Motherlode

By M.R. Howes

British Colombia, Canada, 1975. Having managed to save the coal mine he works for from closure, Steve MacDonald's heady rise to the boardroom has not come without its problems not least for his family. When an old friend gets in contact about a gold mine Steve tries to help out with unexpected results.

• Language: English
• Publisher: M.R. Howes
• Release date: Nov 16, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005140748

Book preview

Chapter One: A Rude Awakening

Steve MacDonald luxuriated in the cosy cocoon of his bed. He felt the familiar sag of the old mattress and the softness of the feather pillow which his head rested on. He was lying on his back staring into the darkness, not sure if he was asleep or awake but momentarily in some ethereal dreamland.

BAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

What was that noise?

BAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

A noise at the back of his mind, only faintly drifting into his consciousness

BAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

What in the world was that noise?

BAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

Steve was finally startled awake. Suddenly he looked around himself to find he was still in the driving seat of his car, gripping the steering wheel. It was dark, his headlights creating a visible portal out of the darkness. He saw the familiar double yellow centreline of the road. He was on the left. The left! And then he saw it. A huge, square, shining, chrome plated radiator loomed up in front of him, in fact it was getting bigger rapidly. He could even see his car reflected in its shiny surface. He wiped the sleepiness from his eyes. The truck headlights were blazing, flashing dazzlingly bright.

BAOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

BA BA

BAOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

There it was again. Steve saw the truck driver yanking on his horn pull as it he was trying to pull it off. Finally Steve was jolted into full consciousness. Just in time he wrenched the steering wheel hard to the right and the car swerved violently onto the other side of the road. He overshot slightly and was engulfed in a cloud of dust before he corrected and was back on the road. The massive struck steamed on past, its shrill horn gradually fading into the night. At the same time he heard a stream of obscenities pouring out of the open truck window as it sped past. He didn’t blame the truck driver for being angry, that was perfectly justified but Steve still felt riled up. Steve applied the brake gradually and then pulled onto the shoulder and turned off the engine. He wound down the window and felt the cool night air hit his face. Steve sat there in the silence. Every few seconds the light of a truck lit up the car, illuminating the interior and then plunged it into darkness again. His heart was pounding in his chest and he was fighting to catch his breath. The adrenaline rush was strangely pleasant but this soon faded into a sense of confusion and shock. Man that was close. He told himself.

Chapter Two: Destination Unknown

After his pulse had returned to a more normal pace Steve began to think more clearly. He must get a coffee. No it was too late for that. He was in no condition to finish the drive home tonight. Even after the shock he could barely keep his eyes open. How he wished he could exchange one of those sleepless, wide awake, worry filled nights with this one. Sleep was one of those mysterious urges where the body seemed to override conscious thought. There was simply no way of convincing the body of staying awake when it was determined to sleep. No he must find somewhere to phone Karen and then somewhere to stay the night. A gas station attendant might know how far to the next motel. If not he would try to get some sleep in the car. Suddenly a blue flashing light appeared in his mirrors and was moving quickly closer. Then he saw it pull up behind where he had stopped. After a few seconds a tall officer appeared out of the gloom shining a flashlight. He walked over to the driver’s door and began to speak gruffly. Good evening The policeman had a large brush like moustache. Good evening officer.

Everything OK in there?

Yes sorry I was falling asleep at the wheel. I had to stop for a minute

I’m not going to give you a ticket today but I’m going to warn you. Don’t drive when you are tired. And another thing...always leave at least a sidelight on while you are parked on the shoulder. You could have been rear-ended.

Thanks. I’m sorry. It has been quite a day.

you are not wrong there. But don’t say sorry to me. I say this for your own benefit. So where are you headed tonight?

I was planning to drive all the way up to East Aberdeen but I’m not going to make it tonight. Any idea where the nearest gas station or motel?

Your in luck buddy. There’s a gas station a few kilometres ahead and a motel a little after that. Don’t be tempted to try and hightail it back to East Aberdeen though.

No. I won’t

Are you sure you are OK to drive?

I’ll be fine. Just a few kilometres right?

Take it slow and easy. Slow and easy.

The policeman turned to walk away but as an afterthought he turned back.

Count yourself lucky. If I ever see you again, expect a ticket, and yes I have a photographic memory. I never forget a face and I certainly won’t forget yours!

After driving away with meticulous care under the constant gaze of the police officer Steve moved more quickly away. He sped on through the darkness until finally he saw the gas station illuminated in the darkness like an oasis in a desert of night. He walked over to the illuminated telephone box, his path intercepted by a young looking pump attendant. OK to use the phone?

