So, You Want to Live Past Next Tuesday

by Billy Bob Richardson

  “I know Tink, but it can’t be nickels and dimes. We would have to hit the cash reserve of some big cartel, and they don’t like having their money taken. On top of that we only know one guy from south of the border, and he is a carpenter. In Afghanistan he never mentioned knowing anything about the drug business and even if he did we couldn’t ask him to take that kind of chance. Tink, you exchange emails with him; how are things going for him?”

  “Pretty good Madd, he has a chance to buy his father-in-law’s construction business, but just can’t get the money together.”

  “He ask you for the money?”

  “Nope, it just came up when I asked him how he was enjoying civilian life.”

  “He say how much he needed?”

  “No Madd, he didn’t even mention it, just said he was looking to get ahead in the world and that he could get an established business if he had the coin.”

  “You got some kind of idea about making money, Madd?”

  “Not really, Tink. I was thinking that it might be nice to have a contractor with his own building crew. Being from way down in South America, that kind of company has advantages for working on the new home place. We could ship them up here, put them out at the ranch so they had no idea where they were and when they were done, ship them back. We would never have to worry about some worker spilling the beans about this nice remote setup he worked on.

  “As far as the money angle goes, Cousin Zeb contacted me. I believe that working for Uncle Sugar has given him some ideas. He will be here sometime tomorrow. He has been working on the money angle for years. He needs a face to face. I hope it is about a way to generate money, but it also could be about Al.”

  “What about him, Madd?” asked Ivan.

  “When we first invited Al to meet the family, I managed to get a few pics of him and sent that along with what we knew about him to Zeb and our other cousins working in DC. I wanted to know what kind of man we were dealing with. If he is the person we imagine him to be there is always a chance that he can help us out as well. The only sources for a lot of cash that isn’t stealing from legitimate people is getting it from criminals of one kind or another.”

  “OK Madd, but how do Al, and our cousins in the government, help?”

  “Think about it, Ivan. Guys that have access to ongoing international criminal exchanges or who are field operators, might hear about various criminal exchanges. They might be our only hope. The kind of money we are talking about doesn’t come from a guy who is selling ounces of pot. Before you ask Ivan, no, I didn’t make friends with Al to help solve our cash flow. It never occurred to me until he mentioned being in the family and being crazy about Rose. He made the statement that as long as he could prevent it, no one would ever harm Rose. That led me to thinking about ways he could help keep her safe.

  “On another note, did you guys talk to your girls?” He got affirmatives from everyone.

  “Good, I talked to Itsy and she is willing and doesn’t mind me announcing it. That what everyone is going to do tomorrow as well?”

  “That’s what I am doing with the addition of taking two girls that have been training with my main girl. I have known them as long as you guys have known your girls so I am doing it all at one time. In for a penny and all that,” said Ivan.

  “What about you, Tink?”

  “Same for me, three.”

  “Real?”

  “Two for me.”

  “Hey?”

  “Two as well, maybe three; my main girl wants to get a third into the household before she is snapped up. Told her I would think on it. Frankly, two is more than enough for me, but she is insistent. She thinks it is a good deal so I am going with her opinion.”

  “What about you Madd, only Itsy?”

  “That’s what I was thinking, but now that you guys are talking about it I believe I will take Annie as well. Like Hey, Itsy is talking to me about adding a girl. But I don’t think I will go official, I think I will have them working with Itsy to meld into the family while we are gone then decide when I get back.”

  “I like that solution,” said Hey. “I am going to go that route as well.”

  “I had a thought,” said Madd. “Hey, that third girl, I don’t want us to be going after the same girl, mind telling us who she is?”

  “I don’t mind, but it isn’t a problem. I was worried that some of us might have that very thing happen so I checked the genetics sheet. She could match you or Ivan, but her education tracks don’t complement you guys,” Hey pointed out.

  “I do have a question for you guys.” They all gave Hey their attention. “Have you ever considered going to the B list, the one that lists good matches with acceptable females who live in other states?”

  “I can see that might work or even be a good thing, but how would you know anything about them, or even if they would be willing to live on the ranch?”

  “Not sure Madd, but while I was considering a third girl someone just popped into my mind. Cast your minds back to when we were thirteen or fourteen. Some out of state family was here for a few weeks in the summer, then came back for several summers. Remember that tall, extremely thin girl Ursula?”

  “I do now that you mention her. Didn’t we call her snake hips because she had no figure at all, just one tall cylinder of a girl?” asked Real.

  “That’s her. I’ve kept in touch with her via emails and I still hear from her every week. She is always asking about the farm and what it’s like to live here full time. She is interested in everyday goings on, not just special events and stuff. She has even struck up a friendship with my girl.”

  “So what’s your point?” asked Real.

  “Something about her always interested me.”

  “If we were going to be here, I would say invite her out for a stay,” said Ivan. Where does she live?”

  “Arizona I think, not that far.”

  Madd needed to get them organized.

