Chapter 73: Another Fine Mess

August 28, 1994, Chicago, Illinois

The phone rang in my study at 5:42am. I extricated myself from my cuddling with Birgit and hurried to my office.

“Steve? This is Kathy. Bethany and Tom had their baby about twenty minutes ago!”

“Fantastic!” I exclaimed. “Details?”

“Eight pounds on the nose. His name is Robert Thomas Quinn, and they plan to call him ‘Bobby’.”

“Very, very cool. Mom and son are doing OK?”

“Absolutely. Nicholas is ecstatic.”

I chuckled, “I bet. I’ll let Jesse know there’s another boy to recruit into the gang. Tell Bethany I’m happy and tell her and Tom ‘Congratulations’.”

“I will. She said you could come by the hospital later today if you wanted.”

“I think I’ll let her get him home first. I remember my wives when they had just given birth.”

Kathy laughed, “Been there; done that. I’ll let her know.”

“Thanks, Kathy!”

I hung up and went to tell Birgit that Bethany had her baby and she was happy. Of course, she wanted to go see Bobby immediately, but I managed to talk her out of it. When Kara, Jessica, Michelle, and Elyse rose, I let them know about Bethany’s news, and just before Michelle and Jesse left for church, I went out to the coach house to let him and his moms know. As I’d expected, Jesse was ecstatic that Nicholas had a new brother.

Just before 8:00am I left to meet Mitsuko at the dojo. She’d called on Saturday afternoon to say she wanted to practice, rather than go to the loft. I hadn’t pressed her on it, and she didn’t raise the issue when we met. We worked out together for a couple of hours, and then I headed home. Just before 11:00am I left for Lou Malnati’s restaurant on Wells in the Loop for the ISKC meeting. I was pleased to see both Ichirou and Sharon sitting together with an open chair right across from them, which I sat down in.

“I understand congratulations are in order!” Sharon said.

“Thanks,” I said.

“I believe it was well-deserved from all the reports I’ve heard.”

I chuckled, “I take it Ichirou-san has been singing my praises?”

“Not just him,” she said, nodding her head towards Sensei Jim who was further down the table.

“I owe Ichirou-san and his granddaughter a debt of gratitude for all the help they provided, so I didn’t make a complete ass of myself in Japan!”

“Thank you, Steve-san,” Ichirou said. “Are you going to attend these meetings regularly in the future?”

“That’s my intention, yes.”

“I’m sorry you aren’t available to judge next weekend.”

“Right now, I have way too much on my plate and I need to get through the next month so I can start to seriously simplify things. With my family, karate, and work, including a long business trip to Europe, I just can’t take the time.”

“I do understand.”

I had a good time eating pizza and talking with most of the assembled sensei, and finally left the restaurant just after 2:00pm to head home.

August 29, 1994, Chicago, Illinois

“I have to tell Terry,” Penny said to me on Monday morning. “If I don’t, and he finds out later, it’ll be worse.”

“Are you sure?”

She sighed, “Yeah. I don’t know how he’s going to react, but I can’t live like I have the past week.”

“When?”

“Probably on Saturday after he comes home from breakfast with the guys. That way we have until Tuesday to work things out.”

I nodded, “That makes sense. You’ll be OK until then?”

“I’ll be on pins and needles, but I’ll be OK.”

I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, then got up to go to the conference room for the leadership meeting. I made the announcement about Michelle, and there were several surprised looks, but nothing was said. Kimmy reported that she had sent the final plans to Gerald Brown to get a quotation for the work we needed, and we shared the final drawings with the team. When the meeting ended, I wasn’t surprised Dave asked me to talk privately.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Dave asked.

“Michelle approached me, and I asked Kimmy to talk to her. Kimmy made the decision. And I think Michelle can do the job.”

“Yes, but...”

“But what, Dave?”

“There’s a rumor you two are, well, together.”

“It’s not a rumor; it’s true. And that has exactly zero to do with us hiring her.”

“The Board is going to flip out.”

