Chapter 13

Bill’s turn:

Okay, I have to admit it. That whole trip was an interesting experience. The fact that for the trip home, I was ordered into the pilot’s seat of a light plane at the instruction of an eighteen year old redhead with a doctorate in physics just added to the whole surreal experience.

Okay, she’s a CUTE redhead, and listening to her speak assuages any fears you’ve ever had about geniuses being socially inept. The fact the two girls in the rear seat, my wife and my daughter, look upon her with awe just short of worship, that says a lot.

Okay, so there’s that academic dimension that the girls explored.

I explored something else. As one of several engineers who seem to have come from this corner of Louisiana, it was not too much of a stretch of imagination that a couple of names and faces were familiar to me.

We all went through a lot of the same paths that engineers go through – the entry level jobs with engineering houses, the chasing of projects, where we all thought that the best thing was to be out on the site where the thing was being built – the pointy end of the spear, so to speak. And a couple of us had become domesticated, working as staff engineers for a single employer. That was me as I am right now – a little field work, mainly to hold hands and to teach people, and a lot of office work, writing procedures and policies and putting together project packages where the best you could do was spec out good stuff and hope it lived up to expectations.

And they were doing it different. Yes, it was an engineering house, but they avoided a lot of the drudgery by keeping things small, letting each engineer OWN a project and run it as he saw fit. Clients apparently loved the approach. Of course I knew that a company’s reputation was only as good as the guy (or girl) who showed up on YOUR project, but these people seemed to understand that as well.

“That’s how Dana ended up with us,” Cindy said. “Nikki and her Dan came down here for a project, the client engineer was Ed, Dana’s Ed. Nikki ‘n’ Dan took ‘em out to eat, Nikki met Dana, the rest is...”

“History,” Haley said.

“I know where Ed worked,” I said. “He left a job he could’ve had for life.”

“So did Tim Duncan, Kim’s husband,” Cindy said. “Kim said he was like a tiger in a cage, getting fed regularly, being safe and protected, but pacing the perimeter, dreaming of the jungles and the live prey.”

“Not fair, Cindy,” Deena giggled. “I know your poetry skills.”

“Prose,” Haley laughed.

“That too,” Deena countered.

“Just saying,” Cindy said. She checked the altimeter. “Bill, if you find you’re starting to need a little pressure on the yoke to maintain altitude, remember – you’re burning off fuel. The plane’s dynamics change. What can you do to get rid of the need for control pressure?”

“Trim?” I said, remembering that THIS thing with the red hair next to me is a teacher.

“Right. Your plane. YOU trim it.”

“Yes ma’am,” I said. Like I said, she’s a teacher with a bit of finesse.

“Straight and level flight isn’t the best learning environment, but if you’re gonna learn, it’s something you need to learn,” she said. “The rest? If we had a month of an hour every afternoon, you’d be good to go.”

I’m thinking ‘How do I get a MONTH in Auburn?’ Especially with the two girls in the back seat.

Back home, we got back into a new routine. I started paying a bit more of a critical eye to my day to day activities. This was a good company to work for. Would a new one be better?

Naturally there was a conversation with the ex after Deena dutifully (And probably a bit TOO gleefully) reported the results of her trip to Auburn.

“She had a good time, Laney. And we’re discovering some very happy things about her intelligence.”

“I knew she was bright, but I have to admit, she seems to have blossomed this year,” Laney said. “But college? Bill, she’s fourteen.”

“You saw her ACT scores. She’s spectacular.”

“She says that she and Haley...” a sigh, with added exasperation, “are neck and neck. Haley’s two years further along.”

“Yeah. Both of ‘em. But Auburn wants ‘em back for a week. A more complete assessment.”

“In that little airplane? I get scared.”

“Don’t. Completely safe. Safer than driving. And a LOT faster.”

“She says you’re taking lessons...”

“Why not? That whole bunch we met, they all fly. Makes getting around the countryside a lot faster.”

“You’re going up there with them, right?”

“Of course. Although I did toy with the idea of ... But no ... my wife...”

“And your daughter.”

“Both are bright, capable, independent young ladies, but I rather enjoy having Haley by my side every...”

“ ... night,” she finished. “Yes, I remember how you were. Honestly, I’m glad Haley meets your expectations.”

“Thank you,” I said. I knew that with Laney, the conversation was at a crossroads and one path led to something unpleasant, so I tried to push in another direction. “But if Deena’s a candidate for early entry into college...”

“We will cross that bridge when we come to it.”

“Be ready. I have it on good authority that we have a daughter who may well be in college after Christmas.”

“I just want her to be legal, Bill. The attendance laws...”

“I am aware,” I said. “We got letters from Auburn to the school telling them that this was an academic excursion. The next one will be, too.”

“Okay. She’s spending Saturday with me, right?”

