The Son Also Rises

"With friends like you," I said, "I know I will always be safe."

"Thanks, Mike," said Stan.

"With your help," I said, "We can make this work."

"I am just following your plan," said Stan.

"Don't worry," I said, "I will make sure you have a job after all of this."

"Thanks again, Mike," said Stan.

Stan arose and gave me a big bear hug. I thanked Stan profusely and promised him that I would take care of all the details regarding the apartment complexes. I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me to arrange the sale. There was no guarantee that the buyers would not change their minds, but with Stan's careful management, I was confident that we had some excellent properties for a fair price.

Almost four years later, I was sitting in an auditorium in my red and gold cap and gown. All of the graduating students including myself were seated on the wooden floor surrounded by family and friends on the bleachers all around. This was also the basketball arena for the community college. The bright lights above seemed to cover all of the graduates with a warm glow, but I didn't need the lights to have my own warm glow. This graduation ceremony was the culmination of years of sweat and tears. I had given up my nights and weekends to earn my finance degree. When I was not in the classroom, I was working with Stan to sell all of the apartment complexes.

The last apartment complex was sold six months ago. Stan and I had been struggling to keep the apartment complex fully leased. The local economy took a dive when a local manufacturing conglomerate closed its doors and shipped the jobs overseas. Suddenly, the number of potential renters in the city dropped. Stan and I had to use incentives to bring in new renters to replace the ones who had moved away. I even had to go to the bank to borrow money to increase the advertising budget. I quickly learned that most banks were not receptive to this type of lending. In the end, I had to use my nest egg as collateral. Fortunately, the new television advertisements worked. The apartment complex was fully rented and an out-of-town real estate investment trust swooped in to buy the property.

During this time, Stan took his real estate licensing exam and passed. I quickly made him my real estate agent. Soon, Stan was reaping handsome commissions from the sale of my father's apartment complexes. Besides, Stan was the only one qualified to sell the apartment complexes, because he worked there. I was very happy with Stan's performance, and Stan was subsequently hired by a major commercial real estate brokerage firm. Even though I would have loved to keep Stan on my staff, I wanted Stan to accelerate his career. If anyone deserved to succeed, it was Stan. Unlike my father, Stan had been a loyal friend and mentor. I wished him the best.

As I walked across the stage and accepted the diploma, I looked over the crowds to see if my family was nearby. Instead, I saw Stan. Clean-shaven and meticulously trimmed, he was dressed in a brand-new suit for his new job. When he saw me, Stan signaled me to join him.

When I caught up with him, Stan took me outside. There was a limousine parked at the curb. A chauffeur opened the door and waited until I came.

"Aren't you coming with me?" I asked.

Stan gave me a wink.

"They are waiting for you," Stan said, "They are not waiting for me."

"Why didn't they come to the graduation?" I asked.

"Betty, Elaine, Greta, and Gretchen could come here," said Stan.

"Why in world could they not come?" I asked.

"They said they were all naked," said Stan.

My eyes grew big. This was not something I had expected.

"So how much money did you give them after you made that commercial?" asked Stan.

My jaw dropped. I had no idea what to say to Stan. I had been very generous with Betty, Elaine, Greta, and Gretchen. Without them, my father would have hunted me down like an animal. I owed them my life, so I felt obligated to give each of them a bighearted portion of what I received from the Acme Athletic Company.

Stan laughed. He had no idea what happened between me and the girls. He probably thought it was a joke. My reaction gave him a chuckle.

"I hope you are rested up," said Stan.

The big man shut the door and waved goodbye. The chauffeur changed gears and sped away. What did the girls have in store for me?