Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2006 04:24:47 -0700 (PDT) From: RON ROBBINS Subject: FAMILY & FRIEND -ALEX-PART 5 This story contains graphic sexual scenes between males. If material of this nature offends you then you should not read this story. Additionally, if you are under 18 years of age in most states you are not allowed to read this story by law. This story is purely a work of fiction. Any resemblance to person's living or dead, or to events that may have occurred, is purely coincidental. The author claims all copyrights to this story and no duplication or publication of this story is allowed, except by the web sites to which it has been posted, without the consent of the author. *****FAMILY & FRIENDS***** ALEX PART 5 By Ronald Robbins -- Edited by Bill. *** THREE YEARS LATER *** Drew was seated in at the conference table in Mac office. They were discussing the Brazilian Petrochemical operation. Drew said, "Terry has increased the refinery profits by 18-percent this year alone. This is the third year of steady increases. I wish we could talk him into staying. "Terry is an outstanding manager and I think he is too valuable to be stuck in Brazil. I'm afraid he'll baulk if we ask him to stay on another year. He has that operation whipped into shape now. He needs to be back to his corporate headquarters in Atlanta. "You know I not surprised at the way Alex has grown as well," Mac said. "Since he's taken over the Stonewall domestic operations from Terry, he has doubled the business. He has put together a super management team and the profits continue to climb. That military training and his MBA has made him a hard man to beat. It's not surprising that Terry wants out of the South America. Terry has trained two young executives in his management training program that are capable of running the operation. He just hasn't decided on which one to chouse. He misses Alex and I emphasize with him. I know how I felt while you were stuck in Paris. He wants to be home with Alex to raise their children. Their birth date is in two months. Terry wants to back in Atlanta by then. His plans are to have Alex to continue to run Stonewall while he takes a year off to be with the children." "You know I can't blame him," Drew said. "My suggestion is to replace him ASAP. It sounds like Terry is burnt out and he needs the rest. They both need the time together. I like them too much to loose them, Mac." "You're right," Mac said. "I'll talk to Terry next week." ***** THE BRAZIL REFINERY ***** "I'm sorry I have to leave you again so soon baby, but, I promise this will be the last time for this month," Alex said. "I'll only be away for two weeks this time. I can't take these long separations much longer. I never get a good night sleep unless I lying next to you. I'm getting to the point where I want to chuck the whole thing and stay here with you." "I feel the same way sweetheart," Terry said. "I've have some good news that I've been saving until today. Mac told me to select the best candidate to take over my job and for me to get back to Atlanta." Alex smiled, "why you sly devil." Alex got up and hugged Terry and kissed him. "This is the best new I herd in years." "I'm sure I can be out of here in a month, baby. Then it home to you and the kiddies," Terry said. For the first time in three years I feel everything has worked out for us Alex. Now give me hug and hurry back to me, my beautiful lover." We embraced and kissed. "I'll call you tonight." He left for the airport to catch his flight to New York. ***** CORPORATE HEADQUARTS ***** Mac said, "I'm glad you'll have Terry back home again Alex. You've both have an outstanding record for past three years. Terry told me he plans to goof-off for a year and let you run Stonewall. I plan to make the announcement at the board meeting next week. No more extended trips to Brazil for you Alex." "Thanks Mac, Terry was so happy when I left him yesterday. He's like a kid again," Alex said. "He didn't break the news to me until I was leaving yesterday. That was his little going away present to me. That's one of the reasons I love him so much. Terry is a wonderful guy and I miss him." "Well Mac I hate to run, but I have a plane to catch. Keep your fingers crossed that there isn't any last minute surprises on the Exxon contract tomorrow." Drew walked into the office. His face was completely white. He walked over and stood next to Mac's chair and put his hand on his shoulder. "Alex please take a seat, I have some devastating news to report." He waited for Alex was seated. "I have just received a phone call from Brazil that Terry has suffered a massive stroke and died an hour ago. I'm so sorry Alex. I don't know what I could say to make the blow any less painful." All the color drained out of Alex's face. "Oh my God, no, this can't be true. Terry can't be dead. He was fine when I talked to him two hours ago." He stopped talking and stared across the desk at Mac. "Alex why don't you skip the Exxon meeting and send one of your VP's sign the contract," Mac