Chapter 12: Little White Lies?

April 25, 1990, Chicago, Illinois

"Gbasibe turned us down for a job with Microsoft," Dave said.

"I don't think we can compete with them in terms of salary or stock options," I said. "Did you call Oksana?"

"Immediately. She wanted until tomorrow to think about it, but I suspect she's going to say 'yes'. The call we made to let her know she'd made our short list helped a lot, I think."

"Good. I think we're close with Dante. We're at a point where Elyse and I agree we can accept his latest counter-offer and be fine, but she wants to push him just a bit because we have him over a barrel, so to speak."

"Be careful," Dave warned.

"This is actually pretty safe. We push a bit, and if he pushes back, we accept, and HE thinks he got the best part of the deal because we didn't get everything we wanted. I think that's what's going to happen, but he won't respect me if we simply accept his counter-proposal without pushing a bit. And we'll push a little more than necessary because he might shave a bit off his offer."

"You're ENJOYING this!" Dave laughed, shaking his head.

"Only with Dante," I chuckled. "It's become a dick-size war with him, and I'm happy to prove I have the bigger one. How many times has he 'won' against us?"

Dave smirked, "Never. Maybe you want to give him this one."

"No way. He'll sense THAT, and it will piss him off because he'll feel like I'm patronizing him."

"I think I'm going back to my desk. This shit will drive me nuts!"

"Me too, except in this case," I agreed.

Late in the afternoon, I had a call from a nurse at UofC hospital in Cincinnati to say that my dad had come through his hip replacement surgery with flying colors, and she expected he'd be able to call me and talk by Friday.

April 26, 1990, Chicago, Illinois

"Steve, your friend Theo is here," Keri said over the intercom.

"Thanks, Keri. I'll be right up."

I saved my work and headed to reception. As usual, Theo and I walked down the street to the coffee shop.

"We need your help," he said.

I chuckled, "I didn't think this was just a social call. What's up?"

"We need you to scrub some data from a computer. Not all of it, just anything that might link us to any of the trucking firms or people who might be indicted by the government."

"I can do that. I actually have a program which can wipe individual files or the entire drive, as well as some that will search for text in files. Do I need to come to you, or can you bring the computer to me?"

"You can do this anytime. It's not a secret from the computer owner. He's worried about an FBI investigation he got wind of."

This would be the third time he'd asked me to help since we'd heard about the FBI investigation. I'd also helped Alderman Bloom clear some letters from his computer and ensure there were no remnants.

"Gotcha. When and where?"

"The union hall where I work. This afternoon would be good, but tomorrow morning if you can't."

"I can do it right now if you want. I just need to stop back in the office to get a diskette and let Keri know I'll be out for a few hours. We do your computer support, so nobody will be suspicious."

"OK, Kid. See you at the union hall in a few minutes."

I walked back to the office while Theo went in the other direction. I grabbed my Norton Utilities diskette, another diskette with some search programs that Greg and I had written, and a couple of blank diskettes and headed to the union hall. Theo led me to an office where there were two computers, told me what I should be looking for, and then left me alone. I knew the indicted firms and people, so it was just a matter of setting up the searches and running them. Thirty minutes later, I had results — mostly WordPerfect files with correspondence.

I quickly made copies of the files to the blank diskettes and put them into an inside pocket of my jacket. Once I had those, I went to find Theo to show him what I'd found and got his agreement to run Norton's 'WIPEFILE.EXE' against all the files I had listed. I reminded him to make sure that any backup diskettes were erased or destroyed, then I wiped the files. I re-ran the searches, and when they turned up nothing, Theo thanked me, and I headed back to the office with some more diskettes to add to my collection.

"Oksana accepted our offer," Dave said. "Doctor Bauer and Doctor Driesson are going to KILL us!"

"Let me worry about that," I said. "When will she start?"

"June 18th. You do realize that she's Ruthenian, not Orthodox, right?"

"She's what?" I asked.

"Ruthenian. You'll also hear them called 'Uniates'. In other words, Roman Catholic, but they use the Eastern Rite liturgical forms."

"I had no idea such a thing even existed," I said.

"Look up Saint Alexis Toth, and you'll get all the background you need!"

"I will, though you know that doesn't matter for work purposes."

"I know. It's just one of those things I thought I'd mention before you made any assumptions."

"Thanks, Dave."

The two new hires, plus Penny coming back for the Summer, put us in a position to take on Dante's project. We'd finally agreed to terms, and he and I had signed a letter of intent the previous day. Now, it was just a matter of Jamie and Dante's lawyer dotting the i's and crossing the t's. I was glad that was out of the way.

