Chapter 48: Calling In Favors

December 26, 2001, Boxing Day, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Albert

“Hi, Grandpa!” I said when he opened the door to his house late on Wednesday morning.

“Hello!” Grandpa Al replied. “Come in!”

I went into the house and saw Fawn, Georg, and their daughter Analise, who had just turned one, and Gerry, Collette, and their son Albert who was only six months old.

“Hi!” I said to all of them.

They all greeted me back and a few minutes later, we all went to the kitchen for brunch which Fawn and Collette had prepared. I didn’t particularly like Collette, who struck me as a complete airhead, something about which I knew Grandpa Al agreed, but would never say out loud. She’d been a cheerleader in High School and College, and I was positive that the first thing Gerry had noticed was her chest, which was impressive, though not as impressive as Aunt Cindi’s!

“How is the symphony?” I asked Fawn, who was drop-dead gorgeous.

“Everything is good. We played a benefit concert last week for victims of the September 11 attacks. Did Dad tell you about it?”

“Yes. Unfortunately, I had school and family stuff, or I would have flown out with him.”

“How is your girlfriend?”

“Great! We chat on the computer almost every day and talk on the phone once a month. I’m going to stay with her for a few weeks next Summer when my dad is in Sweden.”

“How is Bethany doing?” Grandpa asked.

“Nicholas says she likes it there, and that his dad is VERY happy to be in Sweden.”

“Why is that?” Gerry asked.

“Co-ed showers in the fire station!” I smirked.

“NO WAY!” Gerry exclaimed.

“Yep. Co-ed submarines in their Navy, too!”

“Lucky man ... oomph!”

Collette had elbowed him hard in the side. I saw Fawn roll her eyes and Grandpa just shook his head.

“How are your flying lessons going?” Fawn asked.

“Aimee was here not long ago and we flew out to Clear Lake, Iowa. I did everything but take off and land, and I got to work the radio. But I can’t actually get my license until I’m 17.”

“I heard your brother has his learner’s permit.”

“And we ALL stay off the roads!” I declared, causing everyone to laugh.

“According to your dad, Jesse is a very cautious, controlled driver,” Grandpa said.

“He is, but I have to give him grief because he’s my brother! Of course, when Birgit starts to drive, I think I’m going to not only stay inside, but stay off the ground floor of any building!”

Everyone laughed and we continued eating, without too much chatter. When we finished, I helped Georg clean up. He was totally cool and I really enjoyed talking to him. He had been only a few blocks away from the towers when the first plane hit, but hadn’t been in any real danger. Fawn had been in their apartment on the East Side and he’d gone home when the second plane hit. When we finished the dishes, we went back to the great room.

“There’s a lesson for you, Gerry,” Fawn said sweetly. “Albert volunteered to help with the dishes.”

“Fuck off!” Gerry exclaimed.

“Gerald Thomas Barton!” Al said firmly. “Do NOT speak to your sister that way.”

It was funny, because that could have been said by any of us kids in our house, and Gerry was twice our age. But the rules in Grandpa Al’s house were different from mine. They even used the word ‘fair’ which was the only word that was banned in my house. My brothers and I had taken to joking about baseball and a ball being ‘foul’ or ‘in-bounds’, which made Dad laugh, though he wasn’t much of a baseball fan nowadays.

“We’ll leave for the hospital in about five minutes,” Grandpa said. “We’ll be in the Sky Lobby on the seventh floor. Albert, I assume you’re riding with me, rather than going home?”

“Yes. It’s silly to walk home. Mom knows.”

We left the house, with Fawn and Gerry each getting into their rental cars with their spouse and kid, while I got into Grandpa Al’s Mercedes.

“Did you have a sports car when you were younger?” I asked.

“Corvette Stingray, among others!” Grandpa replied. “Then I grew up and bought the Mercedes.”

“Bummer!”

“It happens to all of us! Someday, you and your Yorkie, or some other lucky girl, will settle down with kids and the muscle car just won’t cut it. It even happened to your dad!”

“What did he drive?”

“His first car was a normally aspirated V-8 Trans Am; basically the Bandit car, minus the turbo. You’ve seen the movie, right?”

