Captainkirk's Duster project

.....but hey, you asked for it!
Those of you who read the early part of this story know, by now, where I went to school, what I went there for, and how it all ended up. For those readers who skipped the first part, I'll cut to the chase;
a) Tulsa, Oklahoma
b) Airframe and powerplant mechanic (A&P)
c) I've built a 30 year career on it which landed me in shop manager/director of maintenance positions since the early nineties, culminating in a DOM position with a small company that was going quite well.
Brief, yes. To the point? Ditto. If you need more history, go back to the start of the story, but be forewarned; it's not a fast read.

Fast forward to September of 2007......

The company I work for is a Mom & Pop organization (literally), with Pop being Ted* and Mom being Marie*. Ted runs the business end of things while Marie does all the accounting, payroll, bill paying, and handles the medical insurance, ad nauseum.

(*Names changed to respect privacy)

Myself and Sam*, we are the directors; in charge of the actual work being performed in our respective departments, and the employees working under us. We are the ones that talk to, and relate to the customers, assign and approve the work being done, and ultimately, bear the responsibility for it. Ted, on the other hand, OWNS the company, has the final say in all things, and plays a huge part in customer relations and quotes for work to be performed (based, of course, on our recommendations. Ted is not from an aviation background.)

Sunday morning, early September '07.......
I'm awakened early by my wife, who seems extremely upset....crying, in fact. She rousts me from a deep sleep and I groggily open my eyes, trying to assemble the muddled, confusing puzzle laying spread-eagled out in front of me. "What's wrong?" I mumble, squinting out through one bleary, half closed eye.
"Tommy from your work just called.....Ted died yesterday."
I shot bolt-upright, my sleep-laden brain thinking either I'd heard wrong, misunderstood, or I was still dreaming.

d) None of the above.

It was true.....Ted had died of a massive heart attack. Word had filtered down the ranks though Tommy and his wife, who were close friends with Ted and Marie. I was next on the list to be notified.
I sat there, muddled, confused, with a dawning realization that the tower of security and comfort we'd constructed for ourselves at work was slowly sliding off the bank into the sea......with us in it. Right now.