Personal Possessions (11 page)

CHAPTER 6

2007

“Gentlemen, it was a
pleasure doing business with you.”

I went through the
conference room, shaking every man’s hand in there. To date, this
was my biggest turnover and I was already celebrating inside but
nothing on my face showed it. I had bought this company for a
little over eight hundred and fifty-thousand dollars, and just sold
the same factory which was now a full working company and last year
netted over fifty million. Let’s just say I just made fucking bank
on this deal!

Making a call to my
assistant she answered the phone on the first ring, “Sara, will you
please show these gentlemen to the elevators and make sure that you
get their info so that I can make sure they receive something very
nice from Mac-Gentry.”

Sara flashed a smile, and
showed the businessmen out of the conference room and down the
hall. I sat back in my chair and picked up my cell phone. I had a
phone call to make.

“Tell me it went good,” Greg’s voice boasted on the other
end.

I didn’t say anything I
just chuckled while I pulled a big, authentic Cuban cigar out of my
pocket. “I’m lighting this bitch up as we speak.”

I heard Greg holler,
“Out-fucking-standing, my brother!” loudly congratulating
me.

“They didn’t even try and
talk me down.”

I puffed away on what felt
like pure profit being sucked into my mouth, and straight the fuck
up accomplishment being blown out again.

“No shit. Damn, I taught
you well, you son of a bitch!” He laughed while he complimented
himself on my accomplishment.

I stopped laughing. “How’s
your deal coming?”

Greg had got involved with
a group of investors that talked big shit, promised Greg the moon
and the stars. He ended up going against his gut instinct on the
venture and ended up losing everything - his home, his cars,
practically the clothes off his back.

I told him I would give
him a loan, because I knew he would never take a handout, that
wasn’t him, but he still refused that, told me he’d build it back
up.

So, he was living in an
apartment with some chick he met, working with a national chain
investment firm, living paycheck to paycheck.

“Ah, not really feeling
it, ya know?”

Yeah, I knew. He was
scared shitless to go out on a limb again. He lost his bite. I had
begged and practically pleaded with him to come out here to
Burlington, start over and let me at least make him some form of a
partner, he wouldn’t hear of it. Proud Bastard.

“Greg, you know my
offer-“

“Don’t Trev, please don’t.
I have to do this or else,” he let out a long exasperated breath,
“I’m nothing, man. Besides who in their right fuckin’ mind would
pack up and move to Vermont…do they even have indoor plumbing in
there?” He chuckled, and I laughed along with him.

“Did you ever call the PI
back?” He asked me, again.

Every time I talked with
him he asked me. The day after I called and left that voicemail,
Kip called me back, but I didn’t answer. I kept making excuses as
to why I shouldn’t go through with what I wanted deep down in my
chest. It always came back to that night, her choosing him over me.
I kept coming to the same decision, let it be. So while I kept his
number in my phone, I never contacted him again.

Now that Mac-Gentry’s
headquarters was located in Burlington, the company had grown
immensely.

I had just recently
purchased land to build the future home of the firm’s main offices,
including mine which would be located on the entire top floor of
the Mac-Gentry Towers. My company would fill up as much space as
needed then I would either lease out the additional spaces or allow
them to be purchased, I hadn’t decided yet.

”Trevor,” I heard Greg’s
voice.

“No. I haven’t, and will
you stop asking me, please. I told you, I’m not calling
him.”

Greg didn’t say anything.
I looked at the doorway and saw Sara coming back in. “Look, I gotta
go, I’ll call you later.”

Greg got quiet, “Yeah.
Sure, talk to you later,” his voice monotone.

I sat my cell down and got
up from my chair. “Nice meeting today, sir.” Sara said with a large
smile across her face.

She was new here, started
out as a temp and had just become my assistant last week. She was
still learning the ropes about what I needed, and what I demanded.
Obviously we were going to have to discuss two new issues, privacy
and personal space.

