Chapter 24: Penelope

October 21, 2001, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Steve

I arrived home just as the extended family was sitting down to dinner. I dropped my weekender bag at the bottom of the stairs, put my shoulder bag in my study, washed my hands, and after quick hugs and promises of cuddles to my three daughters, I sat down. A place had been set for me because I’d called home when I’d left the airport, letting them know that I’d be home right around 6:00pm.

“How was California, Big Brother?” Stephanie asked.

“It hasn’t fallen into the Pacific just yet!”

“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” she replied flatly.

“FJF is likely to become some version of Ford, Finch, and Burch, with Finch the Younger stepping into his father’s shoes, and Megan being made the first female name partner.”

“They’ll be drummed out of the legal profession!” Elyse declared. “A female name partner in an old ‘white shoe’ firm?”

“It is California,” I replied.

“What’s wrong with girls being in charge?!” Ashley demanded.

“What’s RIGHT about girls being in charge?” Jesse retorted.

“Ask Dad!” Birgit declared. “He put girls in charge of his whole company! And he put a girl in charge of the house account!”

“Maybe intelligence skips a generation!” Jesse declared.

“Yours!” Stephie exclaimed, causing the girls to laugh.

“Well, Miss Smarty Pants,” Jesse smirked, “we’re the SAME generation!”

Stephie stuck her tongue at Jesse who simply looked smug, and everyone began to eat.

“Happy you came home, Tiger?”

I chuckled, “Very! This is music to my ears!”

When we finished eating, and after-dinner chores completed, I cuddled my three girls, each in turn, then started a load of laundry. Hope arrived just before 8:00pm for our weekly mentoring session, and we spent an hour discussing sorting algorithms, something I’d done with numerous CS students over the years. She left just after 9:00pm, and after getting the kids into bed, I spent some time with my wives.

“Who?” Kara asked.

“A certain blonde bombshell of our mutual acquaintance.”

“What do you plan to do, Tiger?”

“I’m not sure just yet, but I have to do something. But whatever I do, it can’t look to anyone else that I’m punishing her, because the LAST thing I need is Bob snooping into my private business.”

“Not to disagree with you,” Kara replied, “but sleeping with the female staff isn’t ‘private business’, at least not the way you mean.”

“I disagree,” I said firmly. “The usual objection is the disparity of power, but what real effect could that have? Salaries are set per a schedule which is based on salary surveys, cost of living, and so on. We don’t negotiate salaries or benefits, and I have zero to do with promotions or assignments.”

“I’m not sure that’s actually true, Snuggle Bear. If you asked any of the directors or C-level executives to do something, they would.”

“Not with regard to salaries or benefits,” I replied. “There is no wiggle room of any kind. The one area of discretion is bonuses, but I haven’t used my discretionary bonus authority except in very special situations, and this doesn’t qualify. With regard to promotions, those are based on time in grade, training courses, certifications, and so on.”

“All of that is true, but you know how it would look to anyone who started during the major expansion, or to someone like Bob, or the woman at Northwestern. You know what your lawyers would say.”

“You’re right, of course. Most people wouldn’t see it my way, and that’s what matters. And, really, that was my point about keeping it private, which means whatever happens with Penny has to have some plausible justification.”

“You don’t seem as upset as I would expect,” Jessica observed.

“Oh, I am, but I took fast-acting propranolol tablets each of the last three days prophylactically because I knew my blood sugar was completely out of whack. And I’m paying for that with ‘carb flu’.”

“Was it really necessary?” Jessica asked, clearly skeptical.

“In the same way, it was necessary to spar in Japan,” I replied. “And this was far less risky because we know how to control the symptoms and effects, even if my army of doctors can’t resolve the actual cause. Think about the message I sent to Aisyah, to the imam, and, to all the members of the mosque. Our friends, the Khans, are leaving because our fellow citizens are acting like a bunch of jackasses, or in some cases, a pack of rabid wolves. Somebody has to step up, and I don’t see nearly enough people doing that. And I am NOT going to cede this to morons like Jesse Jackson, who is using it for self-promotion, like he uses every OTHER thing he does.

