The Morning After

Sam picked up the phone after the first ring. It was early and Gloria would not be in for another half hour.

"Foster," he said cryptically. They call this early, they better know who they're calling.

"Sam, it's Brady. Sorry to call so early but the clerk of the court just called to tell us, the final decree was signed. We have a messenger on the way to pick it up."

"So, that's it, Huh?"

"Yep. You're a free man."

"Did you mention to her that there is a potential deal in the air for Foster Concepts?" Sam said, "It could mean a lot of money for her if she delays the divorce."

"I went over that with her a hundred times. She signed a release form, acknowledging she had been briefed."

"No shit? She signed?"

"Yep."

"She's really in a hurry to get away from me. Isn't she? You'd think I beat her like a stepchild."

"It's hard to believe. I still think you were too hasty to agree to her terms. You could have gotten by with a much smaller settlement, especially when it came to her claim on Foster Concepts. In reality, what did she actually contribute?"

"I know. But as I said before, if she's unhappy, then she should go. I made a choice sometime in the past that put the corporation ahead of family. We chose not to have children because I spent so little time at home. Looking back, I feel that I decided for both of us and Angela was just drug along. That being the case, she is entitled to equal consideration."

"Some consideration, yes. Half the corporate stock is too much, especially since she wants her half in cash."

"It's okay. I can borrow the money."

"Is the bank going to be okay with that?"

"Why wouldn't they be?" Sam said, even though he knew the bank was constantly reviewing the company's financial indicators, especially their debt-to-net ratio.

"You know them better than I do. I just know how sticky my bank is about the numbers they watch."

Sam knew he would need to go talk to his team at Wells Fargo and bring them fully into his thinking. He had excellent rapport with them, but he still hated to discuss the potential deal that was looming on the horizon. It was very much like counting chickens before they hatched. He could be orders of magnitude off in his estimates - both in potential value and in the time it would take to develop a final prototype and then a production design. Applications software for the smart phone depended on a multitude of factors beyond his control. Everything hinged on absolute secrecy. His competitors were working on countless apps, anyone of which might deliver the same capability he was offering. In that unfortunate case, a million dollars of research, development and test and evaluation (RDT&E) would go quietly into the drain and Sam Foster and his little group would join the lines of unemployed "could have beens."

Apps developers at Samsung, Motorola, Apple and Google could each absorb a million dollar loss. No big deal, Cost of doing business; For Foster, it was sudden death.

The initial testing was this evening - assuming last night's burn-in was successful. Sam planned to put off going to the bank until the results were finalized and properly documented, pass or fail, he would go day-after tomorrow. With so much on his plate, Sam hardly had time to think about the divorce.

When he did think about it, he felt a deep sense of loss and personal failure. He couldn't bring himself to blame Angela. She was right to make the most of her opportunity to be happy. He felt bad that he didn't feel worse about it. A huge part of him was glad that he no longer needed excuses to work late into the night or to feel bad that he could not take her to special events at the club or even to church on Sunday. He had become so engrossed with growing Foster Concepts, that he had not realized how far from Angela he had let his life drift until he discovered that she was having an affair. For her part, Angela did throw tantrums or go out of her way to make Sam feel bad. But she did not try all that hard to hide the affair. He was LTC. Clark Cates, US Army, stationed at Fort Meade, Maryland with orders to report to duty at the US Embassy in London. Part of Angela's hurry to get a final divorce was to enable her and the colonel to marry and travel to England together. Sam could see that, wished them all the best. He found a set of designer luggage and had it sent to the colonel's residence at Fort Meade. It was nicer than anything Angela would buy for herself. And now it was part of history. Good.

Gloria interrupted his train of thought, "There's a Larry Thurston for you on line one. Says it's urgent."

"Thank you, Gloria." Sam said and put the phone on speaker. "Larry, my friend, what's happening?"

"Take me off the speaker."

"Okay. You've got it," Sam said with growing apprehension stirring up his ulcer.

"This is your friend, Sam," Larry said, "I'm not speaking for Motorola."

The ulcer took another big bite in Sam's stomach. "What's up for Christ's sake?"

"The app you're testing is passing with flying colors on all the target platforms. You've got a winner."

