by Bob Brown
Several things had changed since Jason had last played the puzzle game. Although Karen and Kyle were still at the corners in the puzzle that was his life, God had now also claimed one of those positions. The other corner, the one that used to be represented by the torn Jagged Edge piece, was no longer an issue with Jason. That piece had been tossed away and would be replaced. He wasn’t sure when, or with what. But he was sure that when he did find the replacement, it would fit perfectly.
And as much as it pained him to think about it, Jason was fearful of the day when Kyle’s piece would join that of his parents and become one of the pieces missing. When it did, Jason expected that, much like the piece represented by his parents, it would never be replaced.
Jason studied what he had written. The list of open issues, his ‘to-do’ list, had become sizeable. The top three in no particular order included what to do with his insurance money, when and where to look for a job, and how best to support Kyle, both at the dealership and in the battle he now faced for his life. Each had multiple possibilities, and the three were not mutually exclusive. He just needed to figure out how to put the pieces together.
Then there was Karen. Jason had never been so happy. As sad as he was about Kyle, he thanked God daily for having brought Karen into his life. He didn’t know with certainty where their relationship was headed or what Karen expected from it. But he was absolutely certain that he loved her and that he wanted her in his life for as long as she would have him. He also knew that he would do anything to make her happy.
Jason sat staring at his notes, wondering how his life had become so complex. When he had been in college, things had been simple. He did his assignments, took the tests, and then moved on. Everything progressed in a straight line, always moving forward. Now it seemed that nothing was a straight line, and more often than not, things moved backwards, sideways, or not at all. Nothing seemed to move forward.
As he drifted off to sleep, still holding his notepad, Jason’s last thought was of a journey that no longer seemed to be about following a path or holding his head toward the horizon. It had become more about choosing a path.
Jason knew he would need help with that. He was now fully trusting that somehow God would show him the way.
Chapter 58
Jason picked up Kyle at the hospital just before noon the next day and, on Kyle’s insistence, drove directly to Garrett Motors. Kyle wanted to talk about the dealership, about things he had considered during his overnight stay in the hospital. He had called ahead and invited Gus to attend the meeting and asked him to pull certain records that Kyle said he would need. He had also recommended that Gus call for some pizza. It was going to be a long meeting.
As Jason, Kyle, and Gus gathered around the table in the conference room, there was a sense that something serious was about to take place. In the center of the table were two stacks. One contained ten years of annual sales results and a record of current inventory. The other contained three large pizzas.
“First, let me just say that I love you both like brothers,” Kyle began. “Or in your case, Gus, maybe like a grandfather.” Kyle still had his sense of humor.
Kyle continued. “I think you both know that I’ve been wrestling with some tough decisions. For several months I’ve been dragging my feet, weighing the options about the business, and hoping for some medical miracle that might eliminate the need to make a decision.
“Last night was a wake-up call. As I lay in the hospital last night, I finally admitted to myself that there wasn’t going to be any medical miracle. For the first time I finally accepted that I don’t have much time left. I know I’ve said before that I accepted my fate and was OK with it. But when I said it before, I just figured that somehow God would step in at the last minute and save me.
“Now, for the first time, I fully understand how Jesus felt as he prayed that final night in Gethsemane, when he realized that he was not going to get a reprieve. When I prayed last night, God told me I was going to die. And soon.”
“Kyle…,” Jason began. But Kyle just held up his hand.
“Please, let me finish. This meeting isn’t about my dying. So let’s move on to why we’re really here today. Gentlemen, I’ve decided I’m going to sell Garrett Motors.”
“Are you sure that’s what you want to do?” asked Gus. “Your grandfather started this business. What would your dad think?”
“Gus, you know that I’m the last surviving Garrett. I’ve talked this through with Jason, and I’ve thought hard about it. I just feel like this is what I need to do. The money from the sale will allow me to provide a nice severance package for each employee and a huge capital base for the Garrett Charitable Foundation. Even with Garrett Motors gone, the Foundation will live on as a legacy of the Garrett name.”
“If this is what you want to do, then you know I’ll support you, Kyle,” said Gus. “Same as I always supported your father.”
“Thanks, Gus,” replied Kyle. “What do you think, Jason?”
“It’s your business. If you’ve weighed all the options and feel this is the best one, then you’ve done all you can do. Unlike you and Gus, I don’t have any skin in the game. So whatever you decide is the right decision.”
“So if the decision has been made, why exactly are we here?” asked Gus.
“Well, aside from providing you a free lunch, I want to provide you an opportunity to help me value the business.”
“Don’t you have accountants or consultants who can do that for you?” asked Jason.
“I do,” replied Kyle. “And they’ll get their shot. They’ll do what accountants do. They’ll look at the same records you’ll be looking at. They’ll assess market conditions, evaluate annual earnings, and apply an earnings multiple to the normalized annual earnings to project future revenue. Then they will likely add in the gross value of our current capital and inventory to arrive at a recommended sales price.”
“Not that I’m ungrateful for the free lunch,” interrupted Gus, “but if you’ve got experts to do all that, why do you need us?”
