Cliff's Good Deed

67 - Checkmate

Cliff and Izzy sat at the dining room table. The folder Cliff rested in front of him held a contract. He wasn't nervous about what he and his sister were about to do, rather he was anxious about getting it over with.

Beside him, Izzy couldn't sit still. She kept combing her hair with her fingers and fidgeting. He needed to calm her.

"Hey, you and I did a thorough and complete job. We considered every counter move Mom and Dad might try. We are as prepared as we can be. You don't have to worry."

"Our relationship with Mom has been strained for years, Cliffy. Things could go horribly wrong, and if Dad takes her side, we might lose him too."

"That's not going to happen. Even if it does, you will never lose me."

She touched his shoulder, a gesture of affection. "I know."

Their parents had flown away the morning before the storm and had remained in the southwest for two weeks. It had freed Cliff and Izzy from scrutiny while they finalized preparations for their attempted coup. When their parents arrived home the prior evening, they had been excited about the retirement home they had purchased on a golf course in Sedona, Arizona. Cliff hoped their excitement would blunt any hurt feelings over what was about to happen.

Footsteps pattered from the hallway.

"Here they come," Izzy whispered.

Their mother and father entered and sat at the table opposite. When their father noticed the folder on the tabletop, he asked, "You wanted to see us to catch us up on the business while we were away?"

"That's right."

Before Cliff could say more, his mother interrupted. "Elizabeth, darling, I have a bottle of wine chilling in the cooler behind you. Do you mind pouring me a glass?"

"Sure," she sprang from her seat and eyed Cliff. "I'm going to need a glass too. Anyone else?"

Cliff and his father both declined.

Cliff didn't want to get into it until Izzy returned, so he made small talk asking about the new house in Arizona.

Izzy delivered the wine to her mother and set the bottle on the table.

He cleared his throat. "Mom, Dad, inside this folder in front of me is a contract Izzy and I need you to sign. It transfers complete ownership of our family business from the two of you to Izzy and me."

He let that hang before speaking further. His mother raised an eyebrow. His father wore a thin smile.

"I've been running the business for the past five years. Now that Izzy has her degree in finance, she's stepped up to help me. The two of you are already on the sidelines, so it's time to make it official."

Their mother set down her wine glass. "I think you're forgetting that your father and I have complete control. We are the ones who get to decide when and how to dispose of the company."

Father shot her with a disapproving look. "Let our son talk. I'm interested in what he has to say."

Cliff continued. "You're correct, Mother. You have total control. Izzy and I don't dispute that. What you don't know is we have started our own company. Behind the scenes my sister and I have approached all our clients whose contracts are soon up for renewal. We started with your biggest account, Allentown, and presented their board of directors with a better alternative, a privatization concept of trash collection that frees up city funds. They're thrilled with our proposal and have committed to move forward with us."

His parents sat still, saying nothing.

"Izzy and I approached other clients using the same privatization model we fine-tuned with Allentown. We've received commitments from four other municipalities, more than enough to get our new business off the ground."