I feel honored," she said. "You'll have to bring them both
to France this fall."
"Thanks for stranding me," Eric laughed as he came in.
"Actually, some of the nicest people were the last to leave."
"There were a lot of interesting people here tonight," Sarah
said. "The politicians were a bit overbearing, however."
"Comes with the territory, I guess," I added. "They're
always campaigning."
"I've got something I want to show you tomorrow," Eric said,
changing the subject.
"What, my dear?" Sarah asked him.
"We bought a couple of paintings on our trip, and I would
like your opinion on them," Eric said shyly.
Sarah really perked up. "Why wait until tomorrow? It's
still early."
"I haven't had a chance to unpack them yet," he told her.
"I'll help you," she said, rising, "Where are they?"
We got up and followed him into his study.
"More than a 'couple'," she commented dryly.
Eric got a knife to cut the tape and he and I went to work.
Sarah supervised.
As they got unpacked, Sarah stood them against the walls
without comment. It took a while to get them all opened, and
while we were doing it, Eric told her the story about how we
found them, not leaving out the godawful cats.
"It may surprise you," she said, "but I love abstracts. I
just don't collect them. By the way, Dave, I think you have
a most impressive collection. Now these..." She stopped to
think and choose her words.
I watched Eric fidget while he waited for her verdict.
"At least most of them," she continued, "are some of the best
I've seen in recent years. The artist's emotions come
through so clearly in the colors he uses. He's bold and
confident, and expresses himself so well. I'll bet you
bought them for a song, too."
"Two hundred dollars apiece," Eric said.
"That's theft!" she said. "You ought to be ashamed of
yourselves," she laughed. "Tell me about the artist."
When Eric told her that he was a very young fellow, probably
a teenager, she was as surprised as I'd been.
"Whatever his age, he has a brilliant future," she
pronounced. "All he needs is some exposure."
We left it at that.
- - - - -
To be continued.
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