  “We need to wrap this up, it is about time for the LLC financial and strategy meeting. It’s already 9:20pm, we are in for a long night.”

  On the way to their meeting Hey took out his phone and the guys could hear him say, “Hi Ursula, how are you? Good. You remember my cousins, the ones we talk about all the time, the ones I always hung around with? I was telling them about you and they all remember you and how much we liked you. Yes, I am here on leave, but we have to head back in a few days. Yes, that’s not much time.

  “To be frank you should drop what you are doing and come for a visit. Yes, I am serious. You know the ins and outs of our relationships, well I am officially taking my main girl into my household along with another girl. Thing is, they want a third. Yes, that’s right. Yep. Why do I want you to come? I want you to meet them and spend time with them; you are going to be joining my family as third girl.

  “Hello? Hello, you there Ursula? No, I’m not joking. You have always been interested and asked questions about the details of the family and my relationship with my girls. By now you should understand what it is you would be getting into and how it works. Yes. Yes, that’s right. I believe it is about an eight hour drive. Clothes? Well, enough for a week minimum. Hmm, ya. Plan on staying on for a couple weeks or as long as it takes. My girls already know you from your emails and phone calls to them over the last year, so unless something seriously wrong comes up you will be joining the family as soon as I complete my contract. That’s excellent. I thought that was what was going on but didn’t decide to take you up on it until I had time to think more about it. OK, drive carefully and we will see you in 9 or 10 hours.”

  When he turned around the cousins were stopped and just staring at him.

  “What?”

  Tink turned to Real and said, “What just happened?”

  “Something happened?” They all turned away and kept walking.

  Madd gave him a shrug, then said, “You are such a romantic Hey, I never knew you had it in you to flatter a girl and fawn over her like you just did.”
r />   Hey gave them all a blank look.

  “Guy, you made it sound like you were ordering pizza or commanding a troupe movement from her, not romancing her.”

  “I admitted I like her, right? I told you guys. She even admitted that joining my family was what she had been angling to do for the last year or so. What did I do wrong? She was happy to be told to come, ya know?”

  No response.

  Chapter 7

  Meeting room off the Community Center. 9:31pm.

  LLC Business (Riders in the Storm) meeting.

  Dek opened the meeting with, “Guys, let’s settle down. We need to get down to business. We have a lot to get through since we haven’t been able to hold a meeting with all members in over a year. We have had a lot of changes in finances and lost some members. I am going to recap and bring us up to the present. We are going to cover information that many of you already know, but our financial situation has changed and is changing. It is important that we understand these changes and make decisions about how to change with them, both as a group and financially. Let the record show that all members are present, either physically or via internet video conferencing. The exceptions are five members unable to attend. They have submitted their proxies to be voted by the LLC chair.

  “Four years ago at the formation of this LLC, Riders in the Storm, each member contributed $7,500 to provide us with working capital. At that time we had thirty nine active senior members, which gave us a capitalization of $292,500. Over the last two years four members left us voluntarily and received their investment of $7,500 at their request, leaving our capitalization at $262,500. In addition we have lost three members over the last four years due to their untimely deaths. Their contributions remain in the fund. Two years ago an additional $7,500 was placed in the fund by the remaining thirty two members. At the forming of the LLC the family council gifted us with $30,000 and has provided us with $15,000 annually for the past three years. This brought our capitalization to $607,000. This annual investment in the LLC has now been terminated due to a worsening financial situation for the family.

  “In addition to the monetary capitalization, members have invested other valuable resources. Madd was able to secure the use of Champion Percheron and Belgian mares and or studs, from various family members. For stud services outside the family, the fees were negotiated for half price with a promise of a portion of the resulting sale price of the first foal born. If the foal were retained by us, then the full price was paid plus interest to the provider of the stud. Studs were from appropriate proven stallions from around the US and Canada.

  “Additionally, we acquired Hereford and Angus purebred cattle and have been building both our draft horse and cattle herds. The family council gave us a long term lease on the old Johnson place for $100 a year. The only stipulation was that we keep the place up and make sure the ranch buildings stayed in good repair. Since it was not being used by the family it was a good deal all around.

  “As a reminder, when they gave us the lease Uncles Nathan and Jack were smiling and had very little confidence we would make much money out of cattle. We didn’t mention our intention of raising working horse breeds for farming. As far as I know they have no idea how large of an operation we now are running. We have been careful to keep it that way. We sold our first 200 registered Angus calving cows for $2,200 each at the last auction. We retained enough of our herd to be able to auction off approximately 320 next time. We sold 150 Hereford Angus crossbreds for $2,350 each. The Johnson place cannot carry that many head directly, so we are using the livestock grazing rights from the BLM land. These leases have been part of the Johnson place for years. To maintain the leases from the BLM, the fees have to be paid each year or the Johnson place loses the lease. The family has been paying those fees every year to maintain the value of the Johnson place for later sale. In the current economy and with the lack of demand for smaller operations, it is debatable whether it can ever be sold, at least for anything near its true value. At some point we may have to take over those BLM payments. After all operating expenses we were left with $364,000 in profit.

