Part 18: Trust
The Lexus sighed as it left the Cabrillo highway and followed a dirt road,
which looked recently graded. Still puzzled, Gaele had mentioned to Don that
they had missed the turn that led to her home, and he had only smiled and
said, "There's something I want you to see, I thought it would raise your
spirits."
She sighed and went along with it, glad of the diversion. She knew Don was
doing his best to help her through her recovery, so she let him dote on her.
Gaele was on her way back from a doctor's appointment, and she was still
feeling out of place, when she should have been back to school, by now...
The road wound down into a field, and then over a low rise, where she could
now see a strip of land that ended in a small peninsula, banked by pine trees
and cypress. Don stopped the car on an enormous, flat shelf of rock, which
overlooked the ocean. Large combers rolled in slow, majestic curls before
shredding themselves into white foam and spray against the pinnacles of rocks,
a hundred feet below.
"Wow," Gaele breathed. "What a place!" She opened the door and climbed out,
and stood, letting the wind whip her hair.
Don grinned at her, and looked around. "I'm very happy you like it, it was
not an easy procurement... They thought I was trying to pull a con job for
the dreaded Pacific Lumber company, but I managed to convince them that it
was not the case." He pointed to a pair of cypress, bent and twisted by the
constant wind, looking like something out of a Japanese landscape. "What
do you think, wouldn’t that look good from, say, the library window?"
He made a frame with his forefingers and thumbs.
Gaele stared at him. "You sound like a real estate agent... wait a minute,
what are you saying, that you are going to build a house here?"
"A permanent home, Gaele, " Don said. "I feel... as though I belong here."
"You... you bought this property? I didn't even know it was for sale!"
"Actually, I bought up a good portion of the Land Trust... but, since the
Committee was a bit balky with my being- what did you call it- an industrialist,
I only managed to get about thirty percent. Not that I can blame them...
they've been burned before... but they needed the capital."
"Thirty percent? Of the Big Sur Land Trust?"
"That's right," Don said, watching her closely, his mouth twitching a little
with amusement. "Mostly coastline, and some of the old Ventana Wilderness
area, in and around your parents' place."
Gaele leaned against the hood of the car. "Why did you do it, Don?"
"Because," he said, close enough to her to talk over the wind. "I know how
much this place means to you."
"You did this for me?"
"Yes, and it is yours."
"Mine?"
"Gaele..." Don said in a gently chiding tone. "Don't you know I'd do anything
for you?"
"Anything, huh?" Gaele said with a wry smile.
"Within reason, of course."
"Ah." She laughed a little, and then watched the waves throw themselves against
the tiny spit of beach between the towering rocks. "Then you haven't lost
your mind, after all."
Don laughed in return, and hugged her, shielding her from the wind.
"Okay, but... Don," She said his name in a charming voice. "Why ARE you buying
up so much property, when you couldn't possibly use all of it, much less
even see it?"
"To preserve it, Gaele. I know how much you and your friends have worked
to help the Trust Committee keep it out of the hands of the developers. Now
they will NEVER be able get their collective hooks into it."
"As long as you and I live, that is... you know how things can change, even
in a generation."
"I intend to have an heir," Don said quietly.
"What is THAT supposed to mean?"
"Gaele, this is terribly important," Don said, emphatically. "I can't have
all my work go with me."
Gaele frowned. "Now I’m confused. Unless now is the time for you to
cut a deal. First you present the incentive-"
"It isn't what you think. It just had to be someone I can trust to carry
on my work, my... accomplishments. It wouldn't take long to destroy it if
it fell into the wrong hands. I would prefer it were my own flesh and blood,
but it doesn't HAVE to be. I just need to reassign my Will."
"Why? What is happening?"
"Nothing, nothing in particular. It's just something I must take care of,
just in case, that's all. Nothing is certain in this world... except everyone's
mortality." Don sadly looked at her. "I cannot live in denial, Gaele, I'm
no different than anyone else in this world. One of the things Splinter taught
me, was to make use of whatever resources I had, and to learn when I was
able to control my environment, and when I could not. Splinter didn't just
teach us how to defend ourselves and survive, he also taught us how to live."
Don looked out over the cliffs, at the ocean, which was taking on the restless
green color of late afternoon. "And he taught us how to live WELL."
Gaele wiped her eyes of wind induced tears. "I guess you learned quite a
valuable lesson. But... I still don’t quite grasp the main point,
here."
"What, you can’t draw a conclusion yet? After what I just said?" Don
said, laughing a little in surprise.
"Well, I did, but I don’t want to be presumptuous. I mean- you’re
saying that..." She stopped, and watched his face.