I smiled back, “Thank you,
Sara.”

I looked down at the file
folder that was lying on the table.

“Would you ask Lana to
email me the rest of the appointments for the
afternoon?”

I walked out before she
could answer me, but yet, she still followed me like a teenage
groupie. “Yes, Mr. McHale,” She replied quickly.

This chick was hot but she
had way too much fuckin’ energy. “Also, I need for you to book my
flight to Atlanta.”

I had just finished
breaking my father’s company up and selling it off piece by piece.
I wanted to make sure there was nothing left of that company. I was
selling off the last of it this trip. When I sold it, I wasn’t even
concerned about the money, I just wanted it gone. I did what I came
to do, and now I was profiting something from it and that was the
end.

I walked into my office
and saw Lana was following not too far behind us. “Mr. McHale, your
messages. I already email your afternoon schedule to you, if you
need anything else, please just buzz me.”

This was what I needed,
although she had been here with me since I opened here in
Burlington.

“I need a meeting with Sam
Fordham, ASAP. Could you get that scheduled for me?”

I saw her briskly stride
by Sara, and point to the door sternly as she answered, “Of course,
sir.” As they left my office, I started thinking maybe I should
switch their positions. Sitting down in my chair, I twisted it
around so that I could lounge back with my feet on the desk and
look out the window.

It was homecoming of my
senior year. We were down by a touchdown. I knew that I wouldn’t
have a chance getting into UGA if we lost this game. This was the
third game Coach informed me that would be observed by Scouts, he
didn’t tell me what schools but I had a feeling. We huddled up as
Blaine ran down the play. “Thirty-three belly. Bear, you better
block the shit outta him.” Bear kinda stood out of the huddle.
“Blaine, I can get this through.” Bear pleaded. “No, we’re down two
already Bear, just fuckin’ block so that we can at least get to the
first down.”

He got back in the huddle,
and I noticed his eyes came straight to me. There was something
about his stare that caught me off guard. He had never looked at me
that way before. I chalked it up to ’getting in his zone’. We all
yelled our typical shout, and went to our planned positions. The
plan was to fake a fake. I was going to act like I took the ball
from Blaine, but in actuality, I would end up with it as Bear
blocked me to make it to the first down.

Blaine counted down. “54
hut…19 hut…hike, hike!” Nate snapped the ball, Blaine caught it and
acted as though he was going to fake the pass. I made a quick
comeback and grabbed the ball. Defenders were coming in at me from
all sides, and Bear was doing his best to block them off of
me.

I made it past the first
down mark and kept running, fifteen yards, ten yards… next thing I
knew, I was in the end zone hearing “Touchdown Eagles!!!” The
announcer was screaming. The crowd was standing and cheering.
“Senior Trevor McHale, number four scored the touchdown, tying up
the score. Junior, Lyle Washington is heading out to the field to
see if he can get the field goal…”

Looking back now, I
realize what was in Bear’s eyes. That wasn’t frustration, or him
psyching himself up for the play. That was hate, pure down to the
bottom of his soul hatred.

“Washington makes the
field goal. Eagles lead thirty-one to twenty-four with only two
minutes left in the last quarter. We held the other team off for
two more plays until finally, we were down to the last play, and
getting the ball back. Getting ready to head back out to the field,
Bear and Coach walked by. I overheard him begging, “But Coach, just
once. I know there’s scouts here, give me one play.”

Coach wasn’t listening. He
was pacing the field watching what was happening. I took one last
squirt of my water bottle, and swished the cool water around in my
mouth before I spit it out. I looked over in front of the crowd and
saw Elle was the only cheerleader not cheering. She was staring
back at me. She could see my face and from the look on hers, my
expression wasn’t a positive one.

I winked to let her know I
was fine, and she nodded once. At that time, I wasn’t very good at
giving false hope but eventually I started to become a pro at it.
She didn’t need to know about whatever was going on between Bear
and me, and this sure as hell wasn’t the time or the place to deal
with it.

