First Class Stamp

by Aj Harmon

  *****

  “Huh?” Ben said to his dad.

  “Do. You. Want. Peas?” Peter Lathem repeated.

  “Oh, thanks,” Ben mumbled and took the bowl from his father’s hand.

  “You okay?” Janie asked.

  Ben nodded. “Didn’t get a whole lotta sleep the last few nights and it’s catching up with me.”

  “You gonna be good to go in the morning?” Mark asked.

  “Of course!” Ben scoffed. “Four hundred employees hanging on my every word,” he grinned.

  “No work talk at the table,” Maureen frowned. “Sunday dinners are family talk…nothing else.”

  “Yes ma’am,” grinned Mark.

  “Actually,” David said. “This is the perfect moment for Lindsey and I to tell you all that in six months there will be another Lathem around the dining table.”

  Clapping and cheers abounded as congratulations and hugs were offered. Maureen smiled at her daughter-in-law and said another silent prayer to God asking all to go well with this pregnancy. Lindsey still had some morning sickness, but had been to the doctor and had been told that all was well. She caught Maureen’s eye and smiled.

  Talk of babies and maternity clothes, and diapers and midnight feedings continued through the meal and Ben watched as each of his brothers was actively engaged in the conversation, including Mark, who didn’t, and wouldn’t, have children of his own. Even Tim, his youngest brother, who’d been married for only a few months, was interjecting and talking about “when they had kids”. Ben picked at his plate, moving peas around his mashed potatoes and building bridges with his carrots. His brothers were all so animated and excited about being fathers and Ben’s mind drifted to Alex, who had a father, just a shitty one.

  I would never ignore my child, he thought. What kind of person can know he has a child and not want to see him? His thoughts turned to Luca. He’d never known his father. Did that make it easier? Or worse?

  He’d made sure throughout the years that he would never father a child…using condoms every time he had sex, sometimes doubling up to make sure nothing got through, especially with Jill. He’d wondered a couple of times if she would try to get pregnant to trap him into a marriage he didn’t want…wasn’t ready for, but fortunately that hadn’t happened. He wouldn’t let it happen. He hadn’t unilaterally ruled out having children one day, but he certainly didn’t see it anywhere in the near future. And this dinner conversation was boring him, as evidenced by the castle and moat he’d built with the roast beef and gravy in front of him.

  “That’s funny,” giggled Ella looking at her uncle’s plate.

  “You like it?” he grinned.

  “Uh-huh,” she nodded. “Can you build me one too?”

  “Sure,” he smiled. “We’ll do it together.”

  *****

  By six o’clock Ben was in his office ready to begin the work day. Sitting behind his desk, dressed in his favorite dark blue suit with a white dress shirt, yellow and white striped tie and matching handkerchief in his pocket, Ben felt like the professional that he was. He was confident in his abilities to run the company and manage the employees that trusted him to do so.

  The continental breakfast that was being served before the conference was to commence at ten so he had a couple of hours to get a handle on his email. Deleting all the junk mail first, he settled back into his leather executive chair and began reading one at a time. Several he forwarded to his secretary to handle and a couple he replied to quickly. Then came one from Vicente Rivera.

  ‘Mr. Lathem,

  I will up my latest offer to purchase Crystal Towers by $500,000.00. That is a generous offer that I would ask you take to your brother to consider. I know that he would be the one to approve the sale. It is my last offer and if it is rejected you will hear no more from me. I believe it to be a sound business move to sell the building, as we cannot suppose to know when the unruly behavior of certain groups in Rio de Janeiro will cease, leaving you at risk. But as a South American company, we have many holdings in the city that are not at risk. It will serve your interests to transfer ownership before it becomes a target of increased violence.

  As for my other offer, it still stands. You are a smart business man with a keen eye for the real estate business. I would be proud and thrilled to have you come and work with me, building an empire together. I have watched you rise over the years and have followed your career with not only curiosity, but with envy at your natural skill. Please do not say no before seriously considering it. But again, if you refuse this offer, it will be the last time I contact you.

