Chapter 19: A Big Decision

I met Harlan and Margaret Cummings at Grant and Eleanor's home. Grant made the introductions and we sat in the living room after Eleanor had served some iced tea.

"Grant tells me you are exactly the type of driver I want for my private motor home, Doug. I want someone safe and reliable and willing to work. I've had the good fortune to hire an excellent young woman as my personal assistant and I'm hoping I can land an equally good driver to complement my staff.

"I'm well aware of your driving record at Silver Arrow and Grant has filled me in on some of your personal background, but why don't you tell me a bit about yourself in your own words."

I hadn't expected that particular request, but I thought about it for a moment before I began.

"Well, let's see. I've been married and divorced and then remarried to the same woman again," I grinned. "I have three children that I love very much. I'm originally from St. Cloud, Minnesota, and so was my late wife. We met there and were married ten years before our divorce. I'm not a very big guy, but over the years we were married, I got pretty lazy and sedentary and gained a lot of weight. An accident caused me to lose all that weight and changed my lifestyle.

"The excess weight and my inability to do anything about it was the reason my wife divorced me. I had an industrial workplace accident that nearly cost me my life, but only ended up costing me about a hundred and thirty pounds, all of which I could afford to lose. After the accident and having restored my body to something resembling normal, she took me back and we had a great four years. Unfortunately, she was murdered by her step-brother while I was away on a road trip. That really took the stuffing out of me for a while. Anyway, I have a live-in nanny whom I've become very close to in the past couple of years. Unfortunately, she isn't a permanent replacement for my wife, Diane. I'm going to be on my own once more."

"That's a very unusual story, Doug," Margaret said quietly. "How do your children feel about the possibility of moving away from Louisville?"

"Well, Bill is all for it. California is a heck of a magnet for a sixteen-year-old. Sandy, who's twelve, thinks it's okay too. She'll miss her friends, but she's proven to be very adaptable and, since she makes friends easily, I doubt it will be a problem. My eldest, Deborah, is seventeen going on thirty. She's been a rock through some difficult times despite her youth. She'll be in college next year and so that's going to uproot her no matter what. She'll be fine, of that I'm sure."

"Then, I guess it's all up to you," Harlan said. "It'll be a decision you can make knowing you have the family support behind you."

"Yes, and that does take a lot of pressure off me. There are still some unanswered questions, but at least I can examine my options without wondering if the children will approve."

"Well, that's good to hear," Harlan said, with Eleanor and Margaret nodding in agreement. Grant was sitting back in his chair just listening to the conversation.

"So," I said with a sigh, "I'd like to examine the opportunity in more detail, Mr. Cummings. Grant said something about the coach being built in Chicago."

"It's Harlan, Doug. We're pretty informal. And yes, the motor home, or coach as you and Grant call it, is nearing completion at the factory. I'd like to take you up there and have you go over it to make sure it's what a professional driver would be happy with. It's a bit unique in that it doesn't have some of the features of a regular motor home. It's been set up to be a business machine and that's how I want the I.R.S. to view it."

"We haven't talked about salary or benefits, Harlan. I know this isn't the best time, but that will be a factor in my decision."

"Of course. I've had Rose, my P.A., draw up a proposal covering those things and some extra issues as well. I suggest you look it over and let me know if it is acceptable and if you'd like to view the coach in Chicago before it's delivered."

He passed me a manila envelope and I didn't open it at that moment. Time enough for that when I returned to the house.

Harlan spent some time explaining just what business he was in. He talked of the various ranches he owned and what crops they produced as well as where he sold them. It seemed like a lot of his harvest went to co-ops, but not all. He took out a map that had been marked with all his properties and showed me where we would be going on a regular basis.

"I was wondering, Harlan, what I'd be doing when I wasn't driving your coach?"

"Well, I have a nice, big car that I get around in as well. I don't see why you couldn't help out with some local driving there. I spend a bit of time at the state capitol, lobbying the agriculture and water board people. I take Rose with me, but she needs space in the trunk for her wheelchair. With you driving, it would make life a lot easier for both of us."

"Rose is handicapped?"

He nodded. "An unfortunate accident some years ago left her with very little mobility in her legs. She's a fine young woman and a wonderful assistant. I bless the day that we found her. You'll be impressed with her when you meet her."

"Well, you certainly have my interest, Harlan, so let me go over your proposal and I'll get back to you."