asked? "Alex, what do you like me to do?" "I'm sorry Mac, did you say something," Alex asked? Mac repeated his question. "No, I'll close the Exxon contract. There's nothing I can do for Terry now. The Exxon contract is too important to the firm. I need to keep busy right now. You can really help me by taking care of the funeral arrangements. I just can't face that right now. My thinking right now is to have two funerals one in Brazil and one in Atlanta. I'll call the office and let Dale Williams know that he needs to coordinate the details with you. I have him handle the details with the PR department. As soon as I finish with Exxon I'll fly the corporate jet to Brazil." Mac said, "Alex, I will be flying to Brazil later today." He pushed his telephone across the desk to Alex. "Make your calls to your office from here. I'll wait for you in Drew's office." Mac and Drew walked through into Drew's office closed the door and between the two offices. Mac used the phone on Drew's desk to call Kim. "Kim, Terry Stonewall died an hour ago. I'm will be leaving for Brazil in an hour. Will you pack my bags for a week stay in Brazil? When you're ready, have my bags sent to the helicopter pad." "Please express me condolences to Mr. Savage," Kim said. "God what a pity, Mr. Stonewall was such a fine gentleman." "He was that, Kim and we'll all miss him. I'll pass on your message to Alex." I called my chief pilot and made his flight arrangements. My next call was to Lance and left a message. He walked over to Drew and pulled him up and into his arms. "I'm sorry I have to leave you holding the fort like this, my love, but I have no choice. I'm afraid this hasn't hit Alex yet, but the reality will hit him when he sees Terry in the casket. I'll call you tonight after I've had time to evaluate the situation down there. We may have to use some of your connections in Washington to get Terry's body out of Brazil." "Your doing the right thing," Drew said, "you really don't have any choice in this. My God, Terry was only thirty-eight. That is so young to have a stroke. It's tragedies like this that makes one realize how fragile life can be. I realize how truly blessed we are. I love you Mac, please be careful?" The telephone rang; Mac picked it up and said, "Hello." Lance said, "Dad, what's up?" "We just learned that your Uncle Terry died of a stroke a few hours ago. I wanted you to let you that I am leaving for Brazil in an hour and will call you later tonight. Please explain that to your brothers and sister. I love you son, talk to you later." "Thanks for letting me know. Uncle Drew and I will hold down the fort while you gone, I love you Dad." ***** THE MACDONALD STEVENS RREFINERY ***** Brazil Mac held a meeting with the all the executives at the refinery as soon as he arrived. He scheduled a second meeting for following morning at eight-AM. He spent an hour with John Drake, Terry's replacement, and with the Director of the PR department. After that, he met with the funeral director. He arranged to have dinner with John Drake. He sat in Terry's office and spoke with Terry's secretary as he read the progress reports up to the present date. Eric Rothacher and Ramon Navaro called Mac to let him know that they were flying in to help handle the visitors at the funeral home. Both the Brazilian and American Ambassadors called to say they would be sending their representative to the funeral and would cooperate with funeral director to have the Terry's body flown to the Atlanta after the service. Mac was tired when he arrived at Terry's villa. He undressed and made and his calls to Drew and Lance. His last call was to Alex in Houston. "Thanks for calling me back Mac," Alex said. "I'm about to take a tranquilizer and hit the sack." "How did your the meeting go with Exxon?" Mac asked. "Everything was perfect," Alex said. "I have one final meeting tomorrow morning with the project director and their number crunchers. I should be ready to fly out of here after lunch tomorrow. Have you seen Terry yet?" "The funeral director will have Terry ready for viewing tomorrow morning at eleven o'clock. I hope you don't mind but I selected a light colored suit. With Terry tan, I thought he would look better in a lighter color. Visitation will commence at noon and end at nine P.M. The funeral service is scheduled for Thursday. Were all flying back with him on Thursday afternoon for the services in Atlanta? He will be cremated after the service on Saturday. I thought you would want to get this over as soon as possible. There are a few things we need to discuss tomorrow. If you want to change the dates let me know tomorrow. The media will be notified tomorrow. In lieu of flowers I've asked that donations by made to his memorial trust fund. You can decide later how you what to handle that. "I'm beginning to accept Terry death and the sorrow that goes with that," Mac said. "My sorrow is nothing compared to what you must be feeling at this moment. I wish there was something I could do to relive your pain, Alex. I know how I would feel if it were