Chapter 80

I woke up almost too early at five, and was joined by all my bedmates when I said that I was going to do some forms this morning. We left Jules and little Brad with a fresh diaper, cleaned up, and nursing. I’m sure that both would fall back asleep.

Most of the house staff and most of the adults came out to join us while we were beginning our synchronized stretching. It was neat to lead my mom and dad, as well as Katie’s folks, in the physical forms that wake the body and mind. We only worked out with forms for a little less than forty-five minutes. Some of us went into the gym to work with some free weights before going upstairs for a shower.

We all sat at the big table after filling our plates at the kitchen counter. Dad said that he was working for an advertising company three mornings a week. His job was to help customers finalize the ads that were being placed in newspapers, magazines, radio, and television.

Joe, Katie’s dad, also had a part time job working mornings at an auto parts store. He was an important employee for the sales of agriculture equipment parts since he had a long history of mechanical work with farm machinery.

I was focused on bringing Katie and Cindy home from the hospital. Everything else in life should just take a number and wait for my personal life to settle down.

Jo Ann, Katie’s mom, Nancy and Maggie, Katie’s sisters, Willy and I went to the hospital early enough to be the first people in Finance. I made sure that everything was taken care of before our group went to the room to witness little Cindy greedily nursing at Katie’s large breast. Katie’s grin was contagious and soon had us all happily smiling.

A nurse came in leading two doctors. One doctor plucked Cindy from Katie’s breast to unwrap and examine her. Cindy wasn’t happy with that and let out some very loud unbabylike noises. The other doctor gently checked Katie out and said that she was fine. The pediatrician said that Cindy was a very healthy baby. We all knew that she had some healthy lungs. The nurse was going to put a diaper back on Cindy, but Jo Ann took her, smooched her to quiet the hollering, diapered, and re-wrapped the infant noisemaker. Cindy was soon nestled back to Katie’s breast sucking up her mother’s life giving juices.

The two doctors signed the forms to release Katie and Cindy, and we were ready to go. Willy came into the room with a wheelchair and had Katie settle in it. Jo Ann put the wrapped up Cindy with her little knit hat in Katie’s arms before Willy pushed Katie toward the elevators. This was just like with Jules and Brad. We went to the loading area as Suda drove up. We got everyone in, belted, and positioned for the short ride home.

It was fun watching how the two new moms were showing their babies to each other. Both babies were squirming, so other moms changed their diapers and put the babies to their mother’s breasts. This all happened so quickly that there was never any squalling for the adults to hurry.

I left the mothers to tend their babies and headed toward the kitchen for a cup of coffee. Mitsi went with me and told me that FedEx had left two packages. She also said that she had taken several messages for me.

The first package was from Connie with the entire corporate documents. Mitsi and June searched Jules’ office for some binders to put everything in order. The other FedEx package was from the home office. It had multiple copies of the declarations of me becoming a partner. I had asked for a copy of all the corporate papers, but only the pages declaring me a partner were included. I would have to read and try to comprehend every clause and article which will take a while.

I looked at all the messages and called the first one. It was Ken from the home office who answered instead of his secretary. The man said, “You might want your attorney to look at the paperwork that has been sent out to you. I think that Forest’s daughter, Rose, could come to you if you asked her.”

“Thank you for calling and suggesting Rose to work with me, Ken. I am lucky to have the Komatsu family attorneys to help me. They will be looking at them right now if they were sent all the documents I requested.”

“We were served with your suit first thing this morning, Brad. I suppose that you probably needed some form of legal attack for the amount involved to make sure that your claim would be on our minds to resolve. You were smart to be proactive about what you are owed. Just to be honest with you, the company’s financial situation is not in trouble as you were told. It only looked that way because a very large amount had a draft written against the account, therefore freezing that amount of money. I’m not sure why this was done, but it is some false accounting practice that is being resolved. I hope that we can get all this settled so that we can get back to business as usual. I personally want us to be successful together.”

“Thanks, Ken. Hearing you and your thoughts makes me think that we will resolve this without bloodshed. Thank you for calling.”

The next call to return was to Mika. Dot answered the private line and was extremely stiff. There was an unusually long wait before Mika said, “It’s about time, Brad. Have you read and signed the docs yet? If not, why not.”

“Well, you guys are five hours earlier than we are here, Mika. FedEx delivered your package while I was at the hospital bringing Katie and my new daughter home. I haven’t been able to spend much time with either of my new little ones, but I’m planning on being a devoted dad.”

“Listen, Brad, we need you to put things back in order and that means you need to sign the docs and return them. Get it done and get back to work. The company can’t wait. Call me when FedEx picks up the docs to return.”

That was not a feel good call. All I could think of was that I should be hollering ‘Next’ to tackle the next problem.

