My Kind of Town
Family values
>> Palo Alto, CaliforniaLaird Ah Sun should have felt a lot better. For starters, he should have been rejoicing that he'd just aced his last final and was set to graduate with honors from Stanford Business in a few days. His school days were at last over. The real world, and real profits, awaited.
And he should have been more excited that tonight he'd be watching Barry Bonds and the Giants play the Reds at Pac Bell Park from the luxury suite of David "Kong" Glomerate, who was recruiting Laird to join his Forbes 500 multi-national corporation.
Instead, Laird was feeling nothing but turmoil. It started with the terrible news that his younger brother Lance was lying in a coma back in Honolulu. Not to mention the unsettling revelation that Lance was gay. Laird had suspected it, of course. Lance was a neat-freak who preferred baking to fishing, dancing to baseball. Laird knew a couple of gay guys in school, and had no problem with them as long as they kept their hands off him. But it was different when it's the brother you used to take baths with.
The greatest turmoil, though, came from his father's surprise announcement that he was naming Laird president of the family-owned Honolulu Soap. Co. Laird always knew that one day he would probably go home and take over for his dad. But Sheets was still a young 60, and in good health. And so Laird was torn. He wanted to be a loyal son, but he also wanted to establish himself as his own man. And when he read "Jesus Was A CEO -- The Gospel of Acquisitions," it was a revelation and Laird suddenly knew where his life was heading. It wasn't just making soap in Hawaii.
It had been months since he'd talked with his big sister Lily. But he suddenly felt the need. Maybe she could offer him some advice on dealing with their father.
>> Honolulu Soap Co.
Hanging up the phone carved in the shape of a shama thrush, Lily Ah Sun smiled. As usual, her favorite cut-throat lawyer Suzanna B. Balls had given excellent advice. The way her father had configured the Soap Co., taking over would not be as difficult as she first imagined. Her father owned 40 percent, with Lily, her mother and two brothers each holding a 15 percent share. With Lance in a coma, Lily could grab his power of attorney. Ms. Balls was working on the papers. And that would give Lily 30 percent. She needed at least another 15 percent to seize control. And she had to do it in a hurry before her brother Laird took over and ruined everything.
The shama thrush chirped.
"Aloha, this is Lily." She nearly dropped the phone. "Oh my God. Hi, Laird. What a surprise."
Don Chapman is editor of MidWeek.
His serialized novel runs daily in the Star-Bulletin
with weekly summaries on Sunday.
He can be emailed at dchapman@midweek.com