Loving The Game. Pete Hines

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СКАЧАТЬ In turn, many of them were facing financial hardships. Building rental payments and utility bills were past due and Samuel had invested a lot in supplies. All of this put his contracting business in jeopardy. Samuel asked Charles to check on Cybertex and let him know if there was anything Charles could do to get any money from the bankrupt firm.

      “Your turn,” said Ralph to Ted. Charles knew Ted was close to losing, but Ted wouldn’t care. He would simply ask for a rematch. Besides his concern for Samuel’s business, Charles had another legal issue he was working on. Several investors had called him looking for something they could use for a tax shelter. Charles checked some of the tax codes and found one that dealt with improving property in a community. The structure needed to be one that had previously housed a business but also had stood empty for at least 20 years. Charles had looked into several buildings – an old milk factory, a shoe warehouse, and even a four-story apartment complex. Nothing had panned out. Now he thought that maybe the old gym would qualify.

      He could remodel the old gym and turn it into a community center. That would definitely improve the neighborhood and also give his clients a tax break. Charles felt he needed some clarification from the IRS before he proceeded. He knew just the man to call. Joe Bartling had been a practicing attorney before going to work with the IRS about five years ago. Tax codes were his expertise, and Joe could definitely give Charles some good advice.

      Charles walked to the kitchen to use Ted’s phone to call Joe just as Ralph announced “checkmate” for the second time. The conversation with Joe was short, and he assured Charles it wouldn’t take long to check on the specific codes and see if they applied for the old gym. He would call Charles in a couple of days.

      Walking back from the kitchen, Charles said, “Well, Ted, we need to be going. I guess Ralph got the best of you again.”

      Ted just shrugged. He was used to losing to Ralph. Besides, Ralph was his creation.

      Meeting the Boys

      The idea of renovating the gym that included a community center was starting to take shape in Charles’ mind. He was so focused on it that he had neglected calling Julie. They didn’t really have a serious relationship, but they enjoyed each other’s company. Charles would call Julie for a show or for dinner, usually on weekends. She was a stockbroker and worked long hours. Julie enjoyed her independence, but she also liked to do things with Charles on the spur of the moment.

      Julie was adventurous and Charles appreciated that. She worked many evenings, but on weekends she looked forward to getting away from work and having fun. Charles now called Julie at work and asked if she would like to go to DiAngelo’s on Saturday. DiAngelo’s was one of those upscale restaurants that had valet parking. Charles had done some tax work for DiAngelo’s and the owner reciprocated with exceptionally good service.

      Charles checked his watch and saw that it was getting close to 5 p.m. He wanted to play some tennis at The Racquet Club. There was a group of eight businessmen who played doubles and each week switched partners. Charles grabbed his suit coat and headed out the door for the two-mile drive. At The Racquet Club, he got dressed and played a five-set match during the next hour and a half.

      After showering, five of the eight men met at Capri, a nice sports bar. It was routine to meet for a beer or two after the tennis matches were completed. Usually, anywhere from three to seven showed up. After talking sports and politics and enjoying a couple rounds of beer, Charles excused himself and said it was time for him to head home.

      Settling in after the 45-minute drive home, Ralph told Charles he had the financial report on the Cybertex company. Charles thanked Ralph and asked to be reminded in the morning to call Samuel Jacobsen. Knowing the answer, Charles then asked Ralph if he would like to play chess. Ralph projected the chessboard on his screen and asked if Charles wanted white or black. Charles took white and then told Ralph which pawn he wanted to move. After several more moves, Ralph had Charles in checkmate. Charles was really a pretty good chess player but could only beat Ralph when Ralph let him on purpose. After losing three games, Charles asked Ralph to put on some songs from the 60s. The sweet melodies lulled Charles to sleep on the couch. The Beach Boys had led him to a place of good dreams.

      In the morning, Ralph woke Charles with a booming rendition of the 1812 Overture. Charles shoved a pillow over his head, but that did little to muffle the loud music. Ralph had also started the coffeemaker and Charles could smell the rich aroma as he was waking up. Charles dressed and had toast and a cup of coffee before driving the Porsche to work. He also downed a grape pop. Even as an adult, he had a thing for the sweet beverage. In his mind, there were few things that tasted as good.

      At work, Charles checked his messages; he needed to call two clients. Also, Ralph had reminded him to call Samuel Jacobsen. Charles first called the clients and then Samuel. Charles told Samuel that he was still working on his financial problem and would keep in touch. Then he asked Samuel the question that was really on his mind. Could he help with renovations on the old gym? Charles gave Samuel the address of the gym, which was 99th and Palmer. Samuel said he knew the location and would go down and take a look at the building. He seemed intrigued and Charles was hopeful that this project could bring some income to Samuel.

      Charles entered the information on his computer that Ralph had looked up on Cybertex. This was a company that had indeed filed bankruptcy, but its subsidiary companies were doing quite well. Ralph had done his homework on this assignment. He had obtained credit reports on Cybertex and all of its subsidiary companies. How could Cybertex be having serious financial problems while its subsidiary companies were doing so well? Cybertex had been expanding until about six months ago when it had a serious cash flow problem. Something didn’t seem quite right here. However, Charles had no way of knowing what was going on, especially when the numbers looked so good. He could tell he would have to do some more digging on the financial report that Ralph had produced.

      As Charles continued working, Ralph played some classical music and said he had purchased some stocks. Ralph felt his selections would do well in the future. Charles knew better than to ask why Ralph picked the stocks that he did. Daily, Ralph searched databases to become informed about dividends, capital expansion, business competition, management styles, and growth cycles. Charles figured Ralph knew what he was doing. Plus, he didn’t have to pay a stockbroker’s commission because Ralph worked for free. Charles told Ralph that he couldn’t find a better stockbroker if he tried, except maybe Julie.

      Now was a good time to break for lunch. As he was pulling up to the diner, Charles noticed the boys who had been there when he and Samuel had had lunch. The boys were dribbling a basketball up and down the sidewalk. He pulled up and got out of the car. As Charles was heading up the steps to the diner, Ralph opened the sunroof of the Porsche and began talking with the boys. Charles could tell that the boys liked talking to Ralph. As he opened the glass door to the diner, Charles heard Ralph playing rap music for the boys who were laughing and doing some dance moves. Charles smiled and entered the diner.

      Although Charles was the only white person in the diner, he felt comfortable being here. He chose a shiny red booth and sat down. He decided to order the special barbecue ribs and they were delicious.

      He finished his meal, left a generous tip for the waitress, and walked to the cash register. Making change from a $10 bill, the waitress asked his name.

      “Charles.”

      “My name’s Maxine,” she said, wiping her hands on her apron. “What do you do for a living?”

      “I’m an attorney.”

      “May I ask who’s the man you were with earlier?”

      “That’s Samuel Jacobsen. We’re working on a project together.”

      “Well, СКАЧАТЬ