Chapter 8

I picked Cindy up at the agreed time. Connie and George told us to have fun. Both were beaming. They loved Cindy and they certainly thought well of me. I had made reservations at a nice restaurant and we had dinner before we went to the hall for the dance. The slow dances were fun. The fast ones were not so much. My foot was still giving me pain if I stressed it. Cindy was at least understanding. She had a lot of friends, so occasionally she had a friend sit with me while she danced with the other's date.

We were waiting for the last set before the ten o'clock intermission when Cindy exclaimed, "Oh crap. Cecil, do you see that guy and the black girl that have just come in?"

"Yes, I know who the girl is, but not him. Do you know them?"

"I know him better than the girl. Her name is Natasha Nichols. His name is Alex Potter. He is bad. He drugged me one time and was going to rape me. I would bet he will do the same thing to her before she gets home tonight. We have to do something to save her. I was foolish and went on a date with him. Somebody came along and saved me and I still don't know who it was."

"You didn't call the cops on him?"

"No, I just wanted to forget it. I feel so sorry for Natasha and what she has in store for her."

"Why don't you prevent it from happening then?"

"What can I do?"

"I know her mother. I'll call her to come get her daughter. It will take awhile though. Get some of your friends to keep her safe until her mother arrives. I can take him if he gets to be too much trouble."

"Cecil, how would you know her mother?"

"Her mother is a friend of mine and I have her number. I'll call."

I rang Winifred's number. "Winifred, this is Cecil Corliss. My date tonight just told me that Natasha's date drugged her and tried to rape her one time. We're worried the same thing will happen to Natasha."

"Cecil, keep her safe and I'll be right there. This is at the Alumni dance hall isn't it?"

"Yes. How long will you be?"

It would take twenty-five minutes before she arrived. "Cindy could you get five or so of your friends and hang right around Alex and Natasha to make sure nothing happens before her mother arrives?"

"Sure." Cindy went around the hall explaining to some of her friends and classmates. Soon, where Natasha and Alex were dancing, the floor was terribly crowded. Alex guided Natasha out to the parking lot when intermission began. He got her into the back seat of his car which was a familiar move of his apparently. We had followed them out, and gathered around his car. He was trying to persuade Natasha to drink something.

He suddenly realized that he was being observed. He recognized Cindy and that brought about a look of fear to his face. Just then Winifred arrived. There was a very black man with her. They got out, one going to one side of the car and Winifred to the side where Natasha was. Alex had locked all of the doors, but Natasha unlocked hers and scrambled out. Winifred held the door open as her daughter got out and then slid into the seat beside of Alex.

She rolled the window down and spoke to me. "Cecil, and the rest of you, thank you for watching out for Natasha. Also Cecil, would you give Natasha a ride home when the dance ends? The rest of you kids go back inside. The excitement is over and we'll take it from here." Natasha was shivering with fear and Cindy wrapped her arms around her leading her back inside. The rest of us trooped in after them.

I went in and sat down It was a few minutes before Cindy and Natasha came to our table. Intermission was over and the music was playing again. Cindy handed Natasha to me and I took her out onto the dance floor. "Cecil, Cindy told me it was you who called my mother. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Cindy also told me the same thing happened to her with Alex and someone helped her. Was it you?"

"I didn't know Cindy very well when it happened to her. I did work for Cindy's mother for a short time, but I don't think the incident occurred during that the time."

"You go to the gym where my mom works?"

"I do. Who was the man with your mother? What's going to happen to this Alex Potter?"

"The man is my uncle. I have no idea what is going to happen to Alex, but I'm not that concerned. He is likely in for a little pain, but he won't be harmed too badly. If he has parents, they will find out what their son has been doing. He will be warned."

The dance set ended and Natasha sat with us. Usually she would be on the other side of the room where the black kids stuck together. I swung Cindy out onto the floor. "I suppose you'll be dropping me off before you do Natasha. That way you can kiss her and she'll let you because she is so grateful."

I was suddenly exasperated. "Grow up Cindy. It is you who is missing an opportunity here, not me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you are planning on becoming a journalist. Say you are looking for a story about someone in that part of town. You go over there asking questions and if you don't have an in, you are going to come back with zilch. You cultivate Natasha now and she just might be the one to open doors for you when you need one opened in the future. As far as kissing her, I wouldn't mind a bit as she is very pretty. Both of you are alike in one way. You both were stupid enough to go out with someone like Potter. I think kissing me would be safer."

"Don't bet on it. I don't know as I would feel that safe around you."

Winifred was watching for my car when I brought Natasha home. She came out as Cindy and I got out to say good night to Natasha. Winifred came right to me and gave me a hug, kissing me on the cheek. She did the same for Cindy. Natasha was aware that Cindy was my date, so she just shook my hand and gave me a nice smile.