The next call was to John Arnold. “What have you found so far, John? Sorry that I wasn’t available earlier, but my wife, Katie, had her baby last night and I brought her and my new daughter home this morning. So tell me, what have you found?”

“I’ve read all the corporate information that your Connie sent over, along with the corporate declaration making you a partner. I’ve had two of the senior attorneys read everything to confirm what I see. You can be voted out and bought out for a dollar as soon as you are witnessed signing the corporate resolution and declaration. That clause is a way to counter a takeover by a single partner. You could be voted out and you would lose the buy in money and have no recourse if you were to sign. You need to modify or eliminate that clause if you want to be a partner. One senior partner here at the firm said that you could really screw them by lining through all the language about buying out a partner. You would need to initial wherever you modified the articles and attach a note describing exactly what you modified if you do that. The present partners could reject your partnership, but you would then have an even better case to get your money back. Go somewhere where you can get certified copies, and have them notarized if you do it this way.”

“You’ve done exactly what I wanted from you, John. I think I’ll do it that way and see what the other partners do. You’ve been a great help and I will commend you for it.”

I had to call our local attorney to find out where I could get certified copies made. I had Suda drive me and was able to sign the docs, line through all the language that could eliminate me, have it witnessed and notarized, make copies for me, and have them FedExed to the home office. I called Mika as soon as FedEx picked up the envelope. She only grunted when I told her that the docs were signed and on the way back to the company. She said to plan on coming to the home office as soon as possible. Well that was done and possibly out of my hair for a while.

The rest of the day was spent just staring at the two little ones. They didn’t do much other than nurse and sleep. They both had periods of being awake for a short while. It was time enough to be able to hold and talk to each of them. There would be no need for additional nannies considering the attention that the two were getting.

I expected to hear something the next day, but it was my four o’clock here and seven in the Midwest when Forest called.

“You sure screwed them up, Brad. You or whoever you rely on found the death trap in the built-in clause to get rid of a partner, and you figured out a way to protect yourself and the money Mooney owes you. Mika is the only one wearing the war bonnet since Kurt is in such bad condition. I’m not sure that she even knows why she is so involved in this war. You have been the one to be the most reasonable and forthright so far. Ken and Mika are arguing over what to do. I tell them that I am their legal counsel and can’t step in between personnel when they ask for my opinion. Since you have been a de facto partner all along, even if the contract documents haven’t quite caught up with that fact, I feel I’m able to explain matters to you the same way I do to them, without a conflict of interest or breach of client confidentiality. I don’t want you to think I’m not treating this situation in an ethical way.”

I told Forest, “I hope that this is going to work out. I’d like to remain a part of the company, but am prepared to move on. Plan on visiting over here soon regardless. Just you and me, working our way through some of the most exclusive golf courses on Earth. Ann can play with the babies or go to some of the phenomenal spas out here.”

Forest sighed as he said, “You are truly unique, Brad. Nothing seems to really rattle you and you maintain your attitude especially with those you work with. There will hopefully be good news from here tomorrow. I talked to Kurt’s doctor today. He says that Kurt is terminal several ways. His heart is hardly working, his liver is quitting on him, and they discovered some malignant brain cancer. Kurt can hardly talk and has been in severe pain. It is a wonder that the man could function at all. This is all going to weigh heavily on Mika. Ken has been acting twenty years younger lately, and is the only one keeping the morale up. I know that you don’t want to live here, but the company could use you here.”

“I’ll work with them if either Ken or Mika offer the olive branch, Forest. I can work with the company without my buy in and even the commissions and bonuses, but not without the money owed that I loaned. I’m going to let them know that I will be a phone and e-mail partner and will respond on site to any specific serious problems. The LA area is where an enormous amount of money is going to be made. It’s only reasonable that I concentrate on making all our endeavors out there succeed. We’ll both wait to see what they do.”

I told the man who I had so much respect for, “Let’s see what kind of attitude the two remaining partners have tomorrow and through the week. Mika will probably cool off and know that I should be a part of the company. Does Kurt’s wife have enough business experience to handle a partnership position if he doesn’t make it? It would be nice to have her align with Mika. The company could take on a totally different appearance between the two. It might be fun.”

“Don’t be too much of a dreamer, Brad. You’ve already put numerous women into management positions. You’ve learned that they can handle stressful situations, but you’ve also learned they always want some form of change. My youngest is moving toward being Danni’s assistant, giving up some really high commissions and bonuses in San Jose. Like I said, Brad, women are never satisfied with the status quo.”

“Well, let’s see what life brings us tomorrow, Forest. We’ll hopefully resolve this issue and be back to normal. You could take some vacation and come here to enjoy some sun, surf, and golf.”

