Chapter 19

Now that I had gotten over my infatuation with Melanie, I was able to focus my mind more on my business and my family. My parents were in their fifties, and my father was beginning to show some signs of breathing problems.

My mother believed it was from his work over at the oil refinery, but I believed it was also from so many years of smoking, and from the toll taken on his body while serving in the military during World War II and the Korean War.

It was 1969, and my father was making almost five hundred dollars weekly take home from his job. In spite of his coughing spells, and the gray pallor of his facial complexion, he insisted that there wasn't anything wrong with him. He also resisted all my mothers attempts to get him to find another line of work.

Frustrated at what she saw as his obstinate attitude, my mother finally turned to me for assistance in getting him to either quit work at the refinery, or else cut way back on the hours he worked. She was afraid he was killing himself with his job.

I accepted my mom's invitation to come for supper a few days after she'd called to ask me for my help with my father. After we ate, I started talking with my dad about his health in general, and about that wracking cough he had, along with his washed out appearance.

"Not you too, Jim? I get enough of that from your mother. Give it a rest, why don't you?"

"She's worried about you. She doesn't want you keeling over dead somewhere, and leaving her an early widow."

"That isn't going to happen. And, if it does, I've got some life insurance. She'd be okay, if I was to check out before her."

"I'm worried about you too, now that I've seen you. Your skin shouldn't look like that, and you sound like a seal with that barking cough of yours. When was the last time you went in and got a complete physical?"

"In '53 when they discharged me after Korea. I don't need some sawbones looking me over. If they look at anyone long enough, they'll always find something. Besides, I'm doing the best I've ever done right now. This job has put a lot of meat and potatoes on the table for this family. I'm not about to be quitting it anytime soon either."

"Come work with me, Dad. I can match whatever you're making over at the refinery, and it will be healthier for your heart and lungs."

Even as I told him that, I realized, if he took me up on my offer, that I'd have to make some big changes in order to increase my business enough to support his wages. I felt like I owed that to both my parents though. I didn't want my mother worrying herself to where she got sick, and I didn't like seeing what was happening with my father. He looked tired and unwell.

"Jim, do you have any idea how much I'm bringing home these days? I bet I'm taking home more than you are."

"I paid taxes last year on fifty seven thousand, dad. My take home was better than four grand a month." By the look on his face, I don't think he'd known how well I'd been doing building seven or eight houses a year.

"I take it back then, and I'm pleased as punch to hear you're doing so well. I'm bringing home about half that though, and if you make a place for me in your business, we'd both end up making about the same. I'd be the same as now, and you'd be making half what you used to. I don't think that's what either of us want, do you?"

"In the first place, that would never happen, because you'd definitely add value to my business. If I had someone I trusted to take care of all the detail work, and to run around picking up things I now have to take care of, I'd have time to put on another two crews and increase my business. I wouldn't trust anyone else with my checkbook, but you."

"That's all well and good, but it sure doesn't sound like any job that deserves to be paid the kind of money you're offering me. I'm not one for taking hand outs, Jim."

"You think you know my business better than I do? I know damn well that I could make more money if I had someone I trust doing these things for me. I'm planning on growing my business anyway, with or without you. I just closed on twelve new lots a couple miles from here. I can either build them with my two current crews, and maybe miss the hot market we have now, or else I can shoot up to four crews, and almost guarantee twice the profit for myself this year. My problem is that four crews would be too hard for me to manage, if I still had to do all the running around I now need to do too. I don't trust very many people, but I do trust you completely, Dad."

"I appreciate that Jimbo, I really do, but it has no bearing on my decision to stay right where I am. I know I'm worth what they pay me at the refinery. A man needs to feel like he's earning his way. I don't want to feel beholden to anyone."

"You can look at it that way if you choose to, but that is plain wrong headed if you ask me. The way I see it, you owe your wife the chance to keep you alive and healthy for as long as she can. Mom already lost a bunch of time being with you for all those years you were off in the war, fighting. If the money is the same, then why not switch to a job that is easier and healthier for you?"

"Tell me again what it is you'd have me doing for you?"

"You'd take my place doing some of the things I would usually do. Dropping checks off to the city or county, picking up or paying for things that we need, like appliances, hardware, cabinets, plumbing fixtures and counter tops. There are a hundred different things that need doing that require someone to cut a check to a supplier or sub-contractor. That would free up a bunch of my time and allow me to stay at the job site and coordinate everything with the work crews. There are plenty of times when one of the crews needs an extra pair of hands that knows what to do. In the old days I had time to do that, and time to actually participate in the building of my houses. I'd like to get back to being able to do that."

"I don't want to have to give up my health insurance and other benefits."

"We have full medical and some dental coverage. We pay Social Security, state disability and group life. The only thing we don't offer is a pension plan, but I always pay out part of my profits into employee bonus money. My crews average a month and a half worth of pay in bonus money each year. For you, that would be more than three thousand a year."

"I'll think about it. When would you have to know by?"

I could see my mother smiling after he told me he'd think about it. Over the years my mother had shown a pretty good success rate at getting him to decide the way she wanted him to, if he was truly undecided on his own. Once he decided, getting him to change his mind wasn't very likely.

"I'm about three weeks away from having to make a decision on whether I go with two crews or four. You'd probably need to give some notice at the refinery too. Do you think you can make a decision in a week?"

"I'll let you know, one way or the other, by this Friday. I hope you know what you're doing, Jim. I'd be upset to up and quit my steady work then find out you really don't have a good use for me over there."

"I already know I've got a real need for what you can do for me, Dad. I also don't have one single doubt that you can do what I need you to do."

I was pretty certain that my father would decide to take me up on my offer. I gave him credit for knowing that his health was off. He wouldn't admit it to me or my mother, but I was sure he was worried about the breathing problems and the sickly pallor of his skin. As soon as I got him on the payroll I was going to make sure he went to the doctor and got a full work-up.

Dorothy asked me a few questions when I mentioned to her that my Dad might be coming to work for me. I told her that my mom was worried about his health from working at the oil refinery. When I told her about his cough and gray pallor, she agreed with me that they weren't very good signs.

I got on the phone and started calling a lot of my contacts in the construction trade, getting the word out that I was looking to hire two full time two person crews of experienced builders. I stressed that I only wanted top people who had already worked together as a team on several job sites.