Chapter 4

We started on the ergs. We were put in pairs and told to row 15,000 meters total. One teammate would row while the other one rested. We were on the same machine and had to change people as we took turns. At the end, the total had to add up to 15,000. I was paired with another freshman. I asked him, “What distance can you go all out for and not have a big drop off in speed?”

“Probably 1,000 meters but I may be able to go faster for 500.”

“I think that most will go 500. There is time to get up to speed and that five or ten seconds could hurt each transition. I can go all out for 2,000 so why don’t we go five rounds each? Do you want to go first or finish for the win?”

“I don’t think we’ll win. Why don’t I go first? I will have more time to rest before my next turn.”

“We had better win. It is what we are here to do. Besides, two freshmen beating all the other teams. That is something for bragging rights. Sometimes working smarter is better than working harder.”

We were lined up on every other machine. The coach counted down and we were off. My partner, Scott, was not the fastest but as he predicted, at the 500-meter mark, most teams changed, and Scott kept pulling to take the lead. There was one other team that was going to row at least 1000 meters and they just kept pulling as well. Near the end of Scott’s pull I told him “Hard 20 and he pulled as hard as he could for 20 strokes. He moved off to the left and I hopped on and started to pull. I pulled long, hard and steady with people changing seats all around me.

When Scott got ready to take over, he said, “I feel good, let’s win this.” He pulled for 1000 meters and it was again my turn. Some of the teams noticed that we were pulling away and we weren’t switching rowers as often. Some also noticed that I was pulling further than my partner. We were following the rules so there wasn’t much they could say.

Ethan stayed on to try to help his team catch up. When I sat down, I said, “Too little too late there Ethan.” He was fatigued from trying to go all out every turn. Scott and I finished almost 600 meters in front of the next team. Most had changed strategy halfway through the race.

Afterwards Coach came in and asked, “What did we learn today?”

One of the guys said, “Nick and Scott are cheats.”

Ethan said, “It pays to learn and follow the rules. It pays to think about strategy and how it compares to your opponents and where the strengths and weaknesses are in each strategy.”

“It also means that the smart person in the boat, the coxswain should be listened to because sometimes being the strongest or fastest isn’t enough to win the race.”

Scott added, “Just do as I’m told. I was told that if I just listened and did as I was told that two freshmen could beat a bunch of stuck up seniors and juniors.”

Most people laughed at that. I added, “Bragging rights until we are beaten.”

Coach said, “Well done gentlemen. No run today. Do your weight training. You can leave when you’re done.”

The girls were coming in as they guys were going to the weight room. Shelly said, “You look like you had a workout in here. We heard a lot of cheering.”

“If you get split up into teams don’t switch until 1000 meters go further if you can keep up a strong pace.” She didn’t have a clue what I was talking about as I walked into the weight room.

We heard the girls cheering and I knew they were doing the same workout as the guys. I zipped through the weights as many guys were still trying to recover from the row. I was in and out of the showers. I had on fresh clothes and was carrying a gym bag when I saw Sara and Shelly coming out of the girl’s locker room.

“Who won?” I asked.

Shelly smiled and put her hands over her head. Sara did the same. “We were partners and Shelly said we should try her strategy. We changed every 1500 meters. We won by a long margin. We could keep a good steady pace and our partners had a good chance to recover and be ready when it was their turn.”

“You must be some of the smarter girls on the team.”

“It was Shelly’s idea, but it made sense when you stopped and thought about it.”

“Good job Shelly.”

“Hey Nick, I love that word thing you gave Julie. It made my paper look great and in less than half of the time it normally takes. I think she is going to charge by the hour and make enough to pay for her school.”

“It will be a good test for the equipment and keep Ian out of her room. He will be whining and make his dad pay for the time. Will she be a whore if he pays her by the hour?”

“Don’t make me laugh. It is so close to being true. He thinks that he is something special because of his dad’s company. Even if they were the largest textile mill in Scotland, how do they stack up to other countries like India, China, South Korea?”

“Don’t bash on him. The world needs more kilts.

Shelly said, “I don’t know what you two are talking about.”

“Sorry, Shell. Nick had this typing machine that fixes mistakes and gave one to my neighbor. Her boyfriend is a spoiled kid and we were making fun of them.”

“Can I use the magic typing machine that fixes all my mistakes?

“You can rent Julies from what I hear, or you can come and give me a massage and use mine for free.”

“Sara, ask Julie what she will be charging and then I can decide.”

Sara laughed at my pout as I felt the rejection.

At least I felt clean as Shelly and I walked back to our building. She was in a good mood from her win and for the good tease she got on me. As we got to my floor, she got a little shy but asked, “Can I see the typing machine?”

Two women in my room on the same day and neither wanted my body, just the word processor. I let her follow me to my room and let her sit down. I said, “You can type something of your own or copy a page in the book. Just type as fast as you can and don’t worry about mistakes.”

