Chapter 28
“Leave now!” Ralph pushed Rebecca toward the elevator with his good arm.
“Take your flowers and get the fuck out of my home or I’ll call the police.
Stay out of my life or I will get a restraining order.
Imagine the front pages of the Tribune: ‘Alderman O’Brien’s Wife Slapped with a Restraining Order. ’”
Before she could respond, the elevator opened and Ralph shoved her in with her flowers and hit the button.
Ralph called down to the front desk. “Don’t ever let that woman up again, do you understand me?
Never, or you’ll lose your job. Let all the other doormen know too.
” He slammed down the phone. A sharp pain on his side stopped him.
He gasped for breath and sat down on the nearest chair.
He glanced down at the dressing on the side of his chest and noticed some blood that hadn’t been there before.
“Shit, I’ve got to slow down.”
He called Eunice. “Sorry to bother you, but could you please come over now?”
“On my way. Are you all right? You sound out of breath.”
“I’ll talk to you when you get here, just please get here.”
Ralph sat in the chair taking slow, deep breaths, trying to slow his pulse.
He kept calling Angie knowing she wouldn’t pick up, but at least she’d see he had been calling.
How am I going to get her to trust me now?
And after everything was starting to go so well.
Every time it looks good for us, Rebecca shows up.
The pain on his side was dull and starting to ease.
His arm hurt, but he wasn’t going to get up and take any pain pills. He needed to be clearheaded.
He tried to recollect what was on the papers Angie had shown him: the names, the numbers, the dates, but he hadn’t studied it carefully, thinking he would be able to do that after Angie left.
Ralph threw the plastic breathing contraption across the room.
“Shit!” He and Angie had had a real connection.
He could feel it and he could tell she did too, and now that was all gone.
He was in no shape to go anywhere; there had to be a way to get back in her good graces.
Maybe Eunice would help him; she always found ways.
Ralph sat back, took some slow breaths, and waited for Eunice, his mind spinning.
It felt like hours but Eunice finally arrived.
“You’re white as a ghost.” She put her finger on his wrist. “Your heart is beating way too fast. If it doesn’t slow down we’ll need to call the doctor.
What the hell happened? No, wait, don’t tell me.
I’ll get you a sip of bourbon, if you haven’t taken any pain meds. ”
“Perfect, bourbon works better than any of those drugs.”
Eunice went over and poured them both a single finger of bourbon, handed him a glass, and sat next to him. He could tell she was studying him and could read the concern in her eyes. He took a sip, a breath, and then another sip. “You always know how to calm me down.”
They both stared out the window with a view of Lake Michigan, sipping their bourbon in the middle of the afternoon. Ralph’s pain subsided and he was ready to recall the whole Rebecca incident without getting too upset.
Eunice sat next to him and listened. “You may have to ask your attorney to send her a cease and desist letter. That would send a clear message!”
He nodded and took another sip. They sat in the quiet together.
After a few more minutes, Ralph broke the silence. “Angie and I had a real connection. She brought over lunch and shared some private papers Vinnie had left her. They would have gotten our company out of hot water and put Mario behind bars.”
Eunice listened, waiting for him to go on.
Ralph paused and then said, “I’m falling for Angie and now I think it’s over. If you could have seen her face when Rebecca barged in and trashed her. I hope I never see that look again. I have to get her back and I need your help. I could see spending the rest of my life with Angie.”
He stared out the window again, until Eunice finally spoke.
“We can figure this out. There are a few things I need to tell you. When you were in the hospital, Angie and I came over here to wait and, after a series of long conversations, she gave me the key to the bank lockbox where she put the evidence that could put Mario and his cronies away for good. She’s a smart one; she wants to protect her family.
She knew if Mario got wind of anything, he would come after them. ”
Ralph glanced over at Eunice. “Angie showed me some of the paperwork and we were going to map out a plan, until the Rebecca blowup.”
“There’s no way she is going to trust you now, but she may trust me. Ralph, she’s nobody’s fool. And family is the most important thing to her. Did she tell you about her friend Ben?”
“I know him; he was like a brother to Vinnie. Good man.”
“He’s the only man she really trusts. You may want to call him. Let him know what’s happened and he may have some words of wisdom. Not sure he’ll be able to help, but it’s worth a try.” Eunice put her hand on Ralph’s wrist. “Your pulse has slowed down. How are you feeling?”
“Honestly, I’m exhausted. Glad to have you here to talk this through with me.” He took a deep breath and noticed that his pain had subsided. “Thank you. You’re a gem.”
“We’ll get through this as we always do. Your heart is in the right place, Ralph.” Eunice got up and brought Ralph a glass of water.
Eunice watched as Ralph took a sip of water and continued, “We need to focus on saving our company and fast. I got a call from our attorneys. The investors are pulling out. They don’t want any more bad press and there’s plenty of other places to put their money.
It’s all legal, and we’ll likely have to file for Chapter Eleven.
