Father's Doubts

By Lowell Woodruff

When you combine a substantial financial legacy, a vulnerable daughter, a greedy lawyer wanting to marry her, and a suspicious father, there's sure to be trouble. Bert felt that this bid for his daughter's hand was based, not on love, but on hunger for the inheritance that would pass to Pearl upon her father's death. He expected that when he was gone his daughter would have her estate snatched from her by legal trickery, leaving her defenceless and disposable. Right now, she seemed bedazzled by infatuation and showed no sign of sensing danger. Smart and educated, but in her innocence, she had hastily accepted Tanzig's proposal. A father knows when steps must be taken, whatever the law might think.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lowell Woodruff
• Release date: Jun 26, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463606612

Lowell Woodruff

Born and educated in a midsized town. Varied work experience with accelerating responsibilities. Lucky in love and in having a loving family. My hobby is paying attention to how family, friends and passing strangers deal with the grunt and struggle of daily living, as well as with those momentous events which seem so inevitable in even the best-regulated lives.

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Introduction

Regarding ‘Father’s Doubts’ you may ask if this story is based on real people and true events. The answer is, no, it is not. This tale is entirely the product of my imagination. However, one or more of the characters you’ll meet here, just like the characters you've met in your everyday life, may carry in their voice a haunting hint of someone you have known or the elusive echo of a faintly remembered manner of expression.

These events themselves are certainly real in nature, even though they are different in fact from any actual circumstances. Although there are wisps of truth herein, no real person, living or dead, is portrayed here in whole or in part. Instead, this story is based on tiny fragments of truths both old and new, just as we all contain hints of everyone we’ve ever met and everything we’ve ever encountered.

Sometimes the essence of truth can best be described in lies.

This story is dedicated to you

if you’ve ever betrayed yourself

in a matter of romance.

Friday May 1st 6:30 A.M.

Morning, Dad. Sorry to call so early.

No problem, my dear. I’m still an early riser.

Dad, the reason I’m calling is that, well, I’m seeing someone, in fact I think I may have found the man of my dreams, and I want you to meet him too and get acquainted. I’m sure you’ll agree he’s wonderful. And before you ask, yes, I made sure he has his own income, he's a lawyer.

Well then, I hope that means he won't be...

Oh no, this one won't be asking me for money all the time.

Good! Does he live here in town?

Yes, he does. His name is Lion Tanzig.

Poor Bert’s anxiety shot up. He knew a Lion Tanzig by reputation and he wanted nothing to do with the man. Even more importantly, he certainly didn’t want his dear daughter Pearl to become entangled with such a despicable character.

Ignoring his pounding heart Bert managed to speak in a calm tone. Lion Tanzig? Wasn’t he your divorce lawyer? Surely there can't be two men with that name in this town.

Yes! That’s him. I didn’t like him very much before my divorce was settled, he was all business then, but afterwards I discovered how sweet he is as a person.

Well then dear, of course we’ll get together. You know it’s always my pleasure to see you. Why not come over tomorrow at six for supper. I’m pretty sure I already have everything we’ll need. OK. See you then. Bye. If she had noticed that he hadn’t said he was looking forward to meeting her male companion she didn’t mention it.

Bert stood in front of the kitchen sink, lost in thought. While he tried to focus on what he’d serve them the next evening his mind kept circling back to dear Pearl’s vulnerability and the fact that he’d never been free of worry about her.

It shouldn’t be like this. Nature has been very kind to her. She’s smart, she’s beautiful, and she looks half her age, so she should be glowing with self-confidence, but she isn’t. She still has trouble believing that people admire her for anything beyond her appearance. What did I do or fail to do in bringing her up that left her feeling so insecure?

Saturday May 2nd 6:10 P.M.

Daughter Pearl and Lion Tanzig held hands as she led him into her dad’s home. Bert greeted them and immediately began his evaluation of both Lion’s basic character and his level of sincerity.

He took the man to be in his fifties, fairly tall and good looking, a few gray hairs showing in his eyebrows, but none in his hair. Pretentious twit, he dyes his hair. Sitting in the living room having a drink before the meal Bert watched Lion’s eyes scan every part of the room critically. Like an auctioneer after the funeral.

As they ate dinner Lion’s seemingly casual questions started to form a pattern in Bert’s mind. He began to feel increasingly sure that this new romantic attachment of Pearl’s was trying to get a peek into the extent of her family’s assets. Just as I suspected, he’s a leech.

Bert looked at Pearl and saw only rapture. Damn, she’s fallen for another skunk, and this time a dangerous one. What will become of my only child when I’m gone? If she’d only listen to Penny, but she seems to resent her own daughter’s good sense.

Sunday May 3rd 10:00 A.M.

Pearl called Bert, her voice bubbling. He proposed to me last night, Dad. He asked me to marry him. I’m so happy I could cry. Isn’t it amazing that a wonderful man like Lion Tanzig actually wants me to be his wife? Isn’t it?

Bert sighed. Take it easy, sweetie. Are you sure you know this fella well enough to commit the rest of your life to him?

