the
sugar plantation. He’s not much different from me. He works for a company, and
I work for the government. The company buys the car for him. The sugar company
is in financial trouble, and Jimmy’s dad may soon have nothing. Your dad is
different, Mike. He seems to be building an empire, and I suspect in a few
years he will be a very rich man.”
With that, Mike and I got excited again. With new
vigor, we began cleaning up the mess caused by our now-defunct first business.
As we were cleaning, we made plans for how and when to talk to Mike’s dad. The
problem was that Mike’s dad worked long hours and often did not come home until
late. His father owned warehouses, a construction company, a chain of stores,
and three restaurants. It was the restaurants that kept him out late.
Mike caught the bus home after we had finished
cleaning up. He was going to talk to his dad when he got home that night and
ask him if he would teach us how to become rich. Mike promised to call as soon
as he had talked to his dad, even if it was late.
The phone rang at 8:30 p.m.
“Okay,” I said. “Next Saturday.” I put the phone
down. Mike’s dad had agreed to meet with us.
On Saturday I caught the 7:30
a.m. bus to the poor side of town.
The Lessons
Begin
Mike
and I met with his dad that morning at eight o’clock. He was already busy,
having been at work for more than an hour. His construction supervisor was just
leaving in his pickup truck as I walked up to his simple, small, and tidy home.
Mike met me at the door.
“Dad’s on the phone, and he said to wait on the back
porch,” Mike said as he opened the door.
The old wooden floor creaked as I stepped across the
threshold of the aging house. There was a cheap mat just inside the door. The
mat was there to hide the years of wear from countless footsteps that the floor
had supported. Although clean, it needed to be replaced.
I felt claustrophobic as I entered the narrow living
room that was filled with old musty overstuffed furniture that today would be
collectors’ items. Sitting on the couch were two women, both a little
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