Our accountants agree that the sooner we do it, the better. ”
“That was fast. I thought more jobs were going back online. That should have sent them a positive signal. This sounds fishy; someone is pressuring them.” Ralph shook his head in disbelief.
“I thought so too, so I did some digging and I think Mario’s connections go far and wide.
I called one of the investors and was able to get them to spill a little.
Seems there’s some banker friends who quietly suggested that they get as far away from your company as possible.
There was no room to negotiate. They already met and voted unanimously to sever all ties. ”
“Hmmm …” Ralph slumped back in his chair.
“This is a fucking nightmare. I’ll need you to go ahead and lay off most of the staff immediately with a reasonable severance package.
You know which ones to keep on. I agree with the accountants, though it nearly kills me.
Best to file for Chapter Eleven. I’m not sure what we can salvage.
If there is any way you can go to the bank and get into Angie’s safety deposit box and take some photos of Vinnie’s journals, that would help.
I need to go see our friend the mayor. He owes me. ”
“You are in no shape to go anywhere, but you would definitely get a sympathy vote looking all banged up. I’ll head over to the bank first and back to the office.
You need to rest if you think you’re walking into City Hall any time soon.
” Eunice made her way to the elevator. “I’ll call you after I leave the bank.
Promise me you’ll lie down for a while. You’re going to need your strength. ”
“Promise, I got nothing left in my tank and I can’t handle any more bad news.”
“I do have a little good news. I moved some of our assets offshore to our account in the Caymans before I came here.”
“Always thinking.”
Eunice left and Ralph went to bed and fell asleep.
He awoke several hours later in total darkness, sat up and turned on his bedside light.
His stomach was gurgling. He headed into the kitchen to get something to eat, saw the leftovers that Angie had carefully put away and warmed them up.
The pesto pasta was better than any he had eaten at any Italian restaurant.
He reminded himself that she had made it with love. Oh, how a day could change things.
Ralph decided not to put on the TV; he couldn’t take any more bad news. He checked his phone, no calls and one text from Eunice. The papers are not in the safety deposit box.
He called Ben, who picked up right away.
“Hey, Ben, it’s Ralph. I need your help. Do you have time to talk?”
“Sure, it’s what retired people do, talk and help out friends. What’s up?”
Ralph explained what happened with Angie and Rebecca and how he needed to get back in her good graces.
“Not sure I can help you with that, buddy. I’ve only seen Angie mad a few times and when her temper hits red, things start flying. I’d suggest that you stay away until she cools off, if she ever does. When she says she’s done with somebody, she’s done.”
Angie had told Ralph that Ben had helped her with the storage unit and getting the journals into a bank safety security box. “Have you heard anything about what she’s going to do to get her pension issue resolved?”
After a long pause, Ben responded, “I’m not at liberty to tell you. She has sworn me to secrecy, and I won’t cross that line. I was watching the evening news and it looks like things have gone from bad to worse for your company. I’m so sorry. I bet you’re really missing your buddy Vinnie now.”
“You know it. I’ve tried calling and texting Angie and no response. Any suggestions on how I might get in touch with her? Don’t want to go to City Hall—that didn’t turn out so well last time. I landed in the hospital with a gunshot wound to my chest and a busted-up arm.”
“Damn, if you didn’t have bad luck, you wouldn’t have any luck.
Why don’t you give me a little time to feel her out.
I’ve been helping Gina with all the catering gigs.
I’ll see Angie tomorrow morning and see if I can bring up your name when she’s cooking.
She’s always calm when she cooks. Don’t get your hopes up, though. ”
Ralph paced back and forth in his living room. “I’d sure appreciate anything you can do. I have to tell you, Ben, I’ve become quite fond of her and I’ll do anything I have to to get her back. I just don’t know what.”
“Maybe hire a biplane from Meigs Field to fly around with a banner saying, ‘Please forgive me, Angie. I love you.’”
They both chuckled. “Crazier things have been done. I sure appreciate your help. I know you’re the only man she trusts. I look forward to hearing from you.”
Ralph sighed, then turned on the TV and watched the Cubs. Baseball always took him away to memories of his time with Vinnie, eating a Chicago dog and drinking beer at Wrigley. Nothing like baseball to slow down time and chill with his buddy. You could cover all of life’s problems in nine innings.
Ralph looked up toward the ceiling and said, “Vinnie, I gotta believe you’re up there. I need your help, pal. I got a soft spot for your Angie. I could use your help and so could the Cubs.”
Eunice sent Ralph a couple more texts at the end of the evening saying layoffs were in play and the accountants were preparing the paperwork for him to sign in the morning. She’d bring them by.
He responded, Coming into the office tomorrow. I can’t stay home anymore and do nothing. See you in the morning.
Ralph stood and stared out at the beautiful lake, shaking his head. Things sure went south fast; a month ago everything was going splendidly. Business was booming. Now I’ll be lucky if I can pay my bills.