One thing that wasn't out of the way was my sister. Neither Jennifer nor Ed had had much luck with her, though Ed was coming up to Chicago to spend the weekend with her. He had managed to convince her that it was OK for him to stay at the house, and I felt that there might be a small crack in the wall she'd erected between us. I wouldn't hold my breath, though.

April 27, 1990, Chicago, Illinois

"How are you feeling?" I asked when I called my dad after his surgery.

"High as a kite," my dad chuckled. "They gave me one of those buttons to push to get a dose of painkiller when I need it, and it works like a champ!"

"When do they get you out of bed?" I asked.

"Early next week. The physical therapist was in this morning to explain the exercise regimen. It won't be much fun."

"Yes, but no more pain in your hips and no stiffness when you sit too long have to be plusses."

"In the long run, yes. How's your sister?"

"Still not talking to me. Ed Krajick is coming up this weekend to see her. Hopefully, that will do some good. Jennifer and Melody have been talking to her as well. I meant to ask: what's the plan for the Summer and next Fall with Melody graduating and moving out west?"

"Stephanie can stay over the Summer. It's just a matter of paying the fee. I hope she'll take a roommate in the Fall, but I'll pay for a single room if she wants. Are all her friends graduating?"

"I think so. Well, Becka isn't, but I'm not sure Stephanie would want to room with her. They had some issues and were never really close."

"We don't want her to shut out the whole world."

"No, but we also can't force her to make friends. I know there are a couple of girls who are in the same graduate program who she's known for years, but I don't know how close they are. Not very, I suspect."

"She needs to figure things out just like you did, Son."

"It's hard to watch," I said.

"Tell me about it!" he chuckled. "I'm going to let you go; I get tired quite easily. Your mom will be here soon, too."

"Take care, Dad. And we'll bring the grandkids to see you next month."

April 29, 1990, Chicago, Illinois

"So?" I asked Ed as he packed his bag early on Sunday afternoon.

"She hates your guts," he said flatly.

"Tell me something I didn't already know," I sighed. "No real surprise there. Did you make any headway with her?"

"Not about you or your dad. I THINK I made some progress in relation to Jorge. She admitted she shouldn't have attacked him. She still blames him, but I'll take small victories, you know?"

"I do. What's the next step?"

"Getting a job here in the Chicago area."

"Seriously?" I asked.

He nodded, "I want to ask her to move in with me when she graduates. I haven't told HER that, of course. You know how I feel about her."

I nodded, "I do. Just be careful of the rebound."

He nodded, "That's why I'm taking it slowly and why I slept here this visit."

"Good. She needs you, Ed. Right now, she's pretty much cut off everyone except for you and Melody, and to a certain extent, Jennifer."

"Are you coming to Ohio soon?"

"Memorial Day weekend. Jess traded her shift for Memorial Day, so we'll have a three-day weekend. We'll bring all the kids. My only concern is Kara because she'll be about eight months at that point."

"Bethany is looking forward to seeing you. Thanks for everything you've done for her."

"You're welcome," I said.

"I may come up again in two weeks," Ed said. "If not, I'll see you Memorial Day."

We shook hands, and he headed out of the house.

April 30, 1990, Chicago, Illinois

"Hi, Al," I said, plopping down in my seat at Medici.

"How's your dad?"

"Good. I spoke to him over the weekend. He started his physical therapy today, so I suspect he's a bit cranky right now."

Al laughed, "Just a bit! They're sending him home by the end of the week?"

"Yes. They got him up walking on Saturday, which I found amazing."

"That's pretty typical. They'll work with him for a few days on getting in and out of bed and using a walker. He'll progress to a cane, and then in about four months, be ready for surgery on his other hip."

"No, he had both done at the same time," I said.

"Really? That's relatively rare for someone of his age, though it's becoming more common. I'm mildly surprised."

"Other than his hips, he was in fantastic health for a man of seventy-three," I said. "I inherited my low blood pressure and low body temperature from him. His orthopedic surgeon decided he was a candidate and offered it."

"Then four to six months from now, he'll be a VERY happy man! How are things at home?"

"Good," I said. "These night shifts bite the big one, though."

Doctor Barton chuckled, "That's relatively polite compared to what the Residents say about them! How's the counseling going?"

"That's also good. Doctor Green is very helpful, even if it can be a bit uncomfortable and painful."

"Not as painful as divorce, so consider yourself lucky in that regard."

"I do. I saw they finally launched the Hubble telescope the other day. That must have made Belinda happy."

