Standard FF disclaimers apply.

Chapter 10

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After his third attempt at calling Valerie ended up in getting her voice mail yet again, Albert decided to hang up rather than leave her a detailed message about how the meeting went at the attorney's office. After all, the events of the morning and what had transpired were not the kinds of things you simply left your wife a voice message about, this was the kind of news that had to be conveyed in person. Then again, Albert found it amusing trying to put together the right message he would have left, if in fact he were to leave Valerie a message. "Hi Val, I'm heading home now. It was a really long meeting. I have a few errands to run first, so I'll be a little late. Don't worry about getting dinner ready, I'll just grab a bite to eat when I can. Oh, and by the way, today we became millionaires. I love you!" A smile came across Albert's face as he started imagining the look on Valerie's face when he finally broke the news to her about his father's gift to their family.

Albert knew that all of their lives had literally changed in a matter of hours and yet, he didn't necessarily feel too differently than when he had first arrived and walked into Mr. Allen's office. After Mr. Allen had completed his responsibilities as the executor of his father's last will and testament, he had turned and asked Albert how he felt about everything, and if he was ready to walk out of his office a changed man. Albert wasn't quite sure how to reply to this. Albert knew he could not deny that in accepting his father's gift, he was acknowledging that he would have to change out of necessity, but in what ways? As he pondered the question, it was what Mr. Allen had to say next that impressed him the most. It was these final words that would forever be engraved in Albert's mind.

"Mr. Kloughn, I can see that you are unsure of your thoughts at this moment and find it somewhat challenging to answer my question." "Let me put you at ease as I share with you your father's thoughts as we discussed this very topic." He sat back in his chair, getting comfortable. "Your father had great confidence in you, and fully expected that this issue would be of great concern for you." "In my career, I have seen many irresponsible people squander their inheritances overnight." He shifted in his seat to lean forward. "In your case, I cannot foresee this ever happening." "It was your father's words to me that assured me that this would not be the case in your circumstances."

"Money does not make you who you are.' Derrick said confidently to me." "Money only makes you more of what you already are." Your father went on to say "I place all of my trust and confidence that Albert is the type of individual that will dedicate his life to blessing other people's lives with his new found wealth."

The smile on Mr. Jordan's face confirmed to Mr. Allen that Derrick Kloughn had been correct in his assessment of his son. Mr. Jordan knew that by nature Albert was a very loving and caring individual who would not fall into the pitfalls of having 'too much money.' And besides, he had made a solemn promise to his friend that he would watch over Albert as if he was his own son, he would always be with Albert every step of the way. Neither Mr. Allen nor Mr. Jordan informed Albert of his father's gift to his best friend, it wasn't necessary. As Albert prepared to leave, Mr. Jordan stood up and embraced him in same way as when he first saw him in the office today. They looked at each other. How much had changed for both of them in just a few hours.

"Thank you so much for being here, Mr. Jordan. You do not know how much this meant to me."

"You are very welcome Albert." "Your father meant a lot to me and I was pleased to have been here to lend you any support that I could," he said as he placed his hand on Albert's shoulder.

"It is getting late and I have so many questions." "Can we meet again soon?" Albert asked him.

"Yes Albert." "I would like that very much." "There is so much that I want to tell you about your father." Mr. Jordan smiled at him; he would love to tell Albert the many stories he had about Derrick. Things that he should know about his father.

"Thank you so very much Mr. Jordan." Albert couldn't wait to hear all about his dad. There was so much he had missed about him. And he was grateful that Mr. Jordan was willing to share this with him. "Can I call you the first of the week?"

"Call me anytime Albert." "I am always here for you. " His smile told Albert all that he needed to know, and he nodded to him once as he left.

The drive back to Trenton would be a very emotional one for Albert. All legal issues pertaining to the inheritance from his father had been explained in full detail to him by Mr. Allen. Albert was able to ask for and receive additional counsel from Mr. Allen. As the discussions came to an end, it was mutually agreed that Albert would retain the services of Mr. Allen to handle all aspects of his financial holdings. In coming to this arrangement, Mr. Allen was pleased that, like his father, Albert would place his trust and confidence in him. And with his financial affairs in order, Albert was free to think about the many new revelations he had been given pertaining to his father's life after he had left. There was so much to think about, on the drive home.

And while he was deep in thought, his phone buzzed. It was still on silent mode and the vibrations tickled Albert from where it was in the breast pocket of his suit coat. He snatched it quickly before it could buzz again, and looked at the caller ID. It was Hector. Since Albert had forgotten to put in his blue tooth earpiece, he answered the phone and placed it on speaker.

"Hola Hector," Albert spoke a bit loudly to be heard over the rumbling hum of driving on the freeway.

"Alberto, mi amigo," Hector began. "We have some good news." Albert smiled, he enjoyed working with Hector, he felt they made a really good team.

"Hey Hector; I'm just on my way back, what have you got?"

