Chapter 11
Elijah
I opened my eyes and looked at the clock, it was 10 a.m. I slept for 12 hours solid. I left the bedroom and headed downstairs to see Peter. I could see no sign of him, but he had left a note for me on the kitchen counter. It said he went to the office and would be back home in a few hours.
I headed into Peter's study. A large antique writing desk adorned the center of the room. It looked like a cartographer’s desk and was in immaculate condition. I ran my hand over the inlaid leather writing surface and could see that the locks, handles, and escutcheons all looked original. Behind and out of contrast was a black leather big boss chair which looked well weathered and sat in. I could imagine my brother there.
I lowered myself into the soft leather, it welcomed me and relaxed me. I closed my eyes and was embraced by the smell of history. I pondered a why Peter had these as luxuries when the remainder of his home looked so modest. I closed my eyes for a moment and bathed in the silence. I had become peaceful, and my mind had cleared from being completely blank. I opened my eyes and heard a car door slam closed in the driveway.
It had to be Peter returning home.
I rushed to the door and opened it as I heard him fumble with his keys.
“Welcome home Sir,” I said with a grin.
Peter looked at me. He seemed astonished I’d welcomed him. Maybe he was used to coming home to an empty house. There seemed to be no one else in his life but me right now.
“So, what have you been up to?” he asked with a genuine tone.
I looked through the photos again and sat for a while in your study. “Nice chair by the way.”
“It was Dad's chair, and the desk was his pride and joy at the office,” Peter muttered as he kicked off his shoes and headed into the living room.
“Where have you been all day, anyway?” I sat on the couch opposite Peter.
“I had a few things to sort out at the office. I’ll take you tomorrow so you can get re-acquainted with everything,” he said.
“It sounds like a good idea, the sooner I can do that, the sooner I can get some work done,” I said eagerly.
“For sure,” Peter replied as he sat comfortably next to me. “Whatever you want.”
“Tell me more about the office. Where is it? What’s my job?” I asked as I leaned in toward Peter showing my eagerness to know.
“Are you sure you want to know all of this now?” Peter asked as he stood up to pour a drink.
“Sure, why not? It sounds kinda fun. At least I’ll know what building to look for when we get there,” I added keenly.
Peter passed me a glass, the smell of bourbon filled my nose. I screwed up my face. “It smells a bit strong. What is it?”
“Bourbon, I thought you liked it?” he asked.
“I must do if you say so. Now, tell me about the office,” I pressed on as I sipped from my glass. The taste seemed somewhat familiar.
“The office is located in the city, and you will easily recognize it, it’s the largest building there,” he went on to say. “The company is involved with logistics and specializes in client satisfaction.”
“So, we are busy then?” I took another sip of the amber liquid that warmed my stomach.
“You could say that it's a 24-hour operation. It’s a market leader in the way it operates, so it sets the standards,” he added proudly.
Peter continued to answer my questions about how the business started and how it had boomed to become a major player in the logistics field. I was excited to see where I worked, but Peter had not told me what our positions were within the company. I guess he wanted to show me my house first and he would explain all that later.
“I’ll get changed, and I’ll take you home,” Peter walked up the stairs to get ready. I was happy he was my friend.
“Yeah, okay, no problem,” I called up to him as I finished the drink and sucked on the cool ice.
***
Peter drove us to my place, and I rested my forehead on the window and watched as the buildings passed us by. He turned off the highway and started to drive in a new direction.
“How much further?”
The car slowed and turned into a driveway. It had large black gates sat before us. Peter opened his window and entered a code into the electronic keypad, and the huge gates slowly opened and invited us inside.
“Look familiar?” Peter asked as he slowly drove along the driveway between the trees.
“I live down here?” I asked as I opened my window and put my head outside. It was beautiful. The smell of the air was divine to my senses.
“You are home,” Peter said as he slowly drove through the underpass which took us to the rear of the house.
“You must be kidding. This is all mine?” I asked as I scoured the vastness.
"Uh uh," he answered.
The car stopped, and I stepped outside. I stood and looked at the surroundings. I could see below us was the city, and closer in the garden there was a swimming pool. An infinity pool that had huge boulders which were constructed into a waterfall. The water flowed and sent myriads of bubbles under the cobblestone surface; the water rippled outwards as it hit the side of the pool.
I turned and looked at the house. There was a four-door garage that covered half of the building.
“What’s in here?” I asked Peter as I scratched my head apprehensively.
