The Inn of Destiny

by Gene P. Abel

  After Jerry finished his breakfast, he said to Jackie, “We need to decide what to do about the dream and how to discuss it with others. Let’s set aside some time this weekend to see if you and I can come up with an answer that makes sense to us.”

  “I agree. This is constantly overshadowing everything for me,” Jackie responded.

  “You have a good day at school,” Jerry told Jackie and the kids. “I’ll see you tonight.” He kissed them, got into his car, and drove to the station. Jackie finished the dishes and got the kids ready to leave for school.

  Friday was an uneventful day compared with the last several weeks, and soon Jackie and the kids were home for the weekend and Jerry was coming in the back door from New York. They decided to go out for dinner and ended up at Friendly’s. The kids loved this since they could eat ice cream anytime. It didn’t matter that the weather was cold enough to store the ice cream outside. After they returned home, the kids wanted to see a new video, and Jerry and Jackie began dealing with their dreams. Although they talked until the kids went to bed, they were no closer to an answer than before they started.

  Lisa and David were going to a sleepover party Saturday, and they were full of it starting early in the morning. Jackie had a short list of things for them to do, and they quickly completed their chores. After lunch, Jerry drove them to their friend’s house for the party.

  Jackie and Jerry got started as soon as he got home from dropping the kids off. They considered a number of options, from just treating it like it wouldn’t take place to alerting a large number of their friends. By early evening, they still hadn’t settled on a solution. Then an expression came over Jerry’s face that said to Jackie that he had an idea. He had, in fact, come to a decision, but he wanted to make sure she agreed with it.

  Jackie said, “It looks as if you’ve come up with something.”

  Jerry proceeded to lay out his plan. First, he didn’t want to get into Jackie’s dream due to its personal nature. After all, her dream didn’t have any significance on the market crash issue except to help convince them this dream thing was more than a fluke.

  Jerry proposed to prepare two sets of envelopes that they would use to inform Dave and their close friends Mary and John about the dreams. The first envelope would explain the first two of Jerry’s dreams and how they had started to come true. It would include the upshot of the Optiscan investment at the end of March. In that way, when March dawned, the predictions in the first envelope would help prepare the way for the revelation about the market crash, which would be outlined in detail in the second envelope.

  The instructions would be to open the first envelope before the end of March. The second envelope should be opened after the results of the Optiscan investment were known. As far as the issue with their parents, Jerry was already managing their retirement accounts. He suggested that, rather than get them upset about the world crisis, he would just move their assets into areas that wouldn’t be impacted by the market crash.

  Jackie listened with amazement to what her husband was saying. She realized that he had compassion and a degree of wisdom that surpassed anyone else she knew. When he finished, Jackie said to him, “I think your plan is excellent. I knew you’d be able to deal with this unusual situation. I’m proud of you, dear.”

  Jerry was glad that Jackie agreed so strongly with his plan. They spent the remainder of the evening writing the two letters that they would give to their friends. When they had completed the actual letters, they briefly talked about the ways they might protect themselves. The good thing was they had more than a year to prepare for this crash. In addition, there was a strong possibility that if their friends believed this was to happen, they would be able to work as a team to develop the exact way to both defend against loss and turn this crash into the final step in their own financial destiny. Little did Jackie know when she made the reservation that she had ushered in one of the most significant events of their life! Who would have guessed a simple weekend at the inn might be the porthole to the future!

  19

  The Dinner Party

  On Sunday, they turned to the question of how they would give the envelopes to their friends. Jerry was not in favor of just giving these bombshells to them without talking about them. Jackie agreed and suggested they invite the two couples to an adult dinner party. They planned to give the first sealed envelopes to them prior to the party and ask each couple to bring it with them unopened. After their dinner, Jackie and Jerry would ask them to open their envelopes and read the contents for the first time. After that, they would be able to discuss what they just learned. At the conclusion of the evening, Jackie and Jerry would give them each the second sealed envelope and ask them to return about the first of May, when they would repeat the process and discuss Jerry’s last dream. Jerry planned to tell them that the second envelope contained a prediction of an event that would take place in April. In that way, the two couples would be somewhat prepared for their second meeting.

  Jackie looked at the calendar and thought the best date for the dinner party was the third Saturday in March. This would be just before the final events surrounding Optiscan were known. However, since they would have the envelope prior to the dinner, and the letter from Jackie and Jerry was dated February 1, there would be no question as to the predictions from the first dream. As a result, it would help them accept the events depicted in Jerry’s second dream. Jackie contacted Mary first and confirmed that would be a good date for them. She called Alice, Dave’s wife, to see if they were available on the twentieth. As it turned out, that was fine with them. After they both confirmed the date, Jerry took Dave’s envelope to work and handed it to him over lunch.

  Dave was most intrigued by what might be in this mysterious envelope. After all, this wasn’t the usual way to deliver a formal invitation to dinner. When Jackie gave Mary her envelope, she wanted to open it. Jackie asked her to please be patient. She told her that Dave and Alice would be joining them, and that they, too, had received a sealed envelope.

