Chapter 70: Acid Test

August 12, 1994, Chicago, Illinois

“Fuck ‘em all,” I sighed. “Especially Donald Fehr. Running to Federal Court, the NLRB, and Congress? I’m really tired of the government putting its thumb so heavily on the scale.”

“Well, we’re not going to resolve that problem today,” Elyse said. “Jackie and Jeremiah want to come over.”

I chuckled, “Why am I not surprised? I bet you anything he had a rough sketch done ten minutes after they hung up the phone.”

“They want to discuss options. Kimmy felt you and I should be involved because it would reconfigure most of the second floor.”

“OK. I’m free this afternoon. Set it up.”

“I will. You saw Doctor Al last night. How is he?”

“How do you think?” I chuckled. “He’s going stir-crazy. He has a checkup today with Doctor Washington to be cleared to go back to work. I talked to Malik yesterday when I had my checkup, and he said he’s sure Al is fine.”

“Talk about a scary situation.”

“True. On the plus side, if you are going to have a heart attack, having the chief of cardiology ten feet away, along with a trauma surgeon and an internist, and having a couple of dozen other doctors nearby, that’s probably the time to do it. Not to mention a paramedic and some nurses!”

“And you. You managed that very well.”

“As I said to Bo and Gina, I could have freaked out and run around as if my hair was on fire, but that would hardly have helped Al.”

“True. The ad for the office manager will run in the Sunday Trib. I assume you want Kimmy to screen the candidates.”

“Absolutely. She should do the initial interviews and then bring her top three candidates to see you, me, Julia, and Cindi.”

“I’ll let her know. Let me call Phelan-Brown and tell them it’s OK to come over.”

I headed back to my office to do some work until lunch, when I drove down to IIT to meet with Doctor Bauer. We had a nice lunch, and I agreed to speak to several computer science classes as well as do the usual lecture for the software development class. It didn’t exactly fit with my simplification strategy, but I felt it was something worthwhile to do. I arrived back at the office just as Jackie and Jeremiah were walking in. We greeted each other and went up to the Lemieux Room, where they spread drawings on the large conference table.

“How’s the family?” I asked Jeremiah.

“The kids are good. Sharice is pregnant again. She’s due in January.”

“Congratulations,” I said warmly, then smirked, “You DO know what causes that, right?”

He laughed, “She wants four, at least, and doesn’t want to have kids after she’s 30.”

“She’s insane, Steve,” Jackie laughed. “Completely insane!”

“Yours are what, four years apart, right?”

“Yes. And two is MORE than enough. And you’re crazier than Sharice is!”

“I won’t argue with you,” I chuckled. “So what do you have for us?”

“I think this is your best plan,” she said, pointing to a drawing marked ‘Revision G’.

“‘Revision G’?” I asked.

“The end result of several compromises between Jeremiah and me. The other two drawings are a ‘his-and-hers’ set. This is probably the one you want.”

I quickly scanned the three drawings.

“Typical Phelan-Brown work,” I grinned. “The end result is always a good mix of form and function. I like the idea of the long hallway ending in an open office for Kimmy, with ours to the left of hers as you face her desk. It conveys the whole ‘open door’ idea.”

“Kimmy said that was extremely important to you. This way, there is no door to shield you. And the wall between you and Kimmy is glass, conveying a completely open space. There would be double doors that would open completely flat back against the glass partition under normal circumstances.”

I nodded, “I like it. I like it a lot. That is exactly the message we want to send. What about the other offices?”

“In order to give you the additional space, we’re eliminating the smallest conference room. Kimmy says you rarely use all of them. That way, we can preserve the space for the offices, the daycare room, and the kitchenette. We’ll reconfigure things a bit, but it’s easy enough because we used modular construction for the interior conference rooms. The Lemieux Room will be about eight inches shorter, but that shouldn’t create any issues. We also had to do a bit of creative thinking to avoid problems with your private bathroom, so you will have to walk past Kimmy to get there, but it’s still private.”

