Hi Lor, my girlfriend Jeanine called. Do you want to earn an extra $500 on Sunday? Although I trust my friend, implicitly, I couldn’t help but wonder what the “catch” was! Here’s the background: My best friend and her husband are caretakers of the vacation property of a former MA governor and his family. The Governor/spouse/children are extremely wealthy. They built their empire through hard work, from the ground floor. As caretakers, my friends live in a carriage house on acres of beautiful rolling hills with mountain views that make me want to sing “The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Music” every time I visit. Maudlin, but true. Except when I visit in the fall… then I want to sing, “By the purple mountains majestic above the fruitful plain… AMERICA AMERICA…!” It is truly magical there! Describing the 20-room mansion they care for, along with the grounds, would be impossible. Use your imagination because that’s as close as this blogger is going to get to describing the 40’x40′ kitchen; 40’x50′ living room with a perfect view of the mountains; 50’x50′ children’s play area (pool, ping pong, game rooms, wall tv etc etc).
I digress. It’s hard not to get sidetracked when I think of that beautiful haven. What did you have to do to earn an extra $500 anyway? The former governor had called my friends because the visiting sister-in-law and nieces needed to get back to their co-op on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York. This co-op is on the Hudson River, almost exactly across the street from where pilot “Sully” Sullenberger made his miraculous plane landing. The millionaire governor needed the millionaire sister-in-law and tween nieces on a 4 hour drive back to New York City.
Why don’t you take a plane?I asked my friends. The answer was that the airport is so far away that it would actually take longer to drive to the airport then fly home, grab a cab, and get to the Upper West Side.
Why don’t you hire a limo?, I asked. The cost would probably be the same and they could sit comfortably in the back with a professional driver. My friends said: Could you stop asking questions and tell us if you want to do it?
Sure. What the hell! I’ll earn some extra money and make a new friend!” I answered.
I showed up at the appointed time on Sunday morning, and the governor’s son loaded mountains of luggage into my trunk. I met the former governor and was able to take a tour of the new gardens that were being installed. It was a nice and warm exchange.
I loaded sister-in-law and nieces into my sedan and we headed… into the wild blue aka New York City!
What an intriguing 4 hours. The daughters were delightful. Her mother, Meagan, has a physical disability that prevents her from driving, so she is dependent on others for transportation. As a hedge fund adviser, her husband works 7 am to 10 pm, 7 days a week. For this he earns $1M/year. They are looking to purchase 2 acres of property next door to the Governor’s vacation home. The cost is $2 million, of which 1 acre would be returned to the state as conservation land, never to be built on. That would be a full write-off of course (so I was told), therefore the investment would only be $1 million. The sister-in-law is thinking about it. Here’s the catch: Meagan doesn’t want to build a house, she just wants to build an Olympic-sized pool and 4,000 square feet. cabin foot. She loves the governor’s house, so she would like to continue staying there. She asked me if it seemed unreasonable to spend $1 million on property for a pool and cabana. Hmmmmm… I said I thought that was a fantastic idea! The whole thing made me laugh. The problems of the rich and somewhat famous!
We had some fun moments… like when we made a pit stop and Meagan wanted to fill my tank with gas using her credit card. He didn’t know how to slide his Platinum AMEX into the gas pump. After 3 tries upside down, back, and back again, I gently asked: Can I help you Megan? She murmured gratefully, Please.
While I was filling up the gas tank, Meagan and the girls wanted to go to the bathroom next to McDonald’s. I said, Sure. I’ll finish pumping gas and I’ll pick you up there. Five minutes after I was done, I drove there and sat for 5 minutes. Nobody came out. I went into the bathroom to find them, but they weren’t there. I thought: Did I walk past them in the dining room? He came out again…. he is nowhere to be found. Oh Lord, have mercy! Don’t tell me someone stole my rich and somewhat famous Mama Bear and her cubs. Oh! This could only happen to me. I got in the car, drove around McDonald’s and back to the gas station, my heart pounding. There she was… curled up with her daughters, fearing that she had left her stranded somewhere in downtown New Haven, CT. How scary that must have felt for her! She was on the phone with my friends asking: Do you know where Lori is? My friends were at home enjoying a quiet and relaxed Sunday knowing that I was in charge of the family. Now they were in a panic trying to find out if she had been kidnapped! It all worked out in the end. Meagan got in the car with the girls and said: Did I misunderstand? You said you were coming to pick me up and I didn’t follow the instructions? I can laugh about it now.
We chatted like old friends throughout the trip. She told me how she had met her husband (through the Governor). How she had come to this part of the country before she was married (through the Governor). How she had found the co-op they bought (through her husband’s family…old money. The mother-in-law has homes in Greenwich, CT and the Upper East Side, as well as servants, butlers, and maids).
Not for a moment did I feel like there was pretense with Meagan or the need to impress me. She was humble and she is grateful for everything she has. In fact, she asked me a lot of questions about myself and when she told her some of my personal history, she encouraged me to write a book. Also, she said she would help me get it published if I wrote it. I really think she means it.
When I dropped her off, the doorman unloaded the car and gave me a $20 tip~~~which made me laugh. The little girls gave me hugs, and Meagan and I parted ways with new friends. I would do it again? In an instant. It was a great experience and I am grateful to my friends for the opportunity to see how I am going to live when I earn my next millions! Yours with a rich spirit! lory