Chapter 27

Author note: “Gang of Five” should be read before the following chapters to fully understand all the characters.

DREW

“Drew, Drew! Are you trying to hurt yourself?” Pip asked gently.

He was still disoriented from having her take the bar, literally, right out of his hands and place it on the rest. He had known she was extremely strong, but that move was still stunning. Then, she had knelt beside the weight bench and placed a hand gently on his sweaty chest. It was a very feminine move that seemed out of character for her muscular physique and her normally professional demeanor.

“How many reps had you done before I took it away?” Pip demanded.

“Guess I lost count,” he admitted sheepishly.

“I suppose it’s better for you to take out your frustration on the weights, but you’ve still got to be careful,” she admonished him. “I’d really miss you these early mornings if you end up injured.”

“Sorry, Pip. You’re right. I just...”

“Well, I really don’t want to explain to Kelli how you got hurt on my watch.”

Drew’s wife Kelli was a regular aerobics instructor at the club. She came in after their teenaged daughter and son had left for school. Since the majority of her classes were also mothers of school children, the schedules worked out well. Phyllis, who owned the club, had had the idea for the ‘school days only’ classes, and it had quickly grown to two sessions each morning and one after lunch.

Pip was an early morning person and regularly opened the club. After the rush of before work customers dissipated, she started one of her multiple daily workout sessions, finishing about the time Kelli arrived. Pip was preparing for her first body builder competition.

That day, Pip stopped her workout early enough to talk with Kelli for a few minutes. “Honestly, Kel, I think he really did not realize what he was doing. He was in some sort of trance. It was frightening. What’s going on?”

“Well, we’re not fighting, or anything,” Kelli assured her friend. “I told you about that promotion business. I’m afraid it’s a bigger issue with him than I thought.”

“Maybe it’s not my business, but any effect on your relationship, Hon?”

“Pip, between semi-depression and uncharacteristic bouts of anger - sure! It can’t help but affect us. He is always contrite when he comes out of a ‘spell’, but yeah, I’m a little concerned.”

“Look, there’s a counsellor that Phyllis and her friends think is amazing. Go and talk with her before things deteriorate. You and Drew have such a great marriage! Don’t take even a little chance on anything getting messed up.”

“Oh, I don’t think we’re in danger of...”

“Kelli! You didn’t see him this morning. Your man is seriously upset. It’s just not like him.”

For the first time in many weeks, Kelli lost her way twice as she led her classes. She had been concerned about Drew for the two months since the big disappointment of the missed promotion. Because his behavior toward her had not changed, except for a few bouts of frustration and outrage, she had mostly ignored it. She hurt for him, but there was not much she could do but be supportive, and she had done that the best she could.

Pip’s warning had shaken her, but that was on top of a question at breakfast from their fifteen-year-old daughter Casey. “Mom, is something really bothering Daddy? Several times lately, it seems like he has been somewhere else when I tried to talk with him. I know we both do that a lot, but not when I’m talking to him.”

The Rosen family was one with gender ‘criss-cross’ in personality and talents. Drew was an unquestioned genius, and spent his teen years as a typical nerd. Kelli played softball and soccer, and probably could have made the varsity in any sport she took up.

Drew graduated with a B.S. in biochemistry at twenty, and had Ph.D. degrees in both biochemistry and computer science by twenty-three. Kelli made the college soccer team, but dropped out after a frightening ankle injury. She recovered, but decided not to risk mobility for the rest of her life. Very intelligent herself, she met Drew while working as a lab assistant.

Drew was by nature shy but extremely polite. He was not afraid to interact with people, but had never been forceful in any dealings with others. Kelli was more outgoing, but still quite intense and focused.

In their family, Casey took after Drew, while Cameron, their thirteen-year-old son, had inherited Kelli’s athleticism, along with a good portion of Drew’s IQ. Casey was a concern to both parents because of her shyness. It bothered her less than it did her parents. Drew, however, wished his daughter could avoid some of the things he had to live through.

