Chapter 17: An Anniversary and a Date

June 3, 2000, Chicago, Illinois

“Sam, we absolutely need you to work on that Star Trek transporter.”

“Assuming I could make it work, the energy budget to disassemble, transport, and reassemble a body would be more than the total earth energy production for a year!”

“But I want an Oompa Loompa and I want one NOW!” I whined.

Everyone within earshot laughed hard. We were at Pheasant Run to celebrate NIKA’s 15th Anniversary, one of three regional gatherings.

“Ignore my brother,” Stephanie said. “He’s just whining because flights are too expensive to bring everyone to Chicago.”

“You do have to admit he has a legitimate point,” Dave said.

“Dave agreeing with Steve on a company morale issue?” Elyse asked. “What’s next? The Red Sox winning the World Series?”

“There’s WAY more of a chance of that happening than the Cubs winning it!” Dave declared. “The Sox last won in 1918 before Babe Ruth cursed them. The Cubs last won in 1908 before the Billy Goat curse! And even bringing an Orthodox priest to Wrigley Field didn’t help!”

“What are you doing over the summer, Dave?” Zo asked.

“Julia and I are taking the kids to Greece for a global Kallas family reunion. I have relatives in Australia, Argentina, and Greece, as well as here, obviously, and nearly everyone is going to be in Thessaloniki for a week this summer. We’ll do the tourist thing in Athens as well.”

“If you want a side trip to Constantinople, I’m sure Leila would be happy to arrange it.”

“Don’t you mean Istanbul?” Deborah asked.

“Ask Dave,” I grinned.

“We do refer to it by that name, mostly because that’s its Greek name, plus the fact that the Ecumenical Patriarch, the head of our church, has his cathedral there.”

“Living in the past, as always!” Cindi teased.

“There are quite a few things we can learn from the past,” Dave replied with a grin. “I suppose you’ve heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?”

“MORONS!” a dozen people responded in unison, causing even more people to laugh.

“You would have to figure anyone who works for Steve is a fan of The Princess Bride,” Elyse said.

“You do realize Dave said it that way on purpose, right?” Julia asked.

“Yes, of course!”

“Would everyone please take their seats?” Kimmy asked via a microphone at the front of the room.

Everyone moved to our assigned seats, though I went to stand at the podium next to Kimmy. Once everyone was seated, she spoke again.

“Welcome to NIKA’s Fifteenth Anniversary Celebration! If you’ll bear with me for a few minutes, I’m going to connect the videoconference to bring in the gatherings in Pittsburgh and Colorado Springs, as well as Lyudmila and her team from our sister company in Moscow”

I chuckled, because Lyudmila went by ‘Lucy’ when she was speaking English, but my ‘Russian fetish’ as she called it, meant we all called her by her Russian name. As for the others, most everyone had traveled to their regional headquarters for the parties. That much we’d managed to fit into our constrained budgets, though I’d had to lobby hard to make it happen. In the end, with only about two dozen people having to travel, I’d carried the day. Kimmy brought Moscow and the other two US gatherings online, then came back to the podium.

“Welcome Pittsburgh, Colorado Springs, and Moscow! We’re going to have a short presentation on the founding of NIKA and her «kami» by Steve, and then a few words from Joyce Tarrance, who chairs the Board of Directors. But before that, we’d like to greet several special guests. In Colorado Springs, we have Scott Bannerman, whose teaching and guidance led to the creation of the company you see today. Here in Chicago, we have Dave Kallas, one of the founders of NIKA who is now teaching at IIT and working on a PhD. We also have with us in Chicago Mr. Ben van Hoek and Ms. Jocelyn Mills, who along with Mr. Ben Jackson, who is in Colorado Springs, and Ned Jenkins, who is in Pittsburgh, are the core leadership of our User Group. Steve?”

I stepped up to the podium and took a single 3x5 notecard from my pocket and set it on the podium. It had just the key points I wanted to cover.

