Chapter 19: Moving Days

September 28, 1981, Chicago, Illinois

Monday began the craziness of planning and executing the move to the Hancock Building. We had to maintain full operation right up until 5:00pm on the Friday before Columbus Day, and be ready for full operation on the following Tuesday morning at 8:00am. Actually that wasn’t quite accurate — the overnight traders would start working late on Sunday afternoon as the overseas markets were open, but that was more of a concern for the computer and telephone guys who needed to have their equipment up and running by midday on Sunday. Everyone else wouldn’t work until Tuesday.

The day went along normally, with one surprise. At lunch Rachel told me that she’d made a dinner we could share, and that she’d received permission to eat with me at 5:00pm in the break room. I’d been totally surprised, and had checked with Mr. Nelson who told me that Murray Matheson had specifically requested it be permitted. That too, was a surprise, but I wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth!

“Thanks for making dinner for us,” I said when Rachel joined me in the break room just after 5:00pm.

“It’s nothing fancy,” she said. “Just lasagna I could microwave to reheat.”

“It’s better than going to McDonald’s which is the only close fast food. And the company is WAY better! May I say I’m still trying to figure you out?”

“You may. But good luck, because even I can’t figure me out right now!”

The microwave finished and she took out the steaming food and put it onto two paper plates.

“What do you do tonight?” she asked once we started eating.

“Distribute boxes to each of the offices and desks, as well as pack up any supplies which we won’t need in the next two weeks. If Mr. Nelson has done the calculations correctly, we’ll have almost nothing left in the supply closets. New deliveries are going straight to the new space. After that. we’ll start putting file boxes onto pallets. The hope is we won’t need anything, and given there are no active investigations besides Mr. Gilham, and the SEC has all of his records, Mr. Nelson thinks we’re safe.”

“Would you mind if I brought food some other nights?”

“Not at all. I either have to pack an extra sandwich and fruit or hit McDonald’s. And I do like spending time with you.”

She smiled and we ate the rest of our meal in silence. When we finished, I tossed the paper plates into the trash while she rinsed the container she’d used to transport the lasagna. When we finished, she surprised me with a kiss on the cheek, and I walked her to the freight elevator so she could leave the building. Once she was gone, I reported to Mr. Nelson and we got to work. We ended up working until 9:15pm, which didn’t bother me because I was getting paid overtime, and Mr. Nelson surprised both Harry and me with taxi vouchers so we could get home quicker.

October 3, 1981, Chicago, Illinois

On Saturday morning Lily met me when I came out of my apartment to head to the laundromat.

“Hi!” she said.

“Hi!”

“I missed having dinner with you this week so I decided to watch for you this morning.”

“I’m glad,” I replied. “I missed our dinner as well. How was school this week?”

“The same as always. It never changes! You’re going to miss dinners until the day after my birthday, right?”

“Yes. I expect to work late on Tuesday the 13th, but then I should be free. Are we eating in or going out that evening?”

“Let’s eat in! You can take me on a date on Friday.”

“Aren’t I supposed to ask you?”

“Yes, though I know you’re worried about my mom and dad. It’s all cool. Like I told you, my curfew is extended and dating is OK.”

“Did you have plans for that Friday?” I asked.

“Dinner and a movie, if that fits your budget.”

I had decided to spend some of my OT earnings on myself, which meant I could spend more on dates, if I chose. And for Lily, I chose to do that.

“It should,” I replied. “Did you have a movie in mind?”

“The French Lieutenant’s Woman, if you can handle a romantic movie.”

“I think I can,” I replied. “My mom liked them so we ended up watching them on TV. I didn’t get to the theater very often. I saw Star Wars and a couple of other movies, but that was it.”

“Mom and Dad are talking about getting one of those VTR machines. Dad says they’re starting to sell some fairly recent popular movies.”

“That’s cool. There are so many movies I missed that I want to see. TV kind of wrecks them, especially if they have love scenes.”

“My friend Tammy’s parents have some kind of box that lets them receive special TV signals by antenna that shows uncut movies. Some of them have some pretty hot scenes!”

“How much does that service cost?”

“It’s like twenty bucks a month and the antenna can sit on a table. It doesn’t have to go on the roof.”

“That’s pretty steep,” I replied, “though if you watch five movies instead of going to the theater, I guess it pays for itself. Quicker if multiple people watch.”

“And popcorn at home costs about a quarter instead of a couple of bucks! And pop is a lot cheaper, too. If we started dating regularly, that might make sense, you know?”

“If?” I asked. “I thought you already assumed that!”

Lily laughed, “You’re not afraid of going steady?”

“Why would I be? It’s not like I’m promising to marry you!”

“But that could happen, I mean, eventually. I’m not saying it’s a sure thing, or even a likely thing, just that it’s possible.”

“Eventually, if everything worked out, sure, it’s possible.”

