All Standard FF disclaimers Apply.
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Chapter 14
In the parallel universe he had created for himself, he felt invincible. But in the real world, growing up with just his mother left him struggling with insecurities, so many that he had lost count of them all. And in his real world, the only part of his dad that had any significance was the consuming desire he had within his heart to see his father once again; it was in his every thought. In his parallel universe, his dad was with him for every important occasion; they ignored his mother and did things together all the time. But in reality, he would never have the chance to speak to his father again. For years, young Albert let himself live in that parallel universe. Every time he pulled his treasure box from its hiding place in the closet. Reading and rereading the letters, kept him in that dream world where he felt he was loved.
Albert took a huge, deep breath as he tried to process everything that he had been told about his father's life after he left. Huge waves of emotions had swept over him as he heard how his father had not entirely left him alone, how he had been close. But deep inside he realized that regardless of his presence at the perimeter of his life, he had effectively been abandoned by his father and no amount of storytelling was going to change that fact; it was the truth of what had happened, so many years ago.
Even after being told about his father's challenges, the little boy in him, who had always tried so hard to forgive and forget, now only felt confused. Ironically, Albert thought that he had forgiven his father for leaving; even if it had been hard for him to do so. Every letter he had received from his father had been a thin thread of connection allowing him to not feel completely alone. And Albert wanted to believe that he had accepted the only role his father seemed to be able to play in his life. But now it hit him, so many years of having to deal with being left behind, had actually hardened his heart towards his father, in ways he had never recognized. Events of the past week had served only to soften the outer shell that he hadn't even realized he had built around his heart.
Closing his eyes, Albert tried to calm the mixed emotions he had about his father's decision to remain on the sidelines rather than re-entering into his life. Intellectually Albert understood his father's rationale, but did it really have to be all or nothing? And why not make contact during the last few years of his life? And what about the last few months? What harm could there have been? In many ways listening to his father's story was actually creating more new questions than answering any of the old ones.
Mr. Jordan paused as he recognized the pain that Albert was suffering. Even Valerie could see the look on his face was one of anger and grief for everything that had happened to him. Sensing that Albert had begun to walk the path of hurt and self-pity, Valerie immediately took action to make certain that the demons from his past did not return to torment him. Holding Albert's hand tightly, she gently pulled him towards her and kissed him, and then she looked him straight in his eyes and smiled at him. Her distraction worked, instantly Albert felt his heart begin to melt as he knew that Valerie was about to tell him something special.
"Oh Albert, I've enjoyed hearing more about your father's challenges. It has made me see, for the first time, how similar you both are in how you've handled the hard times in your life." This was not what he had expected to hear and he stiffened a little bit, unsure of what was coming next. "The strength you have shown me the past few years in overcoming your own problems is truly a testament that you are your father's son." Valerie placed her hand on his cheek, pulling his face around to look directly at her "Never forget that." she said, looking meaningfully into his eyes. "I love you and have never been more proud of you than I am at this moment."
Mr. Jordan silently watched as his friends son continued struggling with all that had happened. And he was happy to see that it only took a matter of a few seconds for Albert to gain his composure and set his lifelong insecurities aside. All he needed was to hear Valerie's voice, as she began to talk to him, he felt her love and she began to heal the wounds that he had had for so long. The changes in Albert's heart were evident; a miracle was taking place. Albert finally, truly forgave his father.
The fact that his father had given him the responsibility of taking care of his financial empire was irrefutable evidence of the love and respect that he had towards him. Now it was Albert's responsibility to stand tall and prove to everyone that he merited his father's trust and confidence. And it was a responsibility that he fully intended to fulfill as his father's legacy was now his legacy. Albert was calm now, at peace with the path ahead of him. He pulled Valerie into his arms, hoping she could feel his gratitude for her and for the depth of love that he had for her always. He felt her place her head into his shoulder, and he had her answer.
Reluctantly he let her out of the embrace, kissing her lightly on her lips. As he turned back towards Mr. Jordan, he noticed his cell phone, sitting on the table, was blinking with a message waiting. With an apologetic look, Albert grabbed the phone. He had missed a text message from Hector, he read it quickly. Then he smiled, and nodded, still looking at the phone.
