Chapter 16: «神前結婚» (Shinzen Kekkon) Marriage Before the Kami

October 4, 1983, Chicago, Illinois

When I arrived home on Tuesday, I checked the remodeling first, as I had to walk past the bathroom when I entered the house. The plumbing was done, and some kind of spackle or paste had been spread on the floor. The wallpaper had been stripped, and the walls were sanded. From my perspective, all that was left was the tile and the ceiling fixture. Happy with the progress, I went to the Japanese room to greet Keiko and Atsuko. I thanked Atsuko for her help, and she bade us ‘goodbye’. I kissed Keiko, went upstairs to change, then returned to the Japanese room.

“How are you today?” I asked Keiko.

“Same as yesterday,” she replied. “How was your day?”

“I met with an attorney who is also a CPA who manages several trusts. It’s very likely I’ll bring them on board, which will take my AUM to about $100 million.”

“Halfway to what you need; well, assuming they would all follow you.”

“I think they would, but again, right now, and for the foreseeable future, I’m right where I need to be. I have a lot to learn, and I think, over time, things will improve in the areas where I have concerns. But, yes, that is a significant milestone.”

“That means our net worth is over a million, right?”

“It’s close,” I replied. “But remember, the total tax rate if I were to take out the carried interest would be around 40%, so that number is somewhat misleading. Our income for this year will be around $180,000 after taxes.”

“Unbelievable!”

“Remember, Mr. Matheson makes more than ten times that! And he gets a taste of everything I bring in because my fund is technically run through his desk. And, of course, Noel Spurgeon gets his cut, too, which is bigger than mine, but he pays all corporate expenses from his share.”

“So if you ran your own company, you’d keep a lot more.”

“Yes, but, a good chunk of the new business I’m bringing on board wouldn’t come to me, if it were just me. I don’t have the reputation or credibility. Right now, I use Noel Spurgeon’s reputation and credibility to boost mine. I’ll very likely need to do that for some time. Eventually, I’ll have the rep and cred, but by then, I’ll be earning a million bucks a year without having to worry about running a firm.”

“I know you’ll do it,” Keiko said quietly. “I just wish I’d be here to see it.”

“I know the situation is dire, but it’s not hopeless,” I replied.

“It’s OK to tell the truth, Jonathan,” Keiko replied.

“I am,” I said. “I know that a number of things would have to align and that the odds are against us, but they are not zero; not yet. I want every day possible with you, but I will keep all the promises I made.”

“Thank you,” she said softly, with a nod.

Bianca arrived home, I ate some leftovers, then headed to class. After class, I met Violet, and we walked to the diner.

“Keiko is home now, right?” Violet asked.

“Yes.”

“How is she?”

“I think all I can say is that she’s happier to be at home than she was in the hospital.”

“And everything is still set for Saturday?”

“Yes. My mom is driving up on Friday after school. Is it still OK for her to stay with you?”

“Yes, of course! She doesn’t know, does she?”

“No. The only people we’ve told are you and Bianca. We want to get through Saturday and not ruin the day for everyone. Doctor Morrison gave Keiko a transfusion, so she’s feeling better, and her fever dropped a bit.”

“Is there any chance she could make it?”

“I think until her last breath, there’s a chance; it’s just a very small one. If she beats the infection and doesn’t develop a new one, and they find a compatible donor, and she’s healthy enough for the chemo and radiation necessary to complete the transfusion, then, yes, she could make it. But the odds are very long.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Me, too. But I haven’t given up, and I’m encouraging Keiko not to give up until there is literally no hope.”

“How are you doing?”

“As I said to Bianca, I need to be strong for Keiko, but I also know I’ll need someone to help me through this when the time comes.”

“You should speak to Nancy Jane Moore, my counselor. You liked her, and she’s really helped me.”

“When the time comes, I’ll worry about that. Right now, I have to focus on Keiko.”

“I understand.”

Violet slipped her hand into mine for the rest of the walk to the diner. It was comforting, and I knew I could count on her for support when the time came. It would be a reversal of our roles, but one that seemed fitting for our relationship.

October 5, 1983, Chicago, Illinois

On Wednesday, I went in early as planned and was happy to find that Mark Ness had sent the application materials via courier at the end of Tuesday. I set them aside to work on my daily report, and once it was complete, I took the documents to Compliance for vetting, then returned to my desk.

I reviewed the daily reports from the other analysts, making notes about style and format, as I wanted to eventually have every report in the same basic format and style. Once I’d done that, I sat with Scott to review my daily FX report, and when we had finished, I was comfortable that he’d be able to write Thursday’s report. We agreed he’d come in early to work on it so we could review it together before it was sent to the desks.

Just after 10:00am, Mr. Matheson called me into his office and had me shut the door.

