Paying My Dues

"They lied to you, sweetheart. They lied to me, and they lied to you. Both of them betrayed me, and now they've betrayed you. Can't you see that?"

"Daddy, the story they told me is similar to yours but different in a big way. They told me that you knew all along that they were lovers. They said you even watched them sometimes. They also said that because you were sterile, you asked your brother to get mom pregnant with me for you so it would all be in the family. Mom said you had a bad day at work and took it all out on them and blew everything up. Then you kicked mom out over it and was divorcing her and she doesn't know why. I don't know who to believe, daddy. I love you and I love my real dad too. He's been super nice to me ever since you kicked us out."

"I kicked your mother out because of her betrayal. I never kicked you out. They took you from me and kept you away from me as much as possible. Everything they told you about me is a big lie, honey. Not a word of it is true. You have to decide for yourself what is true. I'll still love you no matter what."

"Daddy, can I ask you a big, big favor?"

"Sure, honey, what is it?"

Chapter-6

"Will you come back where you belong and be my daddy again? They told me to make sure you understood that you would be paid five times what you used to make. Five times daddy! Will you? PLEASE! You can move in with me and mom, and the four of us will be one big happy family!" She exclaimed. "They told me to tell you that you're the bestest daddy in the whole wide world and that no one could ever take your place, EVER!"

"They told you to tell me that, huh?"

"Yes, daddy. They also told me that I can call you daddy again if I want to. So, now I have two daddies, daddy Quinn, and daddy Brandon."

"I see," I said downtrodden. "Honey, let me ask you a question. I need an honest answer, okay?"

"Of course, daddy. I always tell the truth."

"Good girl. Before I left, I gave my attorney a document that would allow Brandon to adopt you as his legal daughter. In other words, I would be asked to give up all claims to you as my daughter, and he would be your legal father from then on. The only stipulation was that my attorney was to make 100% certain that the only way that would ever happen, is if you convinced him that you genuinely WANTED to be adopted by Brandon, even though you clearly understood that it meant giving me up forever as your father. So now I ask you, Tamara, have you been adopted by my brother, Brandon? Is he your legal father now?"

She looked down at the table, averting her eyes from my gaze, and nodded.

"So the only reason you're calling me daddy right now is that they told you to, not because you view me as your father any longer, right?" She remained silent and nodded again.

"Thank you sweetheart for telling me the truth. I still love you." I kissed her on the forehead. "Honey, I've lost my appetite." I placed two one-hundred-dollar bills on the table. "Dinner for you and your REAL parents is on me. Enjoy. Now if you'll excuse me for a minute, I need to visit the restroom."

I passed by the restroom and slipped out the side entrance, stepped up into my truck, and headed off to find a different place to eat. I had no desire to further engage the source of my pain and humiliation. I have a clean reputation in my new job, and I aim to keep it that way. Becoming involved in physical violence wouldn't look good on my employment record.

Two weeks after my encounter with Tamara, I was just finishing up a nice supper after dropping off another load. As I exited the diner, I was approached by a man in a nice suit.

"Sir? May I prevail upon your time for a few minutes?" The mystery gentleman kindly asked.

"And just who might you be?" I requested.

"My name is unimportant. I am requesting that you meet with my boss over in the limousine. He's very anxious to meet you. No harm will come to you, I assure you. He said to tell you that this is a meeting you do not want to miss."

Perplexed at the mysterious aura of the situation, I had plenty of time to kill before retiring for the night. "Why not?" I conceded. He walked me over and opened the rear passenger door. My heart fluttered for all it was worth.

"Luisa!" I cried out, "and grandpa! I have never been happier to see two people in all my life!" She hugged my neck and wouldn't let go. We had grown quite close through our calls. "What's going on, grandpa? Why are you two here? I'm not complaining, mind you. I'm thrilled to see you both!" I bellowed. The driver closed the car door once I was inside. Luisa and I unabashedly kissed before grandpa had a chance to get a word in. He waited patiently with a smile, as we reconnected.

"Quinn, my boy. How have you been? You look good. Perhaps this break away from all the drama back home has been good for you."

