brothers, we’ll continue to be brothers. An accident of conception isn’t that important to our perceptions of each other and of our relationship.”
“It’s critical. I always knew that you couldn’t be my son. You’re not sufficiently respectful of authority.”
“While everyone else says I’m a chip off the old block.”
“They don’t know what they’re talking about.”
“You have even said as much.”
“Before.”
“Yes, before the results were in.” Silence carried to me and I figured they were eying each other. James continued softly. “Here’s a thought—why don’t you ask Matt what he wants? You’ve never asked me, you’ve never cared, but maybe it’s time to try a kinder, more gentle approach.”
A book slammed. “I don’t need your advice, counselor. Clean out your office by close of business today or I’ll have it cleaned out for you.” A chair squeaked as someone got up, no doubt the judge. “I don’t want to see you again and I expect at least this small courtesy from you.”
“I’m not going anywhere, not yet.”
“Then I shall call the authorities and have you forcibly evicted.”
“And I will tell them that I bought into this partnership with cash and created value in that investment with sweat. I will tell them that I have sacrificed and my boys have sacrificed and that we will have reparation for that sacrifice. And if they will not listen, then I will call the press, Judge Coxwell, and you may be sure that they will run a nice story about your family values in advance of the election.” James spoke tersely but I believed his threat. “You will give me a fair price for my stake, and then I will leave.”
“Forever?”
“You don’t need to worry about seeing me again.”
“Just like your father,” Robert Coxwell sneered. “Everything has it’s price. You can be bought and sold, like cheap chattel.”
“I wouldn’t have been so harsh,” James said quietly. “But yes, in many ways, I am exactly like you. What great luck it is to have the chance to change that now, before it’s too late.”
The older man inhaled so sharply that I thought the carpet might be pulled from the floor. “Mrs. McCready!” he called. “Bring me the checkbook and bring it now!”
“Not that fast,” James said in a dangerously low voice. “First, we get this practice assessed.”
I took advantage of the moment and scampered through the foyer once Ms. Prim had taken the books into the other office. Wowie, kazowie. James had been fired from the family biz, because he wasn’t technically family. That was some kind of shocker.
But, of course, none of my business. No sirree. It was about time that I got down to some serious code. I did have one contract, you know, and it was a bite technically. My client was going to be getting twitchy about delivery and I wanted more work from them in the future. Or at least a referral. I also wanted their payment on delivery to appease the IRS.
The thing was, that although I’d had enough of the family stuff, I still couldn’t push it entirely out of my mind. Big cogs kept on turning, working over what I’d learned.
I guess, given her objectives, Marcia got out just in time. I had to wonder how James was going to adapt to this. Talk about being born with a silver spoon in your mouth—and here he’d found out forty-two years later that the spoon wasn’t his, after all. When somebody ripped it out of his mouth, no less.
I land on my feet, but I’ve been doing that all my life. It would be kind of a shame if Granite Man shattered into a thousand shards as a result of this.
Don’t even go there, Maralys. With Marcia gone 404 and James going cuckoo, I could end up with kids after all.
Wait, I feel a nervous breakdown coming on.
I stopped cold in the street, feeling decidedly queasy. No doubt about it, I was coming down with a bad case of dependencies.
This called for sushi.
* * *
Nothing soothes the troubled mind better than
“It’s critical. I always knew that you couldn’t be my son. You’re not sufficiently respectful of authority.”
“While everyone else says I’m a chip off the old block.”
“They don’t know what they’re talking about.”
“You have even said as much.”
“Before.”
“Yes, before the results were in.” Silence carried to me and I figured they were eying each other. James continued softly. “Here’s a thought—why don’t you ask Matt what he wants? You’ve never asked me, you’ve never cared, but maybe it’s time to try a kinder, more gentle approach.”
A book slammed. “I don’t need your advice, counselor. Clean out your office by close of business today or I’ll have it cleaned out for you.” A chair squeaked as someone got up, no doubt the judge. “I don’t want to see you again and I expect at least this small courtesy from you.”
“I’m not going anywhere, not yet.”
“Then I shall call the authorities and have you forcibly evicted.”
“And I will tell them that I bought into this partnership with cash and created value in that investment with sweat. I will tell them that I have sacrificed and my boys have sacrificed and that we will have reparation for that sacrifice. And if they will not listen, then I will call the press, Judge Coxwell, and you may be sure that they will run a nice story about your family values in advance of the election.” James spoke tersely but I believed his threat. “You will give me a fair price for my stake, and then I will leave.”
“Forever?”
“You don’t need to worry about seeing me again.”
“Just like your father,” Robert Coxwell sneered. “Everything has it’s price. You can be bought and sold, like cheap chattel.”
“I wouldn’t have been so harsh,” James said quietly. “But yes, in many ways, I am exactly like you. What great luck it is to have the chance to change that now, before it’s too late.”
The older man inhaled so sharply that I thought the carpet might be pulled from the floor. “Mrs. McCready!” he called. “Bring me the checkbook and bring it now!”
“Not that fast,” James said in a dangerously low voice. “First, we get this practice assessed.”
I took advantage of the moment and scampered through the foyer once Ms. Prim had taken the books into the other office. Wowie, kazowie. James had been fired from the family biz, because he wasn’t technically family. That was some kind of shocker.
But, of course, none of my business. No sirree. It was about time that I got down to some serious code. I did have one contract, you know, and it was a bite technically. My client was going to be getting twitchy about delivery and I wanted more work from them in the future. Or at least a referral. I also wanted their payment on delivery to appease the IRS.
The thing was, that although I’d had enough of the family stuff, I still couldn’t push it entirely out of my mind. Big cogs kept on turning, working over what I’d learned.
I guess, given her objectives, Marcia got out just in time. I had to wonder how James was going to adapt to this. Talk about being born with a silver spoon in your mouth—and here he’d found out forty-two years later that the spoon wasn’t his, after all. When somebody ripped it out of his mouth, no less.
I land on my feet, but I’ve been doing that all my life. It would be kind of a shame if Granite Man shattered into a thousand shards as a result of this.
Don’t even go there, Maralys. With Marcia gone 404 and James going cuckoo, I could end up with kids after all.
Wait, I feel a nervous breakdown coming on.
I stopped cold in the street, feeling decidedly queasy. No doubt about it, I was coming down with a bad case of dependencies.
This called for sushi.
* * *
Nothing soothes the troubled mind better than
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