“Enderlee blew his stack about his secretary having to print out the analyst reports.”

“Of course he did,” I said. “I mean, it takes a whole three minutes to select the documents on the screen, press the correct set of keys, and then get them from the printer. He could lose MILLIONS during those minutes! And it’s not his secretary’s job! And I should be fired for even suggesting it!”

Mr. Matheson laughed, “Pretty much spot on. But don’t worry about it. I believe he’s dug his own grave.”

“How so?”

“He put in orders for a huge position opposite you on the Philippine peso.”

“I hope that was his own money, not client money.”

“Client money. Compliance flagged the trade because he’s never traded currency in those amounts before, and Noel canceled the trade before it was executed. He and Spurgeon are having it out now, and you know how that ends.”

“Enderlee’s year-to-date returns are about half the firm median, and he’s dragging us all down, so he has nothing to save him.”

“You could have his desk if you asked.”

“First, I don’t have a Series 30 license, so I couldn’t supervise Langdon. Second, I am not ready to run a desk. Third, I provide more value to Spurgeon Capital by establishing the Research Department.”

“Your AUM has gone from a couple million to a hundred million in nine months. What could you do if you were full-time?”

“I could bring in more, potentially, but right now, the Research Department is more important than another hundred mil in AUM. When the Research Department is up and running, and the data analysts develop the new programs, and I have more experience, then I’ll be ready.”

“That is exactly what Noel Spurgeon said when I suggested giving you the desk. I agree, by the way, but I wanted to see your reaction.”

“A meteoric rise often leads to the same fate as the meteor — it burns up on re-entry. I’ve probably come up too fast as it is.”

“Says the guy who was demanding the training manuals, basically from the moment he started!”

“But that was logical,” I replied. “Giving me a desk at this point is not. It’s like betting the streak at the roulette table — it’s great betting the streak while it lasts, but it can’t last forever. At this point, I need to bank my winnings, as it were, and consolidate. Not to mention, I have a personal issue, which is going to take significant amounts of my time.”

“How is Keiko?”

“Resting comfortably at home. Her fever is down, and we’ll see what the blood tests they’ll run next week say.”

“No donor?”

“Not yet,” I replied. “But we’re hopeful.”

“It’s a shitty hand you were dealt, Kane. You seem to be playing it as best you can.”

“Thanks.”

“Enderlee will be gone by lunch; Noel will take over his desk temporarily and probably bring in someone from the outside to run it. Go make some money!”

“Yes, Sir!”

I left his office, returned to my desk, and worked on developing the standard format for the daily reports until lunch. I ate with Bianca, then went to the gym. After our workout, I spent the afternoon with Scott researching S&Ls and banks, and at 3:00pm, I headed home.

When I arrived, Bob Woods had just finished remodeling the bathroom.

“Please don’t use this until Friday evening or even Saturday. You want the grout and cement to set properly before you get them wet. I tested everything, carefully. You can run water in the sink if you wish, and I have a bucket if you want to test the hand-held showerhead.”

“If you tested everything, I’m happy.”

We shook hands, and I paid him the remaining balance in cash. He left, I went upstairs to change, then went to spend time with Keiko so we could visit Rush-Presbyterian’s outpatient clinic to have her IV port removed. If she needed an IV in the future, they’d use the standard method. Once it had been removed, they gave us care instructions, and we headed back home for dinner and a quiet evening.

October 6, 1983, Chicago, Illinois

“Kane, you fucking witch!” Mr. Matheson exclaimed when he walked into the office just before 8:00am on Thursday.

“You saw?” I asked.

“I saw. Devalued from 11 to the buck to 14, or about 21%! And you nailed the cause exactly right!”

I nodded, “The Central Bank said the move was necessary because of an $800 million balance-of-payments deficit in the third quarter, the dollar, the potential erosion of international reserves, IMF pressure in exchange for rescheduling loans, and,” I smirked, “increased speculation against the peso!”

“Yeah, we and the banks in London, Tokyo, Singapore, and Hong Kong all dogpiled on them, so they were screwed. Great call, Kane! Go find another!”

“Australia, but I don’t have the information I need.”

Mr. Matheson nodded, “I’m working on that, but you know it has to be done correctly.”

“Understood.”

“How do I do that?” Scott asked once Mr. Matheson had walked away. “I mean, what you did with the peso?”

“Crunch the numbers,” I said. “I’ve been working with Bianca on a spreadsheet and other programs to be able to quickly analyze a currency and an economy. It took a lot of manual work before; now, you just need to do the research the way I’ve shown you, plug in the numbers, and then interpret what you see. You should pull my analyses on the Bolivar and Zaïre and compare the reports and figures to the Philippine peso reports and figures. I think it’ll be instructive.”