  “I am not going to bore you with all the details, just a couple highlights. Various members have provided, at no fee, the use of various types of equipment. Of significant value has been the use of equipment to harvest hay for winter feed. Much of the grass hay we harvested was on unused land that the family owns or leases. This significantly reduced the cost of winter feeding. The running of the day to day operation has all been provided by member volunteers.

  “We did have some significant expenditures, like the Johnson barn. We repaired and enlarged the barn, and in addition created covered storage for the hay on both sides of the barn proper. Obviously this rate of return may not be sustainable long term, if the terms of our lease or the necessity to purchase our own equipment occurs. After capital expenditures, like cattle, horses, and barn and vet services our current capitalization is $825,400. You should note that the family vet provided services for free; we only paid for medicines at cost.

  “Of that total, 70% is invested with Tommy for the Riders. 30% is in our account for day to day purchases.

  “There were some additional valuable resources acquired by the Riders. For several years leading up to the creation of our LLC, we had been talking to the council. We were trying to get them to recover some, if not all the loans made to various family members. Some were very significant amounts. One in particular, a cousin who went to medical school and then specialized in cancer treatment. Not only did the council pay his tuition twice, they also invested in his opening a practice when the time came. As far as we can find out his indebtedness to the family was a staggering $589,000. Thanks to a former council member there were legally binding promises to repay the debt.

  “Uncles Nathan and Jack got so tired of having us bring it up all the time, they agreed to let the LLC try and recover all outstanding debt from loans made by the council. Not being the most gracious of our family, they added a ‘good luck’ to the agreement. The debts were legally transferred and we started the process of recovery. Our cousin the doctor was very receptive, but had little financial ability repay the debt. To show his sincerity he made us an offer. He offered us 20% of his business ventures. Long story short, we kept negotiating until we had 50% of all and any business he started or joined. I know it sounds a little hard core, but remember he hadn’t made a payment in over 10 years. In his defense, the council apparently never asked for any of the loan back. Several of us with financial experience went to Denver and looked over his books and financial records. We also had Tommy there via video conferencing to make sure we didn’t miss anything. We signed all the pertinent papers for the LLC and came home. That was in 2012. In 2013 he paid us $250,000 on his loan, and $269,000 in profit.

  “That brings us up to date as of last Monday.

  “Since Monday we received $300,000 on his loan, which leaves him with a $39,000 outstanding balance, not figuring interest charges. He also sent a check for our part of the profits from his business for $605,250. He informed us that the competition is getting fierce and to not expect anything like what he sent this time again, unless the market changes or his competition is somehow removed.”

  “He did what?” shouted Madd. “How did he go from broke as a joke to being able to send us $1,424,250?”

  “My thought exactly Madd,” said Dek. “When he sent us a payment on his loan and our profit, I got curious and looked into his business. This is how it works out. He is a cancer specialist that can write prescriptions for medical pot. He saw that the climate was right for the passage of legalized pot, and either started or bought into pot farms. A little dangerous doing it before the law actually went into effect, but as it turned out, a profitable decision. At the time the law passed he was a partner in some legal operations that sold medical pot. Now that it is all legal, profits skyrocketed. Technically we are also partners in the stores since we own half of what he owns. So, when the bill passed,
he harvested his farms, and shipped his harvest to his stores. Apparently, he also directed his patients to stores he was a partner in.”

  “I don’t like this, I am not happy about this!” said Madd.

  “Why is that, Madd? It’s legal now, you know.”

  “I don’t care Dek, it just doesn’t feel right. It feels like we are involved in something not quite right, or underhanded in some way.”

  “OK, I can understand your feelings, but let me ask you a question,” said Dek. “If we had 10,000 shares of Pfizer, the big drug company, would you feel bad if they created a new antibiotic and sent us a huge dividend check?”

  “It’s not the same, Dek.”

  “Why isn’t it?”

  “I don’t know, it just feels wrong. Is there any way we can sell our part back or to some company?” asked Madd.

  “Possibly Madd, but I am going to use an example you have used countless times when you wanted to win an argument in favor of the family. You would talk about saving the family versus trying to save everyone and by doing so, causing the death of the family. You would give this example.

  “The family and our loved ones are on a ship that is sinking. Our family makes it to their assigned lifeboat and we row a ways out and watch as the ship starts sinking faster. Non-family swim up and since there is no more room in the lifeboat we allow them to hold on to the sides. As they do, the boat sinks a little further down into the water. At this point we are all doing OK, then we see fifty more people swimming up with the intention of holding onto the boat. If they get to us we will all sink, and all of us, our family and loved ones included, will be in the water. With no rescue in sight, we will all die. So, do we stay there and die by letting more people hold on until we are all in the water, or do we use the oars to pull away and save the family?”

  “I get it Dek, you are saying the lifeboat is sinking and we better start rowing. I know we need the money, but I don’t have to like where it is coming from.”