The Good Gerald White

Nestled at the foot of a mountain, a small villa was slowly awakening to a new day. A slight haze of fog was pulling back across the wide acreage and green yard.

A yellow sun was painting the sky hues of the rainbow as light cracked the first bit of dawn.

Gerald woke up stretching his large six foot frame, and took a shower. Washing the sleep from his brown eyes, and trimming the stubble from his face.

He stepped free of the bathroom and looked over at his lovely wife Adrianna. He thanked his lucky stars for her.

Bright blue eyes fluttered open, she pulled blonde locks from her face and purred "Come back to bed" Flexing her supple hourglass frame under the covers for him.

Gerald smiled at her, and then stepped into the closet donning his suit for the day.

His wife rolled over and huffed "I dont know why you bother, they are just going to tease you again"

Gerald sighed "I do it because it needs to be done, what is a business man without a business suit?"

His wife mocked his words "What is a business man?" and then rolled under the covers to her belly, letting a bit of her bare thigh show.

"Dear husband, you say these things but you do not even work for a business, Come back to bed and complete your business with me!" She was frustrated he had still not taken her.

"Dear wife, how can a business man not strive to be more?" He said peeking out from the closet at her again while tieing his tie.

"Just ask my Mother for a job, She will be sure to give you one, stop all this nonsense about starting your own" She huffed, she was tired of him always leaving the house just before dawn, coming back late in the evening, and never having anything to show for it.

She did not blame him though, and she loved how hard he worked for them.

Her mother was always upset she had married this penniless looser as she always called him.

Her father, bless his soul, had liked him though. He was the only man who had ever earned her fathers approval, much to the chagrin of her mother.

"I am afraid if you do not show us something soon, my mother will demand I divorce you" she said.

Her mother had always had a long line of suitors for her daughters hand, many from prominent families in all aspects of business.

"Gerald, I am worried, you have been at this for two years, I have borrowed a lot of money to keep the bills going. I do not know how much longer my mother will put up with this, Please consider taking the job she has for you." Adrianna said.

Gerald shook his head "That job has no future, Just as your mother wants us to have no future."

Adrianna sighed, "But they already have no respect for you, I worry about you"

Gerald smiled "Do not worry, just have faith in me"

He walked over and kissed her forehead before placing his watch on his wrist, it was a fine Tag time piece, and left the room.

Adrianna's family, the Hamiltons, were a decently prominent family in this small section of the country. They owned a few business in logistics, transport, and warehousing.

Her mother had always hated Gerald.

Gerald felt his phone vibrate as he left the front door to the villa. He looked down at the number, frowned, and then declined the call.

Gerald got into his small german sports coupe, and left the villa.

In the car, he saw a troublesome name appear as his phone rang again.

It was Lewis Hamilton, Adrianna's older brother, and current head of the company.

Gerald sighed, and accepted the call.

The phone blared before he could even say hello.

"Gerald you useless sack of shit, when are you going to divorce my sister so I can see her happy? If you divorce her right now, I will give you a permanent job in my company, and you can live a happy relaxed life. That is all you are good for anyways."

Gerald did not respond in anger "Lewis, your sister is very happy..."

He was cut off "I dont want to hear your lip fuck boy. My sister cries every night to our mother about how much she wishes you would find a job. Stop wasting our air. Stop wasting my sisters life. Divorce her now!"

Gerald was annoyed, but he took it all. He waited to make sure he would not get cut off again. "Has Adrianna told you she wants to divorce me?"

"No but she does not need to! I am tired of your useless good for nothing ass wasting our family funds. I do not know what our dad saw in you, but it must be buried so deep it is covered in dinosaur shit!" Lewis snapped.

When Adrianna's Father first met Gerald, he was a young teen lad, with ripped clothing, shinning shoes for spare coins to feed himself on the street. He did not have any family.

Her father had him shine his shoes, and he had talked with Gerald for a time.

For what ever reason he liked the boy, and offered to raise him, and let him merry his daughter.

Gerald had met Adrianna soon there after, and they spent their teen years growing up together.

On their 18th birthdays, they were married.

Six months later Adrianna's father passed away from heart failure.

It had been two years since.

"Mother has told me to relay a message to you. If you do not find some sort of employment by tomorrow. Adrianna will be cut out of the family business for good, and disowned. And you along with her. Do the right thing, divorce her first. No one can look any further down on you than we already do" Lewis quipped.

Gerald did not respond for a bit, driving down the road. "Are you done?"

"No, I have a few pairs of shoes that need shining, be a good lad and come pick them up later" Lewis added.

The whole family loved making him shine their shoes. It was their way of reminding him how he was nothing but a homeless shoe shiner, and would never be anything more.

Gerald sighed but agreed, Shining their shoes still paid, and he would do anything he could to bring money in and not have to let his wife shoulder the burden.

Lewis laughed at him then hung up.

Adrianna was head of a small logistics company that had a dozen trucks working for it.

Even with this income, Gerald knew they were running on fumes.

His phone rang again. It was that same number again.

Gerald snarled, but remembering Lewis words, he decided to hit the accept button.

His small sports car sped up while he drove, speeding down the mountain.

"What do you want?" Gerald snarls.

"Please Sir, Come back home" a soft elderly mans voice chimed over the phone.

"I am home, I do not have a home there any longer, Do you not remember that Alphonse?"

a soft sob was heard from the other end of the line "Sir, your father has passed away, your mother has lost all will to live. You are the last surviving Heir to the family...."

Gerald cut him off "And do you remember why I am the LAST surviving Heir?"

Alphonse sighed "I know Sir, but your current situation will not hide you forever...."

Gerald grumbled, he knew Alphonse was right.

"What do you want me to do?"

Alphonse felt a shred of hope touch him.

"Take over your families business!" Alphonse says loudly.