Fateful Outcomes: Some Can Change Us Forever

By Bob Farina

Fateful Outcomes is a character study of two brothers and a sister, were raised in the same family yet so different. Clare, enamored with Leonardo di Vinci, obtains a license to fly a small single-engine plane. She was a Wharton School of Business graduate who was the smartest and brightest in the family and was destined to take over her father's successful financial services firm. Peter, an Eagle Scout in his youth, a Teddy Roosevelt enthusiast and lover of the outdoors, was gifted in so many ways, as he rose in the ranks of the New York City Department of Parks. He had a natural ability to succeed at everything he pursued. Everyone wanted to be his friend. Ted, an abuser, and a narcissist was the oldest but struggled to measure up to his younger brother and sister, and ultimately committed the unthinkable! Fateful Outcomes is a story about the three Collins siblings, the choices they faced, and the decisions they made that changed their lives forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Oct 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9781667800806

Bob Farina

As a native New Yorker, Bob Farina is a graduate of St. John's University who enjoyed a 30-year corporate executive career with Bloomingdales Department Store and a 10-year career as President and COO of Hart Systems. Bob relocated to Charleston, SC in 2006 and now is a real estate professional servicing the greater Charleston area. He has published three prior novels. Bob and his wife, Mary Ann, reside on Daniel Island in Charleston. Their daughters Allison and Carolyn, along with their grandchildren, live in the Carolinas as well. An avid golfer, Bob enjoys many of Charleston's great courses.

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Copyright © 2021

By Bob Farina

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the publisher.

ISBN: 978-1-66780-079-0

eBook ISBN: 978-1-66780-080-6

To my daughter,

Carolyn Lasater

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Author’s Note

About the Author

We all have choices and make decisions.

Most are simple and inconsequential.

Other decisions can change us forever.

And still others we make, can hurt the ones we love,

Especially those decisions made with malice and forethought.

Chapter

1

Peter Collins was Hollywood-handsome yet never boasted of it. He was always volunteering and helping others. His brother, Ted, just could not bring himself to do the same for someone else, or some other cause, without acquiring something for himself in return. He could never get Peter to do anything unscrupulous. It frustrated him that Peter had such a strong moral compass and rarely doubted himself. Everything Peter ever endeavored was a success. He was confident without being conceited and had so many innate skills and talents, which Ted always struggled to replicate. It just came so easy for Peter … school, sports, and now marrying such a beautiful woman. Ted smiled, felt wonderful, and knew that he finally got even.

As Diana was re-gaining her composure on the sofa, she said, Ted, I am so sorry that I fell asleep on you. I wasn’t able to eat anything today at lunch, and I guess the wine we just had with your real estate clients, went straight to my head.

No problem. I attempted to wake you, but you were non-responsive, so I decided to let you just sleep. Thanks so much for helping my clients. They had another appointment and left and said they are thrilled to be working with you.

Ted walked Diana to the door; they exchanged goodbyes. She left and he returned inside to clean the wine glasses and fluff the sofa pillows. The GHB drug worked like a charm. Ted had a huge grin on his face. He just raped his brother’s bride-to-be.

Chapter

2

Thomas Collins was a broad-shouldered, strapping, and handsome man with sandy-blond hair and a deep dimple on the center of his chin. His father, Declan, emigrated from Ireland in 1894 and they lived in Hell’s Kitchen on the west side of Manhattan. Declan worked for 15 years as a dock laborer before he died in an accident. He tripped off of a ship’s boarding plank and fell overboard landing in the water with only a three-foot gap between the dock pilings and the floating ship tethered to the pilings. Before anyone was able to toss him a rescue line, Declan was crushed to death when the ship slowly eased its way toward the pilings.

Thomas was 16 years old at the time and he felt a huge sense of responsibility for his mother, but she prohibited Thomas from following his father as a dock worker. With some meager savings that his parents accumulated and the nominal union insurance policy proceeds, they managed to survive for several months during the depression. Thomas’ uncle worked for New York’s Long Island Railroad, the LIRR, and was able to arrange for Thomas to fill a fulltime open position in the maintenance department.

The LIRR, was first chartered in 1834 and operated exclusively on Long Island using steam-powered trains, which were replaced in 1905 with electrical power. In 1910, the East River Tunnels and Penn Station in Manhattan were completed. Residents were then able to board a train in their local station on Long Island and arrive at Penn Station in Manhattan.

Thomas spent his entire 39-year LIRR work career on the track replacement crew. Track rails on busy curves were changed every two to three years, while those on straight sections would last 25, 50 or in some cases 100 years. It was extremely tough work and danger always lurked for careless crew members.

One of the perks for Thomas was a reciprocal arrangement with other railroad companies for heavily discounted fares. He was a fanatical New York Yankee baseball fan, so every February from 1933 to 1939, Thomas managed to take the railroad from Penn Station to Ft. Lauderdale to see the Yankees in their spring training exhibition games. Over these seven years, he brought his baseball on each trip and managed to collect the autographs of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, and several other players on the same baseball. It was prominently displayed in his New Hyde Park, Long Island home.

