A Partnership of Friends

By D H Park

A drunken escapade in Las Vegas that results in a sudden marriage eventually leads to a life-changing occurrence for Patrick Armstrong in St. Simons Island Georgia.
?Patricks chance encounter with Ben Jacobson on the Savannah waterfront brings about a friendship that would change his life forever.
The sudden death of his father leaves Patrick alone with only his few close friends to rely on for support. Patricks life is a sequence of emotional ups and downs as he faces tremendous personal and business changes.
Patrick and his friends Connor Dickinson and Matthew Benton form bonds stronger than brothers, coming to rely on each other for support.
Growing lives and careers on St. Simons Island Georgia, the one constant is a deep commitment to their friendship.
This is another heartwarming tale of the relationships of friends, emphasising the need to share our lives with others.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 27, 2017
• ISBN: 9781524585006

D H Park

As a human resources executive for over thirty years, the author brings an extensive background in working with and counseling people. The son of a newspaper journalist, Park grew up in a family where travel to the south was a regular occurrence. Drawing from personal experiences, family and friends, the characters are closely aligned to people who have come into his life over the years. Park strives to bring warmth, caring, and the importance of interpersonal connections to his writing. His successful books My Lifelong Friends and A Family of Friends have been well received with excellent on-line reviews. The author has lived most of his life in southwestern Ontario, close to the American border. His extensive travels have taken him throughout the world. Decades of travel and exploring the Georgia low country and northeast Florida coast led to the setting of A Partnership of Friends.

Book preview

Chapter 1

T he sun was rising; the orange sliver of bright light grew from the darkened horizon. Patrick sat on a bench staring at the glow appearing over the still gray ocean’s edge. St. Simons Island Georgia was quiet at six o’clock Saturday mor ning.

The short pier jutted into the bay. Behind him the dark silhouette of the lighthouse was taking on the orange sunrise reflection. Gulls stirred, beginning their endless hunt for food. It was late July. The air was still and sultry.

Patrick had been up all night. Leanne, his wife of two weeks, had called him from Atlanta at nine o’clock the night before to tell him that she was not coming for the weekend as planned. Their marriage had been a mistake. She was sorry. She was filing for an annulment.

Patrick and Leanne had met just over two weeks previously, while both vacationed in Vegas. They met by the pool at the Mirage. Both were from Georgia and the two of them hit it off immediately. They were inseparable for the next three days. Neither of them had been sober in Vegas. By the fourth day they decided they were in love and went to a tacky wedding chapel and were married. Leanne’s girlfriend Tara, with whom she was vacationing, was one witness. Patrick’s friend Matt, his travel buddy and business partner was the other somewhat reluctant witness. They spent two more days together in Vegas as a married couple before flying back to Atlanta.

Leanne lived in Atlanta. Patrick lived six hours away on St. Simons Island where he co-owned a small architectural design firm with Matt. He loved the Golden Isles and the laid-back culture.

When they returned to Leanne’s central Atlanta apartment they tried to figure out where they would live and the implications that location would have on each of their careers. In Vegas, Leanne had vowed to move to Patrick’s laid back island. Once sober and back in Atlanta she changed her mind. She was a minority partner in a small catering company and wasn’t about to give that up. They argued for the first time.

Patrick was sure he was in love. He committed to trying to move his business to Atlanta or else selling his shares to Matt and starting over in the big city. They lived at Leanne’s apartment for a week as husband and wife before he flew back home to St. Simons Island.

He had nothing with him in at Leanne’s except his vacation clothes. Matt had driven home alone when they returned to the Atlanta airport.

They had never met each other’s family. Leanne’s family lived in Chattanooga. Patrick’s father lived in Macon. His mother had died of cancer when he was eighteen. Patrick was an only child.

The Friday night telephone conversation had been long and emotional. Patrick all but begged Leanne to give it more time; to give it a chance. All she said over and over was that it had been a mistake. The kick in the gut to Patrick was when Leanne told him she didn’t really love him. He was a nice guy. She liked him. The glow of Vegas and a lot of booze had cast a romantic spell over her when she laughingly, willingly, agreed to get married. Patrick insisted they could grow to love each other as they got know each other better.

