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“Really good,” replied Rich. “I love my job and have a lot of exciting projects in the works. Northern Michigan is an area that attracts lots of attention from oil and gas companies. This is because it sits on top of the Niagaran Reefs, where pockets of oil were discovered as early as 1925. The oil deposits tend to be smaller and more challenging to locate than the large fields in Texas or the Gulf of Mexico. Despite this fact, high gasoline prices have made this area very attractive.”
“How long have you been a landman, Rich?”
“Seven years now. Lots of people ask me how I got into this line of work. I’m not alone in choosing this profession. I always remind people about the most famous landman in the US, the 43rd President of the United States, George W Bush. After leaving the Texas Air National Guard, he worked as a landman in Texas for several years before beginning his political career.”
“I’m working with your brother Grant right now on an opportunity I think you guys are definitely going to like. I believe we can get your property back under a lease soon. There’s no good reason your last lease with Superior wasn’t renewed. I’m keeping Grant posted, and I’m sure he will be updating you shortly on our proposal.”
”Sounds great. We’d love to get another lease to help pay taxes. I’ll be looking forward to hearing those details from Grant.”
“Give my best to your brothers Grant and Eddie when you see them,” Rich said as he headed for the office door.
Chapter two
Carrie found her uncle, Joe Waymont, relaxing on his back deck, watching a distant freighter move across Lake Huron. “Sorry I’m late. Had a last-minute emergency patient. Chainsaw accident.”
“Really? Who?”
“Jeff Koehler.”
“Ah, Max’s middle son, the widower. He’s the more cerebral brother, not at all like his two siblings. How did it go?”
“Fine, but I’m not sure he appreciated my bedside manner,” Carrie replied smiling.
“Oh no, Carrie, what did you do?”
“I just repeated what Susan said about him mistaking his leg for a tree. Although I did leave out that she called him an idiot.”
“Thankful for small mercies. If I don’t return soon, I may have no patients left.”
“So you said he’s a widower?”
“You remember the Koehler boys from my 4th of July parties, right? Max brought them regularly; Grant, Jeff, and Eddie. Same good looks but personalities as different as night and day.”
“The only one I remember was the oldest, Grant,” Carrie said. “He kept calling me CB, which seemed cool… thought it stood for my name Carrie Bradshaw. Then I heard him snickering with some other teen boys saying it stood for Chunky Bunny. If you’ll remember, I was a slightly plump, shy, bookish pre-teen girl, rocking her first two-piece bathing suit and crushing on him. I was devastated. Lucky I didn’t develop an eating disorder after that.”
“Not to change the subject, but did you take a lot of teasing about your name?”
Carrie groaned. “Once Sex in the City” came out, I heard endless quips about my name, most of them trite and predictable. Honestly, it may be one of the reasons I rushed into marrying Todd just to get a new last name.”
“Really?” Dr. Waymont replied, “I thought the rush was being pregnant with Jenna.”
Carrie blushed, “Mom told you.”
Joe shook his head. “My little sister didn’t need to tell me. I’m a doctor and I can count.”
Dr. Waymont then continued their conversation about Grant. “Grant Koehler could be a mean little thing. You weren’t the only victim of his name-calling bullying. I’ve heard of some other examples of that type of behavior from Grant. A kid named Stanley Kaminski shared Jeff’s homeroom back in grade school. The problem was that two other kids named Stanley were in the same class. The teacher, Mrs. Whalen, called the roll by saying their first name and last initial to keep the three boys separate. When she called out Stan K, Grant yelled out from the back of the room, “StanKay? Is that French for Stanky?” The whole class erupted in laughter. I heard even Mrs. Whalen smirked before ordering Grant to the principal’s office. Sadly, every kid at school only called him Stanky after that.”
“Poor Stanley was a motherless kid raised in a shack by his dad. I saw him as a patient a few times, and neither cleanliness nor godliness made their list of priorities. He dropped out of school at age 16. He still lives somewhere around here, and people still call him Stanky after all these years.”
“Grant always seemed arrogant and a bit of a bully growing up. He’s the only Koehler brother that’s currently married. He left Michigan and went on to a very successful career in venture capital in NYC. Maybe being a bit of a prick is actually an asset in that cutthroat business. Now he runs Koehler Iron Works just outside of town. I hear he is quite well off. His wife works at Koehler, but his daughter lives and works in New York City.”
“Wow, very interesting,” Carrie shook her head. “So you were gonna tell me about Jeff…being a widower,” she prompted.
“Yeah, but it’s getting a little chilly out here now. Let’s go back inside. My housekeeper Adele left a casserole we can heat up for dinner. I’m sure you have time because you said Todd has the kids this weekend.”
“Sounds good.” Carrie made them each a mug of Rooibos tea, preheated the oven, and then settled in across from her uncle.
“Jeff is more like his dad than either of his brothers,” Doc Waymont continued. “As a kid, he loved being outdoors, hunting, and fishing. You may not remember him from the 4th of July parties because he spent most of his summers attending outdoor camps in Wyoming and Montana. When Jeff graduated from high school, he enrolled at Montana State University and got a degree in Fish and Wildlife Management. That’s where he met his wife Charlotte, who shared his same outdoor interests.”