“In late 1983 and early 1984, a small group of IIT students, plus a student at UofC, discussed their plans after graduation, and the seeds were planted. Dave Kallas suggested a name in March of 1984, and it stuck. Later that year, and the following Spring, Don Joseph Grossi and my father, Ray Adams, agreed to put up the capital for those friends to start NIKA Consulting. And on June 3, 1985, immediately after graduation, NIKA Consulting was born. Dave and Julia Kallas, Cindi Spanos, Elyse Clarke, and I had our first meeting in what is now my study, but which was our study room while we were in college. What I called my ‘office’ is the nanny room.

“On that first day, Penny Penfield joined us as our first employee, albeit part-time while she was in High School. Not long after, we hired more people, and outgrew that small space. We moved to the attic room, where many of you have been for parties at my house. But as we continued to grow, and Mario Gage and Charlie Johnson came on board, we outgrew even that space, and moved to rented space in the Union Hall on Hyde Park Avenue. From there, we continued to grow until we had to take our own space not far from the Union Hall, and then, eventually into the building, now buildings, in the West Loop.

“Through it all, we’ve sought to preserve what we call the «kami» of NIKA Consulting. That’s a Japanese word which means ‘spirit’ or perhaps ‘ethos’, though it can be personalized as well. The values we hold have not changed since that first day we met in what is now my study, and it is my challenge to myself, and to all of you, to see that we maintain it. All of you are the Ekklesia, the assembly of the called ones. Yes, there is Christian religious meaning behind that term, but it was also used in ancient Greece for the assembly of citizens.

“Each and every one of you is called to further the mission and message of NIKA. I know that sounds religious in nature, and some have jokingly referred to NIKA as ‘The First Church of Steve’...”

There was laughter and a lot of knowing nods, and an expected frown from Bob Larson, which I ignored.

“ ... but all kidding aside, if we do not promote the message, the mission, and the «kami» of NIKA, we’ll be overwhelmed by the forces arrayed against us. We won’t involve ourselves in a race to the bottom. We won’t take actions which intentionally hurt our team or our customers. We will never, ever trade anything for quality. And that means that each of us has to work harder than the average person because we have to convince the world that there is value in treating our customers and our staff justly and equitably.

“We’re entering tough economic times and we need to navigate dangerous seas. To stick with that metaphor, we need all the oars pulling in the same direction. But the thing is, that has always been how NIKA has operated. Stay the course and we’ll all make it through this. I’m not going to go into details, but our finances are sound and our reserves are sufficient to meet the challenges. But we can’t slack off or let up. And I know we won’t, because we’ve made a point to only hire the best people and expect them to give their best. And you have.

“Before I turn the microphone over to Joyce, I have an announcement to make. And that is, each and every employee will receive, as of Monday, 100 shares of NIKA stock as a special bonus for our 15th Anniversary. Those shares will having a vesting period of a year, at which point you can choose to hold them, or convert them to cash at the exchange rate set by the board. The message you should take away from this is that I believe all of us own NIKA, and all of us are responsible for her success. Thank you.”

There was loud applause and a bit of cheering as I moved away from the podium to take my seat between Stephanie and my dad. Joyce went to the microphone and spoke briefly of her grandfather’s vision, and how she was sure he would be pleased with the results. She then handed out the service awards for fifteen, ten, and five years of service. With that complete, she turned the microphone back to Kimmy.

“We’re going to end the call now so that meals may be served. We wish you all a wonderful celebration!”

She disconnected the call, and a technician from Pheasant Run moved the video camera out of the way, then powered off the large screen where the call had been displayed for everyone in Chicago in ‘split screen’ fashion. A team of waiters and waitresses quickly served salads and then the main course, and finally dessert and coffee, while a string quartet provided soft music. When everyone finished eating, the bar was opened once again, and everyone circulated.

“Did you see Bob’s frown,” Elyse asked quietly.

