A look into the wishing well part 10

Mother was too clever by half and she knew what she was doing when she so dramatically changed the will. One way or the other it would force them to come to their senses.

She knew very much how vain and fickle they were. They enjoyed the adulation and praise of people of being such shrewd business men and how much wealth they had generated. But they absolutely did nothing at all but sit on their fat backsides and watch the money rolling in  

How little people knew. Of late and in general; George had engineered it in such a way that they were given the highest posts in their respective divisions that meant very little input was ever required from them. A good expense account, good renumeration and a nice office as far away from the activity of production as possible. 

The two brothers of the three were lazy enough and glad enough to have it this way. Benjamin still seething from knowing that though control was in their mother's hands, was not happy it would pass to George. 

He had seen through these payoffs to keep his brothers from the action. And he had demanded he too have oversight of all the divisions of the family business. In fact as the oldest in the family he should be running things anyhow. Will or no will and since it would only happen after their mother passed, he had served longest in the business compared to his other brothers ( anyhow he believed that if he positioned himself at the top he would wrest control even from his mother and finally take control as was his right).

He went to far as to place George with the small garment factory, which made the least money and was struggling at the time. 

The jewel in the crown of the family portfolio was the construction and property side. 

It was making money three four or five times of the other divisions put together. 

George, then as a qualified civil engineer had known how to play the right cards. Benjamin took over this and had general oversight of everything. 

The other divisions distribution warehouses for general retail products, a timber supply and the garments division. 

George not knowing much about garments took a trip to some of the best garment intense industry countries in the region and studied what they did best. 

On coming back took out a huge loan from the bank went overseas and bought the latest and best garment machinery. He hired an experienced expatriate at great cost in terms of salary to run the factory and to start to generate contracts from the big western brands. 

It was a slow start and the first year, that division made a huge loss. 

Benjamin exploded and tried to go full on attack mode on his young brother at the annual general meeting. Saying if he had been responsible for the whole company it is very possible they would be bankrupt by now. 

By and by more contracts were picked up with big foreign brands. Soon the capacity was limited and a new factory and much larger had to be built. Before you know it, there were three huge garment factories employing well over 500 people. Turnover was in excess of 10 million dollars a year. Again George showed why he had the Midas touch...

While their father was alive, he had a large family given his four wives his primary concern was to ensure that they were all provided for.  Being a just man and dedicated to his family he tried to parcel out fairly to each of his wives and children.  Huge plot of land there, some rice paddies, some animals here and there, a little shop to go with that. 

But his third wife, who mothered George and his brothers he did not have much to give while alive but his time and love. He spent more time with his third wife than with his other two. 

So he felt as he was providing for their needs he did not feel to give them much at the time. He had a shop and some virgin land which as the town grew would increase in value. 

While his brothers went to school George would be by his father's side and he enjoyed watching his father counting money in his shop, by four he could count very well. Father took notice. 

He taught him his alphabet and by five he was reading well enough. 

It could be said his brothers went to school but school did not go to them. They really didn't take to school as such. Benjamin made it clear he hated school and joined his father before he could gain any meaning qualifications. 

Jonathan and Rodney didn't fair any better. School just became a place to have fun and find nice girls to enjoy with. 

In running the shop with their father they proved good enough to order the other employees around but they did not show any sort of business acumen. 

Two weekends later, after that fateful meeting with their mother, another meeting took place. This time it involved Jonathan and Rodney, the two brothers with the most to lose if George decided not to treat them as shareholders but as employees. 

In fact the knife would cut deep both ways. If something happened to George and the organisation was handed over to Olive that would be the bigger disaster. 

Though the other option would hurt too. They really had not worked all their lives. How would they manage and what sort of employees and salaries would they get?

Jonathan had health troubles more than anything else. They stemmed from excesses of too much rich foods, too much meat and drink and not enough exercise. The doctors told him the same thing; you are digging your own grave with your teeth!

Change your diet. His wife fought with him but he carried on scoffing food like a pig!

One time coming from his favourite seafood restaurant, he had felt a sharp pain in his chest and collapsed! 

Rushed to the hospital with a suspected heart attack. Luckily it was a close shave. It was a blocked artery. The doctors had inserted a stent and told him the next around it could be worse. 

Each morning his wife administered to him a staggering amount of pills to take. Even if he wanted to work..he could not. 

Rodney on the other hand had developed the vice of gambling. He had always enjoyed the good times. Fairly good looking, he had the charm but he also could easily be charmed.

He developed the reputation of being one of the big high rollers in the town's casinos. Soon they were too small for him. 

Now he flew to Macau and the Philippines and the Casino boats of Goa. Rubbing shoulders with other big fish from as far as China Singapore Malaysia and India. 

He felt the big man in such company. 

And of course the women who serviced these big fish were not small town hustlers but big city high maintenance women who too wanted to live high life at somebody else's expense. That somebody happened to be Rodney.

"Rodney look how old my necklace is.  Rodney buy me this bag...Rodney I need money.. Rodney this and Rodney that.." They would say. 

For the pleasure and company of these women he paid and paid. When money was running thin, he sold some land and other assets and off he went. He would tell his wife he is on  business trips. 

One time he was hit big in the casino and lost a lot of money and another disaster to befall him was the girl he was with this time was a pretty little thief. In a moment of pleasure or weakness or both he had revealed the pin code to the safe in the hotel room. He always kept some money in the safe which he would use to pay hotel and other bills. Well she stole his keycard and broke into the safe nothing was left except his passport and ticket to return.

He could call no one else but Jonathan. Of course Jonathan told Benjamin. Benjamin bailed him out but used this against him. First he cut his expense account quite considerably and he required him to pay him back twice the amount he borrowed. Insidiously, he took it a step further, by in effect holding him to loyalty to him or else his wife would find out about his proclivities. 

Now in Jonathan's patio as it was a warm and sunny Morning. They sat for breakfast. Jonathan's wife was a great cook and she laid on the food. 

But what a sorry sight for Jonathan - a bowl of high fibre grains with some fruit and low fat yoghurt and his morning supply of pills. 

It was unbearable for Jonathan to watch his brother, Sister in law and his wife gormandizing in front of him.

"To hell with the doctors..what do they know anyway. Their heads are full of useless information," Jonathan succumbed as he picked two fried eggs, some toast and a couple of chicken sausages. 

His wife tried to protest and Jonathan cautioned her-

" if you come one step closer you will find yourself swimming with the ducks in that pond".

Rodney laughed and told her not to worry it was just for today but you could tell Jonathan was in for a very long weak for starvation diet. 

"We have to speak to George. This could turn out very bad for us. Besides I have really not had any issues with him. I have simply behaved like Switzerland and not taken sides between his fight with big bro." Rodney lamented.

" oh come off it Rod. You and I know we aligned ourselves with big bro. Either we break clear from big bro. Take our caps in our hands and beg George's forgiveness or we fight and keep to big bros side " Jonathan stated it as he saw it.