Chapter 23: The Ball Is in Your Court

March 10, 1983, Chicago, Illinois

There was something very wrong with Marcia, but I couldn't put my finger on what it might have been. The only clues I had were that she had claimed to be a party girl in college and that she was ready to settle down. Neither of those things really explained her behavior, and there wasn't much I could do if she wouldn't talk to me while at the same time continually bringing up the topic of sex.

In my mind, Marcia was even more confused than Violet, who at least understood her circumstances and was willing to talk about them, albeit mostly via inference. I wondered if I should have given Violet a more direct answer to her question, but the last thing I wanted to do was pressure her or put her in a position where she was so uncomfortable that she wouldn't want to be around me, which seemed to be the case with Marcia.

When I arrived at the office, I went immediately to see Mr. Matheson.

"Is your friend OK?" he asked.

"Yes. She's out of the hospital, and another friend is staying with her this afternoon. The doctors say she'll be OK."

"Good to hear. Will you need more time off?"

"I don't think so."

"Any word on your passport?"

"No, but I am taking Mr. Spurgeon's advice on who to take with me."

"You lucky dog!" he said in a clearly jealous tone. "Just let me know when, and I'll approve the vacation time for both of you."

"Thanks. Let me get to work. Anything I need to know?"

"Nothing big so far today. Just the usual arbitrage plays and managing the foreign currency accounts for our clients. Foulks is at a client meeting, and Monroe is meeting a prospective client. Both are out of the office."

"OK. Sorry about the morning analyst report not being available."

"You taught me to use the Bloomberg terminal so I could get the news summaries; it just took longer than reading your one-page daily analysis. Get to work!"

"Right away!"

I had just over four hours to do what would normally be a day's work, and I couldn't stay late because I had to go to class. That meant coming in early in the morning, but I could do that as I didn't have plans for after my usual coffee and pie with Violet. I worked as quickly as I could, but gathering and analyzing the information couldn't really be sped up. I was at my desk, only getting up three times — once to get a cup of coffee, once to return it, and once when Lily and Violet arrived to sign the healthcare power of attorney that Nelson had couriered to me.

At 5:00pm, I packed up my satchel and headed for the elevator. Anna caught up with me and stepped onto the elevator with me.

"Is everything OK?" Anna asked.

"Yes. My friend had a minor crisis, but she's OK, and a mutual female friend is helping out, too."

"I would expect you to be a loyal friend."

"I try," I said. "Mr. Matheson said he'd approve simultaneous vacations as soon as I get my passport, which should be in the next few weeks."

"Remember, you promised to go to the nude beach with me!"

"I remember! I'll let you know when my passport arrives."

"Great! Are you free next week?"

"A week from Saturday?"

"Sounds great!"

We parted on the ground floor, with Anna heading for the L while I went to the parking garage to get my car. Twenty-five minutes later, I rang the doorbell at Violet's house and wasn't surprised when Lily opened the door.

"How is she?" I asked quietly. "I didn't want to discuss it when you came to the office."

"She seems to be her usual self," Lily replied. "She's making dinner, is in good spirits, and is still madly in love with you."

I nodded, "I know, but..."

"She told me everything," Lily said, interrupting me. "I know about what happened to her, and that explains a lot."

"It does. Did the social worker call?"

"Yes. She tried to get in touch with the prosecutor who worked the case, but he's no longer with the State's Attorney's office, and that was when Bernard Carey was State's Attorney."

"Carey became President of the Cook County Board," I said. "What now?"

"They're researching the case and should have an answer tomorrow."

"OK. Thanks for staying with her."

"I'm going to have breakfast with her in the morning before she goes to work, and I go to class."

"Great!"

We went to the kitchen, where Violet was putting the last touches on dinner.

"How are you?" I asked.

"What?" Violet asked with a smile. "Lily didn't fill you in at the door?"

"She did, but I felt I should ask how you're feeling."

"I'm OK. Nervous about what will happen, but not like last night."

"And you'll be fine tomorrow?"