Drew instead of Terry." "Your being there is a great comfort to me," Alex said. "I know I couldn't have faced this without you Mac. I've decided to fly back to Atlanta tomorrow and wait for Terry there. There is really no reason for me to fly to Brazil. You have thought of everything that I need to do for Terry. There is too much to take care of at home. If you would, have his housekeeper donate his clothes to a local charity and box everything else and send to the office." "I feel completely drained right now Mac, Terry was my whole life and I just cannot believe that he's gone? I've made an appointment to see my shrink in Atlanta tomorrow. I need professional help right now. I can console myself with the fact that I'll have his son to take care of. What we didn't tell anyone is that both our children were born last week. Terry had a son and I have a daughter. That was the other reason he wanted to come home so soon." "We had planned to ask you and Drew to become their godfathers and guardians in case something happened to us. This is a hell of a way to approach the subject, but would you and Drew mind taking on that responsibility?" "I would be honored, and I sure Drew will feel the same way." "I'll call Drew tomorrow," Alex said. "That is another reason I need to be in Atlanta. I've must change my will to include our children in case anything happens to me. The pill is starting to take effect Mac. Thanks for everything and I see you in Atlanta on Thursday, I love you." "I love you too Tiger, goodnight." ***** ATLANTA ***** The week after Terry's funeral I met with Terry's lawyer. I was shocked to learn the extent of Terry's Will. I was his sole beneficiary and inherited his entire estate with the exception of a few endowments to charity. The stock in Stonewall Engineering and Construction was transferred to me as well as Terry's stock portfolio that was worth over two hundred million dollars. The attorney handed me a sealed envelope hand addressed to me. I opened the envelope and read the letter that was dated six months ago. Terry explained that he had he had placed a bearer bonds in our safety deposit box to be used to tide me over until his estate was probated. My beloved, I thought I would include this letter on the odd chance that some unfortunate accident occurred and I wouldn't have the chance to say goodbye and to tell how much I love you. I suppose this letter is a natural reaction because I have just finished revising my will. As the lawyer was reading the Will aloud, my thoughts turned to you and to the wonderful life, we have shared together. A Will is one of those unpleasant tasks we all must do. Nevertheless, it also affords us the opportunity to focus on those who are important to us in this life. This letter is important to us both because I can put on paper my true feelings that would sound melodramatic otherwise. Call it a quirk of mine if you like, but there are some things I can never bring myself to tell you. I love you more than anything in the world, my love, and I could never live without you. You are so much a part of me now. I couldn't face this life without you. Unfortunately, I don't possess your strength. It is my hope and I pray that I will die before you. On the other hand, life is for the living and if I die, I want you to find another mate. Our undying love for each other will never change and will continue into eternity. We both have a profound need to share our life with another person. You are not the type of individual that can live alone. It is my hope that you will continue run Stonewall. I had planned to change the name to Stonewall & Savage Corporation as a living memorial to the partnership we shared in life. Of course it's yours now to do with as you wish. Whatever you decide, I know you will do the right thing. Naturally, I hope you never have to read this letter for a long time to come. You are the most precious thing in my life. My life really began the day you walked into my dull life. I don't fear death, only the though of leaving you and the children we have sired. I'm happy that I can leave you and the children well provided for. I will wait for you to join me in heaven my love. Good by, my love. Your loving husband, Terry. I was glad I waited to read the letter in private, because I was wiped out for the next two days. ***** THREE MONTHS LATER ***** I still felt the pain of Terry's death after I returned home from Houston. I couldn't set foot in our bedroom. I elected to sleep in my old bedroom. I left everything in Terry's bedroom as it was. I had tried on more than one occasion to enter the bedroom but usually ended up in tears and had to leave. The daily routine of running a business pushed Terry from my thoughts during the daytime. I put in long days at the office and worked-out every evening at the gym. I made it a habit to spend time with my babies every day. They helped to relieve part of the sorrow of loosing Terry. They are so sweet and innocent. I was at peace when I held them in my arms. The evening and weekends were the