Luisa finally climbed out of my lap and eagerly held my hand in hers as she sat next to me. "I'm fine, grandpa. I've got a good rhythm going with my job, and I'm making decent money, much more than I was getting paid at the paint factory."

"I'm sure you are, my boy. That's part of what I've come to talk to you about."

"How did you find me? Did you use the same P.I. that dad did to track me down?"

"P.I.? No need for that. All I had to do was ask Luisa. She knows where you are at all times. She keeps pretty good tabs on her man. When I told her I was coming to see you about a matter, she said the only way she would tell me where you were is if I brought her with me."

"And I'm glad you did!" I exclaimed as I gave her another kiss. "What was it that you came to see me about, grandpa?"

"You might not believe this, Quinn but I've come to ask you to return to work at Donner Paints," he said with a chuckle.

"Not you too! My ex-father and ex-brother already asked me and offered me over double my old salary to come back. Then, a couple of weeks ago, Tamara, Brandon, and Faye found me again and offered me five times my salary to return but nobody will say why, other than to boost company morale, and I don't buy that for a second.

"You're a smart, man, Quinn. Manuel? Why don't we go for a drive while we talk?"

"Yes, sir, anywhere in particular?" Manuel inquired.

"Why don't we make a big loop, eventually ending back up here," he requested. And off we went.

"Quinn, I'm sure you have many questions, and I hope I have enough answers for you. But rather than go through a Q&A session, I'd prefer that you indulge an old man, and hear me out before you start asking questions. I hope to clear up many things for you."

"Sure, grandpa, anything you say. Having Luisa here with me is a blessing. Please take your time," I humorously insisted.

"Your grandmother and I, God rest her soul, did our best to raise your father. Because he was an only child, he became spoiled. She would allow him to get away with anything, while I had a more disciplined approach. As he aged, he became more arrogant and self-serving. When he married your mother, I had hoped she might influence him to become a better man but that never happened. After you two were born, I noticed how differently he treated his children. In the early years, I knew you as their daughter at first, then suddenly, you became a tomboy or dressed as a male. Regardless of your gender, in my opinion, your father treated you poorly compared to Brandon. You seemed to be the underdog who was being held back by both of your parents. When I was apprised of the full story, I became very angry with your mother; then I found out, only recently, about your hormone treatments. Grandson, or granddaughter, it didn't matter, you are my grandchild and that is what is important."

The reminder of what my mom had disclosed that day at their house became fresh in my mind, angering me all over again. He could see my negative expression and continued.

"I know, I know, it wasn't right. What they put you through was terrible. But what's done is done. You can't un-ring the bell. I asked you out to my farm every summer for two reasons, one was to afford you a break from your parents' atrocious behavior toward you, and the second was to allow you and me to get to know each other better and form a bond. I realize you may not have appreciated the farm at times but it gave me a chance to see what kind of a young man you were and if your parents had already ruined you as they did your brother. Brandon is nothing more than a cookie-cutter image of your father, even more arrogant, if possible. But you, my dear boy, you were always special. I was the first one to tell you that you have a heart as big as the sky. The farm workers loved you. Juan enjoyed you taking charge when you were there because you were fair and treated others how you wanted to be treated, all great leadership qualities, Quinn."

Luisa and I listened intently to his every word.

"When I heard through the grapevine that you wanted to work at Donner Paints, I was thrilled. You persisted in the face of your family's resistance. When I talked to your father about it, I suggested you be placed in the various stations for a year or better to learn everything there was to know about the positions and endear yourself with your coworkers. You have a knack for connecting with others on a personal level that elicits devotion and respect. What I didn't know, until recently, was the disparate low salary you were paid compared to your brother. I was enraged when I found out and amazed that you'd stayed as long as you did.

"You might not know this, but your great uncle was Everett Donner. He was married to my older sister. He and I started Donner Paints from scratch. After a few years, he succumbed to the bottle and alcoholism took him. I bought out his half of the company but decided not to change the name. I became the CEO and managed day-to-day operations until your father received his college degree and came to work for me. As the COO, I gave him more and more responsibility over time until I essentially allowed him free reign. I never abdicated my title as CEO but changed my focus toward the farm. My parents had a forty-acre spread when I was raised there, and I increased the acreage over time building it up to what it is today. I prefer the simpler farm life to the hustle and bustle of the business world at the paint company."

