Second Chance, Book 04

Again, my thanks to ErikThread for his insightful and helpful editing.

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Chapter 18:

Brent Gordon was by nature an optimist. He believed that somehow, someway, Jeanette would beat back the cancer, and they could resume their normal lives. But what was normal any more? Radiation therapy once a month, and chemotherapy if no progress were made after that? Was that to be normal? Was her disease responsible for her crazy decision to take a job as a dancer at a strip club? She didn't seem to know herself. Somehow, she had created logic to support her reckless choice.

Brent went back to work, burying himself in his new office in the bowels of the paper converting plant. If he wasn't reclusive, he was certainly not very visible. Few, if any of his fellow employees did not know of his humiliation at hands of Ron Dixon on Brent's fortieth birthday, but he shook off the early stares and whispers and concentrated on his job. Product development was important to Mountain Pine, and he had ideas to develop and concepts to test. It helped only slightly to take his mind off Jeanette and her gradual deterioration.

When her doctor recommended they switch her treatments to chemotherapy, Brent and Jeanette both knew that the cancer had progressed. There was a finality about the decision. It was their last hope for a cure, or at least some remission. Jeanette continued to show her strength as she underwent the cruel and painful consequences of the aggressive treatments. She was brave, never complaining and always optimistic that this time, this time it would work.

Her loss of hair had occurred with the surgery, and that it did not grow back was a side effect of the 'chemo' treatments. At first, Jeanette wore a scarf tied around her head, but after a while, when she no longer could go out in public, she didn't bother. If she were cold, sitting on the deck and trying to enjoy the outdoors, she would wear a wool stocking cap pulled down over her ears.

Her appetite dwindled to the point where she was eating only what she was forced to eat when the doctor threatened to hospitalize her and feed her intravenously. The smell of food cooking in the kitchen was enough to make her nauseous. She no longer had favorite foods. They were all the same, an unpleasant necessity.

The children faced the decline in their mother with a stoic determination, but it was eroding their spirits as well. Andrea appeared to be the most controlled, tending to her mother at every opportunity, sitting by her side and talking to her when Brent was not there. Scott, on the other hand, was almost avoiding his mother. He was having difficulty facing her, seeing the visible signs of her illness and declining health. He would force himself to spend time with her, but afterward he was withdrawn and moody, unable to come to terms with the inevitable.

As the weeks passed, it became clear that neither regimen of treatments had halted or even slowed the progress of the tumor. Jeanette's weight declined from a healthy one hundred twenty pounds to barely one hundred, then fell even further into the low nineties as time passed. At that point the doctor stopped weighing her.

It was the signal that Brent had dreaded. The doctors had given up. There would be no rescue, no last minute reprieve. He was going to lose Jeanette. He took another leave of absence from Mountain Pine as the end came near. Brent sat by her side, holding her frail hand as she drifted in and out of consciousness. Her eyes had sunken into her skull and the dark surrounding flesh made her look otherworldly.

Brent had hired a live-in nurse, tending to her as best she could, but time was running out. On a cold autumn morning in October, Jeanette O'Leary Gordon, failed to wake up. It was over. Brent sat in his rocking chair beside the bed, holding her cold, lifeless hand, his eyes closed, rocking back in forth, wondering what would come next. How would he carry on without her?

Andrea was on the floor, beside the bed, weeping silently in her grief. Scott was in his room, racked with sobs and the pain of the loss of his mother. He, like his father, had hoped that his mother would recover, but now he knew that it wasn't to be.

-0- Brent sat in the front pew of St. David's Anglican Church, listening absently as Reverend Oliver Thomas gave the eulogy. Beside him were Andrea on his left and Scott on his right. His eyes were dry and his mind was blank. He had used up all his tears in the last seven months. It was over and his beloved Jeanette was gone. To the very end he held out hope for a cure, or at least remission. It never happened. When Jeanette died, he lost the one thing that had allowed him to carry on, his sense of hope. He had always been one to have faith in the future, but that faith had now abandoned him.