We arrived at the laundromat and after I loaded the washer, inserted the coins, and started the load, we went across the street to have coffee. I kept an eye on my watch and when it was time that the washer should have finished, we went back across the street so I could put everything in the dryer. Once I’d started the dryer, we walked to Jewel so I could do my grocery shopping. The timing was perfect and my laundry was dry when we got back to the laundromat. I quickly folded my things, put them in the cart, and we headed back home.

“What are you doing for the rest of the day?” Lily asked after we put away the groceries and laundry.

Teresa was busy, and Tom and Stuart had other plans, so I actually didn’t have plans.

“I didn’t have any specific plans,” I replied. “If your parents are cool with it, we can hang out.”

“Cool. I can hang out until dinner.”

“What do you want to do?”

“Make out!” she said mirthfully. “We didn’t get to do that on Wednesday.”

“All afternoon?” I asked.

“I suppose we can have lunch and talk, too!”

“Let’s make lunch, then,” I replied.

We made and ate our lunch, and after we cleaned up, we spent an hour kissing before we decided to take a bike ride. Unfortunately, Lily had to eat dinner with her parents and spend the evening with them, so I made my own dinner then caught up on reading the Wall Street Journal.

October 9-12, 1981, Chicago, Illinois

At 4:45pm on the Friday before Columbus Day, Mr. Nelson fed us Chinese food, and reviewed the plans for the Spurgeon Capital move over the three-day weekend. I didn’t see how we were going to get everything done, and I suspected he didn’t either. I was very sure that Mr. Spurgeon expected us to get it all done, even if it was impossible.

“We have to have the same motto as the SeaBees,” he said when he finished the review. “They say ‘The difficult we do immediately; the impossible takes a bit longer’.”

“Boss,” Nick said, “I’m not one to argue with you, but there is no way in hell we’re going to finish everything in three days, even if we don’t sleep!”

“I agree. The Big Boss doesn’t. So we make it happen. I have everything prioritized. If some of the piddly-ass shit doesn’t get done, so be it. We can cover. The main thing is that on Tuesday morning, every fucking office needs to have working phones, computers, quotation machines, and all the shit has to be in the right place. The secretaries and assistants will unpack and set up all the personal stuff. And we already put the maps on the walls, and stocked the supply cabinets, and we’re getting all new copiers and printers. The computer guys and electricians can screw us, and that’s what I’m really worried about.

“Kane, I want you to supervise the movers. They’ll be here in ten minutes. Watch those bastards like a hawk, and if you see them slacking for a split second, find the foreman and tell him to get his guys moving. Check off each room on your list as they empty it. If they get us behind, I’m going to have somebody’s butt!”

“Yes, Boss!” I replied, dreading having to tell Chicago union laborers to actually work quickly, something they were renowned for not doing.

“Good. Foulkes, you’re coming over to the new building. You’ll supervise the movers as they bring stuff and make sure it goes to the right offices. No fuck ups! We don’t want to go hunting for anything.”

“Yes, Boss!” he replied.

“Nick and I are going to program, test, and distribute all the new key cards. The alarm system was FINALLY online at noon today. I’ll also be working with Illinois Bell to make sure the phones are transferred and working properly. If you guys need ANYTHING you call us on the radios. Kane, when the last load is on the truck, you take your checklist and go around the offices and double-check they’ve taken everything. Do NOT sign off or let the foreman leave until you’ve done that.”

“Yes, Boss!” I replied.

I had just finished eating when the movers arrived. The foreman looked like he’d rather by anywhere but in our offices on Friday evening, and I couldn’t disagree with him. That said, we were being paid, and that meant doing our jobs to the best of our abilities.

“Jonathan Kane,” I said, extending my hand.

“Gio Moretti,” he said, taking my hand.

Something about him screamed ‘Chicago Outfit’. I’d read stories in the Tribune about Organized Crime in Chicago, and how they controlled construction and the unions, and I realized I had my work cut out for me if I had to confront them about anything. All I could do was try to keep things on an even keel and hope. I led him and the ten members of his crew up to the 35th floor, and they got started on Mr. Spurgeon’s office.

About an hour later, with them making what I felt was decent progress, Gio waved me over to where he was standing with a guy I hadn’t seen before.

“Jonathan Kane, I’m Theo Lipari from the union office.”

“Mr. Lipari,” I said, extending my hand.

“Any trouble, Kane?”

“No, Sir,” I replied. “So far everything is going OK. We just have a tight deadline.”

“We might need more men to finish on time, Theo,” Gio said.

“Can you sign for that, Kane?” Theo asked.

“I can’t sign for a stick of gum if the company is paying,” I said. “Let me call my boss on the radio.”

I walked into a now-empty office, shut the door, and raised the radio like I’d hold a walkie-talkie.

“Kane to Boss,” I said after carefully pressing the ‘transmit’ button.

“Nelson here,” his voice crackled over the radio.

“Some guy from the union just showed up and said they might need more men to finish on time.”

“ ... ullshit!” he growled, the missing ‘B’ telling me he was so annoyed he hadn’t pushed the transmit button quickly enough.

“You think it’s a hold-up?” I asked.

“Of course it is! Fucking union. If we say ‘no’, they slow down to prove the point. If we say ‘yes’, we’re on the hook for however many slackers they want to send us. Fuck!”