"I'm sure you'll never forget that family reunion you last attended where you were restrained and emotionally browbeaten by your family. If you recall, I was out of town that weekend at a cattle auction. I suspected that something might happen that day since you had split from Faye, so I involved one of my cousins, Jerry. I tasked him with keeping an eagle eye on you, never letting you out of his sight. He followed you into the house unseen and stood outside the room where you were restrained. He quietly cracked the door open slightly and recorded the entire event on his cell phone. As you were leaving, he said he barely made it out before you did. He thinks you may have seen him."

"Jerry sent me a copy of the recording. I was never angrier in my life to learn all the histrionics of their debauchery against you. Yes, your mother was the instigator but your father should have stood up for you and protected you from her. I fault him for enabling her treachery. I waited quietly in the wings to see what decision you would make. I'm proud that you stood up for yourself and removed yourself from their toxic manipulations. However, that puts things in a difficult spot for me. You see, I am still the CEO, and own 100% of the stock in Donner Paints. When I discovered that you had left the state, I wanted you back. I charged your father to get you to return or there would be consequences. When his first attempt was unsuccessful, he sent Tamara, Faye, and Brandon to talk you into returning. What you may not know is they were planning to take you by force if necessary and drive you back in the trunk of their car. There were two other men with them in another car. When you cleverly slipped away from them, you thwarted their efforts to kidnap you."

"When they returned empty-handed, I felt I had no other choice. I fired your father and brother on the spot. When a good son and brother like you despises his father and brother so strongly that he refuses to return to work with them, even when tempted by a five-hundred percent pay increase; that speaks volumes about the abject failure of their leadership."

"I had originally planned on leaving my shares of the company to your dad when I died and hoped he would pass it on in equal shares to you and your brother when he passed on. I see now that would be a terrible mistake for the long-term future of the company. So, here's my proposition to you, Quinn. You know that company inside and out better than anyone else I can imagine. If you will return to run the company, I will make you the new COO to lead the company according to your vision. Your starting salary will be what your father had been earning plus ten percent. If, after one year, I see the fruitful results of your leadership that I expect to see, I will then make you CEO, and transfer all of my shares of stock to you. I'll retire completely, and run the farm that I love so well. You'll do a great job of it, I'm certain. It's the least I can do to compensate you for the suffering you withstood growing up the way you did. If you'll accept, I've already secured you a beautiful and efficient personal assistant, who is anxious to help you achieve outstanding success. She's sitting right next to you holding your hand. There's an old saying, Quinn, 'The best time to plant a tree is 10 years ago. The second best time is right now.' What do you say, my boy? You in?"

In an instant, my life had gone from pathetic to being on top of the world! This was an opportunity of a lifetime. I had no idea that grandpa owned Donner Paints. I'd never met a more humble man. He never made a show of his wealth. A million thoughts were running through my head. Almost as good as being offered this opportunity was having Luisa by my side.

"Grandpa, I don't know what to say. I'm shocked, to say the least. If you have that kind of confidence in me, how can I say no? I'll do my very best for you. But can I count on you for advice from time to time? I'm certain that there are a lot of management issues that may come up, and I'd sure like to have you as my resource."

"Of course, my boy. For that first year, I'll be available to assist with your transition in any way I can. But I don't believe it will be as challenging as you may think. I've talked to most of the lower department managers and they have nothing but the highest praise about you whenever your name is mentioned. And don't think I don't know about all of your inventions and other contributions you've made to plant efficiency that your brother took credit for. Think of this as a return on investment for paying your dues. You deserve it, Quinn."

I looked over at the woman that I had loved for many years but was just now able to fully realize it. "Luisa, are you sure you're ready to jump in this with me? It will be scary for us both."

"Quinn, just like Rose said to Jack in the movie Titanic, 'you jump, I jump, right? I'll work my ass off to learn my job, and I swear by all that's Holy that you'll have the most supportive assistant the world has ever known," she said with loving devotion in her eyes.