"Hey Albert, it's all going down tonight."
Smiling, Albert turned towards Valerie and repeated the words he had read, "It's all going down tonight." A look of puzzlement was clearly visible on Valerie's face as she had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. Without any explanation, Albert just looked at her and smiled again. Then he turned to Mr. Jordan and asked him to continue. Hector's news was like icing on the cake. All the turmoil from earlier was gone, and Albert now felt at peace. His heart on the mend, everything in his life was looking perfect.
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Back at home again, Laverne was licking her wounds. It really chafed her that Helen Plum had treated her that way. How dare she lay her hands on her? It was just too humiliating; more than she could bear nor allow to go unpunished. She had every right to confront Albert about the money situation. She truly believed that it affected them both, and she wanted to find out just how much they were talking about. Once again, she found herself pacing the floor. The midday sun was now streaming through the windows, washing out the colors in the room with its intensity. Laverne did not acknowledge the beauty of the glowing light. She was annoyed that the glare had assaulted her eyes and, with a huff, she immediately moved from the living room into the kitchen.
After pouring herself a glass of water, Laverne leaned against the counter. This morning had been troubling. Her encounter with Helen was only part of the problem. She had the distinct feeling that something was up with Albert. Something more than the money issue. And although she could not imagine what it could be, she was right in thinking that it would change everything. As usual, she was not worried about how it would affect Albert. Instead she wondered how it was going to impact her own life.
A thought popped into her mind. It almost took her breath away. She drained the glass and carefully placed it in the sink. Moving away from the sink, her movements were slow, deliberate, and automatic. She sat down in the chair at the table, her mind busy as it worked out the details of her new plot to get what she deserved. Laverne sat there, staring at, but not seeing the wall in front of her. The enormity of her idea was staggering. It was perfect.
A creepy smile spread across her face. If she couldn't get to the money directly, she would be happy to slip in through the back door to get there. Her head buzzed with renewed anticipation of achieving her goal, she had figured out a way to make Albert want to give her what she thought she was entitled to receive. It was just too easy. In the very near future he would soon be begging her to take the money. And interestingly, she had Helen to thank for it.
This new focus took her back into her bedroom. She had to set this up perfectly, nothing would be left to chance. Her excitement kept her going, she pulled clothes out of her closet, piece after piece, she wanted to get her look perfect for the first step in her plan. Laverne had it in her mind that she could seduce the drunken lawyer into helping her drag Helen into court for assault and battery. After all, Helen had forcibly grabbed her and stuffed her into her car. And because of the assault, she had the ammunition to pull this off. It was just a matter of filing her complaint, and if she had an attorney on her side, Albert would have to take her seriously. Of course, her plan didn't actually include a trip to court, she just wanted to blackmail Albert into protecting his wife's mother by coughing up the money she wanted.
Suddenly the closet was empty and Laverne spun around and stared at the pile of clothing on her bed. She didn't have anything that she could use. Not one thing that was the least bit flattering, let alone provocative, like she needed. In fact as she took a closer look at her clothing, she realized what a frumpy old lady she had become. Everything that she owned was loose, soft, and comfy, definitely not attractive. She had not needed to dress up for anyone special in… she couldn't even remember how long.
With a sigh and a huge thump, Laverne slumped on her bed and put her head in her hands. No sooner had she started to implement her plan, she had run into her first obstacle. Slightly discouraged and completely dejected she remained motionless, seeking a solution to her dilemma. Then it hit her, and she jumped up, knocking the mountain of clothes to the floor in her haste to leave the room. She ran down to the basement. There in the cedar lined closet was a box of clothes that she had forgotten about. Laverne knelt down next to the box, hesitating only slightly before lifting off the lid. She pulled pieces of clothing from the box, things that she had actually never seen before. And she was struck by how much she admired the beautiful clothes. She was flooded by memories of the night she didn't look in this box. And she couldn't think of why she had kept it all this time, but she was now glad that she did.
