Chapter 2: Revelations

Megan tossed and turned. Sleep came in fits and starts. All that money! Could he have stolen it somewhere? Maybe it fell out the back door of an armored truck. No, that only happened in stories and movies. Oh god, all that money! Fear battled with hope and she napped now and then, only to come awake as a new fear or concern washed over her. At long last night was over and a new day of worries began.

Morning, Mom,” Rusty called out cheerfully. “Ready to get going?”

At last morning came. She got up and dressed in her least worn work slacks. She shook her head at her scant wardrobe. Whether she wished to or not, a trip to the thrift store in town was an absolute must. She couldn’t go job hunting in clothes that advertised just how bad things were for her. She sighed and stepped into the shower fur her morning? three minute rinse,” as she called it.

As soon as Megan half shuffled and half stumbled into the front of the old mobile home, Rusty began, “Mom, we have never ever went into a cafe and sat down and ate and let someone else cook. I want a big waffle with lots of butter and two eggs and plenty of syrup. What are you going to get?”

She looked at her son through bleary, sleep deprived eyes and grunted. It took a long moment before she could answer, “We can’t spend any of that money. Somebody will want it back.”

“You sit right here on the couch and I’ll make you a cup of coffee. Maybe after you have one we can talk. You look real tired right now and I have a lot to get done and all.”

Megan sat down on the couch that had been Rusty’s bed and closed her eyes. She fell deep asleep. “I guess she won’t want any coffee right now. She just can’t take all the excitement.”

Rusty had an inspiration! He slipped quietly out of the trailer and ran the mile and a half to to the small convenience store situated in an old strip mall that serviced that end of town. He purchased two large fresh cinnamon rolls and a quart of chocolate milk. This was a treat he was positive his mother would love. Only on very rare occasions had they ever treated themselves to such extravagant luxury. He ran back as fast as he could.

When he slipped inside he saw her still asleep, all sprawled out, legs akimbo, her mouth half open. She was lightly snoring. “Oh man, I sure wish we had a camera. Mom would get a real laugh out of this.” He sat quiet and waited for her to awaken.

Finally, just as Rusty was about to go outside and wait for her to rejoin the world, Megan let out a surprised gasp and her eyes popped wide open. “I sat here and fell asleep,” she exclaimed.

“Mom, you’re more fun to watch then TV.” He pantomimed her recent nap. “You snore and drool and I wish I had a camera so I could have taken your picture and show you how funny you sleep.”

“I do no such thing, Rusty Williams. I do not snore and I do not drool. If you ever take a picture of me like that, I’ll ... I’ll...” She couldn’t think of a punishment such a crime would deserve.

Well, no matter, you’re awake now and I got a glass of chocolate milk and a cinnamon roll for both of us. We can stop and get you a cup of coffee when we go to see Mister Greeley. When we’re alone, I call him Sam. But when there are other grown up around, I call him Mister Greeley. It’s social protocol or something.”

“Honey, we can’t spend that money. Someone is going to want it back.” It was impossible for Megan to accept that Her thirteen year old son had amassed that amount of cash all by himself just selling worms.

“Trust me, when you talk to Sam, you’ll understand. He sort of questioned my abilities at first. You’ll see.”

By the time the pair had walked the two miles to Sam Greeley’s law office, Megan’s legs had started to ache. Rusty was as full of energy as when they started out. Just as Megan started to ask Rusty to stop for a rest she saw the store front sign, “Law Office.”

Rusty led the way inside, said, “Mister Greeley is expecting us,” to the middle aged woman who sat at the desk in the reception area.”

“You go right on in, Rusty, he is expecting you.”

Rusty barged in through the second door and into the presence of a friendly looking man sitting behind a worn desk. He looked up to see who had entered, shoved the papers he had been working on to one side and greeted them, “Rusty! And this must be your mother. Do come in and sit down. I’ve wanted to meet you from the first time I met Rusty and he described how important you are to him and in his life.”

Megan blinked her eyes and looked at Rusty in surprise. She had never given thought to how he valued their relationship. Over the years, she had protected and loved her child until it became a given that they loved each other. Yet, to suddenly stop and face the reality of what their relationship meant to the other was overwhelming.

Sam smiled at her surprise and tried to reassure her, “You shouldn’t be too surprised that you are the center of Rusty’s life. You are so fortunate to have just one person care for you with such intensity. I think I see why he cares for you like he does.”

‘Well, I don’t know what to say. To tell the truth, I came here to demand an accounting of the two hundred dollars my son has handed over to you without my knowledge or permission.”

Sam Greeley laughed and Megan began to grow angry. “Hold on,” he told her, “I’m not laughing at you, but at this situation we all find ourselves in. Your son is like a fine cut gem with many facets. He came to me with his great plan to get rich and take you out of poverty and shower you with riches. All the great dreams of most young men who can look beyond themselves.

