Renaldo

by James McCreath

  talk. Renaldo was amazed by the politicking and arm twisting that took place

  in the committee rooms, which the visitor described down to the most minute

  of details. As the two talked, one could sense a bond of friendship and trust

  developing, at least on the younger man’s part. He would look forward to ‘El

  Hombre Gordo’s’ visits, for the player always felt that he was the guardian

  of secret or privileged information after a tête-à-tête with his knowledgeable

  agent.

  243

  JAMES McCREATH

  But Astor Gordero was not one to tip all his cards in the great game of

  life. There was always some angle, something hidden up his sleeve. In this case,

  it was his current orchestrations regarding his client’s mother, Florencia.

  Since their initial meeting at the race track, Gordero had spoken to Señora

  De Seta several times on the telephone. Initially making contact on the pretext

  of having information on her youngest son’s progress in Miramar, Gordero soon

  discreetly maneuvered the conversation to the topic of financial planning for

  Renaldo, should he become successful in his attempt to make the National

  Team.

  Florencia was mildly flattered at the incredible amount of fan mail and

  requests for Renaldo’s poster that were arriving daily at the National Team

  mail depot, according to her new large friend. The Teatro Colon appearance

  on national television had given the señoritas a fresh face to dream about at

  night, and it was the simple name ‘Renaldo’ that appeared on the envelopes of

  hundreds of inquiring letters.

  Her son was handsome, and she knew that it was more than just maternal

  pride that allowed her to say that. She voiced concerned, however, that this

  newfound attention would somehow distract him from his toils. Gordero

  assured her that fan mail would only become available to the players after

  training camp was over. Only immediate relatives and close friends had the

  direct address to the Miramar training facility. There were secretaries sorting

  and organizing the requests on the players’ behalf at this very moment. Those

  that made the team would spend time back in Buenos Aires on days called

  ‘press days,’ signing autographs and promotional material such as fan mail,

  posters, flags, hats, and much more.

  At this stage, Renaldo had no inkling that he was fast becoming Argentina’s

  new mystery sensation, and Octavio Suarez was bound and determined to keep

  it that way.

  “My concerns for your son deal with addition, not adulation, my dear

  lady,” Gordero exclaimed. “As I have told you previously, the boy stands to

  make millions of dollars in salaries and endorsements, even if he plays only

  a year or two. It is my desire as his attorney, and I feel, close friend, to make

  sure that every potential financial windfall is investigated and acted upon with

  extreme diligence. It is a swamp full of alligators out there, and there are many

  unscrupulous individuals just waiting to prey on a new, unsuspecting victim. I

  do not want Renaldo, or yourself, Señora, to fall victim to these scoundrels.”

  A look of remorse was the perfect accompaniment to the revelations of a

  cruel world. A pause for effect, then Gordero continued.

  “To prepare a proper business plan for your son, however, I feel that it

  would be prudent for me to survey the boy’s entire financial picture. In other

  words, for me to know his total asset base, as well as details such as when

  244

  RENALDO

  legacies or other inheritance benefits accrue. This will enable me to stagger the

  payments to your son and reduce his overall tax consequences. It is a sad matter,

  but have no doubt, Señora, the tax payments will be substantial on anything

  he makes in this country.”

  Florencia was impressed with the lawyer’s thoroughness. The technicalities

  of the various trusts and estates were something that she, for the most part, left

  to the executors to sort out. There was always more than enough money at her

  disposal, but she now had to face the reality that her youngest son’s financial

  independence was imminent, football career or no football career.

  If Renaldo truly trusts this man, would it not be best to consolidate his assets as

  Señor Gordero suggests? she mused as the lawyer kept up a constant monologue

  on the other end of the telephone.

  “Señor Gordero, perhaps you could drop by Casa San Marco in the near

  future and we could discuss this matter in person.”

  “I am at your disposal, Señora.”

  Two days later, Astor Gordero was seated in Figueroa San Marco’s old

  office.

  “If these walls could talk, Señora De Seta, I believe they would be able

  to relate the whole story of the modern industrial revolution in Argentina.

  Between your late father-in-law, Señor Lonfranco, and General San Marco,

  this room has hosted presidents and diplomats from all over the world. It is a

  historically rich and fascinating place. I feel honored to be here.”

  “Thank you, Señor Gordero. It is true, this room has a different feel about

  it than any other in the casa. My late husband used to come in here, close the

  door, and just sit for hours behind that desk when he needed a place to think.

  He would say that the ghosts would help him decide what to do, that the

  history in this room held the answers for him. Perhaps you and Herr Stoltz will

  add to that history.”

  Wolfgang Stoltz had been brought along by his employer because of his

  special facility for untangling complicated estate matters. He also had a special

  facility for undressing attractive, wealthy widows. It was this particular skill

  that brought him to the attention of Astor Gordero’s father, years earlier.