When Cindy got back into the car, she said, "I might have known it would be the mother who kissed you. For some reason you turn older women on. You should hear how your mother's friends go on about you." I pulled away and drove down the street.

She hadn't finished yet, "I'd feel better about you if you hadn't screwed my mother. Cecil, why won't you tell me how come?"

"Let's turn that statement around. What if your mother asked me how come I screwed you? That is to say if I ever do." This conversation was going where I didn't want it to. I pulled over to the side of the street. "Cindy this thing about your mother and me is a bother. Why can't you let it go? She respects me and I respect her. You said one time that I forced your mother. That I'm going to deny. However, I will admit to knowing she was at a low point in her life, and I suppose I took advantage of her."

"There, I knew you were a bastard and you have finally admitted it. Take me home. I want nothing more to do with you. Luckily I'm leaving for school in another week to start summer classes. I can forget I ever knew you."

I pulled up to Cindy's house. I could swear that I saw tears in her eyes when she glanced at me before leaving. I had just time to thank her for going to the dance with me before she opened the door and ran into her house. I was upset. I wanted her for my girlfriend and after tonight I felt that it was going to be impossible.

I didn't see Cindy again before she left for school. I did keep track of her, for I was hanging around the knitting shop again now that she wasn't around. George and Connie would sometimes have me over for the evening meal. I broached the subject of making the Button and Bows a franchise. They thought it over and came back to me with a "no."

"Cecil, we are making a comfortable living. We have time to do things together. You know, go out, go places and eventually we will do some traveling. There is one thing I would like to ask you."

"What is that Connie?"

"We would like to buy your half of the store from you. The store is worth three times what it was when you and I made the deal. You paid me $30,000 for half the store. George and I think if we paid $60,000 to buy you out it would be a fair price. The loan for the inventory would still be in effect and we will continue to pay that back."

I started shaking my head, no. "Your figures are way too high. You have been giving me income from the store's profit for a year and that was generated by the money for increased inventory. That is profitable just as a stand-alone loan. You pay me twenty percent above what I bought the half ownership for and I'll be more than happy." There was a big argument, but I prevailed.

If I hadn't owned a portion of the Plaza, and derived so much from that, would I have settled for this amount. I would like to think I would have. Yes and I was receiving checks regularly from Roma. Primo was paying his loan back at a faster rate than agreed upon. When my mall property filled up with tenants, the tax man, Ken Stafford, who rented space in my office, questioned how I did it. "Just lucky, I guess."

Listings and requests for property were still coming into the real estate office at a rapid pace. I was still being asked for by name because of my father. I couldn't believe what my salary and commissions were now amounting to. I started acquiring property just to spread out my tax burdens. I bought a huge empty brick warehouse for storage. I purchased a sizable lot down on motor mile and leased it to a used car dealership.

I was getting worried though. Just the paper work that was being generated from my investments was mind boggling. I swore to myself when I started investing that I wouldn't let my investments own me. It was fast becoming a fact and what was I going to do about it? I called and found out Pat and Tony were having lunch together. "Pat, it's on me today. I need some advice from Tony."

"Come join us. We're buying the most expensive item on the menu if you're buying."

"Go ahead, be my guest."

I packed up my briefcase with folders. I couldn't close it entirely and had to carry some loose in my hand. When I arrived for lunch, I was pointed to a booth way in the back of the diner. It was one where six people could be seated. I slid the papers I was carrying to the back against the wall and we ordered lunch. We made small talk until we sat with the last refill of coffee.

"Tony, I think it is you that can answer my questions."

"It'll cost you more than the dollar you gave me for retainer."

I laughed as this was a standing joke between us. "Fair enough. This is my problem. I've been buying properties and I have some investments as well. Some I have paid cash for and some have a mortgage on them. I'm driving my tax person crazy. I have it all in my mind and where I am with everyone, but I won't be able to much longer as it is getting too complicated."

"Those papers you have here have them all spelled out?"

"Yes."

"Do you mind if Pat sees them?"

"No."

"Well let's have a look at them." I emptied my briefcase and put the different types of investments in separate piles. Tony looked at each one. After he had read the first few he borrowed a notebook and jotted down some figures. Pat sat silently watching us.

At the end of forty-five minutes, Tony asked, with a hand on one of the piles, "Is this all of the property?"

"Yes. The rest are just loans and little investments I have made in businesses and in people."

"Cecil how long have you been doing this?"

"A year."

"You know if you kept investing at this pace, you'd own the whole city in twenty years."

"We'll never know if I would. That is where part of my problem is. I can't keep track of all of this if I get much bigger. I need to keep track because I would make an investment and someone would soon realize I wasn't on top of it and they would figure they could start cheating me. That isn't going to happen. What I need is a way to truly manage everything.

