THE RACER Chapter 36

Washer
courtesy photobucket.com

Bella Mae was almost three years old and was keeping her mother busy.

Lucas finally managed to get a new washing machine.  

The guy that had it kept it unused in the basement of his house, after his wife left him for another man.  He wanted more for it than it should have been, but Lucas said he would trade him a set of tires for the washer.

The man tried to get more, but Lucas held firm, because he knew the man needed those tires.  Bella was out of diapers but with the new baby coming it was going to be a god send.

All of the old scrap metal had been turned in to the smelters, and there was a lot of old parts still around if anyone needed them.  Lucas knew some other dealers who were doing the same thing as he was, and he decided to put all of his parts up for sale in four lots.

He knew that the whole inventory was more than one dealer could handle. Having broken the inventory down into four groups, he had more buyers than he needed.  

After a month everything was removed from Abel’s place and it looked empty and in a much needed cleanup.  He told Lucas it was nice having all that junk gone and not having to look at it each day.  Lucas had to agree for it had been an eye sore for the last five years.

Everyone associated with Lucas had made a lot of money.  He himself was rich beyond anything he could have imagined.  Abel was what you might say borderline rich, and even Charlie was very well off.

Mason had enough money put away for the rest of his days, and the high school kids all had money in their pocket to spend, but times were changing.

Lucas realized that the war would soon be over and the next money maker would be in construction.

He already had his car dealerships but construction would be the thing to be in.  How to get started was the question he had to answer.

When in doubt the place to go is to people who know the answer.  

        
He went and talked to a retired builder and had several conversations with him and began to get a feel for how to be successful in the construction game.

Lucas began to set up the Marley buildings for his construction office.  He hired an architect to begin to draw some plans for cheap houses that were more modern than anything in town.

The builder he had consulted with suggested that he also buy up any houses that were for sale and clean them up and rent them.  This would give him some business experience in dealing in the real estate market.

There were a number of houses for sale, but not many renters at present. The thing was they were for sale and not that expensive.  Leslie asked Lucas what he was going to do with all the houses he was buying. 

He said, “Do you remember when I bought all those cars?  This is the same thing. There is coming a time when people will pay a good price for these homes.”

She said, “I sure hope so for we don’t need but one to live in.”

Courtesy
photobucket

The days went by and it was time for Leslie to give birth again.  Shortly after she went into the hospital she presented Lucas with a fine looking boy.

She told him since it is a boy you get to name him.  He said, “I always hoped to have a son and name him Jackson Samuel.”

She said, “What will you call him?”

He said, “I will call him ‘son’ for a time and then decide whether it will be Jack or Sam.”

She said, “Okay, but I was hoping it would be Lucas Jr.”

He said, “One Lucas is enough in this family.”

Then it happened almost as fast as it began!  The war was over as we entered the age of the atom.     

 

To be Continued