"I caught up with Morelli," he replied. Hector then explained their conversation, not leaving out one detail. "He agreed to set up the appointment with Tony. You meet with him tomorrow morning."

Albert smiled, this was good news. He was close to finding out whether or not he had 'cracked' the case. He was looking forward to speaking with Tony. It would answer so many of his questions and finally begin to bring closure to this case.

"That is great news!" Albert said. "I'll be in early to get in a workout. We can go over our notes before I go to meet with him."

"I'll see you in the morning!" Hector agreed and hung up.

The smile on Albert's face confirmed how he felt; this day was looking up in every way. The news this morning couldn't have been better if he had been given the opportunity to script it himself. The news this afternoon that he was getting closer to solving the case and would have the opportunity to speak with Tony, made it even better. Albert felt a rush of adrenalin as he maneuvered the car onto the turnpike and closer to his rendezvous with his sweetheart.

Upon Albert's departure, Mr. Jordan motioned towards Mr. Allen, asking him if he would be seated for a few more minutes to discuss the letter he had received from Derrick. Mr. Allen was aware of Derricks wishes and fully expected Mr. Jordan to inquire about how best to arrange the transfer of the gift. Mr. Allen remembered with fondness the day when his client had made the final decision to give a gift to Steven, how Derrick had made such an issue as to what the right amount should be. In his mind, Derrick did not want his friend to feel slighted, so he kept increasing the amount after initially setting on $125,000.00 for the gift amount.

First Derrick increased the amount to $150,000.00, then $175,000.00, then $200,000.00, before settling at $250,000.00, but he quickly changed his mind. When the gift amount reached $375,000.00, Mr. Allen jokingly stated if he was going to go that far, why not make it an even 'half mil' instead? To which Derrick smiled and immediately agreed to do, thanking Mr. Allen for the suggestion. Mr. Allen was impressed, he had seen very few individuals in his career with a heart of gold like Derrick Kloughn. Final arrangements were made for the transfer of funds, Mr. Jordan thanked Mr. Allen for his assistance. After a few minutes of reminiscing about their friend, Mr. Jordan stood up and bid Mr. Allen a fond farewell, and headed home.

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Steven Jordan had always considered himself to be a happy man. He loved his wife; he adored their kids and now his grand kids. He enjoyed the job he had. If his life looked a little bit ordinary or average, that was okay with him. It was pretty much like the life he envisioned when he asked Carol to marry him so many years ago. It was the world they had built together. It was what he wanted. He was comfortable, and he liked it that way. Most of the time.

Every now and then he would think of the world that Derrick lived in. Nearly thirty years ago, Steven got a glimpse into that world. And it scared him as much as it fascinated him. Derrick and Laverne moved in next door to the sensible home that he and Carol had purchased just a year before that. All of the houses on this street were clean, well kept, and practical with their fenced-in yards, shade trees, and garden plots. It was the fact that there were so many young children in the neighborhood that had sold Laverne on this house. In fact, it quickly became too obvious that in their marriage, it was always about what Laverne wanted.

From the day they first met, shaking hands over the front fence, Steven knew that Derrick saw life very differently from the rest of them. He always had big plans for his family; he was always working so hard. And as far as Derrick was concerned, his true occupation started after he returned home from his regular job. Many late summer nights were spent out in the backyard, sharing a beer and talking about their latest projects. Steven would describe how well the bathroom remodel went, or how he finally learned how to fix the air conditioner by himself. And Derrick would smile and congratulate him on a job well done. Derrick's genuine words of encourage were always welcome.

But when Derrick talked about his projects, they were the kinds of projects that made even the most pessimistic of individual's lean forward in their chair, drawn by the amazing ideas that Derrick had for creating wealth and leaving behind a legacy of philanthropy. The dreams he had were noble; he wanted to build a business that he could pass on to his son, Albert. For Derrick, nothing was more important. Some would even say that he was obsessed with this.

Derrick was an idea man and a trusting man. Several times he became involved with groups that seemed very interested in what he had to offer. They would initially treat him as a valuable partner, but then, time and time again, they would use his work, his ideas, before a formal contract was established between them. Then they would take advantage of his ideas, move in a 'different direction', and refuse to compensate him. Derrick would be disappointed, but he would forge on, counting the experiences as learning opportunities.

Laverne did not see it that way. She was increasingly irritated with him for allowing people to walk all over him, take advantage of him. Her comments to him became mean and nasty. She would make personal attacks on his intelligence, his integrity, and finally his manhood. Month by month, year by year, the comments were becoming more and more demeaning. It wasn't only the words that were spoken, but the vicious manner in which they were spoken. And the open and outright manner in which the attacks increased became intolerable.

Steven watched Derrick become more and more withdrawn from his friends and his family, and yes, even from his son. Derrick sought refuge away from Laverne every chance he got. The sparkle in his eyes was gone. The only time he appeared happy was when he spent time with Albert, but even this wasn't enough. And where Laverne had once been very careful to attack Derrick only within the walls of their own home, she now became vicious and her verbal attacks could be heard around the entire neighborhood. It shocked Steven to hear what she said to him, and about him, every word was so demoralizing. It was all too much and something had to give.

