Chapter 2

Day four began with a spry tumble out of bed. I had energy that I hadn’t felt in decades. This was a Monday to get things done.

The mailman slid my letters through the door slot just as I put my oatmeal bowl in the sink to soak. The electricians bill, $375 for a 1 hour minimum house call to replace an electrical plug, was the only item of note. The electrician noted that the plug had too many items attached, and had caught fire, but had fortunately melted itself to inoperability. The tenant had reset the breaker several times only to finally discover that plug had stopped working, and stopped flipping the breaker.

Being a landlord stinks sometimes, I should know I’d been one for more than sixty years. The plan for the day would hopefully fix my need to deal with that kind of problem. A shower, a shave, and a nice suit. A good hat, and my aluminum walker cane for the old man visual effect, and I was ready. The Uber picked me up outside the building, and drove me to my money man on the east side of the city.

Paul’s pretty blonde secretary ushered me into his office. He stood and greeted me with a handshake, and gestured me into the big chair.

“Adam, you are looking well, how can I help you today?” was the same greeting he’d given me every time I came to his office.

“Paul, I’ve discovered I have a child. He’s in his mid 20s or so, he lives overseas. I want to double check that my trust is well in hand, and that there would be no issue with a potential inheritance.”

Paul’s eyes went wide. “You’re 84, and you have a 20 something year old son? How old is his mom?”

I paused as if thinking. “I’m 86, but the mom would have to be over 40 by now, I hope. Hard to say, the affair didn’t last long, doesn’t matter now. I’m planning on going for a visit, decide whether I like the kid, and if so I’ll be adjusting my will so he inherits something. I just need you to put this last building under property management, so I can leave for an extended period of time.” I replied.

My outrageous tale of a story left him speechless for only a long moment. His eyes blinked and he was all back to business. Paul was as dependable as a man could be. He’d been my money manager for nearly forty years.

“Charmichael Property Management is ready to take over management of your last self managed property at any time. I’m quite happy with the job they’ve done on the rest of your properties, are you satisfied with them still?”

“Yes, he’s done quite well for me. Of course, I taught Gregory Charmichael everything he knows, so he better do just fine. Just make sure that they know to take over paying utilities for my place, and not rent it out. I’m ready to let somebody else handle my utility bills, plus I’ll not be gone too long.”

“That won’t be a problem. Do you know when you’re leaving?”

“Probably a couple weeks. I’ll be seeing the lawyer next about being ready to change my will if I decide I like the kid. Any other business we need to discuss?”

“We had an unsolicited offer on the property you own in the Hamptons. I know you’ve always said you wouldn’t sell it, but I thought I’d mention it just in case.”

I perked up at that, I was very wealthy, but most of my assets weren’t very liquid at the moment. I’d been slowly moving then into long term storage, low risk moderate yield investments, as part of my living trust. I had been preparing my assets to serve as the principal for a number of long term endowments upon my death.

“How much did they offer?” I asked, wondering how much the property, which might be the last privately owned beachfront acreage in the Hamptons, was worth.

“Four point five million.” He said. “Per acre.”

I’d held on to that parcel for more than sixty years. A rare, for me, gambling win, I’d held on to it with no real idea of what to do with it. The thing about land, especially beachfront, they rarely make more of it.

“Go ahead and sell it.” I told him doing the math. Seven acres, 31.5 million. Enough liquidity for a second lifetime. “I’d like closing in two weeks or less.”

“Understood.” He said, nodding in agreement. As my agent he’d make a nice cut, and he would be retiring soon anyway. It would make a nice parting gift. I started to tell him to consider his cut a retirement present, but changed my mind. I could do better than that. Paul had been a trusted friend for decades, after all.

He shook my hand, and walked me out. I caught a second Uber to the lawyers office. I could have easily afforded something more than the little Prius that picked me up, but I didn’t get rich wasting money. It also kept me low key in my neighborhood. Anonymity is often better, and cheaper, than big expensive security.