most difficult for me. My solution on the weekends was to change my pattern. I worked at headquarters from Monday through Thursday and the rest of the week I spent flying the company jet to the major the construction sites to monitor the progress on each project. It turned out to be good working plan all around, to everyone's advantage. It occupied my time and cemented a good working relationship with my project engineers at the job sites. They like the idea that their boss took the time to visit them in the field. I learned an important lesson from these many field trips. It kept the lines of communication open to the people in the field and made them feel that we were all on the same team. It was also one more reasons why Stonewall Engineering became successful. One of the first things I did when I return to the office was to have Joe Whitby, my VP of Human Resources, start searching for an Executive Assistant. I was very specific on the man I wanted for the job and was willing to wait until he found the right candidate. Three months passed before Joe came up with three suitable candidates for the position. The first candidate was David Devlin. David was a Mechanical Engineer with an MBA from Auburn. David had eight years experience with the second largest Consulting Engineering firm in New York. The second candidate was Stanford Lambert. Sandy received his Chemical Engineer degree and an MBA from Georgia Tech. He has four years of experience in management with Yale Engineering. The third candidate was Dennis Holbrook with a Masters in Civil Engineer and had his PE. He also received an MBA degree from N.C. State. He has seven years experience in Project Management. Joe was in Alex's office reviewing the candidates. "All three of these men look good on paper," Joe said. "They are all equally qualified be your assistant. I had a hard time picking the winner out of the bunch. It's crazy here I've been looking for the right candidate for over three months without a nibble. Now three men show up that are perfect for the job." "Your right Joe, they all look good on paper. Have you checked their references?" "Yes sir, they all check out fine," Joe said. "I think we should pull them in for an interview before we eliminate any candidate. If the chemistry is right between you and the lucky candidate, that will be it. I don't want to spend another three grand checking on each one if you don't like them." "I agree, why you don't schedule all three for an initial screening with you on Thursday. If you eliminate any of them, I'll interview the selected candidate on Friday," Alex said. "Why don't you schedule, the winning candidate for a luncheon meeting on Friday." "Great, I'll I send you the name of the winner after I have finished interviewing the candidates." On Thursday afternoon, Joe called Alex with a schedule change. "Alex, we have a problem. We like all three candidates I had the VP's of Engineering and Planning sit in on the interviews and we cannot eliminate any candidate. "Then I'll interview all three. Schedule one for seven o'clock the second for lunch and the last one at three on Friday." "Will do I'll email you the candidates for each of those slots." Joe emailed the schedule to Alex: 7:00 DAVID DEVLIN 12:00 DENNIS HOLBROOK 3:00 STANFORD LAMBERT Later that afternoon, Alex received a voice mail message from Sandy Lambert. Alex returned the call to Sandy. "Hello," Sandy answered. "This is Alex Savage. Do you have a problem with the schedule?" "No sir, thank your for returning my call," Sandy replied. "Would you be my guest for dinner this evening?" "I don't think that's a good idea, Sandy. If the chemistry is not there, it would not be a pleasant dinner. It would be uncomfortable for both of us?" "I'm an optimist, the meeting will go well, Mr. Savage," Sandy said. "If God forbid, it doesn't, there will be no need to interview me tomorrow afternoon." "I will accept your offer under those conditions," Alex said. "In fact, I'll provide the transportation." ***** THE DOG & THE DUCK RESTARUANT ***** Alex said, "this is a very pleasant restaurant Sandy, however did you find it?" "My father-in-law prides himself in finding the best restaurants around and he suggested this one. One of his clients said it was one of the hidden treasures in Atlanta. They try to keep it that way." "I felt it would the fitting place to take my new boss to dinner," Sandy said. "But we can discuss that over dessert." Alex smiled, "there's nothing backward about you," Alex said. "Why should I considering you for my assistant?" "Actually, you should consider me for several reasons, Mr. Savage. "I know the other two candidates you plan to interview are also well qualified, but I will be the best choice to be you're executive assistant. I've spent the last four years being fast-tracked in the engineering management program at Yale Engineer, who as you know are sub-contractors for Exxon. They are known to have one of the best executive training programs in the country. I've achieved the highest overall scores in my