"Ecstatic," Al replied. "They're calibrating it now. Hopefully, in a few weeks, it will be calibrated and ready to go."

"Are you, Belinda, and Fawn available Thursday night?" I asked.

"I'm not sure if Belinda is back on Thursday night, but Fawn and I are. Jessica's birthday?"

"Yes. We could do it on Friday night if Belinda isn't available on Thursday. Jessica won't mind three parties!"

"Three?"

"The girls are throwing her a birthday bash on Saturday night. Girls only, though. That's the same night as our Guys' Night. You haven't joined us for a few months; you should."

"I'll see what I can do. A lot depends on what Belinda wants to do because she's gone during the week."

"Understood. It's an open invitation."

"How are things going with NIKA?"

"Busy. And it's going to get worse. At the end of the month, Microsoft is releasing a new version of Windows, and we'll need to ensure our program works with it and decide if we want to take advantage of the new features right away or not. If we do, then we've likely got a ton of work to do to make that happen. How are things at the hospital?"

"About the same as always. It doesn't really change. I'm getting two eight-hour shifts in the ER, which makes me happy. The rest of the time is management."

"Sounds like what my life is going to be like for the next four or five years. I'm going to step in as acting CEO while my sister gets some real-world experience."

"And you'll hate that as much as I do!" he chuckled.

"So true!" I agreed.

When we finished our lunch, we confirmed that Al, Belinda, and Fawn would join us for dinner at our house on Friday evening.

May 3, 1990, Chicago, Illinois

"Happy birthday, Babe!" I said when the alarm went off at 3:15am.

"Uh, thanks," Jessica said, yawning. "The early start on my birthday last night almost did me in!"

We got out of bed, and Kara turned to face away from the bathroom. Jessica got in the shower, and I put on my running clothes so that I didn't have to bother Kara when I came back from walking Jessica to the hospital. When Jessica finished her shower and was dressed, we went to the kitchen and had a light breakfast. After breakfast, we walked to the hospital in the cool Spring air. At the ER, I wished Jessica 'Happy birthday' again, kissed her, and then headed back home.

When I arrived home, I went to my study and fired up my computer to play Sim City, a game I thoroughly enjoyed. It wouldn't get much play after June 1st, though, as I was impatiently awaiting the release of Ultima VI: The False Prophet. I'd probably come back to Sim City, or maybe Empire: Wargame of the Century. I played Sim City for about thirty minutes before I had to leave to run with Jacquelyn.

"Hi!" I said.

"Hi, yourself!" she replied with a huge smile.

We started walking towards the park.

"When's our last day?" I asked.

"June 26th," she said. "I'm going to miss running with you!"

"You need to keep doing it out in New Jersey. Did you get the list of dōjō from Sensei Jim?"

"There's actually a Shōtōkan karate club on campus. I'm just going to join that because it makes it so much easier."

"Cool."

We ran our usual distance and then walked back towards her house.

"My parents want you to come to dinner with Doctor Jessica again before I leave. Maybe in two weeks?"

"Let me check with Jessica, but it should be fine. I'll tell you by Monday. We're celebrating her birthday tonight."

"Tell Doctor Jessica 'Happy birthday' for me!"

"I will. See you tomorrow morning!"

I headed back home, and after a shower, I dressed, and Kara and I took Birgit and Albert down to breakfast with us. We were quickly coming up on the end of Veronica's tenure with us, and I wondered how the kids would take it. They loved Abbie, so that wasn't going to be an issue, but they loved Veronica, too, especially Jesse. I thought he'd take it the hardest of all the kids and Matthew the easiest, given his 'goth' relationship with Abbie.

"How are the wedding plans coming?" Kara asked Veronica.

"My mom is driving me nuts. I really should have just told Jack that we should elope!"

"I am SO glad we planned our wedding ourselves," I said. "And we kept things fairly simple. The ceremony was the most complex part of the whole thing! Did you get your honeymoon plans set?"

"Two solid weeks in Hawaiߴi! We're going to learn to surf and scuba dive!"

"Aren't you supposed to do other stuff on a honeymoon?" Kara giggled.

"We'll do THAT plenty!" Veronica laughed. "Though probably not as much as you sex maniacs!"

"Good point!" I said as Kara and I both joined Veronica in laughing.

"We're going to miss you," Kara said. "We hope you start coming to Guys' and Girls' Nights."

"I'd love that!"

"I heard from your new family yesterday," I said. "They were doing a reference check. I gave you outstanding marks across the board. It sounds like something less of a challenge!"

"Two kids, just days! And neither of them is Jesse. Or Birgit!"