The lawyer’s office was great. A few years ago I had convinced the firm to set up a video monitoring system to try to identify every person who walked in before they reached the receptionist desk. What began as a guy watching video monitors with a pin up board with the biggest clients pictures and names had become a sophisticated face recognition system, a team of associates ready to respond at a moment’s notice, and a secondary team ready to research, and then communicate thru earbuds, pertinent details about the new and old clients to come thru the door.

The result had been a huge uptick in business as they became known for associates always knowing who you were, and having the right service you needed. The welcome I got was the usual warm welcome, but I didn’t expect the greeter.

“Mr Barkley! So nice of you to visit us again, can I offer you some refreshments while you explain what we can do for you today?” came the voice from the attractive woman who stepped through the door behind the receptionist. She waved to her left, and directed me thru the doors to one of the small, intimate, and comfortable conference rooms.

The coffee and a few pastries they know I’m partial to arrived moments after we sat down. The woman gave me a dazzling smile, as I sipped at the magnificent coffee, already fixed the way I like.

“Thank you for seeing me.”

“Please, it’s always a pleasure to serve our first client.”

“Thank you for not calling me the oldest client.”

She chuckled lightly at my joke, but she waited for me to continue.

“There was a time when I was Uncle Adam, and you were little Becky.” she chuckled again, but there was a slight blush on her nearly forty year old face.

“Uncle Adam it is, if you are willing to call me Rebecca.” she replied.

“Rebecca it is. I’m glad you are the one seeing me today, because I’d like to keep this, in the family, as it were. I’ve discovered I have a son. He’s young, mid 20s. I’ve had a private detective research the claim, and even had a DNA test done. The picture I have would make it obvious regardless, he looks just like I did at his age.”

“And how would you like us to help?”

“I’m going to travel overseas to meet him. If I like him, I’ll be making him my heir. Depending on how much I like him, It might be anything from a few grand a month to everything. I’ll probably want to set him up with an income immediately either way, so be ready for that too. I’d like you to have the paperwork ready for any alternative.”

“We would be happy to take care of that for you. What is your son’s name?”

“That’s the other reason I’m here. I’ve learned that when he was younger he got in some trouble. I’ve made arrangements for his trouble, and records of said trouble, to disappear, but because he doesn’t have my last name, I’d like to arrange a name change for him as well.”

I took a breath, hoping I could sell the bullshit I was shoveling, “I would like to give him, regardless if I like him or not, a fresh start under the family name. He is the last of us Barkley’s, you see.” I explained.

Her smile brightened, “It would be our pleasure to take care of this for you. You said overseas, could you be a bit more specific?”

“Europe. I intend to travel there in two weeks. I’ll need to know where to bring him for the identity adjustment, to let him enter the United States as a Barkley, a citizen, and my son.”

“It will take some research, but I’m certain it can all be arranged before you leave. I can have the paperwork drawn up for both options, and ready by this time next week. A phone call to myself will be sufficient for us to file the proper paperwork for your will, and to set up any disbursement method you might choose.” she stated, and handed me her card, which I slipped into a pocket.

I finished my coffee, finished the pastry I had picked out, and stood, carefully using my cane. She reached out a hand for a shake, and walked me out to the front door. We chatted as she walked me to the car, “You’ve grown into an amazing woman Rebecca, if your father doesn’t make you a partner in a couple years, come see me, and I’ll set you up just like I did him.”

Her smile crinkled, “Thank you, Uncle Adam. Moms already told him that she’ll vote me in as a partner at the next quarterly meeting if he doesn’t do it himself. She’s also been threatening to remove him as managing partner if he doesn’t start slowing down a little.”

“I’m sure that’s enough of a threat to get whatever Margaret wants, she was always the smarter of the two of them. I’ll talk to you in a few weeks.” I told her as I shut the door. She stood on the sidewalk watching me be driven away.

The Uber dropped me off at the park, where a slow amble brought me to my usual diner for a later than usual lunch. After lunch I walked around the corner to find a nervous black woman, who I recognized as the tenant from apartment 4, and a semi sullen teen waiting by my door.