Edited by Barney R with his usual quick and accurate work. Tweaked by me, all mistakes are mine

I am Gary Thruston, and I met Jane Winston when we were both in college. I was 19, a senior studying Electrical Engineering with a minor in Computer programming. Jane was 21 and was a junior studying pre-law. She wanted to be a lawyer. I was and am just a nerd tinkerer; a ‘VERY’ successful tinkerer.

I filed for my first patent when I was 16 and a senior in high school. By the time I met Jane, I had seventeen patents for things like an improved rechargeable battery that weighs less than Li-Ion and is less prone to fires. It is also nonhazardous so when it wears out it can either be recycled (recommended) or thrown in the trash. I needed more money like the ocean needed more water but I got paid very well for the licenses.

Some of my patents were taken over by the government, I was paid very well for them but other than the prototypes no one outside of the alphabet agencies and the military has an example of any of them. Even the local and state law enforcement did not have them (yet). I have several of the miniature cameras, and six of the bird size drones that have the cameras mounted on them. The drones also have several very sensitive and very directional microphones with recording capabilities. These microphones can pick up conversions from several hundred feet in the air. I was allowed to make more, but only for my own use. I could not sell any licensed devices.

All of this success was not without problems, as when I started I was a minor, a security clearance was hard to get, and as I did not completely trust my parents with that much money, I hired an attorney, and gave him instructions to set up a trust to park my money and possessions until I was of legal age. When I turned 18, he formed a corporation to handle my patents. We decided to give the privately held stock par value of $10 per share and to issue 500 shares. As I was now over 18, I could be an officer, and on the board as well as a stockholder. I owned 10%, my parents, my lawyer and my accountant owned 1% each; and my trusts 86%. I hold proxies for all of the shares of the trust.

Back to Jane Winston, one of her business ethics professors had helped me with a couple of business problems. He introduced us and told Jane that she might want to use my business as an example of ethical business success, and also to demonstrate profitable corporate practices.

Jane looked at me and started laughing. I got up, thanked the prof for the try and walked out. I went back to my home and began working on some other ideas that I had.

Two days later Jane ambushed me and asked to take me to dinner. I asked why when she found the idea of me owning a business so damned funny. I turned and walked away very quickly.

I went to my last class of the day, and she was waiting outside. I looked at her and said; “I’ll give you an A- for persistence, but I don’t need your looking over my shoulder when I am in your eyes clearly a ‘little boy’. I have managed to do fine without your laughter, and I think I will continue to do so. If you would please leave; I have my toenails to clip; so, I could not possibly have time to listen to you condescend to me more then you have.”

She got a very contrite and sorrowful look and walked away.

The next day the prof called me and asked that he be allowed to mediate between his student and me. As I owed him for his previous help I agreed.

When I arrived at the office of the professor, Jane and he were involved in a conversation. I waited for them to acknowledge me, as I didn’t want to interrupt. After almost five minutes, I just got up and left. As I was driving away, my cell rang. I pulled over and looked at the number, it was one I did not recognize, so I called it back. The prof answered, and I hung up and shut my phone off.

When I was done with my classes for the day, I went toward my car to drive home. The two of them were both standing by my car. As it was locked, and they really could not hurt anything, I grabbed my phone and called a cab. I had the cab pull up next to my car and got in and told the cabby to drive around for fifteen minutes and then take me back to my car.

They were gone. I got in my car and drove home. I was royally pissed. I decided to do something that I never wanted to do. I wrote a nasty letter and sent a copy to each of them.

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Well, of course, that is not the end of the story. I received written apologies from the prof and Jane.

Jane went so far as to schedule an appointment to meet me at the company headquarters. When she arrived, I showed her to our conference room. After she took a seat, I offered her coffee or tea.

She declined. She started to talk. “I wanted to do more than a written apology. I wanted to tell you in person how wrong I was. The professor was trying to teach me some ethical mistakes and was using you as a guinea pig. We never intended to destroy your relationship with him. Your attorney informed him that he was no longer an ‘as needed’ consultant. The money your company paid him for his help was more than his teaching income, so it will hurt him for a long time and in the pocketbook.

“I know I said it in the letter, but I am very sorry I laughed at you. You obviously are a successful businessman. I would like to learn from you. Could we begin again?”

“What do you mean by ‘begin again’?” I asked. I then went on before she could answer; “I would like to have a person like you as a friend and colleague, but laughter is not the way to make friends. I may come off as a ‘whining baby’, but several companies have found that pissing me off is not good for their bottom line. I do not take insults or slights nicely. If you are truly sorry, just leave me alone.”

When I was finished with my tirade, Jane looked shocked. So, I said; “Now you know how I felt when a respected professor asked me to help a student with real-world business ethics examples, and I get laughed at. Then the next stunt was designed to show me how insignificant I was, even though I did not ask for the meeting. Your professor has learned a costly lesson. Don’t make your resident help angry. Do you understand?”