  Sincerely,

  Vicente’

  Leaning back and taking a deep breath, Ben mulled over the words in the message. He loved Matt with all his heart…as a brother loves another brother. He respected him and was loyal to him and Matt had earned it without question. But would he ever have the utmost confidence in Ben’s abilities? Would he ever completely trust his company to Ben without always second-guessing his decisions?

  With a deep sigh Ben shot off an email to Matt, outlining the new offer and why Ben thought they should accept it. Vicente was right in his assessment of the unrest in Rio. There was no crystal ball to tell them what the future held in the tenuous situation, and by keeping the building they were in effect threatening the lives of all who worked within its glass walls. After hitting the send button, Ben let his mind wander, for just a moment, and imagined leaving MEL Holdings and working somewhere else. The money offered wasn’t the real pull…Ben had plenty of money and with the help of his brother Andrew, a shrewd stockbroker, he had enough money to live out the rest of his life in comfort. No, it wasn’t the money. It was escaping Matt’s shadow and outrunning Tyler, the stepson who, inevitably, would inherit Matt’s empire. Maybe it was time to build his own…to prove to himself that he could.

  *****

  The first day of school in a new place is always difficult, but for Luca the excitement oozed like a tangible thing. He was up and dressed and eating a bowl of cereal when Maria exited the bathroom, her hair wrapped in a towel turban style.

  “We will get your uniforms this week, I promise,” she smiled at her son who was dressed in khaki trousers and a blue polo shirt. “St. Luke’s is supposed to be one of the best schools in the city.”

  “Ben got me in, didn’t he?”

  Maria nodded. “Actually, he said his mother had a hand in that. If you ever meet her, you should remember to say thank you.”

  “I will,” he happily agreed. “I’m gonna brush my teeth now.” He jumped from the table and ran down the hall.

  Pouring herself a cup of coffee, she leaned back on the kitchen counter and gazed out the window. They had a view of a bridge, she didn’t know which one, and she felt a bit like a fish out of water. Her home on the outskirts of Rio was small and modest, but it was hers. She’d worked hard to provide for her son and they’d led a quiet and happy life. Now she found herself in the middle of New York panicking about what to wear to the conference where she would meet the people her future coworkers. Her nerves were making her stomach do cartwheels and she wished that she felt the same eagerness as Luca.

  “Mama, we don’t want to be late!” he called, making her grin.

  “We won’t be late,” she replied. She hurried to get ready so they wouldn’t be.

  *****

  Matt arrived in his office just a few minutes before ten. He placed a couple of blueprints on his desk and then walked down the hall to find Ben who was just pulling on his suit jacket and straightening his tie.

  “Got your email,” Matt said. “You really think selling is the way to go here?”

  Ben didn’t know if Matt was mocking his opinion or asking him a genuine question. “I do. As long as there are threats of violence we’ll never be able to fill the building to capacity and all our employees will be at risk. I don’t think that’s a smart business move, nor do I need the responsibility of people’s lives in my hands.”

  Ma
tt seemed to be considering his comments so Ben continued. “We bought that property at a fraction of what it was worth. It was a smart business move and for many years we’ve leased ninety percent of the office space and made a profit. This offer from Latin World Corporation is more than you paid for the building to begin with, so I can’t see how it’s a bad idea.”

  Rubbing his forehead with his right hand, Matt nodded. “You’re right. Accept the offer and take care of it. Let me know when you need me to sign.”

  “Really?” Ben was surprised at Matt’s ready agreement.

  “Yeah. Everything you’ve said is on the money. And if you think we should sell, I accept your decision.” He turned to leave the office. “I’ll see you downstairs in five.”

  Ben watched his brother leave. He’d never had Matt defer to his opinion so quickly before. Usually, Ben had to discuss…debate…argue to get his brothers to try to see things his way. He wandered out of his office, down the hall to the stairs and ran down one flight to the lower floor where four hundred employees were waiting to hear him encourage and train them. What he really desired to do was empower them and leave them excited about the company and their position in it. And that was exactly what he was going to do!

