29
Don concluded the meeting with three minutes to spare, completely convinced Uncle Frank intended to charge for any overage. A barrage of thoughts bombarded Don. The extent of Joel’s failure was mounting, and it was far-reaching. Don had to vent. He wasn’t going to lay his challenges onto Naledi. He dialed the one person who would understand and possibly assist. Please answer the phone, he thought. The phone rang and rang with no answer. He sighed in disappointment, tossed the phone onto the passenger seat, and pulled the seat belt across his chest. As he was about to slide the buckle into the hook, the phone buzzed. He glanced at it and snatched the phone quickly. “Mother, where are you? I just called you.”
“Well, hello to you too. I was half-asleep. Remember I am in Hawaii. It’s not quite six A.M.”
“Oops, I’m sorry, Mother. I did forget.”
“So, what’s so urgent?”
“You won’t believe my morning. I had a very strange meeting with your brother-in-law.”
“Who, Frank? What in the world were you doing with him?”
“Trying to regain the Southern division.”
“How did it go?”
Don recalled the outrageous price tag on his services. “He is expecting to make a small fortune with this deal. There’s no way I’m paying him six million dollars and his investor buddies six hundred million for the Southern division.”
“Is that what he’s asking?”
“Can you believe him? Even if I wanted to entertain his offer, DMI doesn’t have the cash.” Don let his neck hang down with his head following. “If we paid Uncle Frank and the investors what they want, DMI would be bankrupt. We’re close as it is, but those two transactions would push the company over the edge.”
“Why don’t you let me talk to Frank? We’ve had dealings in the past and I kind of understand his language.”
“I don’t want to pursue discussions with Uncle Frank. I have a bad feeling in my gut about making a deal with him or his people. I can’t get caught up in a scandal, and you know Uncle Frank breeds scandals.”
“I can’t argue with you there. He dragged your father’s name down. Frank is not for lightweights. Sounds like Joel got in over his head. I’m proud of you, Son. You’re more like your dad every day. Dave had his shortcomings, but professionally he was a smart man. I’m not going to speak about his lapse in judgment and morals when it came to that home-wrecker of his.”
“Mother, I agree. We’re not going to get sidetracked with Sherry. I have too much to accomplish today with zero time for slashing Sherry.”
“I’ve gotten better, you have to admit.”
“Perhaps; only time will tell.”
“Let’s get back to your situation. How can I help you without coming to Detroit?”
“Go to Cape Town and give Naledi a hand for me. That will free me up to get submerged in unraveling this fiasco without feeling guilty about leaving Naledi completely alone.”
“I’m not sure.”
“What’s holding you back? You’ve always told me you will support me when I need you. Well, I need you.” She’d done the unthinkable for Tamara. His request wasn’t nearly as extreme. “I need your help, Mother, seriously.”
“You are not going to let me out of this, are you?”
“The only other alternative is for you to come here and work with Abigail. Then I can go handle LTI.”
“I told you that’s not an option.” He knew her answer was no, but it forced Madeline to give more consideration to his request. “If my going to LTI means this much to you, then I have no choice. I’ll have to go.”
“Don’t make it sound like the kiss of death.”
“I’m sorry, Don. I didn’t mean to seem begrudging. Actually, I’m glad to help, honored to be asked. At least one of my children has use for me. So I should be thanking you for allowing me to be relevant.”
“Relevant and a whole lot more,” he said, feeling lighter. Having Madeline on board was a priceless asset. She could take care of her business and his. Naledi was covered. He was relieved and rejuvenated.
“One more question before you go: how’s Tamara doing?”
She’s doing very little, he wanted to say, but opted to paint a rosier picture for his mother. With the price Tamara made her pay, he wanted Madeline to realize a return on the investment. “She’s coming along, jumping into the fray. There’s plenty of work for everyone to get a healthy share.”
“Good to hear; then my decision to go was the right one.” Don didn’t think so. Three to six months from now would have been better. Immediately following changes in the executive team was the worst possible time. The timing wasn’t fair to Tamara, to Don, or to Madeline. But wallowing in faulty acts of reality was pointless. He would shun the thoughts and press on.
“When are you heading to Cape Town?”
“Next week,” she replied.
“Fair enough. Now that you’re going to Cape Town next week, I can concentrate on selling off Harmonious Energy first and then worry about regaining the fractured divisions.” There was plenty to do without adding Uncle Frank’s extortion to the list. That was Joel’s style, not his. Don was going to have to rely on his faith in God’s favor to move the boulders piling up in his path to victory. Relying on his own skills hadn’t worked for Joel, and Don was resolute that he would not travel the same path.
They were ending the call when Madeline yelled, “Don, wait!”
“Yes?”
“Tamara didn’t take the money I offered. Do you know if she has any?”
“I’m not sure but I don’t think so. She asked for a salary the other night, and I gave it to her.”
“Where is she staying, at our house?”
“She was totally against staying there.” Don understood and was sure Madeline did too. “I offered to let her stay with me. She said no. As far as I know she’s staying at the Hilton Garden downtown.”
“This is ridiculous. I’m in Hawaii and my daughter is in Detroit, broke.”
“We don’t know that she’s broke for sure.”
“Something is going on. I need to check into this.”
“No, Mother, don’t. You can’t cross the line. Now that Tamara is here, we can’t spook her into running away again.” He didn’t have to dig deep to find compassion for Tamara. She wasn’t helping his cause professionally but work didn’t trump family or love.
“I’m not trying to drive her away, just the opposite. It’s hard to stay at arm’s length when the two of you need me, maybe more than you ever have. I’m doing the best I can not to intervene. That’s why I haven’t jumped at your invitation to join Naledi at LTI. I’m like an addict. Giving me a taste of the family business and interaction with my children and then shutting down full access is a recipe for failure. I don’t know how to do less than a hundred and ten percent. I’m trying to maintain distance. I’m trying, and it’s the hardest feat I’ve tackled in my sixty-five years. So when you tell me my daughter is broke or you suspect that she is, my millions don’t mean a hill of paint if they can’t support the people I love.”
Don’s heart ached for his mother. Her pain was sharp. He could feel it in every fiber of silence choking the call.