Justin Thyme Ch. 18

"I admit to being in a rather bad mood tonight, and I'm really sorry. We didn't bring you down here for just this. This is enough to make these two young men's life very comfortable for life if they use good sense, but it is not all." Grandpa sighed. "Michael has shown himself to be very level headed and he knows how to be content, which is a good thing. Justin has yet to learn this trait. I don't say this as a pejorative on Justin. It is just that he has not yet been in a position to need to know it. That has changed. What has me in such a bad mood tonight, and Pete, too, although he has been quiet about it, is I fear putting sudden wealth on these young men at their ages can be very detrimental to them. It is much like lottery winners who get sudden wealth without the background to handle it and end up bankrupt and ruined within a very short time."

"Michael, has Justin told you what we found in the other room?"

"No, Sir. He said you would tell us about it this evening."

Grandpa nodded. "Good. We weren't trying to keep secrets from you, but we felt it better to be able to develop a plan of action together, which is why we have this meeting this evening. By the way, I'm really glad you brought your parents along. A young man recognizing the need for counsel is rare, and especially rare to have a relationship with his parents in which he can, and will, go to them."

"Justin, did you lock the doors when you came back in the house?"

"I believe so."

"Would you please check? I don't anticipate any trouble, and that is one reason we wanted to maintain secrecy. We'll wait for you."

I hustled up the ladder and checked the doors. I also set the alarm, just in case. Grandpa nodded when I returned.

"Thank you, Justin." He pulled the key to the storeroom from the drawer and led the way down the hallway. "Jeff, Joanne, Michael, why don't you and Justin come with me? The others already know what is here." Grandpa unlocked the padlock, but allowed me to remove the heavy bar from the door. He pushed the door open and turned on the worklight so everyone could see inside.

Joanne was stunned by the golden glow that flooded the walls from the reflection on the bars. "Is this really gold? For real?"

"Um hmm." Grandpa was being rather quiet. "Those are homemade bars, one hundred seventy-four of them, and aren't certified, but they are all about ten troy ounces, and at the going rate of twelve hundred seventy-two dollars an ounce, which is down a little bit, between the bars there - go ahead feel free to pick them up - anyway, between those bars and the bags of raw ore on the floor our best guess is a little over four million dollars."

Michael spoke up. "This really isn't mine. I'll take the railroad money, but this isn't my find."

Grandpa drew himself up in his best lawyer pose and said, "Michael, we have been over this once already. You were involved in the find, including this room, although we didn't evaluate it at that time. Legally you are entitled to half of the find, and you will not be cut out of it. I don't care what you do with the money. You can go out on the street and just give it away if you wish, but you will take it. Do I make myself clear?"

Michael just shrugged. "I really don't need it. I have all I need and then some, and if I need more I can do some more consulting like I just did."

Grandpa softened his voice. "I know, Son, and I'm proud of your attitude, but you cannot walk away from this. Even if you were to sign a paper saying you didn't want it I don't think I could legally cut you out of your share, and I don't want to."

Michael shrugged again, but didn't say anything. Mom, Dad, Rosemary and Grandma had come down the hall and were standing just outside the door.

Grandma spoke up, "I didn't get to see your find. I've never seen that kind of gold. Mind if I take a look?"

I waved her in and squeezed back into the corner so she could get in.

"My goodness. It is kind of pretty, isn't it. Looks kind of cold and hard, though."

Grandma put into words what I had thought the first time I saw the gold.

Grandpa reached into one of the sacks on the floor and pulled out a couple of nice sized chunks of the raw gold with some quartz still attached and handed them to Jeff and Joanne. "That's raw gold. I really don't think Justin or Michael mind. There's plenty left for them."

"That's too much!" said Jeff. "You don't need to give us any of it!"

"Please." I said. "Do something nice with it. Make it into jewelry or put it on your mantle to look at or something. Enjoy it. You don't get many opportunities to have raw gold like that." I squeezed past Grandma and reached into the bag and pulled out a pretty chunk and handed it to Grandma. "Here. You get one, too. Start a rock collection or something."