  He entered the room that was filled to capacity with employees from all over the globe and shook a couple of hands on his way to join Matt and Ryan who were talking at the front of the room.

  “Where’s Mark?” Ben asked looking around.

  “Coming,” Matt replied. “Something about Shelby and a car that won’t start and Katy in a panic because school starts today.” Katy was Mark’s wife and Shelby was Katy’s surrogate little sister, a girl Katy had met in Portland as a frightened and battered teenager who now attended Boston College and was beginning her senior year.

  Ben nodded and walked to the table that stood at the front of the room. It had six empty chairs and a small podium and a cordless mic for the speaker. Pouring himself a drink, he looked up to see Maria standing directly in front of him.

  “Hello Ben,” she smiled.

  “Hi Maria,” he replied, genuinely happy to see her. He’d forgotten how beautiful she was with her big dark eyes and long dark hair that was now cut into a sleek shoulder-length style. She looked fantastic in her body-hugging red dress and his physical desire for her that he’d buried so deeply all those years ago was fighting to surface. He had to take a second to remind himself that under no circumstances could he let that interfere with his job, or with hers. “How was the trip here? Are you all settled in the apartment? How about Luca? Did he go to school today?”

  She chuckled. “Fine, yes, fine and yes.”

  Ben laughed. “Okay. We should have lunch and catch up. Would you like to meet me upstairs during the break?”

  “That would be great,” she nodded. “I will come to your office then?”

  “Sure thing. I’ll have some of the food delivered so we won’t have to stand in line for the buffet.”

  Maria said goodbye and returned to her seat and Matt came and stood next to him. “Ready?” he asked.

  “You bet,” Ben replied. “Let’s get this party started.”

  10.

  Gloria was getting stronger every day. She was back to helping out Aldo in the store for a few minutes here and there and shooed Sophia out of the kitchen when she tried to make dinner for her. With Alex back in school and her mother not needing constant nursing, Sophia found herself with some time to herself. Instead of doing something frivolous, she deep cleaned the carpets and washed all the windows. Finishing a bottle of Windex, she ran down to the store and grabbed one off the shelf.

  “So how was your date last week?” Aldo asked her as she appeared from the end of the aisle.

  “What date?” Sophia frowned. “I haven’t had a date in…in…well Alex is twelve, so thirteen years!”

  “On Friday with Mr. Lathem.”

  “Oh, that!” she frowned. “That wasn’t a date! Besides, Alex came too so it definitely wasn’t a date!”

  Sophia ran back upstairs and back to her apartment. She’d tried to not think about dinner with Ben the previous week. It was all too strange and a tad unnerving. Basically, her mother had all but asked Ben to take her to dinner and that was embarrassing enough, but then when they’d been called a family? Well, that had about done her in. There was no way that there would ever be anything between her and Ben. They were from completely different worlds, even though they lived across the street from each other. She didn’t fit into his world and he definitely didn’t fit into hers and Alex’s life.

  Now that her mom was getting her strength back and was needing less and less of her time, Sophia needed to start thinking about what to do with her time. She needed to get back to school, although the fall semester had already started so January would be the soonest she could start, and she still needed to decide what she wanted to be when she grew up. An ironic thought seeing as though they had recently celebrated her thirty-second birthday.

  But somehow her mind kept drifting to Ben. Her mom was right. He was gorgeous…and kind…and an all-around good guy. He would make someone very happy, but it wouldn’t be her. They were too different. Still, she could just think about him in the shower like her mom said.

  *****

  After arriving back at their apartment, Luca told his mother all about his first day at school, starting with what his teacher wore and who he sat next to, to how many brick steps there were from the gate to the front door of the school. Maria was relieved and happy that his first day had been a good experience. She didn’t need to worry about him not wanting to go back in the morning.

  “So did you get my uniforms yet?” he asked as she set the table for dinner.

