Previously on Vision Quest - Trevor and Bradford Strand meet Hazel and her young son Cory. They learn that Cory has cancer and think he may be an excellent candidate for their first Vision Quest. The brothers treat Hazel and Cory to dinner at Pizza Land where Hazel is attacked by a drunken patron. Using his SEAL training, Trevor steps in and helps. When the manager approaches, he recognizes the Strand brothers. Hazel is at a loss and can’t believe what she’s seeing. To read part one, click here.
Hazel’s blue eyes were piercing as she spoke to the manager. “What’s going on? How do you know these guys?”
“Well, the Strand brothers used to own all of Pizza Land. They sold their entire company three months ago.”
Bradford gave a faint smile. Somehow, to Hazel, it seemed kind of sad. “Well, it was six months ago… it surprised even us.”
“Holy shit,” said Cory.
“Cory!”
“Sorry Mom, holy cow, you guys are rich.”
“I guess so,” said Trevor.
The manager again expressed how sorry he was for what happened. He got them a table immediately, even though there was a line.
The waitress appeared. “I understand you folks had some excitement tonight. We’re so sorry.”
“I was scared to death, then Trevor stepped in,” said Hazel.
“It was so cool… what you did.”
“Well, dinner is on the house, order whatever you want.”
Trevor looked at Cory. “What kind of pizza do you like?”
Cory responded immediately. “Pepperoni!”
Hazel was next. “I’ll take sausage, please.”
“Well, Brad and I are fine with that choice.” Turning to the waitress, he said, “We’ll take a large pepperoni and a large sausage.”
They also ordered a round of beers, except for Cory, of course. He got another Coke.
“So, what’s going on with you two? Millionaire brothers riding around on motorcycles… and Trevor, what’s the deal with you? How were you able to do that?”
Bradford took a deep breath and sighed. “Well, I started Pizza Land in 1970 with Trevor’s wife. She was the chef, and I developed the business plan. We made all portions larger than the competitors and always had the highest quality ingredients. We also added an arcade, it was a huge driver for customers. It took off faster than we ever dreamed.”
Trevor was next. “I was a Navy Seal ‘till April when I quit. That’s why I could take care of that knucklehead like I did.”
Cory’s eyes were wide. “Wow, that’s so cool. Why did you quit?”
Bradford took a long sip from his beer. “Well, last January, we had just sold Pizza Land for a huge amount of money. We were all on our way to celebrate… I got us a limo and on the way to the party—”
Tears appeared in Bradford’s eyes.
Trevor stiffened his back and coughed. “On the way to the party, there was a terrible accident. Everyone but Brad and I were…” His voice wavered. “Everyone was… was killed, both of our wives and our kids, too.”
“We almost didn’t make it either. We were banged up pretty bad… we were on life support for weeks,” Bradford said. He pointed to a scar above his right eye. “That’s how I got this.”
Trevor put his arm around his brother, took a deep breath, and smiled. “But well… we made it... and here we are.”
Hazel’s eyes softened. “My God, that’s terrible.”
Bradford looked at his brother and attempted a smile. He patted his hand and said, “So, to answer your last question. What are millionaire brothers doing on motorcycles? We needed to get away and think… plan… how to move on with our lives.”
Trevor said, “Both of us had taken motorcycle trips in our younger days and now we have the money—”
Bradford looked at Trevor and completed the conversation. “We basically have unlimited resources, so we are taking a cross country trip for a year to figure things out. We call it our Vision Quest.”
Hazel looked back and forth at Trevor and Bradford. In a soft voice, she said, “That’s quite a story. I can’t imagine what that must be like. My husband and I got divorced, but nothing… nothing like what happened to you fellas.”
“Well, either can we honestly. We’re fortunate to have the resources to figure it out,” said Trevor.
The waitress delivered the pizza on two large silver platters. Steam rose from the bubbling cheese. “Large sausage and pepperoni. I hope you folks are hungry.”
Bradford was happy about the interruption. “Well, enough doom and gloom. Let’s eat. I’m starved.”
They all wolfed down the pizza with hardly a word. After a bit, the manager appeared. Noticing the empty platters, he smiled and said, “Looks like the food was okay.”
“It was great! Mom, let’s come back here again.”
“You bet honey, I liked it too.”
The manager knelt down and looked at Cory. “We’re known for our arcade games… there’s many to choose from.” He handed Cory a card. “Because of what happened with your mom, here is an unlimited pass for the arcade.”
“Mom, can I… please?”
She smiled. “Thanks very much. We appreciate it.”
Looking at Trevor, Cory said, “Mr. Strand, can you take me to the arcade?”
“Yes, but call me Trev. All my friends call me that.”
They were off. This gave Bradford a chance to talk to Hazel about Cory.
