A King’s Trust

 

Chapter 2

 

The crowd was gone. The lawyer still sat at his desk. Mr. King had got up from his chair after the others had left and wandered over to the window that looked out on the street and the passing traffic.  The paralegal still sat in her chair making notes.  She was thorough.  The lawyer knew she was jotting down everything from the meeting before moving, before leaving his office.  She was doing it now to insure none of it was forgotten or overlooked. It was an important exercise.  The lawyer gave her the time she needed.

 

As he watched Mr. King, he thought of the affection he felt for the old man.  Their long years had engendered a familiar loyalty. They had in a way started together.  The lawyer opened his practice around same time Mr. King had opened his first store. They had met at a Chamber of Commerce function, both were networking like all the books on starting a business advised.  The lawyer was surprised when the next week he got a call and Lenny King asked for a meeting to discuss incorporating his new business.

 

All through those later discussions, the lawyer had been impressed with the ambition of his new client and his dreams of franchising what he considered to be a unique business. Alarms, smoke alarms at first, then the continuing expansion of product offerings, complete security systems. All that had happened and more and the lawyer had been there for the ride.

 

They had become close and trusted friends.  They didn’t exactly think alike but each of their families had deep roots in the same areas of the South, a large swath of territory spanning parts of Arkansas and the badlands of Oklahoma.   They shared similar views like most of that first generation born in California, but bred on the old culture, the truisms and traditions of the South.  Their interpretations of those views, especially as concerns matters of race and fortune, and especially the rich, were different, but not how the world was currently viewed.  So, they were close, as least as close as two men could be who had their own interests and divergent views, especially on topics that could generate a heated argument in an instant, in a flash.

 

The client, lean, healthy, usually dressed in conservative business suits tended toward the flamboyant and the risky in his business dealings.  The lawyer affecting a more flamboyant style of dress, restrained and presided over by his wife, and indulging his baser desires, possessing an unalloyed happiness with physical delights, passions for food, and in his younger days for slightly wayward women, tended toward the conservative in matters of business. They matched up, complimented each other nicely.

 

His advice to Mr. king over the years reflected his conservative tendencies.  Mr. King would listen, agree, and then foolishly ignore the advice and get into unnecessary legal scrapes and the lawyer would get him out of it.  Mostly, it fell to the lawyer to attach a bottom line price for buying his client out of trouble and then to carry out the details and execute a plan for extraction from the legal jungle and his latest morass.   Of late, the lawyer had arrived at the point in his career he could simply have his staff do it while he billed double, and it the trouble was especially bothersome sometimes, triple the usual rate.

 

The paralegal finished with her notes.  She got up and crossed in front of the lawyer and exited the office without saying anything or looking at anyone.  Taciturn she was, but good at her job. She earned the lawyer a lot of significant fees. And he was smart enough to pay her well. It kept her around.  It made her feel like a true professional. And with her, it didn’t take a lot of talking, neither praise or criticism, to get things done.  He especially liked that about her.

 

After she closed the door, Mr. King turned away from the view.

 

“You still think this is all wrong I know.”

 

“And, Lenny, I’m going to tell you again,” the lawyer said, “You do this and there is nothing that will prevent someone from taking advantage.  You could lose everything. Not now, not tomorrow, but sooner than you think if someone makes a move. There are some real vulnerabilities here for you.”

 

“I know. I know.  I’ve heard you.  I understand.  But these are my family, my friends.  Lord knows I must learn to trust them.  You can’t earn trust of those you love unless you love them and trust them in turn yourself, you know.”

 

“Yeah, I’ve heard ditch bank preachers say that my whole life.  But that doesn’t mean opening yourself up to risk. We’ve been down this road before.  You are creative sure. You have a, what, a keen sense of business for sure, but Lenny you’ve always wanted to give too much. You are too, weak sometimes, too full of the milk of human kindness and not cautious enough that the milk can sour, and you better make sure it doesn’t get a chance to go bad on you.  And we both know how that usually works out for you.”

 

The client didn’t respond. As usual, when reminded of his past peccadillos and their costs, he changed the subject.  “What did you think of Nadine’s attitude?” he asked.

 

The lawyer shook his head. King spoke for him.  “I know you are worried.  You worry too much about nothing.  The world is nothing.  All is nothing.  So, forget it, let’s go all in, huh?”

 

“I don’t know what the hell that means.  You asked. She’s not being completely forthcoming. She will try to move some of the others out.”

 

The father smiled.  “She will that.”

 

“You want that to happen?”

 

“Well, I’ve always thought she’s got the drive for sure.  I like that about her.  Maybe she should be in charge of the company someday.”

“You’re not worried about the other kids, about your partners?” the lawyer asked.

 

“Oh.  She will be okay with them.  You know, before she left here today, she kissed my cheek.  She said “I love you Pops no matter what. Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll take care of it.”  That’s the real her.  Nothing better than the love of kids for their Daddy.”

 

The lawyer thought maybe it was he who was being the fool here.  Maybe the client was right.  But no. That thought passed quickly.  He had experience with these things.  As a lawyer.  With what people said, what people promised and then what they actually did.  If he was honest, he didn’t think “trust” really existed.  You better not trust anyone on anything.  When you drilled down far enough into people’s love, loyalty, all that, there was nothing there.  Well, nothing you wanted to look at too long.

 

“What say we go fishing?” Lenny said.  The suggestion from his client came out of the blue. “You too should retire,” he continued, “We started together. It would be great.  I’m going to keep a small office, some staff.  You could too, same building even.  We can keep an eye on things.  Then have coffee, lunch.  Play a round of golf; get out the fishing gear when we feel like it.  Take some buddies, head up to Montana and hunt. Hell, it will be great.”

 

The lawyer thought about all that his friend was saying.  It was tempting for sure.  But he was not ready yet.  He had a few more things to put in place in his own life.  “Trust but verify” didn’t someone say?  Some President?  Security first.  Have the insurance paid up and current.  Then be generous.  Then go fishing.  Not before.