Still wearing the brown coat, though the elbows had been repaired.
He sat at the workbench with reading glasses low on his nose.
Leonard entered carrying a folder.
Walter looked up.
“Mortgage trouble?”
“No.”
“Then coffee?”
“That'd be good.”
Walter poured two cups.
Leonard placed the folder down.
“I need your help.”
Walter looked at him.
“With?”
“Barrels.”
Walter waited.
Leonard sighed.
“We have about three thousand.”
Walter raised his eyebrows.
“Usable?”
“Some.”
“How many?”
“I don't know.”
“That is your first problem.”
Leonard gave a tired smile.
“That's why I'm here.”
He explained.
Storage damage.
Warping.
Returned shipments.
No customer network.
Walter listened.
No satisfaction on his face.
When Leonard finished, Walter asked:
“What do you want me to do?”
“Take over processing.”
“Your barrels?”
“Yes.”
“Transport?”
“We can arrange.”
“Storage?”
“Here if possible.”
“No.”
Leonard looked surprised.
Walter continued.
“I don't have room for bad barrels.”
“We'll pay.”
“Still no.”
“What would make it work?”
Walter pulled the contract toward him.
Read.
Then picked up a pencil.
He changed three things.
First:
BANK RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL TRANSPORT TO AND FROM HENSLEY FARM.
Second:
BARRELS TO BE INSPECTED BEFORE ACCEPTANCE. WATER-DAMAGED, ROTTED, CONTAMINATED, OR UNSUITABLE STOCK REJECTED AT BANK COST.
Third:
CONTRACT GUARANTEES MINIMUM WORK VOLUME SUFFICIENT TO RETAIN CURRENT HENSLEY EMPLOYEES FOR FULL TERM.
Leonard read.
“That’s it?”
“Yes.”
“You aren't raising the processing price?”
“No.”
“You could.”
“Probably.”
“After everything?”
Walter looked confused.
“What everything?”
Leonard almost laughed.
“I mocked you.”
“Yes.”
“I tried to buy back your barrels after realizing what they were worth.”
“Yes.”
“Your loan was under pressure from us.”
“The loan contract was the loan contract.”
Leonard leaned back.
“You don't want to make me pay for being wrong?”
Walter sipped coffee.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I already got paid.”
Leonard frowned.
Walter pointed toward the barn.
“My farm is still here.”
“The business works.”
“Paul and Frank have jobs.”
“What exactly would revenge buy me?”
Leonard sat quietly.
Walter continued.
“I don't need you to lose.”
“I need the contract to work.”
Leonard looked at the third condition.
“The employees matter that much?”
“Yes.”
Paul and Frank had both been through losing land.
Neither wanted charity.
They wanted work.
If the bank contract created volume, Walter wanted stability for them.
Leonard signed.
Truckloads began arriving.
Walter rejected nearly a third of the first batch.
Leonard called.
“You rejected 312 barrels.”
“Yes.”
“We bought those.”
“I know.”
“You can't process them?”
“I can process some.”
“Then why not?”
“Because I can't sell them under my name.”
Silence.
Walter continued.
“You want barrel-shaped objects processed?”
“Find somebody else.”
“You want whiskey oak my customers will buy?”
“Those 312 are out.”
Leonard agreed.