By Ted Dewey
Chapter 11
It was ten thirty the following morning, when Bill pulled into the driveway. He shut off the motor and got out.
Joe and Laura were sitting at the table on the back porch. This was a favorite spot, these chilly mornings. The sun’s rays found their way under the high celling of the roof.
Bill walked up the steps and greeted the pair. There was a big grin on his face. “Good morning, folks.”
“Grab a chair and sit down!” Joe growled
“And where the hell have you been!”
“None of your business, of course.” He sat down and leaned back in the chair. He closed his eyes; the smile grew larger.
Joe turned to Laura. “Look at that grin on his face. He looks like the cat that swallowed the canary.”
Laura laughed. “And look at the lipstick on his face.”
Bill opened one eye and looked down his nose. “I don’t see any.”
Laura got to her feet. “I will go make some coffee and leave you two guy’s alone. Maybe you have something you would like to talk over.” She opened the door and went into the house.
For a minute or so, both men set there. Each waiting for the other. It was Joe that broke the silence. “Brother dear, I think we do have something to talk about. In fact, quite a bit.”
Bill nodded. “Yes, I think it is about time. You go ahead and report. I will follow up later.”
Joe cleared his throat. “Laura and I are in love, and one of these days we will tie the knot. We want your blessing.”
“You will get it.”
“Now what I really wanted to talk about was Pop’s LOVE POTION. Laura and I got to talking about it the other day and we decided with us already being in love, there would be no harm in running a test. This would remove all doubts in case we decided to merchandise the product.”
A knowing grin was on Bill’s face, “I thought so.”
“So after several days and a lot of happy nights, we came to the conclusion…”
“You need to say no more, brother dear. I also, have Indulged. Genie and I tried it out.”
“Pop sure didn’t lie.”
“He sure as hell didn’t. And he seemed to think that there was a fortune to be made.”
Joe nodded, “Last night after you left, Laura and I found the book Pop had wrote. He kept a record of everything, and now I believe every word of it. We’ve got to do something, Bill. If we can figure out a way to merchandise the stuff, I think we should give it a whirl!”
“Me too. But what the hell are we going to use for money?” He pulled out his check-book and thumbed through the pages. “I got a couple of thousand left, and that’s all!”
Joe nodded. “And I got about the same. Sure not much to show for the fortune we inherited.”
“We still got that one car lot over in EL Monte. Maybe we could salvage something there.”
“Maybe. There was about sixty cars on it when we left there. They should be worth something!”
“We sure goofed when we went into the automobile business – not knowing a damn thing about it. We should have our heads examined.”
“I know it. And those two women we married, got away with all the cash.” The two men stared at each other for a moment; then both of them burst out laughing.
Joe wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “I have been thinking,” he said. “about that car lot in EL Monte. There is barely enough capitol in our corporation’s bank account, to keep the thing going. At least that is what Cliff says. I called him last night.”
“I think we should close it up and save what we can!”
“Sounds like a good idea. Maybe we should take a run over there, in a couple of days. Maybe we can salvage something!”
Chapter 12
The day passed quickly. Bill was humming a merry tune.
Maybe he and Joe were about broke, but where could you find two happier guys? Each of them had a good woman, and love was grand. This LOVE POTION sure works wonders, he decided. It really does something to a person to make them understanding the meaning of the word.
Pop had said that it could change the whole world, and he was right. Good old dad! Thank God they had listened to his story! They were both broke and bitter when they had arrived but now the world looked bright! Everything was rosy.
The world needed a product like this, he thought. Find the one you love, take a little of this every day, and you will be the happiest person in the world!
There should be a fortune in raising and marketing the bulb, he thought. They must figure out a way to go about it. There were so many different laws governing the sale of a product of this kind so they had better be careful. They had better get a lawyer.
Bill glanced at his watch. Six-thirty. Genie got off work at seven. He would be there to pick her up. He got into the pickup and headed for town.
It was three days, s.1nce he had ground up the bulbs and blended it with the orange juice. Three wonderful days, and what wonderful nights!
He had been honest. He had told her about the LOVE POTION. She had laughed and cried. “Whatever it is that makes me love you so much, don’t change it! I am so happy!”
The girl wanted to sell the tavern, then go in business for herself. The town was now full of winter visitors and business was good so it seemed to be the proper time to sell for a good price. She was running an ad in the local newspaper, but so far, no results.
Bill parked the pickup and went inside. Genie was behind the bar, checking out the cash register, turning it over to the hired girl, for the rest of the day. She turned and smiled at Bill “Be with you in a minute, darling.”
Bill found a vacant stool and sat down. The place was quite crowded and business was usually good this time of the evening. Genie finished checking out and walked around the end of the bar, the money sack in her hand. “Ready?” she asked.
Bill took her by the arm and they stepped outside. He slipped his arms around her waist and drew? her close. He kissed the soft lips. “How about taking you out to dinner, tonight?”
Genie looked! up at him. “Sounds great! And tonight, I am buying!”
“Oh no, you are not!” Bill opened the pickup door and helped her inside. He walked around to the driver’s side and slipped under the wheel. Genie moved over close, “Oh yes I am, darling! Oh bill, I have good news. I sold the place!”
Bill was surprised. “Sold out? And you got the money?”
Genie’s eyes were shining. “Sold out and got part off the money down. Will get the rest, when he takes over tomorrow!”
Bill grinned. “In that case, I guess it will be alright. Where shall we go?”
“There is a good Mexican cafe up the street a few blocks. They also stir up mighty fine Margaritas.”
Bill switched on the motor. “Sounds like a winner!”