Leanne kept saying no. And then the clincher was when she told Patrick that she in fact was on again, off again with her business partner Ted. She realized now that she was probably in love with him.

So, it took marrying me to make you realize you loved someone else? Patrick had shouted into the phone. How could you do this to me?

I’m sorry, it was all a mistake, Leanne said quietly. It is over Patrick. Please don’t come up here and try to talk me out of it. I don’t want to see you. At least we have done nothing to merge our homes or anything.

Is that all you can think of right now? Patrick said. That it is convenient to do a split because I haven’t brought my stuff to your place?

Let’s just end this in a civil tone, okay? Leanne said. I will find a lawyer to get annulment papers to you. Goodbye Patrick. She hung up.

Patrick sat there alone in the small bungalow. It was ten-thirty Friday night. What he had thought would be the start of a new life with a woman he loved had ended.

We rushed into the marriage, sure, Patrick thought, "but we were together night and day and we were certain we were meant to be together forever."

He knew the influence of constant drinking while in Vegas was a major contributing factor to getting married. However, once they had returned to Atlanta sober, Patrick thought they had made the right move in having had the fast wedding.

Matt had done everything in his power to stop Patrick from the hasty marriage. He had thought Patrick had been out of his mind to jump into a Vegas ceremony. It was so out of character. Now Patrick dreaded telling Matt what had happened.

At midnight, Patrick had gone through to lay on the bed. He stared at the ceiling in the darkened room but never slept. At five-thirty in the morning he slid on his deck shoes and walked the few short blocks to the pier where he sat until the sun was now rising.

Patrick had not seen one person between leaving the house and the present time. That would soon change as early morning joggers and walkers would soon be passing by the waterfront park.

If anything, Patrick felt stupid. He wondered how the hell he could have agreed to marry a woman after knowing her only a few days. It had been such a whirlwind of fun, dancing, partying, drinking, making love and laughing with each other. This was not a lifestyle he ever before experienced and he had liked it.

They seemed right together. Any important issue such as their careers and where to live had been laughed off, agreeing they could deal with that stuff later when they went home. How dumb that had been, Patrick thought to himself. What the hell was I thinking?

It was getting bright and hazy over the water. People started to stir and as predicted, early morning walkers and joggers were starting to come out and about.

At least I’m sober this morning, Patrick thought to himself. He was surprised he hadn’t polished off a six-pack after Leanne’s call. For the time being he was going to lay off the booze. Look where that had led him; into a marriage to someone who was basically a stranger.

By eight o’clock Patrick was back home. He had a quick shower and pulled on his jeans and yellow knit shirt. At eight-thirty his phone rang. He was almost afraid to look to see if it was Leanne. It was Matt.

Where the hell are you? Matt asked. I thought we were going to meet at the club at eight-fifteen. We just missed our eight-thirty t-off time. Isn’t Leanne coming down by noon?

Jesus Matt, I’m sorry. Patrick replied. I forgot all about it. Can you come over? I’ve been up all night.

You sound terrible, Matt said. What’s up? Are you okay? When Patrick didn’t really answer, Matt said he would be there in fifteen minutes.

Matt arrived and went up the steps to the front porch. The screen door was open and Matt shouted through, Hey Patrick, where are you?

Patrick came through from the tiny kitchen but didn’t say anything.

My God, what’s wrong? Matt asked. You look awful. Did something happen to your Dad? That was all Matt could think of. Patrick’s father was only in his sixties but suffered heart issues.

Patrick just shook his head. No, I haven’t talked to Dad in a couple of days. He was less impressed than even you that I married a stranger. Leanne is not coming down today. She called last night and said it was over. She didn’t love me. It was a mistake. It made her realize she loved her business colleague Ted more than she knew. She is filing for an annulment. That’s it in a nutshell.

Matt had no idea what to say. He stood there for a moment and when he saw a couple of tears roll down Patrick’s face, he simply went over and gave him a hug.

I feel so damned stupid Matt, Patrick said. You must be laughing inside and saying to yourself that you told me so.

