Chapter 5: Transition

August 8, 1996, New York, New York

On Thursday morning, Mike Ziffer and Abel Duranona met me at the Admirals Club at LaGuardia Airport.

“Thanks for coming to meet me,” I said as we got our coffee.

“You’re the boss,” Abel laughed. “You say ‘Jump!’, we ask ‘How high?’!”

“It’s not like that, and you both know that! We’re a team. I can’t imagine Cèlia has said anything to the contrary.”

“No,” Mike replied with a grin. “But Abel does have a point.”

“Well, let’s just be colleagues today. I want to hear from both of you how things are going and how it is to be a ‘lone wolf’ in your city. And please be honest. If there are issues, the only way we can fix them is if you’re straight with me.”

“I think our biggest issue is when one of us takes time off, it’s difficult to provide proper support,” Abel said. “Mostly we work around it, but we’ve both been in situations where we needed to be in both cities at once. And unless Sam and Brenda have a cloning machine in development, we’re going to need a third person in the area.”

I nodded, “Cèlia raised that concern with Cindi, and we’ve discussed several options. The one that works best, at least as far as we can see, is putting someone in Philadelphia. That lets them cover Pittsburgh, Boston, and New York, as well as stops you or John from having to go to Philadelphia as happens occasionally now.”

“When could that happen?”

“We’re thinking January 1st, based on budget and headcount numbers. Can you hold out until then?”

“We’re handling it now, so four months isn’t going to kill us,” Mike replied.

“The customer satisfaction surveys have looked uniformly good,” I replied. “And we’ve had no complaints I’m aware of, so yes, I’d say you are handling it now.”

“How is this new version of the legal software going to affect us?” Mike asked.

“It’s intended to be user-installed, but we’ll offer installation services at our usual consulting rates. I don’t expect it to affect the two of you very much, because you aren’t in the general phone rotation. We will get you trained on it, because we don’t want you caught unawares if you have to make a site visit. Cindi expects this is going to lead to more on-site contracts as well.”

“What’s the release date?” Abel asked.

“We’re on target for January 2nd. It’s an aggressive date, but Tasha is convinced they can make it.”

“Anything else coming up we need to know about?”

“I have some things to talk about at the Town Hall on Monday, but I can’t really get into those in advance.”

“Something big?” Mike asked.

I smiled, “Nothing that’s going to affect either of you directly. But I can’t say more than that. Anything else?”

“I know it’s not business critical, but do you plan to come to the Christmas party this year?” Abel asked.

“Yes. I’ll be in Pittsburgh, as well as Colorado Springs, Dallas, and Durham for their parties. It’s going to be a crazy December, but Kimmy has the schedule worked out.”

“There is one nagging question,” Mike said. “And I’m a bit reticent to bring it up, but what is our career path?”

“That’s the $64,000 question,” I replied. “Some roles don’t have a natural progression. I’ve asked each of the Vice Presidents and Directors to come up with ideas and we’ll work out the necessary logistics to ensure everyone has a chance for advancement. In some cases, it might require some training, which we’d provide, or even schooling, which we’d subsidize. If there’s something that interests you, make sure you let Cèlia know.

“Remember, you can always pick up the phone and dial my number to talk directly to me if you feel it’s necessary. And that’s true on any topic. Work through Cèlia or Cindi if you can, but if not, I have an open-door policy which applies to my phone as well. If I’m not at my desk, Kimmy will find me and make sure I get the message as soon as possible. And I’ll return the call. You guys are, as my friend Nick used to say, at the pointy end of the spear. I have your backs the whole way.”

“I’m not sure I’d compare this to the military,” Mike laughed.

“You’re on the front lines, right? That is, you see customers every single day? And talk to them on the phone? I don’t do that. And that means you guys have insights into NIKA’s business which I do not. And that’s why I want to hear from you guys where we get it right and where we get it wrong. I know surveys aren’t necessarily representative, though I have no doubt that your customers are satisfied. But I’ve also yet to see a business process or a client relationship which can’t be improved.”

I was interrupted by my cell phone buzzing. Abel and Mike both nodded, so I answered it.

“Steve? This is Ed. I called to say your sister is in labor. We’re heading to the hospital in a few minutes.”