Sure thing

After placing the coins in the slot the apparatus sprang into life and after a series of mechanical noises started to ring. It was Karen.

Hi its me

Hello me

Steve’s heart was beating fast again.

Its me Karen. I’m not going to make it back tonight. I zonked out in the car and am going to have to find somewhere to rest for the night. Sorry.

Its OK. We want you back in one piece! No rush. Just get back when you can. Lucky will be disappointed!

Lucky was their black and white Border collie sheep dog.

Oh he will, will he? And what about you?

I’m more disappointed about missing our little date in the morning....remember?

Oh yes....I’ll make it up to you... Promise!

Chapter Three: A Time To Talk

We need to talk said Karen. There was a sense of stress and tension which palpable. After so many years of marriage he knew from experience that this meant that it was time to listen. His own view, thoughts and feelings would have to wait.

"We can’t carry on like this anymore. When you worked at the mine you always came home physically exhausted but you were always with us mentally. Now its the opposite. You always seem physically restless but your mind is often elsewhere. Steve I know you had to step in and become chairman to save the mine but are you really cut out for management? Is the business world really you?

When the future of East Aberdeen mine was threatened by the new owners a company called Townsend Victor, Steve had managed to engineer a leveraged buyout of the company in order to keep the mine open. His scheme had involved sending anonymous letters to the press denying a government investigation was taking place into Townsend Victor and also denying that another third dormant company which he had acquired shares in, Iceberg oil, had made a new oil discovery. The press took such specific denials as a hint that they must actually be true and as a result shares in Townsend Victor collapsed and shares in Iceberg oil rocketed. The assets of Townsend Victor became more valuable than the sum total of its shares. As a result Steve, with the arrangement of Karen and others, was able to carry out a leveraged buyout of Townsend Victor. Roughly a third came from the bank, a third the Dark Holdings shares which were mostly in Iceberg Oil and the final third leveraged from Townsend Victor’s own assets. Steve had memorably appeared unexpected as a representative of the new owners and ousted Ramsay Ford-Quinn as chairman before taking his place as chairman. The issue of share manipulation has gone to court, Steve had issued a guilty plea and been convicted but the judge responded to appeals for leniency and also taken account of the unethical share manipulation routinely practiced by Townsend Victor. As a result a token fine of one dollar was levied and the takeover allowed to stand. Karen’s words struck a chord. At the time of the takeover Steve was willing to take on the role of chairman temporarily to safeguard the future of the mine, but he had not thought much about what would happen after that. He would have done almost anything to save the mine but had not stopped to think how doing so would change every aspect of his life. It was true that his former work at the mine was physically exhausting but when he left the mine, he need give it no more thought. When it came to the boardroom there was constantly decisions to be made, both great and small, decisions which affected the livelihoods of others. These decisions would swirl around in Steve’s head like clouds blowing across a stormy sky. Part of the frustration came from the fact that Steve’s knowledge of business was limited and he was aware of the fact that in seeking to explain matters other board members could easily lay more weight on a particular angle and therefore favouring their own preferred course of action. On the other hand it was difficult for Steve, having become the company Chairman, to now retreat back to the mine and become just another one of the men. Even if he was able to successfully disrobe himself of the trappings of the boardroom to his own satisfaction, others might not see it that way. In many ways Steve longed for things to simply be as they were before but he also knew that once the mine was under threat doing nothing was not a viable option. One of his hardest tasks as chairman had been convincing his old friend and colleague David to retire. After half a lifetime in the mining industry in South Wales, David had built a new life for himself in Canada. He was a quick witted and deeply spiritual man and these undercurrents bubbled to the surface often during conversation. He was also a great teller of stories which were often pertinent to the issues of the moment. It was one reason why Steve sought his counsel often. Although David’s mind was as sharp as ever, it was obvious to everyone but himself that physically he was struggling to keep up with the rigours of the job. Mining is a physically demanding job and it was getting to the point where others had respectfully communicated that they were reluctant to work alongside David and that doing so left them in a difficult position not being sure whether David could cope physically but recognising that the work needed to be completed all the same. Working in such a dangerous and physically demanding situation as a coal mine meant that absolute confidence in the man working alongside you was essential. David’s physical strength had began to ebb but the suggestion that he retire was not something he took remotely seriously until Steve pressed him on the subject. Eventually Steve had needed to be more forthright than he had ever hoped, giving an ultimatum that unless David set a date for his