Chapter 14: Space Considerations

September 1, 1987, Chicago, Illinois

"I heard that you have some kind of plan to help Ed," I said to Connie.

"There's no plan," she replied. "A witness who saw the shopkeeper alive after Ed left came forward."

That sounded convenient, and I wondered if the witness was real or someone that Anthony had put forward to solve the problem. Certainly, the videotape was real, because I couldn't imagine how Anthony could have faked that, but the witness? Who knew?

"So, is he being released? Or is the prosecutor going to trial?"

"I don't know for sure. You might want to call Ed's lawyer. I certainly can't do that."

She was right about that. I thanked her and then dialed Shane Wator's office in Cincinnati. His secretary said he was on another line and would call me back. About ten minutes later, Kimmy came to the door to let me know that he was on the line.

"I understand that there's a witness who can back up the videotape," I said.

"Yes. Someone came forward to the police last week. I'm not sure how credible the person is, but if their story holds up, we should be able to get Ed released, because there are no eyewitnesses to the victim's death, and there are both videotape and eyewitness testimony which would serve to clear Ed."

"What about the gun?"

"Ed's claim that it was planted carries a lot more weight now. There are no fingerprints on the gun, and the police acted on the testimony of a convicted felon."

"Do you think the prosecutor will drop the charges?"

"He should, if he's smart. He has little chance of winning at this point."

"That's good to hear," I said. "Would you call me and let me know what happens?"

"Sure. Thanks for your help!"

"You're welcome. And thanks!"

I hung up and checked the clock. Bethany probably wouldn't be home from class, and I was sure that her family would have told her. I went back to work, confident that Ed was in much better shape than he had been. If they could get him out of jail in the next few days, he could probably go back to Ohio State, having only missed two weeks of class. That would be tough, but it sure beat sitting in jail for months. Or, if he were convicted, for life.

September 3, 1987, Chicago, Illinois

"Hello, Father," I said, sitting down across the table from Father Basil at lunchtime on Thursday.

"Hello, Stephen, how are you today?"

"OK, I suppose. My friend Stephie went into hospice care on Monday."

He nodded gravely, "So it's only a short time now."

"She's coming up on a year, and that was what they gave her at the outside," I sighed.

"You've told me that she's at peace with this. How are you doing?"

"I don't know for sure," I said. "I cried when Red, sorry, Jason, her husband, called me to tell me."

"Because you know what it means," he said.

"Yes," I said.

"I still don't have any answers for you, except for the hope of the resurrection and life in our Risen Lord."

"Which still feels somewhat like wishful thinking to me," I said.

"Does that mean that it's not true?"

"No, of course not," I said.

"So why are you having lunch with me?" he asked.

I smiled, "Because it actually might be true. In some ways, I hope it's true."

"How do you propose to find out? I mean, besides the obvious way of dying, which I don't think that you're contemplating."

"No, I'm not," I said firmly. "But beyond that, there is no way to know for sure."

"And that's why it's called 'faith', Stephen. The answers, at least those that are available to us in this life, are found in the mysteries of the church — what you would probably call the sacraments — and in the hymns, icons, and Scriptures. This is why I keep asking you to come to church more often. It's not about simply trying to add to my flock, but about helping you to understand the faith. Orthodoxy has to be experienced; it can't be learned from a book. The answers will never come if you don't participate in the life of the Church."

"It's that simple?" I asked.

"I didn't say it was simple, or that it would somehow magically resolve all your issues, but it is the first step. A 'Leap of Faith', if you will. Kierkegaard was making a point against reason and logic. I think you'd find some kinship there."

"But you strike me as logical and scientific," I said.

Father Basil smiled, "The Orthodox Church has never had a problem with logic or science. God gave us our minds, and He expects us to use them. But we must also use the «nous», the 'eyes of the soul', if we are to discern the truth. I have something for you."

He handed over a small icon of St. Stephen, the Protomartyr.

"My patron," I said.

"Yes. If I recall correctly, you have a diptych at home."

"Yes, Dave Kallas, a Greek Orthodox friend of mine, gave it to me a few years ago."

"Then put this with that icon, as a start of your icon corner."

"Uhm, I hate to say this, but it's on a, well, I suppose you could call it a nicknack shelf, with statues of Loki, Shiva, and Shakti. I also have one of Krishna, but it's on a table in that same room."

"That would be an issue! Would you at least change shelves so that just the icons are together, with a candle?"