“I’m ready, keep a room ready for Ann and me.”

I somehow felt that there was light at the end of this tunnel. I wanted to call Mika and get her to be her old self again. That would be a mistake, and I resolved to let this situation take care of itself. It was a shame that Kurt’s illnesses were so serious it had shortchanged his reasoning and comfort areas.

There was no reason to stay in my office, so I went to the salon to enjoy being with my family. June, Mitsi, and Sumi were with Nobuko and Yuu’s wives having wine or juices. But no Jules, Katie, Willy, or bassinettes with my new son and daughter. I thought it possible and looked into the big office to see Jules, Katie, and Willy excitedly pointing at one of six monitors and talking about a strategy to do something. Jules looked up at me and grinned. “Take a picture of this, Honey, then go away so that we can make the family a buck or two. You might let Jo Ann know that we could soon need nanny assistance.”

I went to the other end of the salon to get in on the pool games. I was wishing that I could still play with my teams back in California. I know they missed me but I also knew that they would have enjoyed having me there for instruction and to play against obnoxious players. There finally was an opening for me to get into the fray. I won an easy eight ball game and then an easier nine ball two out of three match.

Katie’s brother, John, asked, “What do you think about joining our double jeopardy team on Wednesday nights? There are some awesome shooters here that would give you a good game. There are several former pros who have retired here and have petitioned the APA to be amateurs again. How about it, want to play some APA league pool here in Hawaii? You could also play on our Masters team on Sundays. We need another player so that we aren’t giving away a game every match.”

“You two must be sixes or a minimum of a five in 8-ball and 9-ball. Do you have a bunch of low skill level players?”

John said, “We have two twos, a three, Jeff is a four, and us, one five and one six in 8 and 9-ball. We thought that Katie would play with us, but she’s going to be occupied with little Cindy. There is another skill level four player who wants to play on our team, so we could be competitive with you. Are you still a member of teams in California?”

“I’ve really neglected those folks, but they don’t mind since it lets their higher skill level people play more. I’d like to play with those folks sometimes so that I can keep in touch and play in their tournaments. There are a lot of pros who play there, so you can often get a good game.”

I thought about it for a second, then said, “Yes, I want to be on your teams. I may have to miss a night every once in a while, but I should be regular.”

Jeff said, “There are several players who like to play for match sticks. That’s right up your alley, isn’t it, Son?”

“That is part of the fun, right, Dad? Have you been sharking some of those players?”

I played a few games with each of the guys until I knew that it was time to go to bed. The girls were out of the big office having some hot chocolate at the bar. Jules and Katie were both worn out just from being mothers. The two pushed their big wheeled bassinettes to the elevator to go upstairs. The other girls and I cleaned up and slid into bed. Katie was on the outside of the bed on one side and Jules was on the outside on the other. The little ones in their bassinettes were beside the bed next to their mothers.

The other four girls were interested in some loving and spent a considerable amount of time kissing and caressing the new mothers while I enjoyed loving them up. I think that we were all pleasantly satisfied as we drifted off.

Nobuko was gently shaking me. I sat up and asked, “What’s up, Nobuko? Are you okay?”

The family matriarch said, “Your phone in your office has been constantly ringing for the last half hour. Go answer it. It must be important to keep ringing.”

I slipped workout clothes on and followed Nobuko downstairs where she went to her suite, and I went to my office where my phone was ringing and dancing on the desk.

I answered the phone without looking at the caller ID. “This is Brad.”

Mika said “Thank goodness you answered. Kurt died last night, Brad. Harriet just called to tell me. The doctor told her that he passed away just before eight here. She says that she has been prepared for this for a while since she knew of his maladies. She asked me to help her with everything that needs to be done since I had just gone through this. I’m sorry to wake you in the middle of the night, but you needed to know and I needed to talk to you.” It was strange to be talking to Mika as if this past week plus didn’t happen.

“There’s not much that I can do from here in Hawaii. Forest has an envelope from Kurt that states his wishes. Harriet should probably go to the office tomorrow, or rather your today, and read what Kurt wanted. You could be a big help by taking some time off and ferrying Harriet to the various places that she’ll need to go. They have kids, don’t they?”

Mika said, “They have a boy and a girl. The boy is a dentist in Detroit, and the daughter lives with her partner in Miami, Florida. The daughter is a well-paid lobbyist for a major LGBT organization. Kurt apparently booted her from home after she had finished her Masters in political science. Harriet didn’t care about her sexual preferences and was very disappointed that she left. I might have to help her make the calls.”

