Sons of Fortune (54 page)

“I
know, Dad, and I even managed to miss a calculus exam, but I must be back on
campus by Monday if I’m to have any chance of becoming class president.”

“So
that’s why Grandpa came down to see
you, the sly old
buzzard,” said Fletcher. He kissed his daughter’s cheek and was eyeing the
cookies when a young man walked in and stood nervously on the other side of the
bed.

“This
is George,” said Lucy. “He’s in love with me.”

“Nice
to meet you, George,” said Fletcher smiling.

“You
too, Senator,” the young man said as he extended his right hand across the bed.

“George
is running my campaign for class president,” said Lucy, “just like my godfather
ran yours. George thinks that the broken leg will help bring in the sympathy
vote. I’ll have to ask Grandpa for his opinion when he next comes up to visit
me- Grandpa’s our secret weapon,” she whispered, “
he’s
already terrified the opposition.”

“I
don’t know why I bothered to come down to see you at all,” said Fletcher, “you
so obviously don’t need me.”

“Yes
I do, Dad. Could I get an advance on next month’s allowance?”

Fletcher
smiled and took out his wallet. “How much did your grandfather give you?”

“Five
dollars,” said Lucy sheepishly.

Fletcher
extracted another five-dollar bill.

“Thanks,
Dad. By the way, why isn’t Mom with you?”

Nat
agreed to drive Luke back to school the following morning. The boy had been
very uncommunicative the previous evening, almost as if he wanted to say
something, but not while both of them were in the room.

“Perhaps
he’ll open up on the way back to school, when it’s only the two of you,”
suggested Su Ling.

Father
and son set out on the journey back to Tail soon after breakfast, but Luke
still said very little. Despite Nat’s trying to raise the subjects of work, the
school play and even how Luke’s running was going, he received only
monosyllabic replies. So Nat changed tactics and also remained silent, hoping
that Luke would, in time, initiate a conversation.

His
father was in the passing lane, driving just above the speed limit, when Luke
asked, “When did you first fall in love, Dad?” Nat nearly hit the car in front
of him, but slowed down in time before drifting back into the middle lane.

“I
think the first girl I really took any serious interest in was called Rebecca.
She was playing Olivia to my Sebastian in the school play.” He paused. “Is it
Juliet you’re having the problem with?”

“Certainly
not,” said Luke, “she’s dumb-pretty, but dumb.” This was followed by another
long silence. “And how far did you and Rebecca go?” he finally asked.

“We
kissed a little, if I remember,” said Nat, “and there was a little of what we
used to call in those days petting.”

“Did
you want to touch her breasts?”

“Sure
did, but she wouldn’t let me. I didn’t get that far until our freshman year at
college.”

“But
did you love her, Dad?”

“I
thought I did, but that bombshell didn’t truly hit me until I ran into your
mother.”

“So
was Mom the first person you made love to?”

“No,
there had been a couple of other girls before her, one in Vietnam, and another
while I was at college.”

“Did
you get either of them pregnant?”

Nat
moved across to the inside lane and fell well below the speed limit. He paused.
“Have you got someone pregnant?”

“I
don’t know,” said Luke, “and neither does Kathy, but when we were kissing
behind the gym, I made a terrible mess all over her skirt.”

Fletcher
spent another hour with his daughter before he drove back to Hartford. He
enjoyed George’s company. Lucy had described him as the brightest lad in the
class. “That’s why I chose him as my campaign manager,” she explained.

Fletcher
was back in Hartford an hour later, and when he walked into Harry’s hospital
room the tableau hadn’t changed. He sat down next to Annie and took her hand.

“Any
improvement?” he asked.

“No,
nothing,” said Annie, “he hasn’t stirred since you left.
How
about Lucy?”

“A
complete fraud, as I told her. She’ll be in a plaster cast for around six
weeks, which doesn’t seem to have cramped her style; in fact she seems
convinced it will help her chances of becoming class president.”

“Did
you tell her about Grandpa?”

“No,
and I had to bluff a little when she asked where you were.”

“Where
was I?”

“Chairing a meeting of the school board.”

Annie
nodded. “True, just the wrong day.”

“By
the way, did you know she had a boyfriend?” asked Fletcher.

“Do
you mean George?”

“You’ve
met George?”

“Yes,
but I wouldn’t have described him as a boyfriend,” said Annie, “more a devoted
slave.”

“I
thought Lincoln abolished slavery in 1863?” said Fletcher.

Annie
turned to face her husband, “Did it worry you?” she asked.

“Certainly
not, Lucy’s got to have a boyfriend sooner or later.”

“That’s
not what I meant, and you know it.”

“Annie,
she’s only sixteen.”

“I
was younger when I first met you.”

“Annie,
have you forgotten that when we were at college we marched for civil rights,
and I’m proud that we’ve passed that conviction on to our daughter.” when Nat
dropped his son off at Tail and returned to Hartford, he felt guilty about not
having enough time to visit his parents. But he knew he couldn’t miss the
meeting with Murray
Goldblatz
two days in a row. When
he said goodbye to Luke, at least the boy no longer appeared shrouded in the
world’s woes. Nat promised his son that he and his mother would be back on
Friday evening for the school play. He was still thinking about Luke when the
car phone rang-an innovation that had changed his life.

“You
were going to call before the market opened,” said Joe. He paused.
“With some possible news?”

“I’m
sorry not to have called, Joe; a domestic crisis came up and I simply forgot.”

“Well,
are you able to tell me more?”

“Tell
you more?”

“Your
last words were, I’ll know more in twenty-four hours.” his “Before you burst
out laughing, Joe, I’ll know more in twenty-four hours.”