“I don’t mean to be nosy, but what’s going on with Cory? You said he has cancer?”
She looked at Bradford with tears in her eyes. “Yes… we found out about two years ago.”
“I’m so sorry. That’s hard to take.”
“It was. My husband couldn’t take it… one day he just got up and left.”
Bradford sighed, “So now it just the two of you.”
“Yeah, Cory is so brave, Brad… I can call you Brad, can’t I?”
“Yes… of course,”
“He’s stronger than I am, that’s for sure.”
He touched her hand. “Well, you seem pretty brave to me.”
She took a deep breath. “The doctors say he only has a few years left.”
He sighed. “So that’s it? No options?”
“Well, our insurance only covers very basic treatment. We looked into other options but… well, I can’t afford the expense.”
Bradford sat there, staring at the wall. Helping people is exactly the kind of thing they wanted to do.
“That’s terrible. Maybe there is something—”
Trevor and Cory returned. “That was a blast. I even beat Trev at a shooting game, and he was a SEAL!”
Hazel wiped her eyes and sniffled. “That’s great honey.”
Bradford looked at Hazel. “Excuse us for a minute, please. Trev, can we talk for a bit?”
The brothers walked a few steps away. “I think we can help them.”
He smiled. “I thought you may be hatching some sort of plan.”
“He has leukemia, their insurance sucks, they only get… well, they don’t get the best doctors, I’ll tell you that.”
“And you think Roosevelt can help?”
“Yes! Trev, this is just the type of thing we talked about—”
His voice cracked. “He looks just like Timmy.”
Trevor put his arm around his brother. “I thought that too. Let’s give Roosevelt a call.”
They talked to the manager about using his office for a few minutes and, he quickly agreed.
They returned to the table. Bradford said, “Trevor and I have some business to attend to that will take a few minutes. Why don’t you order some dessert while we are gone?”
Trevor looked at Cory and smiled. “They have the best chocolate milkshakes around.”
Trevor and Bradford excused themselves and walked into the back office to call Roosevelt.
Trevor and Bradford’s father, Harold, started the law firm of Strand, Keystone, Cooper and Associates in center city Philadelphia in 1960. Roosevelt Burdock was Harold’s best friend and became the firm’s private investigator. The brothers knew Roosevelt since they were little boys and visited the law firm often. Roosevelt advised them as they grew from boys to men. He was deeply involved in the sale of Pizza Land and integral in promoting the Vision Quest. They were talking on a speaker-phone.
“Roosevelt, its Brad. How are you doing?”
“Mr. Strand. Good to hear from you.”
“I’m here too, Roosevelt.”
“The other Mr. Strand. I am fine. I did not expect to hear from you boys so soon.”
The brothers explained they were in Watkins Glen and the situation with Cory.
“I know the place, they just opened that Pizza Land and the manager is a good guy,” Roosevelt said.
“You’re right. He is, even after Trev got into a fight.”
After a pause Roosevelt said, “A fight?”
“Well, let’s just say I had to get involved.”
Roosevelt laughed. “Mr. Strand, can’t you stay out of trouble even for a minute?”
“It couldn’t be avoided,” Brad said, “But on to Cory… Roosevelt, he looks like Timmy.”
Roosevelt sighed. “Well, we have enough in the Trust to handle his medical expenses, but leukemia is a tough deal.”
“I was hoping there would be a clinical trial. Perhaps that’s something you can look into.”
“Hmm… Let me think—”
After a bit Roosevelt said, “We had a doctor as a client a while back who has several clinics. I think they also run trials.”
Bradford bent over the phone and got closer to the speaker. “That’s great Roosevelt. Buffalo is the closest big city. Hopefully, he has something going on there.”
“I will make a phone call or two. It should be easy to find out.”
“Great, we’ll call you from the campsite tomorrow morning,” said Trevor.
“I will know more then—”
There was silence on the line.
“How are you boys doing? It has only been—”
Brad interrupted. “We’re doing fine. This quest thing helps.”
“The bikes are great. I just didn’t think we’d find our first customer so soon,” Trevor said.
“Okay… it goes without saying, but I am going to say it, anyway. Call me anytime, day or night.”
The brothers exchanged glances. “We will,” they both said together.
“Okay, talk to you tomorrow… and boys, your father would be proud.”
They decided not to say anything to Hazel or Cory until they knew more. There was no need to get their hopes up. They took them home and said they would stop by the diner in the morning.
Photo by Pierre Becam on Unsplash
The brothers arrived back at the campsite just as the sun was disappearing behind the horizon. They claimed a picnic table right by the shore of Seneca Lake and settled in, enjoying the tranquility of the twilight hour. The constant dinging of a buoy in the distance created a gentle rhythm of sound, and the occasional sailboat passed by, leaving behind a sparkly wake that shimmered in the setting sun.
