Chapter 18: The Real Thing

June 5, 2000, Chicago, Illinois

“Pussy for programming lessons?” Elyse teased.

“Please don’t say anything like that,” I replied. “This is NOT anything remotely resembling that.”

“Right. Two cute High School girls just happen to ask you to teach them to program with no ulterior motive!”

“Believe it or not, that is what happened. Their school doesn’t offer a computer class.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I’m serious. That is what happened and please do NOT say anything again.”

“Sorry,” Elyse replied, sounding chagrined.

“I understand why you’re thinking that way because it does fit the past pattern. But I believe things have changed, both with society, and the fact that I’m getting older and the age difference is a serious factor.”

“I disagree on the age difference, at least at this point. Maybe when you start to go gray around the temples, but now? You don’t LOOK old. Heck, if you shave your beard, you’ll look a lot younger.”

“For men, that’s not really a concern,” I teased.

“Watch it, buster!” Elyse threatened.

“I still think you’re incredibly sexy ... for your age.”

“YOU ASSHOLE!” she exclaimed, but then laughed.

I laughed with her, then went to my office

“If you even THINK of replacing me...” Penny threatened.

“As if that were possible, even without the death threats!” I chuckled.

“Just remember that! So what are we teaching them?”

“Pretty much where I started with you,” I replied.

“Uh-huh,” Penny smirked.

“With computers, Penelope. Girls today aren’t like you were seventeen years ago! You know, before you got old!”

“Do you want to live to be thirty-seven?”

“I said ‘no death threats’!”

“I’m not old and you know it!”

“I do.”

“VB, right? I think Visual C++ is way too complicated to start. But once they get the hang of programming, move away from VB.”

“I agree. They’ll be here at 1:00pm and we’ll give them two hours. They’ll be back on Wednesday and Friday, then decide if they want to continue.”

“How are you accounting for the six hours of time we’re going to lose each week?”

“I talked to Terry and Julia about it. During the summer, we can manage because we’re not in a time crunch due to the usual summer lull. And once we get them to a certain point, they’ll do their exercises and ask us for help if they need it. Sam and Brenda are going to help, too. And the girls go back to school in the Fall.”

“Does the High School our kids will go to have computer classes?”

“Yes, but just one. I can’t do much at the moment, but once Jesse is there, as a parent, I can work to get an afterschool computer club established.”

“Giving you access to endless teenage nookie!” Penny smirked.

“There’s a reason we limit attendance at the Rap Sessions to kids who have turned seventeen. Let’s get to work.”

Iris and Kassidy arrived as planned and Penny and I spent two hours going over the basic concepts of programming and teaching them to use Visual Basic. They also left on time and Penny and I went back to our office.

“If I hadn’t seen that with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it!” Penny said.

“That they only cared about the computers? It fits with everything that’s happened in the past couple of years. I know we usually don’t talk about things like this, but until earlier this year, it had been two-and-a-half years since I had a new girl.”

“Interesting. You seemed completely normal without what Elyse always called your ‘regular dose of virgin blood’.”

“Doctor Mercer is convinced that what she calls my ‘promiscuity’ is directly related to my endocrine system issues.”

“Then explain what you just said about earlier this year.”

“Call them both appointments with destiny, set in motion years ago. I need to leave it at that, though.”

“Do you ever get the urge to eat carbs to turn it back on?”

“Believe it or not, no. Sex is the medication, either to try to compensate for depression, or to sate my manic state.”

“Was that true when we were together?”

“Probably, but I hadn’t been diagnosed at that point. It’s probably been true since I was a teenager.”

“But no syncopal events?”

“Not in quite some time. That is the one thing that is totally under control.”

We were interrupted when Kimmy buzzed me to say that Leigh Renwick was calling for me. I had her put the call through.

“Hi, Leigh,” I said.

“Hi, Sensei. I wondered if we could meet to talk about mentoring. My dad said it was OK.”

“How about lunch?” I replied. “Can you come to the Loop?”

“Sure.”

“How about Venice Café either Thursday or Friday?”

“Where is that?”

“It’s in the lower level of the Sears Tower. 11:30am is a good time to miss the major lunch rush.”

“Friday?”

“I’ll see you Friday at 11:30am.”

We said ‘goodbye’ and I hung up.

“Leigh?” Penny asked.

“A friend of Ailea’s who wants college advice and wants to come to the Rap Sessions in the fall.”

“Another recruit for your subversive cadre?”

“Very likely, but you know we’ve had trouble recruiting new kids, mostly because of their parents I suspect. In this case, because I’m a karate Sensei, I get the benefit of the doubt. We’ll see if that’s still the case once the Rap Sessions start.”

“What the hell happened to the world?” Penny asked.

“I keep asking myself that question and I don’t like any of the answers I come up with because reversing the trend seems impossible.”

“But you aren’t giving up?”

“No, I’m not giving up.”

“Good.”

The phone rang just then and Kimmy put through a call from Ben Jackson.

“We’re going to need you to come to LA after all.”

“They didn’t settle?”