How the hell did Larry find out about the tests before Sam? A couple of the developers and some of the T&E guys were old Motorola engineers but everyone associated with the project had been sworn to secrecy.

"Sam?"

"I'm here."

"When do you plan to announce it?"

"I don't know yet. Marketing is still working on alternatives."

"Is that why you and Karl had dinner at Morton's with VALUETRUST last Thursday?"

Goddamnit, That was supposed to be a secret meeting, also.

"Sam, you know that if there is anything you guys need to bring the app to market, we're standing by to help. And that is Motorola speaking, in addition to your friend."

"Now, how the hell do you know that? That was supposed to be a secret."

"Come on, Sam, this is Washington. There are a countable number of finest restaurants. There aren't any secrets. You're a beltway veteran. You know that."

That was true, back in their days, Sam and Angela would run into someone from their business circle any time they had dinner at any of the area restaurants. In Alexandria or Reston, Chevy Chase or Frederic, Maryland or anywhere in The District, they were like swimming in a goldfish bowl.

"Yeah, you're right," Sam admitted. "But no one was supposed to know about our testing schedule; much less, the results. Those kind of leaks can ruin us."

"Well, don't worry. Your secret is safe with me. In fact, that's why I made this call."

"Yeah?"

"If you're thinking of being acquired and were waiting to see how this app worked out, my division is authorized to make you an offer that is not contingent on the results of testing."

"That's interesting," Sam said. But deep inside he was thinking that Motorola and his friend, Larry, were in the catbird's seat against any other bidders to buy Foster Concepts, now that they knew the app worked. Good thing he talked to the folks at VALUETRUST.

"Anyway, congratulations, Sam. "Think about what I said, Okay?"

"I will. Thanks for calling, Larry, Sam said and hung up.

He still had the receiver in his hand when Gloria buzzed him again. "A Mister Blake on line two, for you, sir."

"Hey, Mel, what's up?"

"Hello Sam. Congratulations. I've got good news and better news.

"Oh?"

"The good news is that both Google and Samsung are ready to make non contingent offers. The better news is that Motorola says they will beat the higher of Google or Samsung by twenty percent."

"We haven't heard from Apple?"

"Not yet."

"I don't want to sit too long on this. Should we go ahead without them?"

"Can you meet with us on Thursday to go over the whole strategy?"

"I think so. Let me check with my team and call you back this afternoon."

"Great."

The meeting took place at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Annapolis Thursday afternoon and ran until well past midnight. On the table were a total cash offer by GOOGLE to acquire all two million shares of Foster's stock at $403.40 per share. Sam had been hoping for a decent offer, but the Google offer was more than he had hoped for. Karl Ewing, Foster's chief financial officer, thought the offer was a little on the low side, if anything.

The meeting adjourned with a unanimous decision to tell Motorola about Google's offer and let Apple know they had 24 hours to respond to Motorola's bid.

The meeting resumed Friday morning at seven with a light breakfast offering from the hotel. Sam's ulcer was acting up and he felt more nervous than he remembered feeling when he came close to losing the company a few years ago. So much was happening and so little was under his control. Nonetheless, he smiled and greeted everyone with his trademark casual enthusiasm.

He had just started his remarks when Karl handed him a sheet of plain white paper, folded in half. Printed on the page as a one line note:

APPLE OFFERS ONE POINT TWO BILLION ALL CASH

Tom Burns, Head of Marketing read a draft press release but the board voted unanimously to withhold releasing anything until the acquiring entity approved and made an announcement of their own.

Lawyers for each of the participants in the auction of Foster Concepts, Inc. argued for a month before Motorola prevailed. A month later the deal went to closing and Sam Foster was suddenly 980 million dollars richer.

Sam called Mary Joiner of one of the district's larger realty firms and asked her to find a reliable family to lease his house in Great Falls at, or slightly below, the prevailing rate. It was better, he thought, than having the house stand vacant for extended periods of time. Although in his new financial situation, Sam could afford any house he wanted, he still clung to Angela's conservatism when it came to money. And he hated waste in any form.

He looked for the closest Chevrolet dealer and bought a new Silverado. He selected one with minimal exterior decoration but with all the bells and whistles offered by GM. He had a protective grill installed to make it slightly more deer proof. He left his Mercedes on consignment with a dealer in Falls Church and was ready to go by the first Monday of the summer.