"I think so. I'm obviously worried that my mom will try to contact me."

"I don't know much about how it works, but I'm sure there are rules for parolees. I suspect your social worker will know. You should ask her."

"I will," Violet said. "Dinner is ready. We'll eat in the dining room."

We had a very nice dinner, then the three of us cleaned up, and when it was time to head to class, Violet and I walked Lily home, then headed to Circle. After I walked Violet to her classroom, I headed for mine and saw Teri standing outside, so I went up to her.

"Hi," I said.

"Hi. Can we have coffee and talk?" she asked.

"We could," I replied. "How about Saturday afternoon? If you want to meet for dinner, we could as well. I don't have plans for Saturday evening. If that's too much like a date, coffee is fine."

Teri laughed softly, "I'm not going to turn down a free meal!"

"OK. I'll pick you up around 5:30pm. Where would you like to go?"

"I should say Chez Paul!"

"Well, given how much of a dog you think I am, I could make a comment about that, but I'll refrain and ask you to make another choice."

"I actually want to hear what you were thinking; I promise not to be upset by it."

"That Chez Paul would warrant far more than just a good-night kiss!"

Teri laughed, "That is exactly what I expected you to say!"

"And I hope you know it's not true. I'd never expect a quid pro quo, so to speak."

"Most guys at school think a date with dinner and a movie warrants a make-out session."

"I'm not most guys, despite your belief that I'm a dog!"

"How about the Parthenon in Greek Town?"

"Perfect."

We went into class, and just over two hours later, I met Violet at the diner for pie and coffee, as we regularly did after class. She seemed fine, and when I walked her home, she gave me a hug and kiss, though the hug lingered a bit more than usual.

"You're sure you're going to be OK?" I asked when she broke the hug.

She nodded, "I know you'll protect me, so I feel safe. And Lily is really sweet, too."

"She is. If you need anything, and I mean anything, including just wanting to talk, call me any time, day or night."

"Thanks," she said, then gave me a very rare second hug and an even rarer second kiss on the cheek.

Once she had gone inside, I headed home.

"You should have called," Shelly said as soon as I walked in the door.

"You're right," I admitted. "I thought about it, but you would have been in class, and then I was busy. Violet is fine now."

"What happened?"

"Let me change, then let's sit with Bianca, and I'll explain as best I can."

Shelly agreed, so I went upstairs and changed from my suit into sweats, then went downstairs, got a glass of ice water, and went to the front room.

"I have to limit the details I give, but what I can say is that Violet's panic attack wasn't related to me but to something that happened before we met. Both her parents are in prison, and her older sister is in a mental hospital."

Both Shelly and Bianca gasped.

"Whoa!" Bianca exclaimed.

"What Violet found out was that her mom was being paroled as of Saturday, and that caused her to freak out a bit."

"What did they do?" Shelly asked.

"I'd prefer not to say, except that they were sentenced to twenty-to-life, but for some reason, which we don't know, her mom is being paroled after only six years."

"You know that's public information, right?" Bianca asked. "It would be fairly easy to find out why they were incarcerated. I remember from civics class in High School that all criminal trials have to be public, and the records available, with only limited exceptions."

She was right, I was sure, because I remembered the same thing from my civics and government class Freshman year. Of course, she, or anyone, would have to do the research, and I suspected it would only take a few phone calls and a fee of some sort, and they could find out. For all I knew, you could simply call the prison and ask why someone was incarcerated. It was something I'd have to ask Nelson when I spoke to him.

"They were convicted of molesting Violet's older sister," I said.

"Holy shit!" Shelly gasped. "Your own kid? And the mom, too?"

"That is what Violet said, and I have no reason to doubt her, given both her parents are in prison."

"No wonder her sister is in a mental hospital," Bianca said. "Wait! Did this happen in Riverside six years ago?"

I nodded, "Yes."

"It was a huge thing back when I was a Freshman in High School. Of course, they didn't give the kids' names, but I remember the arrests and prosecution were all over the news. No wonder she freaked out."