“What about the fire escape at the end of the hallway?” I asked. “You changed the door for a window behind Kimmy’s desk.”

“We’ll move it to the window that would be just outside her area, making that a door. There’s enough room outside in the alley without losing a parking spot, and the city codes allow for it.”

“Do you have a cost estimate?” I asked.

“Believe it or not, it’s not going to be very expensive,” she said, sliding a sheet of paper across the table to me. “You’ll pay an hourly labor rate to have the modular walls reconfigured, and you’ll need to purchase a couple of pieces because the Lemieux Room’s dimensions change. We’ll store the extra pieces for future use. The main costs, really, are the glass partition and moving the fire escape. The only concern Kimmy had was that Keri and Chris would move to an office along the front of the building, instead of being at the top of the stairs. But she felt, in the end, that would work.”

“And the office count goes down by one as well, because of Kimmy’s new space, right?”

“Yes, but you still have several open offices along the front of the building, plus one downstairs, and room to add at least six workstations in the open area should you need them.”

I nodded, “I think this is an excellent plan. Elyse, any concerns?”

“No. There will be a bit of chaos while it’s happening, but I think we can handle it. Too bad your trip to Europe is only a month away. That would have been the perfect time to do it.”

“Some things can’t be helped,” I said. “Jackie, go ahead and draw up the formal blueprints. Kimmy has my authority to act on this, as usual.”

“We’ll get this done as quickly as possible,” Jeremiah said.

“Thanks. Kimmy? I want new decor for my office, please. I mean everything.”

“What?”

“Japanese.”

“Steve, you might want to keep the sofa for guests who can’t sit on pillows on the floor,” Elyse said.

“Actually, I have an idea. Jeremiah, this empty office next to the far wall of my new office; could we put a door between them? Actually, make it hanging beads or something.”

“Sure. That’s possible.”

“Good. Then we’ll put normal furniture in there — the sofa, a couple of chairs and the coffee table. But my office, except for the two workstations, will be Japanese. Wall coverings, art, plants, the whole works. The current artwork can move.”

“Including your autographed Lemieux poster?” Kimmy asked.

“Let’s not go completely off the deep end,” I chuckled.

“Got it,” Kimmy laughed. “Mario-san stays!”

“Do you think you should check with Penny?” Elyse asked.

“As if Penny would say ‘no’ to Steve for ANYTHING?” Kimmy laughed.

“Or you?” Elyse asked with an arched eyebrow.

“And this is where Phelan-Brown makes a hasty exit before we’re called to answer subpoenas!” Jackie laughed.

Elyse offered to walk Jackie and Jeremiah out, and Kimmy and I stayed behind to talk.

“I’m going to need some help with the Japanese decor,” she said. “That’s way beyond anything I know about.”

“I’m seeing a Japanese friend of mine on Sunday. I’ll ask her if it’s OK to put you in touch. She has a good handle on traditional Japanese culture and she should be amenable.”

“Is the new dress code going to be kimono and whatever it is guys wear?”

“Guys wear kimono, too, just a different style. By the way, that word which literally means ‘thing to wear’, is both singular and plural. You know my karate uniform? What we call a ‘gi’? Well, that’s not accurate in Japanese, because it’s really a «keikogi» or «dōgi» — a training uniform. In Japanese, the base symbol for the two sounds ‘ki’ and ‘gi’ is the same, with the ‘g’ or ‘k’ sound determined by a «dakuten», which is the rough equivalent of an accent mark.”

“So kimono for everyone? We’re going Japanese?”

“I’m thinking that might be a bit much,” I chuckled. “But I bet you would look cute in a kimono!”

“Not in a couple of months! I’m going to look like I swallowed a bowling ball!”

I smiled, “I find pregnant women incredibly sexy! But let’s get back to work.”

Kimmy smiled, gathered the plans from the conference table and headed back to her office, while I went to mine.

“You’ll like the new plans,” I said to Penny.

