Peter & Gary

Mr. Duncan was an old friend of Peter’s family, so everything went smoothly from there on. Business was quiet at that time of day, he was working there on his own. So he repaired the puncture, threw the wheel onto his truck and left a note saying that he’d be back in 10 minutes.

He drove Peter and the wheel out to Ashton’s car. He took money for repairing the puncture, of course, but he wouldn’t take a cent for driving out there. He said that it was his gift and he smiled and waved as he drove away and left them there.

Ashton put the wheel on the car and he drove Peter home.

Next morning, there was great excitement and trepidation in the de Groot’s crowded little house as the fathers prepared for an important day.

Peter stayed out of the way in the kitchen area and prepared breakfasts for everyone. His mother fussed around his father and uncle as they dressed in their best clothes and readied themselves for their business meeting.

Peter’s aunty stayed out of the way in the bedroom, as she usually did. She was not happy about being transplanted here from her home in Canada and she didn’t care what they did. All she wanted was to get out of this hick-town and go home.

Peter and his parents struggled to like her, but she was family, so they tried. She rarely did anything that she didn’t want to and spent most of her days in the bedroom. Their life there was primitive and she didn’t like it; but her husband, Jan, was very much the head of his household, so she, begrudgingly, went along with his insane plans because she had to.

Their sons were not much better. Peter’s cousins, 17 year old Kees, 15 year old Hans and 13 year old Lars, were a tight-knit closed society and they made it clear that they were not interested in knowing any of the people of Hicksville. They were sneering and condescending and they planned on getting the hell out of there just as soon as they could.

They were all stunningly good-looking boys, but they knew it and they favourite pastime was being admired by the plebs who could look but not touch. Their preening displays were most effective when they were together and they were rarely seen apart. They never helped around the house either. They went to school and, as far as they were concerned, that was all they had to do.

So, instead of having extra hands to help with the load, Peter was busier than ever. He could have refused to help too, but he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t leave his mother to do everything. He said nothing, but he’d be really glad when they got a house of their own and moved out of his.

His aunt was talking about it constantly, and the sooner the better.

The worst thing about them was that they weren’t nice to Ashton and they were forever sneering and making disparaging remarks about Peter and Ashton’s relationship. Like Peter and Ashton weren’t perfectly aware of what the brothers were doing after the lights went out? There wasn’t much privacy in the bus.

Ashton helped him when he could. He was a good gardener, even Peter’s mother was impressed. Also, it was a bit odd carting beach-wood in the BMW, but they did it. It was easier and faster than using the handcart and they could go to the beaches out of town where there was more wood.

The cousins had gone to school and Peter was outside in the garden when his father and uncle came out. He stopped and admired them. They were dressed in their best and looking good. He wished them luck with their meeting and watched them walking away down the street together. He smiled, it was good to see his father with his brother and happy.

They might be getting old, but they were still twins and that was obvious. Peter thought it was just not right for twins to be separated for so many years and he hoped that they never would be again.

Abel and Jan de Groot, looking good and feeling better, walked down to the main street together for, possibly, the most important meeting of their lives. Years of work, saving and planning were all riding on this. They were both nervous but they were ready.

They met Mrs. Sullivan at the Craypot Café. She didn’t practice much now, but she was still a solicitor and she had agreed to come and support them as a friend. She said that it was good for her to keep her hand in and she wasn’t interested in any payment for her time. Peter was her son’s friend and she was delighted to do something for his family.

She was looking very professional in her dark-blue trouser-suit and carrying her laptop and attaché case. The high-heel shoes were killing her, but only she knew that. They looked good.

The three of them walked to the offices of Adams and Hall, Chartered Accountants, and they settled into the small boardroom there. They had hired it for the morning. It was expensive but they needed somewhere that looked professional. It was an important meeting. This could make or break their business plans.

The brothers placed their papers, charts and diagrams, neatly arrayed on the boardroom table. Mrs. Sullivan smiled at the sea of paper. Her laptop could hold all of that and more.

Their meeting was with Mrs. Mathieson, a top-flight manager with the Billy’s Burgers Hamburger restaurants chain, so they were understandably nervous. Even Mrs. Sullivan was and she didn’t have years of her life invested in this.

Mrs. Mathieson was late arriving, so one of the office ladies brought them coffees. It’d probably make the old boys need to pee, but it was something to pass the time.

She finally arrived and was shown in by the office girl. The de Groot brothers, politely, rose to their feet as she swept past them to sit at the far side of the table.

She was a slight, dark-haired woman, late 30ish and in a business suit. Her whole presence was awesome and she was reputed to be a millionairess who had risen from nothing in a very short time, as had the whole of Billy’s burgers.

She didn’t look happy. Her whole face frowned and almost scowled, which was not an auspicious beginning. She opened her laptop and turned on a small recording device, leaving it running on the table next to her.

“All right then. Good morning. Tuesday 14 October, 10.27am. We will begin with introductions. I am Cecily Mathieson, CEO of Billy’s Burgers Hamburger Restaurants Ltd. My sons are the majority shareholders, so you can rest assured that I have full authority to speak on behalf of the business.