“What’s the bit about the Australian dollar?”

“They’re going to come under increasing pressure to float, but if we get in too soon, they can defend, and nobody else will go with us. If we get in too late, everyone else beats us to the best positions. What we need to do is watch carefully and read statements by their Prime Minister, Finance Minister, and especially the mid-level people in the Finance Ministry. The clues will be there, but only if you’re looking for them.”

“Sure, but isn’t everyone looking for them?”

“Yes; we just have to be more diligent and agile and pull the trigger as soon as we’re sure enough that Mr. Matheson can convince his banker friends to dogpile the way he did with the Philippine peso, though only after he takes his positions.”

“And you?”

“I’ve bought some January put options on Australian dollars, which I’ll cover as soon as they move. That trade to acquire the put options won’t even be noticed because I’m a small fish in a big ocean.”

“That makes sense because it’ll take a hit.”

“An immediate hit, but it will recover because Australia is actually in a good position. Their problem is trying to maintain the peg, which chews up significant amounts of their foreign reserves. Floating the currency frees a good chunk of that, and also relieves pressure on the Central Bank.”

“What’s your overall strategy?”

“It depends on what they do. We have to watch for the signs.”

“Which are?”

“Changes in capital flows, changes to the currency peg, the options market, and anything the government says. I’ll work with you on it, but you’ll get the hang. Look back at the previous analyses.”

“Will do.”

When all was said and done, I’d made about 18% on my investment, but my total was limited by the fund guidelines I’d established. It was enough that the fund would easily make 30% for the year, barring any significant errors. One thing that held me back was the amounts I had to keep in US government securities, but given the terms for the pension fund and charitable fund, I had to be in a position to handle redemptions. The flip side was those government securities also protected against huge losses, as they would retain their value and, in fact, would increase in value as interest rates dropped.

My phone rang at about 10:00am.

“Kane.”

“Noel Spurgeon. Fantastic call on the peso, Kane. Keep it up!”

“Thank you! And you can count on it.”

“I’ll see you on Saturday at Chicago Botanic Garden.”

“Keiko and I appreciate it.”

He disconnected the call, and I returned to my usual analysis. At lunch, I left the office to meet Marcia, who had started her new role working for Congressman Charles Hayes. We had a good lunch, and she let me know she was bringing a date to the wedding — a guy who worked in the same office with whom she’d hit it off right away. From everything she said, it seemed like she’d found someone who might well be ‘the one’, but only time would tell.

After our lunch, I returned to the office and found that Steve Markman had faxed me three résumés, so Bianca and I went into the conference room to discuss them. We liked two of the three and agreed she would do telephone interviews. I called Steve Markman to arrange that, and once all the details were settled, I transferred him to Bianca to work out the times.

October 8, 1983, Glencoe, Illinois

On Saturday, Keiko and I drove to Glencoe, arriving at Chicago Botanic Garden about ninety minutes before our wedding ceremony was planned to start. The nurse assigned by Horizon Hospice arrived at about the same time, and Keiko was pleasantly surprised that she was a Japanese-American named Aiko. I felt that was a very nice touch by the agency, and it meant that Keiko’s nurse was completely familiar with the ceremony.

Keiko’s grandmother and grandfather arrived a few minutes later and assisted both of us with donning our formal kimono. Once we’d done that, Dustin took photos of the two of us in front of a large floral display; then we went to a small lounge to wait for the ceremony to start. My uncle arrived, and Keiko, her father, and her grandmother reviewed the steps with Uncle Alec and me so we knew exactly what we were expected to do at each stage of the ceremony. They also guided Dustin as to where he ought to stand to get the best pictures as well as stay out of the way of the ceremony.

The Marriage Before the Kami

1. «参進の儀» (sanshin-no-gi) The Procession Ceremony

In a typical Shinto wedding, everyone would have made a procession into the shrine, but as we were at the Botanic Garden, only the immediate wedding party made the procession, led by Keiko’s young cousin, Ailea, from the building to the edge of the garden where we were to be married.

2. «入場» (nyujo) Entrance to the Shrine

At the edge of the garden, we were joined by the rest of our families, which on my side was my mom, my Uncle Alec, and my Aunt Wendy, and, on Keiko’s side, her parents, grandparents, and aunt and uncle. Ailea led us all to where the Shinto priest was waiting for us, away from the altar.

3. «修祓の儀» (shubatsu-no-gi) The Purification Ceremony

Koichi, the priest, ritually washed Keiko’s and my hands and faces with salt and water, then did the same with the table, which would serve as the altar. Once that was completed, he shook an «大幣» (ōnusa), which looked like a large pom-pom and was meant to ward off evil spirits. Finally, he sprinkled the assembled guests with water. He then prayed: