Wizard
Chapter 5

Copyright© 2014 by Anthony Concept

Jelka's roots were in Croatia, when the war between Serbia and Croatia broke out, her parents sent her as a teenager to Australia in care of her aunt Christina. Both her parents died leaving her an orphan. She grew up learning business management in her aunt's clothing store, as time progressed they opened a boutique as well.

Aunt Christina smiled at me with a look of amusement when we told her of our relationship.

"I don't think he's after your money Yelly, (her nickname for Jelka) must be your body." I instantly fell in like with the old bird.

"He's my Toy boy," Jelka teased, "I'm after his body."

We all had a good laugh and settled into an easy relationship. Things on the home front were a little cool for a while, but eventually Mum came around to our way of thinking. She was a bit miffed that there wouldn't be any grand kids to spoil.

Jelka and I settled into an easy going lifestyle, we were there for each other and had soon moved into a small apartment in town. Christina passed away after we had been together for a few years, that shook Jelka up a bit, she was her only relative in Australia and was a bit lost for a while. Wizard homes went from strength to strength and soon even the 'new building' was strained to capacity.

Brian came up with the idea of modular construction.

"If we build modules Tony, the client can then sit down and plan a home to suit their own needs. The modules could be designed so that they could be connected in a variety of ways, we could then ship them to the client's block and assemble them."

"Sounds like a workable idea Brian, what do you need to make it work?"

"I've sketched out a few ideas, they need a bit more work to bring them up to scratch though."

"OK, let's talk it over with the rest of the team, if they like the idea then we give it the go ahead."

Unc and the twins thought it was a doable concept, I could see Mr Price's brain churning through all the different scenarios, I think before we had finished the meeting he was itching to put pen to paper and express his ideas.

The modules were a runaway success, although we were pressed for space, we found that the modules moved out of the shop a lot quicker than the houses.

I celebrated my fortieth birthday, Jelka and I had been together for eighteen years now, The twins, long grown up and were playing a major role in the business. We had made Brian the workshop manager and he was a valuable team member. Unk had retired completely and only asked to be included in any major decisions.

We had just completed an installation of a modular home at the client's lakeside property. It was in a small village set on the side of a large lake with a limited population of twelve homes and strict environmental controls, no septic draining into the lake, strictly pump out and removal of waste. Things went arse up when he over extended his finances. Harvey was in a tight spot, he still owed Wizard Homes a final payment on the house and was looking for an out.

"Tony, I'm in a fix, would you be prepared to accept the lakeside property with a cash adjustment, that would help me scrape through."

What he was offering was quite within our reach and on second thoughts, was a good investment for the company. Harvey was more than a casual acquaintance, so I told him I would run it by Unk and the twins, if they agreed then we would have a deal. The family gave their approval and so we became the owners of a lakeside property, there was still a considerable amount of work to make it habitable but there was no urgency.

With the war in Croatia a distant memory, Jelka decided to visit her homeland for a holiday and catch up with any remaining relatives. With all the necessary documents in hand she boarded her flight. I was batching for the next month, I also took the opportunity to do some work on the lakeside house.

When Jelka returned she had a faraway look in her eye, after a few months though she was back to her old self.

"I was amazed at the changes in my old home town Tony, I still had it my mind as it being war torn, nothing could be further from the truth. The town hardly shows signs of war. I caught up with a few relatives and had a most enjoyable time, far too short for my likings."

"That's great you found family still alive, from what I've read the Serbs really caused havoc."

"Havoc! That's an understatement Tony, murder, rape and destruction, there was no end to their debauchery. Thankfully it's all over now, but I don't think there is any forgiveness."

I was celebrating my forty fifth birthday when Jelka dropped a bombshell.

"I had a visit from 'Clothing Stores Australia' today. Their representative invited me to lunch to discuss their plans for a local presence, to cut a long story short, the preferred to buy an established store rather than set up in opposition. They have made a very generous offer which includes stock at value. I believe I should accept, I don't want to get into a price war which I know I can't win. Their buying power is far greater than ours."

"Assuming you accept their offer, what will you do, is the boutique sufficient to give you an income?"

"There's no easy way to put this Tony, I will sell the store, Maryanne has indicated she would buy the boutique, I can finance the purchase ... I want to return to Croatia Tony. I know we have had a good relationship but now's the time to sadly call it a day."

"Oh!" I was gutted. "I can fully understand your decision Jelka, it's just a bit sudden. I felt that you were a bit distant when you came back from your holiday, I can't say that I'm happy but it's obviously important to you."

 
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