The Phenomenal Event
Copyright© 2025 by A Well Traveled Man
Chapter 6
On Wednesday morning, Grif rode his e-bike to his old high school after breakfast. Greg and Nick weren’t around, but he saw Hallie and said hello. She said she had heard he was attending the North Texas Academy now and asked how it was. Grif said she was misinformed, and he accepted a position with a rich TCU alumna. She offered to pay his tuition and expenses for four years. All he has to do is be her boy toy for a year, and then an occasional holiday and a week in the summer afterwards. He said it’s a tough job but comes with good perks.
Hallie laughed and said, “You can’t be serious.” Grif said no, but it would be a great job. He said he would tell her, but she could tell anyone. Hallie agreed, and Grif told her the CIA recruited him and that he’s going to the farm in Langley, Virginia, for training. He left her laughing hard and went into the office. He knocked on Ms. James’ open door and said to come in.
Grif gave her the folder to review, and Amber said Mrs. Jacobs called and said you made a great impression on them. Grif said all they wanted was his body, but he wanted them to want his mind, too. Amber laughed and then reviewed the scholarship offer. She said there were several problems with this, given your acting. Grif agreed and said their attorney was examining it. But he was impressed with the university and its facilities. The question was, are they going to agree to our terms?
They said goodbye, and Grif said, “If they agree and he attends, he’ll get you some yoga pants with TCU on the back.” He left her laughing and returned home. Then he called Daniel Serra’s law office and told the receptionist he wanted to talk to Mr. Serra. She asked his name, and he said Grif. She asked for a last name, and Grif said he didn’t have one. The receptionist refused to forward the call without one. Grif said Great, tell Mr. Serra he’s leaving on a trip and will call when he gets back in February or March. You can explain why you refused to let us talk, and she said,” Please wait.”
Daniel came on the line and asked what he did to upset his receptionist. Grif said he either charms the panties off women or pisses them off. It’s a gift, and they laugh. Daniel asked if they could meet at his office at 9 a.m. tomorrow. Grif said yes, but make sure your receptionist isn’t packing. They laughed and said goodbye. He finished the morning doing the homework for his college online classes.
After lunch, Grif grabbed some cash from his stash and rode his e-bike to the western store. He bought two pairs of boot jeans, two western shirts, and a belt with a silver buckle. A pair of crocodile skin boots caught his eye, and they were on sale, so he bought them too. He figured Mommy would love seeing him arrive dressed as a cowboy, and he laughed, riding home. Grif purchased the jeans long, as the clerk said they would shrink, and they looked better long, lying on the boot instead of a tailored fit.
He washed his new jeans with his dirty ones and his shirts with his other dirty clothes. Dad called and said Mitch Renolds called, and TCU refused our changes to the scholarship. Grif told Dad to call Mich back. Tell him to call TCU back and thank them for refusing. That will allow us to shop SMU, UT, and OU. We’re sure they will gladly have Grif attend and offer transportation and NIL money. Dad said that’s a great idea and would let me know how it goes.
When the laundry was done and put away, he sensed Dad was near, so he went to the kitchen. Dad arrived with dinner, and while they ate, Dad said his idea worked like a charm. Mitch called and said they caved and added transportation and 150k NIL. They are restricted from using your name or image without prior approval. We have an appointment tomorrow night at TCU to sign the scholarship offer. Grif asked if Mommy Amber would be there, too.
Dad asked why, and Grif said he had promised her some yoga pants with TCU on the back. He laughed and said No, we’re leaving my work at 5 p.m. to make the 7 p.m. meeting. But we see if the bookstore is open when we’re done, and they laughed. When they finished dinner, they watched The Beekeeper starring Jason Statham. It was a great action/thriller movie, and Grif memorized the fighting and shooting scenes. When it was over, he went to bed and fell asleep. The tingling sensation started as he drifted into a deep sleep.
Thursday at 8:45 a.m., Grif entered Daniel Serra’s law office and told the receptionist he had a meeting with Mr. Serra at 9 a.m. She asked if he was trying to charm her panties off, and Grif said, “Not if you’re not wearing any.” When he arrived in Daniel’s office, they shook hands, and Grif asked if he had told his receptionist about their conversation yesterday. Daniel said no, and Grif said she was listening to his phone conversations.
He told Daniel about their conversation and said,” Oh my god.” I’ve been trying to determine why trial details leaked to the opposing counsel. Grif said Maybe you should have your office swept for bugs. They heard a scream, and then the front door closed. They went to the reception desk, and a drawer was open on the desk with headphones attached to a receiver/recorder. Daniel asked if they could reschedule the meeting for the same time tomorrow. He needed to call the police, and Grif agreed.
Riding home, he sensed he was being followed, so he increased his speed, made several turns, and then turned into an alley and hid behind a trash bin. At a high rate of speed, an SUV entered the alley, and Grif pushed the trash bin in front of it. The SUV crashed into the trash bin and then into a building. He looked inside and saw the receptionist and a man behind the wheel unconscious. The SUV was smoking, and Grif saw a duffel bag on the back seat floor. He grabbed it and rode home. Grif took the duffel bag upstairs and opened it. Inside was a laptop, a professional camera, lenses, and over 50 memory cards in a plastic case.
He hacked into the laptop, found dozens of investigative files, and knew the man was a PI. The last file was marked only as Grif, and the one before it was Daniel Serra’s court case that he helped with. The file also had contact information on the prosecutor, Stan Putman. So, the PI was working for or selling information to Stan Putman. He turned off the laptop’s GPS and put everything in his stash. There was nothing he could do without bringing attention to himself.