“Thanks for letting me know! Call when my new niece arrives, please!”

“Will do.”

“If there’s anything you need, call.”

Ed laughed, “Right. With Jessica, Bethany, Sofia, Alejandra, Gina, and a cast of thousands?”

I chuckled, “Good point. If you have trouble getting into Stephanie’s room because of all those women, let Al know.”

“As if HE could stop them?”

“Well, no. Good luck?”

“Thanks! Talk to you soon.”

We said ‘goodbye’ and I pressed the button on my Nokia phone to disconnect the call.

“Your sister?” Abel asked. “The one who’ll be the CEO in the future?”

I nodded, “Sounds as if news of that plan has made the rounds.”

“You asked for honesty, right? Well, that makes both of us nervous.”

“I’m not disappearing. I’ve never wanted to be anything other than a programmer. That’s what I want to do. Stephanie will take over all of the operational stuff that suffers a bit because I try to divide my time. I do that because I don’t want to lose my coding skills, despite the fact that dividing my time that way means I do a less than stellar job of running the company from an operations perspective.

“I’ll still be the one who sets direction, fosters the proper corporate culture, and ensures that ‘bean counting’ does not become our way of running NIKA. And remember, no matter what happens, I’m still the majority shareholder, and nothing can happen if I don’t want it to. Stephanie and I were close growing up, and while we each have our own families, we’re close now, too. Trust me, she won’t do a thing with which I don’t agree. Not because I force the issue, but because she and I understand each other fully and completely.”

“When is this supposed to happen?”

“January 1, 1998,” I replied. “One of her first tasks is going to be to meet each and every employee and listen to what they have to say. I think that’s an imperative.”

“Not customers?”

I smiled, “Employees first; then customers. And speaking of customers, isn’t it about time to head to Manhattan?”

“Yes,” Abel said. “Our meeting with Russel Boyle and Fortunat Mueller-Maerki is in just under an hour. They’re the ones ultimately overseeing the project Sam is working on. After that, we’ll visit Moore, Martin & Walker, have lunch, and then we’ll get you two back to the airport.”

“Sounds good,” I replied. “Next time I come out, we’ll meet in Boston.”

“Egon Zehnder is planning to open a Boston office early next year,” Abel said. “We’ll probably get the on-site support contract for them as well.”

“Has Sam been told about that?” I asked. “She’ll need to take that into account for the database project.”

“I believe she knows,” Abel replied. “But I’ll call her to make sure.”

“Thanks. Those are the kinds of things we need to share, even if you think someone already knows. It goes back to what I was saying about being on the front lines and having insights the rest of us might not have.”

“Got it.”

We had productive meetings with both customers, ate lunch, and then Mike and I headed back to LaGuardia.

August 8, 1996, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

“Sorry I can’t take you to a Pens game tonight,” John said when he and Mario met me for dinner.

“Two more months,” I replied. “Let’s just hope things go better for them. I’m worried about Tom Barrasso.”

“He’s a big question for sure,” John replied. “And I don’t think either Lalime or Wregget are up to the task.”

“Well, that sucks,” I sighed. “How are things here otherwise?”

“The Pirates suck worse than the Reds, if you can believe that!” Mario complained. “Though I think the Steelers will have a decent year. Mike Tomczak is a decent QB. We got him from you guys by way of the Packers.”

“I’ve totally lost track of anything going on in the NFL,” I replied. “Same with baseball. And, to some extent, NASCAR. Anything going on besides sports?”

“Is there anything else?” John asked with a laugh.

“Families? NIKA?”

“Same old stuff,” Mario grinned. “You know how it is with kids. You feed them, they grow!”

“Sheryl and I are engaged,” John added, “but we haven’t set a date. It’ll just be a small thing, and probably just a JP at the courthouse. Neither of us is into big weddings.”

“All I have to say is I hope my daughters have that attitude!” I chuckled. “If not, I’ll go broke!”

“You have one of them basically married off already, right?” Mario asked.

I nodded, “Stephie already asked Nicholas Evans to marry her and he accepted her proposal. They’re already acting like a couple; well, minus the physical part. They do hug, kiss, and cuddle a lot.”

“She’s six?”

