Chapter 32: The Men Are Not at Their Best

By the time I get to the hospital, they have reduced Gran’s oxygen flow, and she has gained enough strength to talk. It is nice to see Gran with a little more strength. We hug our hellos. She is like me and likes to get down to business, so I don’t pussyfoot around or delay with niceties. Instead, I say, “We need to plan your funeral. You know that you and I are the only ones mentally capable, so it falls to us.”

She gives me a look of sorrow and says, “This shouldn’t fall to you. I know you are not just a kid, but you are still the grandchild.”

“Normally I would say Mom should do it, but she can’t come here. Sam is in no condition. You are the rock everybody relies on, but you can’t do it yourself. You and I can make all the big decisions. When the time comes, I will ask Grandpa if there is anything he desires for the funeral, then I will tell him what we arranged, and get him to sign for what needs signing. There is no need to make it any harder on him.”

“Come here.”

I do, and she gives me another hug, then says, “We are lucky to have you.”

Jokingly I say, “I know. Now, let’s get to work.”

It doesn’t take long to plan things out. Gran already knows what she wants. It is up to me to start making the arrangements. I am new to this, I never had anybody to care for, so I never had to watch somebody close to me die. Sure, I helped with my Dad’s Dad and Mom’s Stepdad, but they didn’t care about me until the end. I was there, not because I loved them. I was there because it was the right thing to do.

The big difference between helping with my grandfathers and now is, Gran cares about me. She is directly responsible for me having Sam and Grandpa. She brought me to Victoria and gave me a home. Sure, I had places I lived before, but none of them were ever a real home. They were just dwellings. Before now, the only family that ever cared about me was my Dad’s half-sister. Her husband was abusive and hated me. I stayed away from her so that he would have less reason to beat her. Gran is the first family member that was both willing and able to care. I will miss her.

When the planning is done, we play a quick hand of canasta. It is her favourite game. We only play a hand because Grandpa and the Mancicis show up. Once the greetings are over, I say my goodbyes and leave.

I get home to find supper waiting. My entire posse is there to greet me. Sam is in his room crying, and Zlata is in there trying to comfort him. There isn’t much talk at the supper table. What little talk there is entails what I have been missing at school.

Supper ends. Blair and Kevin appear anxious to leave and do so. I don’t blame them. I wouldn’t want to sit in this dark atmosphere either. But, my four girls remain.

Dahlia is the first to speak up, “We arranged a schedule, so Gran gets a visit from one of us every day. You know how she likes to keep up on your businesses and you always keep everything a secret. We will cheer her up by informing on you.”

That causes me to smirk a bit.

“That should cheer her up. She loves anything business-related, even if it doesn’t have to do with me. These are her final days. Keep her happy. Tell her anything she wants to know. I already have Grandpa bringing her every major newspaper in BC and Alberta.”

Moira says, “I hate to be so calloused, but when are you going back to school? Dahlia and I are having a difficult time keeping up with all the new patents you need filed. On the other hand, Emma is loving it. You turned her part-time job into a full-time job.”

Dahlia scowls at her.

“It’s OK, Dahlia. I get where she is coming from. I know how manic I have gotten. A week Monday, I plan on being at the university and cramming in a bunch of tests as I did with my last courses, doing all the tests for two courses in one day. That Tuesday, I will be back in class.”

Carol volunteers, “I’ll let Sensei know, so he can plan when you are to teach.”

“Thank you. Tell the principal I am still good to go for the decathlon thing.”

Kim asks, “If that is all, who wants to play cards?”

“You girls go ahead. I have something on the go that I want to use to get in with Lockheed.”

I head to my room and close the door. I sit at my desk and start working. The next thing I know, my alarm is going off for me to get up. I’ve worked through the night. I didn’t even stop to go to the bathroom or get a snack. When I shut the alarm off, I notice my door is open. The girls must have checked in on me before they left. I think it is funny how they didn’t say goodby.

