ter

rang the bell. He waited anxiously while his gr

r he saw his nose had dropped at least an inch from previo

ee you," Harmon Biggs said in greeting as

shaking the old man's bony hand tha

ndma used to swear I'd outlive her, but the

?" Nelson inquired, as if testi

oking as commanding as ever. Dressed in a lovely print dress with long sleeves and

k the steps as gracefully as she'd done in the days when her husband had been alive, and even at eighty-one she exuded a youthfulness that was only marred b

ottom step. "You're looking as pert as ever I see." He smiled and bent to ki

at all. But I do still have good legs to stand on, and I've learned at thi

had pleased her, thinking he might take his place at Williams Enterprises. Then Freeman told her he had taken

parlor. "Come, let's relax in the parlor." she stated. Then to the old butler, "Harmon, I'll hav

imes." As her fingers curled around his, he reass

e that she had worn since Nelson was a young boy, and it was a testament to his grandmother's per

lled her fingers out of his hand and gestured him to a chair across from her own, which was as elaborate as the

you down once more. I am still not prepared for the role that you and my father have in mind for me. In a

a continuous lineage. Nelson, we need you. Although your sister can manage the company independently and is a talented executive, she will eventually stop being a Williams. The name Williams will not be passed down to her children. Our only hope is you. If

and Sis to gain some knowledge about the company, but I just could not bring myself to do it. I do not want to put myself in a situation whe

y. Until he fulfilled his grandfather's wishes to either work at Willia

ather. "Your young fiancé comes to see me a lot. She fervently hopes that you will one day mature and assum

you." She ended our relationship long ago whe

ng as you accept your position within the company

rry me unless I work for Williams Enterprises, even th

ly aspirational young lady, Jennifer would never

unable to take her to all the upscale restaurants she preferred, Jennifer had broken up with

do my desires fit into the bigger picture if

in front of him was scotch. Nelson picked it up and began to drink it, but he had to wait for his grandmother's delicate moment when she poured the cream i

r to respond to h

m, Nelson watched her and

life that do not involve Williams Enterprises due to unforeseen circumstances. I hoped y

ave him almost

know that is not possible," she said sternly. Your grandfather's wishes would always take precedence over mine. He hoped you would marry and have a Williams

nd her saucer in the other. Beneath that docile façade, however, was a ruthless, unyielding despot. Ne

d shocked a

for you, my boy. Are you too obstin

in order to satisfy everyone else's," Nelson said. It will be

tch down his dry throat. As he replaced the glass on the tray, his grandmother looked on in contemp

want to spend the rest of your life with because you want to be trusted. Williamss commit to one another

he cup was still full when sh

er would only encourage the elderly woman to continue lecturing. He would had enough

son. Rather than offering her cheek as she usually did, she stuck out her hand. She said somewhat drily, "It would plea

other, he realized that his fa

"I apologize for my haste, and it is always a pleasure to visit with you, Nels

ny hand, he planted

pte

She now felt as though she was a wilted rose, with fragments of her life constantly falling away. Nelson Williams kept coming to mind, and she wondered why he had

when her friend Jonny burst

paper on her lap and exclaimed, "Look at this,

s, particularly those that were not personal to her and did not require her to become emotiona

I marked for yo

reschool Faci

fully Jonny had considered it, she remarked, "That would tie me down more than I am now

small room somewhere you can turn into a tiny apartment for your parents. They'd

d be the perfect solution to silencing her constant fear that her mother might fall, or perhaps something worse could happen. "You've

ration with an established enrollment, and the staff would consider staying on with the new o

ibitive for her with her meager funds. Yet, being able to take her parents to work with her was an arresting thought. That

ther's business during your summer breaks from school before he retired. Give them a call. It won't cost a thing to

ork with her, Clara tore out the advertisement and placed it in her wallet at th

she prepared to leave her classroo

just one more petal of her life dropping away. She grabbed t

ity. Looking for solutions to her problems and heavy burdens never ceased. Like Trudy, she began to see the value in such an arrangement that a daycare

for a good twenty m

thy retirement nest egg. Now, we want to do some traveling before we get too old to enjoy it. We're selling below appraisal price in

ate a dayroom for them so I can watch them while I

we would never try to deceive anyone. A business has its share of problems, but I can honestly say we've been fortunate to have a good en

d. She thought of her parents' savings a

lower than the bank would charge on interest. We could work out a paym

aving her parents alone would be resolved and spare her the p

asked and received an affirmative reply. When she hung up the phone s

ks and understood them well. She would be able to tell if the purchase would be t

uded grading papers, Clara crawled in bed, too wound up to sleep. An inner voice enc

s would go toward the down payment and would be nothing less than disastrous if something went wrong. What if she