Picking up the Pieces Ch. 04

"He says I remind him of his daughter," Peggy confided in Brian.

"He has a daughter?" Brian asked. He knew that Mr. Bennett was a widower, but had never thought about his having children.

"She lives in New Jersey. She sends pictures of her husband and son, but Mr. Bennett hasn't seen them in years."

"That's sad," Brian said, thinking that he should send pictures to his own family. Peggy agreed.

Their business was expanding every week with more dealers. The inventory was moving, and they hired a third teenager, Janis, to operate a produce stand.

Each month, they had dinner with Mr. Bennett at his café. At the end of the meal, Brian would hand him a check for the barn, and Peggy would slide an envelope full of cash across the table. Mr. Bennett would grimace, but pocket the envelope, never stopping to count the contents.

August 2000

John and Sara left for college, saying they would like to work the following summer. Peggy assured them that they would be welcome, and asked their advice about two new teenagers she had in mind to hire.

October 2000

"I had to turn down an excellent buy today. A floor covering business is going out of business," Peggy told Brian as soon as he came through the door.

"If it's that good of a deal we could rent a trailer and park it out of sight behind the barn," he offered.

"Yes, we could, but that's not the point. The weather will change soon and we'll have to shut the flea market down."

Brian looked at her, knowing there was something behind the last statement. "And?"

"We need to operate year around, Brian. We need a building."

"Ah," he started to say, but stopped when he saw that she wasn't finished.

"We'll put up a building and offer space to ten dealers on weekends."

"Peggy, we've only been in business a few months. Where do you propose to get the money for a building? Do you know how long it would take to build?"

"It's not good for a new father to become emotional, Da."

This brought a smile to his face, and he was deliriously happy when Peggy came to him. "I want to adopt Amanda," he said, springing it on her without thinking about what he was saying.

"She loves you dearly, Honey, and I do too, but I don't think she's old enough to understand."

"She understands better than you think. She didn't turn me down the way her mother did."

"Hmmm, it might be good if you were her daddy. It would be your job to explain to her if she gets a brother instead of a sister."

"Does that mean that you agree to the adoption?"

"I'll agree to your adopting my daughter if you agree to our building a building."

Brian pulled away. "That's cold. Would you really trade your daughter for a building?"

Peggy pushed her expanding belly against him. "She already thinks she's your daughter. I'm just agreeing to make it official."

"If I agree to a new building?"

"We'll borrow the money from Mr. Bennett. If we break ground soon, a steel building will be up by the first of the year."

"I'll call Mr. Bennett tomorrow," Brian offered, and Peggy asked him to make the call that evening.

Mr. Bennett invited them to come to his house the following evening. Although Brian had not told him the reason for the meeting, Mr. Bennett must have suspected it was about another loan. He had his bookkeeper there.

The house was a small Victorian style structure, located in the older part of town where small lots, and tree-lined streets were the norm.

"This is Mrs. Nixon. She keeps me out of trouble."

Brian shook hands with the bookkeeper, but Peggy only smiled. Her attention was drawn to the contents of a large cabinet. "This is Sandwich glass, isn't it?" she asked Mr. Bennett.

"Sandwich glass was my wife's passion," he responded, obviously impressed with Peggy's knowledge of the old glass.

Mrs. Nixon steered Brian into the next room. "George has become fickle. He's infatuated with your wife. It's my job to protect his interests, and I'm opposed to his loaning you any more money."

Brian didn't correct her assumption about their marital status. "Mrs. Nixon, we're not taking advantage of Mr. Bennett's affinity for my wife. We have a sound business plan, and we would like the opportunity of presenting it to him without your trying to influence his decision."

"Why don't you make your case to a bank? That's how most businesses get funds to expand."

"We haven't been in business very long. Most banks need more of a track record."

"Exactly, I have the same concern about how long you will remain in business if you extend your debt."

"Will you at least agree to listen?" Brian asked, appealing to her sense of fairness.

"Mrs. Nixon agreed to listen to their plan, but Peggy had already succeeded in securing the loan. Hearing this, Mrs. Nixon reiterated that she would need to see a financial report.

"You'll have it tomorrow," Brian offered, to which Mr. Bennett slapped him on the back, saying that he was a 'good man.'

"How did you pull that off?" Brian asked as soon as they were in the car.

"I took his hand and placed it on my tummy."

"You don't even let me feel your tummy," Brian said, not trying to hide his hurt.

"There's nothing to feel yet, Silly. Mr. Bennett didn't know that. He asked how much we needed, and I told him. Anyway, you did your part by keeping that bookkeeper occupied."

They went home, and Peggy showed him the building design she'd been working on. Brian offered some ideas for changes, and then he worked on the financial report he had promised the bookkeeper.

Their lovemaking reached new heights that night. Peggy had her building, and Brian was going to adopt Amanda.

"Did you see the antiques in that house?" Peggy asked Brian the next morning. "The Sandwich glass is rare, and the roll top desk is priceless. I wonder what else is hiding in the other rooms."

"The dining room furniture looks old," Brian offered.

January 2001

The steel building went up fast, but the interior finish, HVAC, and fitting the vendors' booths took longer than planned. In the meantime, the inventory had overflowed into the house, making it necessary for Amanda to temporarily give up the second bedroom.

Matthew's parents filed their objection to the adoption of Amanda. They had a point; Brian and Peggy were not married, and Peggy had no intention of becoming Mrs. Driver. In the end, the judge saw it Brian's way, and indicated that she would make the adoption official within the year. Brian sent photos of his new family home, and received cryptic remarks for his troubles; 'How can you adopt the daughter of a woman who refuses to marry you?' and 'How well do you know this woman?' and 'What sort of woman becomes pregnant with someone she doesn't want to marry?'

After a tremulous grand opening, the new building became a popular shopping place on Saturdays and Sundays. Ten dealers signed leases for the booths. There was also space for a snack bar, and Peggy's booth. Dealers that had missed out on the opportunity, petitioned Brian and Peggy to be put on a waiting list in case they built another building. Peggy was all for it, but Brian put his foot down, saying that the baby told him not to let 'his' mother take on more responsibility.

Brian was convinced that the baby would be a boy, but Amanda was holding out for a sister. She reluctantly consented to the name 'Phillip' if it turned out to be a boy.