Andrea was holding Grandmother O'Leary's hand as she sat quietly during the service. She could still cry for her lost mother, but she had a new role to play now. Her father and brother needed her. They couldn't do it alone and she would have to be the strong one. She grieved for her mother, but she feared for her father. He seemed so lost now. She had to help him in any way she could. That's what happens when people die, other people have to take over. She had no doubt that it was her responsibility.

Scott sat, head bowed, between his father and Grandmother Gordon. The three were holding hands as if it would keep them from disappearing or drifting away. The death of his mother wasn't a surprise, but it was a shock. He had, like his father, clung desperately to the belief that she would recover and be his mother again. Now he knew that could not be. She was gone and the pain was deep inside him. Andy was here to help him, but it wasn't the same. She was good to him and she understood, but it still wasn't the same. She was only seventeen and he was fifteen. She wasn't old enough to be the new mom.

Joanne sat by herself, absorbed in regret over the relationship with her sister. She had envied Jeanette. She had everything; a great husband, two terrific kids, and a nice home. They hadn't ever been close, in truth. Joanne didn't want that kind of relationship with her older sister. But now it was too late. Now she knew what she had missed. She wept for her sister and for herself. She would never have the chance to tell Jeanette she loved her and idolized her.

The reception was held at the O'Leary home. Kevin and Kelly O'Leary had insisted that Brent not be burdened with that responsibility. They could see the pain and despair their son-in-law was suffering. He didn't need this on top of all the grief that he had accumulated. The two sets of parents had met some weeks ago to discuss just how to help Brent and the grandchildren when Jeanette was gone. The O'Learys had been very realistic about her chances, and set about making sure one tragedy didn't turn into another. The two families had bonded as surely as if they were blood relatives. They would do everything humanly possible to help their heirs get past this moment.

Children are resilient. Over the next weeks, they endured the loss of their mother, and gradually began to rebuild their lives. They were hurting emotionally, but each day was minutely easier to face. Andrea had a mission, and it was the duty she needed to carry on. She had appointed herself the replacement for her mother and she took her responsibilities seriously. It was her stoic attitude that helped restore Brent's optimism.

Scott struggled the most. Brent had no idea that he was so attached to his mother. It wasn't something that he outwardly displayed, but his grief at her death and the difficulty of coping with that fact, slowed his recovery. He got up each morning and went to school or off to play games with his friends, but there was a sadness about him that lingered long after Jeanette's passing.

From time to time, Brent would get lost in memories of Jeanette and their good times. He would find himself daydreaming of the past and smiling involuntarily until the reality of his loss would catch up with him.

He had a job for now, but he began again to think of his future. He knew the role Henry had given him was merely a way to keep him on the payroll and make sure their health benefits looked after the incredible costs associated with Jeanette's illness. That was over now and with Andrea and Scott's support, he decided it was time to make a move.

"Brent's here to see you," Suzanne announced.

Henry and Lloyd rose from their chairs and walked to the front foyer. They shook hands warmly and Henry led them back to his office, closing the door behind him.

"Guys, I can't tell you how grateful I am for everything you've done for me and for my family. I wouldn't have been able to get through this without your help. I won't ever forget it," Brent said sincerely.

"I'm just glad we were able to help," Henry replied.

"I talked to Charlie yesterday. We talked about the job he had offered, and it's still there for me. I think it's the best thing, guys. A fresh start in a new place. No old memories to haunt me."

"Charlie called me last night," Henry said. "He was pretty sure you would be joining him. I know he's pleased about that. Lloyd and I are happy for you too, Brent. It's a great company and he's a great guy. You can trust him."

"Yah ... I got that impression. I'm looking forward to it. Maybe if I'm any good, your sales will go up," he laughed.

Lloyd had said nothing, but was relieved to see Brent laugh again. It had been a long time since he had seen any happiness in his eyes, and this was perhaps a sign that he would be OK. It was less than a month since they had sat in the little church and said their final farewell to Jeanette. They had lost a lovely lady, and Lloyd wondered if Brent would ever be lucky enough to find someone to take her place. He was a good man and he deserved a better fate.