I laughed, then did a fake Southern accent, “There’s no way, no way that you came from my loins. Soon as I get home, first thing I’m gonna do is punch yo mamma in da mouth!”

“Exactly! His second was a turbocharged Dodge Daytona. The Trans Am was wrecked in Georgia, I believe. He sold the Daytona to Penny Penfield when he leased the first BMW.”

“That was the accident where he had his first concussion, right?”

“He had a pretty bad case of whiplash and a mild concussion. One of his passengers was hurt badly, but I don’t know any real details beyond that. You could ask your dad or maybe Jason Stuart. He’ll be at the house today, right?”

“Yes! Abbie will be here, which is awesome!”

We arrived at the hospital and Grandpa parked in his reserved spot, which was literally right by the doors to the hospital, though one floor up from the ER. He could, in an emergency, park in a special spot in the ambulance bay, but this wasn’t an emergency. We got out of the car, went into the hospital, and took the elevator up to the seventh floor where my family and lots of doctors, nurses, and administrators were gathered for the memorial service for Grandma Belinda. Technically, she wasn’t my grandma, but I never saw Mom’s mom because she and Troy didn’t like how Dad had built our family.

There was a large painting of Grandma Belinda that Dad had commissioned from his friend Siobhán, who had made it from Grandma Belinda’s official photo from NASA. There was a black ribbon tied across it, and flowers on either side. I stood with Grandpa Al, and Mom came to stand with us as well. Dad was the Master of Ceremonies, and he called several people from NASA to speak, then a friend of Belinda’s from college, then Fawn, and finally Grandpa.

Grandpa Al was obviously very sad, but he said lots of nice things about Grandma Belinda. He started crying, and Mom and Fawn went to stand by him and put their arms around him so he could finish his eulogy. When he was done, Fawn and Mom hugged Grandpa Al, and then the refreshments were served. I went to check out the easel next to the painting which had a list of scores of papers Grandma had written, and dozens of awards she’d been given. It really sucked that she was gone, but we were hunting down bin Laden, and one day, hopefully soon, he’d be standing in a courtroom, charged with thousands of counts of murder, and if there was some kind of god in the universe, hanged publicly on the Washington Mall.

🎤 Birgit

“I positively hate services like this,” Dad said quietly to Mom when Grandpa Al finished speaking.

“But you know why we do them, right?” Mom asked.

“Yes,” Dad replied. “But I want you all to have a huge party, blow thousands of dollars, and drink, dance, and laugh!”

That sounded TERRIBLE! Why would I want to have a party if Dad died?!

“No!” I insisted. “I’ll be very, very sad!”

I put my arm around Dad, just below where Mom had hers, and pulled his hip against my waist. Dad put his arm around me and I put my head on his side and sighed.

“I want you to remember all the good stuff, Pumpkin. Yes, it will be sad, but think of all the cuddles and all the other good things that have happened and will happen.”

“But then there won’t be any more cuddles,” I said sadly.

I didn’t think he understood how much I loved him and that I’d die inside if something ever happened to him. The world would end. It would never, ever be the same.

“Well, if things go the way they have for Grandpa Adams, it’s your daughters who will be cuddling me!”

“Hah!” I exclaimed. “As if!”

Dad chuckled, “Soon enough, some boy or man is going to catch your fancy, and you’ll kick Dad to the curb!”

“Never!” I exclaimed fiercely.

And I was bound and determined to make sure that NEVER happened. Even if I couldn’t have the one thing I wanted most in the world, I would never, ever ‘kick Dad to the curb’!

“I don’t want you to die, either, Dad,” Ashley said, clinging to Mom.

“And another reason I don’t like things like this,” Dad said quietly to Mom.

🎤 Steve

“You didn’t like the service, did you?” Fawn asked quietly when we met at the refreshment table.

“This is how your dad wanted it.”

“But not your style. Blowout party, right?”

“Yes. Birgit objected when I suggested that.”

“She worships you as much as I did at her age, though I’m sure we had different goals in mind!”

I wasn’t so sure about that, but I certainly couldn’t reveal it to Fawn. I surreptitiously made sure nobody was close enough to hear my next words, said just above a whisper.