“And Nicholas is seven. It’s all pretty platonic. It’s not as if they’re swapping spit!”

“Yet!” Mario laughed. “If your kids are anything like you...”

“It’s going to be fun,” I replied.

“I heard your sister had her baby.”

“News travels fast! Ed called me right before I got on the plane to let me know Patricia Anne had been born. You guys are still on two, right?”

“And done!” Mario declared. “Marie made sure of that! On to NIKA - how did the meetings go in New York?”

“Very productive. Both Mike and Abel asked about career paths. We’re going to have to make a concerted effort on that during the leadership retreat in Boca Raton in January.”

“Samantha’s place is big enough for all the executives?”

“It was built for entertaining. With ten bedrooms we can make it work with some room sharing. Most of the rooms have twin beds, which makes it easier. I’ve already talked to the people who’ll be sharing rooms.”

“Who goes to those retreats?” John asked.

“The regional directors, the C-level executives, Charlie, Cèlia, Eve, and Kimmy. That ensures we have input from everyone.”

“Not Dave?”

“Dave has, from day one, elected not to participate in things like this. Julia has it covered. Sam hates stuff like this, too, so she’s also excused.”

“YOU hate stuff like this,” Mario laughed. “Well, insofar as it deals with anything operational. It’s what, seventeen months before Stephanie comes on board?”

“Yes, and it can’t be too soon! I know I sound like a broken record, but remember how it was when we first started? Penny and I were the main programmers, with Dave spending about half his time coding?”

“You were pretty happy Julia agreed to run things early on, but I have to say it was a good thing you stepped up when you did. I know you want to code, but NIKA needed you to shepherd it through the transition from a small company to a significant national firm.”

“And needs someone with some serious business expertise and training to manage what is no longer a ‘small’ firm, even though we act like it.”

“I hope that never ends,” John said. “But I know things change.”

“Not so long as I’m alive!”

“Then I hope you have a long, productive life!”

“You aren’t the only one!” I grinned. “Is everything set for tomorrow, Mario?”

“Yes. In the morning, A new medical practice we’re bringing on board, then lunch with Ned Jenkins, then a couple of law firms who have been long-term clients in the afternoon. We’ll have a staff dinner tomorrow evening. Everything is set for that. You’re not flying home until Saturday, right?”

“Correct. I have a meeting with Tara on Saturday morning to go over her business plan.”

“This will be the third one, right?”

I nodded, “Phelan-Brown and Apple Orchard Bed-and-Breakfast.”

“What are those?” John asked.

“Businesses I backed with capital investments. The first one is an architecture firm run by a close friend of mine. The other one, whose business should be obvious from the name, is in Vermont and run by another close friend of mine. Tara’s going to start a political consultancy - campaigns, policy, office administration, that kind of thing.”

“What other kind of investing do you do, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“Well, besides stocks, I also invest in REITs through my friend Alec Glass. That’s basically like a mutual fund, but for real estate. Our current building came out of one of his REITs because he needed to balance that particular one to comply with federal regulations. We basically swapped our building in Hyde Park for the one we’re in now.”

“Who picks the mutual funds for our 401K plans?”

“Elyse and some outside advisors. I have to stay out of that for legal reasons.”

“Are we still working with Jamie Ferguson and Allen & Baker?” Mario asked.

“Yes. It’s just we’re at a point where we’ll save money by having in-house counsel to handle contracts, employment agreements, legal process, and other day-to-day stuff. Deborah is taking the Bar Exam this week, by the way. She’ll be a full-fledged attorney in about eight weeks.”

“I’m just surprised you hired a lawyer!”

“Me, too!” I chuckled.

We had a nice dinner, and when we finished, I headed to the Marriott where Tara was waiting for me. We exchanged a quick hug, then left the hotel for the same lounge we’d gone to on my previous visit. I ordered us each a drink at the bar. Once we had our drinks, we went to sit in a private booth.

“No business now,” I said. “Let’s just relax. We can cover everything on Saturday.”

“And uncover everything tonight?” she teased.

“What happened with your friend who travels a lot and doesn’t like to cuddle?”

