Constructing a Billionaire

Travis stood and wiped the sweat from his brow. He had been helping his crew shovel around an underground pipe that was in a tight spot. Arching his back and looking up he could feel a tightness around his spine that made him long for a break. As luck would have it, at just that moment his phone rang in deafeningly loud in his pocket. He quickly directed the rest of the crew around him.  “Keep shovelling and make sure you guys are gentle as you go around that water line, we don’t want it bursting. I’ll be right back.” He turned and climbed out of the hole and grabbed for his phone so hurriedly that he almost dropped it.  “Hello?” “Hi Travis. Are you busy? I have to tell you something.” This voice on the phone was one of Travis’s favourites, although he could not help feeling slightly irritated that his mother chose to call at such a busy time.  “I have a minute mom, what’s up?” His mother’s breath suddenly came through the line in small spurts, she was trying not to cry. Travis was instantly worried and ran to his truck for some privacy. “Are you ok? Mom, what’s wrong?” “It’s grandpa, he passed away this morning.” His mother wailed through the speaker, but Travis felt suddenly numb. The seat and floor beneath him began to feel non-existent. “His housekeeper called me and said that he was on his way to the office and was involved in a head on collision and he died on impact.” Again her words were lost to more ravenous sobs.  Memories seemed to flow over him entirely and in fast forward. His grandfather had been more of a father figure to him growing up as his own father had died when he was only eight years old. The news of his grandpa’s passing came as a heavy blow which was followed by waves of guilt for not having spoken to him for nearly three years. They had fought over Travis not wanting to inherit the business his grandfather had worked so hard to build. Now he was gone and there was no mending that relationship. Travis’s heart went so hallow he could scarcely feel it beating anymore.