In college, Kelli had been drawn to Drew on their first meeting. She always told him it was his eyes. He was fairly tall and had a handsome face, but an undeveloped body. As intelligent as she was, Kelli knew that catching him would require a careful campaign, but she was patient and determined.

A near collapse from exhaustion and overwork by Drew proved to be Kelli’s golden opportunity. She happened to be in the lab when he nearly passed out. Risking scaring him off, she took charge, got him to his apartment, into bed, and got some nourishment into him.

She was not at all a dominant person, and he was far from submissive. However, she understood that without some better direction to his life, he would either not achieve his goals, or would sacrifice his health in doing so. So, carefully, but firmly, she began taking charge of his work hours and his eating. He realized that her arguments were correct and he wanted to achieve his goals badly enough that he accepted her direction. His rational mind accepted that building himself up physically would help him achieve his goals.

One thing Kelli decided was that for the sake of a future relationship, he had to be the one to make any romantic moves. She limited herself to verbal and tactile expressions of affection, and barely restrained herself from what she wanted to do.

Probably because of a buildup of testosterone from his regular workouts, it took only a few months before he began to want her sexually. Actually falling in love with her occurred well before he took any action.

To Kelli, attracting and marrying Drew was not just capturing a prize. She sincerely and deeply loved him, and that love had only grown through their years together. There had recently been enough disturbing occurrences so she had to recognize a threat. She called Dr. Rebecca Sanders.

KELLI & REBECCA

After a little get acquainted time, Rebecca told Kelli “Why don’t you tell me just what you think the problem is.”

Kelli recounted her history with Drew, and his progress through his career. “Things changed when the original company, Advanced BioGenetics (ABG), was bought by a conglomerate that was trying to establish a presence in the biomedical industry. They still managed it as a separate entity, and there was not much change for the first few years. But then, they brought in management with no experience in the medical market. They also changed what had been a very research, scientific oriented culture to a more typical corporate bureaucracy. From being the backbone of the company, Drew was reduced to being an employee in the mind of management. They eliminated the senior scientist position that he had held for years. His salary was way beyond anyone else at his new job classification, so it has not increased in the five years since the buyout, and the once generous bonuses were gone.

“The money issues don’t mean that much because he has built a very nice nest egg from royalties on patents that he owned. He has grown that nest egg with some very smart investments, so he could actually retire right now, at forty, and we could live very well. It’s the loss of status and the loss of ability to make a difference that is getting to him. The only way to move into a more meaningful position now is through management. He thought he deserved that, but lost out to someone he calls an idea stealer and, um, an ass kisser.”

Rebecca made some notes then asked Kelli “So, how has this affected your marriage?”

“I guess we are not having any of the problems that usually get couples into counseling. He still treats me like a queen and sex is still frequent and very, very good. He is still doing everything he has done for years, like his workouts. The best way I can describe it is that he seems diminished.”

“Kelli, I can’t tell you how many times I have heard that. I congratulate you on taking action before it becomes more destructive to your marriage. Would you describe Drew’s personality?” Kelli spent quite a while giving Rebecca a detailed description of her husband.

“Who is the leader in your relationship, Kelli?”

“Rebecca, don’t you think the wife is always the leader in matters of relationship, family, etc? I am very careful to never let him think I am controlling him, but in reality, I have to do quite a bit of that. Before you ask, he has never, ever reacted badly to any of it.”

“Very perceptive,” Rebecca congratulated. “Compare your sexual experience and Drew’s.”

“I am his one and only. I had six others, each one a relationship of at least a few months. Oh, I started as a high school junior.”

They spent the rest of the two-hour initial session talking about the children, their family life, their vacations, their relatives, how they relaxed and recreated.

DREW & REBECCA

It took surprisingly little urging to get Drew to talk to Rebecca.

After proper introductions, Rebecca challenged Drew immediately. “Do you feel you are here under duress? Do you feel like you were forced?”