"I could do that," I said.

He handed me a small softcover book, about three inches tall, with a red cover.

"One more thing. This is your first prayer book. If you can, just read the morning and evening prayers. Start with once a week, if that's all you can do. Will you at least try?"

"What good does prayer do if I don't believe?" I asked.

"Do you think that the power of prayer is yours? Or the Holy Spirit's?"

I smiled, "Good point."

"Remember, we don't pray to change God's mind, we pray to change ourselves, and to ask for God's mercy and grace."

"I suppose it can't hurt," I said.

"No, it can't. Whether it can help is, at least in part, up to you. Remember, it's synergy — working together in union with Jesus Christ."

"And this will help?"

"If your heart is open, perhaps. It's not magic, Stephen."

"I'd take magic if it could cure Stephie," I said.

"Wouldn't we all?"

September 4, 1987, Chicago, Illinois

"How is Bobby working out so far?" I asked Dave after the business development meeting on Friday.

"So far, so good. It's only been two days, but he catches on quickly. I think we made the right decision."

"Great! What are you and Julia doing tomorrow afternoon?" I asked.

"No plans. Why?"

"Sorry for the late notice, but I'm having a cookout for Scott's class tomorrow. There are a few students I want you to meet."

"Those two guys you told me about last week?"

"Julio and Jefferson. I liked Alf, too, but he's ROTC, so that's really a non-starter. There are a couple of Juniors who seem OK, who might be candidates for internships next year, but those two guys are the standouts."

"I thought Tasha was taking the internship next year."

"She already works for us," I said. "Why not get another intern? We're permitted two by IIT, and it fits our staffing plan."

"That is better," Dave said. "I was thinking that Tasha or Penny would tie up the internships for their Senior years. I'm glad that's not the case."

"OK. I have some work to do," I said. "I'm going to lose a couple of hours interviewing tech support candidates this afternoon."

"We'll be there tomorrow," Dave said.

He went back to his desk, and I went to my office. I also had my lunch with Alderman Bloom, so in addition to not getting a lot of work done, I wasn't going to get to spend time with Jesse and Matthew. Beverly would take them to the park, so at least Jesse would get to see Francesca.

When I came back to the office after lunch, Zeke and Cindi were just walking in. We said hello to Kimmy, and I saw that there was a young guy sitting in one of the guest chairs. I assumed that he was here for the interview, so I just went to my office to wait. I could get some coding done in between the interviews. Or so I thought.

Kimmy came to the door, "Steve, Mr. Wyatt is on the phone."

The real estate agent who had sold me the house and coach house. I'd asked him to look into commercial property for me, either for lease or for sale.

"What line?" I asked.

"Three," she said.

I pressed the button and lifted the handset.

"Hi, Mr. Wyatt," I said.

"At this point, you should just call me Bill," he said. "I think I found exactly what you're looking for. A building in Hyde Park that just came on the market yesterday. It's already built-out for office space. It was used by a small architectural firm which outgrew it. They're moving into the Loop. There are eight regular offices, two executive offices, a good-sized conference room, two smaller meeting rooms, a large open space where you could put at least a dozen cubicle workstations, and a separate reception similar to what you have now. At the moment, that large space is empty because it had drafting tables, blueprint machines, and file cabinets for drawings and supplies."

"For lease or for sale?" I asked.

"For sale," he said. "It's in the price range that you gave me, and if we put an offer in right away, we can probably get it for a lower amount. There's quite a bit of space available right now because of the tight economy. This is an 'A' building, so it's worth even the asking price, if it comes down to that."

"When can I see it?" I asked.

"Right now, if you like," he said.

"We're doing interviews. Could we see it at 5:15pm? I'd want to bring Julia, Elyse, Cindi, and my sister, at a minimum."

"Sure. I'll meet you there at 5:15pm. It's three blocks from where you are, towards the lake, on 53rd."

"Fantastic," I said. "See you then."

I got up and went to Julia's office and let her know about it. She said that she and Dave had plans, but that they'd just go out later than they'd planned. I couldn't tell Cindi right away because she was interviewing one of the candidates, so I went back to my office and called home to tell Elyse, and asked her to tell Stephanie when she came home from class, and to let Kara know. I called the hospital and left a message for Jessica saying that I was going to be late, and was just about to get to work when Cindi brought in the first candidate.

"Cindi, we have a building to see at 5:15pm. Are you free?"