“McHale!” I looked over at
Coach and saw him point to the field with his thumb over his
shoulder, telling me to get my ass out on the field. Grabbing my
helmet, I ran out onto the field. Bear followed behind close, till
he caught up beside me. “Dude, ya gotta have Blaine give me the
ball.” I turned my head to look at him, and I could tell he really
wanted this one chance. Nodding in agreement, I headed for the
huddle.

“Ok girls, this is what’s
gonna happen,” Blaine began, I interrupted him.

“Give it to Bear, Blaine”
I requested. Bear’s eyes came to me, as did Blaine’s.

“What are you, fuckin’
nuts?” Blaine sniggered. “I’m not here to make sure that he walks
pretty down the runway for the judges, I’m here to win this game!”
I stood toe to toe with him, “Just give him the fuckin’ ball,
Blaine!”

Screaming right back at
me, “Fine! But if he fucks this up, it’s your ass. You got me,
McHale.” I looked at Bear, and made sure he intended to give this
play his all. He nodded, and we went through with the
plan.

Sherman “The Sandwich
Maker” Taylor was set to block Bear, then they were gonna have Bear
run down the field and just do a basic textbook play. Blaine
roared, “Hike,” and the whole play happened in slow motion. I went
around to block the man who was rushing Blaine, seconds passed as
though they were minutes, waiting for Bear to get down to the
spot.

Blaine’s arm flew back to
send the ball, and it went flying as he went down. I followed the
ball, seeing Bear catch it, I closed my eyes in relief. I could
hear the announcer calling every minute of the play, and I could
hear and see the play as it happened.

Bear was at the fifteen
yard line, I could see a yellow jersey coming at him from the
stadium but none of our players were down close enough to him. I
immediately headed towards him. Bear wasn’t even looking that way;
his eyes were focused on the end zone. Bear got to the ten yard
line, as I was just crossing the twenty. I sped up, as I watched
the other player near the twelve, Bear’s eyes still never looking
back.

I came at the player from
the side, hitting him dead on the side of his helmet, with the
front of my own. I don’t even remember hitting the ground. All the
sudden I could hear Elle calling my name, as my nose was assaulted
with the smell akin to someone pouring bleach in my nostrils. I
tried to turn my head away from the smell, to escape it but
couldn’t.

“Don’t move, son.” Opening
my eyes, Coach was over me, along with all the team. Curt was
holding Elle back, her face covered in mascara stained
tears.

“Wh… wha…”

“Don’t talk, Trevor. Doc’s
on his way to come check you out.”

Elle’s dad had gone to his
car to retrieve his medical bag, while one of the assistants went
to go grab a neck brace out of the locker room.

“You did good, son.” Coach
made an attempt, trying to take my mind off of what was going on.
“If it wasn’t for you we wouldn’t have won the game!” My eyes went
to the side, just to see Bear walk off of the field.

“Mr. McHale?”

I dropped my feet from my
desk to see Sara standing there.

“
I have you marked down
this afternoon for a one o’clock appointment with Mr.
Fordham.”

“Thank you, Sara. Oh, did
Lana already make my reservations for Atlanta?”

She looked at her paper
and then her eyes flashed back at me, wide as quarters.
“Ummm…ummm…”

I smirked, humored by her
being flustered, “You don’t know?” She stared back at me looking
lost and terrified. “It’s ok. If you don’t know, then you don’t
know. I will buzz out and speak with Lana myself.” She sighed and
smiled a small smile, before turning to walk out.

I got up, walking over to
my window to look out into a plain parking lot.

“Is that what he meant
when he said I was big shit in high school?” I asked
myself.

There was never a time
that I thought I was better than anyone, especially Bear. We had
practically grown up together. He was correct when it came to
living different lives financially, but we were kids for Christ
sake, it wasn’t about money with us.