His general plan was to go west until he reached the Pacific and then north to British Columbia. But in truth, he had no specific destination and no appointed time to get there. He drove by his house in Great Falls and found Mary Joiner arguing with his housekeeper, Carmen Mendoza.

"Mr. Sam is coming home. I have to finish cleaning and make his supper."

"You don't understand. Sam is gone and will not be coming back."

"That can't be true. Mr. Sam he don't say nothing to me about going away."

"Well that may, be but he's asked me to put the house up for rent and I'm showing it to a nice young couple this afternoon. You don't have time to clean and make supper. Sam is not coming back."

"I don't under estand why he no say nothing to me."

"I didn't say anything," Sam said, walking unannounced into thr conversation, "because I've been so damned busy I've forgotten my manners. It's all my fault. Let's go to the den. I'll tell you all about it."

"Boy, am I glad to see you," Mary sighed, "I have a prospective long term renter. Young doctors, both of them. They have a five year old and a new born, both girls. They have afive-year-old Shi tzu and you didn't say how you felt about pets."

"I wouldn't like to see a house full of pit bulls or great Danes but a well-mannered peke, or toy poodle or shi tzu would be okay. Ven, Carmen."

Sam took a chair at a small marble table in the den and motioned for the young maid to join him.

"I'd like some tea. Can you pour us some tea, please?"

"Do jew want cold or hot, sweet or unsweet?"

" Iced tea, Unsweet, please."

Carmen went for the tea and Sam felt thoroughly shitty for having treated her so badly. When had he become such an asshole? No wonder Angela left.

"Here jew are, fresh, dark and unsweet jus' like me."

"Oh no. You're very sweet. I feel terrible for not telling you what was going on. Where's your tea?"

"I don't need tea. I don't feel right sitting with jew."

"Why?"

"Jew are 'El Senor' and I am just a peasant girl."

"Nonsense, please go get yourself a glass of tea and come sit with me."

"Is that true what jew want?"

"Yes that's truly what I want."

"Carmen," Sam said when she returned and they were each sipping their tea, "you know Senora Angela left me two months ago and has remarried and moved away."

The beautiful young lady looked at Sam with eyes about to cry and nodded softly.

"We sold the company and I don't have a reason to live here anymore."

The clarity of his reason surprised him, so Sam took another sip of tea and continued. "Someday, I may have a reason to come back."

"And La Senora, too?"

"No. She is gone forever."

"Carmen, I am going to pay you through the end of the year. That should give you a chance to find a new house to work in. Somebody else will be living here. If you think you would like to work for them, I will speak to them for you. Would you like that?"

"Si, si. I will like that very much.

"In that case, I'll make it happen. I see you're still driving that old Nissan."

"Jes. It's a good little car."

"Would you like a new car?"

"Well in the winter it would be nice to have one with calificacion. And plus the tires are getting old."

"Finish your tea and let's go see what you might like in a new car."

Sam knew he was overcompensating for having neglected her, but what the hell, if it made her feel even a little better it was a bargain.

"Can you do me a favor?"

"Claro. I will do anything for you. I mean anything. Jew just say it." Carmen stood and smoothed her white blouse over her magnificent breasts.

It gave Sam some uncomfortable ideas, he was thinking of her as a niece or a daughter, but he said, "No. Nothing like that."

Carmen smiled and pretended to pout. She was a beauty, Sam noticed for the umpteenth time.

"I'm going to call Henderson's dry cleaners and laundry to come pick up all my clothes. I will tell them to take the clothes to your church - It's Christ the Redeemer, right - you and your friends take what you need, or can use. Give the rest to anyone who needs it. Can you do that?"

"Claro."

Sam made the call while Carmen put the glasses away and picked what little else was out of place throughout the house.

Sam was surprised to see Mary Joiner in the living room. Sam had not noticed how pretty she was in a gray pinstripe suit, straight skirt, trim little bolero abbreviated at mid-tummy. Under the jacket, she wore a butter-yellow chiffon blouse with soft ruffles at the neck. Prim, proper, business-like.

"Doctors Craig are meeting me here in ten minutes. Would you like to meet them?"

"Don't see why not."