group. They will probably give me another series of tests and run it through the computer again sending me off to yet another group to see how I handle myself. "My feeling is that I'm too much of a free spirit to fit into the Exxon mold. It has been suggested that I have not humbled myself enough to be moved into a middle management slot. Don't get me wrong, they are a great company and I'm sure I would move up the ladder, in time. However, I would like to do it before arthritis sets in. That is not the career path I wish to pursue. I feel that my creative talents would be smothered in such a highly structured environment. I know that Stonewall Engineering is doing business with Exxon and I feel I could be helpful in getting more business from Exxon if you hired me. I've made it my business to compile a list of the savvy managers in all the divisions I've worked at within Exxon. That alone is a plus if you hire me. "I've checked Stonewall out Mr. Savage. You have an excellent company with a good performance record with a solid reputation. I know there is the potential for me to grow with you. That's why your opportunity looks so appealing to me. I want the job as your executive assistant." "How does your wife feel about relocating to Atlanta and all the heavy out-of-town travel you will be required to do for the next several years," Alex asked? "I'm going to level with you, this position will require at least 80 percent travel in the beginning. It may drop to 50% after a year, but that is what you can expect as my assistant." "My wife and I have discussed all ramifications of this job and she has agreed to go along with my career plans as long as we live in Atlanta. I'm sure that the travel will be reduced to 25% in five years. We are young and she is willing to do whatever it takes for me to move up the ladder." "My wife Maryann is from Atlanta and she would love to move back to be close to her family. She has already explored the job market in Atlanta and feels that she won't have a problem finding a job in Advertising in the Atlanta market. "I'm prepared to face any challenge this job has to offer and I'm willing to work hard and do the travel that's necessary to get the job done. I know the promotions and the money will come when I prove my worth with your company." "Did you deliberately rearrange the schedule to meet me for dinner tonight?" "Yes sir, I'm guilty of that, Sandy said." "Mr. Savage, I felt my interview went well today. I also like what I heard about the position. I haven't felt this positive about any of my interviews I've had in the last two months. Would you at least tell me where I stand after the interviews today?" Alex smiled, "what would you say if I told you I ranked you number two on the list?" "I would thank you for your time and bid you goodbye and catch an early flight out tonight," Sandy said. "If I'm not number one on the list, than I don't deserve the job. If the chemistry is not there I would never move up the ladder in your company." Alex smiled and thought to himself as Sandy was talking, `I like this guy, he has the same cocky attitude I had when I first started out. One thing I'm not going to do is to commit myself until he passes all my tests.' "So far you are number one on my list since you are the first candidate I've interviewed, but your not home free yet," Alex said. "There are a few more tests you must pass before the job is yours. If you pass, you'll move to the next level. I promise to have my answer after I've talked to the other candidates. There is still the final interview where we invite your wife along." "I will arrange the next meeting myself," Alex said. "How much advance notice will you and your wife need to meet with me in Atlanta?" "I need a minimum of twenty-four hours. My answering service will find me within two hours of your call, day or night." "You will have my answer two week from today, one way or the other. Call Joe Whitby Monday morning to schedule your testing. One more thing, your agency is out of the loop until I make my decision. If you're hired, you can charge this dinner off on your expense account," Alex said. "No sir, how often do you think I'll be able to have dinner with you alone after you hire me?" Alex shook his head and smiled, "I've enjoyed your company," Alex said. "I hope you pass the next two tests." ***** STONWALL ENGINEERING OFFICE ****** Monday Morning Alex dialed his secretary and asked her to have Joe Whitby and Dale Williams step into his office. Joe and Dale arrived together. "What's up boss?" I've interviewed all three candidates and I can see why you two had a difficult time picking one candidate out of the bunch. There all good." "I've made the decision to hire all three if they pass our screening. Sandy Lambert will become my assistant," Alex said. "Joe I feel that Dennis and David should be hired as project managers. Dale I know you can use two sharp assistants. You're been pushing yourself to hard lately. I don't want you to end up like Terry." Alex smiled, "I better not see them sitting on the