Oh yes, Daddy, yes! He loves me with all his heart. He told me so last night and that he’s wanted to marry me ever since we first met. He said that seeing what a fine, sincere man you are made it impossible for him to put off asking me any longer. Naturally I said yes.

Bert held his tongue for a moment to control himself, then said, I hope you’ll be very happy, dear. Marriage is always a challenge, but can be rewarding. He was tempted to say, Better luck this time, but instead he said, I love you as always, and before they said their goodbyes he asked, Have you told Penny?

No Dad, will you? She usually makes me feel as if I’m the child and she’s the mother, but you two have always been so tight she’s more likely to accept this if it comes from you.

He said, OK, I’ll tell her, but before you go, sweetie, have you eaten yet?

Nope, I’m still in bed.

Good, then how about joining me for brunch. I’ll make Eggs Benedict.

Since when do you know how?

Last winter I went over to the community college every Tuesday night for twelve weeks to learn some new recipes.

You mean you dropped those two courses you were taking up at the university?

No, no. There were terrific and I stuck with them, but they had nothing to do with cooking and I wanted some more variety in what I make. Old or not, I still have taste buds.

Why are you always taking courses? What use are they to you at your age?

Well, they’re fun and you meet such interesting people. Besides, I’m convinced that almost everyone knows almost nothing about almost everything, so I take courses to put a little patch on my ignorance.

Well, never mind that for now, you can’t fool me. You’re asking me to come for brunch because you didn’t like Lion. I knew it. You had a kind of judgmental look last night when he and I were there. Alright, what didn’t you like?

Fruit salad freshly cut, Eggs Benedict, a thin slice of cinnamon toast and your favorite tea.

Get thee behind me, Satan. You know I can’t eat like that. There’s hollandaise sauce in that recipe. I’ll get fat. Besides, you’re going to talk at me, aren’t you?

Give me a time limit and I’ll stick to it. All I ask is, be reasonable.

Promise?

Scout’s honor.

You were never a scout.

True, but you know what I mean.

Alright, ten minutes, you old smoothie, but not before eleven o’clock. I’m going back to sleep for a bit. I just had to tell you first.

Sunday May 3rd 11:00 A.M.

Pearl arrived hungry. I had dreams of the fruit and the eggs, so I hope you didn’t sleep in too.

Nope, we’re all set. Just wash your patties and we’ll start right in.

Dad, you’re forgetting something. I’m forty-one, not four. I know enough to wash my hands. She shook her head and kissed his cheek. By the way, you have the place looking super, inside and out.

When she returned and saw they were going to eat in the dining room she said, You didn’t have to carry everything in here. The kitchen nook is nice and cozy.

My darling, whenever you’re here it’s a special occasion deserving the best.

She smiled and sat in. Mmm, looks wonderful. You’re not going to start in on me now, are you?

Ha! As if I would. You know we always kept meals exclusively for appreciating each other’s company and the taste of the food.

When they’d finished enjoying the brunch and Bert had poured each of them a second cup of tea Pearl said, Thanks, Dad, that was wonderful. Well, it’s eleven twenty-five. You have your ten minutes. Let’s get going before you burst an artery or something.

He took a sip of his tea and breathed deeply. Before I begin, my dear, may I ask how long you’ve been dating Lion?

It’s been over a delightful month and a half. Why?

Just wondering. He looked down at the table and back up into her eyes. Pearl, dear, I think you should know about the Tanzig story. It’s my duty to tell you. She leaned forward and raised a hand, but he said, Tut, tut, you gave me ten. She shrugged and sat back.

"Lion’s father was put through university and law school on the proceeds of his mother’s bootlegging business out on the highway west of town just before the Fortune Mine turnoff. Her name was Torchy Tanzig and her patrons included the high, the low and lots of the in-betweens including cops, lawyers and more than a few judges, not to mention a host of other characters, many of them unsavory, all drawn together by thirst.

"Three or four times a year in order to keep up appearances, the justice system charged Torchy with bootlegging. That was standard procedure, it was expected. It showed that everybody was doing their duty. Included among those attending court was the local brewery guy who always showed up with Torchy and paid her fine with cash on the spot, then gave her a lift home so she could be back in business by noon.

"Nobody knows who planted the seed, probably not even Torchy herself, but Lion’s father arrived on the scene in the depression year nineteen-thirty-five. By the time the war started he was regularly serving customers and getting tips, especially from the boys in uniform who didn’t know if they’d ever get back home. I guess those tips must have given Lion’s dad an appetite for money.

"He did well enough to make it through university and law school, came home, set up his practice and prospered right away. Because of his experience in his mother’s trade he knew lots of people from both sides of the legal fence, including their histories, connections and weak spots.

"He also had a good memory for names and faces and got into politics. Over the years he moved up through the school board, municipal council and then served three terms in the legislative assembly. He had a reputation as a fixer. He could make things happen for you because he made it his business to find out which rules and which people were, ah, you know, flexible.