Grandpa got us back on track quickly. "As nice as all of this is, what you see here is just pocket change. Justin, you want to find those certificates you hid? We can go back upstairs to the library where we can sit down now."

I squeezed back into the corner and let them slip out the door, then I pulled the stock certificates and bearer bonds from the various ledgers I'd hidden them in and made my way back upstairs.

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Stephanie walked into her house to find her mother and Tom sitting on the couch. "Mom!" she called out and ran to grab her mother and nearly smother her with a hug. "I'm so happy for you! You just don't know!"

Tom stood and looked on with a smile on his face. Seeing Steph's reaction was the confirmation he had awaited. Of course, he had heard her reaction when he called, but this was more tangible and real. Stephanie released her mother and launched herself at him, taking him by surprise.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you. You have been so good for Mom. I couldn't be happier," Steph whispered through her hug into his ear. "I know you will love her and take care of her. I saw that the first day." Stephanie placed a kiss on Tom's cheek and disengaged just enough to gather her mother into the hug with them.

Tom whispered with an emotion choked voice, "I'm so glad you approve. I couldn't marry her if you didn't. Your father gave his life for me, leaving you without a Dad and your mom without a husband. I want to do my best to repay him by taking care of you both."

Stephanie squeezed his neck and laid her head on his shoulder comfortably. "I think Daddy would be really happy if he knew. I couldn't be happier."

Steph broke the hug and stepped back and then sat in the stuffed chair while Tom and Mary sat back on the couch, Tom with his arm around Mary.

"So when is the wedding?"

Mary looked at Tom and then said, "Well, we would like it to be right away, but tomorrow is Prom, and then next weekend is Graduation. What about the weekend after that?"

"Cool!" Steph looked at Tom. "Can I call you Dad? I have really missed having a Dad. I called Daddy, Daddy, but I was a little girl then. Would you mind?"

Tom opened his mouth, but found he couldn't speak. With tear-filled eyes he nodded his head.

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Susie walked into her house to find her parents out for the evening, leaving her all alone. Normally solitude did not bother her, but the knowledge that Michael was up at 'the house', where she had just been left her feeling desolate. This was the longest they had been apart since the accident. She was amazed at how quickly he had come to mean so very much to her, that just seeing him and hearing his voice was enough to make her feel valued, loved, and important; feelings she had longed for before he came around.

Her parents loved her and made sure she knew it, but she had felt a longing and emptiness within her soul for a couple of years now. She tried filling it by chasing Justin and a couple of others, but they just didn't fit the need. Michael did. It was that simple. Now tonight she felt her aloneness and didn't like it at all.

Talking with Stephanie last night about her relationship with Justin helped. Her questions about their sex experiences had not been salacious, but from a real longing to know, to experience actually, but since that was not possible yet at least to have an idea what lay ahead for her. She had managed to get herself off a couple of times under cover of the sleeping bag while Steph talked about all she and Justin did. Susie was sure Steph knew she got herself off, but she really didn't care. She just needed it so badly.

Today had been sheer torment! Good torment, but torment just the same. Seeing Rosemary and Steph walking around in the nude and wishing she could join them, but Justin was there, and it just would not have been right. Of course, he didn't get naked either. If he had Susie probably would have joined in, right or not.

Of course, Susie saw Justin's bulge in his shorts a number of times, but as much of a thrill as it provided she was careful not to look at it very much. Susie's face flushed as she remembered how a small wet spot had appeared on Justin's shorts once when Steph was bent over straight-legged with her ass toward Justin and Rosemary was standing on top of the ladder with one foot stretched over to a window, leaving her pussy wide open to Justin's view.

When Rosemary dropped her brush once and got paint all over her left boob she climbed down the ladder and picked up the brush, but then walked over to Justin and insisted he clean off the paint. By the time Justin finished wiping and washing to paint from her boob and nipple Rosemary had been quite flushed and breathing hard. Although she had tried to hide it, Susie was too.