“What do you want me to do?” I asked.

“Start by telling them we’ll pay for one guy, but in the end, you can agree to two. I’ll authorize it. Can you handle it?”

Telling him that I’d try would only piss him off, and telling him ‘no’ might mean getting fired, so there was only one answer.

“Yes, Boss!”

“Call me when the assholes agree.”

“Will do.”

I opened the door to the office and walked over to where Gio and Mr. Lipari were standing.

“The boss doesn’t think we need any more guys,” I said, not wanting to show my hand. “How many guys do you think you need?”

“Four,” Theo said before Gio could reply.

“He’s never going to go for that,” I said. “If you think about it, that means you underestimated by 40%.”

“You a college boy?” Mr. Lipari asked condescendingly.

“No, but I did pretty well in basic math in grade school. I can see you missing by 10%. I’m sure I can convince my boss to add one guy, because that’s reasonable.”

Mr. Lipari gave me a hard look, “You going to be trouble?”

“I have a job to do, Mr. Lipari. I’m just a guy in the mailroom who was told to fill out my checklist and make sure all the stuff got onto the trucks. My boss is over at the Hancock Center if you want to talk to him directly, but I don’t think he’s going to be very receptive, given how he sounded on the radio.”

“Four,” he repeated.

“Look, I can probably convince him to add two, so that they can work as a team, but he’s never going to agree to four. Heck, he might not agree to two.”

“Don’t mess with me on this, kid.”

“Sir, I’m not. I’m just telling you what I think I can do. You’re free to talk to him yourself if you go over to the Hancock Center.”

“What do you think, Gio?” Mr. Lipari asked.

He looked at me, staring into my eyes, then turned to Mr. Lipari, “I think the kid’s telling the truth. We can make it work with two.”

Mr. Lipari grunted, “Make it happen, Kid.”

I nodded and went back to the office and relayed what had happened to Mr. Nelson.

“Not bad, Kane. Not bad at all. But ride their asses and let them know we expect it to get done on time and correctly.”

“Yes, Boss!”

I left the office and went back to where Gio and Mr. Lipari were standing.

“He’s not happy, but he agreed I can sign for two more men, given that’s what you said was necessary to finish the job on time and in the manner you agreed to.”

Gio pulled a form from his clipboard, scribbled in the numbers and I signed it.

“You’re not from Chicago, are you?” Mr. Lipari asked.

“No. I’m from a small town east of Cincinnati.”

He laughed and shook his head, “Something about the water there.”

“Why?”

“I just ran into another kid from that same area. You both have balls the size of baseballs! Let me give you my card. If you want to make some real money, call me.”

I took his card, but I had NO intention of getting mixed up with the unions or, as I suspected, the Chicago Outfit. I pocketed the card and Gio asked to use the phone to call for two more guys. I allowed him to do so, and just held my tongue when the guys arrived less than ten minutes later. If I’d had any doubt that it was a shakedown, the fact that they arrived so quickly, in their work clothes, put that to rest.

Things did move more quickly with the two new guys, though I was sure they could have accomplished the same thing with ten men and a bit of effort. Finally, about 3:00am, I made the rounds with Gio and verified that everything which had been marked for the movers had been taken, and the last truck could head to the Hancock Center. I signed the form Gio presented, then followed him out of the offices.

I left the building via the loading dock and quickly started walking north towards the Hancock building, arriving fifteen minutes later. I saw several moving vans lined up by the loading dock, and walked over to find Harry talking with Mr. Nelson. I climbed the cement steps to the platform and walked over to them.

“All done, Boss!” I said.

“No trouble after the bullshit with the two additional guys?”

“No. It was obvious they didn’t need them.”

“Fucking unions. The electricians union is giving me shit, too. Go to the hotel, catch forty winks, and be back here at 6:00am.”

He handed me a room key.

“Yes, Boss!”

I walked across the street to the hotel, took the elevator up to the third floor, found my room, took a quick shower, set the alarm, and got into bed. I got about two hours sleep and was back at the Hancock Center at 6:00am as I’d been instructed. Harry was just leaving to catch a nap and we exchanged a look and just shook our heads.

“Morning, Kane,” Mr. Nelson said. “There are a couple of dozen doughnuts in the lobby of the office. Go grab a couple and a cup of coffee, and you can take over supervising the movers. Nick and I are going to catch a couple of hours of shuteye. We’ll be back by 9:00am when the computer and telephone guys are supposed to arrive.”

“On it, Boss!” I said.

I rode the elevator up to our new offices, grabbed two glazed doughnuts and poured a cup of coffee, then went to find where the movers were working. I munched the doughnuts and sipped coffee while ensuring that everything was delivered to the correct office, having to point out a few mistakes here and there, but otherwise not having much to do but watch. The real fun would come when the secretaries and assistants arrived and started unpacking, and we had to help them, as well as clear away boxes and packing materials. That wouldn’t happen until Sunday morning, though. Saturday was planned to be all about furniture, phones, and computers.