"I'm working a full-time job and I'm getting to the point where I can't watch everything. I could stop selling real estate, but that is where I'm finding many of the opportunities to invest. I could quit and just live on what the ownership in the Plaza gives me, but I don't want to do that either. My inheritance is big enough to last me until I go on Social Security in fifty years, but that wouldn't be living."

"What model are you using to do all of this? You must have started out with one or some specific plan?"

"I suppose I have. It goes back to people again. Now this is not to be revealed to anyone. My thoughts about Roma Sadowski began it all. She was so talented. How could I capitalize on that. I felt her talent would pay off if she could learn her craft more and faster before something happened to crush it and she dropped back into the masses wasting it all. I put her into school and have given her every advantage possible.

"It is paying off already, for she is in what people say is going to be one of the major pictures of the year. In essence I own part of her paycheck for the rest of her life, just by giving her the chance. I put up the money to send another girl to school as well. That one I consider a grant and I may never realize any return on it except the satisfaction in knowing I gave her a good start in life that she wouldn't have had otherwise.

"She is in school at present and doing well I understand. Let me run this by you, now that you know how my mind works. What if there was a foundation set up to give young talented kids a chance to go to the best schools and they could come out without owing intolerably high college loans. It is difficult now for a student to begin their life with these loans hanging over them in the background.

"Using the same template as I used with Roma, would a student be willing to sign away a small percentage of their future earnings, predicated on whatever their income was? Someday if the foundation became large enough, the percentage could be reduced and the foundation could grant full scholarships."

"It sounds as if the ones who first went into the program would be bearing the brunt of the cost for the rest of their lives."

"Who says the board that governed the foundation couldn't forgive and discontinue it at some point? In return you could ask for a donation or have them leave a portion of their estate when they passed on? As long as the same formula was used for all, it should be possible to work out. Tony, I'm not worried about that at present. I need help right now with my own problem as I have laid it out to you."

"All right, let me work on it. Are you satisfied with this Ken Stafford?"

"Very."

"Okay, I'll plan on integrating him into what I come up with. This will be some kind of corporation and maybe involve a holding company. Probably if you want to really get freed up more, I'll approach Rick Wagner for the hands-on repairs, etc. You'll need a clerical staff. I'll figure out how many persons. Let's see, where are you going to have this office located?"

"Don't know yet. Guess I'll look at the real estate listings and see what I can find for a small office building."

"That figures."

Tony got right on the chore of getting a corporation set up for one Cecil Corliss. It took two months to set up, but on August 20, the CC&C corporation came into being. The corporation name was a puzzler to everyone. People could figure out the CC as Cecil Corliss. I could say the other C could stand for a son I hoped to have someday and I liked Charles for a name. But then who was I kidding, it stood for Cindy. I wanted Cindy for my own, but still doubted she ever would be.

I had one full-time secretary and one part-time secretary who worked five hours a day. Ken Stafford was the one who oversaw them as vice president. Tony was an officer as well as legal counsel.

While we were waiting for the building I had purchased to be renovated, I didn't have a chair in my own office. Ken kept his room and the two secretaries made do in the outer office by bringing in another chair and shared the desk. It wouldn't be long before I had my own office. The building I bought was right across the street from the Button and Bows Knitting store.

There was no particular reason for locating there, just that the building suited my needs. I wondered if Cindy when she learned of the location would think that I had an ulterior motive and I wanted to get close to her mother.

Cindy was home on the eighth of September. It was a Saturday and Melanie and Rick were getting married just as Drina had forecast. Drina had come in from California to be with her friend. Roma was starting on a new movie and was on a picture shoot so she didn't come. The film from her first movie was in the can as they say. Actually it was being cut and spliced together in the cutting room. They were hoping it would make it for an opening before the Christmas season.

I hadn't seen Cindy since the alumni dance. She was getting more and more beautiful as she got older. When she arrived, there was a young man with her and when the dance started, Cindy came up and introduced him to me. What she said really hurt. "John, this is Cecil Corliss. He is a very, very close friend of my mother's."

I went along with it. "Yes I am. In fact we were in business together for awhile. When Cindy's father passed away, Mrs. Williams and Cindy were almost destitute because her father was sick for so long. I purchased half of her business and this gave her a chance to make it a profitable business again. It was one of the best things I have done. George, Cindy's stepfather, finally had his eyes opened and eventually proposed to her mother. They make a fine happy couple. They just recently were able to buy back my share of the store and things are really looking up for them."

Cindy stood before us speechless. I continued, "In fact I think I'll go grab a dance with her while I can. Would you excuse me? Oh, nice to meet you, John. Enjoy yourself. You too Cindy." I walked away.