  “No,” she sighed. “Today was full of meetings and then I had to come straight to get you. I’ll try to take care of it tomorrow at lunch.”

  “That’s okay,” said Luca happily. “Father Todd was really nice and said that he knew it would take a little while for us to get settled. And he asked if we would see him at mass on Sunday.”

  “Yes he will,” she smiled. “I had lunch with Ben today.”

  “You did?”

  “He said that you should call him and tell him when you want to go and see the Yankees game.”

  “Can I call him now, mama?”

  “Well,” she teased, “Supper is almost ready…but I suppose…”

  “Oh wow!” he exclaimed. “I’m going to a Yankees game!”

  Maria couldn’t help but share his excitement as she pulled her new cell phone from her purse and pulled up Ben’s private cell number. “Here you go,” she said as she handed the phone to her son.

  After a few minutes of conversation, it was decided that this Friday Ben would take him to the game, logistics to be worked out later with his mom. As Luca chatted all through dinner about the Yankees, Maria realized it was going to be a very long time before Friday arrived.

  *****

  Matt, Mark, Ryan and Ben sat in Matt’s office and discussed the events of the day and the schedule for the following day. The next two days of the conference would be full of team building and leadership and management training by a training firm they’d hired. It left the men to focus on the day-to-day operations of the company.

  As the conversation switched between personal and professional and back again, Ben listened to the three of them talk about their wives with such love and respect. He knew all three women well and knew they deserved such praise and admiration. It was a concept he had not ever considered for himself, that of being so committed to one woman that he’d legally bind himself to her. Marriage was not for the faint of heart and so many went into it lightly and then later had broken hearts. Sophia and Alex came to mind. Young and probably completely naïve and unable to distinguish between a crush and love, Sophia had apparently married the jerk of the year and then produced a completely innocent child to suffer through her mistake…a lifelong mistake.

  He didn’t mean to be
harsh but that was the reality. Alex was sentenced to a life with an idiot for a father, and though they might be divorced, Sophia was still suffering from her error in judgment, too. No, marriage was not for the faint of heart. Yet here sat three brilliant men, with college degrees, professional lives that most men could only dream of achieving, and all three were happily married, and giving all the credit to their wives for the content and comfortable lives they led. Ben’s life was comfortable and he was content.

  “Are you telling me,” he said after Ryan had just informed them that Courtney was pregnant with their fourth child in six years Ben was horrified to hear, “that you don’t think you could be happy and content if you were still single?”

  “Are you happy and content?” Mark asked him.

  “Don’t deflect!” Ben replied. “Answer the question.”

  “Okay,” Mark smiled. “I will! Let me start by saying that I know exactly where you are in your life. You work hard and are dedicated and focused on your career. But I had something that you don’t have and that’s a life outside of the office.”

  “I have a life,” snarled Ben.

  “Doing what?” Matt asked.

  “What do you mean doing what?”

  “When you aren’t at work, let’s clarify that with at the office, what do you do?”

  “I do lots of things,” said Ben.

  “Name three,” Ryan added.

  Ben was beginning to regret his question. “We aren’t talking about me right now. I asked you a question and nobody’s answered it yet.”

  “Fine!” laughed Matt. “I’ll answer your question and then you answer mine. Deal?”

  Ben nodded.

  “You know I was never going to get married again after the two fiascos I had. I don’t even call them marriages anymore…not now that I know what a marriage really is! But anyway, I was happy and content, as you put it. I was! Really! I loved my job…but that’s all I did…I worked and it was great. And then I met Janie and…well…there’s no other way to say it but she was the part of me that was missing. She was…she is my heart and my soul. I go to sleep each night wanting her face to be last thing I see before I close my eyes and the first thing I see in the morning. There is no more beautiful sound in the world than her laugh. When I see something funny on TV I look for her so I can tell her about it. When I’m troubled about something I share it with her and I see in her eyes that she understands me and will support and sustain me no matter what. And when I look into the faces of my children I see her in them…everything that is good in them comes from her.”