“No. We figured with the hearing starting on Monday, some kind of settlement offer would have been forthcoming. They’ve had from October to now and nothing. Jury selection started today. They should have a jury empaneled by Thursday afternoon for a Monday trial.”

“And you’re sure you want to put me on the stand?”

“Megan is. She thinks you’ll engage the jury with your ability to put things in terms they can understand and your ‘disarming personality’. She actually called it your ‘vibe’ and I’m old enough to know what that USED to mean. I guess it means more or less the same thing these days.”

I HIGHLY doubted that he knew how Megan meant it. She and I had flirted lightly for the past four years, and she had on several occasions admitted that my vibe had tempted her to violate her rule against married men.

“It’s her case. I’ll fly out on Sunday. Will I be able to fly home on Monday?”

“I’d book your flight for Tuesday afternoon, if possible. I assume you’ll invoice us rather than have us do the hotel and flight bookings?”

“I’d prefer to do it that way, please.”

“OK. Let Harmony know your travel plans, please.”

Harmony was their brand-new receptionist.

I chuckled, “Do you guys hire based on obscure names? Jasmine; Starr; and now Harmony!”

“It’s California,” Ben laughed. “Your parents left here around ‘71, right? And they weren’t part of the hippie subculture.”

“That’s for damned sure,” I replied. “You’ve met my dad who is about as squared away as a Navy man can be.”

“True. Let’s plan on having dinner on Monday night. I expect you’re OK with Megan joining us?”

“Of course.”

“She’ll call you to set up some time to go over your testimony. That can be done by phone. We were very happy with your deposition.”

“I’ll expect her call.”

We said ‘goodbye’ and I called Liesel at the travel agency and made my travel plans. I’d miss Liz’s first day, but it couldn’t be helped. Once I had made the plans, I went to let Deborah know. She promised to take good care of Liz once Liz had finished her orientation. I gave Kimmy all the travel details, then dialed the FJF office in Los Angeles.

“Hi, Harmony, it’s Steve Adams from NIKA.”

“Hi!” she said brightly. “Starr told me about you and said I should take good care of you!”

“Thanks. Ben asked me to call and give you my travel plans.”

“Go ahead.”

I gave her the flight and hotel information, and let her know I’d be in the office at 8:00am so I could walk to the courthouse with Megan. She confirmed the information, I thanked her, and we hung up.

June 8, 2000, Chicago, Illinois

“You called it, Cindi!” Deborah exclaimed. “But I’m sure Microsoft will win their appeal.”

“Yes,” I replied, “they can appeal, but did you read what Judge Jackson said?”

“Sure. He wrote ‘We reluctantly come to the conclusion that a structural remedy has become imperative: Microsoft as it is presently organized and led is unwilling to accept the notion that it broke the law or accede to an order amending its conduct’. But the appeals court won’t care about their failure to admit wrongdoing, not to mention Microsoft can challenge the finding of ‘illegal monopoly’.”

“I thought ‘facts’ were determined at the District Court and that was what the Court of Appeals had to use.”

“That’s true, but Microsoft is challenging a number of issues during the original trial, and if they can get the judgment overturned, the ‘facts’ go away and have to be determined again, based on whatever instructions the Court of Appeals provides in their judgment.”

“Hang on,” I said. “The Appeals Court can basically order the District Court to change the facts?”

“Not directly, but if they order a new trial, and exclude evidence, or order some other method of determining if Microsoft is a monopoly, then the ‘facts’ might change. So no, they can’t really order them to change the facts, but they could achieve the same goal by specifying HOW the court makes its factual determination.”

“I still say the outcome is two companies,” Cindi said. “I can’t imagine the Justice Department and the seventeen states giving up on that remedy; it’s the one they wanted. And honestly, is there another equitable remedy?”

“I don’t think so,” I said.

“The court could order some other potential remedy,” Deborah replied, “such as making Internet Explorer not a part of the operating system and requiring it to be manually installed, or even requiring Microsoft to ship other browsers.”

“As if Microsoft would EVER agree to that!” I chuckled. “Frankly, I think they’d agree to be broken up before they allowed Mozilla to be installed by default!”

“But you saw what Bill Gates said, right?” Elyse asked. “‘This ruling is unfair ... Consumers every day see lower prices and an economy full of competition. Keeping our team together is crucial for our efforts ... we are confident that we will win our appeal‘.”

“Which means they’ll fight,” I replied. “But honestly, I think the shareholders would actually benefit from having stock in two companies. AND we’d likely see Office kept up to date on Mac and Windows, and very likely ported to Linux.”

“Deborah, why are you so confident?”

“Because I think Judge Jackson said things which demonstrated bias, and the Appeals Court will overturn his verdict on those grounds and the whole thing will start over with a new judge.”

“Giving Microsoft years of grace,” I replied. “How sure are you?”

“Not very, but it’s my gut feeling,” she said with a smile.

“How long?” I asked.

“A year, I expect,” Deborah said.

“Then we’ll just have to wait,” I replied.

June 9, 2000, Chicago, Illinois

“Hi, Leigh!” I said when she walked into Venice Café on Friday.

“Hi, Sensei!”

We both reviewed the posted menus, then got our food, and after I paid, we went to sit in a quiet corner of the restaurant.

