Chapter 4: Friday, Close To Midnight, Trans-Path Technologies

Bent over a lab bench, eyes red from staring at a monitor, I watched the sine wave settle into a smooth curve and held my breath wondering if it would spike again.

I should never have accepted this challenge. It had nothing to do with not being able to fix the problem. I was quite sure I'd get it licked in the next week or so. My problem was Cassie, or more specifically, Mary, her mother.

Something strange happened as I worked on Trans-Path Technologies' problem. I experienced guilt and it didn't sit well. It was an uncomfortable queasiness in my gut. I'd known Mary since Cassie had been born. I had huge respect for her. She'd done everything for her daughter, working two jobs so Cassie could have a stable home.

Mary was a proud woman, seven years my senior. She'd refused any help from me financially under the mistaken belief that I wasn't well off. But she'd accepted my babysitting services, always bringing over a pie or a home cooked dish as a thank you. We liked each other a lot and I felt guilty, as if I was betraying her trust.

I could feel my desire for Cassie as a physical force. But mentally I worried. What I'd experienced with Cassie I'd never regret. But it wasn't complete. Being away from her, outside the orbit of her intense allure, I understood what was missing; a lack of guilt. Mary was a big stumbling block. She was the moral mountain in my path.

I watched the sine wavy spike and sighed with disappointment. Back to the drawing board.

Standing and stretching my back I reviewed my decision. I'd fretted and pondered until I'd come to the only conclusion I could; the only solution to my guilt. I'd have to wait. I'd have to convince Cassie to wait three more years until she was eighteen. Fuck!

An assistant in a white lab coat handed me a pile of printouts - the test data I'd now have to review through the night. Damn.