Saving The Game

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"Again?" Karen was incredulous. "Daddy, this will be your fourth wife! Do you plan to pay alimony to half the women in New York?"

James Stevens smiled at his daughter, his only child, "I knew you wouldn't take the news well but I had to tell you before the wedding. Sweetheart, I'm only fifty; you don't expect me to be alone for another few decades do you? Besides, why do you assume that this time it won't last? Lucille is wonderful. I'm sure you two will get along just fine." Looking at his daughter tenderly, he added, "We really are in love, Karen. Lucille makes me happy."

"Daddy, I know you don't want to be alone. Yes, you're not an old man yet and I don't expect you to stay single for the rest of your life. I just don't see how it's going to be different this time. You can't have known her for very long; that's one reason not to tie the knot. Besides, marriage ruins everything. I don't know why people still perpetuate that institution. Why don't you just ask her, Lucille, I mean, to move in and just "live in sin" as they say. I don't see what difference getting a religiously, not to mention legally, binding contract will make--besides the fact that, when the honeymoon ends, she'll have a piece of paper that says she owns half of your company, and just under that will be written, 'Additional hundred years in Purgatory to James Steven's sentence for parting before death.' Just move in together, Daddy. Really, why do you need to get married?"

James put on a grave face. "Karen, if we live in sin I will have condemned myself to an eternity in Hell rather than a mere hundred years in Purgatory. I can't take that risk, sweetheart. I must marry this woman," he finished with a wink.

Karen groaned, "Daddy, I'm serious. And don't turn my argument against me. Besides, what about the
legal
part. What's your counter to that?"

"Even if you're right and the fourth time's not a charm, your inheritance is safe. Lucille is an heiress herself and we both decided to keep each of our estates separate from the marriage. The contracts have already been signed."

"A prenup, great! I'm glad I'm not the only one trying to prevent the company from getting chopped in two again. Still Daddy, you evaded my point about not knowing her for very long." Karen tilted her head up and crossed her arms.

James put his hands in his pockets. "We've been seeing each other for almost two years now, dear."

Karen's eyes widened in incredulity once again, "And I'm finding out about this just now? Why didn't you tell me, Daddy?" Sounding hurt, she added, "You always used to before."

"It was a long distance relationship for over a year. I would see Lucille whenever I had business in Amsterdam. She hasn't been here, even on business, since we met, or I would have introduced you. We kept it quiet because neither of us was sure of anything until a month ago. Lucille's father has put her in charge of their company's American holdings and since she needed to move here anyway, we decided to make it official." James looked at his daughter, hoping she would understand.

Karen relaxed a little. She uncrossed her arms. "Well, who am I to stand in the way of true love?"

"You seem to forget I've known you since you were born, Karen. Now you're thinking that this marriage might have been better if it didn't have so much protection regarding the wealth of the parties involved," James said, his eyes twinkling as he looked at Karen.

"And you seem to forget, Daddy, that you've been training me for almost as long to look after Sine Industries and to always do what's best for the company. So how big is her family?"

"Lucille's father owns enough land to open up shop as a small country in Europe, and that's all I'm going to say. So, are you happy for me now?"

Karen gave her father a hug. "Daddy, if you're in love then I'm happy for you. I care about the business you built, and you know that you wanted me to grow up doing that, but I care about you more; you come before Sine." She squeezed James for a few moments then looked up into his eyes. "I really do hope this is the last time though, Daddy. You know what I mean?"

James took his daughter's face in his hands. "I know
exactly
what you mean, dear."

******

Bram Van Meer waited until his secretary closed the door to his office before he turned and spoke to Lucille, who had just been ushered in. "I hope that--"

Lucille had come up to Van Meer and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Hello, Papa."

"Yes, hello, Lucille. You are well, yes? Good, good. I was saying, I hope that all is going as planned? When is your wedding?"

"In three weeks, Papa," Lucille forced a smile.

"Good. Sit down." Van Meer took a seat in his high-backed armchair and motioned towards the other. "Now, bring me up to date. He is in America now, yes?"

"Yes, Papa. James went ahead as he was anxious to tell his daughter. He said that he had already waited too long to tell her and that he was sorry that we would not fly to New York togeth--"

"Ok. Yes," Van Meer interrupted. "When are you leaving?"

"Tonight, Papa."

"You are packed and ready?"

"Yes, Papa."

