Red Clover by Florence Osmund Page A

to burn myself out, would you?” He flashed her a wide smile.
    “I know you’re being facetious, Lee, but you know if your—”
    “If Father were here, I wouldn’t have said that.”
    She pursed her lips. “You know I only want success for you, don’t you?”
    “Yes, I believe you do. But will you please keep in mind that what you and Father and Nelson and Bennett believe is the definition of success, I may not.”
    “What is that supposed to mean?”
    He rose from his chair, walked over to the wall of windows, and then turned to face her. “I’m just saying not everyone defines success in terms of money.” He couldn’t read her facial expression—somewhere between disbelief and controlled horror. “Sometimes you can make a positive difference in this world without making any money at it. I would say that could also define success.” He had no idea what prompted him say that.
    “Could you ask Shaneta to bring some more hot water, dear?”
    Lee left the room and returned fearful of how this conversation was going to end. His mother had moved from her chair overlooking the lake to a sofa facing the interior of the room.
    “Come. Sit here by me, Lee.”
    He didn’t like the sound of that.
    “I understand what you’re saying about success. I really do. But you have to understand money is the essential foundation you need to amount to anything in life. All the other things—being happy, feeling good about what you do, making a difference in this world—you can have that too. But first, you need to be successful where it counts. You do understand that, don’t you?”
    “No, Mother, I don’t. We all have different values, different priorities.”
    “What you’re not hearing me say is that the Winekoops and Sam...the Winekoops of course, all have the same values.”
    “Who’s Sam?”
    “Look, Lee, I am just trying to smooth the way for you when your father arrives later tonight. Be prepared to hear the conditions for you continuing to stay here.”
    “Conditions?”
    “He’ll tell you about them.”
    “I think I’d rather hear them from you. Who’s Sam?”
    “There is no Sam. I don’t know what I was thinking.” She got up to leave. “I’m going to lie down for a while. I thought we’d go to the club for lunch. Have Helen wake me at eleven-thirty, will you please?”
    “Yes, of course, Mother.”
    “And I wouldn’t share your thoughts about what defines success with your father,” she said before disappearing up the staircase.
    After they returned home from lunch at the local country club, Lee’s mother went back to her bedroom and didn’t come back down until dinner, which was not unusual for her. For the evening meal, Shaneta prepared poached salmon, one of his mother’s favorite meals but not something that appealed to Lee. He suspected Shaneta understood whom she had to please to keep her job.
    They were drinking port in the living room when his father arrived. As his father poured a glass for himself, Lee’s mother inquired about his meeting.
    “This is how a business deal should go down.” He turned to Lee. “Listen to this, Lee. You might learn something.”
    Lee responded with a weak nod. Like I have any choice?
    Henry sat in the largest chair in the room, crossed his legs, and puffed out his chest.
    “I walked into this deal prepared to purchase three commercial downtown buildings in the heart of the city. I came out with four, and the fourth one didn’t cost me a cent.”
    “How did you manage that, dear?”
    “Homework, Abbey. I did my homework. I hired a couple of good bird dogs to sniff out the owner’s other properties and found out this fourth building had mostly short-term leases, and he’s losing money on them. I already own a neighboring building where we just signed a new ten-year lease with Wisconsin Energy. They’re going to take four floors where there are currently twenty other tenants whose leases are all coming up. I’ll give them some attractive