“Anyway, given what we know, and that there was very low risk, it made sense. I wasn’t going to be driving, I wasn’t in a position where I had important decisions to make, and I wasn’t walking down the street to the cheerleader’s house to do hands-on research! I took my propranolol, and made a carefully considered decision while I was walking the four miles back to the hotel - and that was after I’d run my usual distance on the treadmill earlier in the morning. All of it is documented, and I’ll share it with Mary and Alejandra.”

“He does seem OK, Jess,” Kara said. “And you know his view on pharmaceuticals.”

“That actually is part of the concern; Tiger willingly taking drugs tells me there’s something wrong.”

“You know my real objection, Babe,” I replied. “Propranolol isn’t psychoactive even if it does keep my mania under control. And think about that, please.”

Jessica nodded, “You used to try to feed your mania.”

“And what I did wasn’t all that risky. In fact, some of those nights drinking with my Russian friends had FAR worse effects than eating too many carbs, and I knew those in advance as well. Given my overall health, verified by a team of the best doctors in the world, eating too many carbs is really not a big deal. Now, if it were to become a habit, or I started drinking soda by the gallon like I did before I met Al, THEN there would be serious reason to worry.”

“Or,” Kara tittered, “if you intended to actually do your hands-on research! I take it you didn’t have time to write.”

“No. We went to the Museum of Contemporary Art, walked around a bit, tried to ride the Angel’s Flight, only to discover it was closed, and had three nice meals.”

“And?” Kara asked with a smirk and an arched eyebrow.

“That, too,” I replied.

“Wifely privilege!”

“About as conservative as you can imagine,” I replied. “But you know my proclivities.”

“The more boring the better?” Kara teased.

“Ha!” I retorted. “You have never once complained! Well, except when you wear out both Jess and me! As for Aisyah, think January of ‘81.”

“A conservative religious girl,” Jessica replied. “Though unlike Kara, not a virgin.”

“Correct. And with the same view of oral sex which was prevalent at Kara’s church back in the day, though there is no Qur’anic prohibition on it so it’s not forbidden outright, just discouraged. I did learn something about Islamic hygiene. though.”

“What’s that?” Kara asked.

As we were alone in the ‘Indian’ room, I simply pushed down my sweatpants and boxer-briefs.

“You shaved?!” Kara gasped.

“Under my arms, too. Aisyah asked, and I saw no reason not to comply. I’ve shaved before.”

“It looks bigger!” Jessica exclaimed.

“Now you’re a size queen?” I teased, pulling up my sweats and underwear.

“You fit very nicely, Tiger. No complaints! How did you leave things with her?”

“Open,” I replied. “I’ll probably see her when I go back to California to close the deal with her parents, assuming everything checks out. After that, it’ll depend on her. She did say that if she hasn’t found a husband by the end of next year, she’d speak with Kara, but I think that’s ultimately going nowhere because there is nothing at all «halal» about this house, and except for the minor concession at parties, I’m not about to change things in a way that would be necessary for an observant Muslim to live here long-term.”

“Does she know that?” Jessica asked.

I nodded, “Yes. We discussed it, though not in detail, but certainly enough that she has a clear picture. I think, in the end, there are too many practical and logistical problems. What I am going to do is speak with the imam of Amir’s mosque to get some idea of whether there actually exists a conservative Muslim man who would accept a non-virgin bride. The other option, which is even more of a longshot, would be finding a Christian or Jew who would be willing to convert to Islam.”

“That’s a pretty tall order,” Kara replied. “I remember what it was like at Grace Church, and as conservative as they are, they’re nothing compared to Islam on the topic of virginity at marriage. And I can’t imagine anyone I know, in any circle of friends, who would even think about converting, let alone actually convert.”