Chapter 19:

Brent had no ambition to pack up everything for the move to Castlegar. He decided to leave it all to the movers. He had sold the house in less than three weeks for a price he thought was well above what buyers in their right mind would pay. It was a big relief and allowed him to concentrate on finding a home in their new town. Andrea and Scott accompanied him to every viewing. He wanted their approval too. They found their new home just off Crowsnest Highway, southwest of town, in a new subdivision. It was a three bedroom ranch-style house with a walk-out basement and was half the price of their home in Langley. All three agreed this was the ideal house.

Andrea had her driver's license now and was teaming with her dad to get Scott where he needed to go. Scott was counting the days until he was sixteen and could get his license. Andrea had inherited her mother's Toyota Corolla, and was enjoying her new-found freedom. She had made a decision about her future, and it was time to share it with her dad and Scott.

"Dad, you know how we talked about me going to university next year?" she began.

He father nodded as he slowly chewed his dinner.

"Well, here's what I've decided. I want to go to Selkirk College here in town for two years and then I'll decide which university. Is that OK with you?"

"Sure, as long as you can transfer and you can get the courses you want," he said positively.

"I want to be near home for a while. You guys need me around until we get settled. Somebody has to know how to cook," she smirked.

"Uh, yah, but ... to tell the truth, I was thinking about hiring a housekeeper to do that. Someone who can clean and cook and do the washing ... that sort of thing. You'll have your courses and homework. I don't want you to be tied down being the house-mother here," he said, pausing to let them digest what he had just implied.

"Well, that's OK, I guess. I'll still feel better if I'm around to keep an eye on things," she said with finality.

"OK, Ma," Brent laughed. He marveled at how seriously she had taken her role as the female head of the family. He was enormously proud of her, and he thought it wouldn't be that many years when some young guy would be coming to ask him for her hand in marriage. She was seventeen, going on twenty-seven. She had grown up in a big hurry.

"Look, Andy ... this is the time of your life to enjoy yourself. You'll get more than your share of housekeeping practice in the future. I want you to go to school and enjoy your friends and see what's going on in the outside world. I don't want you tied down here like some live-in domestic. Is that clear?" he asked in a serious tone.

Andrea looked at her father and understood he was very serious and that he was releasing her from her self-imposed responsibilities. She smiled at this man who had lost so much and yet had so much to give. She stood, went to him, embraced him and kissed him. Nothing more needed to be said except, "Thanks, Dad. But I want some input on who we hire, agreed?"

"Agreed," he said reluctantly. He looked to Scott for acknowledgement and received a shrug in return. Brent wondered how difficult it would be to hire someone who could live up to Andrea's exacting standards. Woe betide the person who failed to meet them.

They found someone. Her name was Ludmilla Dubrinski and she was of local, Dukhabor origin. She was a sturdy woman with a round face, blonde hair, and a big smile. Her husband was a farmer and she kept house to provide the extra money they needed to help their children get a good education. Her ambition was to see all three of them attend university for at least two years. Her husband, Petr, thought wasting good money on their daughter, Tanya, was complete foolishness. She would marry and bear children for her husband and have no need of a college education. Their sons, Marcus and Adrian, needed the education more than Tanya. It was old-world values against new-world realities. It was a conflict that Ludmilla and Petr had waged in gentle terms for several years now. He knew he would lose, but he had to make sure his wife had no doubt about his opinion.

Brent had embraced his new job with enthusiasm. He loved the workmanship and beauty of the pine millwork. The windows and doors in particular were almost works of art. They featured thirty different door designs and their windows and custom window-walls were graceful, structurally sound, and could be configured to whatever design the customer required. Brent had already discussed replacing the vinyl double-hung windows in his home with the slim casements that suited the existing openings. He would wait until the business was less hectic and he could find someone to do the installation.