Derrick had gone shopping for her, he had it in his mind that if they were to go away on a spontaneous trip, a second honeymoon, maybe they could reconnect, and rekindle the love they had once had for one another. Laverne had reacted strongly. She was not a spontaneous person, and she had already moved into an emotional place where Derrick could no longer reach her. Not only had she rejected the clothes, she rejected the trip, and she rejected him. And whether or not she ever realized it, it was the beginning of the end of her relationship with her husband.
Those thoughts did not enter her mind. Not then and not now. All she could see was the nice clothing she now had to choose from to accomplish the next phase of her new plan. And it was even better that she had originally imagined. Instead of looking trashy, and slutty, which had been her original intention, to grab the attention of the attorney. She was now equipped to pull off a much better look. This one was innocently seductive, as she would play the part of the injured party, ready to let the big, strong lawyer help her, protect her. The smile that spread on her face now, could only be described as evil. Laverne was ready to go put her plan into play.
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Their discussion continued and Albert once again found himself intrigued. Mr. Jordan had been by his father's side each step of the way. He watched the whole thing come together from his father's perspective, and now he was sharing the information, presenting the pieces and fitting them together like a giant jigsaw puzzle.
"When Derrick received the call from Peter Winston, he knew immediately that it was a serious request for a meeting of the minds." "Derrick knew that Peter Winston was not exactly wealthy, but nonetheless he was a successful businessman in his own right who had started several different companies from scratch and then sold them to the highest bidder." "It wasn't the kind of strategy that had made him a millionaire, but it was a strategy that helped him learn the ropes of what worked and what didn't work in business." "The important thing to note was that he had a new business venture in his mind but for some reason he couldn't turn his ideas into the formulation of an effective business summary."
"He had met twice weekly for several months with the members of his mastermind group but none of them had taken on a project like this one, and as a result they were collectively spinning their wheels, trying in vain to put together a marketing strategy that would help them achieve their short and long term goals." "Despite their time and efforts, they simply were at a loss on how to best create the right identity for their new business venture."
"Every time the mastermind group met to discuss the project further, he felt that despite all of their collective efforts, none of them had come up with a real pathway to follow." "As they continued in their futile efforts to create a bold mission statement for the new company, Peter would always come full circle and to the realization that his new business venture lacked a key element for success; it had no heart." "And solving this dilemma was the most important thing that needed to happen in in order for him to move forward with the project."
"It was during one of their late night mastermind sessions when the group began to reminisce about the many different entrepreneur seminars they had attended together and the unique individuals they had met at each event. " "Suddenly Peter had a smile on his face, the same smile that the members of the group had come to recognize when there was a flash of inspiration that he wanted to share with everyone." "Does anyone remember where we were five years ago at about this same time? he asked them.
"It took a few minutes before Terri looked up, and with a smile on her face exclaimed, "I know exactly where we were." "I remember it as if it were yesterday." "It was the Entrepreneurs Boot Camp that we went to in Dallas. Peter nodded, and smiled, he was glad to see that Terri was following his train of thought. "I remember it well, Terri continued. "Because it was the event where we met an incredible man who was a walking, talking encyclopedia of how to think like an entrepreneur." She paused and her eyebrows drew together in a little frown. "I can't remember his name, but it was one of the best seminars we had ever attended because we were able to spend a huge amount of our free time listening to the pearls of wisdom that he was willing to share with us."
"That's right!" exclaimed Theo. "I remember that event and all the time we spent with him." "He was sharp, he really knew his stuff, and he was so generous to share his time with us, but for the life of me, I can't remember what his name is either."
"Was it Donald or Darryl or something like that" remembered Terry as he burst into laughter.
"Wait, wait, I think his last name was unique, because of the spelling and pronunciation."
"That's it" Peter announced." "His last name was pronounced clown, but it wasn't how it was spelled." "And if I am right, he is the person that we need to help us get past the mental block we're experiencing and get us on track to move forward with this project."
A tap on the door interrupted Mr. Jordan's story. Terri poked her head in the door and smiled, "anyone here hungry? she asked. Then she opened the door wide and walked in to place a large tray of finger foods on the coffee table. Half of the tray had fresh fruits and vegetables, and the other had small sandwiches of all kinds. Lovey followed her in with a cooler of bottles; there was water and several kinds of juice to choose from. With a quick wink the ladies slipped back through the door, not wanting to disturb the discussion.
