Down by the River

"Are you inviting me to your Graduation Party tomorrow?" She gave me a wonderful smile and looked at me for an answer.

I was so confused here she was asking me to ask her on a date that I didn't think could work.

"Deidra De Angelo, will you come to my Graduation Party?"

"Yes, Jacob Alan Clawson I will be your date for your party. It will be our first official date. I want you to come to my house and pick me up."

"Deidra, are you sure about this?

"Jake, you are looking at the new CFO and CEO of De Angelo Inc. My father may not kiss both your cheeks when you pick me up but he will not utter a discouraging word, I guarantee it."

I gave her a look and she just shook her head and smiled at me and told me that in time she would explain it all to me.

"Tomorrow Jake, pick me up early enough so I can help Lacy, Janet and Elizabeth setting everything up. Lacy will tell you when to come. I am looking forward to many more dates with you Jake. I have all kinds of plans for us Jake that I hope you agree with and I need to ask you something real serious. Could you marry a woman that has been raped?" She suddenly had tears running down her cheeks and was staring into my face with a lot of apprehension.

I looked into her eyes and smiled, "Deidra, who do I know that has been raped? Even if she had I don't think there is anybody around that can talk about it."

She was confused for a minute not catching my meaning as Craig Reed had died in Prison and Chase Carlyle just got 2 years but a few months after he got out of prison he was found nearly beaten to death and lost his memory and was in a wheelchair for the rest of his life as a near vegetable.

Then I saw the light come on as Deidra looked at me. "Jake, I think I remember someone telling me that whoever hurt me they would destroy. As I remember when Chase got back he was telling everybody he knew, what a slut I was and that I wasn't raped I begged him to do me. "

"It hurt so badly when I heard about the things he was saying. I had to go back into therapy over that. I don't know who messed him up but I will be forever grateful to them."

She smiled at me and kissed me on the cheek. "Don't forget to pick me up tomorrow."

I got home and I ran into Lacy. She was all smiles and hugged and kissed me. I was confused at her display of affection at just this time. I gave her a questioning look.

"Little brother, Deidra was my College roomy for three of my four years at UT. We have been BFFs since I was in the second grade. We have no secrets and we never tell each other's secrets. I am going to work for De Angelo Inc. in the near future. I am pretty sure I will get along with my new boss."

She walked away from me laughing. All at once I understood why she was so interested in my college love life. Who I was dating? Was I serious about this or that girl? Did I ever hear from Deidra? Lacy had kept Deidra updated on everything I was doing and who.

I caught up to Lacy in the kitchen. I gave her a look to let her know that I wasn't pleased about her being a spy.

"She has always loved you Jake and I knew it. She had a lot of things to work out so the two or you could have your happy ever after. She had a lot of sleepless nights worrying that you would find someone else and she would never get you back. She is perfect for you Jake. Don't you let her go? Also you need to pick her up at 9AM tomorrow. Also just to let you know, I have never seen her so happy."

I went out in the yard and things were set up for tomorrow. Mom was fussing over this and that. Lacy and Janet were engaged in a deep conversation. So I didn't interfere. I went over to our old swing that dad had built and we all had played on it.

I was swinging and Janet came over. She was a College sophomore. She had always been pretty but she had really blossomed now. She and Deidra were neck and neck as far as beauty goes. She sat in the next swing.

"Jake, I guess I should tell you that Deidra and I quit feuding about who is the most beautiful years ago. She took me under her wing at UT when I was a freshman. I was a freshman, Deidra was a junior and Lacy was a senior. We ran together and finally decided we wouldn't fight about, who was the most beautiful, but that we were the two best looking at UT. I also helped Lacy spy on you some for Deidra. I'll just confess now. I agree with Lacy she is perfect for you. If you ever hurt her or run around on her Lacy and I will castrate you with a dull knife. Is that understood?"

I just laughed and Janet gave me a look, "I'm not kidding Jake, your balls will be in a jar of alcohol. You know I'm getting a degree in Biology."

She got up and walked over to Lacy and they spoke and Lacy found a knife of one of the tables and flashed it at me and made motions with it and shaking her head in a positive manner. I laughed again and got up and walked into the house. I went to my old room and watched some TV. I went in and had supper with the family. Janet and Lacy were jabbering like little girls. Mom told them that tomorrow was my big day and to leave me alone. Then Lacy had to tell mom that I had a date for tomorrow.

Mom wanted to know who and was threatening them for information. Then they told her it was the girl I was going to marry. She went ballistic and I calmed her down by telling her it was my first date with the girl and Lacy and Janet was just overreacting.

