“I’m rooming with Angel. She said she’d take my parents to the hotel because Jett wanted to ride with us. She’s pretty cool,” Brook admitted.
I had to agree, Jett was pretty cool. I watched her interview and made some mental notes to help her get better. Angel was watching like a hawk but wore a big smile when it was done. This series of shows would be great exposure for the girls and help them sell some CDs or book some gigs.
When they finished, we all hiked out to find my car. Jett claimed shotgun since she claimed to know where The Peninsula Chicago was located. She directed me to the highway, and we started our trek to probably my favorite city. Granted, LA had better weather, and there was a lot to be said for New York. What I liked about Chicago was the people. I know it was stereotyping, but Midwesterners were much more polite than New Yorkers and had a better work ethic than people from LA. That didn’t mean that New Yorkers couldn’t be friendly, or people from LA were a bunch of slackers. It was an in-general type of thing.
The governor’s motorcade blew past us, so I decided to join the parade of big black SUVs. Having a state trooper lead the way with his lights flashing cut our commute time considerably. I noticed that Angel followed our lead, as did the band’s equipment van; they followed right behind us. We came to the entrance of the hotel’s parking garage and were ushered in. They had staff waiting for us to help take our bags to our rooms. I surrendered my car key and followed everyone to the lobby to get our room keys. While everyone else was focused on that task, I slipped my extra key to Brook.
The clock said it was ten. I debated whether to go to the governor’s suite or not, but curiosity got the better of me. They ushered me in, and I noticed the governor was in another room, deep in conversation with his staff and the senator. I was happy to see Jack and Bev Mass there. She would be with us for all the events tomorrow and even the one Sunday. Evanston, where Northwestern was located, was in Cook County.
“Just the two people I wanted to talk to.” I turned to Jack Mass first. “I’ve thought a lot about investing in Mass Construction. But there is one concern I have: will the issues surrounding Bev hurt your business?”
Poor Jack about choked on his scotch while Bev shook her head at me. I waited for him to talk while he cycled from shocked, to unbelieving, to understanding.
“You’re serious?” he asked.
“Yes, he is, and I think he has a point,” Bev said. “We’ve not really talked about this issue ourselves.”
Jack looked at his wife uncomfortably and then answered my question.
“Honestly, I doubt it. Mass Investments and Construction have been around for years, and I believe we’ve built a solid reputation. I don’t do any city, county, or state projects because Bev went into politics and I never wanted there to seem to be any conflict of interest. Even if we were to run into some backlash, I don’t believe it would be significant. Our clientele tends to think in terms of getting the best-built home, not my wife’s politics.”
“What do you think?” I asked Bev.
“I think the police shooting was a travesty and I can understand why people are upset. Heck,
“I understand you can’t paint everyone with the same broad brush, but that’s not how the public is reacting,” I said. “You see it across the country. They’re making claims that if you’re of color, the police treat you differently than if you’re white. I get the same sort of misconceptions for being an athlete. People assume I’m a dumb jock who’s a bully, and I’m sure that at times I fit that stereotype. Based on the reports I’ve seen, I’m confident the police respond differently based on the color of someone’s skin at times as well. I’m even certain that people will react to all police with more concern after an incident like this. I’d bet the press will highlight every single event from now on where there’s a police shooting of a person of color.
“What I want to know is if Bev, being in the position she is, is going to affect your business. I honestly don’t know how it’ll play out, but you’re asking me to invest my money. I believe you think you’ll be fine, but I’d appreciate you letting me know what my actual risks are,” I said.
Jack looked at Bev for some help.
“You bring up some good points, but I believe in my husband. There likely will be some backlash, but with the funds you’re offering, I expect his company will weather any storm that comes from it. I personally would urge you to help him. I’ve known him for almost twenty years, and he’s a man of integrity. Jack will do right by you.”
I smiled.
“That’s what I thought. Contact Caryn on Monday to get it done,” I said and shook Jack’s hand.