What I say goes, and I have all-but final authority in any decisions. So it is me that you need to convince with your proposal.

I also want to apologize for keeping you waiting, that was not my fault. I went on a whale-watching flight this morning. The pilot assured me that we would be back in plenty of time. We were not and his manager will be hearing from me.

Now, you are the de Groot brothers, Master Bakers?”

Peter’s father took the lead. “Good morning, Mrs. Mathieson. I am Abel de Groot and this is my brother, Jan. Mrs. Sullivan here is a solicitor, and a friend, and she has agreed to represent our interests.”

“I don’t see that that will be necessary. Two questions, Mr. de Groot. Are you two twins?”

“Yes, we are actually,” Jan replied. “We are identical twins. We were separated for many years, but now we are together again.”

“That’s very good,” she smiled for the first time and everyone relaxed a bit. “I don’t know whether you are aware of this, but I am first and foremost a mother and I have 2 sets of twins. Not identical though, they are fraternal – boy/girl and boy/boy twins.

My second question, which one of you is Peter’s father?”

“Peter?” Abel said. “I am Peter’s father.”

“I met Peter yesterday, on my way here and I was impressed. He is a fine young man and you can be proud of him.”

“Oh we are!” Mr. de Groot beamed. “We are very proud of our Peter.”

“As you should be. Now, I’ve sampled your products and I liked them, especially the cookies. I don’t mind telling you that Billy and Justin are fans as well. Convince me why we should sell your cookies in our burger bars.”

“I am pleased that you liked them. But, excuse me, Mrs. Mathieson, is that the Billy of Billy’s Burgers?”

“Yes, of course. Billy and Justin are my boys and they are basically the owners. You have a presentation?”

“Yes, Ma’am, we do.”

Abel and Jan began their carefully prepared and rehearsed spiel. Mrs. Mathieson began by taking notes, but soon stopped and they sensed that they were losing her. She sat gazing absently out of the high windows.

Abel asked a question, when there was no reply he said, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Mathieson. Is there a problem?”

“Sorry, Mr. de Groot. Yes, there is a problem. I don’t like this room. The atmosphere in here is oppressive.”

Mrs. Sullivan said, “You don’t like the room? If you prefer, we could go to my place. I’ve got a nice lounge with a view.”

“To your home, Mrs. Sullivan? No, I don’t think so. Thank you, but I want to adjourn to the de Groots’ home.”

“To our house?” Abel said with a worried frown. “We can do that if you wish, but it’s nothing much. We would be much more comfortable in Mrs. Sullivan’s house.”

“You might be but I would not. Mr. de Groot, I’ve seen your house from the outside, now I want to see how you live. You’re asking our company to make a major commitment here, and it is a total change of direction for us. We’ve never carried any desert lines. I want to know who we’re dealing with.”

“Very well, Mrs. Mathieson. We will go to our home, but I must warn you, it is not luxurious. However it is a home.”

“If it produced a boy like Peter, then you have nothing to be ashamed of. Let’s go then.”

They packed up and left the offices. The de Groots were going to walk but Mrs. Mathieson said she was not leaving her car in the main street, and she drove them all around there. The men sat in the back and the women in the front.

“Mrs. Sullivan, do you have a boy named Riley?”

“I do! Goodness me, you’re well informed. How on earth do you know about Riley?”

“You’d be surprised.”

“I am surprised.”

“To tell the truth, my sons told me about Riley and how he found the boys living in a cave. Two Kaimoana boys, Dylan and William, stayed with them last weekend and they told them. I’ve forgotten the boys’ names, but they said that they’re living with you now?”

“That’s right. Colin and Jacob, they needed a home and we had room so we took them in.”

“Good for you. And they’re doing all right now?”

“They certainly are. They’re happy and healthy and their lives are back on track. It’s a pleasure to have them around.”

“That’s good. We got a couple of teenage boy-refugees as well. Christian and Roman were thrown out by their parents and now they live with us. They’re a pleasure to have around as well. Most of my kids have grown-up and left home, so it’s good to have some life around the place again.”

“I just had the one son. How many children do you have, Mrs. Mathieson?”

“I had 8 altogether, 3 girls and 5 boys, 2 sets of twins. There’s only the youngest 2 boys still at home now.”

“Eight children? Wow. No wonder your house was feeling empty.”

“Yes, no wonder. It’s a big old house too. Please call me Cecily, I’m getting tired of the Mrs.’s.”

“Okay, fine. Thanks, Cecily. My name is Dianne.”

“I know that,” she smiled.

“Of course you do.”

They pulled-up in the street outside the de Groot’s small house. Abel untied and opened the driftwood gate and led the way inside. He opened the back-door and there was a squawk from inside.

“Aargh! Don’t you dare come in here with your dirty shoes on!”

Mrs. de Groot was on her hands and knees, scrubbing the wooden floor.

