A Day at the Races (20 page)

It also had a large car park at the front, with more than adequate space to show vehicles outside. It was just perfect and he knew Manfred would be delighted, so he took photographs of the building, and sent them across to Manfred by courier, along with all of details of the building.

The owners were keen to get rid of it, as it was a speculative building, started when the economy was going good. But things had slowed down and it had been idle since it was constructed and had had no takers. They would rent at a push, but would prefer to sell, so Moxie suggested a lease purchase option to rent for a year, with an option to buy after the first year at a fixed price.

He thought that might be a more prudent step, just in case the business didn’t take off, or they found a more suitable site in the meantime, although he felt it would be difficult to improve on these premises, but it would be up to Manfred and the group to decide.

When Manfred got the package from Moxie with the photographs and details, he got the first flight over from Frankfurt and decided there and then to purchase the property outright. He managed to get an excellent deal from the owners of the unit at no extra cost, and they had their own team of builders come in to build office partitions and install extra power points and lighting in the offices and showrooms. They were only too glad to carry out the modifications, because at last they had found a buyer for their unit.

The service bay was kitted out with two hydraulic lifts, compressors, tire changers and a wheel balancing kit, all the equipment that a fully functional garage would need.

As part of the deal, the owners agreed to finish all the work within three weeks, and as soon as Manfred got back to Germany, he arranged for the first batch of cars to arrive at the location at that time.

Moxie was of course on cloud nine, he ordered himself a high back executive leather chair, not that he had any intention sitting on his arse all day, its just that he had always fancied one, so he thought now was the ideal time to kit out his office the way he had always wanted.

Everything was coming together nicely, the offices and showrooms were finished and furnished, and they were just putting the finishing touches to the service bay. The stationary and point of sale literature and brochures were printed; adverts had been placed in various newspapers announcing the opening of the new showrooms, with special opening deals for the first 100 customers.

Manfred sent over two people from head office to help Moxie during the initial start up period. He employed two former mechanics and a junior car salesman from Millers now defunct business, as well as Avril a former secretary from Central Cars. He didn’t see why they should not be given jobs, he knew them personally and they were excellent workers with good characters, their only crime was to have been employed by a total crook. As time went on he would employ more ex employees of Central Cars when the time was right.

The grand opening was announced in the Local and National press for the 6th April. Manfred Kumpers and three other board members came over from Frankfurt for the opening event.

Moxie had got the Lord Mayer of Bury, to perform the opening ceremony with a local boys brass band performing, with a large contingent of press present.

It was a great success with a huge crowd in attendance, and they sold over twenty-five cars on the opening day. Manfred and his board members were delighted with the result, and complimented Moxie on his skill and accomplishment in getting the whole thing up and running in such a short time, but he was in his element and new that things would only improve.

About a week after the official opening, Moxie was in the showroom with some customers, when he heard a loud disturbance at the other end of the showroom. He looked up, and to his dismay he saw John Miller storming down the showroom, he raced straight up to Moxie and started shouting abuse at him and in general was creating a scene.

Moxie was seated at his desk arranging a purchase contract for a client when Miller rushed up, pressed his face almost into his face and started calling him a thief and a Judas and a conniving son of a bitch. He accused him of stealing the bread out of his mouth as well as a load of other insults, he was so close he could feel his breath and spit on his face and he was sweating profusely, the veins in his forehead looked about ready to burst.

“Avril can you call the Police, this man needs to be removed from these premises before I loose my temper, he has no right to be here?”

Suddenly, Miller reached out and picked up a heavy model of the new Mercedes E Class and threw it at Moxie. He didn’t expect it and it caught him just over his right eye splitting it wide open, and blood was gushing profusely into his eye. The showroom was full of people, but Moxie wasn’t going to let him away with that and he had to be subdued. He got up from his desk, ran at him and gave him a massive Karate kick to the throat.

Miller staggered back, but he was still stood upright, he was a huge chap so he ran at him and kicked him again right in the crown jewels, not an authentic Karate kick, but mighty effective. He had forgotten Moxie was Junior Karate Champion of the Northwest, before he hit the deck Moxie hit him three or four more chops to his face. His false teeth broke into pieces and flew out of his mouth and shot across the showroom floor. When he hit the deck, the whole building shook because he was seriously overweight, somewhere in the region of 25 stone.

It was a horrific scene, seeing this bleeding toothless wonder lying spark out on the showroom floor. Most of the customers had left in a hurry and if that is what he intended he had succeeded, but some had remained, they didn’t want to miss this excitement.

“Did you call the police Avril?” and she nodded, then Moxie bent down and felt his pulse.

He couldn’t feel anything he wasn’t moving, Jesus surely he hadn’t killed him, that’s all he needed just when things had started to go well. Oh why the hell did he have to come in shouting the odds, and spoil everything?

Avril could see the concern on Moxie’s face; she bent down and felt his neck.

“He’s alive I can feel a pulse, its faint, but he’s alive alright.”

He felt a huge sigh of relief, just then the sound of an approaching Police siren could be heard, and shortly afterwards two of Her Majesties finest entered the premises.

“What’s been going on here then, who called for the Police?”

“We did, this chap on the floor attacked me and injured my eye, so I hit him in self defence.”

The Policeman looked a bit sceptical and had a smirk on his face, but some of the customers who remained, verified what had happened and gave statements to that effect to the police.

They called for an ambulance to take Miller away to Bury General Hospital for treatment, but Moxie told the Police he had become threatening and he was trying to intimidate him, because he was a witness for the Crown in a drugs case against Miller, who was out on bail.

“If that’s the case he shouldn’t be here, he’s probably in breach of his bail conditions, interfering with a witness for the Crown is a very serious offence. It looks like he wont be coming back to harass you again, we will accompany him to the A&E.”

