Fell for It

"I know that now for all the good it does me," Chaz said.

Shit was right.

* * * *

Chaz had such a whirlwind experience in tennis success spiraling up during the spring and early summer that he had little time to think of the million dollars he'd lost and the house he wanted but didn't get. He did, on occasion, think of how good the sex with the Realtor, Vince Jacobs, had been and to mourn the loss of him in the scam. That was the biggest surprise to Chaz--that Vince had been part of the scam and had just been playing an April Fools Day joke on him--an extremely costly one.

He had been taken on by a tennis academy near Miami, which provided him with coaching, physical conditioning, and a manager. He also was provided a studio apartment on the academy grounds. His corporate sponsorships covered the cost of this. He was a handsome devil, with a great smile, and thus was coveted for corporate advertisement.

His wins at the lower levels rose and his prize money did as well. He peaked by reaching the semifinals at the Washington, D.C., tournament in late July and early August, taking home $98,000 in prize money. Soon thereafter he cracked the top 30 in the men's rankings and was accepted into the U.S. Open tournament in New York. Here, in his first major tournament appearance, he made it through the second round before meeting a top-ten opponent and going down to him, although the TV commentators praised Chaz's skill and potential. He earned $130,000 at this tournament. If he continued to rise in the rankings like this, he'd be able to completely forget about the Tybee Island April Fools Day scam.

But he didn't think he could forget Vince Jacobs and how well they had hit it off.

Vince called him an hour after Chaz's loss at the U.S. Open, while the tennis player was dressing to go back to his hotel, his ears still buzzing from listening to the recording of the match he'd just played and to the praise of the tennis stars of yesteryear commentators of his play even in loss. So occupied was he with this that he didn't look at who was calling him; he just connected on the phone.

"Hi, Chaz. It's Vince Jacobs. Remember me from Tybee Island?--and please don't hang up, I need to talk to you."

"Vince?" Chaz asked. "Yes, I remember you. You walked off with a million of my hard-earned dollars." Chaz paused. Yes, Vince still was continually in his thoughts. This isn't how he wanted to be talking to him. The money--the scam--hadn't mattered as far as Vince was concerned. "Look, sorry, Vince. Yes, I remember you. What is there to say, though?"

"I had no idea it was a scam, Chaz. Hopkins hired me with me thinking he had a real Realty company and a legitimate contract to sell that house. I'm sorry you didn't get the house, but I'm down here in Mexico getting what I can of your money back. We had closing set for April 2nd. We'd meet at the Peachtree Plaza Hotel, but Hopkins said we'd go to the lawyers office from there. I thought it was all legitimate. Then he swept in and changed closing to the 1st and he met with you and took your money without giving you anything in return--and without telling me what he was doing. He cut me completely out of the deal too. I've spent all this time tracking him down to Cancun."

"Your phone got turned off, just like Hopkin's did," Chaz said. "You were part of it all."

"No, I wasn't. That was a phone that Hopkins had provided. As soon as it went dead, I began to connect the dots. I've been tracking him down ever since. I couldn't get all of your money back, but I have $700,000 I can give you. Sorry, I can't get you the house you wanted, though."

"Seven hundred grand. How did you get it?"

"I hired some goons down here when I found him. They beat it out of him. He's been punished at least for what he did to you and how he used me. We've got to meet. I've got money to give back to you."

"You could just wire me the money... if that's the only reason we have for meeting."

Vince could hear the clutch in the tennis player's voice.

"Is that the only reason you would have for meeting?" he asked. "No, it isn't mine. I regret what we didn't--"

"So do I," Chaz said. "I'm sorry I said that. I regret what was cut off in our getting hooked up more."

"So, you'd be willing to meet me again?"

"Yes. Do you still have a key to the Tybee Island house?"

"Yes, but--"

"We could meet there."

"Hopkins didn't have the contract on selling that house, Chaz. That house is out of the mix now."

"No, it's not," Chaz said. "Marty Fowler, my former tennis coach, owned the house. He died in April. He left the house to me. It's my house now. And I didn't really regret having paid for it when I inherited it for free. I wanted the house, but I was done with Marty. I really didn't need knowing I had it because he gave it to me. Having paid money for it made me feel better about having it."

"So, that April Fools Day joke is really on Hopkins and me then," Vince said.

"Well, on Hopkins, at least. Do you want to meet at the Tybee Island house? It is furnished now. There are a couple of very nice, new beds we could initiate."

"Any day, any time I can get there," Vince answered.