Matt pushed Patrick out of the hug. Is that how shitty you think I am? For God sakes Patrick, I would never laugh at this or think anything of the kind. All I want to do right now is be here for you and talk this all through. Have you eaten anything today?

I’m not hungry, Patrick replied. Thanks for coming over.

Come on, put on some shoes and let’s go grab breakfast and talk, Matt said. Let’s go over to Palmer’s.

Patrick Armstrong was only twenty-eight years old. He and Matthew Benton had been roommates at Georgia Tech where they studied architecture. Both had done well but were not Dean’s list type students. They were both too traditional in design preferences to dazzle the academics who seemed to prefer innovative contemporary design. Each had worked for a different national architectural firm in Atlanta after graduation. They shared an apartment for two years.

When Patrick’s mother died, his father decided to sell the small summer home they owned on St. Simons Island. He asked Patrick if he would be interested in buying the house. Expenses from his mother’s cancer treatments had all but bankrupt Patrick’s father. He could not have afforded to just give Patrick the house he didn’t need. He kept his small brick suburban bungalow in Macon. Patrick had managed to get a mortgage and bought the small St. Simons Island house.

Matt stayed in Atlanta and Patrick moved to the island where he found a small engineering firm that needed an architect at a bargain-basement salary. Patrick worked there for a year, and picked up some freelance renovation design projects on his own. He worked nights and weekends to build his own business. His partnering with a small local interior design firm also increased his workload. Patrick resigned from the engineering firm and went out on his own. He had picked up so much work that he could not handle it alone.

Matt joined Patrick and for the past two years their business boomed. After rooming with Patrick for three months Matt found a small rental apartment so they could be on their own. Initially their work was primarily renovations and additions to existing island homes. Gradually, as their work became known, they were hired for new-build home design. Armstrong & Benton already had a solid reputation in the area.

They walked over to the main street and found a table at Palmer’s. Patrick just ordered a bagel and coffee while Matt had scrambled eggs and ham, toast, and coffee.

Have you thought about whether there might be any legal issues with the annulment? Matt asked. You each have your own businesses and your own homes. Nothing was ever really merged in your lives.

I don’t think so, Patrick replied. She is initiating the annulment so I would assume if there were to be any resistance or snags they would be on my part. I have no intention of taking that route. You could pretty much argue that we never lived together as husband and wife. I had no possessions with me when I stayed with her. I guess I was the only half who looked at us as truly married.

Vegas seems to have a strange effect on people when they are there, Matt said. Look at all those sleazy wedding chapels, the glitz and glamor and the excesses. You just seemed to get sucked into that fantasy environment when you met Leanne. I’ll only ever say this once but you scared the hell out of me the way you were drinking. I’ve never seen you like that Patrick. Not even in college.

Patrick remained quiet for a moment. I got carried away. I’ve been lonely and meeting Leanne led to a chain of unreal events that seemed to get better with booze; all those fruity drinks full of rum. I’ve always been more of a beer guy and didn’t realize the effect the cocktails would have. Booze, sex, dancing, eating, parties, more sex and then marriage. What a jerk I was.

Do you remember throwing me out of our room so you could be with your wife, Matt smiled. I’ve never packed up so fast in my life. Thank God, the hotel found me another room. You owe me for that someday. Matt was laughing which broke the seriousness of the fact that Patrick didn’t even remember the event.

I’m sorry Matt, Patrick said while looking down at his coffee. I hope to hell I never ever repeat even one of that entire group of mistakes. I had better call Dad in a while and fill him in.

Why don’t you drive up and see him after we leave here? Matt suggested. It’s not all that far. It would probably do you good to just get away from here. Stay a couple of days if you want. I can hold down the fort at work.

That’s a good idea. Patrick replied. He took out his phone and called his Dad. All he said was that he was coming up to see him and would be there mid-afternoon.

Patrick went home and changed into a green polo shirt and navy shorts for the drive to Macon. He tossed a few things into an overnight bag and headed out in his two-year-old Subaru SUV.

The traffic was light heading north-west. More people headed towards Savannah and St. Simons on a Saturday morning than towards Macon. He stopped on the way and had a burger, arriving at his Dad’s house around three-thirty.