  …

  Jackie called Mary as soon as she got home from school. She went over to Mary’s house before her kids returned home, to get the latest news on Mary’s morning exercise. Mary went over every detail and suggested that Jackie might like to give Paul a try. Jackie declined and told Mary size wasn’t everything. Besides, she’d had her fling with a big stud while in high school. Mary had to admit that even Paul’s huge tool didn’t bring her to climax. It still took manual stimulation to get the job done properly.

  Several weeks passed after Mary’s Friday adventure, and it was only a week before Jackie’s party. Jackie sent a little reminder saying, “Don’t forget your envelope. It’s your ticket for dinner.” After Mary and Alice got Jackie’s notes, they called to again try to learn what was up with the envelopes. Jackie told them both, “You will find out Saturday night after dinner. Be prepared for something like nothing you’ve ever experienced before in your life!”

  Jackie went all out to plan a dinner that would be up to the task at hand. She would begin with some hors d’oeuvres, followed by a salad containing exotic fruits and vegetables. The main course was a standing rib roast with twice-baked potatoes and several steamed vegetables. Jackie made crescent rolls with honey whipped butter and served a red wine with the dinner. For dessert, she made a lemon meringue pie and planned to have several types of coffee and tea. This would be followed by an after-dinner drink.

  It was about seven o’clock when Dave and Alice arrived, followed shortly after by Mary and John. Both couples had their envelopes and wanted to open them as soon as they were seated in the living room. Jackie asked them to please be patient until after dinner. They agreed, and Jackie went to the kitchen for the hors d’oeuvres while Jerry took their drink orders. The dinner was a smashing success, and they managed to keep the conversation on other subjects throughout the meal. The girls cleared the table after they were finished wi
th dessert, and the three men retired to the den for an after-dinner drink.

  It was about nine thirty when the ladies rejoined them. Jerry stood up and said, “The time has come to share something with you that may change all of our lives. I want you to know the decision to share the information in the envelopes wasn’t easy. We will give you time to read the letter Jackie and I have written to you. After you’ve had a chance to let it settle in a bit, we’ll return and discuss it with you. At the end of this evening, we have a second sealed envelope that we ask you not to open until we meet again in April, when we plan to do this all over again.”

  Jackie and Jerry went to the kitchen to finish cleaning up the dinner dishes while their friends read their letters. In about twenty minutes, Jackie and Jerry returned to their friends, who sat in their chairs with expressions of amazement on their faces. “Just wait until you open the second envelope in April,” Jerry told them. What followed was the most astonishing discussion they ever had together. In fact, it was probably one of the most bizarre conversations of all times.

  The couples decided to meet on the first Saturday in April to open the second letters, which Jerry handed them as they left. He asked them not to open these before their next dinner. Everyone agreed, and they said good night.

  “I wonder what the conversations will be tonight in our friends’ bedrooms,” Jackie said.

  Jerry replied, “I would love to be a fly on the wall.”

  20

  The Second Letter

  Time flew by, and as predicted in Jerry’s dream, by the end of March the price of Optiscan rose and the investment made Jackie and Jerry almost $750,000.

  Before long it was that all-important Saturday evening. The two couples were a few minutes early, which demonstrated the anticipation in the air. Jerry asked if they would like something to drink, but everyone just wanted to open their second envelopes.

  They proceeded to open the envelopes, and as they read the contents, expressions of disbelief replaced their earlier expressions of anticipation. Dave was the first to speak. “I don’t understand how this is possible, but I know the business about the IPOs is for real.”

  Jackie began to tell them about the similar experiences other guests in room D had had over the years. She didn’t discuss her dream about Chris, although Mary was well aware of it. It was clear from the conversation that followed that everyone accepted Jerry’s dreams as bizarre but true.

  The conversation then turned to the Middle East conflict. The men agreed that such an incident was not so hard to believe. Most of them had some knowledge of the conflicts in the past and were aware of the current stalemate in the peace process.

  Dave said, “I, for one, think we should take Jerry’s dream as a warning and develop a plan to protect our investments in the event the last dream is true.” The others agreed that the worst that could happen if the Middle East conflict didn’t develop was that they would have repositioned their investments for a time.

  After several hours of intense discussion, they agreed to begin laying out plans to protect themselves. As the investment expert, Dave would lead the way in providing some alternatives. They agreed to get together and review the options Dave had to offer.

  Jerry asked that they limit their discussion with others, but acknowledged they may want to look after their families’ investments. He did wonder how Dave would be able to keep this information confidential and still do what he thought was best for his clients.

  It was about eleven thirty when they decided to call it a night. The next year would prove to be a time of great anticipation as they prepared to meet the potential challenge that might come into their lives.

  21

  The Investment Plans

  Dave was familiar with Jerry’s investments, but to make sure he had included everything, he provided Jerry with a list of his holdings for his review. Dave met with John in early May to obtain a list of his investments. Dave wanted to present several options, as well as to make specific recommendations for Jerry and John since their investments were somewhat different.