“Exactly. And that leaves Aisyah with very few good options. She’s not all that different from Fatimah, except that a decision made as a teenager has put her in a situation with only sub-optimal choices, and some of those are very difficult to make happen. She’s more like Michelle than like you, Kara, in the sense that her faith is going to drive her ultimate decisions. Weirdly, she’s not as rigid as Michelle was, even though she’s more conservative.”

“I almost forgot!” Kara exclaimed. “Yusef said that Amir would like to have lunch with you tomorrow or Tuesday, if you’re free.”

“It’ll have to be Tuesday,” I replied. “I’ll call him tomorrow and set it up.”

“Cuddles before you take Suzanne upstairs?” Kara requested.

I cuddled my wives for ten minutes, then we kissed ‘good night’, and I went to find Suzanne who was hanging out with Natalie in the kitchen, where they were drinking hot chocolate.

“How was Philosophy Club?” I asked.

“Fine. Mostly about Afghanistan and the idiots in DC who are salivating at being able to implement a police state with public support.”

“All you have to do is scare people enough and they’ll surrender their rights without protest. They always believe the lie that they can obtain safety by yielding liberty, and that works about as often as Bullwinkle pulls a rabbit out of his hat!”

The girls finished their hot chocolate, I hugged and kissed Natalie, and then Suzanne and I went up to her room.

“There HAS to be a story there!” Suzanne declared mirthfully when I removed my boxer-briefs.

“Things in LA took an unexpected turn,” I chuckled as we got into bed.

“Your employee?!” Suzanne asked, snuggling close.

“Yes. The short version is she wanted to explore the notion of being wife number four.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

“Speaking of wife number four, your eldest daughter fired her last bolt at the party.”

“Fatimah?” I asked.

“Birgit bluntly told Fatimah to ask Kara about being your fourth wife and Fatimah put Birgit in her place pretty firmly.”

“I’d hoped Birgit would heed the collective advice she’s received and let it go, but she’s Birgit, so there wasn’t really much chance of that. What did Fatimah say?”

“She was emphatic about her perceived duty to God, her family, and her culture. Birgit was decidedly unhappy, but her arguments got her exactly nowhere.”

“Which doesn’t surprise me at all.”

“It did, on the other hand, get two girls talking about wanting to be with you.”

“Which two?” I asked, reasonably sure I knew who they were.

“Amber and Tiffany. I advised them to keep those thoughts in their heads at least until they were fifteen, because if they were to voice them to you now, the answer wouldn’t just be ‘no’ but ‘never’. That is the gist of what I understood when you set the age limit for any exception to fifteen.”

“If those girls even hint that they’re interested in the wrong situation, all hell could break loose, so, yes, that was exactly what I meant. And no second warnings. And honestly, the risks are so great, that it’s going to be exceedingly rare. But we’ll leave that for the distant future. Did Leigh speak with Ensign Roberts?”

“Yes, and they have a date for Friday night. He’s going to pick her up at Northwestern, so she won’t be here until sometime on Saturday.”

“What’s your take?”

“I think they’ll hit it off and start dating; beyond that, I can’t say.”

“I was thinking of restructuring things if she does drop out of the Inner Circle.”

“How so?”

“You and Jackson are permanent, so we don’t replace Leigh if she and Ensign Roberts get together, nor Natalie when she goes to Russia for her graduate studies.”

“Interesting. Why?”

“Because, otherwise, we’re going to be changing people in and out, and that breeds instability. You’ve made a lifetime commitment, and so has Jackson, albeit of a somewhat different character. That allows the three of us to become closer, and not worry about a constantly shifting dynamic.”

“What made you think about that?”

“NIKA’s management team has been the same from the beginning, minus Dave’s lengthy sabbatical. The stability is key, though it creates a huge risk when there’s a necessary transition in the future. Our new Assistant CTO starts soon, which will change the dynamic, and that’s what raised the concern in my mind.”

“What about Hope?”

“I think it actually works better if she’s not formally part of the leadership because, among other things, it eliminates the dilemma Leigh is facing by creating a more flexible relationship.”

“Are you making room for the possibility of wife number four? Or for Rachel?”