I did as I always did when I was present with my mother's friends and danced with each. All were married now except Polly. I danced with them all. Tammy Wagner was there at this wedding between her father and Melanie. She was as happy as could be when I went over to where the new bride and groom were talking for a minute and formally requested a dance of the young lady. She blushed all over when I complimented her on how she looked, but never hesitated when I swung her out onto the floor.

Tammy looked up at me and said, "Melanie told me you would probably ask me to dance with you tonight so I have been practicing."

"You are a great dancer. Are you having fun?"

"Oh I am and I'm having a great time." When I returned her to Rick, she said, "Thank you for dancing with me. I'll remember this forever."

"It was very much my pleasure, Tammy. We'll dance again some time in the future, I'm sure."

Cindy overheard this exchange. She was right in front of me and I had to ask her for the next dance. I couldn't ignore her. "Hello Cindy, may I have this dance?"

"Yes." When we got to the floor, she asked, "Did you really own my mom's store? She never said you did."

"Half of it I did for a year, but I don't anymore. My father left me some money and I thought it was a good investment. Besides your mother is one of my mother's friends."

If we hadn't been dancing Cindy would have stamped her foot. "I knew you were going to say that. You make me so mad sometimes. You keep yourself hidden behind your mother."

"I don't want to make you mad," then paused and finished with, "Well maybe sometimes. Can't you do like my friend Roma, the actress does? When she has to do something she doesn't like, she plays a role and pretends she is enjoying it."

"You'd like me to pretend I'm in love with you, wouldn't you?"

"To be honest, Cindy, I very much would like that." As I said this I drew this lovely girl closer into my arms. Cindy let me hold her and didn't tense up. After a few minutes, I asked, "Is John your steady boyfriend?"

"No, not really. He is just one of the guys I party with. Isn't that what going to college all about?"

"So they say. College never interested me that much. I guess I'm too serious about life. I've thought about this a lot. My father never showed me any affection and my mother didn't either until after he passed away. I did have my mother' friends that were always around and they seemed as much my friends as hers."

"So then, that is why you felt you could jump into bed with them and they wouldn't accuse you of anything?"

"Here you go again, Cindy. You just can't get the thought of your mom and me together out of your mind, can you? You and I were having such a good time dancing together. For a few minutes I really enjoyed having you in my arms." I had had enough. "I see John doesn't have a partner at the moment. I'll give you back to him." I looked back as she stood by John. She was watching me leave. I couldn't read what was in her expression. Was there regret etched on her face?

My birthday came along without being a big deal. Pat and mother had me in for dinner. Polly was there. Polly and I were now very close. I sometimes went over there just to relax. I could sit in a chair for hours and watch her paint. It was amazing to see her create an image.

I had a little more time to do this now, thanks to having my investments and acquisitions under the mantle of a corporation. I was creating a level of middle managers to take care of the different bits that made up the whole. In effect I managed seven people instead of the many persons who were involved on the ground.

I hadn't given up selling real estate. Jane Johnson had retired as broker and Dick pressured me to replace her. To get a license for being a broker was much more difficult than that of a salesman. There were a lot more do's and don'ts in brokering with the many laws governing the sale of real estate. The buck could land on your desk a lot quicker than on a associate's desk. I felt I was up to the challenge and I had Dick help me with the finer points so I wouldn't make any mistakes after I gained my license.

Thanksgiving brought Melanie, Rick and Tammy to the table at my mothers. I persuaded Polly to join us. We all remarked on how happy Melanie was now that she had husband and child. She beamed and announced, "Rick and I have talked it over. Next year we are thinking about looking for a child to adopt. Not a baby, but one that could be a brother or sister to Tammy. Right now we are just us three and happy, but I think one more child would make us more complete." What a change in Melanie's status in less than a year.

I looked back over the last year. A year ago I received my real estate license. Mom's and Pat's first anniversary was coming up at the end of the year. She didn't want any big deal over it. She did catch me for a minute one day a week before. "Cecil, I'm the happiest I have ever been. I hope someday you will be as happy as I am. I thought for awhile it would be you with Roma. She is so lovely, but I can see her future doesn't coincide with yours. Do you have any prospects at all?"

"No, Mom, but I am young. I'm not interested in marrying for awhile yet. Maybe even years."

"What about Cindy, Connie's girl?"

"I like her, but she and I fight every time we get together. I'll find someone I am comfortable with someday."

"Okay. I am not the one to advise you. You've always been smart enough to control your own life and from what I see you are doing well at it."

Cindy came home for Christmas vacation. She had a couple of friends with her. A boy and girl who were going steady. I met them at the store a couple of days before the New Year. Mitzi was home too, but she and Pete stayed mostly with her father and Chelsea. I expect I would be seeing all of my friends at one function or another. I chose one of Cindy's classmates, Pamela, who I was friendly with for the New Year's dance. I didn't even think about a call to Cindy for a date.