Hey Dad, Patrick smiled. How are you feeling?

I feel just fine. Where’s that new wife of yours? Am I ever going to meet her? Marty asked. I assumed she wasn’t going to be with you or you would have said so.

Let’s go inside and talk, Patrick said. It’s hot as hell out here. Must be ninety at least.

They went inside and Patrick went through to the spare bedroom to dump his bag. When he went to the kitchen his Dad had pulled out two beers and was sitting at the table. So, what’s up son? Marty asked.

I might as well cut to the chase, Patrick replied. Leanne called me last night and told me she was seeking an annulment and our marriage was over. She doesn’t love me and doesn’t want to even try to make it work. I was up all night. Matt suggested I come here to get away.

Marty was silent for a moment. Finally, he simply said, I’m sorry son. I know it must hurt. As rushed as it was, I must assume you at least felt you loved her or you wouldn’t have gotten married. What will you do now?

I guess I will resume my life as it was about three weeks ago, Patrick said, trying to smile. I feel dumb. I feel empty. I don’t know what I’ll do. At least I have you and Matt on my side.

I’m sure you have lots of friends on the island, Marty replied. Open up to them. Invite them over more over the next couple of weeks. That might help.

Actually, I don’t. But for the couple I do have I’ll try that, Patrick responded. What’s new around here?

They talked about his father’s activities and watched the end of a Braves’ game on television before Patrick suggested they head out to dinner. Marty had a favorite little family Italian place he liked over by the university and they headed there.

Late Sunday afternoon Patrick said goodbye to his dad and headed back in the hazy humid sunlight to St. Simons Island. He arrived home before ten o’clock and called Matt to let him know he had returned.

Chapter 2

A rmstrong & Benton had its office in a professional office park on the island. There was a small unstaffed reception area flanked by a conference room on one side and a display room on the other which contained photos of many of their successful projects. A small hallway led to Matt and Patrick’s offices. In the center, a large work room contained the computerized equipment needed to generate plans, renderings and simulations for client meetings. The rear area was left for storage. An apprentice CAD Operator, Lindsay, worked for them in the large central production area.

The firm was still small enough that most of the work was done hands-on by the two young partners.

Patrick was the early riser; the one who opened the door and put on the coffee. Lindsay worked eight-thirty to four-thirty. Matt arrived before nine and was usually the last one to leave and lock up.

Monday morning Patrick slept in. He was exhausted from his sleepless night plus the return trip to Macon. When Matt arrived at work Lindsay had let herself in and made coffee.

Where’s Patrick? Matt asked. He said he would be in this morning.

I don’t have a clue, Lindsay smiled. He doesn’t usually check in with me.

Lindsay Adams was in her early twenties and had a laid-back personality. She always seemed happy and content with life. She joined them four months ago, and was a talented reliable addition to the staff.

Before he comes in let me forewarn you, Matt said. His sudden impromptu marriage is over. Leanne called him Friday night wanting an annulment.

Lindsay raised her eyebrows. I won’t ask for any details, but thanks for telling me. Poor guy.

Ten minutes later Patrick came in to the office. Sorry guys, I over-slept.

No problem, Matt replied. Why are you dressed up?

We have that meeting at ten-thirty with Mrs. Rowlands, remember? Patrick said. We are discussing her planned family room and kitchen addition.

Shit, I don’t know why that’s not in my calendar. I did forget, Matt cussed. "I need to run home and change.

Both Patrick and Matt typically wore khaki-type casual pants and dress shirts to work. Today Patrick had put on his beige summer suit and a button-down collar shirt.

I’ll be back in twenty minutes, Matt said as he rushed out to his car. True to his word he returned in his lightweight pale gray suit and an open-collar dress shirt. That feels better for a client meeting, he smiled.

They headed out to the northwest end of the island to the gated community. Eileen Rowlands welcomed them to her ten-year-old home. Both Patrick and Matt pulled off their shoes and walked across the polished ebony hardwood to the kitchen area.