"This looks like a good time to take a break," Mr. Jordan said as he reached for a bottle of water. And for a few minutes they all picked out bites to eat, with a question or two from Valerie, the discussion started again and they just continued to eat while they talked.
Albert was spellbound as he heard the story of how fate intervened in his father's life. He couldn't believe how it was possible that through a chance meeting, the seeds were planted for the creation of an Internet success story, his father's company. As he heard Mr. Jordan's narrative, he felt a twinge of jealousy as it was so obvious that he had first-hand knowledge of events that occurred in his father's life, things that Albert knew nothing about. And deep inside, Albert wished that he could have been a part of his dad's world. Suddenly he realized that he'd zoned out a bit and Mr. Jordan was picking up the story again. He turned his full attention back to what he was saying.
"Once they had remembered his name, Derrick Kloughn, they were set on finding the man they wanted to talk to. Lovey spoke up immediately, she volunteered to find Mr. Kloughn. After a few weeks, however, she was starting to become discouraged." "Finding Derrick Kloughn was proving to be difficult for Lovey, much more than she could have ever imagined" Mr. Jordan explained. "All of the normal techniques that she had used in the past during her many years as an investigative reporter had proven ineffective." "It was as if he had fallen off of the face of the world." "But despite her temporary setbacks, Lovey was determined to find him no matter how long it took." "The clues she found had taken her to Philadelphia, but that's where the trail became as cold as any investigation she had ever been involved in."
"In the meantime, Peter Winston doubled down on his efforts to create a business plan around the name of his new start-up company, "Fun and Games For All, Inc." "The last thing he wanted to happen was to find Derrick and have him come in for a visit and have no game plan in place." "The initial idea for this new business was that everyone could relate to having fun. It started as a basic, straight forward idea, but for some reason he felt that something was missing, he didn't believe the name and concept for the new venture had any real legs beneath it." "But he worked hard on building excitement around the basic concept."
"Every time the mastermind group met to discuss the project further, he felt that despite all of their collective efforts, none of them had come up with a real pathway to follow." "As they continued in their futile efforts to create a bold mission statement for the new company, Peter would always come full circle and realization that his new business venture lacked a key element for success; it had no heart." "And solving this dilemma was the most important thing that needed to happen in in order for him to move forward with the project."
"The search for Derrick had become problematic for Lovey." "She knew that the members of her team were counting on her to find Derrick, and she was determined not to let them down." "As she was doing her due diligence, talking with as many people as she could who had known him, she became aware of the fact that in the years after the entrepreneur event, he had come on some challenging times" "But that didn't deter her efforts, and most importantly she made a conscious decision not to disclose the negatives that she had discovered to anyone on the mastermind team." "Then as if by divine providence, the whereabouts of her target was made known to her by someone she didn't even know."
"Desiree Cranston had lived across the street from where you grew up." "You may or may not recognize her name." Mr. Jordan turned to Albert, wondering how much he still remembered about his neighbors. Albert slowly shook his head, trying to recall the name. But he came up blank. So he shrugged his shoulders slightly. Mr. Jordan nodded, it was no surprise, Albert had been young, and he didn't expect he would remember her. And she had moved out shortly after Derrick had left. So he continued with the story, giving Albert enough background to help him see the whole picture.
"At first Desiree and Laverne had become immediate friends, but it didn't take long for Desiree to discover Laverne was not the type of person she wanted to have as her friend." "Desiree watched in total disbelief as time and time again Laverne had physically and emotionally destroyed the heart and soul of her husband, which was unacceptable to her. " "And it didn't surprise her that after taking so much abuse for so many years, that Derrick had finally had enough and walked out on Laverne." "Through the years, Desiree had secretly kept in contact with Derrick, to the point where for a brief period of time they had had an intimate relationship."
