New Beginnings, Chapter 62
Once Chad was gone, Sheridan turned to
Julian. “ Shouldn’t we go after him?”
” No Sheridan.
Chad
has to handle this himself.”
” I..I thought he’d be thrilled.”
” It’s been a momentous turn of events the past few days. I know that he
chose to take the Crane name, but it still means a lot. And, then to add
the money to it, it’s a bit much.”
” Were you wrong in doing it?”
” No. The money is his. Mother wanted him to have it. I want him to have
it. He’s financially free.”
” He was already that, Julian. He’s ‘The Heir’ remember?”
” I remember, but this is something he doesn’t have to fight Father for,
because it’s all his. Yet, it’s a shock to him. He didn’t grow up with this.
He’ll have to find his way with it.”
“ Doesn’t he know that we would help him?”
Julian smiled. “ Sheridan,
he knows he has our support. And our love. I have to admit how good it feels
to say that. I love him, Sheridan. I’m so happy he’s my son.”
” He’s happy too, Julian. He likes having you as a father.”
” You think?”
” Yes, I do. And, I have to admit, I love having my brother back. “ Sheridan came over
and hugged Julian. They were interrupted with a phone call.
” Julian Crane.”
” Well, Julian. Seems as if your mother pulled a fast one on me. I underestimated
Katherine. I thought for years that the trust would go
to you or Sheridan. I could never find out about the recipient. Your bastard.
Helluva surprise.”
” Upset Father? That Chad
has a financial powerbase that you can’t touch?”
” Hardly, Julian. It’s just one battle, it’s not the war, which I will win.”
The phone clicked and Alistair was gone.
“ Julian…”
” Sheridan, Father can’t touch Chad’s trust
fund. I made sure of that. He’ll have to attack some other way.”
Eve was helping Maribel prepare dinner when she heard
a knock on the kitchen door.
“ Come in.”
Eve was shocked to see Chad. “
Chad?”
” Hi Doctor Russell. I, um, really need to talk to you.” The look on Chad’s face
worried Eve.
” Chad,
why don’t you take me to the den.”
Chad
wheeled Eve into the Russell den. Once he’d closed the door, Eve spoke up.
” Chad,
what’s wrong?”
Chad
opened his briefcase and handed Eve his portfolio. Eve read it. The numbers
just flew by Eve’s head.
” What is this, Baby?”
” Remember how I told you that I thought Katherine Crane knew about me?”
“ Because you’ve been reading her old diaries. I know,
you told me that from the what she wrote, you thought she knew about me and
your existence.”
” Well, today I know it for sure.”
” Chad,
what is this?”
” THIS”, Chad
emphasized as he picked up the notebook. “ Is MY trust fund.”
” Trust fund? You have a trust fund?”
” Yes.” ” How?”
” Katherine Crane set it up for me.”
” She did? Chad,
she died soon after you were born.”
” I know. But, somehow she found out about me, and used her money to set
up this blind trust. She put Julian in charge of it, and said that he couldn’t
find out who was the beneficiary for a certain number of years. That time
period ended a few months ago, and Julian found out that I was the recipient.
She knew about me, Mama. Katherine Crane knew about me, and provided for
me.”
” Whoah.”
” Yeah, I know. She had to know what Alistair did. And, if she did know what
Alistair had done, why didn’t she do anything? Why didn’t she say anything
to Julian?”
” Chad,
you have to remember what was going on back then. Julian was a different
man. Julian’s fatal weakness has been cowardice. That’s been his true Achilles
Heel. Most would say greed, but I would say cowardice. It’s only been in
the last year or so that he’s gained any kind of bravery. Katherine was sick.
But, maybe, if she had told me, I could have gotten….no….just wishful thinking.”
Chad
held Eve’s hand. “ I guess I’m playing that ‘ WHAT IF’ game. It is what it
is. We’ve lived the life that was dealt to us. It’s just odd. I didn’t think
anyone gave a damn about it most of my life. But,
then I find a mother who always loved me, a father, though faulty, loved me
too, and now a grandmother who cared enough to try and secure a financial
future for me. I guess that’s how rich folks show they care.”
” I guess. So, this is your trust?”
” All three hundred million of it.”
” Hmmm…nice figure.”
” Yep.”
” Do you want to know what ‘moderate’ monthly income will be coming my way
from now on?”
Eve laughed. “ From the way you ask that question, I
know it’s a doozy.”
” How about four hundred fifty thousand doozies.”
“ What?”
” I’m gonna get a check for four hundred fifty thousand from now on.”
“ Wow.”
” Wow? It’s more than wow. It’s unreal. It’s ridiculous. It’s lunacy.”
” It’s being a Crane.”
” Mama.”
” Chad,
Julian is being Julian. Sheridan,
though I love her, wouldn’t know how to handle the finances of the real world
if her life depended on it. And, that’s ok. That’s who they are. That’s who
you are. You are a Crane. And, if you’re going to take the name, work in the
company, and attempt to form familial bonds, then you have to accept the
other main component that separates the Cranes from the rest of the mere mortals
– the money. I know you’re freaked out, and I’m sorry about it. I wish I could
help you with it, because that kind of money can be overwhelming, and there’s
something secure in living a middle-class existence. “
” Yeah.”
” Chad,
I know you’re confused, but you have to face this problem head on, if you’re
going to conquer it. YOU have to control the money. You can’t let it control
YOU. There’s a huge difference in the attitude between those two positions.”
” How do I control it, Mama? I spent most of my life not having a pot to
piss in, and now, a man hands me a checkbook with no address on it!”
” Huh?”
Chad
shows Eve the checkbook. “ Oh. I guess people rich as the Cranes don’t need
to put their addresses or phone numbers on checks.”
” Nope.”
” They got your new name? Wow. I’m impressed.”
” Julian said that they were gonna tell me about the trust at the weekly
lunch, but when they heard about my name change, they wanted everything to
look right. Wanna see my credit cards?”
Chad
handed them to Eve. “ The VISA has a limit of a mere half million dollars.
While the Black Amex has no limit, ‘ of course’.”
” Of course.”, Eve said, giggling.
” Mama, this isn’t funny!”
” Baby, I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing at the situation. I know it’s
a lot to deal with. I think I remember one time reading something that a rich
man once said. That when you get such enormous wealth, there can be a lot
of guilt that goes along with it. That one way to assuage the guilt is by
tithing.”
” Tithing?”
” I know…I know you’re not a religious man, Chad. But,
tithing can be taken in a broader sense. Not a donation to any specific church,
but to church-like projects. Tithing to help others do good work. You get
twelve checks a year, then why not, once a month, after you receive your
check, take the ten percent away and write a check to a good cause. There
have to be 12 charities that you like.”
” There are couple of places in my childhood, churches and community centers
that gave me help.”
” Well, there you go.”
” And then, the Community Center here in Harmony.”
“ Another one.”
Chad
smiled. “ You’re right. I feel better already. I feel more in control.”
” Nobody expects you to handle it all at once. You’re a Crane Chad, and this
is part of it. So, take it, step by step. Also, enjoy yourself. A few indulgences
won’t kill you.”
” Do you need anything?”
Eve laughed. “ Honey, I’m fine. It’s sweet of you, but I can’t take anything.
Not now at least. How would I ever explain it to TC?”
” Of course. But, I could buy a few things that I’ve sort of wanted.”
” See? A few indulgences….some tithing…it will all balance out.”
Chad
leaned over to kiss his mother. “ I know exactly what will be my first purchase.”
” You want to tell me?”
” Not now. Later. Thanks, Mama. I needed this talk. Gotta go.”
” Bye.”