The guard smiled sympathetically. “Good luck.” He watched as George walked into the vault.
The room was concrete, thirty feet by fifteen feet. George walked back to the fireproof file cabinets that contained the stocks and opened the steel drawers. Inside were hundreds of stock certificates that represented shares of every company on the New York and American stock exchanges. The number of shares represented by each certificate was printed on the face of the certificate and ranged from one share to one hundred thousand shares. George went through them swiftly and expertly. He selected certificates of various blue-chip companies, representing a value of one million dollars. He slipped the pieces of paper into his inside jacket pocket, closed the drawer and walked back to the guard.
“That was fast,” the guard said.
George shook his head. “The computers came up with the wrong numbers. I’ll have to straighten it out in the morning.”
“Those damned computers,” the guard commiserated. “They’ll be the ruination of us all yet.”
When George returned to his desk, he found he was soaked with perspiration. But so far so good. He picked up the telephone and called Alexandra.
“Darling,” he said, “I want to see you and your grandmother tonight.”
“I thought you had a business engagement tonight, George.”
“I did, but I canceled it. I have something very important to tell you.”
At exactly 1:00 P.M. George was in Helen Thatcher’s office returning the access card to her desk drawer, while she waited for him at the restaurant. He desperately wanted to hang on to the card, for he would need it again, but he knew that every card that was not turned in each night was invalidated by the computer the next morning. At ten minutes past one, George was lunching with Helen Thatcher.
He took her hand in his. “I want us to do this more often,” George said, looking at her searchingly. “Are you free for lunch tomorrow?”
She beamed. “Oh, yes, George.”
When George Mellis walked out of his office that afternoon, he was carrying with him one-million-dollars’ worth of stock certificates.
He arrived at the Blackwell house promptly at seven o’clock and was ushered into the library, where Kate and Alexandra were waiting for him.
“Good evening,” George said. “I hope this is not an intrusion, but I had to speak to you both.” He turned to Kate. “I know this is very old-fashioned of me, Mrs. Blackwell, but I would like your permission for your granddaughter’s hand in marriage. I love Alexandra, and I believe she loves me. But it would make both of us happy if you would give us your blessing.” He reached into his jacket pocket, brought out the stock certificates and tossed them on the table in front of Kate. “I’m giving her a million dollars as a wedding present. She won’t need any of your money. But we both need your blessing.”
Kate glanced down at the stock certificates George had carelessly scattered on the table. She recognized the names of every one of the companies. Alexandra had moved to George, her eyes shining. “Oh, darling!” She turned to her grandmother, her eyes imploring, “Gran?”
Kate looked at the two of them standing together, and there was no way she could deny them. For a brief instant, she envied them. “You have my blessing,” she said.
George grinned and walked over to Kate. “May I?” He kissed her on the cheek.
For the next two hours they talked excitedly about wedding plans. “I don’t want a large wedding, Gran,” Alexandra said. “We don’t have to do that, do we?”
“I agree,” George replied. “Love is a private matter.”
In the end, they decided on a small ceremony, with a judge marrying them.
“Will your father be coming over for the wedding?” Kate inquired.
George laughed. “You couldn’t keep him away. My father, my three brothers and my two sisters will all be here.”
“I’ll be looking forward to meeting them.”
“You’ll like them, I know.” Then his eyes turned back to Alexandra.
Kate was very touched by the whole evening. She was thrilled for her granddaughter—pleased that she was getting a man who loved her so much. I must remember, Kate thought, to tell Brad not to bother about that financial rundown on George.