I shrugged, “Kimmy’s new role is within the staffing budget and head count even if we make the other hires we’ve discussed. The Board doesn’t have any say in hiring decisions below C-level. Kimmy’s promotion opens the position which Michelle is going to fill. They can complain and bitch all they want, but this is a decision I get to make.”

“Except for one little problem you obviously haven’t considered. If you continue to sleep with her, you’re both in violation of policy and it requires approval from the Board to waive that policy.”

Which was, indeed, something I hadn’t considered. That said, my dad knew Michelle and I were lovers, and I was confident I could count on support from Joyce and Beth. Al most likely suspected and hadn’t made any issues, but then again, so long as Jessica was happy and doing well at home and at work, I wouldn’t expect him to object.

“My dad knows about my relationship with Michelle,” I said. “This really isn’t any different from the situation with Elyse before she decided to be exclusive with Eduardo. And yes, while Michelle is technically staff, the office manager is one of the most senior non-C-level positions.”

“That may well be the case, but you do have to get formal approval. And if they turn you down, you either can’t hire her or you have to break things off with her.”

“I’ll conform to the policy, Dave. I’ll call Joyce and my dad and formally request approval for the relationship, and I’ll talk to Al. That’s three votes, and Beth will support me as well.”

He shook his head, “One of these days, this is going to come back to bite us.”

“How so?”

“Come on, Steve! You’ve slept with half the female staff at one time or another.”

“Bullshit! That is completely false and you should know better than to say something like that. That may have been true eight years ago, but no matter what rumors you’ve heard, it’s simply not the case. What’s really bugging you, Dave? We’ve always been straight with each other, and pretty close. What’s wrong?”

He took a deep breath and let it out, “Are you and Penny sleeping together?”

“Hell no!” I said vehemently. “It was over between Penny and me when she turned sixteen! Period! What makes you think that?”

“What happened last week; the rumor mill is really going.”

“Well the rumor mill is WRONG, Dave. Penny and Terry have some things to work out, but I am NOT, repeat NOT, involved with her that way. Go ask Terry yourself. He’ll laugh at you. So will Penny. She and I are super close, obviously. But their issue has exactly zero to do with me.”

“And Kimmy?”

I laughed, “I promise you the baby is Gary’s, if that’s what you’re thinking. Kimmy loves to flirt and tease, but I am not involved with her that way. Is that part of the rumor mill, too?”

He nodded, “And that the reason Jeri left is because you slept with her and she broke it off.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, Dave! Did everyone lose their collective minds? You know what happened with the Lundgren Foundation!”

“And Samantha’s dad. You were there when he was arrested.”

“Yes, I was. And I had exactly zero to do with what he did. Hell, beyond asking me what I knew about the girls he hit on at Foundation functions, the cops never asked me a thing. They never even did a follow-up interview. My name never even made the papers. I want to know the source of these rumors.”

Dave shook his head, “I have no idea.”

“Well, I’m going to find out and I’m going to put an end to it. I want to know who you heard this from.”

Dave sighed, “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Dave, somebody is doing their damnedest to undermine morale and undermine me. I need to know. I’m going to trace this back to the source and put an immediate end to it.”

“Alonzo approached me. He wasn’t spreading the rumor, he was expressing his concern. That’s why I came to talk to you.”

“OK. I’ll talk to him. Before I forget, is Maddie here?”

He nodded, “Yes. She’s in with Sam now getting her indoctrination!”

I chuckled, “I think the word in the employee handbook is ‘orientation’, Dave. Let me know how things go with her on a regular basis, please.”

“Don’t trust my judgment?”

“I do. But I reversed my veto so I’m curious as to which of us was right.”

We shook hands, and I went to Alonzo’s desk and asked him to come talk to me.

“Where did you hear the rumors?” I asked.

“Shit, Steve,” he sighed. “I was afraid of this.”

“Of what?”

“A witch hunt.”

“Zo, can we really let this kind of crap fester and build? It’s entirely false and it’s going to wreck morale and could very well cause massive upheaval. Just tell me who you heard this from. The only person who is in real trouble is the person who originated the rumors. The others will just get a mild talking-to about spreading rumors and gossiping.”