"Go on."
"You want me to be your heir?"
"Bingo." Don’s response was playful.
Gaele slumped against the car. After a moment of unscrambling her thoughts,
she squinted at him. "Why me?"
"Why not?"
"Uhh, sorry, not good enough. Especially coming from you."
Don laughed suddenly. "I was hoping you could figure it out by yourself.
You are certainly capable."
"Why not one of your own brothers?"
"Your father is doing well enough. I don’t think he wants the added
burden. Don’t think I didn’t consider him already."
"What about Raphael? He had been with you for quite a while."
"Raphael." Don sighed gustily. "I don't know. He is too much the maverick.
Doesn't like to have much in the way of material things."
"WHY me, Don?"
"Why do you keep asking me that?"
"What’s the REAL reason, Don?"
"Look..." He leaned against the roof of the car, and scratched absently at
the back of his neck. "I KNOW you are capable of handing this sort of thing,
and you could use the income interests to fund your research, in your endless
endeavor to save the world from itself..."
Gaele snorted. "I doubt even YOUR money could fund that."
Don grinned. "Seems your worldly experiences at college are turning you into
a realist."
"I suppose it has. I’m learning what my limitations are."
"Good! All the better. As far as your answer, you don’t need to give
that to me yet. I’d rather you had time to think it over. It’s
quite a commitment."
"I’ll say," Gaele said wryly. "It’s as though you’ve just
proposed to me, or something."
"Actually, it IS a proposition.."
"What?"
Don gave her a mischievous look. "A... business proposition. What did you
think I meant?"
"Oooh," Gaele exhaled in mock indignance. "You are SO bad!"
Don bowed, playing along. "Why, thank you my dear. Coming from you that’s
quite a compliment."
Gaele doubled over laughing, and then winced a little.
"Are you all right?" Don’s mirth faded in alarm.
"I’m fine, its just my scar is still a bit tender. It’s nothing."
"Maybe I’d better take you home, so you can get some rest."
"I want to stay just a bit longer and enjoy this view."
"There will be plenty of time for that. Besides, it looks like rain is coming
in, shortly. No need for you to catch a chill."
"Oh, all right, " Gaele sighed as Don held the door open for her.
In spite of her parents'-- and Don's-- misgivings, Gaele insisted she go
back to school after Christmas break and resume her studies. She was determined
more than ever. Don stayed nearby in a rental just off campus, to keep an
eye on her, and also to find out what was going on with her antagonists,
and make sure there were no worse motives than the occasional bouts of prejudice
and competitive resentment commonly happening between over-ambitious and
mean-spirited people.
Don, who was all too familiar with such things, gave her a few pointers.
"One of the first things that needs to be done, is to communicate with the
person or people who seem to have it in for you, Gaele," Don told her over
dinner at his place.
"What if they don't want to listen," Gaele said, resisting the urge to fidget.
She didn't relish the idea of sitting down to talk with that blonde.
"Then it becomes their problem, doesn't it?" Don smiled and pushed a lock
of hair away from her cheek with a forefinger. "Just make sure you aren't
being an accessory to it."
"Something tells me that I'M not doing anything, but that she just plain
hates my guts, and wants to make my life as miserable as possible. As if
I need her help."
"Surely you aren't going to allow someone like that to make your life miserable?
Surely they aren't so powerful?"
She looked at his benign expression. "Surely NOT. I dunno, maybe she's just
jealous of me."
"That may very well be the case," Don said, and laughed gently. "You certainly
make the other young ladies look rather plain in comparison."
Gaele giggled and bit her lower lip in a mischievous expression. "I think
you're just softening me up."
"Oh, yes, that is my intention." Don gave her a playful little grin. "As
I believe you said you’d reached a decision?"
Her smile faded, and she suddenly felt uneasy.
"Is something wrong?" Don asked gently.
"I- I dunno, Don, maybe it's too soon. I’m getting cold feet, I guess.
This is... such a huge undertaking."
"That is perfectly understandable, Gaele." Don inclined his head at her.
"There's certainly no rush."
She studied him a long moment. "Is it so difficult for you to make decisions
of such magnitude?"
"Yes, it is. I admit I have lost a lot of sleep over this, myself. But I
am still of the mind that you can handle this sort of thing, and handle it
well. If I had any doubts, would I have presented this to you at all?"
"I guess not...."
"It’s a matter of trust."
"I do trust you, Don." She gave him a long look, which he calmly returned.
A silence followed, broken only by the occasional muted tones of crows calling
in the distance.
"All right," she said at length. "I’ll do it. I’ll be your heir."