  As a young lawyer, Stoltz had specialized in estate law. After being hired

  by A.R. Gordero and Sons to fill a vacancy in their trust and estates division,

  it quickly became evident that the novice German barrister had a knack for

  unleashing pent-up romantic emotions in the frustrated, lonely ladies that were

  most often the beneficiaries of the estates he oversaw. Wolfgang Stoltz played

  his role as faithful employee and diligent counsel to perfection, and the client

  roster of A.R. Gordero and Sons quickly swelled with the names of most of the

  single financial heiresses in the capital.

  245

  JAMES McCREATH

  Discretion in high places was mandatory, and Herr Stoltz’s reputation was

  never tarnished by his extra-legal liaisons. Quite the contrary, he became the

  most sought-after attorney in all of Buenos Aires. His intelligent, reassuring

  manner of explaining and simplifying complicated estate documents always

  seemed to put his wealthy, usually attractive, clients at ease, so much at ease,

  that the majority of Stoltz’s work was carried out in opulent hotel suites at

  all hours of the day and night. He was well rewarded by both his clients and

  his firm for his deft touch, and he had never entertained thoughts of striking

  out on his own or settling down with one special woman. Wolfgang Stoltz

  loved variety, and his profession afforded him an opportunity to use his special

/>   talents on a variety of appreciative clients.

  Florencia De Seta was now experiencing what a legion of similar Porteña

  señoras had experienced before her. She was smitten by the handsome German,

  there was no denying that!

  During their conversation that afternoon in the office at Casa San Marco,

  Florencia could sense a more than a purely business interest on his behalf as

  well. It was, in particular, the way he looked at her. She could feel his eyes upon

  her, asking mute questions, searching beneath her exterior guise for a more

  intimate connection as she tried to simplify her family’s financial structure for

  her two guests.

  “The two family real estate assets, this home and the land and estancia

  in Pergamino, are held in a trust set up by my mother-in-law, Lydia De Seta.

  Upon her death, sole ownership rests with her grandsons, who are, of course,

  my sons, Lonfranco and Renaldo. If she dies before Renaldo reaches twenty-one

  years of age, those two properties are held in the estate until his twenty-first

  birthday. Once Renaldo is twenty-one, the hard assets vest in the two boys,

  and they have the option of maintaining both properties, or one brother can

  buy out the other using a loan from the undistributed portion of his personal

  trust. The personal trusts were also set up by Lydia, and they vest in the boys

  at age thirty.”

  The widow paused to make certain that her guests were following her

  train of thought. A warm smile and a nod from Herr Stoltz confirmed that she

  could proceed.

  “There are two preliminary payments of two hundred thousand dollars

  each at ages twenty-one and twenty-five. So you see, gentlemen, one of my sons,

  Lonfranco, has already received his first payment of two hundred thousand

  dollars, and is due to receive another in two years. Renaldo’s first payment

  will be in May of 1980. Both boys have the option of taking loans from their

  trusts after age eighteen. The current trustees are accountants with the firm

  Martinez-Riachuelo, and they report to the boys and me on a quarterly basis.

  Lonfranco took some money from his distribution for his personal use, but left

  246

  RENALDO

  most of the cash in the trustee’s hands to invest on his behalf. Am I making

  sense so far, gentlemen?”

  “Very lucid and precise, Señora, please continue,” Wolfgang Stoltz replied

  in a soft tone.

  “It is my sincere hope that by the time the boys inherit the bulk of their

  assets, they will have obtained not only an education, but the business acumen

  that will enable them to handle their own investments. That is why I feel so

  strongly about Renaldo not wasting his time with this football foolishness. He

  has the mental capacity to not only attend medical school, but also to learn

  about the world of finance and commerce. He is a very bright boy, and I will

  not have him sidetracked for long, Señor Gordero!”

  “Once again, Señora De Seta, let me assure you that the financial benefits

  of a professional football career can be maximized in a very short time, with the

  right person overseeing the deal-making. If your son has the athletic potential

  that I and several others feel he does, he will be a very rich young man in a

  very short time. One other thing, Señora, is that he will have done it all on his

  own, and not through an inheritance or a trust. That self-esteem is something

  Renaldo’s family fortune cannot give him at this stage of his life.”

  Gordero sat back in his chair, pleased with himself at parrying the widow’s

  latest anti-football thrust.

  “I suppose there is something to be said in that regard, Señor Gordero,

  but I worry about him so much. He is just a boy, suddenly living in a man’s

  world. He has always been so shy in the presence of strangers. I fear he will

  be overwhelmed, taken advantage of. Do you understand a mother’s fears,

  Señor?”