“That time with you in New York was one of the most erotic experiences I’ve ever had.”

“It’s something I’ll treasure for the rest of my life, and will never, ever forget. It was magical. And perfect.”

“I see Georg with Analise and I see myself with Birgit.”

“He’s an awesome dad, not all that different from you, though I suspect he’ll be more like my dad with regard to Analise when she’s a teenager than you are with your teenagers.”

“If she looks anything like you or your mom, he’ll need a division of Marines to protect her!”

Fawn laughed, “I did get attention from lots of boys in school, but I never wanted a boy. I wanted a man. I hope my daughter has an experience like mine, though I won’t say that to Georg!”

“Most fathers can’t deal with their daughters’ sexuality.”

“You can.”

“I’m not exactly normal!”

Fawn laughed softly, “No kidding! But if you were normal, what happened in New York could never have happened. Come see us sometime, please. I’ll get you tickets to whatever performance is on when you visit.”

“I’d love that.”

She smiled, then headed back to Georg while I went back to Kara, Suzanne, and the kids. Estrella had decided to join us, but she was with Alejandra and Trent, which I took as a very good sign, though with them moving, they would be mostly communicating via IM instead of face-to-face as I’d hoped.

“That was a nice memorial,” Dad said, drawing me aside to speak.

“Al and Fawn chose the format, and the hospital bent over backwards to accommodate.”

“They damn well should! I suspect your Navy friends will want to do something like this for me.”

“Your Navy friends, too, Dad. And not for another twenty or thirty years!”

“Not too big, Son. And don’t let your mom bring me anywhere near a church nor any priest anywhere near my coffin.”

“Stephanie and I will do our best. I’d make sure you write it out, and make sure your executor is fully aware and has copies of the documents. And you might have someone have a word with the priest at Mom’s church to make sure he knows. And I’ll make sure the Navy boys do it right, though you know them well enough that I won’t have to say or do anything.”

“All true. I didn’t get a chance to ask you earlier in the hustle and bustle, but what’s with the South American girl?”

“Someone I met a few years ago, who is starting at IIT in the Fall in the computer science program. She graduated High School a couple of weeks ago, and when the riots and unrest broke out, her dad arranged for her to get out of Buenos Aires and come to the US early. She and Alejandra are close, and if Alejandra weren’t moving to Minnesota, Estrella could have stayed with them. She’ll stay with us until she moves into the dorms. And, with Winter pregnant and moving to Arizona, Estrella offered to help around the house until school starts.”

“Jesse referred to Suzanne as your wife.”

“I could just say I have a «ḥarīm»,” I chuckled. “But you knew Suzanne was a permanent fixture. We just changed which words we use. You could say, that of the possible things I could adapt from Islam, that’s the most likely! Though their obligation to give alms is also very much in line with my thinking.”

“Well, you’ve made it work, so I suppose there’s nothing to say. Your mother is scandalized. Again.”

“And in other news, water is wet! I honestly don’t care how she lives her life or even what she thinks, but after twenty-five years, the phony moral outrage is tiresome. It was tiresome twenty years ago. And I’ll stop there, because I know you love her, and I accept that. If you’re happy, I’m happy.”

Dad laughed, “I’d call you a liar, but in some warped way, that makes sense.”

“I’m positive you won’t be surprised if I tell you people say things like that to me all the time!”

“And you wear it as a badge of honor.”

“I do.”

Joyce and Jake walked over to where we were standing.

“Chief,” Jake nodded.

“Not for a LONG time!” Dad replied. “How are you, Jake?”

“Good. Sorry we didn’t get a chance to say ‘Hi’ earlier but we only arrived ten minutes before the service started. And I’m sorry we haven’t seen you for a few months, but I’ve been traveling again.”

“It’s OK. You’ll be at the house for a few days, right?”

“Yes. Steve put us up in the nanny room, Joseph is sleeping in Nicholas’ bed, and Amelia is sleeping in Stephie and Ashley’s room. You’re at the hotel, right?”

“Yes. One of the staff is using the NIKA apartment until next week.”

“How is the project going, Steve?” Joyce asked.

