Wealth, Health, and Success

Chapter Four

It had been quite some time since Dereck visited the asylum that saved his life. Whenever he attempted to reach Dr. Huxley or his secretary, there was a delay, a trip, or no response. For better or worse, Dereck decided to face Dr. Huxley directly.

Dereck had to breathe the entire way deeply. He tried to ease his nerves all the way to the office.

It was nearing New Year's Day, and he hadn't seen the Doctor in a year since his release early in

November. The new secretary nervously let Dereck to Dr. Huxley's inner sanctum, where it all began. Dr. Huxley opened his office door with shock as he saw his old patient. The only one he could never bear to face again.

The octogenarian's eyes bulged out of his head as Dereck joyously embraced him. The good doctor patted Dereck on the shoulders, unsure if it was the same man he had counseled. Dereck was dressed smartly in a pair of fitted black jeans, with a plain white oxford and a tailored blazer. The young man looked far different than the tattered jeans and t-shirt from their first meeting.

"How are you, Mr. Hoffman?" Dr. Huxley sincerely asked.

"I'm wonderful! I'm actually great, man. How are you?" Dereck's enthusiastic energy was on a higher vibration, it wasn't his obvious smile but the grand warmth radiating from his body.

"It's very good to see you've adopted ties around your necks rather than your belt." Dr. Huxley's grim grin noted the change of appearance.

"I honestly think the tie and top button might be tighter than the belt." Dereck chided.

"The same strange sense of humor, that's a good sign!" Dr. Huxley applauded.

"Gotta laugh not to cry sometimes, right? So, how is everything with the family, any New Year's plans?" Dereck bounced with noticeable excitement.

"Sadly, I live alone, Dereck. I spend most of my time here, especially the holidays. It's been quite some time since I have celebrated the holidays, a few decades, in fact." Dr. Huxley brushed off the cold feeling of pain.

"I'm having a party!" Dereck blurts out, then holds out a folded invitation.

Dr. Huxley was hushed, looking up at Dereck, who came all this way during the holiday season to deliver an invitation in person. Dr. Huxley began wiping his eyes, dropping the folded invitation and causing the check to fall out onto his desk. Alistair was going to act as though he was cleaning fogged glasses but could not hide his reddening eyes as he lifted the check for $1000. He opened his mouth but was at an utter loss for words.

"Wow... just... how?" Dr. Huxley couldn't fathom such a thing.

"I got out of the thought phase early on and spent the action phase properly scaling my business. This forced me to adjust my projected budget for the past year. The new budget enabled me to reinvest into the business to eliminate many of my expenses. Without those expenses, I was able to invest in more lucrative projects." Dereck explained.

"Yes, but when did this all begin?" Dr. Huxley hadn't expected such progress for at least another two years.

"To make it simpler, I guess I scaled things down to a level where I had no expenses. After our last meeting, I took your advice and prayed. We took your advice and made a contact list that ended up having 100 names. Initially, our list only had about 50, and then Amelia called another 50 people herself. It started with only ten customers who needed our service. Then when I got 30 referrals a few months later, I had to hire a new tech to help with the demand. After those 40 clients, we got 120 referrals. Business kept coming in, and then I had a small team to do more work. I'm rich now, Doc."

"Astounding, I had no account for such a miraculous response." Dr. Huxley cleaned his glasses, trying to ensure his vision hadn't betrayed him.

"It didn't happen overnight. I still had months in between where we had no customers at all. So, those people I hired came on as independent contractors for tax purposes. We did a lot of follow-ups as well. The budget and business plan honestly kept us grounded. I had to pay it back to you since you paid it forward." Dereck wipes his eyes as the Doctor's emotions become contagious.

"I haven't received anything so grand in decades, Dereck, thank you." Huxley let out a pun.

"Well, you used to seem upset I nearly killed me. Now, you seem pretty happy we met, huh?" Derek japed.

"God, there must be a line even with yourself." Dr. Huxley chuckled, wiping away his tears of

sorrowful joy.

"The line and with the memory, it's all behind me now. I have a future thanks to you. You gotta come to the party. It's going to be a classy affair at my new house."

"A house, my boy? Maybe we should talk more about financial management." Alistair said with grief, recollecting his old friends who spent their money before they had made it.

"Hold on now. Amelia got a career in her field. I taught her your 70/20/10 rule for budgeting. It's a rent-to-own house that costs less than our apartment." He sneered, feeling clever.

"You're a brilliant man, no wonder they institutionalized you!" Dr. Huxley smiled.

"They hold a brother back because he's a genius." Dereck scoffed.

"This all sounds wonderful. I will be at your event at 7:30 sharp. I am proud of you and Amelia for surviving this ordeal. But, I cannot accept your check. Consider this my investment into your future and advancement."

Dereck looked hurt but played it off, "It's a pyrrhic victory then, okay? How about you just put it in the picture frame? If you're worried, I can write it off for my taxes. Use it to fix the creepy lighting in here."

"It's definitely a true victory, and I'm very proud of you." Dr. Huxley held out his arms.

"Geez, Doc...is this your first hug in decades too?" Dereck asked with a blush as he stood up.

"Now, I'm not that heartless. Perhaps it's been a month or a year." Alistair winks, embracing his young ward.

They hug briefly, then let each other go. Alistair squeezed Dereck's shoulder before letting him go, once again wiping his eyes. Dereck couldn't help but laugh.

"When we first met, you had this Dr. Death vampire vibe. Now, you almost seem human." Dereck nudged him in the arm.

"I am glad you're alive! This world we live n takes so many. If not in death, it takes their heart or mind. I rarely say this but thank you, God Almighty."

Dereck had felt a pressure he had never felt before. His life had always been his own. Yet, so many people loved and respected him. He hadn't realized after his near-death that he was never living on this planet for himself. He hadn't been conscious of it before. Now, he knew he had to offer more back to society and others in his situation.