Chapter 10: Double Secret Probation

July 11, 1992, Chicago, Illinois

“Tell the story,” Jessica ordered when I sat down in the ‘Indian’ room with a fresh pot of tea.

“Maybe we should hear about last night, first,” Kara said.

“All that happened last night was Samantha and I talked until just after midnight. Well, I talked to her dad for about thirty minutes before dinner, too. And nothing happened other than me holding her hand a bit and two very brief hugs. Not even a goodnight kiss. That conversation generated the visit from Jeri today.”

“Then tell your side,” Jessica said firmly.

She clearly wanted to see if the stories aligned with each other, with what I’d said, and with what she’d read in my journals. She was just past the San Francisco Diana Prince/Wonder Woman trip, so she had all the context, at least as I’d seen it at the time. I repeated Samantha’s story, although I changed the order to linear from individual. They didn’t ask questions; they just let me tell it from my perspective.

“That’s it,” I said. “That’s everything.”

And then I was quiet. And waited. And waited some more. It seemed like an hour, but it was really only two or three minutes.

“Do you know the surprising thing about this whole sordid affair?” Jessica asked.

I felt there were a few, and since I didn’t know which one she meant, I demurred.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“That the one person, out of everyone, who could be held completely blameless and innocent, is Samantha. I would NEVER have believed it for a second before Jeri confessed everything. Now I’m as sure of that as I am of anything.”

I nodded, “I agree. She’s actually the victim here. The victim of her alleged friends. Of her father. Of her social circle. Of me.”

“Of you?!” Kara asked, surprised. “How?”

“Because I took something that wasn’t rightfully mine to take.”

“She offered!” Kara protested.

“And as the theoretically mature adult, with experience in these matters, I should have known better. Instead, I took something I shouldn’t have. For no good reason other than I could take it. And no, she has no regrets. But I sure do. She wasn’t mature enough to make the offer she made and I sure as hell should have realized that. And I’m going to apologize to her for doing that.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Jessica said. “It might make her feel bad for no good reason.”

“Maybe,” I said. “But I think right now what she craves is someone who will tell her the truth, love her, and be her real friend. And I need permission and agreement from the two of you to do that. I’m not talking about having sex with her. That’s not what she needs right now. And I think she knows that as well.”

“I think it’s not only a good idea, but the right thing to do,” Kara said. “She’s the one who was truly hurt by all of this. And quite badly, really.”

“I agree,” Jessica said. “Though I think she’ll want close, physical intimacy sooner rather than later.”

“I have to be super careful about that,” I said. “I can NOT be her dad.”

“That was an interesting part of the story,” Jessica said.

“Her family life is as messed up as any of ours were,” I said. “Maybe even worse, but it’s kind of hard to compare dysfunctions.”

“True. Even ours was pretty dysfunctional until after I came home from Maine.”

“Fortunately,” Kara added, “that was mostly our trio and it didn’t seem to harm the kids we’d had by that point.”

“I think we fixed it just in the nick of time,” I said. “So, what about Jeri?”

“What did Elyse say last night?” Jessica asked.

I smiled wryly, “I think she said ‘fire her’ or the equivalent five times. At least.”

“That’s my first reaction, too,” Jessica said with a wan smile.

“And mine,” I said. “But Samantha talked me off the ledge. And Elyse is at least at a point where she won’t shove Jeri over the edge of a cliff.”

“I don’t really interfere in your work in any way,” Kara said. “But I’m very concerned about how this affects you personally. I’m even more concerned about Howard; he’s such a sweet guy.”

“Yes,” I agreed. “And it’s my opinion that’s why Jeri was here today to talk to the two of you. She needs to save her relationship with Howard because not only does he love her, but she’s in love with him. I don’t think there was ANY manipulation there, well, not beyond the usual things a girl does to get a guy interested in her!”

Jessica smiled, “And just what ARE those things, Tiger?”

I grinned, “Escort him to the locker room; ask him for coffee; offer to knock boots with him.”

“Never mind, you turkey! You’re as bad as Jesse when we ask him questions!”

“Yes I am!” I avowed proudly. “He comes by it honestly!”

“Jeri begged us not to do anything that would cause Howard to leave her,” Kara said. “I guess if we agree to that, you couldn’t really fire her, could you?”

I shook my head, “No. I couldn’t lie to the Board about it, and there is no way they would let me dismiss our best Windows programmer without a valid reason. And given that Karl is on the board and is Howard’s best friend now that Nick is gone, I’m not sure how I could do that.

“It’s not about replacing her, either. Yes, she’s very good. But I COULD replace her. The thing is, that won’t mollify the board and prevent them from asking difficult questions which would end up revealing things that could lead to disaster. I made a mistake. A big one. But I think firing her would only serve to compound it. Asking her to resign doesn’t help all that much, either, as it will still generate questions, not to mention unease with are most important customers.”

“And honesty and loyalty and trust?”