rumps while you're running around doing all the grunt work either." "Dale chuckled, "don't worry boss, I whip them in shape real fast." "I'm planning the grand tour in a month. I plan to take the all three of them for a shakedown run. They may as well get their feet wet and meet our managers in the field." "Dale, I would like you and Joe to put the salary package together as soon we have the tests results." Alex said. "And Joe, make sure you work out a special package deal with the agency on this deal." "Your not kidding me, are you?" Joe asked. "No," Alex said. "Get them all tested ASAP. I would like to make them an offer next week. After you have the package put together, we'll talk again. Now, I have some confidential news that I don't want to get out until I make the official announcement. As of next month this company will be know as Stonewall & Savage Corporation. This company is going to become the largest and most respected engineering firm in the Southeastern US and in South America. That's one of the reason I'm hiring these new engineers. I want to increase our engineering and management staff in every department. I want to have the engineering staff ready to take on the new business. "Joe since that new agency seams to know what we are looking for, give them an exclusive if they play ball on the fees. Have them keep feeding us candidates like the three we just hired. The next item on the agenda is our new training program. I'm planning to set up training department that will be under your supervision Joe. Were going to start with a couple of professional training people and build the staff from there. I want to develop a company manual so that employees will know what we do, what we expect of them, and what we plan to do in the future. I want a monthly video news report produced and sent out to all our field locations. It will be sort of like a company news letter. I also want to produce training manuals and videos for the unskilled people we hire for the field. We need to have all our construction and engineering people in the field to wear a uniform at all sights. The uniform will have our logo and name on each suit. We will make a deal with one a manufacturer to produce the uniforms and we will sell them to our people at cost. I'm appalled with work clothing many of our construction workers are wearing on the job. Not only do they look like slobs, they are accidents waiting to happen. "I've seen men working at a sight wearing old sneakers or worn-out boots. Can you imagine what would happen if they stepped on a rusty nail or broken glass? That is just one example of the reasons we need a training and safety manual. "Joe I'm going to give you some help on this one. That will be one of Sandy first assignments. He can help you to set up these departments. Let's see how he handles this assignment. He can get some inputs from our managers in the field while he's traveling with me." "Thanks boss, Joe said, "Ken Rogers the VP of Human Resources over at Calder & Sladdery called me the other day about a young genius he was interview last week. He was so impressed with the guy he had him send me his resume. Maybe he would be a good fit. I dig him out of my miscellanies file." "I'll need some ballpark figures from you Joe," Alex said. "Now, for important stuff, MacDonald Stevens has asked us to bid on four major Refinery expansion projects. Three are in South America and one in Asia. It is my intention to land all four of those contracts gentleman. So roll up your sleeves and sharpen you pencils on these bids." "For personal reasons I will be forced to cut back drastically on my hours over the next few years. That is why I desperately need a competent assistant. If Sandy is that man, he will be able to take up some of the slack. I still plan to make my field visits, but not as often." "Dale I want you to promote one of your senior managers to Director of Corporate Development. He will make a monthly visit to all the major projects and report to us every week. This way we can keep on top of our projects." "Any comments or questions," Alex asked? "It sounds like it's going to be an exciting place to work," Dale said. "I'll circulate a letter around to our overseas plants to see if we can find some bright young Spanish speaking engineers to work with us on the South American project. Those field trips have saved us a lot of headaches and I think they should continue. I know several good men that would jump at the new Directors position. I'll get back to you on that one." "Thanks men," Alex said. "I'm counting on you to have those men on board by next week, Joe. Keep me posted." Alex called Lois and asked her to join him for dinner. He felt he needed an old friend to talk to this evening. Lois said she would be delighted and would be there by six. Alex called home and asked Craig Wong to prepare something special for dinner. He was expecting a lady for dinner." **************************************************************** To be continued. Your comments welcomed. Ron.Robbins@yahoo.com