“Can I see them?”

“Sure. Just ask Kimmy to show you. Tell her I said it’s OK. One thing, though, we’re going to change out all our furniture except our workstations for Japanese decor with bonsai plants, Japanese art, and Japanese furniture.”

“I’ll be your geisha!” Penny giggled.

“Geisha don’t have sex with the men they entertain.”

“So like now?” she teased. “Your Japan trip really affected you deeply, didn’t it?”

I nodded, “It was life-changing. My goal is to make our office as peaceful and calming as possible.”

“I’m going to go see Kimmy and look at the layout.”

She left and was back five minutes later.

“I love it!” she grinned, then added, softly, “Thanks for keeping me right next to you.”

“Do I look like I have a death wish?” I teased. “But seriously, I promised you that we’d always be together, Pretty Penny, and I am not going to go back on my word. Ever.”

August 13, 1994, Chicago, Illinois

“What time are we leaving for the movie?” Elyse asked on Saturday morning as we ate breakfast.

“It’s a 2:10pm showing, so probably as soon as we finish lunch. It’s going to be a zoo with more than a dozen kids and as many adults! Is Eduardo coming?”

“Yes. The boys and I will go have lunch with him and meet you all at Water Tower Place.”

“Cool. Bethany begged off. She’s due in the next two weeks and has no desire to be in a movie theater when she goes into labor!”

“I can see that,” Elyse nodded knowingly. “You’re bringing Nicholas?”

“He’s riding with Jennifer, Josie, and Jesse. The Penfields and Jaegers will meet us there.”

“They’re not bringing the baby are they?”

“No. Keith will stay with one of Kathy’s teacher friends.”

“Daddy?”

“Yes, Pumpkin?”

“What movie?”

“The Lion King. It’s about a baby lion who grows up to be an adult lion.”

“A cartoon?”

“Yes, like a cartoon. With lots of singing.”

“Could Rachel and Tiffany come?”

“I suppose, if it’s OK with Mommy.”

“That’s fine,” Kara said. “We can call them a little later, before we go to karate.”

“We’re going to need to get a few things for Albert to start kindergarten,” Jessica said. “I guess Michael will need some things, too.”

“We could go out tomorrow afternoon,” Elyse said. “Steve has plans and Eduardo’s flight to Buenos Aires leaves at noon.”

“That flight is longer than my flight to Japan!” I said. “It’s like fourteen hours!”

“He changes planes in Miami, so it’s not a straight shot like LAX to Tokyo.”

“Shopping tomorrow sounds like a good plan, Elyse,” Jessica said. “I need to get Ashley’s birthday presents as well. Want to come along, Kara?”

“If Michelle will watch the kids,” Kara said.

“I will,” she said. “So long as it’s after I get home from church.”

“Is 1:00pm OK?”

“Sure. I can be home by then for sure.”

“Will Jodie be here tomorrow for dinner?” Elyse asked.

“Yes. She’s arriving during the afternoon. She can’t move into her dorm until next weekend, but it was easier for her brother and his wife to bring her down this weekend.”

“Nanny room or guest room?”

“Nanny room,” I said.

“When is Mitsuko coming back?”

“Next weekend. I talked to her last week. She wanted us to visit Sensei Daniel’s dojo, but the timing just won’t work out.”

“Did you tell her about your promotion?”

“Yes, but she couldn’t talk long. I’ll see her for lunch once she comes back.”

We cleaned up the breakfast things and then went to the sunroom to hang out until it was time for karate. After karate practice we ate a hasty lunch, then rounded up the kids and headed to Water Tower Place to see The Lion King. The kids loved it, and both Tiffany and Rachel joined us, along with Tiffany’s mom. Seeing Rachel reminded me I needed to formulate a plan to deal with ‘Little Tony’ now that I was back more or less into the swing of things. While dealing with him might cause some short-term angst, getting rid of Brandon Littleton would certainly help to simplify my life.