I go back to work, knowing the girls will get me for breakfast. With the one hand, I type up a to-do list for Moira and Dahlia, followed by a list of topics for Kim to study. With the other, I am putting the finishing touches on a modular satellite design that I hope to license to Lockheed and Martin Marietta.

My plan for Lockheed Martin is simple. I sell tech to The Lockheed Corporation and Martin Marietta that will build the company up over the next three years. Then the cold war ends. They will be unable to sell any of the tech they bought from me. Lockheed will be destitute and have no money to purchase Martin Marietta. Martin Marietta will still be looking for a buyer, but it will be less attractive than it was last time because the company will be worth a lot less. I hope to buy it out. I will also buy what Lockheed stock I can, so I can steer the company in a different direction.

I am working hard when Kim grabs my chair, spins it around to face her, and smacks me in the face.

“What was that for?”

I can see her let out a breath, then she answers, “I have been trying to get your attention. Breakfast is ready, and we are waiting for you.”

“For future reference, try just spinning my chair. There was no need for the slap.”

“No, but it almost felt good.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t mean to be a bitch, but since Gran has been in the hospital, you have been ignoring everybody, not just your girlfriends.”

As she tells me this, it hits me, just how much I have closed myself off. I pull her in for a hug and tell her, “I’m sorry. I’m used to being alone. I have never lost anybody I cared about before because I had nobody to care about. I forgot to take you girls into consideration.”

She hugs me back, saying, “It’s OK, we all understand. It has only been a few days, and I should have been more understanding.”

We are holding hands as she walks me to the dining room. I sit down and say, “It has come to my attention what a dick I have been the last few days. I’m sorry. I’m not used to having other people to consider. Even though I am not going to school with you this week, I think you should all still meet here before school so you can ride together and so I can get my wakeup. I will likely still immerse myself in my work, but I will at least come out of it for our morning get together.”

Carol scowls at Kim then says, “Nobody expects you to be Superman. You just found out about Gran a few days ago. Everybody needs time to process something like that. We all understand.”

Everybody gives one sign or another that they agree.

“One last thing before we start breakfast and we stop talking shop. Kevin, I need to see you after breakfast. Kim, I have a list for you to work on so I need to see you when I am finished with Kevin. Somebody remind me to leave a note for Moira and Dahlia to interrupt me when they get here. I have lists for them too.”

There is a sharp contrast between last night’s supper and this morning’s breakfast. It isn’t so gloomy in the dining room, and there is a lot more conversation.

After breakfast and before I talk with Kevin, I check on Sam. I open his door, and he is sound asleep, so I leave him be and head for my room where Kevin is waiting for me.

“I have a list of things I need you to go home and brainstorm with your Dad.”

I hand him a list, then continue, “This is a list of all the sundry inventions we have waiting for a patent-pending number. The main patents, I will deal with. As soon as we get the number, I am going to give you the go-ahead to approach different companies to sell these. I need your Dad to direct you and help you figure out who you want to try and sell them to. I tend to sell licenses and not the entire patent. You will need to sit down with Emma and let her tell you what your limits are as to the wording in your sales contracts. She knows me well enough to know what I want. Any questions?”

“This is some list. I’m not sure what some of these things are.”

“That is what Moira is for. If you are unsure, phone her. I know I am not the best at answering the phone lately. Don’t hesitate to ask me if you can get me to talk to you.”

“What is an HVLS fan and a bowtie cotter pin?”

“HVLS, High-Volume Low-Speed fans are giant fans that move high volumes of air but spin slowly so there the air moves slowly. It can be used in large buildings like warehouses, barns, hangers and other structures with assembly lines or animals. It’s a cheap way to keep places cool, where air-conditioning units are impractical.

“The bowtie cotter pin is a type of fastener, like a screw, nail or pin. Ask Moira for the patent so you can read it over. You will need a greater understanding of it to sell it. Is that all?”

“For now. I think Dad will be excited to see some of these.”

“Just remember, make sure they have a patent-pending number before you talk to anybody but your father about them. Technically I should have the two of you sign NDAs before you even look at the list.”

“You can trust us.”