I heard Mika take a deep breath, “Can you ever forgive me for acting the way I did, Brad. Kurt was painting you as a greedy, conniving person who was stealing from the company. I knew that wasn’t true because you kept giving away a lot of your responsibilities that earned you all that money we used for your buy in. I became caught up in kicking you out and keeping your buy in. The man went loco when you advised him you were not officially a partner. He made up the plan to trick you into signing our old partnership agreement. You smelled a rat and found a copy of all the corporate docs. You must have a very good attorney to have found the clauses that would enable him to kick you out and keep your buy in. You should know that Ken was laughing at Kurt, and when I showed him what you had done when you signed as a partner, he told me that you would lead this company to greater profits.”

“I suppose that you will send me a real partnership agreement, give me my commissions and bonuses, and allow me to stay with my family while I bond with my babies. I plan on hopping back and forth to the mainland to make sure that the projects I’ve been involved with continue. I might modify Kelly to be the official office manager of LA Hollywood and the new North office and keep myself as Regional Manager. I’ll keep Kelly as my Assistant Regional Manager so that she will realize a big share of commissions. We are going to be selling over two to three billion dollars a week in properties as this area grows in coverage. Think of this, Mika. Just one percent profit for the company is worth twenty million with two billion dollars in sales. Think about it and know that you won’t be in a dumpster diving for food.”

“How have you done this, Brad? You’ve cleaned up the northern California and Northwest offices. You had to fight your way through several terrible situations, but you did it. You left each region with a competent manager making money for their region and the company. You don’t receive a dime of those profits now except from the partner dividends.”

“Help Harriet and let me know what is planned, Mika. Do those things that you said you would, and work with Ken and Forest. I’ll be in touch with LA to let them know that the world is spinning on a correct axis again. They need to keep those sales coming in.”

It was now four in the morning. I went to the bar, put ice in a glass, and poured myself a stiff one. I searched around and found some bags of salty snacks. I took two bags and my drink back to my office. I called Kelly’s cell phone. She said, “You know that no one comes to work this early in the morning. I hope you bring good news,” when she answered.

“Kelly, my love, I think that all the gremlins have been put to bed. The bad news is that Kurt passed away last night. The good news is that I’m going to be a real partner, but will be primarily working in LA. Here’s how I hope it will be. You will continue to be the Office Manager for Hollywood and the new North office. I will assume responsibilities for all the condo operations, plus manage the construction and management of the East and South offices, as well as the City Civic Center. You will be my Assistant Regional Manager for all of the region. You will be one of Jules’ customers by this time next month. You probably should be now, but you are stubborn.”

“That is such good news, Brad. I was seriously thinking of trying to downsize my position. You told me to find and train more assistants, but I was afraid that the company would turn into a house of cards and collapse. We’ll be packing in the sales with you leading us again. I know that my job is to keep each sale moving toward closing.”

“There will be more revelations throughout the day, so stay alert and keep notes the way you saw me do when activity levels increased. I think that we are going to enjoy some phenomenal business. Enjoy and be sure to take someone like Danni to lunch at Johnny’s. Go to work. I’m going back to bed.”

Both of the new mothers were sitting up in bed nursing their baby. I sat in a bedside chair and watched the babies nurse. Jules spoke to me in almost a whisper. “Does this mean that you have to leave?”

Katie was attentively listening while Cindy was really working on her breakfast. “No, not this time. I’ll go back to LA next week to show my face and check on a few things. I want to be with you two and love you and the babies up. I’m so proud to be a dad. You two mothers have been amazing the way that you have been searching out anomalies in the market and catching deals where some investment house is trying to take over a company. The money that I’ve made is only a fourth of the two billion that you two have squirreled away. Your grandfather and uncle are totally nuts over owning enough of the stock you rescued to be on the Board.”

Jules said, “Those two will probably want to play some golf, and then I think that they’ll both want to go to their homes in Japan and relax. Hideki may want the seclusion of his farm in California. Nobuko won’t want to leave the babies, although she is probably ready for some peace and quiet.” Katie added “I think that the kids from my family are missing the farm and might want to go back for a while. They’ll be back as soon as the weather begins to turn cold.”

Both babies had fallen asleep while nursing, so the mothers rubbed their backs to get a burp then put them in their bassinettes. Jules patted the bed where I had been laying, so I slid back into position and promptly fell asleep. I knew that it was late when I woke up. All the women were gone and the house seemed peaceful. I showered and shaved before putting my workout clothes back on and slipped some sandals on. There was a lot of activity downstairs where the maids were sprucing up the dining room and lounge or salon. I wonder why we don’t just call it the family room.

I peeked into the big office and saw Katie and Jules busy with something, but the fun was seeing Willy with the three sisters showing them how to scan the US market in NY looking at stock movements. This was unusual because Willy normally worked the West Coast market that had the tech stocks and some of the overseas companies.