“Sorry,” Abel grimaced. “My wife is scrubbing the floor.”

Mrs. Mathieson removed her shoes with a grin. “Don’t worry about it. If I was scrubbing my floor, you wouldn’t get in there with shoes on either.”

They all left their shoes outside, went in and crossed the kitchen floor to the multi-carpeted living-room area. They stood there waiting while the old lady wiped her floor again.

Mrs. Mathieson looked around the crowded, cluttered room. The two boys, at the desk at the far end, turned to look and she smiled, “Hello Peter. How’re you today?”

“It’s the Lady!” Peter exclaimed. “I’m fine, thank you. How are you?”

“I’m good. You got the car all sorted, did you?”

“Yes, Mr. Duncan fixed the puncture and took me back out. We got home with no more troubles. Father, this is the nice lady who rescued us yesterday.”

Abel said, “Ah, of course! Another BMW driver. I didn’t realise. Thank you for helping the boys, that was good of you.”

“No trouble at all. It was a pleasure. I couldn’t leave a Beamer stranded on the side of the road. Who is your friend, Peter?”

“Oh, this is Gary. Gary is helping me with my study-project on Baroque music. Mrs. Braidwood sent him to help me.”

“Hello, Gary. You’re an expert on classical music are you?”

“I know a bit, but I’m no expert. I think I’m learning as much as Peter is.”

“That’s good.”

“Peter,” his father said, “this is Mrs. Mathieson, from Billy’s Burgers. She is the CEO of all their businesses.”

“Oh, wow! You’re the boss of Billy’s Burgers? I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“Of course you didn’t, I didn’t tell you.”

“I’m sorry if I said anything I shouldn’t have. I hope I haven’t ruined Father and Uncle’s chances.”

“Ruined their chances? Not at all, Peter. Quite the opposite in fact. As soon as I knew that these are your family, I knew that we could do business with them.”

“Oh good! Thank you, Mrs. Mathieson. Father and Uncle are good people.”

“I’m sure they are, Peter. I’m sure they are.”

“And so is Peter.” Mrs. de Groot joined them. “Peter is a very good boy and you were kind to help him and Ashton. Thank you.”

Abel said, “Mrs. Mathieson, this is my wife, Hilde.”

“Hello, Hilde. Please call me Cecily. Let’s drop the Mr. and Mrs. shall we? Sorry to invade your home like this.”

“You’re very welcome. We don’t have anything flash, but it is comfortable.”

“It is. This is a nice room, warm and friendly. I like it a lot. I love the grandmother clock. We had one just like it when I was growing up. I don’t know what ever happened to it. One of the uncles probably sold it for drinking money.”

“Drinking! Everybody, please sit down and I will make tea.”

“Mother!”

“Shush, Peter. It’s time for tea. You and Gary can come and help me.”

“Okay then,” Cecily sat by the fire. “Let’s get back to it shall we? Relax, Gentlemen. I think we’ll do business.”

They sat talking again while Mrs. de Groot made the tea and Peter and Gary brought over a wide assortment of cakes and other goodies. Abel and Jan continued their proposal in a much more relaxed fashion now.

Peter and Gary went back to the school-desk, but they weren’t working. They sat with their drinks and watched and listened.

The talk got around to their need for premises to set up a bakery factory and Jan said, “We’ve got a bit of a problem there. We are still looking for a suitable building, but something will turn up.

I thought that we had the ideal place, a big old shop in the main street – it’s huge actually, much bigger than it looks. The Woods family were selling it and it would’ve been perfect for us. We put in a bid, but it’s been sold. I tried to contact the new owners, but haven’t been able to locate them.”

Dianne, sitting quietly to one side, choked on her drink when she burst out laughing. Everyone looked as she coughed and spluttered and recovered.

“Oh, my, Dianne,” Mrs. de Groot worried. “Are you all right?”

“Yes, I’m fine now. Sorry,” she smiled. “Jan, this building, I presume, is the one bought by the Ron Clarke Memorial Trust, Property Investments?”

“Yes! That’s the one. I couldn’t track them down. Do you know these people, Mrs. Sullivan?”

“I certainly do. And you’d be interested in leasing the building?”

“Yes, very interested. We’d love to have it, it’s just what we want.”

She looked around at Gary and they exchanged smiles and nods. She turned back. “It’s yours then. I’ll draw up a lease agreement.”

“Just like that? That would be great, but how can you do that? These people are a mystery, I haven’t been able to find them.”

“You didn’t look hard enough. I know the Ron Clarke Memorial trust, I know it very well. I actually own 3% of it.”

“Really? You are a shareholder? But they’re registered in Wellington. I found that much out.”

“They’re registered there, at my brother’s address, but the shareholders are all right here, in Kaimoana. I have 3%, my foster-sons, Colin and Jacob, have 12% and I act for them.”

“But that’s still not a majority. Won’t you have to consult with the holders of the other 85%?”

“I just did. There is only one other shareholder and I consulted with him. He’s sitting over there, with Peter.”