"You are flying Business Class, yes? We do not want to appear lavish. Just give me the details, I do not need to hear long stories. Did you confirm with that American lawyer whose number I gave you? Is it six months or one year before you can file?"

Lucille took a deep breath and braced herself before she spoke. "I'm sorry, Papa. Yes, I have a seat in Business Class on the 9 p.m. flight. I spoke to attorney Stein and he said that six months is the minimum amount of time..."

"Good. Good." Van Meer interjected. "Continue."

Lucille cleared her throat. She did not know how to say it without her father exploding so she just stated the facts. "There is a problem, Papa. Revealing that our family had comparable wealth to James Stevens--well, it backfired."

Van Meer's eyes darkened and his calm expression turned anxious. "Backfired? How so? What is the problem?"

"James did seem relieved when I told him of our wealth, as you said I should do. I told him that I wanted no secrets between us. That part was fine. And he did confess to me that he would have probably asked for a prenuptial contract had I not told him this. Then, as if a huge load had been taken off his shoulders he told me that it was only fair, and that it would be a show of faith on his part, if he had his attorney draw up a contract in light of what I revealed to him--only in this contract both parties would be protected. All assets and liabilities will not be part of the marriage contract." Lucille was glad she had gotten this far without her father interrupting.

"What?!" Van Meer rose from his seat thunderously. "He opted for a contract anyway?" He started pacing, cursing in Dutch. Although Lucille was raised in America, she was taught the language of her father from birth and she listened wordlessly to Van Meer's words of hatred directed towards her husband to be.

Van Meer stopped and looked at his daughter. There was a jeering tone in his voice. "Yet you are still flying to New York tonight. You still plan to marry the man? What is there to be had from your marriage now? You're going to tell me you're in love." He sits down and leans towards Lucille with his hands on his knees.

"I knew you would not take the news well, Papa, but--"

Of course I would not take this news well! Did you think I would laugh and dance around when I learned that you would be marrying for no reason?" Van Meer paused and assumed a look of enlightenment. "Ah, I see. You would say that your reason is love and that was enough reason to marry this bast--"

"I was going to say, Papa," Lucille strengthened her voice but retained her composure, "that all is not lost. I will proceed as planned and deal with the changes to the circumstances. The reason that I am still going to marry James is that, though the contract was carefully worded, there is within it a means to rectify the situation but I must be married to him to do so. Is your contact still in place and ready for my call?"

Van Meer narrowed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "He is ready and is waiting for your call, yes. You will fix this?" The last statement a command rather than a question.

"I will take care of it, Papa." Lucille stood up. "I have a few more things to finish here before my flight."

Van Meer looked his daughter in the eye. "I trust you to take care of it. You will not disappoint me, Lucille."

Turning towards the thick oak door to her father's office and walking with full composure she stated simply, "I have not disappointed you yet, Papa." She exited the room and closed the heavy door behind her noiselessly.

Van Meer stared at the empty chair where Lucille had sat. "This is true. Not yet." He stood and walked to his desk. Pressing a button on his phone he told his secretary to connect him to the secure line.

******

James  relaxed in one of the leather-upholstered chairs in the large bay window of his office in his upstate New York mansion. Outside it was a warm early summer evening and the western sky glowed orange behind the line of beech trees across the far side of the vast lawn. The office remained at a perfect 68 degrees, the entire mansion having centralized air conditioning.

His former body guard and now one of his best friends, Arthur, occupied the other burgundy leather chair and he raised his glass of bourbon. "Congratulations, Jim."

James raised his glass and commented, "You don't exactly look overjoyed, Art."

"We've both been here before, Jim. I do hope Lucille's the one; from what you've told me she sounds terrific. I guess...I don't know, Jim; maybe it's because I haven't met her and out of the blue I find out that you're getting married...again."

James smiled and sipped his drink. "You been talking to Karen recently? You sound just like her."

Arthur laughed,  "Haven't seen her in weeks, actually. She's got about a thousand friends for each day of the week. It is true, though, that both of us have learned a great deal about business, and the care and feeding of it, from you; so it doesn't surprise me that she's voiced her opinion about what has come before the company gets sliced down the middle twice before.  But, hey, you had a prenup made out and it didn't seem to bother Lucille--in fact, it protects her as much as you--so, yes, I am happy for you. Like I said, Jim, when I meet her in person she'll probably seem more like the perfect match that you describe her to be."