Suddenly Susie got up from the couch where she was lounging - looking for something on the TV to capture her attention - and started whipping off her clothes. She laid her tee shirt out on the couch and sat down on it and her fingers made their way to her swollen and quite wet pussy and began stroking, but try as she would she just could not get off. Her frustration mounted by the minute. "Mikey, I need you," she whined before the tears of self-pity overwhelmed her.

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We all gathered back in the library with either a soft drink or water, Grandpa behind the desk, and I laid the stack of certificates in front of him. Grandpa picked them up, almost distastefully, and then sighed.

"I've been in an horrible mood all day, and I'm sorry for the way I've been acting all evening, but this is why." He sighed again. "I know I said downstairs sudden wealth can be detrimental to young people. This has been weighing on my mind since we made the discovery yesterday." Grandpa's face looked gray, almost ashen as he continued. "Four million dollars is a lot of money to drop on two young men suddenly, but everything you saw downstairs is just a drop in the bucket to what I have here in front of me."

Michael broke in. "Excuse me, but I don't remember seeing any of that. What is it?"

"You remember when the railroad men were here to get the gold?"

"Of course."

"Well, when Charlie was looking at the desk he found a secret compartment in the desk. There was also another one, which Justin found yesterday. These certificates were in those two compartments."

"I see. Look, I have enough. More than! I didn't find those, whatever they are. They belong to Justin, or to the family, not me. I want no part of them."

"Now see here, Michael. . . ."

"No! Look, after being around professional athletes all of my life, I've seen what too much money too fast does to people, and I want none of it. I have what I need, and somewhat more, besides what you've given me this evening. I did not find any of those stocks, nor was I part of their discovery. I really don't want them!"

"OK, ease off there, Son. Have you considered Susie in this picture?"

"Of course. She has not been interested in what I have now, always thinking I'm extravagant when I try to do things for her. I don't think adding more to a pile that I already won't spend all of will make a difference to her. I have enough to take care of her very comfortably for the rest of her life and more. Thank you very much. I certainly appreciate your concerns and your honesty in sharing this with me, but no more."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw the look of pride on Joanne's face, which only served to confirm my judgment from when I first met Michael; that he was worth making a very good friend.

Grandpa nodded slowly. "Very well, if you insist. I really think you deserve a part in this, but as it was a separate discovery I will accept your reasoning and choice. However, I'd like you to sleep on it before turning this down."

"Thanks, but I already have. Since this portion of the meeting does not involve me, would you like us to be excused?"

I spoke up for the first time since the beginning of the meeting. "Michael, I really feel badly about you not being included in this. As far as I'm concerned, you're more than welcome to stay, whatever your decision."

Michael stood to his feet. "With your permission, I think we'll leave this to your family. Justin, Rosemary, I'll see you tomorrow night, OK? And Rosemary, save at least one dance for me?"

Jeff and Joanne stood as well and shook hands and gave hugs all around. Michael gave me a big hug and whispered in my ear. "I'm glad for you, but be careful. You have good support in your grandparents and folks. Lean on them. Call me if I can help."

Grandma waited until the door closed behind the Tib's before looking over at me and saying, "I told you that young man had character, and would be a good one to emulate when we first met him. You take heed, young man." All I could do is nod in agreement.

Grandpa sat back down and held his head in his hands and sighed deeply. "I need a drink!" Now Grandpa was not much of a drinking man. A little wine with meals, or an occasional beer with friends, but I've never seen him drunk.

Dad didn't say a word, but reached into his back pocket and pulled out a flask. He handed the flask across the desk to Grandpa, who unstopped it and drank a large swallow. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head as the fiery liquid went down. "Thanks, Pete."

Dad did the same before carefully stopping the flask and slipping it back into his pocket. "I thought we might be needing that before the night was over."

Wordlessly I looked from one to the other. If they thought they needed a drink, what about me? I'm the one who had to deal with whatever it is was on those certificates!

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Joanne hugged her son to her as they walked to the car. "I'm really proud of you, Son."

"Thanks, Mom. I just don't need the added complications in my life right now."

Jeff spoke up as he opened the driver's door on their car. "I think it is more that you have learned the values and differences between greed and need. There's nothing wrong with having a lot of money. The problem comes when a lot of money has you. I think you made a wise decision, Son. You are showing very disturbing signs that you are growing up."

