The Recluse

I stepped in for six months until Uncle George and Louise found and hired a new senior management team. My publisher wasn't thrilled but we made it work. I got my latest novel in four months late, but it sold really well, so they were mollified. George did buy Andrew out over the following year, but Karl wasn't so lucky. The pension fund offered to buy some of his shares, but he didn't like the discounted price, so he put them out on the market. He got about seventy percent of their true value, which was worse than the pension fund offer. I bought one quarter of his shares, and Louise bought some too. My total of 15 percent of the company got me another seat on the board and I invited a good accountant I knew to join us.

We took over the James River project in Virginia Beach and did quite well salvaging it. We also inherited one all star employee from James River in the form of a pretty good accountant, although she only works part time. I should have gotten a finder's fee! Speaking of Angie, I guess I got a reward of my own from her, because the good thing is I have Angie to answer a lot of mother's calls for me and deflect her endless advice. Oh, yeah, I may have failed to mention it, but Angeline never got around to leaving. She chose the master bedroom that first day she came to vacation and it kind of became a habit. It would have been problematic anyway after Jerome was born, so I just married her and got her a gate key. We still go kayaking on the pond, and I still tease her about surrendering in her wet underwear, which she still seems to enjoy a lot! She drags me out to stuff now and then, and some days I even enjoy it. Now that I am back to being retired from the rat race I spend a lot of time with my son. Boy, he is sure time consuming and noisy, but he loves to kayak on the lake, and I get to write in the afternoon while he naps. His mom has committed to keeping me occupied for the next forty years. She seems pretty good at it too. Maybe being a recluse wasn't all it was cracked up to be! Sorry Grandpa, hope you understand!