“Well, I was certainly pressured. But that was by people I believe care about me, especially Kelli. I can see where the way I feel now could fester into something that affected our marriage. I definitely do not want that to happen.”

“Are you aware that Casey has asked what was bothering you?”

“Oh! I didn’t know that,” Drew admitted. “She hasn’t asked me.”

“Look, Drew, rather than having you describe what is bothering you, let’s assume I have a pretty good idea and talk about solutions, OK?”

“I wish I could see that there really was a solution,” he grumped.

“I suppose the only real solution would be for things to be back the way they were before the buyout. What would you estimate the probability of that to be?”

Letting out a sigh, Drew slumped a bit and admitted “Somewhere less than zero.”

“OK, list for me the potential alternatives you have. Start with staying with your current company.”

“So, you think that is a reasonable alternative?” he challenged.

“I didn’t specify ‘reasonable’. I just said ‘alternatives’.”

“OK. I could find a job with a another company doing the same work. I could get a teaching job. I could retire. I could become a consultant. That’s about it.”

“How about setting up your own research firm. Find investors for the equipment you would need and use patents for a revenue stream.”

Rebecca saw his expression change and just nodded slightly.

“Sorry,” he told her. “I try not to be a snob about intelligence, but...”

“ ... but when you have brains like yours, you can’t help it,” she finished for him.

“ ... and like yours, I’m finding out,” he retorted.

“Well, thank you. You didn’t mention getting into a whole different kind of work,” she pointed out.

“Guess I haven’t considered that an alternative,” he admitted. “What else would I do?”

“Meaning that unless you are involved with genetics, you would never be happy?”

With another big sigh, he nodded. “I had already come to that conclusion,” he told her.

“Good. You have trimmed down the alternatives a bit. Let’s change the subject. Describe your relationship with Kelli as succinctly as you can.”

With a nod “First of all, we love each other very much. Then, she completes me. She has the strengths I am most lacking in.”

“Such as...?”

“Socialization. Awareness of people. Actually, anything outside of the bubble I kind of get into.”

“Have you been in the bubble less since your job, um, deteriorated?”

His eyes widened and he smiled. “Just out of interest, what was your next question going to be?” He challenged.

“Have you filed any new patents since the buyout?” She said quickly.

“That’s where I thought you were going,” he chuckled. “Yes, I have, but they did not get around to changing the royalty arrangement right away. After that, I stopped filing any.”

“Holding some valuable things back?”

After a long stare, he admitted “Yes. In a way. They don’t deserve them.”

“I don’t think that’s what you mean, is it?” she probed. “Don’t you mean that you deserve your proper share of them?”

“Yes. You’re right. Um, weren’t we talking about my relationship with Kelli?”

“Yes, we were, but let me throw this out,” she insisted. “You have been doing something borderline unethical, and certainly contrary to your usual work ethic. Is it fair to say that that, as much as your treatment by your employer, is what has been disturbing you?”

“Yes, that’s fair. In my defense, I have accomplished what I have been assigned and done it well. I just have not gone above and beyond as I am used to. I have not felt they deserved that kind of effort from me.

“Truthfully, I have not come up with anything patentable recently. I have been assigned work that was directly related to developing salable products soon. I have not done any true research in quite a while. I don’t have any actual patents held back. I only have several promising areas for further research that I have stumbled across during the product work. I have not used my own time to do that research.”

“What if,” she asked him, “you end up with another company or on your own and the patents begin flowing again. Will your current company have a legitimate reason to come after you legally?”

“Whew! Are you a lawyer, too?”

“No, Drew, but litigation rarely strengthens a marriage. OK, I’ll get back to the relationship. How much does it bother you that Kelli has had more sexual partners than you?”

He blinked at her a few times, too stunned to answer. “Um, about those withheld patent possibilities,” he tried to joke.

“The reason I ask, Drew, is that it is an issue that too often shows up years down the road.”

“Do I take it that you do not favor life-long monogamy?”

“I’m not saying that. I just recognize that the disparity too frequently becomes a problem. Does it bother you?”