“Because you and Jason know Garrett Motors. And because I value your opinions. The accountants will look at the data here on the table and see a bunch of numbers. You’ll look at the numbers and remember names and faces. You’ll remember circumstances, attitudes, and emotions. Your figures will represent the value of the business, not just the sum of the numbers.”
“So what exactly would you like us to do for you?” asked Jason.
“I’d like you to provide a five year estimate of revenue based on ten years of revenue history. The accountants will likely use five years of data to project three years of revenue. So I’m actually asking you to do a better job than I’ll end up paying them to do.”
“But in the end, won’t it be the accountants’ estimate that a potential buyer will rely on?” asked Jason. “Won’t they want to see something that’s got a disclaimer from some accounting firm on the bottom of the page?”
“In the end,” replied Kyle, “the number a prospective buyer sees will be the one I approve as most fairly representing the potential for Garrett Motors. I suspect it will be something of a compromise between what you and Gus derive and what the accountants recommend. I’ll never sell Garrett for a price that doesn’t represent its true value.”
“OK, buddy, we’ll do the best we can,” said Jason. “When would you like our results?”
“Well, since you don’t have to break for lunch or dinner, how about by the end of the day.” replied Kyle. He smiled. Then he added, “Seriously, I appreciate your help. I’d like you to put in a long afternoon and evening if you don’t mind. And if you’re not done after that, then maybe you can complete the estimate tomorrow.”
“No problem, boss,” said Gus.
“What Gus said,” added Jason.
“Thanks again, guys.” Kyle was grateful for Jason and Gus and couldn’t imagine working in a busin
ess where the employees were not also your good friends.
“Oh, and one more thing,” Kyle added. “It goes without saying that information about the sale of Garrett Motors stays in this room. Although I have every intention of taking good care of my employees in the event I do sell, there’s no reason to get people apprehensive about something that may never happen.”
“Don’t you want to stick around and help?” asked Jason. “No one knows this business like you do.”
“No, thanks. There are only three pizzas. I’ve seen Gus eat,” joked Kyle.
Kyle said his goodbyes and left the room, leaving Jason and Gus alone with plenty of work and just enough pizza for Gus.
*****
Working straight through the afternoon, Jason and Gus hit their stride after a couple of hours and found a system that seemed to work. While Gus compiled the figures for the past ten years, Jason used his laptop to Google data on forecasts of economic indicators. It reminded him of the research he had done years ago as a newly-hired part time employee for Garrett Motors.
Jason was also able to use some of the modeling theories he had learned in college to help with his projections of future sales. But just a little. It had not been one of his favorite subjects, and he had long since forgotten much of what he had learned.
Just before 8 PM Karen stopped by with coffee and a bag of freshly-baked Otis Spunkmeyer chocolate chip cookies, which she tried vainly to pass off as her own.
“We love you anyway, Oz,” Jason declared after Karen admitted the ruse.
“I figured you guys would be too tired to catch on,” replied Karen. “I should’ve waited a couple of more hours, I guess.”
“Without the chocolate fix, I would’ve wasted away to nothing in another hour,” Gus proclaimed. “All I’ve had to eat all day is pizza.”
“Three pizzas,” Jason clarified, holding up three fingers. “I think I only had two slices all day. And I had to fight you for those.”
They all laughed.
‘Friends are wonderful,’ thought Jason. He remembered his mother long ago warning him about the uncertainties in life. Many of those uncertainties Jason had since experienced first hand. Following each warning, she had also cautioned him to never take for granted the value of friendships, because friends were one of the few constants in life. Friends would always be there.
Jason wasn’t sure what advice his mother would have for those times when the uncertainties of life collided with the constancy of friendship. It was another of those things which Jason would soon experience first hand.
*****
Later, after Jason had kissed Karen goodbye and sent Gus home, he sat finishing his coffee and the single cookie he had managed to wrestle away from Gus. For some reason, Jason had an uneasy feeling about the work they had done that day.
It wasn’t that they had done a bad job, that their work was sloppy, or that it was incomplete. It was something more basic. Jason wasn’t sure why, but somehow selling Garrett Motors just didn’t feel right.
Although Kyle’s reasons were rational and made perfect business sense, something about Jason’s friendship with Kyle and about the three generations of Garrett ownership made him want more for Kyle than just a few bucks and a piece of paper with an accountant’s disclaimer at the bottom.
From its dirt lot beginnings to what could soon be its final title transfer, Garrett Motors had consistently upheld the highest standards of Christian business ethics. Jason felt that Kyle, his father, and his father’s father all deserved something better for their efforts than a bill of sale. Jason wanted to preserve something of their legacy beyond the good the Garrett Charitable Foundation was currently doing.
Jason had no idea what he had in mind. He knew only that he would get just one shot at doing right by his best friend, and he wasn’t going to allow himself to overlook anything. So he added one more thing to his ‘to do’ list.
Chapter 59
Two more weeks ticked by. Jason was doing more of the day-to-day management at Garrett Motors, because Kyle’s decline was becoming less a question of when and more a question of how much. His face was gaunt and pale, and he was losing weight. Although he tried hard to maintain his positive attitude and sense of humor, there was no disguising the frustration he felt over his inability to lead the dealership that bore his name.