“I’ll
accept that, but what are today’s instructions?”

“The
same as yesterday, I want you to go on buying Fairchild’s aggressively until
the close of business.”

“I
hope you know what you’re doing, Nat, because the bills are going to start
coming in next week. Everyone knows
Fairchild’s
can
ride out this sort of storm, but are you absolutely certain you can?”

“I
can’t afford not to,” said Nat, “so just keep on buying.”

“Whatever
you say, boss, I just hope you’ve got a parachute, because if you haven’t
secured fifty percent of Fairchild’s by Monday morning at ten o’clock it’s
going to be a very bumpy landing.”

As
Nat continued his journey back to Hartford, he realized that Joe was doing no
more than stating the obvious. By this time next week he knew he could well be
out of a job, and more important, have allowed Russell’s to be taken over by
their biggest rival.

Was
Goldblatz
already aware of this? Of course he was.

As
Nat drove into the city, he decided not to return to his office, but to park a
few blocks from St. Joseph’s, grab a snack and consider all the alternatives
Godblatz
might come up with. He ordered a bacon sandwich in
the hope that it would put him in a fighting mood. He then began to write out a
list of the pros and cons on the back of the menu.

At
ten to three, he left the deli and started to make his way slowly toward the
cathedral. Several people nodded or said “Good afternoon, Mr. Cartwright,” as
they passed, reminding him how well known he’d become recently. Their
expressions were of admiration and respect, and he only wished he could advance
the reel by one week to see how the faces would react then. He checked his
watch-four minutes to three.

He
decided to circle the block and walk into the cathedral from the quieter south
entrance. He climbed the steps in twos and entered the south transept a couple
of minutes before the cathedral clock chimed the hour. Nothing would be gained
by being late.

It
took Nat a few moments to accustom himself to the darkness of the candle-lit
cathedral after the strong light of the mid-afternoon sun. He looked down the
center aisle that led to the altar, dominated by a massive gilded cross studded
with semi-1 precious stones. He transferred his attention to the rows and rows
of dark oak pews that stretched out in front of him down the nave. They were
indeed almost empty as Mr.
Goldblatz
had predicted,
save for four or five old ladies shrouded in black, one of them holding a
rosary and chanting, “Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with you, blessed
art thou...”

Nat
continued down the center aisle, but could see no sign of
Goldblatz
.
When he reached the great carved wooden pulpit, he stopped for a moment to
admire the craftsmanship, which reminded him of his trips to Italy. He felt
guilty that he’d been unaware of such beauty in his own city. He looked back
down the aisle, but the only occupants remained the cluster of old ladies,
heads bowed, still mumbling. He decided to make his way to the far side of the
cathedral and take a seat near the back. He checked his watch again.

It
was one minute past three. As he walked, he became aware of the echoing sound
his feet made on the marble floor. It was then that he heard a voice say, “Do
you wish to confess, my son?”

Nat
swung to his left to see a confessional box with the curtain drawn.
A Catholic priest with a Jewish accent?
He smiled, took a
seat on the small wooden bench and drew the curtain closed.

“You’re
looking very smart,” said the majority leader as Fletcher took his place on
Ken’s right.

“Anyone
else and I’d have said you had a mistress.”

“I
do have a mistress,” said Fletcher, “and her name is Annie. By the way, I may
have to leave around two.”

Ken
Stratton glanced down the agenda. “That’s fine by me; other than the education
bill there doesn’t seem to be a lot that involves you except perhaps candidates
for the next election. We’ve all assumed you will be running again for
Hartford, unless Harry plans to make a comeback. By the way, how is the old
buzzard?”

“He’s
a little better,” said Fletcher.

“Restless, interfering, irascible and opinionated.”

“Not
much change then,” said Ken.

Fletcher
considered the agenda. Fund-raising was all he would be missing, and that item
had been on every agenda since the day he was elected, and would still be there
long after he’d retired.

As twelve struck, the majority leader called for
order and asked Fletcher to present his timetable for the education bill.
For the next thirty minutes Fletcher outlined his proposals, going into
considerable detail about those clauses he anticipated the Republicans would
oppose. After five or six questions from his colleagues, Fletcher realized that
it would require all his legal and debating skills if he was to get this piece
of legislation through the Senate. The last question predictably came from Jack
Swales, the longest-serving member of the Senate. He always asked the last
question, which was a sign that it was time to move on to the next item on the
agenda.

“How
much is this all going to cost the taxpayer, senator?”

Other
members smiled as Fletcher performed the ritual: “It’s covered in the budget,
Jack, and was part of our platform at the last election.”

Jack
smiled and the majority leader said, “Item number two, candidates for the next
election.”

Fletcher
had intended to slip out as soon as the discussion got under way, but like
everyone else in the room, was taken by surprise when Ken went on to say, “I
have to inform my fellow members, with some regret, that I shall not be running
at the next election.”

A
half-sleepy group meeting suddenly became a powder keg, with “whys?” and
“surely
nots
” and “who?” until Ken raised a hand. “I
don’t have to explain to you why I feel the time has come to retire.”

Fletcher
realized the immediate consequence of Ken’s decision was that he was now the
favorite to become majority leader. When his name was called, Fletcher made it
clear that he would be running for reelection. He slipped out when Jack Swales
began a speech on why he felt it was nothing less than his duty to seek
reelection at the age of eighty-two.

Fletcher
drove the half-mile to the hospital, and ran up the stairs to the second floor
rather than wait for the elevator. He walked in to find Harry laying down the
law on impeachment to an attentive audience of two. Martha and Annie turned to
face him as he entered the room.