“Let him. I guarantee you nobody will complain, including our Jewish, Muslim, Mormon, Buddhist, Hindu, atheist, or agnostic employees. If he can show me one scintilla of religious discrimination at NIKA, I’ll eat my computer. We went through this BS when Maddie complained about the Buddhist monk and Dave’s priest. It’s not discrimination to mention it. And if it makes people uncomfortable, well, tough shit. They shouldn’t be working for NIKA.”

“As you say, it’s his job, though I agree with you. I have $100 that says he doesn’t say a word.”

“No bet, because at this point, he knows better. I totally get his caution, and I want him to be cautious. But this doesn’t come close to crossing the line. If he can produce one person who is even mildly annoyed I said that, besides himself, I’d be shocked.”

“You don’t know everyone that well at this point.”

“No, but I know Zeke, Mario, and Barbara, and trust them. I met everyone during our tour and I can’t imagine any of them even thinking about what I said the way Bob did. You heard the laughter, and I personally saw our NIKA version of Elizabeth laughing just as hard as everyone!”

“John is pretty outspoken on thinking religion is BS.”

I chuckled, “Because most of it is, if you take it the way the most ardent believers do. Shall we mingle?”

“It’s too bad we can’t dance...” Elyse said with an evil grin.

“On that one, Bob was right. If we had spouses here, that would be one thing. Otherwise, it’s asking for trouble we don’t need, even if everything is on the up-and-up. Karl backed him 100%, as did Al Barton, and I really couldn’t disagree. My dad and Joyce were mellower about it, and you know Beth’s take.”

“Your guaranteed, absolute, sure vote on the Board. She has never, ever, once gone against you. Well, not without your permission, which is basically the same thing!”

“That is the usual lineup - Karl and Al versus Joyce and my Dad with Beth being my tiebreaker. But seriously, that’s mostly Stephanie’s issue. And you know I’ll dance with you anytime, Ms. Clarke!”

“Naked?” she teased.

“You remember what I said? I will never say ‘no’ to you. Ever.”

“Despite your belief that nobody can commit irrevocably to sex?”

“I could, in theory, change my mind, but short of Eduardo telling you not to ask, I can’t see it happening, and if he tells you not to ask, then I’m not going back on my commitment.”

“You know I can’t ask at this point. Not since he and I are living together.”

“Which is your choice, Belgium. One I respect.”

We left the head table and went to get drinks and talk with the staff. I spent a few minutes talking with my dad, but we’d have more time to spend together when he came up for the ceremony the guys had arranged at Great Lakes which was in just under two weeks.

“I’m glad your mom let you take the L with me”, I said as Kelly and I walked onto the platform in Hyde Park.

“I think she’s only worried, Jesse, if you and I are together alone!” Kelly replied. “Are we still seeing Mission: Impossible 2?”

“Yep. Ed Debevic’s for dinner, then the movie at Water Tower Place. We’ll get ice cream and be home by 11:00pm. Mom Two will pick us up at the L because it’ll be so late. I’ll call her with my cell phone when we get on the L after the movie.”

“Your dad was awesome being able to convince my mom it was OK for us to travel downtown together.”

“We’re fourteen! It’s not like we’re babies! And you took the self-defense class at my dad’s dojo last summer!”

“At least next year we don’t have to have moms and dads with us to get to school.”

“True, but when the weather is bad, we have to take the bus. I’ll probably meet you at the bus stop those days. We’ll have to figure it out with Rachel.”

“Are you going to keep taking Spanish?”

“We need two years for college, so yes. Dad took Spanish, but also German. They don’t offer German at school, just Spanish and French. Mom One took Latin, and Mom Two took French.”

“How did your moms meet?”

“At college in California. Mom One used to live in Ohio close to my dad, but her family moved to Seattle when she was a Senior. She was supposed to come to IIT with Dad, but a bunch of bad stuff happened and she decided to go to Stanford. That’s where she met Mom Two.”

“But your dad and Mom One...”

