Page 30 of A Family Affair: The Ring
He’d always thought Delaney was a do-gooder, more vanilla than spice, and Will was only half committed to her.But maybe he needed closure with his old love interest before he could move on.Harry could help him with it.What was the worst that could happen?
He should have picked up his pen and begun to list the pros and cons from worst to best and if he’d done that, he would’ve kept his mouth shut.But Harry Blacksworth still ran roughshod from time to time and spat out whatever landed in his brain.And that’s why he said, “Okay, I’m in.We’ll get Will his closure and then we’ll see if he changes his mind about you.”
The woman jumped from her chair, ran to the other side of the desk and hugged Harry.“Thank you, thank you so much.I’ve got a few ideas and I’ll send them to you.”The smile she gave him lit up the entire room.“Oh Harry, you’re going to make a wonderful Godfather of Magdalena.”
When she left a few minutes later, a nagging discomfort settled in his belly, made him wish he hadn’t eaten the fried calamari for lunch.Who was he kidding?The stomach issues had nothing to do with calamari.No, this one was on him and his big mouth that he should have kept shut.All he could do now was keep quiet and hope he wouldn’t regret his words.
18
“Harry Blacksworth, what the heck did you do?”Harry turned to face Pop Benito standing a foot away, a bony finger pointed at him, brows pinched together, “annoyed” smearing his face.“This is a mess and you created it.”
Harry set down the golf magazine he’d been reading as he ate a bowl of penne with spinach and garbanzos.He swore Jeremy could go up against the premier chefs in Chicago with this dish.“Settle down, Pop.Is this about Loretta Shandley and the check I gave her for her kid’s braces?”
Pop removed his ball cap, unzipped his jacket and slid into the booth opposite Harry.“Yougaveit to her, or you loaned it to her?”
Harry forked a mix of penne and spinach, shrugged, avoiding the old man’s gaze.“It was sort of open-ended.She needed a down payment, or they wouldn’t start on her daughter’s braces.Have you seen that poor little girl?She needs help, and she can’t wait for Loretta to come up with the money.”
“I know that, just like I also know Loretta’s husband plopped down a hefty chunk for a pop-up camper last week.”Pause and then “Anda vacation to Florida.”
Harry inched his gaze to Pop’s, frowned.“Really?She didn’t say anything about a camper or a vacation.”
“Of course, she didn’t because she thinks you’re a bank.”Pop tapped his fingers on the table, blew out a loud sigh.“When we talked about you taking over for me, that didn’t mean you’d become the lending department, and worse that those loans would never be repaid.”
Damn, he’d been played.“I thought I was helping her.She seemed so forlorn, and you know I can’t stand tears.”
The old man laughed.“You think they don’t all have your number, Harry?That they don’t talk about ways to get you to give them money like you’re an ATM?Need a dress for the prom?Sure, just ask Harry and he’ll pull out a catalogue and tell you to place an order.What about a juicy Delmonico steak because you’ve got a hankering for one?Harry’s your guy and he’ll probably fill up your freezer, too.”Another scowl, more finger tapping.“Handing out money like you’re a candy machine is not the answer.And it won’t help these people.They’ll just come back to you again and againandagain.”
Harry set down his fork, shoved his plate aside.All he’d wanted was a good bowl of penne with spinach and garbanzos and a half-hour to peruse the latest golf magazine.But Pop’s visit had stolen his appetite for food and relaxation.“Then I suppose you won’t be happy that I loaned Rebecca Franklin $5000 for a car.”He picked up his spoon, twirled it between his fingers.“But thatwasa loan, and I even got her to agree to start repaying me on the first of the month until the five grand is paid off.”See what Pop thought about that!Harry knew how to negotiate a loan, damn if he didn’t.
“Well, aren’t you just a financial genius?I don’t suppose you charged her interest and I’d be curious to hear what the terms are.Is she paying $500 a month?$200?$20?You see, it’s all in the details, Harry, and if a person can’t afford something, then they shouldn’t buy it.And just because you don’t want to see someone sad is not a reason to toss money at their problem.”He leaned forward, those dark eyes burning with disappointment.“Did you hear me?Theirproblem.”