"So, tell us, Son, how was your trip?"

"Dad, you just wouldn't believe it."

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With the Tib's gone we all got up and refreshed our soft drinks and scooted our chairs closer to the desk. Rosemary sat down next to me and reached for my hand as Grandpa started talking again.

"Justin, I have not yet done the research I need to do on these certificates, and much of it I'm going to need to refer to someone in the financial community. Now that Michael has taken himself out of the picture it will be a little easier, and we won't need to take as long with this meeting as I had anticipated. Let me just lay out a little bit of what you have here."

"The UP and Southern Pacific have had an inter-related existence for years and years, with the UP owning part of the Espee, as it was frequently called, and then having to divest it because of the ICC regulations. That is where I'm going to need some financial help, because your shares of stock predate all of that activity."

"In '85 the Denver and Rio Grande bought the Espee, and then in '96 the Espee and UP merged. Now, I'm not exactly sure how your shares fared in the Rio Grande purchase, but I know they were diluted two to one when the UP took over."

"Now to add to all of that confusion, Sam Johnson also owned quite a few shares of small branch line railroads that fed the SP, or served other areas. Several of these are defunct and worth nothing, other than whatever a collector might pay for the paper. On the other hand, a few of them were bought out by the SP, and I have to find out what those values are."

"Now, Samuel Johnson was not quite in the same class as J.P. Morgan, or of Hill, but he was no slouch either. You have five hundred thousand shares of the original SP, plus large numbers of shares of the small lines. Exactly how much you own I don't know yet, but it is enough that next time you see Ben Jorgenson or Pete Fleming, they will call you 'Sir'."

"Another thing. You will have compiled dividends and there will have been stock splits since 1901 that have occurred. In fact, the UP stocks split just a few years ago two for one, and again just a couple of weeks ago and shares were quoted at just a fuzz over one hundred dollars at close of business today."

My head was swimming.

"Now, along with all of the railroad stock you also have a handful of bearer bonds. These are all over one hundred years old. Some of them are from defunct railroads, and will be worthless. Some are from lines that were taken over and will still be good. Some have specific dates on them and will have a cap on interest paid, but others are open ended, meaning you have had interest compounding on them for over a hundred years, which is going to be very significant. Before we are done here I fully expect your net worth to be in the lower to mid nine figure range. Of course, taxes are going to eat into that very heavily, but you are going to be an extremely wealthy young man."

I sat there for a little bit trying to get my head around all he had told me. Nine figures? Then it hit me. He was talking over a hundred million dollars! I thought four million in gold was a lot of money, and it is, but what was I to do with a hundred million dollars?

"Now I see why you were worried," I said to Grandpa. "Well, to start off, this isn't just my problem, because as far as I'm concerned this is Thyme and Thyme Again Properties problem. I can deal with the gold, but you were here when Charlie showed me the compartment, so you are in on the find as well as I."

Grandpa nodded. "Leaving it in the company might be helpful as far as taxes are concerned, but I'm not so sure you should split it up. It's yours."

"No. To be honest, I'm kind of numb to it right now, but I don't believe it would be right for me to claim it all, especially since Michael took himself out of any part of things. Leave it all in the company name." I thought Grandpa looked relieved, and I saw Dad visibly relax.

"I would suggest we keep this as quiet as possible for as long as possible. Once word gets out on this you will find we have more relatives and friends than we ever knew about, and they will all be needing loans."

"If we leave everything in the company name we don't have to let people know what kind of money we have, either, which will make going to school a lot easier."

"I'd suggest we call it a night," Grandpa said. "I'll take these certificates with me and try to get some research done on them within the next week to ten days. Pete, you did bring your gun with you, didn't you?"

"It's in the car."

Grandpa nodded. "I really don't think we'll need it. Nobody knows what we have, but with this kind of money I don't want to take chances. The gold is going to have to sit there for a bit until we decide what to do with it. I don't know about you folks, but I'm worn out. This has been a tough day."