"The down-side of all this was that there were rumors about his activities and on his fourth run for office he lost the election, but a grateful political party promptly made him a judge. He served for a few years on the bench before being forced out by a scandal. It was based on his apparent conflict-of-interest during his political days while he took part in the negotiations for the route of a natural gas pipeline.

He left town and his son and partner, your friend Lion, was left to practice alone. I Googled® him. At first sight it looks as though Lion is carrying on his family’s tradition of viewing our laws as mere suggestions. Has he mentioned to you that the lawyers’ union, what they like to call a society, has investigated him three times for questionable handling of his clients’ trust accounts?

She shook her head. Amazing! That was only about three minutes or so. I never thought I’d say this to you, Father dear, but you’re a horrible person. Here I am enjoying the thrill of a lovely romance and you’re trying to pour cold water all over me by impugning the reputation of my future husband’s entire family for the last three generations. You seem to be saying that Lion has inherited a defective morality gene.

Bert sighed. I’m only raising a caution flag. Wouldn’t you do the same for a friend of yours?

Are you my friend?

Absolutely! I think about you all the time and always want the best for you.

And, of course, you always know what’s best for me.

He scratched his head. I suppose not, dear, but you have to give me this much, I do try to alert you to any hazards I see in your path. There’s no use catching a person on the first bounce after their bones and heart are already broken.

That’s commonly called interfering.

Granted, but who else have you had all your life to guard your back? Incidentally, there’s more to Mr. Tanzig’s story, a lot more, and a good chunk of it is a matter of public record if you’d care to check.

Don’t tell me you’re going by what’s been spread around by a bunch of jealous gossips.

Pearl, dear, you’ve lived your whole life, except when you were away at school, in this town and so have I. The difference between us is that most of my contacts have been through business where the name Tanzig is known to mean trouble. You don’t have to take my word for this, do an internet search on your boyfriend’s name.

She put her napkin by her plate and stood. Thank you, Father, for the lovely brunch, but I’m not so grateful for the history lesson. I’m afraid I have to go now before you start to reveal any more so-called secrets from Lion’s past. He’s picking me up at one. Don’t worry, I’ll keep a close eye on my purse. She kissed his forehead and left.

Sunday May 3rd 2:00 P.M.

Bert reached his granddaughter Penny’s cell soon after she was in from the barn after the twelve o’clock milking. He said, I have two reasons for calling you dear, but I’ll get into just one of them right now. Your mom has gotten herself engaged to a local lawyer called Lion Tanzig. She brought him here for dinner last night.

Lion? You must be kidding! Who would saddle a new-born baby with a name like that, and how does he spell it, like the animal or the fib?

Like the animal. Maybe his mother hoped that name would turn him into something majestic. If that was the case I'm afraid her intention missed by a mile. I already knew about his family history which is pretty spotty, the same as Lion’s own record. I’m convinced that the reason he looks devious is because he is devious. I didn’t like him even a little and I wouldn’t trust him any further than I could throw your whole hay barn.

Grampa, I think I should sit down. You know this is May, right, not April Fools’ day?

Sorry sweetie, but this is real. When I asked your mom if she'd told you yet she said, 'No, will you?' She probably figured you wouldn't too thrilled with this news.

Well, she was sure right about that.

She’ll likely be calling you for your reaction. She came for brunch with me today and I gave her my opinion which she didn’t like too much. You know your mom, so please advise caution. She doesn’t need another disappointment.

OK Grampa, I’ll try and cool her down, but I’m guessing it won’t be easy. When she talked about saying ‘yes’ to this guy’s proposal did it seem as if she’d just jumped into this on an impulse or was it more like she’d already thought it through beforehand and knew where they were headed together?

They’ve been dating for six weeks, so take a guess.

Oh dear. Well, I’ll do my best grampa. I don’t want to see her get hurt again.

Thanks, dear girl. I’m sorry to dump this on you.

It’s OK, Grampa. She’s my responsibility too. You said you had another reason for calling, so I’m curious.

I hate to go into that right now. You were probably up before four this morning for the first milking and you must want to get some sleep before you have to be ready for the third one at eight tonight.

Grampa, this news about Mom will keep me awake anyway, so I might as well hear the rest. I hope it’s better than item one.

We’ll see. Here goes. I’m convinced this Lion guy is a gold-digger and before now has used vulnerable people to make off with their family assets. Being a lawyer he’d know the tricks to get around the law. Maybe I’m being an alarmist, but I don’t intend to take a chance and leave a single penny I own exposed to his grasp. I’m going to move immediately to hide everything I have so he can’t get at it.

She chuckled. He made a really strong impression on you.

Yes, and there are wheels within wheels. Let’s just say I have many reasons to think he can’t be trusted. This brings me to what I can do about it. Are you and Danny still planning to buy the family dairy operation?

"Oh sure! Absolutely! His sister and brother like to come home to visit, but they have no interest in farming and they’ve said straight out that they won’t object to our taking over if we want to. Naturally we’ll have to come up with a down payment in order to qualify for a mortgage with the bank. There also has to be money for Danny’s grandma to live on during retirement and for Danny’s sister and