“No. Neither of those things really factor into my thinking about the Inner Circle. Those other things all have to be considered in due time, but we don’t have to worry about them right now. And, honestly, we’re only speculating about Leigh.”

“Would you seriously consider a fourth wife?”

“As I said to Aisyah, I give all requests serious consideration. But the practical problems of integrating a devout Muslim into our household make it extremely difficult, if not impossible. Remember, too, Kara has rights as ‘Senior’ wife to veto any kind of long-term relationship. Aisyah knows that, and even said she would have to speak to Kara first before it could happen. She also knows there are quite a few challenges and impediments. But let’s not worry about that right now.”

“Got something else in mind?”

“A couple of hours of pleasure and a good night’s sleep.”

“Sounds great!” Suzanne said enthusiastically.

October 22, 2001, Chicago, Illinois

On Monday morning I was up early to walk Jessica to work, then returned home to read my newspaper, finding only a brief update about an Indonesian fishing boat carrying over 400 asylum seekers en route to Australia, which had capsized in international waters. The death toll stood at over three hundred, with the number expected to increase.

After I finished the newspaper, I went for my usual morning run with Suzanne, and after our run and showers, I cuddled Birgit. After cuddles, I ate breakfast with Kara, Suzanne, Natalie, my daughters, and Albert, and then we got the kids off to school.

Later, when I arrived at the office, I went straight to Liz’s office and left her a note asking her to call me as soon as she arrived. When she called after about twenty minutes, I filled my mug with green tea and went to her office, shutting the door before sitting on the couch.

“I have two things to tell you, which are related, and I’ll start with the least troublesome one first - Aisyah is in The Club.”

“If that’s the least troublesome, I’m not sure I want to hear the other one!”

“The only reason it was even possible is because Penny made an incorrect assumption and broke «omertà».”

“Shit,” Liz breathed. “What are you going to do?”

“That’s part of what I need to speak with you about.”

“Why don’t you take me through what happened, please.”

“Salacious details?” I asked with a smirk.

“No. You can save those for Kara and Elyse who both get off on them. You do realize that if this gets out, all hell is going to break loose?”

“I know. And you don’t have to tell me that the Board would never approve. All in all, it’s better that nobody except you and my wives know.”

“No kidding,” Liz replied dryly. “Go on; explain.”

I described what had happened, starting with the first conversation I’d had with Aisyah through when we’d parted on Sunday morning, including my entire thought process and Aisyah’s request, including the carb overload and taking my medication. As Liz had requested, I’d left out the salacious details.

“First of all, there is literally no way she can move into your house and continue to work for NIKA. You’d need express permission from the Board and you know that Bob would object. In my capacity as General Counsel for NIKA, I’d have no choice but to advise the Board to not only reject your request, but to remove you as President and suspend you, which I believe they would. You could, as we know, call an emergency shareholder meeting, replace the Board with puppets, and get approval, thereby making what happened public. And you know what happens then.”

“I know,” I replied. “But having thought it through, I don’t think it’s a real possibility because it would create an unsolvable culture clash.”

“I take it from the way you described everything, you intend to continue this relationship for the near term?”

“That was what I was thinking, yes.”

“And if I told you not to?”

“You won’t,” I replied, “though you might advise me not to.”

“I’m actually concerned about the sequence of events, and the fact that you felt the need to take your medication. All of the important decisions were made after you overloaded on carbs.”

“That’s true.”

“You’re absolutely sure you didn’t feel any symptoms of mania?”

“I was on a sugar high, but I don’t think I was acting compulsively or irrationally.”

“Is the President and majority shareholder of a company bedding the staff rational?”

“Rational? I think so, at least in this case. I think your question is one of wisdom, not rationality.”

“And if that’s the case, as your attorney, I have to question the wisdom of what you’ve done. Not to mention you admitted that you can’t be sure you weren’t acting compulsively.”

We stared at each other for a moment before Liz spoke again.

“Is there anything I can say that would stop you from being with her again? Be honest.”