It went like the demonstration for professor Green, but Shelly was much more animated. “I spent two hours retyping my paper yesterday for a small homework assignment. That was on top of the thirty minutes it took to write the paper. I could have been done in forty minutes instead of two and a half hours.”

“Well maybe Julie will save you a place in line. I’m going to do some reading for my Humanities class.”

“I was just kidding. I can pay you to rent it.”

“I don’t need money. I need time to relax.”

“I can give you a massage. How long would the massage have to be?”

“You just said, it would have saved you two hours. One hour seems like a bargain. I don’t even know if you know how to give a decent massage. I could hire someone in town. What if it’s the worst massage I’ve ever had?”

“How about we start with me giving you a massage for as long as I use the machine? If I use it for a half hour, then I give a half hour massage.”

“We could start with that. Should I buy a massage table and get some massage oil, or do you want me to lay on the bed and you bring some baby oil?”

“If we get on the bed, no funny stuff. Just a massage.”

“That’s what they all say at first.”

“Shut up. Can I use the machine tonight?”

“Sure, I really do have to read ahead in Humanities. Bring some baby oil or some powder to make it easier.”

“Do you want to get dinner first?”

“I normally eat with my neighbors, but you are welcome to join us and bring some other girls as well.”

“Give me 20 minutes to unpack my workout clothes and see who’s around that might want some dinner.” Fifteen minutes later, she was back with two other girls and Andy was on my couch waiting. Hakim and William had gone earlier.

Andy asked, “Do you want to eat in the cafeteria, or do you want to go out?”

One of Shelly’s friends said, “I’m on the meal plan so I can eat here for free.”

“If we go out then I’ll pay for you, he offered. I was thinking about a cold pint and some Shepherd’s pie.”

Shelly shrugged like she didn’t care. I said, “We are all going out and Andy’s paying so let’s go have some fun.”

They all looked to Andy, but he just shrugged and nodded. I had paid the last few times we went out and he offered every time so I didn’t think he would mind if it would make him look better with the ladies. We went to a pub a few blocks off campus and found a table in the back. I had a big salad and a small steak. I was trying to eat a little healthier.

After dinner and pint. We played one game of darts, guys vs girls. They each got a turn and the guys each got a turn per round so they basically got three turns and we got two. They would have won but you had to hit the exact number to win and they kept missing on the final throw. We all had fun. Shelly was telling the girls about the word processor. When they wanted a turn I said, “Shelly and I made a deal, so I got something I wanted, and she got something she wanted. Andy has one too. Maybe you should see if you are as good of negotiators as Shelly was.”

Andy smiled and the girls looked at Andy like he was the dinner, and not just buying dinner. We all thanked him for dinner and then went back to our rooms and started to study. Shelly sat down and started to type. I glanced at the clock and took off my shoes and socks as well as my shirt. I was just wearing a pair of jeans when I sat down in the chair to start my reading.

When she was finished writing, we walked through the editing and then she printed out a copy and read it. She made a couple changes and then printed the final paper. I set up a file folder for her and showed her how to label the paper and put it in her file. She thought that was cool. She was ready to pack up and head to her room. I was standing behind her helping with the word processor. She turned and looked at me and then up to my face. “How long did it take me? Twenty minutes?”

“Forty-two but who’s counting?”

“You, obviously. Are you ready?”

“I can put on some shorts or just leave on my boxers whichever you feel more comfortable with.”

“Not much difference is there?”

“As long as I’m face down, there isn’t much difference.”

“Maybe you should put on some shorts.”

When I was face down on the bed, she got on and started to rub my back and shoulders. It was hard for her to get the places that she wanted to, so she ended up straddling me and almost sitting on my ass as she worked into my lower back muscles. After pulling on the erg, it felt good. With about ten minutes left, she said, “Roll over.”

I wasn’t expecting her to say that, but I was happy to do so. She scooted up so she was on my stomach. She said, “When I was little, my nana used to massage my face and it was the most soothing and relaxing thing.” With that she started to rub my face and I just closed my eyes and enjoyed her hands on my face. When she was done, she sat back on my stomach and let her hands rest on my chest. “How was that?”

“That was great. Thank you.”

“I know that the paper that I spent three hours on yesterday is going to come back with marks about typos and sentence structure. It will be good not to worry about that. It was relaxing for me to give a massage to. Like working on a clay sculpture.

“Photography is more my form of art, but I did take pottery and know how to throw some clay. I know how it feels to have the clay molded in your fingers.”

“I saw a folder on the desk. Did you take those pictures?”

“Yes, a few years ago. I had to write a paper about it, so I got them out to remember it a little better.”

“I liked them. It’s hard to believe that someone in high school took them and posed for them.”

“It was a spur of the moment thing, but I like them.”

Her fingers were still toying with my chest when she remembered where she was. “I better get going. Thanks again for letting me use your machine.”

When she was gone, I walked through the bathroom and knocked on Andy’s door. He opened it and invited me into his room. “What did you do?”

“What do you mean? I read my humanities while Shelly wrote a paper and then she gave me a massage and went home.”