"Yeah. Nelson is getting the records from the trial so we can try to figure out why she's being let out early. His speculation is some kind of pre-trial agreement, you know, a plea bargain."

"I agree with Bianca — no wonder Violet freaked out," Shelly said. "But she was OK when you left her?"

"Obviously, or I wouldn't have come home. Lily and I would have worked something out for one of us to stay with Violet, or I'd have brought her here and she could use the bed in the computer room. I did tell her to call anytime, day or night. If she calls when I'm not here, you should call Lily."

"Maybe get one of those beepers doctors have," Bianca suggested. "They send radio signals to notify you, and then you call a number to get your message."

"I bet those are expensive," I said. "And I think with Lily being close, it doesn't make a lot of sense. Violet also has an assigned social worker and is seeing a psychologist, so there's backup if she can't reach me instantly."

"She's dependent on you," Bianca observed. "That could turn ugly."

"A thought which has crossed my mind," I said. "I plan to see her once a week once the semester ends, and we'll take it from there. But I'm fully aware of the potential problem."

"I'm going to guess that what happened when she was growing up is the impediment."

"You would guess correctly," I replied. "All I can do is be her friend and do my best to help her."

"You're a loyal friend," Shelly observed. "That's one of your redeeming qualities!"

"And the qualities that need to be redeemed?"

"You're a bit too logical and analytical," Shelly said. "And please take this in the tone it's meant, you can be a bit self-centered."

I nodded, "Yes, but as I've said, and I've heard others say — you are the one who has to look out for your own best interest, not rely on others to do it for you. I know that comes across as self-centered, and some people consider that acting selfishly or being an asshole, but in the end, I don't see any other way to be successful.

"My counter to that observation is that I don't define self-interest in the way some people do. In my mind, there are many circumstances where it's in my best interest to let someone else have the upper hand or the better part of the deal. And as I've said before, my clients' best interest is always my best interest. Spurgeon and Matheson only care about the almighty dollar."

"That sounds like a distinction without a difference," Bianca objected. "Because to make money, they have to keep the clients happy, which is your argument."

"The difference is that for them if they can make more money by putting the client second, within the regulations, they will; I won't. I know that might be a fine line of distinction, but I want to have the reputation that if you trust me with your money, you'll make more than I do, and I will never put you in an investment where I can gain if you lose."

"Have they done that?" Shelly asked.

"I have no idea," I replied. "But I would never say what Spurgeon said to me — 'go make me some money'. I'd say, 'Go make us' or 'Go make our clients'. It wouldn't be about me, even though it might appear that way to an outsider. Heck, I wouldn't name my company after me, either. The focus has to be on the client, not on the broker or money manager.

"But all of that said, I am going to 'look out for number one' because it's the only wise thing to do. That doesn't mean I don't care for my friends or that I'm not loyal to them, just that I have to take care of myself. Even Christianity has that basic tenet — self first, THEN neighbor!"

Bianca laughed, "Good point! Love your neighbor as yourself implies that you have to love yourself first."

"Bingo. Granted, they put God before everything, but as I don't believe in any gods, I think philosophical necessity requires me to place myself first because the only references I have to anything are my perceptions and my thoughts. There is no external 'guiding force' or anything like that, no 'Platonic Ideal', by which I measure myself and others."

"This conversation is WAY too deep for Thursday night at 10:00pm!" Bianca declared. "Especially without beer or wine to lubricate it!"

"I have a bit of homework, so I'll have to pass on the lubrication."

"Well, I won't, if you let me join you after your homework," Bianca offered sexily.

"Give me about forty minutes to finish my homework, but also be aware I'll be up an hour early tomorrow so I can get to the office early because I missed half of today."

"Then I'll join you, but sleep with Shelly afterwards."

I agreed and headed upstairs to do my homework.

March 11, 1983, Chicago, Illinois

Friday, except for starting early, was a typical day at the office, including going to the gym with Anna. Just after 2:00pm, Violet called.

