Then he sighed. “I’m very troubled about saying this, Jason. It’s perilous to give counsel to another person when the consequences will be so great.”
“I want to know.”
“I’m not sure what I would do, because I’m not in your place. I’ve come to know you, though, and I knew your father, and I’ve known many people and seen many things. This is what I believe you should do.” It was the first time anyone had ever said those words before and I’d wanted to hear them. “Give it up, Jason. Turn away. I don’t know what this course of action will do to anyone else affected by it-and that will be many people. I am only speaking to you, about you. Give it all up-everything.”
“How?”
“I don’t know, but you can work that out once you’ve decided.”
“It would mean the end of the foundation.”
“Yes. I suppose it might well mean that.” He smiled, a tight, pained smile. “I said before that shutting down the foundation would be a small price to pay to restore integrity to this state. Now my words may come back to haunt me. But the foundation can’t stand long if it depends on the torture of a man’s soul.” He shook his head. “That should not be a consideration to you.”
There was an obvious answer.
“Melvin wanted the foundation to have the estate.”
“And I was against it.” He took another long minute to think it through. “At least, I requested that he change his will. It was his decision.” He stood and wandered to his shelves; I guess the binders and books represented to him his real love, and he was looking for comfort. “Even now, I still hope there is some other way. I never wanted such a responsibility. Even in a better world, without vice and moral dilemma, it would be crushing. In this world, the entanglements, the compromises… I couldn’t, Jason. You more than anyone know how it is.”
“Yes. But I don’t see another way.”
“Break it apart. Sell each business to a different buyer. Please don’t put this burden on the foundation. It would destroy it.”
“It would take years to divest. You’re right; that’s what has to be done. The whole structure has to be demolished. But I can’t do it. I’m not strong enough. You said it yourself- I have to give it up – and you’re right about that, too. But you could do it.”
“Take the estate for the purpose of divesting it?” He was back at his desk and he sank into the chair. “It might be possible. I wouldn’t really know how.”
“There are people who do. It’s the will to do it that has to be there.”
“How would you live?” he said. “You need an income.”
“Other people live without inheriting a billion dollars. I can find a way.”
Then he asked the question I was dreading most. “What about Katie?”
“I don’t know.”
What would this do to her? I knew how she would react at first, but then what? I truly didn’t know.
“She’ll hate it. Money has always been so important to her.”
“More important than you? Your marriage?”
“I don’t know. It might be.”
“I’m sorry. Will you ask Fred Spellman to advise you in any of this?”
“Not likely.”
He nodded. “Yes, I agree. If you don’t wish to confide in Fred, I can recommend Jacob Rosenberg. He’s on the board of the foundation and is our legal adviser. He’s an expert in corporate law.”
“How is he on divorce?”
“I hope it won’t come to that.”
“Hope?” I said. “I don’t have much.”
“But you need hope. Everyone does.”
I wasn’t going to answer that. I had what I wanted. It was time to get away before Nathan started digging into the next layer of questions. “I’ll talk to Rosenberg. Thank you.”
“I’ll do anything I can. Anything.”
“You’ve done enough.”
“You have a long life ahead of you,” he said. “This crisis will end-you aren’t thinking that far into the future right now, but the future will come. Jason, I’ve gotten to know you somewhat. You have questions. We can talk about them.”
And I almost did. An image came into my mind, of the churchyard with the ancient trees, and the hallowed church. Death and life together. Nathan could answer those questions, as well.
But this was not the time, and there were lots of hard things still to do today. I left with enough hope to face them.
I used most of it up just getting to the forty-second floor, and I was feeling pretty hopeless again. I had a plan, though, and steps I could take. For the moment I was still rich, so I didn’t mind calling an expensive lawyer on Sunday afternoon and summoning him to my office.
Jacob Rosenberg was actually not much older than myself, and he was also not in a suit. He wore a trendy little goatee beard and mustache thing, and an air of competence that reminded me of George Elias. He was attentive and not distracted by the view.
“Did you know Melvin?” I asked.
“I met him on the board.” He also had an earnestness that reminded me of Nathan.
“And I assume you have an idea of what I’ve inherited from him.”
“Yes, Mr. Boyer. Fairly well.”
“Good. You’ll need to get very familiar.”
This was the point where the decision would start becoming real. I took a deep and lingering look out my magnificent windows. I was distracted by them.
“I won’t discuss reasons,” I said, “but I want to transfer everything to the foundation.”
He sat back in the chair. “Everything?”
“All of it.”
He was still breathless, but he got to work. “Yes, sir. All right. What is your time frame?”
“How long will it take?”
“I won’t know until I see a list of assets.”
“Guess.”
“If we worked very hard, probably one week for most of it.”
That deserved another survey of the panorama. It was getting to be later afternoon. From downtown the highways radiated with light traffic to the neighborhoods beyond. Usually they were lost in the haze but it was the first clear day of October, and I could finally see, farther than I ever had before from that place.
“Make it one week. Start this afternoon.”
“Yes, sir.”
I opened my desk and found the papers George Elias had given me weeks before. The top one was a little worn-the one with the box at the bottom and the ten-digit number in it.
“Take these. I’ll direct George Elias to work with you. His number is in there.”
He looked at the list, quickly and professionally, but his eyes still got big as he went through them.
“It’s a lot of assets,” he said.
“Will there be any problems?”
“I… don’t see any so far.” He looked up. “I believe you’ve used some of the cash account for your house and expenses?”
“Yes.”
“Is there anything else I should exclude, besides your personal assets that predate the inheritance?”
I stared out the windows again, but now I was looking at the stone fireplace, the dining room table, the bedroom suite, the cars. Where had they come from? Even the boat. Was there anything that was mine?
“Don’t exclude anything.”
He nodded, still with his eyes on me.
“Mr. Boyer, is your wife in agreement with your plans?”