“Are shot to hell. But I’ve forgiven people for transgressions in the past. Mario. Jefferson. Mikela.”

“That last one is resolved?”

“So it would seem. Her work is fine according to Dave. And there hasn’t been even a hint of anything from her towards me.”

“So you’ll forgive Jeri?”

“In effect, yes. But only to protect Howard. Well, and Alec Glass.”

“You’ll stay on the Foundation Board?”

“Yes, but I’m not going to be Jeri’s creature. I may well vote with her most of the time, but I’ll work closely with Alec. And I will make damned sure Lisa never gets on that board no matter what happens. She’s in the category where Brandon Littleton is, from which there is no escape. No penance. A game misconduct.”

“I think Jeri barely escaped because of Howard,” Kara said.

“You think correctly,” I said. “But she only escapes if the two of you agree it’s OK to retain her. If not, I’ll take my lumps and try to put things back together afterwards. I’ve done it before.”

“Why not ask her to resign?” Jessica inquired.

“As I said, I don’t think that solves the problem,” I replied. “She’d have to explain why, and any explanation would have to be a lie, and not only would I have to back it up, it would have to be something Howard believed. And she’s told him that working for NIKA is her dream job and she intends to stay until she’s ready to take over the Foundation. I suppose she could say she changed her mind, but with such a sudden change, he’d be suspicious. And I’d still have to mislead the Board. And deal with the fallout with Ford, Jackson, and Finch as well as the members of the team at NIKA. No, if Jeri is leaving, we’re terminating her.”

“How do you feel?” Kara asked. “About what she did?”

“Used,” I said. “But I let myself be used. I could have stopped it at any point. So I’m just as angry with myself as I am with Jeri; maybe even more so. It’s not the only time I’ve let someone manipulate me.”

“Becky?” Jessica asked.

“Sure, but the list of girls who manipulated me is pretty long. From Melanie to Cèlia.”

“You now think Cèlia manipulated you?” Kara asked.

“Not the way Jeri, Becky, or Melanie did, but yes, to a point. Again, I could point fingers all over the place, but the bottom line in every instance is I LET the girls manipulate me. I willingly walked right into the trap, if you will. It’s something Samantha helped me realize. That, and seeing what I could become if I don’t exercise some self-control.”

“Her dad?”

“Yes. He has two things that drive him. The first is making a ton of money. The second is teenage pussy, preferably young, preferably virginal. That could easily be me.”

“If you don’t set limits?”

“Yes. It’s why we agreed on the ‘age of consent’ rule, for example. And after that episode with Jill, the maturity factor has to be taken into account, too. That’s where I failed with Samantha. I took her articulate, no-nonsense style to mean she was mature. And I was horribly mistaken.”

“I think this is one of those situations you talked about where all the options are bad,” Jessica said. “And as much as it pains me, not firing Jeri seems to be the best option. But your interaction with her has to be limited outside of the minimum necessary for work and the Foundation.”

I nodded, “I agree. I can’t even consider her a friend at this point. Coworker? Yes. But otherwise, I have to treat her like a casual acquaintance. And in such a way that Howard doesn’t detect anything. She’s in the penalty box. It’s not a game misconduct, but it’s a five-minute major.”

“That sounds about right,” Jessica said. “Though having her fall down a sewer grate and disappear from the earth along with her mom and Samantha’s dad would be a better ending.”

I chuckled, “If we start killing all the people who annoy us or do something we don’t like, the bodies are going to be piled higher than our house.”

“I think you should invite Samantha for dinner tomorrow,” Kara said. “Do you agree, Jess?”

“Yes, I do,” Jessica said.

“Let me call Jeri, and then Samantha,” I said.

“Jeri? Why?”

“To tell her she’s still employed, but on what amounts to double-secret probation.”

Kara laughed, “Animal House! And Steve’s going to have the angel and the devil on his shoulder when Samantha is here!”

“No, I won’t,” I said. “Trust me on this. It has to be slow.”

“I like it slow,” Kara giggled. “VERY slow!”

“You hussy!” Jessica laughed. “Do you EVER think about anything but sex?”

“When I’m with our husband? No! Do you?”

Jessica smirked, “No!”

“Go make your phone calls and we’ll have lunch,” Kara said brightly.

I went to my study and shut the door. I dialed Jeri’s cell phone because I didn’t know if she was home or not.

“You still have your job,” I said when she answered. “But just barely. And if any of us detect anything that looks even remotely like manipulation, you’ll be out. And you know what that means.”

“Jesus, Steve. You won. OK?”

“Quit seeing things as winning versus losing. It’s not a zero-sum game. I didn’t take anything from you, did I?”

“No, I guess not.”

“And could I have?”

“Everything I care about.”

“And that’s the lesson for today,” I said.

July 12, 1992, Chicago, Illinois

“Bathing suits or towels?” Kara protested.