In 1941, Thomas married Margaret Riley, whom he met at a local church dance. Their only son, Ryan, was born in 1944. Ryan was extremely bright and sailed through his formative schooling. Thomas and Ryan had a special father-son relationship. They would do anything for each other. Ryan had the highest respect for his father and his work ethic. Year after year, Ryan observed his father wake up at 5:30 AM and be out of the house by 6:15 AM, despite the pain from heavy labor. Ryan was a gifted student, especially in math, and eventually earned a partial scholarship to NYU.

By the time Thomas retired in 1969, every bone in his body ached. There wasn’t a moment in the day that his back didn’t scream out for relief. All those years of outdoor work … lifting … bending … carrying heavy metal rails, had taken its toll. His hands were rock-hard with little joint flexibility. For Thomas, it was all worth it. Ryan would earn his fortune using his brain and not his hands.

Chapter

3

In February 1974, after travelling 330 miles for 5 ½ hours, Ryan Collins finally arrived at The Green Mountain Inn in Stowe, Vermont, which is regarded by ski enthusiasts, as the Ski Capital of the East. The Inn has welcomed guests since 1833 when it was a stop along the Vermont stagecoach trail. Three of its buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Seven miles away from the village of Stowe is Mount Mansfield, the highest peak in Vermont, with its wonderous trails and ski slopes. At the base are the lifts and lodges and the Stowe Mountain Resort.

Ryan left at 10 AM from his Long Island apartment just ahead of the blizzard that was flying across New Jersey and was forecasted to pass directly over New York City and head up the coast of Connecticut with 24 inches of snow. His colleague, Brady Stone, was joining him for a 4-day ski weekend, but Brady was unable to leave until 4 PM.

The Inn was centrally located on Main Street, right in the center of Stowe. Ryan dropped his luggage in his room and went to the lounge area, ordered a glass of Italian Sangiovese wine, and headed to the sitting area by the fireplace. The only other person there was a woman who looked to be his age. She was dressed in a black and white geometric turtleneck sweater, black fleece leggings, high varsity socks, and laced up winter boots with fur. She sat in a fully upholstered club chair adjacent to the roaring fire. Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons was softly emanating from the ceiling speakers. The woman was sipping a glass of red wine from a large, bulbous stemmed glass and was mesmerized by the dancing flames. There was a matching club chair opposite her chair.

As the intoxicating aroma of the burning oak filled the room, Ryan politely asked, Would you mind if I sit here?

Refocusing her gaze to Ryan, she responded, No. Make yourself comfortable.

Thanks. How was the skiing today?

The woman smiled, hesitated and replied, I arrived at noon and completed two runs. After a pause, she added, By the way, how did you know I was skiing?

Your rosy cheeks are a dead giveaway!

She smiled, Yea, that’s right. I forgot about those cheeks of mine.

I love the look!

You’re just saying that to impress a lady.

No, I really do. I promise.

The woman did not respond but could not contain her smile, and just turned her head and stared at the flames.

After a short period of silence, Ryan continued with, How long have you been skiing?

Five years, but I only ski on the intermediate tracks. No expert trails for me. What about you?

Uh, two years. I have weak ankles and only go down the beginner trails. I’m really a confident guy but just not when it comes to skiing. My friend, Brady Stone, was planning to leave his New Jersey home at 4 PM today, but I don’t think he will be able to get here tonight.

I think you are right. I spoke to my friend, Lorraine, 30 minutes ago, and she said there is a blizzard in New York City, so she decided not to come.

I’m glad I left early this morning. Oh, I’m Ryan, Ryan Collins.

I’m Gabriella Conte.

Conte, isn’t that Italian?

With that, Ryan and Gabriella spent the next three hours talking about their family, siblings, education, and careers. Gabriella learned that Ryan was an only child, graduated from New York University, worked in the financial planning world for the last three years, and was in the process of starting his own company. Ryan discovered that Gabriella was indeed Italian and lived in Boston, where her parents own an Italian restaurant. She was the Valedictorian at the Girls Latin School and went on to Princeton University where she majored in Art History. In her junior year, Gabriella fell in love with the camera. Since she graduated, she has been working as a freelance photographer. She hardly ever leaves her apartment without her Canon 35 mm camera and zoom lens. Gabriella has always managed to press the shutter button at just the right moment to capture the essence of the scene. Her specialty is black and white photography and she is a magician with cropping and adjusting contrast to produce iconic images. She was professionally recognized for her pictures of the 1972 Hotel Vendome fire and building collapse that killed nine firefighters in the Back Bay section of Boston.

Well, Gabriella Conte, would you like to join me for dinner?

Ryan, thanks for the invitation but I have been up since dawn. I am totally exhausted. Let’s do breakfast at 8:00 AM tomorrow.

Wonderful!

Afterwards, I will join you on the beginner’s slope to warm up, but then you will ski with me on the intermediate trail.

Oh, wow. OK, I’ll do it! For Ryan, it was a no-brainer. He wanted to spend as much time as possible with Gabriella.

Over the next six months Gabriella and Ryan were together almost every weekend. She would drive down from Boston and stay at his apartment in Garden City, and he would drive up and stay at her apartment in Fenway. Ryan told her about the autographed baseball that his father had of the New York Yankee Hall of Fame players. Naturally, she was a Red Sox fan, which was always a point of lighthearted banter.