“We’re on track and on target. Cindi is ready to pull the trigger on February 1st. Beta testing will start the first week in January.”

“Stephanie told me you let her run up the black flag against Knowles and Jackson. I asked if you were off your meds and she said you were on them!”

I chuckled, “Elyse and Stephanie both thought I should stop taking them when I made that decision. But I’m tired of the Brauns and we’re going to crush them, drive them before us, and listen to the lamentations of their bank accounts!”

“I spoke with Liz and Jocelyn, and both of them think the suits are meritless.”

“Deborah called it ‘Dante 2’,” I said. “And after reading through the claims, I agree. There’s nothing there at all. And going all the way back to DCP and Lone Star? Laughable. In fact, I’m sure Jocelyn told you that some of those claims are precluded by agreements signed between NIKA, DCP, and Lone Star. Those claims will be dismissed immediately. And anything else, if it isn’t dismissed for other reasons, will likely fail because ‘equity must come with clean hands’.”

“The only reason they can do this is because the elder Braun is an attorney,” Joyce said. “If they had to pay fees, they could never do this.”

“Which is the entire point of this silly exercise,” I said. “Cost us money and distract us. But I have the playbook from taking on Dante and I know it works. Well, minus trying to befriend the younger Braun the way I did Dante.”

“How is your nemesis turned friend?” Jake asked.

I chuckled, “On his yacht with two, count them two, Russian models.”

Joyce laughed and shook her head, “He’s an amateur compared to you!”

I shrugged and smiled smugly, “It’s great to be me!”

“And we know exactly where Jesse gets his smugness!” Dad said.

“And me? Where did I get it?” I asked.

Dad and Joyce looked at each other, nodded, and together exclaimed, “Melanie!”

“There might be some truth to that,” I chuckled.

We moved apart and circulated, and eventually headed back to the house so all the grandparents, minus Troy and Angela, could spend time with the kids. After a dinner buffet which included Italian, Chinese, and fried chicken, I excused myself so that I could drive to Midway to retrieve Hope. Her flight was delayed about twenty minutes, but fortunately, that didn’t cause any obvious trouble with gate assignments and she walked out into the arrivals hall only twenty-five minutes later than expected.

“Air traffic,” she said after we hugged. “We had to circle twice before we could land.”

“How was Ohio?”

“Great, except for the three Bible-wielding women who showed up at Mom’s place at the behest of my adoptive parents and my grandfather.”

“I hope your mom sent them away.”

Hope laughed, “You won’t believe what she said to them.”

“Why do I feel I should be worried?”

“She told them that if THEY had been fucked by Steve Adams, they’d know exactly why Mom and I were both very happy to have given you our virginities and why we were very happy about our sex lives!”

“She really said that? I mean, that way?”

“Yes! They almost tripped over each other trying to run to their car.”

“Why do I suddenly have hairs standing on the back of my neck?”

“What? You think my grandfather would be foolish enough to come to the gates of hell?!”

I chuckled, “My front door?”

“Exactly!”

“Well, the god/man he claims to follow stormed the gates of Hades, or so the story goes.”

“You’re a better Christian than anyone who goes to my grandfather’s church!”

“There’s a reason Mahatma Gandhi is reported to have said ‘I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.’”

“With my grandfather being the prime example!”

“So things are really good with your mom?”

“Perfect, really. What time are we leaving tomorrow?”

“4:30am. I decided we’d leave a bit earlier than planned to give more time before Jesse’s first game. The last thing I want to do is have some kind of delay that would cause us to miss it.”

“How many games is the series?”

“Five. Three round-robin, then semi-final and final. They start with four groups of four teams, and the winner from each group moves on to the semi-finals.”

“What if there’s a tie?”

“Then head-to-head, goal difference, goals scored, and finally a coin flip.”

“Man, that would suck, losing on a coin flip.”

“You only get that far if they tied against each other, have the same goal difference, and scored the same number of goals. That’s a fairly long shot, though it could happen. And in a short tournament like this, there isn’t really any other option. The kids will be beat by the end of the tournament. Jesse has two games tomorrow, two games on Friday, and then a game on Saturday, assuming they make the finals, which they have a good chance to do.”