  Dave had reached a point where he wanted to talk about his overall concept with Jerry. Since they both worked in the city, Dave decided to call Jerry and see if he was free for lunch. As it turned out, a lunch meeting Jerry had scheduled had been canceled and he was available. Dave suggested a quiet café near their offices where they could talk in private. They agreed to meet at noon.

  Dave arrived just before noon, and Jerry joined him a few minutes later. Dave asked the waiter to seat them in a rear corner booth so they could talk in private. They both ordered sandwiches, and Dave removed a tablet from his briefcase to take notes.

  “Did you review the list of your investments I sent?” Dave asked.

  “Yes. They look complete,” Jerry replied.

  “I plan to call John in a few days to see if he’s received the list I prepared for him,” said Dave. “I’ve developed three plans for us to consider. I’d like your gut feeling and to see if you have any other concepts that I should develop.”

  The first plan simply moved their assets into money market investments. For IRA-type investments, Dave suggested creating a self-directed IRA account to hold the proceeds using a direct rollover. This would avoid any adverse tax effects of the investment changes. This plan would offer a safe harbor until the crisis was over. There was a low risk of market fluctuation, and the investments would earn the rate the money market accounts were paying at the time.

  The second plan would be to convert their assets to gold during the period of the downturn. This option held the possibility to realize capital appreciation if the price of gold increased because of the crisis in the Middle East. It, too, was a safe hedge against a loss and had the possibility of some gain during the crisis.

  The third plan would be to convert IRA assets to a safe harbor, similar to the other two plans, and sell the after-tax investments to fund the required margin for the short sale of stocks that would be expected to drop in price during the crash. When the price of the securities that were sold fell short and a temporary bottom, or lull, took place, the short sales would be covered and the profits invested in a safe-harbor investment to protect the gain.

  Jerry suggested that when they considered the best option for each family, they might use portions of all three plans. Dave agreed and pointed out that the plan for their parents’ assets could be very different from their own plan. They agreed to have a meeting of the six adults and try to develop more specific plans for each situation. Jerry said, “I’ll ask Jackie to set up dinner at our house within the next several weeks.”

  “That sounds fine,” Dave replied. They finished their lunch and headed back to their offices.

  That evening Jerry told Jackie about his meeting with Dave. She agreed to call the wives to set up another dinner meeting. Jerry suggested the end of June to give Dave time to get his plans prepared.

  Jackie called Mary later that evening to see what would fit her calendar, and Mary suggested they have the dinner meeting at her house on the last Saturday in June. Jackie agreed and told Mary she would call Alice to see if that met with their schedule.

  When Jackie finished the dinner dishes and got the kids settled, she called Alice. Dave answered, and Jackie asked him if that was OK with them to review the investment options. He took a minute to talk with Alice and confirmed that would be fine. Jackie told him the meeting would be next door at Mary and John’s home at 8:00 p.m. He asked if they should bring anything. Jackie responded, “Just some good ideas.”

  22

  Planning to Weather the Storm

  Mary decided to have a barbecue and set up the patio for dinner. She decided on porterhouse steaks, twice-baked potatoes, green beans, and a salad. Dessert would be her homemade Key lime pie. Jackie came over about seven o’clock to help her friend get set for dinner. Jerry and John had been playing golf and arr
ived home about seven thirty. Dave and Alice were a bit late due to a problem they’d had with their babysitter. They rang the doorbell about eight fifteen. The couples decided to have drinks before dinner and begin reviewing the plans Dave prepared after they finished dinner.

  The meal was a great success and a perfect lead-in to the important discussion that followed. Dave had made copies of the three plans he had reviewed with Jerry, and they all agreed to take them home and get back to him when they had made their decisions for their own investments as well as for their family members. The meeting lasted about two hours, and Dave and Alice were the first to leave. Jerry and Jackie helped clean up and went home about eleven thirty.

  Jerry and John decided to work together on their plans. They also agreed not to reveal the details of the predictions to their parents and in-laws. After all, most of their assets were already in more stable income-producing investments, and there was no reason to upset them about the impending crisis. They decided to suggest further movement of their assets to money market funds prior to the predicted market crash.

  It was time to consider their own plans, and Jerry suggested they use parts of the three approaches Dave had described. They agreed and began making specific outlines. Jerry was a bit more aggressive than John and decided to convert his IRAs and 401(k) investments to money market funds. In some cases, it would mean just changing from one fund to another within the same fund manager. In other cases, he would use a self-directed IRA to convert the investments to money market accounts without affecting his taxes. For his after-tax investments, Jerry proposed to invest in gold and use the short-sale option to take advantage of the expected drop in the market as a result of the crisis. He decided to move 40 percent of his after-tax investments to gold and convert the remaining 60 percent to available funds in his brokerage accounts to meet the margin requirements of the short sales. He would seek Dave’s advice on the exact timing of the gold purchase as well as the stocks to be used for the short sales. Although most stocks would most likely experience some price drop, the trick was to select those that would experience the greatest percentage drop. That would require a detailed knowledge of the stocks and the market just prior to the crash.