“He wasn’t interested in counseling or even talking about it. That pretty much ended things. I’ve been on a few dates and met some interesting guys. Nothing serious just yet, but worth more dates to find out. I’m really in no hurry at the moment. The only issue is the one we talked about with kids, but I think, in the end, being established and taking a few months off would work best.”

“How are things otherwise?”

“Good. Work keeps me busy, pays the bills, and lets me save. I spend time with my friends, play with my nieces, and otherwise stay out of trouble. How are things with you?”

“Busy. Between the family, work, and karate, I’m pretty much always on the go. But I was never one to just sit around, so I don’t mind at all. Mostly I just need to be careful not to burn out, which is why I have my getaways.”

“Marie said you guys took the entire brood and some friends to Disney! That hardly sounds like a relaxing getaway!”

“Actually, our kids and our friends’ kids are really well behaved and mostly managed themselves. Jesse and Birgit worked together with their siblings and friends to map out the plans and everyone had a good time.”

“Crazy. But if that works for you...”

“It does.”

“Am I spending the night? If so, I have my bag in my car and a bottle of wine.”

“No promises other than cuddles.”

Tara laughed, “If you think I’m turning down cuddles, you’re crazy!”

“Then let’s finish our drinks and head back to the Marriott.”

August 10, 1996, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

“You cuddle better than anyone I’ve ever met,” Tara said as she yawned and stretched on Saturday morning.

“I’m glad you enjoyed the cuddle time.”

“And you don’t want to fool around? Not even once?”

“Are you disappointed?”

“I’m not sure that’s the right word,” she said snuggling close, one bare breast pushing into my chest, and the other into my side, and her soft pubic hair tickling my thigh.

“Unfulfilled?” I asked.

“Maybe. It’s weird, though. I want to, but it’s not like I’m horny; it’s something else, but I can’t really think of a word for it.”

“Bonding,” I replied. “Kind of a seal on our friendship?”

“Weirdly, I think that’s it.”

“It’s not weird, actually. It’s something I’ve been doing for a long time. A close friend of mine once suggested that if I were bisexual, I’d bond with my male friends that way, too.”

“But from what you said on Thursday night, you’ve stopped doing that. Well, mostly.”

“Mostly. There are a few exceptions. You, for example.”

“Me?”

“If you weren’t involved with someone, yes.”

“You failed to mention that on Thursday!”

“Because that’s not what I needed or wanted. And that’s really more about me, than about you.”

“Will you tell me why?” Tara asked.

“I suppose the best way to put it is that I made a mistake, and it exposed a glaring problem with my thinking, at least at this stage of my life. You know I’ve been with a lot of girls, and at this point, I need to focus on my wives and a single, long-term lover.”

“And the exceptions?”

“For a few girls I’ve been with before who are truly special. You’re one of those special girls who are exceptions, but being an ‘exception’ isn’t a guarantee.”

There was Cindi, too, but that was a very different question, and I still wasn’t sure what would happen if she stayed sober, which I was sure she would do.

“Do you have specific criteria?”

“Not really.”

“Do you mind me asking how many exceptions there are?”

“Well, given everyone’s relationship status, three. The other two are in committed relationships, so they’re off limits.”

Those two were Pia and Elyse. Tara, Eve, and Lyudmila were still possible, though I hadn’t decided what to do about either Eve or Lyudmila.

“So I put myself back into play, so to speak.”

“Yes,” I replied.

“Why do I feel as if it will be very different if we have sex?”

“Because your perspective has changed.”

“Will you bond with me?” she asked tentatively.

I gently rolled Tara on to her back and we exchanged several very soft French kisses, until she was wet enough for me to slide slowly into her.

“Yes,” she hissed, as she wrapped her arms and legs around me.

We moved together, slowly, and without urgency, our goal a union of spirit as much as a union of bodies. Tara had a series of small orgasms before we completed the final fulfillment of our joining, with very satisfying and fulfilling releases.

“Wow,” Tara sighed when our orgasms had passed. “That was intense, but in a totally different way. It was almost like cuddling.”

“Shall we get some breakfast and get to the topic at hand?”

“Cuddle me for ten minutes first, please.”

“Of course.”

We cuddled, then showered together, then dressed and left the hotel to go to a diner which Tara knew. While we ate, we discussed her business plan.