He nodded, “And me?”

“You took a concern to Dave, right? You didn’t talk to anyone else?”

“No.”

“Then you did exactly the right thing. So who?”

“Jeannette,” he said. “But I’m pretty sure she’s not the source.”

“But she told others, too, right?”

“I’d say that’s very likely.”

“OK. Send her up to see me, please. I’ll wait here.”

Jeannette came into the ‘Hull’ conference room a few minutes later, looking very nervous.

“Close the door and sit down, please,” I said.

She did, and started trembling.

“What did I do?”

“You’re spreading false, and I mean completely and utterly false, rumors which are undermining me and hurting company morale. It needs to stop this instant. And I need to know who YOU heard them from.”

“I, uh, don’t want to get anyone in trouble.”

“Jeannette, let me be blunt, the person at the end of the line is the one who is going to be in trouble. If you aren’t the source of the rumors, then what I said just a few seconds ago is the end of it and you won’t hear another word from me about it unless you do it again. In the end, if you can’t, or won’t, tell me where you heard them, then I have to assume YOU are the source and deal with you accordingly.”

She took a deep breath, “Mikela.”

And suddenly it ALL made sense.

“Who else did you tell?”

She looked pained, “All the girls on the team.”

“OK. You are to go back to each of them, privately, except for Mikela, and tell them that there is NO truth to the rumors. None. I need to quash this now. Will you do that?”

“Yes. I’m really not in any trouble?”

I shook my head, “No. But there won’t be any warnings in the future. This is the first and last time. Got it?”

She nodded, “Yes.”

“Good. Say nothing to Mikela. I need to talk to a couple of people first.”

“Thank you,” she said quietly.

“You’re welcome. You’re free to go now.”

She got up and walked out. I took a couple of deep breaths and then went to Elyse’s office.

“I need Jamie, Joyce, and the rest of the Board on an emergency conference call. Right now, please. You set it up.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“Mikela is spreading the rumor that I’m sleeping with Penny and that’s what is causing issues with her and Terry. And I’m also apparently sleeping with Kimmy and fathered her baby. And supposedly Jeri quit because we slept together and she wanted to break it off.”

“Shit! Shit! Shit! This is Mikela’s revenge for what happened years ago!”

“So it would seem. Let me know when you have the call set up. It’s truly an emergency. You join us, because you and I are going to terminate Mikela for cause.”

“Whoa!”

“I’m sending a message, Elyse. A loud message. A clear message.”

“You’re going to say WHY she was fired?”

“As much as I can browbeat Jamie into letting me say. He’ll probably refuse to let me tell everyone, but what we’ll do is fire her, then have a Town Hall meeting to quash the rumors. It’s the only thing I can do.”

“Who told you?”

“Dave. Zo went to him when he heard the rumors. I traced it back to the source.”

“Have you talked to Mikela?”

“Hell no! I’m not THAT stupid. I need to talk to Jamie and the Board first.”

Elyse nodded, “OK. I’ll set it up.”

“Thanks.”

“Should Kimmy be there to take notes?”

“No. You’ll need to do it because she was named in the rumors.”

I got up and went back to my office and tried to get some work done, but I couldn’t focus. Elyse came in about fifteen minutes later to say the meeting was set for 8:00am Tuesday morning, which was the best she could do because of Jamie’s and Karl’s schedules. I thanked her and tried to get some work done.

August 30, 1994, Chicago, Illinois

“There is no truth at all to the rumors?” Joyce asked.

“Not a scintilla. None. Zero. Zilch. Zip. Nada. Nil. Naught. Nix. Nary. Nothing. Can I say it any other way?”

“Your history creates a potential problem,” Jamie offered.

“No shit, Jamie,” I sighed. “Why do you think I called this emergency meeting? I need your advice and I need the Board’s input.”

“What IS going on between Penny and Terry?” Karl asked.