What are you hoping to accomplish with an addition? Patrick asked. How do you see yourself using new space, or what isn’t happening in the existing space that you need?

Eileen showed them around and answered their questions. She was impressed at how quickly they understood what she wanted. Typically, a client would ask for some time to decide who they were going to hire; not so in this case.

How soon can you get me some preliminary plans and costing? Eileen asked.

Do I take it that you are selecting us to do your addition? Matt asked. We weren’t sure if you were talking to other firms.

I see no need to do that, Eileen answered. Yes, provided the costing is aligned to my budget, you have the job.

Is a week from Friday satisfactory? Patrick asked.

That’s just fine. Thank you, boys, Eileen said as she led them back to the entrance. They put on their shoes and headed to the car.

That went well, Patrick said. Want to grab lunch on the way back?

"Sure. Why don’t we just go through McD’s drive-thru and eat at work. They have salads and that’s all I want. Patrick did as Matt suggested and they returned to the office by twelve-thirty. Matt handed Lindsay her favorite - a chocolate shake.

Thanks Matt, Lindsay replied. How did it go at Mrs. Rowlands’ place?

Great, Patrick replied. We have work to do.

By Wednesday Patrick had already received paperwork from an Atlanta lawyer for the annulment. Leanne hadn’t wasted any time. The courier delivered the envelope at two in the afternoon. Patrick was in his office working on Mrs. Rowlands’ house addition. He opened the envelope and read through the papers.

Matt was working on another project - a complete new-build home project that was in nearby Brunswick.

Hey Matt, Patrick said as he walked across to his partner’s office. Guess what I got already? Matt hunched his shoulders. My annulment papers.

Holy Christ, Matt exclaimed. Leanne isn’t wasting any time. Have you looked at them yet?

Guess she can’t wait to get me the hell out of her life forever, Patrick replied, looking hurt. They are very straight forward. No demands, no attachments, no blame. I guess I sign them, you can witness and I’ll FedEx them right back today. He sat next to Matt, signed the papers, Matt witnessed it and Patrick headed to the FedEx drop box to send them right back. That was that. Plain and simple.

Patrick returned to the office and at four o’clock he was so restless he needed to get out and clear his mind. I’m going downtown for a walk along the water, he said to Matt. I just can’t concentrate right now.

He parked near the small pier. It was warm and cloudy. Dressed in business clothes, Patrick looked out of place walking amongst tourists in the vacation haven. Down past the lighthouse Patrick sat on a bench facing the water. As often happens on a late summer afternoon in the humidity, it started to pour rain.

At first, Patrick didn’t notice. He was deep in thought, trying to sort out his screwed-up life.

Not much point in running back to the car. I can’t get any wetter, he said to himself as he got up and sloshed along the walkway. At the car, he pulled out an old towel and lay it on the seat before he got in. He drove the five blocks back to his house, went in and stripped off the wet clothes and after drying off, pulled on a t-shirt and shorts.

At six o’clock Matt knocked on the screen door and yelled in, Are you around Patrick?

Patrick walked through and said, Come on in.

Matt saw the pile of wet clothes still laying on the floor. Have a nice walk? he laughed.

Patrick semi-smiled as he turned to go to the kitchen. Want a beer?

Sure, Matt replied. Anything I can do to help? I know this past month has been an emotional roller coaster for you.

I don’t know Matt, Patrick said. I sat by the water and my mind was basically blank. I’m having trouble focusing on work. I’m more concerned as to why I did what I did than the fact that it happened. Why did I feel the need to drink so much? That’s not me. Why the hell would I marry a woman I scarcely knew, drunk or not? I didn’t think I was that lonely or desperate. I’m lost for an answer.

Once we got to Vegas you seemed to lose it, Matt said. I wondered what had happened to you. You headed right to the pool and started drinking. I couldn’t even get you to go to dinner with me so I left you on your own. That lasted a matter of hours.