“The thing is, Rusty’s vision is not the stuff comic books are made of. He came into my office a few months ago and placed a small wad of bills on my desk and said he needed legal representation. His exact words were, ‘I need legal representation.’ Those are not the words or the usual young person I see in here.

“He was very matter of fact and didn’t seem to be under any emotional pressure. ‘What did you do that brings you here to ask for a lawyer?’ I asked him. His answer floored me almost literally. He told me, ‘I have begun to create a long term business strategy that will grow and return greater returns than a simple investment plan will offer.

“I thought he had memorized something in an attempt to sound like a grown up. It was hard not to laugh at this young man who spouted the words of a financial analyst.”

“I appear to be eleven or twelve years old. That is by design. I sell bait worms at the one nearby location I can reach and make sales to people who are headed up to fish the lakes. “I make myself look younger than I am because people will spend more on a cute little boy than on a good looking young hustler.”

Sam grinned at Megan’s look of surprise, “That young guy than laid out his business strategy he had created to market himself and his fish worms. His purposely created sign to what he called his patented aw shucks grin have all been artfully brought together to do one thing, sell fish worms. Even his place of business had been chosen with great care. Your son is a genius!”

“Well yes, Rusty is a smart kid,” Megan tried to focus her thoughts and ignore the praise heaped on her son.”

No, no, no, you don’t understand. You haven’t heard a word I’ve said to you.

Sam Greeley was a type of lawyer Megan had never met before. All through her growing up years, she met her father’s associates and always left their presence with a dirty feeling. From the sleek sharks that preyed upon those weaker than themselves to the out and out greed, all shades of gray were represented in her father’s home. However they all had one trait in common - “Take the money. Ask questions later.”

Sam Greeley sat behind his desk in a small one room office that had a desk, a filing cabinet and three chairs for visitors, plus his own office chair situated behind the desk. He stood when Rusty turned the knob and entered without knocking.

“Hey, Rusty, I see you brought your mother with you. Good, now we can all talk and get your business plan ironed out.

He looked intently at Megan’s face, then into her eyes and then mad a quick inventory of her body. He liked very much what he saw, an attractive young woman, about five feet seven inches tall, with dark chestnut hair and gray eyes that looked like she had endured a lot but hadn’t given up yet. She also seemed to be a bit young to to have a son Rusty’s age.

Megan’s first impression, contrary to her predisposition to dislike and mistrust all lawyers, was that she was looking at an honest man. He also had a great smile and did not devour her with his eyes when she first entered the office.

Sam came to her and offered her his hand. She shook it and said, almost as an accusation, Rusty gave you two hundred dollars for advice. Do you usually take money from young boys?”

Sam laughed and shook his head in the negative, “Absolutely not. Rusty is an exception to all the rules. I accepted the money, gave him a receipt for it and placed it in an envelope. That envelope is in my “Rusty File,” untouched and unspent. If he ever needed it back, it would be his in a second.

“However, I do believe he is going to need an attorney in the near future, once his special skills are made known. Too many people are going to want a piece of your son and there are some who would try to exploit him and then throw him aside. Rust is a treasure that must be protected and nurtured and allowed to grow.”

“Just what in hell are you talking about” That’s my son!” Megan’s voice began to grow louder. She wanted a target to vent her anger at and saw none.

“Please calm down. Rusty is your son and you have done a wonderful job raising him, especially concerning your circumstances. Rusty has informed me of your current living conditions. In a very short time that should no longer be a concern.”

“Will someone please show down and tell me what is going on here?” Megan wanted something she could understand and all she kept hearing were, what seemed to her, meaningless, empty phrases that told her nothing.

“Mom, I already told you my plan and how it would make us rich. Didn’t you listen to anything I said? I told you...”

“Rusty, hold on a second,” Sam interrupted. “I think we have a breakdown in communication that has your mother rightfully frustrated and angry. Let’s back up and go slow for a moment and get us all on the same page, so to speak.”

“Yes, I would like to know just what the hell is going on and what my son is involved in. We have gone through too much together and suffered enough that we don’t need any new problems right now.” Angry tears welled up in Megan’s eyes and she stared straight at Sam. Her stare demanded answers.

Sam held up his hands to placate the irate mother. “Please, let’s all sit down and get comfortable. I apologize to you, Mrs. Williams. I was under the impression you were more aware of your son’s, shall we say unique qualities. I feel you are very proud of him and love him very much. That is obvious in the way you relate to one another. However, I believe you are blind to the other side of your son.”

Megan started to rise up out of her chair and Sam waved her back down, “Wait. Let me finish. Rusty is a brilliant ... financier, scientist, mathematician ... god, you name it. You have no idea what he is capable of becoming, for good or evil.

“He walked in here, calm as could be and showed me how to turn earthworms into a sporting goods store in less than five years. It was a step by step plan that showed sales to present, projected sales and the points when he should expand to the next level.