Grif changed into his sweats, went to the garage, and practiced martial arts on the heavy bag. He left his sweaty clothes in the laundry, showered, dressed, and ate lunch. When he finished, Grif ordered a Lyft ride to Allied Technologies. He helped in the labs and did data input for the rest of the day. Before they left, Dad and Grif stopped by to see Gerry Reed, the president. He thanked Grif for his help with Dan Larson and the firewall and anti-virus programs. Then he gave Grif an envelope and shook his hand.
On the way to TCU, Grif opened the envelope containing his first IT consultant check. Dad took it and said it was going into his trust. That way, you’ll only be taxed on the funds you take out. Traffic wasn’t bad until they got to Fort Worth, then it was stop-and-go. They arrived at TCU at 6:30 p.m. and went to the administration building. Mrs. Jacobs welcomed them and ushered Dad and Grif into the conference room. There, she introduced Dad to Mr. Brewer, President of Student Affairs, and Mrs. Engles, Director of Student Enrollment.
Dad and Grif reviewed the scholarship against a copy from their attorney, Mitch Renolds. It was identical, so they signed it. Mrs. Jacobs took Grif to get his student ID made. They took Grif’s photo, which was transferred by computer onto his meal card and student ID/credit card. Mrs. Jacobs said his ID was also a credit card and he would use it when purchasing items at the university bookstore.
While they were gone, Mrs. Engles and Mr. Brewer informed Dad of Grif’s test results. He was shocked to see Grif’s IQ score. They told Dad that there are many IQ tests, and the results can vary. But the one we use gives a good indicator, and Grif has a genius IQ. We’re excited to work with you and him to further his education at TCU. We recommend not telling him about his score, as it sometimes causes issues with the student. Mrs. Engles said they told Grif he only did well, and Dad agreed to keep it confidential.
When Grif and Mrs. Jacobs returned, they gave Grif a list of the courses available online and on campus. They also got his key for his apartment in the graduate students’ dorm and a check for his NIL. Mrs. Engles said he should sign up for the spring semester courses he wants soon to guarantee availability. She also said he should use the holiday break to set up his apartment. It only has the basics, and the meeting ended. They shook hands goodbye, and Dad and Grif went to the bookstore, but it was closed.
On the way home, Dad said, “Well, come back on Saturday, check out the apartment, and make a list of things you’ll need.” That way, we can get everything without being rushed at the last minute. Grif agreed and said we could also go to the bookstore, and they laughed. It was late when they got home, so they went to bed. Grif fell asleep immediately, felt the tingling, and then fell into a deep sleep.
Grif walked into Daniel Serra’s law office on Friday morning, and a new receptionist was at the desk. He told her he had a 9 a.m. appointment with Mr. Serra. She said he was expecting you and to go to Daniel’s office. When he entered, Grif asked where the crime scene tape was and if he could see where the body was found. Daniel laughed and said Yesterday was a nightmare. The police crime scene investigators found listening devices in his office and the conference room. The phones were also tapped, and the recording device was in the reception desk.
Then they found Becky Avery, his receptionist, in an SUV that had crashed in an alleyway two miles away with John Case, a PI. Both were arrested, and they suspected county prosecutor Stan Putman was involved with them. Then Daniel asked Grif how he had noticed the juror and discovered his office was bugged. Grif said he’s observant and analytical, which is handy while studying computer programming. Daniel said That’s a vague answer.
Grif told Daniel to tell him all his secrets, and then I’ll let you know mine, and they laughed. Daniel asked Grif if he would be open to helping him on cases if needed. Grif said he would if his involvement was kept discrete. Daniel asked why, and Grif said he had other things going on and didn’t want any more attention. Daniel asked Grif for his last name, and he said Barrett. Daniel said that he understood why he wanted to fly under the radar. They exchanged contact information and said goodbye.
Returning home, Grif went to TCU’s website, signed in, and registered for his spring semester courses. He chose four on-campus courses and six online courses. The scholarship required him to take a minimum of four courses per semester, but it didn’t specify that they had to be on campus, so he was covering his ass. With the movie schedule, he may need to drop the on-campus courses or test out of them.
After lunch, Joanne called and asked what Grif was doing during Thanksgiving week. Grif said he was visiting Mommy and Jerry in Bel-Air. She laughed and said she had a movie reading set up for Tuesday at 9 a.m. at Warner Bros. Studio. The part is the son of a mobster, and his dad wants to train him to take over the business. He wants to attend law school, and his mother supports his decision. They go out to dinner, and his dad and mother are assassinated, but they only wound him. He escapes and has to find out who betrayed his family.
Grif said it sounded interesting and asked if it would interfere with the filming of Soaring Eagles Revenge. Joanne said there wasn’t a production date yet, so it shouldn’t be a problem. She would email him the information and said goodbye. Grif got out the Italian language folder and listened to four CDs before he sensed Dad was nearby. He shut off the computer and went to the kitchen.
During dinner, Dad said he had another date with Amber on Saturday night. Grif said he’d put a sock on the kitchen door if he had company, and they laughed. Then Dad said they would go to TCU tomorrow morning to be home for his date. Grif asked him if he had told Amber they were nudists yet. Dad laughed and said that would shake her up for sure. We’re taking it slow and still getting to know each other.
After dinner, they watched The Goodfellas, starring Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, and Joe Pesci. Grif paid attention to their mannerisms, speech, and actions. After the movie ended, they said goodnight and went to bed. Grif lay in bed thinking about today and Daniel Serra’s offer. He doubted he could help him much with everything else going on and fell asleep. Then the tingling sensation started, and he fell into a deep sleep.
When they arrived at TCU on Saturday morning, Grif directed Dad to the graduate students’ dorm. His apartment was close to the lounge, and they opened the door. Dad said this was nice, and you had your own bathroom. Grif said yes, but he was hoping for coed showers, and they laughed. They made a long list of what was needed. Things for the kitchen, bath, and bedroom took almost two pages.