Blue Bloods of Bois D’Arc (20 page)

Chapter 45

Three months later

In the middle of a Monday morning meeting with all department heads, the conference room phone rang. Jack picked it up.

“Carolyn, we’re in the middle of a meeting. I’ll call them back. Hold my calls until we finish the meeting. Oh, I see! By all means put him through. Good evening, Prince Abdulraheem El-Amin, it’s good to hear from you. Is there anything I can do for you?” Jack listened. “That’s wonderful news. I will have my team in Riyadh for the contract signing in three days. Thank you, Prince El-Amin, we look forward to working with you. Goodbye and thank you again. You won’t be sorry.” Jack put down the phone wearing a huge smile.

“Gentlemen, we have just won a
five-hundred-million-dollar
contract from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Okay, you heard me. Legal and contract teams, you are to be on the company jet at eight in the morning and touch down sixteen hours later tomorrow. That will give you plenty of time to shake off the jet lag. I don’t have to tell you how important this deal is. Take the rest of the day to pack everything you will need. Be here by seven tomorrow morning, and load the plane for take-off at eight. Rod won’t make this trip. You have interpreters who are available for each team. The Saudis have been thoroughly briefed on all aspects of the contract. But if you run into any problems, call me or Rod. This has to go down smoothly and they have to be happy with it. We’ve been preparing for this moment for months. Now it’s show time. Any questions?”

Jack went quickly into his office and brought back a tray of glasses and his bottle of Jim Beam. He poured everyone a drink and lifted his glass. “Gentlemen, we just beat out two of the largest aerospace companies in the world to land this deal. This is a toast to bringing down Boeing and McDonnell Douglas, who must be eating their hearts out right about now.” Jack raised his glass and said, “Here’s to dedication, hard work, good luck, and the best team there is.”

“I couldn’t wait until I got home to tell you,” Rod spoke excitedly into his phone. “We won the Saudi contract! Five-hundred-million-dollars, can you believe it? And the best part is I don’t have to go to Riyadh with the team to close the deal. I’ll be home early for a change. Why don’t we celebrate and have dinner at the club tonight? Great! See you in about an hour.”

Rod wasn’t in the mood to eat after they ordered dinner at the club. The excitement killed his appetite. He drank too much wine and barely touched his dinner.

“Hey, cowboy,” Cass said, “you’re flying pretty high, better eat something to soak up all that wine.”

“Let me enjoy this,” Rod complained. “Big contracts like this don’t come along very often and to win over the kind of competition we had is incredible.” Rod waved to the waiter for another bottle of wine.

“Okay, but I’m driving.” Disappointed with her sudden role of chauffer, she decided to engage him in conversation, hoping to sober him up for an intimate evening when they got home. “I’ve wanted to talk to you about this for a long time and I think now is the perfect time.”

“This sounds serious. Is anything wrong?”

“Yes, that place you and Jack call an office is a disgrace. You’re going to be entertaining the Saudi delegation a lot during the next two years. I’d be embarrassed to have them see the deplorable space you two work in. They might look at that and think that’s the kind of job they are getting for their five-hundred-million dollars.”

“Huh, I never thought about it that way.”

“That’s because you two are guys and one is an old bachelor with no taste. I want to go into work with you tomorrow and make some sketches and present Jack with some ideas on how to bring that place into the twentieth century. Just think about it. You’re decorating those airplanes with silk, solid wood paneling, gold fixtures, leather upholstery, and on and on. What do you think those Saudis will think about your workplace?”

“You’re absolutely right, it really needs a woman’s touch and you have excellent taste.” Rod slurred his words after downing another glass of red wine.

“Okay, that’s enough for you—you’re cut off. Come on, let’s get you home.”

Cass draped his arm over her shoulder and helped Rod out to the car. When they arrived home, she had to shake him awake after she pulled into the garage. She helped her husband into the house, undressed him, and put him to bed. By the time she changed into her skimpy pink gown, her attempts to arouse him with a gentle massage failed to revive him.

Reflecting on how their lives used to be, she said dejectedly, “This isn’t my idea of a celebration, cowboy. What’s happened to us?”

Chapter 46

Decoration day

Cass shrieked in mock horror when she entered the spacious, drab, and barren space that was Rod and Jack’s office. She immediately started telling Jack her plans for a complete office makeover. He was completely blindsided. Rod’s hangover clouded his memory of the previous night’s conversation, and he hadn’t warned Jack of Cass’s redecorating ideas. Without a word, he stepped aside and gave Cass and her sketchpad free rein.

“I guess we’re going to get a new office,” Jack said to Rod with a smile. Rod had also stepped clear of Cass as she walked the room, describing her ideas for the office as she sketched them out on her pad. There was no debate.

“Find yourselves a temporary office,” Cass said to Jack and Rod, “and in two weeks when you come back, you will have the most modern and stylish offices in the industry.”

The old office was completely gutted the first day. A glass partition divided the room, giving equal space to what would become the new conference room on one side and the two top executives’ new offices on the other.

Silk-padded walls topped walnut wainscoting on the lower wall. Mounted photos of major aircraft programs blended into the muted gold silk walls. Hidden behind matching drapes was Jack’s favorite floor-to-ceiling viewing window of his facility. Controlled lighting could turn the plush office and conference room from a brightly lighted business environment to a more intimate, dimly lighted social atmosphere for entertaining clients and potential customers. Thick carpet throughout softened everyone’s footsteps and absorbed noisy conversation in both rooms.

“What do you think of your new office gentlemen?” Cass asked exactly two weeks later as she opened the heavy, walnut double doors and escorted Jack and Rod inside.

“Wow,” an awestruck Jack responded. “These new desks are huge.”

“Top of the line executive style, just like the President’s,” Cass boasted. “Nothing is too good for my two main men.”

“Great job Cass.” said Rod. “Can we move back in now? I’m really tired of those cramped temporary offices.”

Cass nodded yes to Rod’s lukewarm approval.

“The four Boeing 747 aircraft have arrived and were all in the works in hangar bays one through four,” Rod reported with an air of accomplishment.

“That contract will keep us busy for the next two years and couldn’t have come at a better time. With the Defense Department’s cut in spending after the Vietnam War ended, we would have been in a tight financial position. But that’s the way life is in the defense industry,” Jack said, adding, “I just want you to know how proud I am of the way you came in and made a difference from day one. It’s been a great experience watching you grow into such an effective executive. We just have to stay sharp and keep mining the few programs that are coming down the defense pipeline. I’ll feel completely comfortable turning the company over to you when the time comes,” Jack said.

Feeling uncomfortable, Rod said, “It took your guidance to get me there. I couldn’t have done it without your hands-on training. But we both know your retirement is going to be a long time off. I’m still learning the game of politics that goes with this industry.”

“May be not as long as you think, son. I’m getting on in years and my old ticker has started to give me some problems lately.”

“Have you been to see a doctor?”

“Yeah, old Doc McCombs says I have a heart murmur. Had it all my life, I guess. He said smoking makes it worse. My blood pressure is up and he gave me some stronger pills for that. Even said it would be a good idea if I cut down on the steak, potatoes, and sugar. They cause cardiovascular problems. He told me I need to eat more vegetables and fewer carbohydrates. So that means I’ll have to stop eating all my favorite foods and eat rabbit food instead. I thanked him for his advice, but that ain’t gonna happen.”

“Jack, you’re scaring me. I need you to be here for the long haul. In spite of what you think, I need a lot more experience before taking over this company. I’m no Bill Gates.”

“You’re selling yourself short, son.”

A sudden ring of Rod’s phone interrupted the discussion and broke the gloomy atmosphere. Anxious for a break in their morbid discussion, Rod said, “Let me catch this, we’ll finish our conversation later.” He lifted the phone quickly, glad to defer the stress of Jack’s sudden revelation of his declining health, and said, “Rod Miller speaking.”

“Hey bro, how ’bout we get together for a beer? We got some catchin’ up to do.”

Rod stood motionless for a second. “Junior, is that you?”

“Yeah, man, but it’s TJ since I been with the Rams. We’re in Dallas playing the Cowboys for the conference championship. Can you meet me at the Blue Note Club tonight around eight? We have a twelve o’clock curfew, but that will give us some time to talk. I can’t wait to see you, man. It’s been a long time since that wild party at USC.”

“I have some details to wrap up here at the office, but I think I can make it by then. I’ve got a lot of questions since I haven’t always been able to follow your games. You won’t believe how Jack’s company has grown. And I want to hear all the details of being an All-Pro receiver. It’s really good to hear from you, man,” he said, lapsing back into their teenage dialogue. “But I need to get going so I can finish up and get to Dallas.”

“Sounds good, see you later.” TJ clicked off.

“Hey, Jack, you’ll never guess who that was.”

“I give up. Who was it?”

“You remember Junior, my best friend in high school and favorite receiver? He’s in Dallas to play against the Cowboys Sunday for the conference championship. Can you believe it? We’re getting together for drinks at the Blue Note after work. I haven’t seen him since that Rose Bowl game in Pasadena years ago when he helped USC beat Wisconsin for the national title. He sounded really great. I had better call Cass so she and Mom can have dinner ready when I get home.”

“Is she going to be okay with this? I remember the big fight you two had because she didn’t invite him and his date to the dinner party at the Adolphus. It was kind of the beginning of the end of your relationship back then.”

“Yeah, but that was a long time ago. Now that we’re married, I don’t think it will be a problem for her. He told me that he was over that a while back. He understood what happened.”

“I hope you’re right. Why don’t you take off early? I can handle things for the next hour,” Jack said. “Give my best to your mother and Cass—and good luck, you might need it.”

Chapter 47

Reunion

Rod entered the smoke-filled bar and scanned the room for Junior. The smoke irritated his eyes, blurring his vision. As he wiped his eyes with a handkerchief, he heard a voice calling, “Hey Rod, over here.”

He looked in the direction the voice came from and made his way there. It was dark and crowded. Rod bumped into a couple of chairs on his way to the corner of the room. Suddenly a dark figure came out of nowhere and grabbed him in a bear hug.

“Hey man, I almost didn’t recognize you. How much weight have you put on?”

“Too much, and I could ask you the same thing. Let me look at you. You must weigh twice as much as you did in high school. How have you been, man?” Rod said as he and TJ did their traditional handshake. The two old friends sat in the corner booth, ordered two Coronas, and started firing questions at each other.

“So, tell me what’s it like being All-Pro every year and being the highest paid receiver after all these years? Are you married? Come on man, I want to hear everything you’ve done,” Rod said, leaning over the table.

“Not married and not that much to tell really,” TJ said soberly. “It’s harder than college ball ever was. I get hit every play whether I’m running a route or not. By the end of the season, like now, I’m so beat up I have to spend hours in the whirlpool after every game. We haven’t had contact in practice for weeks, everybody is too banged up and weary of the grind. Unless you’re playing for a championship, it’s hard to get up for a game these days. If we win Sunday, I’m thinking about hanging it up after this season.”

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this. Are you serious?” Rod asked.

“Yeah, I know, it sounds crazy to me, too, but I’m really tired. I can’t take those poundings like I could when I was twenty-one. Now I know how you felt when you got hurt. I got hurt a couple of times and had to miss a few games. I have to tell you, I didn’t mind sitting on the bench for a few weeks. It’s not just Sundays, it’s Monday nights, too. It’s just gettin’ to be too much, man.” TJ said, avoiding Rod’s eyes. “If we beat Dallas, we’ll go to Minnesota to play the Vikings next week for a shot at the Super Bowl.”

“The day after Christmas, man, that’s a bummer.”

“Yeah, that’s part of it. We play on holidays, birthdays, it don’t make any difference. It’s all about the TV ratings and the money. Don’t get me wrong, I get paid a lot of money, but it gets old and I’m tired of it. The only thing keeping me going this year is getting a chance to win a Super Bowl ring. After that I’m done with playing football.”

“What are your plans after football?”

“I went back in the off seasons and finished my degree. Man, it was tough not having those tutors do most of the work,” TJ said, laughing. “I had to do it all on my own, but I dug in and made it. Got my degree in political science. Thought I might be a lawyer, but it only took three weeks of one semester in law school to know I’m not lawyer material. Maybe I’ll run for the state legislature, you know, start small. Folks around here already know me and I think I can raise the money. Some brothers in Dallas have been talking to me about maybe even running for Congress. What do you think?”

After a slight pause to get over the shock of TJ’s question, Rod replied, “I think if that’s what you want to do you should go for it. But I can tell you from my experience with the company; it’s like swimming in a shark tank. I was fortunate to have Jack and his friend, Senator Langtree, to educate me on how the game was played. If it hadn’t been for them, those government and private-industry contractors would have chewed me up.”

“Well, I was thinking you might help me with that. We always made a good team. Would you come on board and be on my campaign team? I really need somebody I can trust. I was in the league long enough to see all those hangers-on who wanted to be your friend as long as you spent money on them. They drop you like a hot potato the minute you’re not the big star any more. I saw it happen too many times.”

“Sounds like you had some hangers-on yourself,” Rod said, looking into TJ’s eyes.

“Yeah, when I was a rookie, I had more money than I’d ever seen in my life. Those bloodsuckers talked me into becoming a partner in a sports bar and used my name in promotional events. They were a bunch of crooks and beat me out of my share of the partnership. It cost me a fortune in lawyer fees to get out of the deal. I put my guard up after that and that’s why I want you on board because I can trust you. What do you say, man? I need your help.”

“It sounds like you’ve already made up your mind about running,” Rod said. “I’m sorry. I just don’t think I have the time to do a good job. I’m balls to the wall at work. We’re just getting cranked up on a really big contract for Saudi Arabia.”

“That’s what I’m talking about, dude. You been hob-nobbin’ with the big boys and I need that kind of experience to move up the political chain.” TJ stopped and nodded his head, “I know it was kind of a dirty trick to spring this on you without any warning, but just think about it, okay? It could be like old times, me and you teamed up.”

TJ slipped his hand into the inside breast pocket of his Armani suit and pulled out two tickets. “Here’s two luxury box seats for you and Cass at Sunday’s game while you’re thinking about it. Okay, enough about me, I want to hear all about bein’ a Russian prisoner and everything that’s been going on in your life. And how in the hell you and Cass finally got back together.”

“How late does this bar stay open? It’s a long story.”