“He wants locking up for good, he’s probably lost us a lot of business here to day, not to mention scarring me for life and ruining a brand new suite, I have a good mind to sue him.”

“I think you need to get stitches in that cut Sir, it looks quite serious and shouldn’t be left untreated.”

Avril agreed to drive Moxie down to Bury General Hospital, because by now the whole of his face had swollen and he could barely see, even out of his one good eye. They left the showroom in charge of Alec the junior salesman, who seemed to be pleased at the opportunity of some responsibility.

“I hope we don’t bump into Miller in here, I might be tempted to finish the job off.”

Eventually, he was seen by one of the Doctors who examined his eye thoroughly. She cleaned up wound, and stitched him up as good as new. Later that day when Avril dropped him home from the A&E department at Bury General, he called Manfred in Germany to advise him what had taken place.

He of course was absolutely horrified and told Moxie to take some time off, but he declined, insisting he would be ok.

“I am sorry this happened Manfred, but I didn’t expect him to turn up here its not exactly located near him, it just shows what a bitter twisted individual he is, but typical of the way he has operated throughout his business career by violence and intimidation.”

“By the sound of it he got second prize today, your Karate training came in handy.”

“Yes but I must practice ducking in future, my face is getting to look too much like a butchers block.”

Manfred laughed and told him to take it easy.

Chapter 24

˜

Rachel went from strength to strength and started to put weight on, and was allowed outside into the grounds of hospital and gradually built up her stamina. Mike and Brenda spent every spare minute with her, walking in the beautiful manicured gardens of the hospital in the spring sunshine.

She met some of the other recipients in the grounds, who had received organ transplants from the donor girl.

They all seemed to be getting over the trauma of their various surgeries, some of the other recipients had already left and gone home after their successful procedures.

The nineteen-year-old girl from New York, who received a new heart, took a liking to Rachel and they became good friends during the time they spent together, and vowed to keep in touch.

Naseer talked with his colleague Mr Mohammed, and indicated that Rachel had made such good progress she would be able to return to the UK by the end of April.

Before they returned home Mike and Brenda wanted to meet Mr and Mrs Samuels, the parents of the girl who donated her liver, if this was at all possible. A lot of people in a case like this prefer to remain anonymous however, Mr and Mrs Samuels agreed to meet Mike and Brenda and this was arranged through the hospital.

It was a very tearful meeting. They were a couple of similar age as Mike and Brenda, just normal people who had been out for drive, when a drunken driver hit them. Both of them were still on crutches, and had extensive facial injuries. Aaron Samuels was an accountant, and his wife Stella a schoolteacher; their lives had been changed forever in an instant. Brenda and Mike felt so sorry for them, their lovely eighteen-year old daughter suffering catastrophic brain injuries that had left her in a vegetative state, by an idiotic drunk driver who had died in the crash. The enormity of the whole dramatic event was etched in pain on their whole bodies.

Brenda and Mike thanked them from the bottom of their hearts for their generosity in giving Rachel a second chance at life, and they exchanged addresses and agreed to keep in touch, and they would keep them up to date on Rachel’s progress.

Despite their tragic loss, it seemed to give them some satisfaction that some good, had come out of this tragic and unnecessary incident.

Mr Mohammed was due to return to England three weeks after the operation. He was explaining to Mike and Brenda that he was taking up a new post, as head of a new Private Hospital in London that would specialise in Liver and Kidney problems.

This was to be a new state of the art hospital specialising in transplant surgery, and that Mr Naseer Ahmed was a senior partner in the new venture and would be a frequent visitor, and that Mike and Brenda would be able to get follow up checkups for Rachel at his new facility.

“Hopefully Rachel will continue make a good recovery, and you wont be making fortnightly trips to St Swithins Hospital. She should only require periodic checkups, and I will still have facilities there, and will spend a few days a month there so you wont get rid of me that easily.”

This hadn’t occurred to them about what would happen to Rachel in the future regarding treatment, as they had only been concerned about Rachel’s current situation and would she get over the surgery. This was great news; that they would be able see Mr Mohammed, either at their local hospital, or at the worst have to travel down to London, and not to have to make that long journey to America.

They thanked him sincerely for everything that he had done for them, and they would forever be grateful for putting them in touch with their surgeon Mr Naseer Ahmed.

Brenda gave Mohammed a big hug and he seemed a bit embarrassed, Mike shook him warmly by the hand. He was a good man, only interested in helping people get better.

* * *

It was mid May when Mike and his family returned home from the US with their daughter Rachel in excellent health, and for the first time in years she was feeling on top of the world. She was delighted to be back home, to see her elder sister Susan and all her school friends.

Rachel had become somewhat of a celebrity during her absence, as Mike had passed on her progress to Maria at the Old Duke, and she had posted weekly updates on the notice board.

On their return to England, Mike and Brenda decided that they would like to host a thank you party at the Old Duke Pub, to express their gratitude to all the people that had worked so hard to make everything possible for Rachel. They had asked Maria if she would help them organise it and she was in her element and had readily agreed.

All the fundraisers and the new Tory MP for the district gathered for the event, the press and TV were also present. Mike and Brenda presented Rachel who was now a picture of health, who said a big thank you to everyone and sang a Shirley Temple song “The Good Ship Lollipop” and had virtually everyone in tears.

The Rachel Ireland Fund was continuing, there had been further large anonymous donations, the fund had full charity status, and had been adopted countrywide, to help children with liver and kidney problems.

There was in access of a million pounds in the fund, even after Rachel’s treatment, and some of the funds from the charity had been made available for research and development to various institutions. A gathering such as this, would provide much needed publicity for the charity, and help highlight the good work that it was doing.