Sovrano by Michael Powers

Author:Michael Powers [Powers, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2016-08-06T16:00:00+00:00

Eric stared out his window at trees lining a path to a man-made lake. Deer watered at the lake’s edge, and several mallards were splashing each other. Vincent Newhouse had taken great pains to build his corporate headquarters at the edge of the Minneapolis metro area, then surrounded it with a wildlife preserve, built and maintained at corporate expense. More than once, Eric had gotten the serenity he needed by taking a stroll around the lake or simply gazing at it from his office. Though Eric moved corporate headquarters to New York, he spent most of his time at his Minnesota sanctuary.

Precisely at two o’clock, Eric’s secretary buzzed to inform him Robert Dornfeld was waiting to see him. Eric left his office to greet his old friend. “Robert, thanks for being so prompt!” Eric hugged his friend warmly. “Will you join me for a walk around the lake?”

They made smalltalk for a few minutes, updating each other. At the lake’s edge, they stopped to watch the mallards.

“This is a beautiful spot, Eric. I’m glad you didn’t sell it and move to New York.”

“I love it here, Robert. I could never get rid of it. Vincent would come back from the grave to haunt me if I did!”

“He’d be very proud of you,” Robert assured his friend. “You’ve done a first-class job with Foresight International. The media calls you Capitalist with a Conscience. You make lots of money for investors, yet you still manage to be socially and politically responsible.”

Eric bowed his head and smiled, choosing to accept the compliment graciously by remaining quiet. “I still miss the old guy, Robert. He was like a father to me.”

“I wish I’d known him,” Robert replied. “Was your relationship much like the one you had with General Hansen?”

Eric nodded thoughtfully. “In some ways, yes. Vincent and I had a more adult relationship. General Hansen was more like my benevolent grampa than my father.”

Robert asked a question he had wondered for years. “How honest were you with General Hansen? I mean, how much of your past did you tell him about?”

“Almost everything,” Eric shrugged. “The General had a younger brother with a past similar to mine. The brother took his own life, so the General had a soft spot for guys who needed a second chance. That’s why he kept my secrets and helped me get through the background check.”

“Did he know you’re gay?” Robert asked carefully.

“Are you asking if I slept with the boss to get special treatment?” Eric chuckled, then held up his hand before Robert could protest. “No, I never came out to the General. I didn’t think of myself as a gay man then, and would never have felt comfortable discussing my sexual preference with General Hansen. Not sure how he would have taken the news. He was old school, but I like to think he would have found it in his heart to accept me.” Suddenly changing gears, Eric asked, “Do you ever wish we could go back to that time in our lives?”

Robert laughed, surprised by the question.

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