Friendship. That’s what kept Kyle going. His friendship with Jason. His friendship with Gus. And, through Jason, his friendships with Karen, Merle, Tub, and Susan. Kyle especially survived on his friendship with Sydney.
Even though he had sent her away, Kyle was in daily communication with Sydney. They talked on the phone at least once a day and connected online many more times than that. The one thing Kyle would not do is have an online conversation with Sydney via webcam, because he knew he could no longer hide the changes in his appearance.
So Kyle just kept making excuses to Sydney. His webcam was broken. The software needed a patch. He hadn’t found time to get it working. He had been unable to connect with Jason or Karen to borrow their laptops. The list of excuses was endless.
In Portugal, Sydney remained as clueless as she had been when she left, because everything she received was filtered. Phone calls, emails, blogs, and instant messages never indicated anything was wrong. And since she couldn’t see Kyle, she had no idea his health was failing.
As difficult as it was, Jason and Karen continued to honor their promise to Kyle by keeping the truth from Sydney. Neither Jason nor Karen felt good about the lie. But it was a lie based on a promise they vowed to keep.
*****
As Jason worked on the monthly reports in Kyle’s office one warm Wednesday in early September, he got a call from Michael at Jagged Edge. He hadn’t heard from Michael since the earlier meeting that had included Tricia. That had been several months ago. Now Michael wanted another meeting. They agreed to meet at Bernie’s the following afternoon.
Jason wasn’t sure what he liked about Bernie’s, but he was somehow drawn to it. Perhaps it reminded him of the dark, low-rent places he frequented in college, the kind of places where any form of plastic passed for an ID. Maybe it was the stark honesty of the grimy entrance and the attic-furnished interior. Or perhaps it was the solemn spectacle of the briefcase wall, a memorial to all those who had fought the corporate fight to a questionable outcome.
Whatever the reason, Jason respected a place where nothing was phony.
*****
Michael was already two beers into his afternoon when Jason arrived. He raised two fingers to the bartender when Jason walked in, signaling for a couple more. As usual, there was no one else in the bar. Michael stood as Jason approached the table.
“Hello, Jason. Thanks for taking time to meet with me.”
“Hi, Michael. No Tricia this time?”
“Tricia’s out of town. Some sort of family emergency. But I talked to her earlier today, so she knows that you and I are meeting. She and I are still in sync with what’s going on at Jagged Edge.”
“And what exactly is going on at Jagged Edge?” Jason was dying to know, but he didn’t want to appear over-anxious.
“Well,” began Michael, “Tricia and I promised to keep you posted, so we thought you’d like to know the latest.”
Sounded ominous. “Please continue,” replied Jason.
The bartender delivered the beers and Michael handed him a bill, waving off on the change.
“Turns out the rumor about the FTC investigation is true. Sam and Alex have had several meetings with the FTC over allegations of some kind. From what we’ve been able to determine, someone tipped off the FTC about Jagged Edge. Not surprisingly, Sam and Alex think that someone is you.”
Jason didn’t tell Michael that he suspected Kyle was responsible for the tip-off. Instead he simply responded, “I’ve had no reason to contact the FTC.”
“We know that,” replied Michael. “Not your style. Anyway, the inv
estigation is ongoing.”
“Thanks for sharing. But couldn’t you have told me that over the phone.”
“Probably. But there’s more. You remember I also mentioned that Sam and Alex might be trying to sell Jagged Edge? Turns out that’s also true.”
“I expect they’ll have a hard time selling the company if it’s under investigation,” observed Jason.
“Exactly. But it’s more than that. It seems that current clients are starting to threaten legal action over the FTC allegations. There are some who are claiming that existing contracts may be based on fraudulent practices, as well.”
Jason knew that wasn’t the case, but he remembered warning Sam and Alex that this might happen.
Michael continued. “The odd thing is, near as Tricia and I can determine, Sam and Alex never actually did anything with the information that now seems to be the likely cause of the FTC investigation.
“So there’s the FTC investigation, there’s this growing uproar among existing clients, and there’s apparently no one willing to come forward to buy what appears to be a sinking company. Things have gone from bad to worse, and from worse to unfixable. Anyway, who’d want to buy a company with all the problems Jagged Edge has?”
“Who, indeed?” asked Jason.
*****
Jason spent the rest of the afternoon and late into the evening pondering Michael’s disclosures. A seed had been planted during his initial meeting with Michael and Tricia. With the latest meeting, that seed had now taken root. He just needed more details and a corroborating perspective. As usual, he called his friend Merle.
Jason met Merle at WADP two days later. After exchanging pleasantries with Tub and Susan, Jason joined Merle behind the closed door of Merle’s office.
“I gather from your phone call that you’re ready for the big leagues,” said Merle.
“Let’s just say I’m ready to consider the possibility,” replied Jason. “As we discussed on the phone, I have a plan. I just need to know that I’m not crazy. I’d appreciate your thoughts.”