“You can tell your Dad that he can let the paper know about them as soon as we have the pending numbers.”

“I’m sure they will appreciate it. I better go if I intend to catch Dad before he decides to play a round of golf.”

The meeting with Kim was even shorter. I just gave her a list of things to study up on, so she will be better prepared to have a security plan for our temporary location and the oceanfront property. I know I told her to get a contractor to do it, but I still want her to gain the experience. She can compare her plan with theirs and have more intelligent questions to ask them.

I am sitting at my desk and just getting into the zone when Moira knocks on my door and enters. She comes over and gives me a hug saying, “You wanted to see me.”

I hug her back and reply, “I just wanted to apologize for being cold to you lately. I guess Gran’s condition has affected me more than I thought.”

“No need to apologize. You needed to grieve. We all understand.”

“I guess there are still a lot of things I need to learn ... I also needed to give you your list. Between you and Dahlia, you should be able to get it all done. I gave Kevin his first real test as a salesman. He should be contacting you so you can pull some patents for him. He knows not to talk about the ones that don’t have a pending number.”

“Anything else, Boss?”

“Just that I’m trying to be myself again. I’ll still zone out to work. If you need me, just throw a glass of cold water in my face. I told everybody else that the morning ride from here is still on, even if I’m not coming with you. That means my morning wakeup rotation is back on.”

Moira kisses me in excitement, then leaves to get working.

I don’t let myself get fully in the zone before Dahlia shows up. I hear the car and then the girls coming in the back door. I get up and open my door only to see Dahlia standing there about to knock. I hug her and say, “Thanks for holding the fort down while my mind was gone. I’m still not 100%, but we are getting there.”

When we break our hug, I grab her hand, and we walk to the dining room for lunch. I can’t help but notice Sam and Zlata are missing. I know she is here. I heard her come in and I can see her car through the window.

At lunch, things are back to normal. We are back to laughing, flirting and generally having a good time. There is one thing different, though. Blair occasionally glances at the seat where Kevin normally sits. Ever since our little talk about Kevin, I notice she is more and more accepting of the idea and is starting to admit to herself that she likes him. I’m glad and hope she does something about it soon.

After lunch, I go back to working in my room. Nobody needs instruction. By now, they all know what they are doing. My only real concern is finding somebody to act as a stock trader. I put that aside and start working again.

I’m getting practiced at splitting my mind between tasks, so I try something different. I move the mouse and keyboard, then set up so I can do two schematics at a time. My right hand does the good copy and touchups since the brain half controlling that side is analytical. My left hand does first drafts because that brain half is creative. To my surprise it works. I’m not quite as good with it as I am with typing writeups and drawing at the same time. I’m still getting a lot more work done than a typical person.

I’m not quite as focused. That is a good thing. I am able to hear when Moira knocks on my door to tell me supper is ready.

After supper, Moira and Dahlia stay behind while everybody else leaves. Moira has to wait for her Dad to pick her up since Sam doesn’t seem capable of dropping her off. Dahlia is waiting for her Mom to finish with Sam to take her home.

While we wait, we play some canasta, flirt and generally having a good time. When the first hand is over, I excuse myself to talk with Zlata. I knock on my uncle’s bedroom door, then stick my head inside. I inquire, “Zlata, would you mind stepping out here for a minute so we can talk?”

She and Sam are cuddling on the bed, fully clothed. She looks up and nods. Trying not to disturb Sam, she slinks off the bed and comes with me into the hall.

“I noticed that you spent the night last night, leaving Dahlia at home.”

“She is a big girl and can take care of herself.”

“I wasn’t criticizing. Dahlia is just waiting for a ride home. I was thinking that I would just lend her a t-shirt and sweat pants. She can sleep in the spare room, and when you go to work in the morning, you can take her home to shower and change for school.”

Zlata thinks about it for a second, “I don’t know. A 15-year-old girl shouldn’t be spending the night with her boyfriend.”

“How is this any different than if we all went camping? You are here. It isn’t like we are unsupervised.”

“Alright, just no funny business.”