Unknown to Jake, things had happened that directly affected his relationship with Deidra. Deidra's mother had passed away and she had willed her shares in De Angelo Inc. to her daughter. After Deidra's rape she had realized that not going against her husband when he was using Deidra as a business tool was the mistake of her life. She felt responsible for Deidra being raped and she was miserable. When Deidra was put in a boarding School and after a while she hardly ever came home. She missed her daughter and wanted to make everything up to her. She started visiting Deidra in college and she and Deidra became close again. It was wonderful for her but just a few months late she found out she had cancer. She had told Deidra nothing about it until a few weeks before she passed. She was in a sanatorium in New Jersey, near her family home. Her father was so incensed when he found out she had given her shares to Deidra that he didn't attend her funeral when she was buried in New Jersey.

Deidra De Angelo was also incensed at her father's disrespect of her mother and went to her brother Billy and acquired his shares. She then went with her lawyer to the board Of De Angelo Inc. presented her documentation as owner of the Company. She took over as Chairman of the Board and fired two of her daddy's old cronies then had Anthony De Anglo retired and started appointing her own officers of the Company. This information was released to the employees the day before Jake's Graduation party.

I got to bed and the next thing in came Janet and Lacy piled in with me after about two hours I got them ran out. But this was after they had names for all of mine and Deidra's children.

I called Deidra the next morning to make sure she was awake and ready. She told me she had been up since 7AM. Then she said, "What are our kid's names now? and laughed"

I knocked on the door of the mansion. Mr. De Angelo answered the door. He invited me in but had a condescending look on his face. He said nothing derogatory and Deidra breezed in and gave me a kiss right on my mouth then turned to her dad and kissed his cheek and told him not to wait up. Then she grabbed my hand and we went out to my truck and I helped her in and went around and got in and we were off to my house.

"That wasn't too bad was it? After our first confrontation he has sort of mellowed out. Since I have 60% of the stock of the Company and grew a pair of brass balls I think his little girl really surprised him. I'll tell you all about it after we date a while and get to know each other again. Did I tell you I love you yet today?" She scooted over next to me and pulled my head around to get her kiss.

We got to the house and went in. Mom and Dad were shocked and Janet and Lacy were all over us and kissing and hugging us both and treating us like family. Dad gave me a look of awe and I just smiled at him. Deidra went up to mom and hugged and kissed her and put her in shock. She then went to Dad and all 6-5 and 300 of him started backing up. Deidra hugged him around his middle.

"Mr. Clawson, If everything works out like I hope it does I'm going to be your daughter in Law. So loosen up and treat me like a daughter. I don't see you backing up from Janet or Lacy."

Dad finally got his bearings, "Yes Miss De Angelo, but you are to boss of the Company I work for I was raised to show respect."

"Mr. Clawson, do I call you William, Bill or DAD? We are not at the factory now we are in your home and you are the one that deserves respect here. So will you lighten up and call me Deidra and give me a hug. I'm not glass I won't break.

Dad smiled and picked her up off the ground and kissed her on the cheek and then set her down.

"You do that to me every time I come to visit, Ok."

Deidra turned to mom, "Mom, I'm here to help with my man's party, please tell me what to do."

Mom hugged her and led her into the kitchen. Janet and Lacy followed and then all dad and I could her was constant conversation.

Dad looked at me, "Jake, I was harder on you than the girls. But you have never disappointed me in your whole life. You have been a perfect son."

"What is going on here? Miss De Angelo is probably worth over a $100 million and you don't have two quarters to rub together. That is just her holdings in the Company. I have no idea of her personal wealth.

"Dad you seen how Deidra is. There is nothing pretentious about her. What you see is what you get. I know her dad is a pompous ass but she cut him down to size and retired him."

About this time Deidra swooped into the den. She looked at Dad, "Dad, my father may show up at this shindig about 1PM. If he starts acting like a pompous ass I want you to put one of your size 14s up his ass and put him in the yard. He is not the boss anymore. He is retired and needs to start playing golf and fishing and hunting. Talk to him about that if he comes up to you wanting conversation.

Oh, by the way Dad, When Jake marries me he will be COO of De Angelo Inc. He will have everything that I have. To set the record straight my part of the Company is worth just over $200 million. My personal worth is close to $35 million. My family is Dad, my brother Billy, you, Mom, Janet, Lacy and my man Jake here. Pretty soon you will have two daughters and a son running the Company. I will be CEO and CFO, Lacy will be President over Engineering and your son will be COO. We have a lot of things to work out but that is the basics. And Dad you won't have your old job. You will be an assistant and Consultant to the COO with a big enough jump in pay that Mom can retire if she wishes.

Mom and Lacy and Janet were at the kitchen door listening to every word. All at once Janet whiningly said "But what about me?"

Deidra smiled at her, "Janet, when you switch and get your degree in Public Relations with your looks and personality I want you representing this Company to the world with your advertising skills. Is that Ok with you, Little sister?"