I pushed my hand out to shake his hand, "Grandpa, if you're willing to bet the company on us, we're willing to give it everything we've got. You've got yourself a deal. We can't thank you enough."

"No thanks needed, Quinn. That's what family is supposed to be for. I'm sorry you were shortchanged with your parents but I'm happy to be here now to correct that mistake."

"Manuel, take us back to where we picked up Quinn."

"I'm sure you'll need to turn your truck in and make a clean exit from your present job. Catch a flight from anywhere to get back home. It's a reimbursable expense. Luisa, I don't think I need to ask but are you coming back with me, or are you returning with Quinn?"

"You're right, it would take ten sticks of dynamite to pry me away from his side now," she chuckled.

Luisa and I consummated our love that night in the sleeper cab of my truck. Not the roomiest place to make love but certainly one of the coziest. We were an unimaginably perfect fit. It took me two days to make the return run back to Kentucky and drop off my truck. I told them to let the next driver have the fridge, microwave, and TV if he or she wanted them.

Luisa insisted that I move in with her on the farm just until we worked out the logistics of where we'll live and raise our family. That's right, I said 'we'. I proposed to her without a ring and she enthusiastically accepted. We'd marry just as soon as my divorce from Faye was finalized.

Grandpa met me on my first day on the job at the plant. He made certain that the HR department was fully aware of my new status and authority within the company, second only to his. I wanted to hit the ground running. I took three days to become familiar with how the finances of the plant were structured so that I could make informed decisions as to the direction of the company in light of any perceived financial impacts. Luisa took to her role as a duck to water. No one got to me except through her without an appointment. This gave me uninterrupted time to plan future operations.

Later in the week, I held a meeting with all the department heads who applauded me for being at the helm. I then learned that they all considered my father and Brandon arrogant bullies who cared little for anything or anyone but themselves. Knowing me as they did, they were pumped up with enthusiasm for the future. I laid out some general guidelines for efficiency goals and asked for input from all of the workers as to how we might improve in any areas. They were stunned at this request and happy to implement it. I made it clear to them all that my door was always open to them but to please make an appointment with Luisa first or otherwise risk her wrath. They all laughed but knew I was serious at the same time.

Once company logistics had been dealt with, I turned my attention to other matters. Dad, mom, Faye, and Brandon all had desperately tried to talk with me but Luisa managed to keep them all at bay. No one was given my private cell phone number without my approval. Grandpa had provided me a copy of the recording Jerry made at my 'intervention'. I listened to it several times and tried to think of ways to act upon my thoughts of reprisal.

Since my family members were clamoring to meet with me so desperately, I decided to go ahead and meet to let all the air out of their balloons. I asked Luisa to make reservations at a Cracker Barrel Restaurant. It was a public place where foul language or raised voices wouldn't be tolerated. We had reservations for Sunday at noon. The place was packed with families and many children. The seven of us were seated at a round table. With Luisa at my side, I was ready for anything.

After our orders were placed, mom, again being the leader of the pack began, "It's wonderful to see you, Quinn. You brought your secretary to meet your family for lunch?"

"No, I brought my fiancée with me to lunch. We're to be married once my divorce is finalized. Luisa, this is my family; family, this is Luisa Hernandez, soon to be Davenport."

"Well, well, well, you move fast. It's a shame that you couldn't see your way to work things out with your wife but I can see that you've moved on. Congratulations, you two." Faye said insincerely as she appeared stunned by my announcement.

Mom and Brandon looked annoyed by Faye's remark but ignored it. Dad took it upon himself to address the elephant in the room.

"Quinn, I want to personally congratulate you on your new position at Donner Paints. I'm sure you'll be fine, though you're seriously unqualified for the role. Unfortunately, your new job as COO has come at my expense. As far as I know, you have yet to fill the position of Chief Administrative Officer. I'd like to offer my services to you in that capacity. I can help you avoid the many pitfalls I'm sure you will encounter over time. Of course, I'd expect the top pay that the position can provide but I'm sure you'll agree that I offer more value than the job would cost the company."