The Minnesota Candidate by Nicholas Antinozzi Page A

doubling up that header!”
    Tom smiled as Sam gave him a quick wink. He was
proud of his relative and he couldn’t wait to share this story with
Shari. He followed the men out of the house and he returned to get
himself a doughnut. Sadly, the boxes were all empty.
    Soon, the sounds of construction filled the air.
Tom stood back and watched in amazement at what appeared to be
total chaos. Men in hardhats poured over the house like ants on an
anthill. Every now and again, Chona would rush up to him and ask
for approval on a last minute change of plans. She was all business
and never smiled, but Tom respected her for taking on this
challenge.
    On the opposite side of the street, people began
lining up behind the yellow tape. Trucks loaded with building
materials streamed up and down the street, unloaded by swiveling,
yellow forklifts that rode on tall tractor tires. Men on
scissor-lifts were already installing windows, while others
scrambled on top of the tall roof.

    Shari sat at her desk and pounded away on her
keyboard. She had been given the go ahead to write the story and
she was busy recording the background. Like any good story, she
started from the very beginning, capturing the moment she and Tom
had first met. She smiled as she worked, frowning from time to
time, laughing at others. She was in her element and she loved
every minute of it. As she was writing about her initial meeting
with Chona, her desk phone rang. She checked the caller ID and saw
that the call was from her financial advisor. She debated if she
should answer the call, she was in the groove and hated anything to
interrupt her, but she found that she was more curious as to why
Rick Wellman would call her. “Hello?”
    “Shari,” asked Rick Wellman, the same financial
advisor her parents had used, the man responsible for doubling
their investment value. “Am I bothering you?”
    “Not at all, Rick. What’s on your mind? I hope
everything is alright.”
    “Everything is wonderful, Shari. That’s why I’m
calling. We just got a hot tip down here on a new company that is
making some big waves in cancer research. They’re about to go
public and everyone down here is in agreement that this stock is a
chance in a lifetime. I know how you like to play it safe, but I
really think we should jump on this thing. Just think about it,
okay? I will need your answer by the end of the day.”
    Shari bit her lip. Normally, she would have
quietly thanked Rick and told him she wasn’t interested. She kept
her money invested in blue chip stocks, sure things, and while they
never leapt up in value, they had always proven to be a safe
investment. When Chona had given Shari an estimate at the total
cost of rebuilding Doris’ house, Shari had nearly choked on the
number. Though they could well afford it, the expenditure would put
a big dent in her savings. “How sure are you about this company?”
she asked.
    “Between you and me and the fencepost,”
whispered Wellman, “I’m all in. I’m telling you, kiddo, this stock
is the real deal. I’d hate to see you miss out on it.”
    Shari could feel her stomach twist into knots.
She stared blindly out of her office window, wondering what she
should do. Rick had never steered her wrong in the past, and as far
as she knew, had never given her parents a bad tip. She took a deep
breath. “I trust you, Rick,” she said. “Do whatever you think is
right.”
    “Shari,” said Rick, “you’ll never regret this.
I’ll be in touch.”
    Shari thanked him and they quickly said their
goodbyes. With her head spinning, Shari found it hard to get back
into her groove. Finally, she pushed Rick out of her thoughts and
was able to bring her story up to date. When she looked at her
clock, Shari was shocked to see that it was well past noon. She
dashed out of her office and down to the parking garage. She had
promised Tom that she would meet him for lunch and she hoped that
he hadn’t eaten without her. She was