I laughed, “Obviously, or I wouldn’t be here! But Mom Two was there and helped!”

“Helped?” Kelly asked.

“Helped,” I grinned.

“Oh! Like the three of them...”

“Yep!”

“But if they’re lesbians...”

“Mom Two is bisexual. Mom One was confused in High School because stupid people thought everyone should be straight, no matter what. She and Dad fell in love and even talked about getting married, but they always had problems. Mom One says it was because she was a lesbian but was fighting it. Despite that, they decided to have me. Mom Two was there, and then Mom One and Mom Two got married about a month after I was made.”

“But they can’t be married, right? I mean not like by a priest or judge.”

“Dad did the ceremony for them. Everyone who was there was naked, too!”

“What?!” Kelly gasped.

“They had a ‘sky clad’ wedding. And they don’t care what the Governor of Illinois thinks any more than Dad and Aunt Kara care what he thinks.”

“Your family is VERY strange!”

“Yes we are!” I said with pride. “And that’s a good thing, even if some stupid busybodies don’t agree.”

The L train came and we got on and found seats.

“Did you talk to Francesca today?”

“No. I called and the number was disconnected and didn’t have a new number. Dad said that means they changed their phone number to an unlisted one.”

“God, her mom is a bitch!”

“I know,” I sighed.

“My mom is strict, but she’s not crazy like that! Raven says she’s worried I’m going to do stuff she doesn’t want me to do!”

Raven was her older sister who was in college.

“Mom One and Dad both say most parents are like that.”

“But they aren’t. Why?”

“Because they think I’m my own person and should make my own decisions. They taught me how to be responsible and to make good choices.”

“So they’re OK with you, uhm, fooling around?”

“That’s my business not theirs, except if they think I’m in danger for some reason.”

“So have you? You know?”

“Yes. But that’s all I will say except to say my dad provided the condoms.”

“Oh, wow! My dad would go looking for the guy and shoot him! Well, if he had a gun!”

“I have an FOID card,” I said. “Which means I’m allowed to own or handle a gun. My dad has a permit to allow him to carry his gun everywhere.”

“Why?”

“Because some bad guys threatened him. Did I tell you about the girl he rescued from a pimp at Union Station?”

“No! What happened?”

“He saw a girl being lured by a pimp and helped her get away. Later that pimp pulled a knife on my dad. Dad says that during their encounter, the man was encouraged to drop his knife and broke his wrist. Dad walked away.”

“You mean your dad did that?”

“Dad just grabbed his wrist. The guy tried to get away and broke his own wrist and dropped the knife. The police talked to my dad and just let him go.”

“Wow! But he’s a karate master! Why carry a gun?”

“Because karate doesn’t work in every case.”

“You never took karate?”

“No. There was no way once I started learning to skate and playing hockey.”

“You’re pretty strong.”

“Thanks. But as Dad says, the most important thing is to avoid trouble in the first place and walk away if you can. If you can’t, then you disarm the person. If that doesn’t stop them, then you hurt them. If they still don’t stop, then you end it, permanently.”

“Like kill them?”

“If they’re trying to kill you, yes. Otherwise? No. But if they keep attacking you after you warned them and blocked them and disarmed them and hurt them, you have to guess they want to kill you.”

“Your dad is pretty cool. Well, all your parents are, and your aunts, too.”

“I think so, but if you tell my dad that, I’ll deny I ever said that!”

“Why?”

“Because I want to keep him off balance! He does the same thing to me and Birgit! But we teamed up, just like I did with my brothers, and now WE have the advantage!”

“You’re too funny!”

“You and your sister didn’t gang up on your parents?”

“No way! If I tried to talk to them the way you talk to your dad, I’d be grounded until I was infinity years old!”

“Dad thinks kids should have an equal say and be respected for their opinions and what they want. But he says that only works if you raise them to be responsible and to think for themselves from the time they’re little. That’s what he’s done with us.”