5

Jake spent four hours preparing the contract that he and Justin planned out in hopes of helping Sue’s family.  He hoped that they could go over the board members‟ vote by discussing the situation rationally with Conrad who would be in his office on Monday.  He and Justin waited in the lobby of the bank a little before nine for Sue’s arrival.

            Justin chuckled next to him.

 “What’s so funny?” he asked.  He didn’t see what was so comical about a business meeting.

            “Did you hear what Miss Lewis did to Mr. Wilkins?”      He shook his head.

 “On Saturday, she went over to Mr. Wilkins‟ house and threatened to lasso his buggy and hang it by the barn rafters unless he paid her father the money he rightfully owed him.  When he refused to listen to her, she lassoed the front wheel and used a horse she borrowed to pull it to his barn.  He realized she was serious, so he made the proper restitution.  Then she thanked him as if nothing was wrong and went her way.”

Jake stared at him.  “Did she really do that?”

 He nodded.  “Now whenever Mr. Wilkins sees her, he makes the sign of the cross and runs the other way.  His wife apologized to her and gave her a little more money for the injustice her husband did to her father.  What’s even funnier is that his wife now adores her because he doesn’t get away with lying to anyone anymore.”

            He laughed and shook his head.  Good for her.  “Apparently, she’s a force to be reckoned with.”

 “My wife and kids adore her.  They attend the library children’s story hour that she’s in charge of.  Personally, I’d hate to get on her bad side.  There’s no telling what she’d do.”

 “Well, George is anxious about today.  I just hope Conrad will veto the board vote.”

 Sue walked into the bank.  He hid his disappointment at the sight of her.  She had her hair pulled back into that obnoxious bun again.  After seeing her with her hair down, he wanted to pull those pins out so her hair would fall softly over her shoulders again.  She was beautiful but seemed determined not to show it.  He forced his observation aside and followed Justin and her into Conrad’s office.  He couldn’t help but note the gentle sway of her hips.  The green dress was old and faded with time, but it didn’t hide her figure.

 She sat in the chair across from Conrad and properly greeted him.  George stood to the side of the room so he could hear the presentation.  Her posture remained rigid.  He didn’t realize she was so tense.  She’s scared.

 Justin sat in the chair next to her while Jake stood and presented the contract to Conrad, outlining the plan for getting her father’s debt reduced to an amount that could get his finances back on track.

 “We can teach him what we know about handling finances so he won’t fall into more debt, and once he is out of debt, he won’t go back into it,” Jake concluded.

He waited for Conrad to speak.  Surely, his boss would show her the compassion she needed.  To his horror, Conrad turned to his son.

        “What do you think, George?” his father asked.

 “I oppose it.  It’s too risky,” George argued.  “There’s no guarantee her father will follow the contract to the letter.  He’s already breaking the ones he signed.  We’ll make more money if we foreclose and sell his property to someone else.”

 Jake cringed at Sue’s gasp.  “Sir,” he told his boss, “let’s think this through.  Money is important, I grant you that, but it isn’t the only thing to consider here.  We are talking about people who live in this house and farm this land.  There are children still living there.”

 Conrad took a deep breath.  “I can’t run this bank forever.  It is time I hand over the hard decisions to my son.  We will go with George’s plan.”

 “I would advise against that.  People in the community will see how you treat the Lewis family, and I guarantee you that they will not like it.  Sometimes it is best to do what will bring in more clients.”

       “We are the only bank in this city,” George protested.

 “Perhaps, but people can go to the next city if they want.  This is the perfect opportunity to keep them here.”

 “This is just one family.  It won’t make a difference with our wealthy customers.”

 “But it will make a difference to our consciences.  We can’t afford to throw people out of their homes.”

 “That’s enough, Jake,” Conrad barked.  “I already made my decision.  George is old enough to take over the bank.  As of next month, I will be retiring.”

    “I will say one thing, Mr. Leroy,” Sue spoke up.

 Jake recognized the anger bubbling beneath the surface of her cool exterior.

“People will find out about this,” she continued.  “I work at the library, and I have access to many of the citizens of the city.  They will know what you decided today.” She stood up and stiffly walked out of the office.

 Jake ran after her.  “Sue, we might be able to figure out something else.”

 She stopped and looked at him.  “I appreciate what you and Mr. Monroe did today.  You are not cold hearted, but I do see how your hands are tied.  I will make it clear that you and Mr. Monroe did your best to help.  I know what my option is at this point, and I will accept it.”

 He knew she meant that she would marry someone old enough to be her grandfather in order to save her family’s

property.  “There has to be another way.”  She shook her head.  “Thanks anyway.”          He watched her as she left.

            Justin walked over to him.  “I hope you do open your own bank.  I don’t care to work here anymore either.”

***

 Jake packed his suitcase as he scrambled to get his things ready for the three day trip to Michigan.  There was no love lost between him and his father ever since his father walked out on him and his mother.  Though he was ten at the time, the memory still stung.  During the divorce, his mother managed to obtain half of his father’s wealth which she left to him when she died when he turned twenty-three.  He vowed that he would not let her heartache go in vain, so he carefully invested the money until it quadrupled.  Now he could live the rest of his life in comfort, but since he had no wife or children, he focused all of his energy into his work.  Upon his father’s death, a lawyer notified him of his father’s will, which mentioned him as the sole beneficiary.  He almost refused to attend the reading of the will but decided it was his due after growing up without a father.  How a man could leave his wife and child, he would never understand.

 He took the first train he could out of town and went to Michigan.  The ride wasn’t so bad since he brought a couple of books he had been meaning to read.  He particularly enjoyed Shakespeare and could read those over and over.  He considered going to New York City and checking out a Shakespearean play soon.  It had been a long time since he went to the theater.  It would be a much needed break after the stress at the bank.

 He shook his head as he thought of Sue Lewis‟ situation.  For a beautiful woman to have to live a life confined to a grouchy old husband who would most likely only pay attention to her when he wanted her body made his stomach turn.  She wasn’t as bad as he originally thought.  After talking with her at the dance, he learned that there was more to her than her abrasive mannerisms.  He considered the possibility that she presented herself to the world as being a woman who was so strong she didn’t need a man so that people wouldn’t feel sorry for her since she was a spinster.  He knew he was lucky.  A man could remain unmarried his entire life and not suffer public disapproval because of it.

 He forced aside his thoughts and picked up The Merchant of Venice.  He always enjoyed this comedy the most.  The women in Shakespeare’s plays were just as bold and endearing as Sue.  He shook his head again.  What was he doing?  He made it a point to help people as much as he could, but if there wasn’t anything else he could do, he let the matter go.  Why couldn’t he do that with her?

 He put the book in his briefcase and took out the Bible instead.  He wasn’t sure what to do about George.  That young man didn’t have good business sense.  What am I to do about him?  He turned to the book of Proverbs because it contained a great deal of wisdom.  He used it on a regular basis as a guide for his life.  Not that he didn’t read other books of the Bible, but this particular book had the most influence in his business dealings.  He credited it with his success.  He read the entire book during the next half hour.  It wasn’t a long book and it was easy to read.  He also stumbled upon the answer to his question.  It came from Proverbs 23:9.

            Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,

  For he will despise the wisdom of your words.

 Jake set the Bible down and realized it was pointless to argue with any other stupid ideas George came up with.  If Conrad was determined to run his business into the ground by handing over crucial business decisions to someone who put money before people, then he was going to reap the results of that foolish choice.  Talking to Conrad or George would only be a waste of his time.

 Lord, there must be something I can do for Sue Lewis.  What can it possibly be?