His sales plan was to co-ordinate his efforts around the three main customer locations - Edmonton, Calgary, and the local mountain resorts. His secondary plan was to develop a new market on the coast; particularly in Whistler. The Winter Olympics would bring in millions of development dollars and he wanted Verano Custom Millwork to be able to take advantage of the resulting boom. Charlie endorsed the plan with the proviso that they didn't take on more work than they could handle. He had little doubt that Brent could bring in new business.

A large part of their sales-promotion budget was made up of the three big home shows in Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. They were costly events, but they produced significant orders if they were manned and worked properly. Brent's job was to make sure the money was well spent, and the resulting sales would be a measure of that.

As he grew into his new job, he understood he would be travelling more. He wanted regular contact with his sales reps in the three major cities and with their dealers. His sales people accounted for about one-third of their direct sales, while the balance came through the dealers. Brent wanted some time to think about what sales method was best for the company.

Brent knew that his success in finding and developing new business was pressuring the production staff to meet deadlines, and the growing waiting list and delivery times were a concern. He studied the problem, consulted with their controller, Gary Takahashi, and then went to Charlie.

"I have a suggestion for a long term strategy, Charlie. I want to farm out the low-end ClearSeal volume to someone else. It doesn't produce the margin that our top quality product does, and that's where I'm concentrating my sales efforts. The low end may not be necessary soon. We might even sell the ClearSeal name to someone else. It will free up production time, and our profits should be better almost immediately."

"How much time will it free up compared to the loss in revenue?"

"Gary and I have made some estimates on this. It looks like our loss in revenue would be about fifteen percent of current volume. Our loss in profit, however, would less than five percent - a pretty good trade in my books. Plus, I'm sure we can get a decent price for the ClearSeal name and current inventory."

Charlie smiled to himself and then at Brent. His new sales manager had just told him that he worked with his head accountant to develop his business plan. If Gary bought into it, it must be OK. That's what you get when you hire good people, he thought.

"Go ahead. It's your plan. Do you want some help with the disposal of ClearSeal?" he asked.

"Let me try a couple of contacts and see how they react, Charlie. If that doesn't pan out, then yah, I could use some help," Brent said.

Within three months, the ClearSeal name, designs and inventory had been sold to a large millwork firm in Winnipeg, well out of their sales area. The revenue generated was immediately plowed back into a production expansion in the primary millwork facility, speeding up wood preparation and treatment. Fixing the most significant bottleneck in the operation would produce the most rapid results in increased productivity.

Less than a year after Brent's arrival, sales had increased almost 20%, even though wood usage was only up 14%. It meant more dollars per board foot, and that was the clear sign that their value-added component had improved significantly. Working with Gary, Brent had projected further growth for the following year and improved profits over and above their gross sales dollars. The new plan had only been in effect for four months, and already was showing positive results.

The notoriously slow-paying building industry demanded higher profits and more importantly, strong cash management. This was Gary's area of expertise, and he and Brent worked together to weed out the more undesirable customers who were using Verano Custom Millwork as their bank. Again, it didn't take long for cash flow to improve.

Brent, Gary, and Charlie had become an inseparable trio around the plant when Brent was in town. Brent developed a strong respect for and a genuine friendship with Gary. They worked well together, and their problem-solving and attention to detail assured the growing company of continuing financial success.

Charlie Verano went home every night to his wife Gerry with a happy disposition. He had a fine business with outstanding people to run it for him. All the hard work that had gone into Verano and Son in the early days had paid off. The last piece of the puzzle was Brent Gordon, and the difference he made almost immediately showed an enormous positive influence on the business's performance. Brent wasn't a conventional thinker, and he was smart enough to know that guys like Gary Takahashi were just as important to his personal success as all his sales skills combined. It was the teamwork that left Charlie feeling comfortable with the future of their business.

Brent went home to his son and daughter and an empty bed. He had been so absorbed in learning and developing his new business, that he had almost forgotten the loneliness and the loss of Jeanette. The pain was still there, as he was sure it must still be with his children. He wondered if he would ever be able to find someone to share his life. I was a thought that had visited him occasionally in the past few months, but one which he was able to suppress during the working day. He would never forget Jeanette as he missed the companionship and comfort of her at the end of the day.