As a husband, Steven saw that Derrick had been patient and tolerant of his wife's lack of understanding, her criticisms, and her demeaning opinions of him. Derrick wanted to work hard and show just how much he could accomplish if given the opportunity. He knew she did not want to understand that there was a process, and he was gaining ground toward his dreams every single day. But year after year he became bitterly disappointed to see that she would not even try to see his ideas as anything worthwhile. Laverne's disappointment turned into hatred towards her husband. She didn't care about his dreams, she wanted to see results; that was all that mattered to her. The arguments became more intense, and at that point it was only a matter of time.

In one of his candid conversations with his friend, Steven told Derrick that he had always thought that it takes two people being selfish to end a relationship. He no longer believed that this was true, he had seen Laverne single-handedly destroy every bit of her relationship with her husband, his friend. Derrick quickly acknowledged that he was not without faults as to why the marriage had spiraled out of control. Steven told his friend that perhaps he had allowed himself to fall into the trap of having unrealistic expectations. It wasn't easy to give up on your dreams, but at what price do you stubbornly cling to your dreams? There must be a point when one has to resign himself that something was not meant to be, right? Derrick had vehemently disagreed with him.

"Why can't I have everything? Derrick once shouted to his best friend, the tears moistening his eyes. "Why can't I have everything? He repeated himself. "Why can't I be part of a fantastic family, the kind of family that loves and cares about each other?" 'The kind of family that is close, that will never dissolve, that will always be together despite the challenges that life brings." "Other people have fantastic families, why can't I" 'It's not too much to ask for, is it?"

For Steven, these were the words that were forever ingrained in his memory. And Steven could see that these words were the driving force behind Derrick's quest for happiness. It took several years, and many disappointments and failures, but in the end despite overwhelming obstacles that were placed in front of him, Derrick finally realized his dreams. His unrelenting determination had paid off, he was now a part of a fantastic family, through the relationships established in his business. And the good news was that it all occurred years after Derrick's divorce was final, there was absolutely nothing that Lavern could do today or in the future to reverse any of the decisions that Derrick had made in regards to Albert's inheritance.

But he had to admit that Laverne was something else. If she could, she would try to unwind what had happened. Laverne was a poisonous snake when she felt cornered. Laverne always found a way to destroy your heart and your soul if she was angry at you, there was no limit to the amount of hatred she had towards you if you got on her wrong side. Steven laughed at the antics she orchestrated against him when she felt he had betrayed her by taking Derricks side. More than once she actually tried to turn Carol against him by spreading vicious rumors about him. And the things she said about Derrick in their last few months were legendary in the neighborhood. Laverne was someone you did not want to mess with unless you were ready to go to war. Unfortunately Derrick had not prepared himself for war. Not with his wife.

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Pages of the local newspaper were opened and laying haphazardly all over the long banquet table in the meeting room at the church. Laverne Kloughn arrived a few minutes early to make sure the room would be ready for the Wednesday Night Bible group. She was not immediately annoyed by the mess anymore, she expected it. George, the janitor had a habit of reading in here during his lunch break, and he always left the papers in disarray. That is why she would show up with a few minutes to spare to straighten it up before any of the other ladies arrived.

Folding page after page, she started to make a pile to add to the recycling bin. Usually she paid no attention to the content of the papers, but something grabbed her eye and she held up one of the pages to get a better look. Among all of the 'In loving Memory' columns memorializing lost loved ones, there was a single paragraph under the 'Death Notices' that briefly mentioned the passing of someone she had known all too well, Derrick A. Kloughn.

Laverne immediately dropped into a chair. She stared intently at the paper, almost not able to comprehend the brief words that were written. She was shocked to know that Derrick was dead. But even more upsetting to her was that he was still local. He had been living so close and she didn't know it, which disturbed her greatly. It had never occurred to her that he wouldn't have gone as far away from her as he could. He sure gave her that idea the day he left.

She was flooded with emotions and memories. She had hated him for so long, she was not prepared for the feelings of loss that overwhelmed her now. If just the mention of his name could do this to her, she was fortunate that she had not seen the business page that featured an article about Derrick. The picture they included showed a generous, confident man. Many of his achievements were mentioned, both personal and business, and the article concluded that Mr. Derrick Kloughn would be sorely missed in a community that loved him dearly. Suddenly, Lavern decided that she didn't feel like sitting through the class tonight.

She finished stacking the newspapers and then she quickly left before anyone showed up. She wanted to be alone with her thoughts tonight. For the first time in over twenty years she cried. Her heart was so hard, she couldn't admit that she had once loved this man, but still the loss she was experiencing took control. And for once, she was worried about how Albert would feel when he found out that his dad was gone. For the rest of the evening she debated over how she would tell him. But by the next day, when she looked at her mail, her thoughts had turned back to her anger.

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