“This place is beautiful,” Bradford said.
“It sure is.” Trevor held up his beer. “Here’s to us. We did a lot on our first adventure.”
Bradford clinked his beer with Trevor’s and smiled. “That’s for sure. Do you really think we can help them?”
“Well, the Trust will help with their medical expenses, we know that. Hopefully Roosevelt comes through with his contacts.”
They sat drinking their beers in silence as the sun set. It was a cloudless night, and the stars were dazzling.
“Look, the Milky Way. I can’t remember the last time I saw that,” Trevor said.
Brad was gazing across the lake. “I really miss them.”
“I know Brad, so do I. Do you think what we’re doing will help us figure this out?”
“I hope so. But I’m not doing it just for me. We have the wherewithal to help. I really want to do that.”
“Very true, my dear brother, very true.”
They went back to their tents and climbed into their sleeping bags. Brad fell asleep, hoping he did not have another nightmare.
Bradford didn’t have any nightmares and woke up refreshed and eager to talk to Roosevelt. After their conversation with him, Trevor and Bradford were overjoyed.
“I told you he would pull it off,” Brad said.
Trevor was ecstatic and ready to share the news. “Let’s go tell them!”
They parked their bikes outside the diner and almost ran inside. Hazel was at the cash register. She smiled when she saw them.
“Get Cory!” Trevor said. “We need to talk.”
“What’s… What’s going on, guys?”
“Get him. We’ll meet you at the booth over there.”
Cory and Hazel sat down with the brothers. “Come on guys, what the heck is going on?”
Brad touched Hazel’s hand. “We have some very good news. First, we’ll take care of Cory’s medical expenses.”
She blinked. “What… What do you mean?”
“We have a Trust, that has the funds to help people like Cory. It will take care of all your expenses,” Trevor said.
“Mom, what does this mean?”
“It means you can see the best doctors out there are to help with your cancer,” Brad said.
“Guys, I don’t know what to say.”
Brad looked into Hazel’s eyes. “Say nothing. We need to do this—”
He wiped tears out of his eyes with a napkin. “We mentioned our Vision Quest. This is how we’re going to cope with everything… help people like you and Cory…but there’s more.”
Hazel’s mind was racing. She was struggling to digest all of this information. “More?”
Trevor couldn’t keep the excitement out of his voice. “Yes, there’s a clinical trial for leukemia in Buffalo. Roosevelt checked into it and there is one spot left and Cory can have it.”
“Clinical trial? Who the heck is Roosevelt?”
Bradford laughed. “I know we’re hitting you with a lot. Roosevelt is a private investigator for a law firm in Philly. He manages the trust and helps us out with other things when we need it.”
Brad looked directly into Cory’s eyes. “Cory, this is good news. But it’s not a sure thing. You’ll have many challenging days ahead. But this will give you a chance.”
Cory had tears in his eyes. “Why are you doing this for me?”
It was Trevor’s turn to speak. With a sly smile he said, “Because we want to help you pick out your first Harley when you turn sixteen.”
Hazel started to cry. Bradford put his arm around her. “I know it is a lot to take in. This is Roosevelt’s card. He is expecting your call. He will fill you in on all the details.”
She held up the card. Strand, Keystone, Cooper and Associates - Attorneys At Law Roosevelt Burdock - Private Investigator 215-555-1212.
“Well, you boys are full of surprises. Thank you so much. We both thank you so much.”
“We’re happy to do it, like we said it helps us, too,” Bradford said.
They all stood and hugged. Cory was crying. Trevor kneeled and looked at him. “You be a good boy, son. Everything will be fine.”
They all stood at the front door. “Well, we have to head off to our next adventure,” Bradford said.
“Thank you so much,” Hazel said.
“You’re very welcome, but remember, we’re doing this for us, too. Something good may come from our loss.”
With tears in his eyes, Cory asked, “Will I ever see you again?”
“Well, we’ll be busy over the next year. We have lots of places to visit. If you need us, call Roosevelt. He’s always available to you,” Brad said.
Trevor looked into Cory’s eyes. “Everything is going to be alright.”
They all hugged one last time.
The brothers climbed on their bikes. “So where to next?” asked Trevor.
“Don’t know exactly, lets head north.”
Thanks for reading the final part of Helping Cory. The next episode will be published soon.
For more information about Vision Quest click here.
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Helping Jerry is the next episode in the Vision Quest story.
Such a great premise for this story, Scott-- two men dealing with their monumental grief by giving to others! Beautiful! I can see this story continue with a combination of the joy of open-road riding and of meeting new people who are desperate for help. This line broke my heart "With a sly smile he said, “Because we want to help you pick out your first Harley when you turn sixteen.” Keep going, Scott. This has great promise!