"Sure. I'll call Chris and let him know that I'll be home late."

She introduced the first of the three candidates and I started my interview. Three hours and three candidates later, I was tired of interviewing. Cindi called us together in the small conference room, where she, Zeke, Julia, Barbara, Heather, Dave, and I all managed to stuff ourselves in.

"Cindi," I declared, "before you start, I veto Kelly Pearson. He just rubbed me completely the wrong way. The others are all OK."

"OK, then we have three candidates," Cindi said. "Bala Punjabi, Trent Ball, and Cassie Spiatza."

There was a lively discussion that I mostly just listened to, though I did give a very brief opinion of each candidate when Cindi asked me directly. I really wanted her, Zeke, and Barbara's opinions to carry the day, not mine. I knew who I thought they should hire, but I'd exercised my veto for the one candidate that I'd found unacceptable, so it really was up to them. When the discussion was finished, I went back to my office, and ten minutes later, Julia and Cindi came in and shut the door.

"Well?" I asked.

"It's a tough call between Bala and Cassie," Cindi said.

"Who did Zeke and Barbara prefer?" I asked.

"Cassie," Cindi said. "But only by a smidgen."

"It's your call, Cindi," I said. "Marketing, Sales, and Support is your team."

"I think because this person has to work closest with Barbara and Zeke, we should make an offer to Cassie," Cindi said.

"Then we'll do that," Julia said. "Cindi, please talk to Elyse on Monday morning about an offer. And I guess we need to find some space in Los Angeles."

"I talked to Ford, Jackson, and Finch," Cindi said. "They can help us find some space. They suggested some co-working space in the next building. Basically, you get a private office and share a communal receptionist, who can answer the phone if you want."

"Check it out," I said. "But mostly we'll answer our own phones. I don't think you plan for Barbara to go to customers very often, do you?"

"No," Cindi said. "That would kind of defeat the purpose. She will make the courtesy visits in California and Colorado, but otherwise, she's going to be manning the phones like she does here. I figure we'll save quite a bit on sending Mario to California for those visits. Zeke will still do installs and training, because we can't afford to have Barbara out of the office for a week at a time. At some point, we'll need someone to work with Zeke, but right now, Mario and I cover for him if he's busy somewhere else."

"Cindi, do you mind if I talk to Julia for a few minutes before we go look at the building?"

She nodded and left, closing the door.

"I think I'm too involved in day-to-day decisions at this point," I said. "I'm not getting enough work done. From this point, once I've interviewed someone, I'll give you my veto, if necessary, but I don't need to be in the discussions or talk through the hiring unless it's a very senior person. All the senior slots are filled, and I don't expect anyone to leave anytime soon."

"OK. I was thinking that we may want to change the staff meeting to every other Monday instead of every week. What do you think?"

"I think I put you in charge!" I grinned.

"Then that's decided. I also think we can change to one business development meeting a month. Cindi will still turn in a pipeline report every Friday afternoon so Elyse can update the financial projections on Monday just as she does now. We'll put out a written report on Monday with any new business."

"Anything else?" I asked.

"Just that your sister can't graduate fast enough! I really would prefer to focus on development, documentation, and technical issues."

"I hear you. Elyse is shouldering some of that load now, right?"

"Yes. The financial stuff is mostly off my plate, and that's good, but there's still a ton of administrative crap to deal with, not to mention reviewing and negotiating contracts, and stuff like that."

"Four years," I said. "What are we going to do when you're out on maternity leave?"

"Cindi and Elyse will do a good part of it, but that means Cindi has to be in the office a couple of days a week. I don't like it, but I don't know any other solution. It's not like we could hire someone to fill in."

"I wonder about that," I said. "Call my dad and ask him if he'd fill in for the eight weeks. He's retired and looking for something to do. I realize that it's six months from now, but it's worth asking him."

"That's a great idea. But you should call your dad."

"Should I?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Never mind!" Julia laughed. "I'll make the call on Monday morning."

At 5:15pm we met Bill Wyatt at the building, which was for sale. I thanked him for giving up his time on a Friday evening and he laughed and said the commission would make up for it. He got the key from the lockbox hanging on the door and let us in. We walked around and found that the space was exactly as described. I noticed that most of the offices were already wired with ThinNet, which was an advantage. The large corner office on the second floor would be perfect for Penny and me, and there were enough private offices and enough space for everyone with room for growth.