Five years later saw Stephen becoming one of the top closers in the company. His family came to enjoy their new home and did not want for anything. Others came to him for advice on tough clients so it was no surprise when a new file landed on his desk with a hand written note on it that read “This one is important. Hobbs.” Stephen grinned as he open the file and saw a young man in a run-down neighborhood looking back at him. Further reading showed he was good at sports but can’t seem to get any breaks. Standard athletic contract, no big deal, so why was this assignment from Hobbs himself?
It was after Stephen tried to contact the boy that he learned why. Rodney Meek was never alone. Try as he might Stephen found a nemesis in Coach Wachter. Even though it complicated matters, Stephen saw no other option but to go through the Coach to get at Rodney. So despite his better judgment, he called the coach the day before and asked to meet with Rodney.
The school was as run down as the house in the picture of Rodney, it was a low income area that possibly had never seen better days. He wondered how anybody could learn anything in a worn out dump like this as he walked through the shabby hallway towards Coach Wachter’s office. A loud voice called out when he knocked on the door.
“Enter!”
Well, Stephen thought to himself as he opened the door, time to start the dance.
“Coach Wachter? I’m Stephen Gordon; we talked on the phone earlier about Rodney Meek.”
Coach Wachter was a middle aged, fit man. The small, dark office had the feel of a bunker. He came around the desk and grabbed Stephens’ hand with a crushing handshake and looked Stephen in the eye before letting go. Stephen felt as if the gaze had burned through him.
“Right. Good to meet you Mr. Gordon.” Coach Wachter returned to his chair behind his desk. “I hope you don’t mind sitting down with me for a bit before meeting Rodney. I’m rather protective of my kids.”
“Your kids?” Stephen had a moment of panic as he wondered if he had misread the file. “It’s my understanding that Rodney is in the foster system.”
“I consider all my students and athletes to be my kids Mr. Gordon. I look after them as if they were mine. So when some guy comes sniffing around my court and my kids, I take an interest and take whatever action is needed.
Stephen finally understood why he had received this assignment. Despite what the file said, Rodney Meek had someone looking out for him. This was not the creampuff assignment it appeared to be. He had to find a way to disarm Coach Wachter.
“That’s quite a burden. I have enough trouble keeping track of my own two children. I’m here to help Rodney, not hurt him.”
“We’ll see about that.” The Coach replied. He would not be deflected easily for he had been down this road before. “Who exactly do you work for Mr. Gordon? It’s a small family of talent scouts that work this side of the tracks and when I asked around, none of them know your name.”
“My company’s called Hobbs Incorporated.” The best lies were the ones close to the truth.
“Hobbs… Sounds familiar. What is Hobbs Incorporated into?”
“Mostly we buy and sell commodities. We are starting a community outreach program meant to find deserving, un-recognized talent and bring it to the forefront.”
“So” the coach’s voice was dripping with scorn “you are part of yet another big company hoping to buy its way out of a grand past making money on the backs of others.”
“It’s not like that at all coach, we’re…”
Wachter cut him off with a glare. “Spare me the board room speech Mr. Gordon, I’ve heard enough of ‘em in my lifetime. I’ve even made a few before I came to teaching.”
Stephen relaxed. He could handle this real world wash-out. “Those who can do, those who can’t teach.”
Wachter gave a slight grin and leaned back in his chair. “Yep, never heard that one before. The truth is Mr. Gordon, Those who can, do. Those who understand, teach. Those who can’t, administrate. The coach paused for a moment before continuing. “That’s a nice suit, must have cost a lot.”
Stephen’s confidence slipped as he tried to follow the turn in the conversation. Just what did he mean by that?
“Point is Mr. Gordon, I’m not impressed with your flash. In another life I was a trader on Wall Street. I used to be like you, chasing the American Dream, working in an industry that produces absolutely nothing. You can at least pay a lawyer to be on your side and insurance companies will fix what’s broken after you get the lawyer, but finance? Ha! There I was, surrounded by people that were being paid ungodly amounts of money for what? Producing more money for their friends, nothing else. I decided I wanted to be part of something that helped lift humanity up, not glorify humanities greed.”
Get Contracts of the Father to find out what happens to Mr. Gordon next!
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Dave
Also by David S Reynolds:
The Interview
Contracts of the Father
I’m Sorry
Spirits Last Vision
Futurecaster
The Eternal Question
The Second Coming
Aware
Don’t Press the Red X
Collections:
Quickies: A Collection of Short Stories
Essays:
A Burning Problem
The Interview Page 2