A Long Road to Redemption

Chapter 4

The next afternoon Leonard called a meeting with Lawson back at the family estate. He arrived on time because nobody wanted to be late for a meeting with his father. When he walked into the office, his father was already on the phone with a client. He saw Lawson arrive and motioned for him to sit down.

A few minutes later, Leonard hung up the phone and directed his attention to Lawson. "I trust the young lady had a good time last night," he began. Obviously, there was more to this meeting than idle small talk about his date last night, but Lawson decided to play along.

"Yes, Father, she did. Thank you for allowing us to come over. Sidney wanted me to thank you for her gift, but she feels like she should return it to you. I explained to her it would insult you if she did."

"Honestly, do you really think me so shallow to be insulted by something like that, Lawson?" he responded in his deep, monotone voice.

The door opened again, and Jonathan Pierson, Lawson's younger brother, walked into the office. He was shorter than Lawson by several inches and did not have the same athletic build. He was recently married and managed two of the side businesses of the Pierson family. "Well, Dudley Do-Right finally showed up. Helping little old ladies across the street again?" teased Lawson to his brother.

"Were you born an ass, or do you have to practice Lawson?"

"You know, little brother I.."

"That will be enough," came the harsh voice of Leonard Pierson. "I will not sit here and listen to this again. I called this meeting because there are important decisions I have made regarding our family businesses."

Both men turned their attention to their father. Their rivalry went back to their childhood, with each competing with the other for their father's attention. Jonathan always felt he had to compete harder than Lawson for their father's approval. He carried pent-up frustration with him about how Lawson always seemed to find more favor with their father. Jonathan was a better student in school by far, but Lawson was an athlete while Jonathan joined the marching band. Father never said it, but that choice disappointed him. Even though he married first, Lawson remained their father's chosen son.

"It is time that we begin expanding your roles in the family businesses. I will continue, of course, to run our shipping operations, but Lawson will begin the process of taking it over from me and handle the day-to-day operations. You will, of course, continue to network with our current clients and take steps to acquire new clients as well."

The smile on Lawson's face sickened Jonathan. Every last ounce of restraint was required to keep from wiping that smile off of his face. Leonard seemed to sense the tension in the room. Glaring at his youngest son, the man kept whatever protest he was about to make inside of him. After a few more seconds, Leonard was ready to continue.

"Jonathan, since you seem somewhat reluctant to handle our main business, I have decided to sign our two minor franchises to you completely."

Lawson nearly came entirely out of his chair. "What?" he said as he raised his voice. "How does he rate getting his own business.." The icy stare from Leonard seemingly froze the words in Lawson's mouth. His oldest son sat back down. "My apologies Father." Lawson glanced at his brother with a look that Cain could recognize when he looked upon Able. Jonathan gave a half smile as Lawson calmed himself.

"You two need to learn to work together as a team. Lawson is the perfect face of our operations, while you, Jonathan, are the brains behind the machinery. If you work together, I have no doubts about the future of this family."

"Father, I still think that we don't have to...." Jonathan began before being cut off by his father.

"I will not have this argument again either. Now leave us. There is a matter I must discuss with your brother in private. There are papers for you here in this envelope. Read over them and sign them so we can get the transfer of the businesses to you processed."

"Of course, father," he said as he got up and left the office, taking the papers with him. Lawson watched him go, still fuming inside. When the door closed, he looked at his father, but the stare that was returned was one that gave him instant pause. He wanted to say more, but he knew better than to take the initiative from his father, so he waited until Leonard was ready to speak.

"What are your intentions with this girl Lawson?" he began.

"Only the purest of intentions Father, I think.."

"Enough, Lawson. She is a fine match for you. I think you should consider marrying her. You will need a woman like that in your new role."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that it is time for you to grow up. I tire of hearing about your past indiscretions with women, the boorish entourage that follows you around carousing and drinking all of your money away, and these childish antics that I will not even begin to list. You are a Pierson, and that name carries great weight with it. Do you understand?"

"Of course Father."

"I doubt you do, so let me clarify this. You are on a very short leash here, my boy. This party life of yours ends now."

Lawson squirmed in his chair. "Father, I.." The look on his father's face made him change the lie he was about to tell. "I'm not like that anymore, Father. You're right; I've had my fun. Now it's time to get serious. Sidney is good for me. She's settled me down."

"Good. I hope you understand as well the gravity of the situation. I am grooming you to take my place, son. We move tons of cargo yearly for clients with very particular tastes. Those clients will not hesitate to find another method of moving that cargo if they believe you are not up to their ideals of... discretion."

"You can trust me, Father."

"Trust? I will be watching to make sure of this change you've spoken of so confidently," Leonard said, clearly dismissing Lawson from the meeting. The younger Pierson got up to leave when Leonard stopped him, "By the way, I will need you to fly to Dallas tomorrow. One of our clients is having an issue getting his deliveries on time. I need you to smooth out that problem."

"Anything, in particular, I need to do?"

"Promise him anything you have to. This is an important client and will be a good test of your readiness to handle our business affairs."

Lawson left the room to find Jonathan outside waiting for him. "So you thinking this girl is the right one, huh?" The question made Lawson want to punch his brother in the throat. He restrained himself from acting on impulse and replied, "Jealous much, Little Brother?" He wanted to leave it, but Jonathan stood in his way out.

"I know you and who you are, Lawson. You're a user. You use people and discard them, and personally, it makes me sick. If you're not careful, it's going to catch up with you someday."

Lawson chuckled, "What would you know? All your life, you've been jealous of me. Like Father just said, it's time to grow up. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a flight to get ready for in the morning."

Lawson got in his car and drove away. He picked up his phone and dialed a familiar number. "Jordan, how are you, man? You got plans for the next couple of days? Good, fly with me to Dallas tomorrow for a couple of days. Ha, you know it. Yeah got to keep it more low-key this time, but yeah, same deal. Yeah, make sure the equipment gets set up like usual. Should be fun."

He ended the call and drove to his townhome. Sidney was supposed to come over tonight, so he had to ensure everything was set up and ready. Tonight would be a special evening with just the two of them. Marriage was not really on his mind now, but maybe in a few more months, that would change. Not even Leonard Pierson would force him into marriage before he was ready. Tonight was not about marriage, but it might bring that one step closer.