"There was some sort of plea agreement," Violet said. "My case worker asked for the details, but she hasn't received them and said it might take a few days. She also said that she spoke to the parole officer who would be responsible for my mom, and she, the parole officer, said my mom's parole could be revoked if she contacted me."

"How are you doing?"

"OK, I guess. My case worker gave me the phone number for the parole officer and said to call if my mom does anything, including sending me a letter because that would be a parole violation."

"I'm assuming you want your mom back in prison?"

"Yes, but unless she violates her parole or commits some new crime, she gets to stay out. At least that's what my case worker said."

"I suspect she's right, but I still want to see the details, which hopefully will take less than ten weeks. You have your appointment with your therapist tomorrow, right?"

"Yes."

"Call me if you need anything at all, OK?"

"I will. See you Monday."

We said 'goodbye', I hung up, and at 5:00pm, I left the office. I met Jack, Kristy, and Ellie, whom I'd invited to join us in the building lobby.

"Dinner at Trattoria No. 10, then Second City e.t.c.?" Kristy suggested.

"What's that?" I asked.

"The restaurant or the club?"

"The club. I know Trattoria No. 10 is a nice Italian place around the corner from Maxim's."

"The club is an adjunct to the main club, which is too touristy. There's a local standup show tonight with three or four up-and-coming Chicago comedians. We should have no trouble getting in. The main stage is showing Exit, Pursued by a Bear, which is about a female author who rewrites Romeo and Juliet to be a feminist statement and is murdered. The mystery is played as a comedy. I'm not sure there are tickets available for that."

"I'm OK with either of those," I said. "Ellie?"

"Me, too," she agreed.

"Then let's go!" Jack declared. "Jonathan, we'll need to drive to Piper's Alley, I think."

"That's Old Town, right?" I asked.

"Yes."

"I agree. We can catch the 151 bus, which will take us basically right to Maxim's. After dinner, we can take the 151 bus back here and drive north."

"Sounds like a plan," Jack said.

We headed for the CTA bus stop and didn't have to wait too long for a bus to come. Because we were basically at the far end of the route, which headed to Union Station, we found seats even though it was rush hour.

"Anything new on the house?" Kristy asked as the bus traveled along Michigan Avenue.

"Nelson, my attorney, received the inspection documents, and everything is arranged with Spurgeon to wire the money to the escrow account, so it's just a matter of paperwork two weeks from today. Well, and then all the work we're going to do the following week. Ellie, are you going to be around?"

"I am. There's nothing really going on, and I'm not going away. Do you need help?"

"The more, the merrier," I replied. "There's a lot to do."

"When can we move stuff into our room?" Kristy asked.

"After we finish the floors," I replied. "The plan is to move all the appliances out, paint, refinish the floors, then have the appliances delivered on Thursday. I'd say that's the day you could move stuff in, given what Shelly's dad said about the floors. We'll cover them in butcher paper to protect them when we move in, which was another suggestion he made.

"My goal is to get the painting done by Sunday, and then first thing Monday, we begin working on the floors. Shelly's dad and a friend will help, and they're renting a machine that will let us strip and sand the floors quickly. Supposedly, it's like those machines they used in our High School to wax the floors."

"That should go fast then, right?"

"He figured we could easily do the entire house in a day, and as soon as a room is stripped, the new finish can be applied. He suggested two coats of oil-based polyurethane, and each coat takes eight hours to dry. That means there should be no problem with Thursday, as we should finish no later than Tuesday afternoon, and that would give the floors at least thirty-six hours to dry before we have the appliances and furniture delivered. I plan to rent a truck for Friday to move all of our stuff."

"OK," Kristy said. "That's Easter weekend, and we're having dinner at my parents' house on Sunday, so we'll probably move everything on Saturday."

Once we pulled away from the last stop before ours, Jack pulled the cable to signal we needed the bus to stop, though given it was rush hour, I was positive there would be people at the bus stop. When the bus pulled up, we exited via the rear doors, then walked the short distance to the restaurant.