Sam took the time to tell Mary about his plan to get his wardrobe out of the house. She thought it was a little over the top. A lot of Sam's clothes appeared to be brand new. All were top quality.

"Are you sure you're not going to need some of this stuff?"

"I'm sure. I'll take some Levis, a couple of dockers and some polo shirts to get me to my first stop."

"Do you know where that is going to be?"

"Not really."

"Then how will you know when you've arrived?"

"I'm hoping I'm going to recognize it."

"What if you don't?"

"Then I guess I'll just keep going."

"That sounds exciting. I'm jealous."

"Don't be. Just grab your tooth brush and an extra pair of panties and get in the truck."

"You're bluffing."

"Am I?"

"Do I really need a tooth brush and an extra pair of panties?"

"Now who's bluffing? We can buy you a new toothbrush at the first gas station and I don't care if you wear panties at all. You want to go, go get in the truck."

"My clients are here. Don't leave without me," Mary said, and skipped to the front door.

Sam's heart was thumping. What the hell are you doing asking a total stranger to come along? It was not like him. Not like him at all. She might be a dangerous psychopath for all he knew. How would he get rid of her if she got to be a complete bore?

What if he, Sam, turned out to be the bore? Was this a sex thing? He had not even thought about sex since he didn't know when. God, no wonder Angela gave up on you. It couldn't be a sexual thing. He had no sexual feelings toward Mary, had gotten her name from the Long and Foster homepage. Before today, their only interaction had been on the phone. He closed his eyes and found he did not have a mental image of her. Was she blond? Brunette? A redhead? No, not a redhead and Did she have a good figure?

Sam liked soft full breasts. Did she have decent tits? Does it really matter? Is she a prude? It did not seem like it, judging from their unfinished conversation. Was she promiscuous? One could always hope.

"... and this is the owner of the house, Sam Foster. Sam, these are Bert and Jane Craig."

Both Bert and Jane had strong friendly handshakes. Sam liked them right away.

"I take it you've read the terms of the lease. Any questions?"

"We have few. We are responsible for upkeep and maintenance but you'll pay for any repairs. So what is our responsibility?"

"Something breaks or isn't working one hundred percent. You call a repairman from the authorized list and inspect the work when it's done. If you approve, I'll pay. That goes for the grounds as well. The grounds keeper reports to you. You adjudicate anything he says he needs to do or get done. If you approve, I'll pay.

I am trusting you to treat this home as if you meant to pass it down to your children.

I am making an exception to the no pets rule because you already own a shi tzu. Or he owns you. I would not be so understanding of a larger animal. Speaking of which, there is a barn with a fully equipped tack room. You are allowed to keep up to three horses. That's a Fairfax County restriction of one horse per acre. If you decide you want horses, you must provide adequate liability insurance that absolves me of any blame when your tame little trigger takes a plug out of the neighbor kid's ass."

"Oh, Bert, I've always wanted a horse."

"Any other questions?" Sam said.

"Why are you giving us such a good deal? Are you laundering money for the mob? Are we going to get some surprise visitors one of these nights?"

They all laughed except Mary. The smallest comment can start a deal unravelling. But Sam put things back on track. "I just sold a small software company and for personal reasons I want to leave the area for a while. If I come back, I want it to be to this house because I designed it and a friend of mine built it. I'm hoping you will consider it a personal favor that you get it at favorable terms. Now just one more thing."

"yessir?"

"The young lady upstairs has become unemployed with my leaving. This house is too big for one person to care for, especially a mom with a newborn baby, if you are to have any sort of work or social life, you are going to need a full time house-keeper. Carmen worked for us for three years, she knows the house and what it needs.I highly recommend her. I have promised to pay her salary for the rest of this year. At the end of that period, I think you will find her as indispensable as we did. I will consider it a personal favor if you will take her on on a trial basis.

"We've already thought of that. And we're delighted to give her a chance. But we will be glad to cover her salary from the beginning."

All that being settled, they all shook hands again and Sam stepped out to look for Mary. She was standing by Sam's pickup with a small duffel in her hand. "Panties and a toothbrush," Mary said, holding up the bag. "I just returned from visiting my folks. In Philly I haven't unpacked yet."

"Shucks," Sam said, "I was looking forward to helping you find some replacements." Mary laughed and climbed into the Silverado. "Nice truck."