“Yeah. Said y’all were running to Houston to shop...”

“That’s the idea.”

“Go for it.”

“If she wants to spend the night...” Laney started. She knows what Deena has said about Harv.

“Her call. I trust ‘er.”

“Harv’s got a couple of conventions on the horizon. I’m not going with ‘im. I’d like to save that time for me and Deena.”

“I’m sure she’d love it,” I said.

“Okay, then. We’ll be flexible on her education options. If she wants it and you want it, I’m sure I’ll want it.”

“Great! Thanks, Laney.” I clicked to end the call, turned and looked into two pair of eyes.

Deena was first. “What’d she say?”

“She says she has no idea how I fooled people into thinking my hopelessly inept daughter had any remarkable academic worth.”

“She did NOT!” Haley squealed. “I watched your face.”

“Me, too,” Deena said.

“Okay, she’s on board with us on education. I’m glad to hear that. And she said that Harv’s going to a couple of conventions and she’s staying here to spend time with you,” I said.

“I like that idea.” She sighed theatrically. “Although I hate to be gone so long. Haley will be soooo bored...”

Haley slid closer beside me. Deena has no trouble with physical affection, hugs and kisses, herself, but she knows that between me and Haley things go a lot further than father and daughter. In front of Deena, Haley and I hug, and our kisses have a lingering quality that befits our married status, but right now it was a family hug, me in the middle, my arms holding Deena against me on one side, Haley on the other.

The next two weeks. My work went along tired old paths. The girls giggled about the queries concerning their excursion.

I fielded several calls from one or another engineer at 3Sigma about various projects that were within a day’s drive of home.

Dan Granger called.

“Dan 2.0,” I said, laughing.

“I’m used to that,” he countered. “Did you look at that substation proposal?” One of the local utility companies was making some infrastructure upgrades.

“Yeah. Looks interesting. Why?”

“Keep telling you, bud,” he said. “If you want it, it’s yours. And several others.”

“I am not moving to Auburn,” I said. “Deena’s mom and I have got a pretty good arrangement over Deena being here, but that’s ‘here’ here, not Auburn.”

“We understand that,” Dan said. “Look, we’ve talked. There’s gonna be some good work in that area for the foreseeable future. We can handle it from here, but eventually we’re going to need a local presence. We think you ought to do that for us.”

There it is. Not a hint. Not an allusion. Not an impression. A solid offer. “A presence,” I repeated back to him.

“Yeah. Office space. Some warehouse space. Probably a couple or three good technicians or an entry-level engineer. An admin.”

“That’s an operation,” I mused.

“You know you won’t be on your own. Nikki and I get back there every now and then ... Oh, you know the story. We have family there – me, Alan, Dan ... so an excuse ... Jason’ll help you with getting the right technicians.”

“Let me think about it, Dan. It’s worth the time to think.”

“Take your time. Don’t make me send Nikki and Cindy down there to kidnap your girls...”

“Look, the only thing that’s keeping me from going up to Auburn right now is the leash that the ex has on Deena.”

“So let ‘er keep the leash short, you come to work for us, you stay right where you are, get new business cards, and we’ll roll with it.”

“The girls say we’re going to go there in two weeks for them to have another run at Auburn. I’ll have an answer for you then.”

“You know you’re gonna do it, Bill. Just turn in your notice and relax about it. We’re the Borg. You’ve been assimilated.”

I laughed. “Oh, sure ... geek me out over it.”

The next morning I did the very difficult task of breaking the news to people I’d been working with, been friends with, for the last five years. That was hard. The boss had a hurt look on his face. I almost backed down, but then the vision of Haley glowed in my mind with Deena looking over her shoulder. Somehow I understand that changing jobs is changing lives as well, and that for Haley and Deena to flower, it fell upon me to provide the field.

I had to field phone calls from TWO schools, one for Deena, one for Haley.

“Mister Simon...” the lady from the middle school, Deena’s school, said.

“See-moan,” I corrected. At least a petty government functionary could get my name right.

“Sorry. Mister Simon,” she said, correcting herself, “this is an unusual letter. We’ve never seen such a thing...”

“I would imagine they’re quite rare. Still, it speaks for itself. Auburn University offers us an opportunity to evaluate Deena for a possible accelerated entry into a college program.” I paused. “We need to have official notation that this is an excused absence. A copy will be included in her student record, of course.”

“Along with this letter,” she said.

The call from Haley’s school counselor was completely different.

“Mister Simon?” Mizz Dasson asked, correctly pronouncing my name.

“Yes, ma’am,” I said. “I assume you’ve gotten the letter from Auburn?”

“They thought enough of it to send it Fed-Ex. That’s a completely ‘Haley’ thing, I guess.”

“I quit guessing,” I laughed. “My imagination can’t come up with this stuff.”