“Honestly, it is not something I ever think about. I do my best to make her forget that there ever were other partners.”

“Meaning you really do think about it,” she retorted. “How about family nudity? Any skinning dipping? Casual nudity? Accidental?”

The abrupt change in topic caused him to blink again. “Kelli must have told you those things, but no, there really has not been any.”

Purposely, she did another sharp turn. “Try and be brutally honest here, Drew. What is the biggest reason you lost that promotion?”

“Brutally honest, huh? Doc, I’ve had to admit to myself that it’s that thing called ‘presence’. I just don’t have it the way they look for it in management people.”

“So, if you truly aspire to a management position, either at your current company or elsewhere, you need to build that ‘presence’ somehow. If you don’t want to or don’t think you can do that, then you need to look at something other than management. Is that a good summation?”

Nodding, he agreed. “I’m afraid so. You don’t pull punches, do you? Say, are Kelli and I going to meet with you together?”

“When couples are having problems, we meet together. Since we are trying to cut off future problems and you are the possible source of those problems, I think it more important to meet with you. Does that seem reasonable?”

“Brutally reasonable. Ouch. Doc, the last thing I ever want to do is damage what we have as a family. I will do ANYTHING to prevent that.”

“Be careful, Drew. You do not know what I might suggest.”

“So, have you and Kelli talked about your last session?” Rebecca prodded as soon as they were comfortable for Drew’s next visit.

“Not just Kelli,” Drew answered with a dramatic shake of his head. “Turns out I am now one of the Gang of Five’s ‘projects’,” and he emphasized the word with the typical hand gestures. “Of course, since you have been in the middle of those ‘projects’...” He let that sentence hang.

“Did the projects scare you?”

“Scare? Well, they certainly got me thinking.”

“Reassessing the ‘anything’ you said you would do?”

“No!” he declared emphatically. “When they told me about Sarah Cashien’s project, it shook me up. Casey is way too much like I was as a teen. I’m guessing she is suffering at least as much as I did. If I can make a real change for her, ‘anything’ gets capitalized.”

“How will your project help your daughter?” she prodded.

“Doc, we both need the same things. I think any project should be the Casey and Drew project.”

“And your wife and son don’t need projects?”

“I didn’t mean to imply that,” he corrected. “Everyone can use some kind of change. But Kelli - well, she probably sees some things, but I don’t. And Cam isn’t having to deal with many limitations. The fact that he couldn’t carry a tune in a pickup truck won’t hurt him much if he’s a sports star. If the sports don’t pan out, he has the brains to do well elsewhere.”

“See if I summarize this correctly, Drew. The same personality characteristics that made you an outcast and a victim as a teen are limiting your potential for advancement to a more meaningful position in your company. Is that about right?”

“Good. Very succinct.”

“And this is the first time you have realized that?”

“Of course not. In the old company, my value was the ideas and products I developed. I was rewarded and encouraged for that. I made as much as the top management, not even counting royalties. So, I knew my limitations, but they didn’t matter.”

“Tell me what it is about a V.P. position, for instance, that you will find worthwhile. What about it will meet your definition of significance?” Rebecca challenged.

Drew could not remember ever being caught doing the drowning fish bit, but he did it right then. When he managed to close his mouth, he just stared at Rebecca for many seconds. “So, you’re telling me I should forget the management track because it would not make me happy?”

“I’m not telling you anything, Drew. I am trying to make sure that you consider all of the aspects of each possible future path.”

“Whew! I guess in my, um, panic for the recognition I thought I deserved, I forgot about what I would do in that job,” he admitted glumly.

“Frankly, I was surprised that you seemed so interested,” Rebecca agreed. “Now, as I understand it, your success has come from using sophisticated computerized models to map and manipulate genetic codes. Is that close?” she asked. He nodded. “Let’s suppose that you could use sophisticated models to map and manipulate something else - say, the financial markets. Or maybe the weather. Do you think your level of fulfillment upon success would be as great?