August 14, 1994, Chicago, Illinois

I met Ailea at her grandfather’s house, but she immediately locked the door and followed me back to my car for our drive to the NIKA loft. She had her «furisode» with her, and I had a surprise waiting back at the loft. As soon as we arrived, I excused myself and went to the bedroom. I put on my kimono, and then went back to the great room to find Ailea waiting in her red «furisode».

“Oh my God!” she gasped. “That is PERFECT! Did you get that in Japan?”

“I did. You like it?”

“Like it? It makes me want to drag you to bed!”

“And not wearing it would mean you wouldn’t?”

“It depends.”

“On?”

She smirked, “If you were NAKED...”

I laughed, “Our lunch should be here shortly. It’s Chinese, though. I hope that’s OK. The Japanese place I know doesn’t deliver.”

“It’s fine. Want to make out before the food arrives?”

“I thought we’d talk a bit. Don’t you want to hear about my trip?”

“I heard you tell my grandfather that you’re «godan». That’s pretty impressive. He was truly shocked that you received a double promotion. That almost never happens.”

“So do you want to hear more?”

“After!” she giggled. “We can talk while you recover!”

The buzzer rang and our food arrived, cutting short the banter. We sat at the table and ate our beef and pea pods with white rice. When we finished, I tossed the containers into the trash and made a mental note to take the trash to the dumpster when we left so the apartment didn’t smell like Chinese all week.

We moved to the bedroom and enjoyed each other’s bodies for nearly an hour before we cuddled close to talk. I gave her the highlights, leaving out the fact that Sakurako and I had become lovers.

“It sounds like you had a very good time; well, minus those students coming after you.”

“They won’t do it again,” I said, stroking her hair.

“Do you plan to go back?”

“I would love to, but it’s not in the cards anytime soon. We have a family trip to Russia planned for next Summer, and I don’t have a legitimate business need to go to Japan.”

“You said you were going to be away next month?”

“Yes, I’m going to Europe for a few weeks on business. School starts soon for you, right?”

“A week from tomorrow. I bought my books on Friday. I was shocked! How can they charge $200 for a single chemistry book?”

“Because they have a captive market,” I said. “The school specifies which book and which edition, and you can pretty much only get the books via the bookstore. But that makes me wonder if there isn’t some other way to do it. Maybe through another university which might be cheaper, or some third party that would let you order the books.”

“So like mail order?”

“That’s what I’m thinking. I don’t know of any place which does that, but I can check on Usenet and ask around, and maybe see if I can find something via my computer. There are lots of things available on the Internet, and maybe textbooks are one of them. But I honestly don’t know.”

“Regular bookstores don’t carry them, do they?”

“No, and if you special order, you’ll pay at least as much as the University bookstore charges.”

“It would be cool if you could find them cheaper for me. Think you’re ready?”

I chuckled, “There’s only one way to find out!”

She slid down and used her mouth to discover I was, indeed, ready to go again. She mounted me and rode me gently to several small orgasms before we had mutual crushing orgasms. We cuddled for a bit, then showered, and I took her back to her grandfather’s house.

Jodie had arrived while I was out and was already settled in her room. We caught up on what she’d done over the Summer and my trip to Japan, then discussed her schedule and the computer science classes she’d be taking this quarter. We finished just before it was time to prepare the family dinner.

August 17, 1994, Chicago, Illinois

On Wednesday afternoon I made three phone calls. The first was to Krishnadasa Acharya, the yogi Anala recommended. He knew who I was once I’d said I was Anala’s friend from many years ago, and we made an appointment for September 3rd at the Hindu temple in the Western suburbs, not far from her parents’ home in Woodridge.

My second call was to the Buddhist Temple of Chicago, where I spoke to a man who was clearly Japanese and explained my situation. He suggested I come some Sunday morning for services, and that if I sought him out at the book table, he would introduce me to Ashikaga Yukei, the current minister of the temple. I let him know it probably would be after my return from a trip to Europe, and he said to simply come when I was ready.