Control Episode: Luck missiondevelopment/2014/10/luck/ McKuen sets up a foundation for Tamra to run. He disburses his drug fortune and settles with the families. Call it luck or what you will, hes happy to let go. Continued from Closure… McKuen decided he had too much money, but as a businessman he wasn’t going to give it away or hand over an undue share of taxes. He met with Tamra and made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. She had completed her twenty years with the State. If she agreed to helm a non-profit organization dedicated to helping disadvantaged families and at-risk youth, he would provide startup funding. His pitch was, “After going through what I went through, thinking I’d lost Amy, I decided the biggest enemy is fear.” Tamra nodded, agreeing. “There are so many ways fear can grab hold of you. But before we can really get to the core of the problem, people need to be able to eat and have a roof over their heads.” She knew all about the challenges of the inner city. “So what are you proposing, Steve?” “It seems to me,” he said. He stopped, wanting to phrase it right. “Seems to me the obsession I had about losing control was all about fear. “I think the best way to deal with obsession is working with other people. Maybe we could make it a condition that if people want our help, they have to help others, too. “I’m pledging some money, and I’ll work on raising a lot more funds.” He smiled. “And I’ll help organize this thing.” She smiled back. “Doing what you do best.” He opened his mouth, but decided to accept the irony. Then he said, “Even though I contributed to my own success, I was really lucky. Call it luck, call it God; it was beyond my control.” He leaned back and said, “Do we have a deal?” “Sure. I’m ready to leave the ABC. Just tell me what you want me to do.” “You’ll know.” They smiled at each other again. McKuen took Courtney to lunch and pitched to her the idea of matching his contribution. She was thrilled and agreed in a heartbeat. Exotic smells from the kitchen of Cha Cha Chicken surrounded them as they talked. McKuen praised her bravery. She blushed. Sitting up straight, she glanced over at Jerky, gave each of them a shy smile and said, “I am learning so much. And I’m happy today.” Eyes shining, McKuen grinned, proud of her. One piece of unfinished business: there was still some money left and he wanted peace of mind. Through Larry, he approached BeBe. Since she was a lawyer, she could represent the families. Would she please take a phone call from his attorney, Phil Adelman? Phil offered to settle with the widows of The Five. If BeBe agreed to represent them, Phil was authorized to negotiate. Mama backed the overture. A settlement and release was drafted and signed. The last of McKuen’s drug fortune was disbursed. Making all the deals took time, but he found satisfaction in moving on. The bar scene had occupied more than fifteen years of his life, preceded by the drug business for a similar period. Getting away from all of that was a relief. At first, it felt like a piece of him had died, but he learned to live with it. Sort of like after Mindy’s death. One day, Amy came home to find him lying on the sofa, head cupped in his hands. She put her briefcase on a table and sat down in an easy chair. Her eyes were smiling. “What ya doin,’ honey?” “Nothin.’” “Enjoying it?” “Yes I am.” A long period of silence passed. “Are you sorry you left it behind?” “Not a bit.” His smile came from the heart. Standing up, she leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. “Me too.” She smiled back, then paused and said, “If you didn’t, if you continued, I’d love you; and I love you now. Either way, Steve…” Amy turned around and went to the kitchen, humming the Jupiter theme from Holst’s The Planets. More episodes at missiondevelopment/control-the-story/
Posted on: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 08:56:17 +0000
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