Mr. Jordan saw the look that passed over Albert's face after that last statement, but that was not the point of this discussion so he quickly continued. "But it didn't last long as Derrick confessed to her that it was too painful for him to ever think that he could enter into another meaningful relationship for the rest of his life. It broke Desiree's heart to see the pain that he felt and she pleaded with him to give her a chance to prove him wrong, but Derrick held firm." "Even though the relationship had ended abruptly, they were still friends and their friendship continued on and off as the years passed by."
"It was actually that friendship that eventually led Lovey to your father." "There was a restaurant that constantly came up in her conversations with people who had known him." "It was supposed to be his favorite restaurant." "Desperate, Lovey Thurston had returned again to the same restaurant for the fifth time, in as many weeks, hoping to find someone, anyone, who knew something about Derrick." "However the owner of the establishment once again reminded her that he had not seen or heard from him for over a year." "Dejected at coming to yet another dead end, Lovey had turned to walk out of the restaurant, but before she could leave, a very sophisticated looking woman dressed in a crisp dark blue pin-striped business suit walked up to her with a stern look on her face" "Lovey stopped in her tracks, not knowing what to expect."
"I couldn't help but overhear that you have some business with Derrick Kloughn?" Desiree asked her with sheer disdain in her voice. "Derrick is a good friend of mine and he values his privacy, so I would appreciate it if you left him alone." "In fact, if you don't stop harassing everyone about his whereabouts, you and I are going to have a serious problem."
It appeared that Lovey's efforts in trying to track Derrick down had ruffled some feathers" Mr. Jordan remarked as he continued telling the story.
"Desiree looked at Lovey with utter contempt, and then she waited for her to respond, knowing full well that the next words that came out of her mouth would either result in a full-scale cat-fight, or her walking out the door never to come back again."
"Please, I mean no disrespect." Lovey responded. "My only desire in finding Mr. Kloughn is for a very noble purpose." "I do not want to harm him in any way, if anything, I want to help him overcome the challenges he has faced for the past several years." "I respect his privacy and only ask if it were possible that you could help arrange for him to contact us." "My business partners wanted to speak to Mr. Kloughn about a new business venture."
"Lovey looked this woman straight in the eye and said, "We need his help." That may have been the statement that made Desiree decide she would help them find Derrick." "Desiree looked at Lovey intently." "She could feel that Lovey was being sincere in her request and something deep inside her confirmed that he would have no reason to fear this individual." "Therefore it made sense for her to arrange the phone call."
"Give me your contact information and I will arrange something." Desiree said with a little bit of hesitancy still in her voice.
"Thank you so very much!" Lovey said, scribbling down her personal contact information on the back of the business card that she then handed to Desiree."
"The phone call between Derrick and Peter took place without a hitch." "Both of them were surprised at how brief the conversation was, lasting less than five minutes." "But the most important objective for the conversation had been met." "Derrick would be flying to Los Angeles to meet with his mastermind group." "In the week before Derrick would make his visit, Peter became obsessed with making sure that everything was in place to make him feel comfortable." 'Any and all arrangements would be handled by him personally." "And because so much was at stake, Peter decided that every member of his mastermind team would be in attendance."
"When he had hung up the phone, Derrick recognized he really didn't know much more about the project he had been asked to help direct as an outside consultant then he had when the conversation had first begun." "This is odd; Derrick told himself." "The one thing he did glean from the brief conversation was they were looking for someone who could provide them with bold new ideas in regards to the direction of the company."
Then looking down at the notes he had taken, Derrick read aloud the name of the company, "Fun And Games For All, Inc. "
"This is not a great start" Derrick had told me afterwards."
Mr. Jordan knew that he had Albert's full attention. Relating the story about his father's life to this point was a long, time consuming process, but he knew that it was important; therefore he had made certain he did not miss anything that was pertinent towards helping Albert understand the origins of his father's company, now his company.
Mr. Jordan also knew that his arrival and telling of the story was not by coincidence; he had been chosen by the mastermind group to fulfill this role for them. They all knew the long-term success of the company depended on the new owner's ability to understand the heart and soul of the company. And Mr. Jordan was confident that in telling the story he had already touched Albert's heart multiple times already. The plan was working.
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