“Do YOU want to disinvite Michelle?” I asked. “Or send Gina and Bo away?”

“No, I guess not.”

“Not everyone is you or Birgit,” I chuckled. “Or even Jesse. We had ‘weekend rules’ back during college, remember?”

“Yes,” she sighed.

“And besides, this way the kids can be in there, too. We don’t have to worry about what Gina or Bo thinks about our usual family saunas.”

“Do they all have suits?”

“Yes. I asked Samantha to bring hers because given where we are, we shouldn’t be naked around each other. And I mentioned to Gina when we ran earlier in the week that they should bring theirs just in case.”

We finished putting on our suits then went to help Abbie with the kids. And ten minutes later, the sauna was full with everyone in our family except Jessica, plus our guests. And ‘family’ in this case included Jennifer and Josie.

“I think I might have to build one of these in my house,” Bo said. “I have plenty of room in the basement!”

“Where do you live?”

“Oak Brook. I take Metra in every morning for work.”

“So what exactly does an analyst do?” Abbie asked.

“Analyzes!” Gina said with a laugh.

“Ignore her!” Bo said. “I evaluate a company’s performance, their stock price, the market sector they’re in, and the overall economy and make recommendations on target prices for buying and selling the stock. The analysis I do is used by Samantha’s dad and the fund managers to decide what stocks to buy or sell on any given day.”

“It’s that simple?” Abbie asked. “Just crank out some numbers and decide?”

Samantha laughed, “No. Because the stock market doesn’t behave rationally. The numerical analysis is just one piece of information. Whatever was on the news last night, last hour, heck, last minute, matters. Which politician said what. Which bill was passed by Congress. What terrorist attack happened. What the price of gas is. Where the US Navy carriers are deployed. All of that has to be taken into account. What Bo does is super important, and absolutely necessary, because it helps value the stocks. But knowing which way they’re going to move on any given day? That’s witchcraft!”

Everyone laughed.

“But your dad does a pretty good job at divining those movements,” I said.

“Yes, he does. But it only takes one or two bad bets to cause a loss for the fund, and that would mean losing fund customers, which means having to sell shares to pay out what they redeem, which could force you to recognize losses which you might not otherwise have needed to take. And that has the potential to create an endless spiral. You can hedge against that, but you have to be careful. You can’t be too short, too long, or have too much idle cash. And you have to watch out for traps in the tax code.”

“You’re really only seventeen?” Jennifer asked.

Samantha smiled, “I look fourteen, can do business like a thirty-year-old, and emotionally I’m twelve. But yes, I had my seventeenth birthday a few months ago.”

“Emotionally twelve?” Josie asked. “What?”

Samantha sighed, “It’s a long story. But I have friends who are helping me.”

“Don’t worry, Samantha,” Gina said. “Most guys are emotionally twelve even into their thirties!”

“Hey!” Bo laughed. “I resemble that remark! Now, where is my Nintendo?”

“I like Nintendo!” Jesse said. “I have one. And Matthew has a SEGA!”

“We could play after the sauna if you want,” Bo said.

“Is that OK, Mom One?” Jesse asked.

“Yes. It’s summer so you don’t have to be up for school.”

“Me, too!” Matthew said.

“And me!” Michael added.

“And me!” Albert said.

“Have fun, Bo!” I chuckled. “You’re being ganged up on by the Adams, Clarke, and Block boys!”

“All your sons, but different last names. You sir, are very lucky!”

“Don’t get any ideas, Bub!” Gina laughed. “Leave the harem management to the men who are NOT my boyfriend!”

“Yes, Dear,” Bo said deadpan, but with the corners of his mouth upturned.

“Samantha, where do you plan to go to college?” Michelle asked.

“University of Chicago. The business school. Then I’ll go to work with my dad. You’re going there right?”

“Yes. I just finished my Freshman year. I had Kara for my Chemistry lab. She’s a professor there.”

“Yes, I know. I get to avoid Chemistry! What’s your major?”

“I’m reevaluating actually. I’ve spent a lot of time in the last month reading theology and philosophy. Steve has a huge library.”

Abbie started laughing, “I could say something, but I won’t!”

“You just did!” Josie laughed.

“On THAT note,” Kara laughed. “I think the kids should get out and the boys can go play video games with Bo!”

Everyone started to leave, but Michelle grabbed my arm, “Can you, Samantha, and I talk?”

“If it’s cool with Kara,” I said.

“Sure,” Kara said. “I’ll help Abbie and Elyse with the kids. We need to get the boys showered and dressed so they can play video games with Bo and the girls can help make cookies.”

Everyone left the sauna except Samantha and Michelle.

“You two OK to stay in here? I don’t want you to get overheated. I’m used to it.”

“I’m fine,” Michelle said.

“Me, too,” Samantha agreed.

“What’s up Michelle?”

“Samantha, with you being here, I guess Steve was telling the truth about that Lisa girl.”