Harry blew out a sigh, annoyed with himself for being such an easy target, and ticked at Pop for calling him on it.“How would you have handled it, Pop?Would you have let Rebecca drive that beat-up car, maybe break down on the way home?She has a three-year old, and what if the child is in the car with her?I couldn’t do that to her.I know it’s probably foolish, and I know it might not teach the right lesson, but I can’t watch people get into trouble and do nothing if they ask for my help.”
The tilt of the head and the pinched lips said a lecture was coming.“That’s true.One of the reasons I chose you to be my successor was because of your big heart.The problem with that big heart is knowing when to open it and when to make tough choices.Teaching moments, like parents are supposed to do with their kids.Do you really think that giving your child everything instead of teaching them how to solve problems helps them?Goodness, they’ll never move out of the house and if they do, you’ll be paying the rent or mortgage.They’ll be thirty or thirty-five with a wife and kids, and you’ll be footing the bill.They’ll take vacations, drive new cars with money you gave them, and don’t forget the designer clothes and appliances, paid for with your credit card.”One long sigh that wrapped around Harry’s middle and squeezed.“All because you couldn’t stand to see the disappointment and the doing without.”
“When you say it like that, it all makes sense.Greta tells me I’m too soft with our kids, and if I don’t watch out, they won’t learn what she calls ‘life skills’ to navigate this world and live on their own.She said they’ll depend on us to make choices for them or get out of the bad choices they’ve made, and both will do harm.”
A tiny smile played about Pop’s lips.“Greta is one smart woman.You should listen to her more often.”He eyed Harry, the smile spreading.“Maybe I picked the wrong Blacksworth to be my successor.Maybe I should have asked Greta.”
Was he serious?Did the man believe that or was he just trying to get Harry to think next time before opening his wallet or handing out his credit card?He couldn’t tell and that bothered the hell out of him.“You really think Greta should carry on your legacy?”Of course, she was the better choice.Deep down there was still a lot of the old screwup inside him and he should have known that when Pop said he wanted him to be the next Godfather of Magdalena.Harry wasn’t built for it.He was too soft….Too emotional… Too…
“She might be a better choice in the short term, but once you have a little seasoning on you, you’ll burst like a tomato in the hot sun, and out will come knowledge and compassion and the ability to make tough choices.”
Harry cleared his throat, fought the emotion threatening to steal his voice.“Thanks, Pop.Appreciate it.”
“Welcome.”Pop snagged a piece of bread from the basket, dipped it in olive oil, and took a bite.The man chewed for a full twenty seconds, long enough to make Harry fidget and wonder if this was the end of the lesson.
And then he spoke.“The next time someone asks for anything having to do with money, you send them to Christine or Will Callahan.They’ll work with them, come up with a plan and a budget and if the person can’t figure out how to afford it, then maybe they shouldn’t get it.If they do need a loan, there’s ways to handle that as well but it won’t be interest-free, pay-me-back-whenever or if ever.There will be terms and those terms will have consequences.”
Harry gave him a puny nod, wished he’d thought it all through before he agreed to the loans that might end up becoming donations.“Is it ever okay to just give money to someone if they can’t afford something?”
“Depends on what it is.Is it money for the heating bill?Is it groceries?Is it a trip to the spa?”Pop tore off another hunk of bread, dipped it in olive oil.“I’ve been around a long time, and I’ve seen everything.Don’t think I learned my lesson the first time around because I gave away money I didn’t have.A sad story, a few tears and a ‘woe is me’ did it every time.When Lucy found out what I’d been doing and how I’d even gone into our savings to help someone, she put a stop to it.Whew, she was not happy!She said life is hard and choices are harder, but everyone’s got one.We could guide and set examples, but we wouldnotbe played for fools ever again.That’s exactly what had happened to meandto her by association.”
He smiled, his dark eyes sparkling beneath his glasses.“Lucy never wanted to be played for a fool.She was right about all of it.That’s when I came up with plans for the people who asked me for money.They might think it’s okay to askyousince you’ve got enough for everybody, but that is not the point and it’s not going to help them make better choices.”He dipped the bread in more olive oil, bit into it, chewed.Another fifteen seconds passed as his words settled in Harry’s brain.
“I think I’ll have a conversation with Christine and ask her to meet with these people and set up repayments.What do you think about that?”Did he want to do it?Hell no, he did not, but Pop was right.Tossing money at people was not going to solve their problems or help them the next time they needed money.They’d come right back at him, and there would be another story, more tears, more promises.
“That’s a very good idea, and the first step toward growing into your position.”