“I guess I’m a better negotiator. I got a blow job and a screw from the two girls. I think they thought that Shelly offered a lot more. They haven’t even used it yet but saw the benefits and wanted in on the action.

“Well I guess I shouldn’t feel bad about sticking you with the tab for dinner.”

“I was hoping when I went away to college that I might get lucky occasionally and it hasn’t even been a week and I’ve been with three different girls. I think I like having you as a roommate. When did you want to talk about the bar stuff?”

“I have a Chemistry lab on Friday morning but after that I don’t have anything planned.”

Classes on Thursday went well, and the rowing was just pulling with the team. Friday was the first lab and it was more about the lab itself. Where the equipment was stored, how it was used, safety and such. It was also interesting that Shelly wasn’t in my Chemistry class but was in my lab. She was sitting with me at the table with two others and we all became lab partners. After class, she asked about using my machine as she called it to work on a paper that she had for World History. I told her that she could. I had a meeting with Andy to work on my project for computer science.

“I thought you were going to drop the class or something.”

“I have a meeting to talk about it tomorrow. I don’t care if I’m in the class or not. I’m still writing the software or at least designing it. I would rather create the concept than write the code.”

“I have no clue in that class. I should probably drop it.”

“I said that I’d help you if you want. I still will.”

“Okay, I’ll stick with it.”

I left her in my room alone and took my pad over to Andy’s room. He said, “I’m hungry, let’s go to one of my uncle’s places and get some food and sit there and work.”

We ended up at the same bar that I met the lady that liked brandy. We got a table in the bar and started to talk about bars, and he would point to things. I asked, “Would it be helpful if you knew what was selling? If you could catch employees trying to steal from you? If your ordering was done for you? If you knew what to expect in sales this week?”

“Yes, yes and yes. How would it work?”

“I want to write a software that tracks what comes in and what goes out. I open a bottle of whiskey. How many drinks should I be able to make?”

“Just over 16 shots from a full-size bottle.”

“What if you were opening the next bottle and I could tell you that only 14 were sold since you opened the last bottle. You are missing two shots. There are almost 17 shots in a bottle, 16.9. A little extra in a pour or a spill might use up the .9 but 2 shots out of a full bottle is 12.5% if you bought it for $10 and were selling shots for $3 each you’d make $48 minus the $10 you paid, leaving you $38. If you lost two drinks, that means you only made $32. If you sold a hundred bottles a week that’s $600 a week that the bartenders are giving away, drinking, or exchanging for bigger tips or pussy.”

“That adds up if there are a hundred pubs. $60,000 a week.”

“So, you put in all the drinks with all the recipes. The bartenders will be able to see the recipes if they need it and the software will compute how much of each liquor should be used. The prices will be in there so the customer won’t be undercharged or overcharged. You can also see how much of each liquor was sold and how much inventory you should have on hand. If you sold ten bottles of Jameson last weekend and you had twenty-four before the weekend started, you should have 14 left. If there are only ten bottles, then things are walking off or people are getting free drinks.”

“What if he wants to give away a free drink?”

“Then he should hit the comp button. It will track who gave it away. If it was a good customer’s birthday then when asked everyone will be fine with it. If he gave away 25 drinks tonight and every other night, the question I’d ask would be, is it worth $75 a night for him to make good tips?”

“What else?”

“When they call your dad for a reorder, they will know what they sold and what they need. You can say when we get below this amount, order that amount. You would also have records of how much was sold on graduation weekend last year so you can stock up this year. If they sell a lot of Champagne, then it would be good to know based on last year’s sales.”

“You can write a program to do all this?”

“I can design it. I have someone else do all the writing.”

“I just have to understand the business. I must know what the choices are. If we order a burger, we may specify rare, medium, well done, with ketchup, no pickles. If we put it all in the program the waitress can just take the order, walk over to a terminal, click on the table number, a Harp, the burger, medium no pickles and hit enter. The kitchen would have a printer that told them about the burger and the barman would have a printer that printed out a pint of Harp.

“Everything would have the server’s name and the time. If the burger was ordered 20 minutes ago the cooks can’t say it was only ten. If it was supposed to be a Bass, the server can’t say she ordered a Bass when she ordered a Harp. It makes people accountable.”

“That all makes sense. What’s it going to cost?”

“I’ll give you or your uncles the first ten or so to install and use just like the typing machines. A test subject. Then we will sell the rest cheaper than all the other bars. If we can save $60,000 a week walking out the door, it will pay for itself pretty quick.”

“When will it be ready?

“I’m not sure. Besides the software, there is the hardware and that could take a while to create or integrate into the system. I will write up my designs and send them to the developers to write into a program. I don’t think the software would take more than six months. I will make a few phone calls when we get back to the dorm.”

“I will continue to think through the processes in the business and understand problems that we could fix with your program. I’m familiar with having to stop selling something on the menu because we’ve run out of ingredients. It makes the restaurant look bad and possibly lose future business.”