"Thank you. Margaret and I will be here visiting with Grant and Eleanor for the next week or so. Look for us here when you decide what you want to do."

"I will, and thank you for thinking of me. Thank you, Grant, for getting me this opportunity. I'm very grateful to you however this works out."

"You're very welcome, Doug, and good luck," he smiled.

I said my goodbyes to everyone and left, the large envelope tucked under my arm. The drive back to our house was mostly on autopilot as I thought about the possibilities of this job. I was anxious to open the envelope and see what was proposed. It all sounded good, but the proof would be what he offered on paper.

I was home well before the children were out of school. Christie met me in the living room.

"How was the meeting?".

"Fine. They seem like nice people. He's given me a proposal to look over before I decide if I want to look into it further," I said, waving the manila envelope.

I put the envelope on my desk and headed for the bedroom to change into jeans and a t-shirt. I had another day before my next trip, so I would have plenty of time to study Harlan Cummings's proposal. When I returned to the kitchen, I could see Christie was curious about what the envelope contained. To be truthful, I was too.

"Why don't I open up the offer and we can look at it together," I suggested. "Two heads are better than one usually."

"Sure, I'd like to see what he has in mind for you," she smiled, obviously pleased that I was including her in the examination.

I lifted the flap on the 9 X 12 envelope and pulled several pages out. I looked at them briefly in just a few seconds, noticing one page detailed compensation and duties, another was a map of the area surrounding the ranch, another was a photograph of a single story house, and still another with a list of services in the area of the ranch, including schools, shopping, medical services and the like. It appeared to be a pretty comprehensive package.

The ranch was between the towns of Davis and Woodland, just west of Sacramento. Harlan had captured an image of the ranch and surrounding area from Google Earth and it wasn't hard to find it and see where it was in relation to the surrounding area. Almost all the unpopulated area was in some sort of agricultural production. A couple of rivers ran through the district, which appeared to be fairly flat until you got east of Sacramento.

But what interested me most was his proposal for compensation. My salary would be slightly higher than my current salary at Silver Arrow. However, the use of a house was included for only the cost of the utilities. While there would be no tips for my driving assignments, the advantage of the almost free accommodations and the facilities at the ranch were a big benefit. The facilities included a swimming pool and a fully equipped exercise room. Finally, longer term was the offer of shares in his corporation. It was privately held by the Cummings family, but one other, Rose deSilva, his P.A., was also a shareholder. That would be very interesting to follow up on.

I looked at the listing of services available in Davis and Woodland, noting that Davis was home to an important satellite of the University of California. Cal State Sacramento was another major university in the area, along with about thirty other institutions within a short distance. The children would bus to school from the ranch and we noted that the school district that served the area was well rated, thanks to its proximity to Davis. UC Davis had a renowned medical center as well. In other words, the area was well served with facilities and it wasn't something to worry about.

"What do you think?" I asked Christie.

"It almost looks too good to be true," she said, still gazing at the material Harlan had included. "This would be very hard to turn down," she added.

"Yes, it would. I'm just wondering if I'm missing anything. What question am I not asking?" I said, more to myself.

"I wouldn't hurt to investigate further, Doug. I mean, his offer to meet him in Chicago and meet his personal assistant might give you a better idea of the kind of man he is."

"I trust Grant and Eleanor and I don't think they'd put me in a situation that would be bad for me or the children, but I really need to be sure. It's a big decision to make and I want to do the right thing for everyone."

She nodded, saying nothing. I had made up my mind I would go to Chicago and see what his coach would look like and meet Rose deSilva at the same time. She might give me a clue as to the kind of man I would be working for.

"I'll call Harlan tomorrow and tell him I'll be in Chicago next weekend if that fits with him."

Christie smiled and gave me a hug. "I think you're going to be pleasantly surprised. I don't see anything here that sends up any red flags, so you go and meet him and see what kind of situation you might be getting into."

I'd been in Chicago before, but the coach factory I was visiting was in North Chicago, some miles north of the downtown area, near the west shore of Lake Michigan. The day I arrived was overcast and unseasonably cold due to a stiff breeze off the lake. California was looking better and better by the minute.

I met Harlan in the lobby of the coach builder's office and factory. He thanked me for coming and then turned to introduce me to a very attractive woman in a wheelchair. I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't what I thought. Rose looked no more like a Hispanic woman than Christie or Diane. In fact, she looked like a movie star. It took me a couple of seconds to gather my wits, but when I finally got hold of myself, we exchanged greetings.