“I promise not to do anything with her that I haven’t done with one of the others.”

She knows I am dating all four girls. She isn’t happy about it, but she sees how much happier her daughter is since I came into her life, and she isn’t about to do anything to upset that. She doesn’t know about the girls waking me up in the morning or what happens when they do.

With that settled, she heads back into Sam’s room, and I head back to the dining table to play more canasta. Three more hands and Moira’s Dad arrives. We can see him park the car from where we sit. On his way to knocking on the door, we wave at him, indicating he should come in. We are only partway through the hand, and Moira wants to finish it before she leaves.

We all say, “Hi,” to Mr. P. I have only met him in passing. He takes a seat and asks his daughter, “Is this what you are doing when you are playing maid for your boyfriend?”

Moira blushes, but talks in the whiny voice of a teenage girl annoyed with her parents, “DAAAAD. I don’t play maid. I’m mostly his secretary. Stop trying to embarrass me.”

“Oh, sorry. Play secretary then. That can’t be any better than playing maid. I can’t believe your mother agreed to this. I don’t like it one bit.”

I intercede, “Mr. P, you obviously have a mistaken impression of what she does here. My executive secretary and I both use her as a secretary and her help is greatly needed. What do you do for a living?”

“I’m the assistant manager at the Canadian tire off of Douglass.”

“That is the biggest one in town. You must work hard.”

“I do. I started there when I was your age, stocking shelves. I worked hard to get where I am at.”

“I’m glad. You are in a job that the coming recession will not affect very much. I’m trying to ensure all our families will be ready for it. It is nice to know you are set.”

He scoffs, “And just what exactly is a 15-year-old kid going to do to help adults through a recession?”

“Mr. P, I don’t care for adults constantly underestimating me and patronizing me. I ask that you behave yourself while in my home. You obviously have no clue as to who I am. That tells me you don’t watch the news, keep up on current events or listen to your daughter. Up until now, I have shown you respect because you are Moira’s Dad. You by rights should be showing me respect because I am her boss. When we are done this hand Moira and I will take you into the office and show you what she does. After that if you still want to belittle me then go ahead. I detest people who make rash judgements without any education in the matter.”

“Don’t talk at me like that boy. Moira, hurry up I don’t want to stay here any longer than I have to.”

“Dad, you’re being unreasonable. I want to show you what I do. I thought you would be proud of me. Instead, you tease me about it all the time when you have no clue.”

I can see Moira is getting close to tears. She is upset, and that is increasing how much I am upset. I keep my mouth shut because I know if I say anything, I will let my temper do the talking, and things will get messy.

The rest of the hand is played in silence. After which, Moira grabs her Dad by the hand and drags him to the office. I casually walk behind him.

When I get to the office, she has my day planner out and is showing him my schedule and how she organizes it for me. I don’t like her showing him that, but I am not about to get mad at her for it. I will mention it the next time we are alone. I grab the stack of patents I gave her to work on today. I ask, “Do you have any post-secondary education, formal or otherwise?”

“Only what I learnt at work.”

I pick a patent he has no hope of understanding. I hand it to him and ask, “Have you ever seen steel under a microscope?”

“No.”

“If you did, you would see that steel is crystalline in nature. It is made up of a bunch of tiny crystals that are arranged in every direction. Heat treating steel changes its crystal formations and that is why it turns either hard and brittle or soft and malleable. The patent you hold in your hand is possibly worth billions. It is a way to cool liquid steel so that all the crystals align in one direction. In essence it makes the steel one big crystal. This makes it many times stronger. You can reduce the weight of the armour on a tank and still give it much more protection.”

“There is no way that is worth as much as you say it is.”

“If we only sell it for tank armour, then you would be correct. Outfitting all existing M1A1 Abrams would earn me 20 million after costs. Add up all allied tanks it is less than 40 million. What about building lighter parts and engines for race cars, aircraft and other vehicles. Imagine a train that weighed half as much. Once you add everything up it is about a billion dollars. Off of one piece of paper sitting on my desk.”