“What all did Ailea tell you?” I asked as we started eating.

“Pretty much what I told you when we met - that you mentored her, and that she helped you learn how to behave properly for your trip to Japan. Well, and that you’re an excellent teacher. Sensei Ichirou certainly thinks so, too.”

I suppressed a laugh because I was sure that Ailea and her grandfather had two very different things in mind.

“She never came to any of the Rap Sessions.”

“She told me that, but she said you guys had lots of good philosophical discussions and she learned a lot from you. She said it helped her a lot in her classes in college, but even more in law school because she can win most of her debates. That’s what I want to learn to do. She also said that you treated her like an adult from the time you met her when she was sixteen. I’d like to be treated that way, too.”

“That’s a two-way street,” I said. “To be treated like an adult you have to act like an adult which means being responsible and making good decisions.”

“Right, because adults make only good decisions?!”

I chuckled, “Well, no, but I think you understand what I mean by that.”

“I do. So can I ask about your family situation?”

“You can. But as I said to someone else recently, once you step through the looking glass, there is no going back.”

“Lewis Carroll?”

“That’s a good sign.”

“That I knew the author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There? And the reference?”

“I’ve found that kind of knowledge to be increasingly uncommon in teenagers and even college kids.”

“Maybe it’s because I go to a private school. How about this?

Good enough?”

“Now I’m VERY impressed. Where do you go to school that had you memorize Jabberwocky?”

“Lake Forest Academy.”

“I should have guessed. The other guess would be Benet Academy.”

“I have a friend who goes there.”

“Well, if you’re at the best college prep school in the city, and one of the top ones in the country, why do you need me?”

“Because so many adult topics are ‘off limits’. I’m getting a good education, but Ailea suggested I needed a heavy dose of what she called ‘alternative’ philosophy, as well as develop healthy skepticism. Not to mention a proper approach to spirituality.”

“And your parents will sign up for that?” I asked.

“They respect Sensei Ichirou and he only had really good things to say about you. He said you were very intelligent and highly respected, and that you had done wonderful things for his granddaughter. So yes, they’ll be OK with it. I’m also not going to say anything to them that would upset them! That much I’ve figured out!”

I chuckled, “A lesson I learned the hard way, though there were extenuating circumstances.”

“So your family situation? Ailea wouldn’t say anything more than it was different.”

“With good reason. I’m married to two women and have kids by two others. Until recently, we all lived on the same property.”

“I may only be sixteen, but I know you can’t be married to two people at the same time!”

“Legally. But the three of us consider ourselves married and we had a three-way marriage ceremony. There was also a legal one where I married one of the women, but that was just for tax purposes and to keep the state happy. I have seven kids total - two each with my wives, two with my friend Elyse, and one with my High School sweetheart, Jennifer. All planned. Jennifer and her wife Josie live on the same property along with Jesse, their son, who is my eldest. Elyse and her boys moved to the burbs with her boyfriend.”

“OK. That IS different! I think I’ll refrain from telling my parents about that! Does Sense Ichirou know?”

“Yes. He’s met my wives and three girls who all practice karate.”

“But not your boys?”

“No. My eldest, Jesse, plays ice hockey, Matthew is into acting and choir, Michael is into robotics, and Albert is a Cub Scout who wants to learn to fly and go to the Naval Academy.”

“Why do I get the impression that there’s even more to this?”

“Because you’re an intelligent young woman. But I think it’s best to wait for September when we start the Rap Sessions again before the full reveal.”

“Does that mean you won’t meet with me over the summer because you don’t want to have to dance around whatever your other big secret is?”

She had a reasonable point, and she seemed mature enough to handle the other secret. But I still felt it better to wait until she knew me better.

“That’s not why. Most of it is that I’m going to be busy much of the summer and I can’t really make a commitment. You’re just starting your Junior year in the fall, right?”

“Yes.”

“So we have plenty of time before you graduate. And lest you think I’m putting you off, I have to go to LA on Sunday for a few days, I’m going to Iron Mountain for nine days, St. Martin for four days, and Mayo clinic for four days.”

“Mayo Clinic? For work?”

“No, as a patient. My endocrinologist is there. I have a very strange metabolic condition caused by a strange endocrine reaction. It’s totally controlled by diet, exercise, and sleep, but they don’t know the source of the problem. Every year I go up for a battery of tests as they continue to search for the cause.”

“Is it life-threatening?”

“It doesn’t seem to be, and as my doctors will tell you, other than my weird metabolism, I’m extremely healthy.”

“You’re certainly in good shape! Why don’t you compete?”

“Two concussions - one from an auto accident, one from a fainting spell caused by my condition. After the second one I had post-concussion syndrome, which means I can’t be struck in the head without risking another bout of that, and trust me, that is not something I want to experience again.”

“Bad?”

“Always tired, unable to concentrate, and sensitive to light. Basically you can’t do anything for any period of time, including read or watch TV.”

“Whoa!”

“Yeah. So no sparring or competing for me. But if you take that traveling, plus all my work and family obligations, it makes sense to wait until September. We could probably have lunch a few times if you want. You know, to tide you over?”