Matt continued, When I went back to the room at eleven o’clock you were already in bed with Leanne. I spent the night in the casino and wandering around. I went back up at ten in the morning and you two were still in bed and threw me out. I grabbed my stuff and got another room. I didn’t see or hear from you again until you called asking me to be your best man. I laughed at you until I realized you were serious. Then I said no and you told me to go screw myself, that you’d find someone else to be a witness. I don’t know how much of this you remember but we met in the bar. You never even asked where I was staying. I finally agreed to go to your wedding as I was worried about you and at least wanted to be there. The whole damn thing took ten minutes. Before I knew it, you flew back to Atlanta with her and stayed there. I had a shit time and drove home alone.

Patrick stared at Matt in silence then said, We’ve never talked about it like this. I’m so sorry Matt. Thank you for standing by me after all of that. God, I feel even worse now. I’ve got to move on.

How about partnering closely on our two big projects the rest of this week at least? Matt asked. We need to bring Allison James in on the Rowlands job. We need some of her interior design expertise.

That sounds like a plan, Patrick replied. Want to grab some dinner? Maybe the Crab Trap? I’m buying.

Sure, Matt replied. Should I go home and dress down, or are you going to dress up? He was laughing.

I’ll put on some big boy pants, Patrick smiled. Give me a minute. He picked up his wet clothes and threw everything except his soaked shoes into the dryer and went to his bedroom. He emerged wearing a knit shirt and khakis, carrying his deck shoes. The rain outside had stopped.

I’ll drive as I’m blocking you in, Matt said.

The rain had obviously kept diners home as the restaurant was not full. Their table by a window had the usual hole in the middle designed to discard shells and shrimp tails. They ate and talked as they did before Patrick’s event.

By eight o’clock Matt dropped Patrick off and went home to his apartment.

Thursday morning Patrick and Matt worked together on revisions to the Brunswick house plans to accommodate the owner’s desire for a relocated staircase. Then they spent several hours drawing and tossing around ideas for Mrs. Rowlands’ addition. A meeting was set up at Allison James’ office Friday.

Matt worked Saturday morning on the final changes to the Brunswick project while Patrick decided to drive up to Savannah.

Patrick had always been a loner and enjoyed road trips by himself. Having known and lived with Patrick through school and when working in Atlanta, Matt knew enough to leave Patrick alone to do his own thing most of the time. Hence the reason Matt sought his own apartment when he moved to St. Simons.

Patrick drove up the interstate to the first exit to Savannah. He stopped for a late breakfast at Cracker Barrel and headed into the old city. Parking was at a premium on a summer weekend. He found a spot a few blocks from Bay Street and walked down by the river. Patrick loved being near water. As he often did in St. Simons Island with the ocean, he sat on a bench staring out over the river.

The relative quiet was shattered by an angry male voice shouting, Michael Jeffrey Jacobson get back here. A giggling young boy was running towards Patrick at full speed with a frantic-looking couple about twenty feet behind.

Patrick turned sideways on the bench and stuck out his right arm capturing the smiling little blonde lad. Whoa, buddy. Mommy and Daddy are catching up.

Just then the couple arrived. Oh my God Michael. Don’t ever do that again; The young woman was almost distraught. What if you had fallen into the water? What a bad boy.

The small boy was now crying and had been picked up into his father’s arms. Thank you so much, the father said to Patrick. He was right beside us when we were looking into a shop window and he just took off. He was about thirty feet in front of us before we even knew what had happened. Patrick just smiled.

Horsey, Michael said as he pointed down to a horse drawn carriage. Me see horsey.

Patrick had stood up and was laughing, despite the stern looks on the faces of the parents. Michael held out his arms to Patrick. May I? Patrick asked the father.

Sure, he said as he handed Michael to Patrick. Odd. He doesn’t usually go to strangers.

It must be my incredible charm, Patrick laughed.

I’m Ben and this is my wife Kristen, the father said as he held out his hand to shake. Thanks. Scared the hell out of us. He’s a very active three-year-old.

I’m Patrick, he said. I didn’t really do anything but stick out my arm.

We were just going to sit down and have a lemonade, Kristen said. Will you join us?

Patrick was about to beg off but thought some company would be nice. Besides he was still holding Michael. Sure. Thanks.

They sat at a small round table by the river and Ben went over to a take-out counter and came back with three lemonades