“That I cannot divulge. It’s a private matter that does not involve me personally in any way, shape, or form, except for Penny telling me what was wrong.”

“I’m very concerned about your choice for an office manager,” Jamie said.

“Stop right there, Jamie,” I said firmly. “Trust me; do not go there.”

“You can’t have people in positions like that who you currently have, or have had, intimate relationships with.”

“Beth, Joyce, please forgive this indiscretion,” I said. “Gee, Jamie, like my Chairman and Doctor Pater?”

“Fuck,” he sighed. “Sorry; that wasn’t very professional of me.”

“I think we can overlook it,” I chuckled. “I suppose I won’t mention my previous relationship with Charlie which is public because of the lawsuit against IIT. And everyone knows about Penny and me from before she came to work for us. And Elyse as well. So hiring Michelle is happening and I’m asking for the Board to acknowledge it and approve the relationship.”

“Steve,” Joyce said, “I can’t be a hypocrite and I’ll recommend to the Board that they approve it, but please think it through.”

“I have. I had all day yesterday after Dave dumped this pile of manure into my lap.”

“I think I have to agree with Joyce, or resign,” Beth said. “I don’t see any other option.”

“And I think I’d have to resign at that point as well,” Elyse said. “I’m not threatening, but if the Board refuses Steve’s request, that tells me that our policy forbids anyone with a previous relationship with Steve from working here. And once it becomes known, Charlie and Penny may resign in protest as well, though I think Penny will do whatever Steve asks.”

“Dad?”

“You’ve served us up a crap sandwich that we have to eat or potentially wreck the company.”

“I’m not quite sure we can put all the blame on Steve here,” Joyce said. “Each of us knew exactly what his lifestyle was like and accepted seats on the Board. I advised my grandfather to invest knowing far more than anyone else on this Board about Steve’s relationships. Ray, you know full well how he lives his life and have known since he was in High School. And so did you, Doctor Barton. And you, Karl. I just happened to know more details. I think at this point, we either unanimously approve it, or we dissolve the Board and sell our shares back to Steve. I can’t in good conscience tell him not to do something I accepted unquestioningly before today.”

“Well that’s an ugly choice,” Karl said. “Steve, are you absolutely sure this is what you want to do? You’re not getting your back up because you’re being challenged?”

“Karl, before you decide one way or the other, I’d like to bring in Kimmy. She’s the one who decided to hire Michelle. She did an interview and decided Michelle could do the job. I’ll point out that Kimmy didn’t go to college and she did a fantastic job in the role. And ask my dad how she did while I was out with my concussion. She did most of my work, with my dad providing the guidance and leadership. Michelle has two years of school, and, by the way, switched to a management major.”

“It’s not necessary to bring Kimmy in,” Karl replied. “I know all of that is true. Would you answer my question?”

“This isn’t about being stubborn or getting my back up. I need someone in that role I trust implicitly. It’s kind of hard to hire someone from the outside to do it. We discussed promoting Lucas but he’s made it quite clear he’s happy doing what he’s doing and has no interest in promotion.”

“He’s happy with the idea of being a receptionist for the rest of his life?” Al asked.

I chuckled, “When Elyse and I talked about this, I pointed out he has a job he can leave at 5:00pm and forget about, is living with some friends on the North Side, has a really cute girlfriend, and a CD collection that is the envy of music collectors everywhere. He makes enough money to be comfortable, and he’s very, very happy. I did fail to mention to Elyse that his girlfriend works for the city as a civil engineer and makes close to six figures.”

Al laughed, “Never mind. Sometimes I forget not everyone is as driven as all of us on the phone or in your office.”

“So Karl; Doctor Barton?” Joyce asked. “What do you want to do?”

“With some reservations, I’ll agree to the request,” Karl said. “But I want to have a long private talk with Steve.”

“I’m fine with that,” I said.

“I’ll agree with Karl,” Al said, “with the same proviso.”

“Good,” Joyce said. “Now, on to terminating Ms. Kovač. I have no issues with taking action. We cannot have someone disrupting the company in that way. Jamie?”