My head spun as Peter grabbed my cell phone and tapped on the screen a couple of times. The doors started to rise as if by magic.
I started to count as vehicles came into view. I stood in shock, I shoved my fingers in my hair and sighed. I counted five cars and three motorcycles, one of which was piled on the floor, mangled and twisted.
“What’s that?” I asked as I pointed to the pile of twisted metal.
“That is the bike you had your accident on,” Peter replied.
“Holy fuck!" I blurted out. "I was lucky then.” I stood and looked at the heap of twisted metal.
“Come on. Let’s go inside," Peter urged.
I walked past an Audi A8, a Porsche 911, a McLaren P1, a Porsche Cayenne and a Ford Mustang Shelby Limited Edition; this was sheer self-exuberance as I entered the enormous kitchen.
Peter showed me around all of the rooms. I could see all of the latest items and gadgets you could imagine. All of it was just a complete waste of money. How could I afford all this?
“Did this actually make me happy, having all this stuff?” I asked Peter, my head unable to fathom why someone would go to so much effort to have the best of everything.
“I’m not sure if it made you happy for long, I’ll put it that way,” he replied. “At least you could afford it.” He fingered his way through a pile of DVDs.
“How can I afford this or did I just waste money?” I shouted from the games room down the long hall.
“Come here, I need to explain something to you now,” Peter's voice rang from the living room.
I left the game room and headed toward him. I took a seat as Peter sat close to me as my friend.
“I told you that you were Dad's favorite, right?” Peter paused. “Well when he died he left most of his fortune to you, and sole ownership of the business as well.”
“I don’t understand, why was it not split equally? I mean, surely that would have been the fair thing to do?”
“It’s okay, I’m comfortable,” Peter replied as he looked at me and grabbed my arm.
“How much did he leave you when he died?” I asked with a concerned and worried look on my face.
“That’s irrelevant, now is all about you,” he replied as he held my hand and squeezed it in support.
“Dad left you his personal fortune, the sum of 148 million,” he replied as my face turned a shade of gray.
My head was numb. If I could have, I would have puked.
“That is obscene. So, the company is worth nearly 150 million?” I asked as I leaned back trying to take it all in.
“No, that was just Dad's personal fortune, the company has its value, Elijah.”
“So, what’s the value of the company?” I replied as I shook my head in disbelief. I felt dizzy.
“The ballpark figure is close to two billion.” My face went white in shock from the news.
I laughed and looked at Peter, but he had a serious look on his face.
“I thought you said two billion,” I chuckled as I questioned the number.
“I did, the stocks have gone through the roof, and the company is a logistics behemoth, it won’t stop growing,” he replied as he smiled.
“So, what’s our position in the company, what do you do?” I asked him, excited about our positioning.
“I’m a foreman, Elijah. The company is yours."
I was saddened by the news but was eager to know more. “What’s my position, manager or what?” I asked as I leaned forward to hear his reply in angst.
“You own it, lock, stock and smoking barrel,” he said.
I looked at Peter confused. I scratched my head and asked, “So if I’m the boss, what do I do?”
I could see the look in Peter's eyes. The conversation brought up memories which must have been painful; his eyes looked glossed over and sad.
“Elijah, my dear younger brother, your job is to do what the hell what you want, when you want,” he said as he grimaced.
I found his words hard to comprehend. Had I been given that much? Was I that rich?
Peter explained more about the company, and said he would take me to the office in the morning. Maybe once I had time to gather my senses and come to terms with what we had just spoken about, I could get on with my life. But one thing was sure, whatever sense of satisfaction all this luxury gave me before, it didn’t appeal to me at all now. The opulence was borderline insanity. No one man could need all of this stuff.
“Get some rest,” Peter said as he headed toward his car, “I’ll pick you up in the morning around 10 a.m."
“See you tomorrow, Peter. And thanks for everything. I really appreciate it,” I said as he slowly made his way down the driveway toward a totally different sort of life. I felt ridiculous having all of this when he didn't. I hated the fact.
I walked around my house and was dumbfounded when I reached my closet. I could see designer shirts still in the cellophane and shoes still in boxes. I had a sense of total gluttony that I had been responsible for it and ignored my brother's needs. What kind of prick was I before?
I hoped what I had seen would be the extent of it because I could see no real reason why a person would want so many unnecessary luxuries in their life. Had I become so bored with my life that this what I had become? Maybe I would have a better understanding after I visited the office in the morning with Peter. At least I had a big brother who supported me. I obviously had been a total fucking asshole. Wow, I even shocked myself.