Ryan graduated from NYU in 1970 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and began his career with Jones and McCann, a financial service company that provided strategic financial plans for individuals and business owners to achieve their financial independence and life goals. After three years, Ryan and his colleagues, Brady Stone and Alan Whitehall, resigned from Jones and McCann and started their own financial services firm, Collins, Stone, and Whitehall. Ryan contributed most of the capital startup funds and was the major partner.

Gabriella and Ryan married in 1975 and honeymooned at the Grand Hotel Timeo in Taormina, Sicily. Gabriella’s paternal grandfather emigrated from this region in 1908 and settled in the North End of Boston. In 1976, Ryan and Gabriella purchased a 5-bedroom home on Kildare Drive in Garden City. A year later, Ted was born, followed by Clare in 1979 and Peter in 1981.

Chapter

4

When their grandfather, Thomas, died in 1988, he bequeathed his treasured autographed baseball to his grandson, Peter, who like him, was an avid New York Yankees baseball fan. He did not even consider leaving it to his other grandson, Ted, who was a New York Mets fan. His granddaughter, Clare was never a consideration, as she did not like baseball at all. The baseball sat on a 6-inch-high stand with a clear Lucite protective cover and was displayed on Peter’s desk. This was his grandfather’s revered gift to him, and he admired it daily over the last five years. Every morning when Peter left his room for the day, he would touch the case and somehow feel a connection to the immortal Yankee Hall of Famers.

Above his desk, there was a black and white picture of Peter and his grandfather in the park. What made the picture priceless, was that Gabriella captured her son and father-in-law as they were walking away with their backs to the camera, while Thomas was looking down at 5-year-old Peter and holding his hand … and Peter was looking up at his grandfather. The sun was low in the sky and in front of them, so their figures were just dark silhouettes. It was an iconic image with the walking subjects only known to Gabriella but the kind of picture that forces the viewer to marvel at the intimacy and affection between the adult and the small child.

Both brothers played baseball. Even though Peter was four years younger than Ted, Peter’s ability was remarkable for a 12-year-old boy. His eye-hand coordination for catching a baseball, and hitting a pitched ball were stronger than his brother’s. Peter was the MVP of his team and was selected to be on the All-Star team while Ted was not even in the starting lineup. He was jealous of his brother’s baseball skills and when he learned that Peter made the All-Star team, he went to Peter’s room, closed the door, and cruelly said:

You think you’re something special. Don’t you! Well, you’re not! I don’t know how you did it, but you probably are just a lucky smartass. Wait until you get up to my league in a few years. You’re going to find out how hard it is to hit a baseball that is thrown a lot faster than the slow pitches you’re now getting.

Come on, Ted. You know I worked hard for it. How many times have I asked you to have a catch with me? You always tell me that, ‘I don’t have to practice … I know how to catch and hit a baseball.’ Even major league players practice every day. Let me work with you.

Screw you, little brother! As Ted turned and stormed out of his room, he saw the autographed baseball on Peter’s desk and decided that he was going to do something about it.

When Peter was out with his friends, Ted went to his room, removed the autographed baseball that was a gift to Peter from their grandfather. He asked himself if he really wanted to hurt his brother. After a three second reflection, he decided to proceed. Using a black magic marker, Ted drew continuous circles obliterating the autographs of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Joe DiMaggio but left the other signatures unscathed. He replaced the baseball on the stand and re-covered the ball with the clear plastic lid.

That evening, Peter discovered the sacrilege of his grandfather’s iconic gift and screamed. Ryan and Gabriella ran up the stairs and found their son, Peter, holding the baseball and quietly whimpering with tears running down his cheeks, like raindrops falling on a windowpane. He showed them the baseball, and just said, Ted.

His mother stayed to comfort Peter, while his father went into Ted’s room and closed the door.

Ryan screamed, Why? Why did you do that to the baseball? This was a family heirloom that my father treasured. Your brother loved that ball.

Looking at his father, Ted replied, It’s just an old baseball!

What you did was mean and spiteful. Again, why did you do it?

Peter was bragging about being the MVP of his team and told me I would never be an MVP!

I don’t believe you. Peter would never say that. You are lying to me! You have always been jealous of your siblings. You are in deep trouble, Ted. Here’s what is going to happen. First, you are going inside to apologize to Peter. Second, in addition to your household chores, you are doing Peter’s for the next 30 days. Finally, you will walk to and from school for the next month. No bike ride, no car ride. This will give you plenty of time to think about what you have done.

His father left the room, and Ted told himself that his punishment was palatable, as he just had to do something to make Peter realize everything happening in the family was not always about Peter!

Two months later, Clare, as part of a science project, collected several butterflies and placed them in a huge glass container along with several wooden sticks and a little sugar water and cut several holes in the metal cover for air. She would take them out and let them fly around in her bedroom and was able to film them in slow motion and determined that their wings moved up and down in a figure-eight pattern. She would then re-catch them with a special net and place them back in the jar for more tests the following day. While Clare