  “I am sure Señor Gordero is sympathetic to your misgivings, Señora De

  Seta,” Stoltz interjected, “but your son has found in Señor Gordero not just

  an attorney, but a trusted friend and confidant as well. It is our intention to

  provide Renaldo with the very best legal and financial advice, while at the same

  time educating him in the ways of contracts and agreements, so that he can

  use that knowledge in future business dealings. That will, at least, give him

  an introduction into the world of commerce and finance, as you so justifiably

  wish.”

  She found that his precise Germanic accent softly, yet authoritatively

  reinforced the logic of his words. Herr Stoltz seemed to be in calm control of

  the world around him, unlike so many of the hotheaded Latin businessmen she

  had been forced to deal with in the past. I can trust this man! she thought. As

  their discussions proceeded, she felt inclined to relate her own financial details

  to her guests, in case the two legal minds could offer her any suggestions in

  one way or another.

  24

  JAMES McCREATH

  “My husband, Peter, and I were also the beneficiaries of two trusts

  established by my mother-in-law. On Peter’s death, the assets of his trust

  became my property through his will. I draw a monthly income from my

  personal trust that more than covers my living expenses, for the real estate is

  still owned and maintained by Lydia. I also have investments that are a result

  of my family in Tigre. After both my parents passed away, the ferry business

  and our family home were sold at considerable profit. That money was divided

  among their surviving children, and that sum, alone, could have afforded me

  a comfortable lifestyle. The same accounting firm that act as trustees handle

  my personal investments, primarily for the sake of convenience. I sometimes

  wonder, however, if I should not take the assets that are under my direct control

  elsewhere. Having one accounting firm know everything about my financial

  situation is unsettling at times. Perhaps you, gentlemen, could take a look at

  my portfolio, at a later date.”

  It was difficult for Astor Gordero to keep the Cheshire cat grin off his face.

  This was exactly what he had set out to accomplish when he first contacted

  Señora De Seta. He had known that the family wealth was vast, but exactly

  who the controlling parties were and how the assets were distributed was a

  matter of delicate inquiry. As Wolfgang Stoltz confidently reassured the lady

  that A. R. Gordero and Sons specialized in managing some of the nation’s

  most prominent families’ financial portfolios, Astor Gordero already knew that

  Florencia De Seta could be convinced to do anything he desired of her.

  While it was clear that using his trump card was not necessary to gain

  the information he had sought, Astor Gordero decided that its use would add

  some excitement to the proceedings. Yes, he would allow it. He would allow

  Wolfgang Stoltz to court and seduce Florencia De Seta. That done, it was

  appropriate to turn his attention to the timely demise of Lydia De Seta, so that

  all the family assets would flow through to Florencia and her sons. The total

  control of their family fortune would not be lo
ng in coming once Lydia had left

  this world.

  It has been a very successful meeting, very successful indeed! an enthused Astor

  Gordero thought to himself as he waddled through the front gate of Casa San

  Marco and into his waiting Mercedes. Herr Stoltz would now close the deal, in

  more ways than one.

  248

  Chapter eighteen

  Early March brought cooling winds to Mar del Plata, and flying in on those

  winds came the National Team of Uruguay, intent on giving the local

  heroes their first bitter taste of international competition. The fixture

  could not be played in the main stadium due to several construction mishaps

  which had severely delayed completion of the renovations. More importantly,

  one of the near disasters was the collapse of the player’s tunnel leading to the

  pitch. Luckily, the tunnel was deserted at the time, and the popular joke in

  town was that no laborer could ever be hurt working on the sight because they

  were always having lunch or a coffee break.

  The situation was so bad at the Mar del Plata Stadium that the Brazilians

  had cancelled their participation in the Copa Roca, saying that the venue was

  unfit for use. Octavio Suarez was livid at the rebuff, but most of his ire was

  directed at the local organizing committee for allowing the stadium debacle

  to occur in the first place. Assurances were given by the National Organizing

  Committee that work would be stepped up, and the National Guard was called

  in to supervise the pace of construction. In reality, the stadium workers became

  little more than slaves, working under the watchful eyes of armed guards.

  The Uruguayan match was played in the smaller municipal stadium,

  under cloudless blue skies, in front of a noisy, capacity crowd. There was some

  pretty football played at intermittent intervals, but for the most part, it was a

  lackluster, tentative ninety minutes. Octavio Suarez chose to go with the entire

  A squad, without substitution, right up to full time. The crowd became restless

  when the veterans failed to produce a goal after sixty minutes, and there were

  calls for substitutions as well as jeers for the coaching staff. But Octavio Suarez

  stuck to his original game plan. Not one B squad player made it on to the field

  that afternoon. A 0-0 result was not well received by either those present or the