The Freak - S01 E42

2 months ago

The Freak - S01 E42

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 42

What is your marital status, Mr. French?"

"I have been married for more than four years and I have one child, a daughter who is eighteen months old. She and my wife are in the waiting room. My wife is also pregnant again although only about three months so you wouldn't know to look at her."

"How many people do you employ, Mr. French?"

"There are currently 67 at the dealership, but I'm short one accounts clerk, one secretary, and, of course, one general manager. Even with a GM will have to be there at least three times a week to supervise and provide direction to the sales managers. I have 23 at my one Wendy's and visit the restaurant at least twice each week to audit the receipts and to handle the payroll. The same would be true with my second restaurant."

One of the other board members spoke for the first time. "Mr. French, you're awfully young to own one business let alone three. Can you explain how you managed this?"

"I'll try, Ma'am, I'm a Harvard graduate and while there became very good friends with the son of the man who owned the dealership. The son works on Wall Street and has no interest in selling and servicing cars so the father offered the business to me. Of course, I had to pay for it a bit more than five million dollars. The others I just felt were a good opportunity."

"Graduate school?*

"Yes, Ma'am-Harvard Business. I was Summa Cum Laude at both." I was asked to have Barbara and Brianna come in. Brianna ran to me as soon as the door was opened and pulled her up into my arms. I introduced them to the board and we were excused. A week later I received notice that I had been reclassified 2-A- deferred due to occupation. I never heard from them again.

Barbara and had four children-Brianna Marie, Jennifer Diane, Robert Michael, and Casey Lynn-all spaced between eighteen and twenty-four months apart. After Brianna was born Barbara had phoned Darla to tell her that we would name our next girl "Darla" Daria's reply was completely unexpected. "If you do i'll never speak to you again. It's bad enough that have this horrible name. Please don't inflict it on an innocent child. My parents wanted to impress a great aunt in the hope of getting an Inheritance. Instead, she told them they were crazy. She hated the name, too. So much for "Darla" as our daughter's name.

Barbara had promised to show her love for me every minute of every day and that's exactly what she did. I knew that I would receive a searing kiss every night when I returned home from work and that was just a prelude to what would happen once the kids were asleep. Most nights she would have to wait until I had been officially greeted by our children and our dog, but that never slowed her down. If nothing else, our children knew that their parents loved each other totally

We made the most passionate love at least once a day well into our fifties. Then we slowed down a bit to four to five times a week.

I often thought that our love making was the reason why we rarely fought or argued. We disagreed as all couples do, but when we did we resolved those disputes through discussion, always sealing the deal in bed shortly thereafter.

Our children learned to love the beach and the water as much as we did. They could all swim by the time they were five. They also learned to fish and I insisted that they learn to bait their own hooks, running the ugly sand worms that I always used up the hook. We rarely caught anything worthwhile, but we did have a lot of fun. It was just one of the many things we did together as a family.

We never had to do without for lack of money. I cleared well more than a million a year just from the dealership and close to another million from my three Wendy's restaurants and more once my loans were paid off. Yes, I opened one more in Smithtown near my dealership. I repaid my loans early and invested profitably in a broad spectrum of securities. I had those incredible flashes for my entire life.

Some of those flashes led me to purchase forty acres adjacent to the dealership once those loans were done. I put in two additional dealerships-Toyota and GMC, the latter including heavy duty. vehicles in addition to pickups and vans.

I put in plenty of hours for the first six years. By then had a cadre of managers I knew I could trust. I would meet with them once or twice a week to provide direction and to audit the business's activities. I trusted them, but I wasn't a fool.

I never forgot about my parents, my family, the Gleason's, or about those in need. I contributed to local charities, especially those dealing with children. The local YMCA was one of my favorites as was the Salvation Army. My charitable contributions increased once I knew that Barbara, my children, and my parents were provided for in sizable trusts.

Justin began work the same time that did, graduating Cum Laude, and taking a position as an analyst for one of the huge brokerage firms. He and Darla took an apartment in Garden City where she had secured a job teaching third graders and where Justin's commute into Manhattan was reasonable. He continued his education at night, attending New York University until he had earned his MBA. He began at the bottom, but rose up the corporate ladder quickly, moving into management after only six years with the firm. When they opened a branch in Smithtown he obtained a transfer, taking the position of district manager with the title of Executive Vice President. Then he and Darla moved into a large home in nearby Stony Brook.