Chapter 03

Wednesday

Breakfast

When we walk into the main room Dad looks surprised to see three meals being laid out by the Room Service people, until he spots Sharon walking from my room. He smiles at me while the staff do a double-take on spotting Sharon. They’re quick to hide their surprise, and they smile at us while they set the food out for our breakfast.

While we eat the eggs and toast Dad says, “I’ve already got a reply from Jackie about the question last night. Care to take a guess about the name of the guy your mother dumped two days before we met?” I just smile while I slowly shake my head. “Yep, you called it. He’s now my very angry boss! How do I deal with this?”

“You don’t, Dad! Take time to talk to the guy who interviewed you. Tell him what’s been happening and tell him what you found out overnight. Then you let him deal with it. It’s not your job to sort out your boss, that’s his boss’ job.”

Sharon asks, “If you’re his father, how come you’re asking his advice on things like your work problems?”

Dad smiles while saying, “I’m a highly experienced combat officer. That means I know how to deal with a direct threat, weapons, and training people. But I’ve had no experience with office politics and that sort of thing. Now, Al here, he’s had a lot of experience with the office politics side of things in sporting associations and clubs. He’s also had a good apprenticeship on this sort of stuff with his mother and uncle at their business. Add in his experience in running the business he inherited from them, and you can see why I’m asking for help in this field which is outside of my knowledge. When I’ve got a genius to advise me I’d be bloody stupid to not use the resource.”

Sharon glances between us, blinks, and lets out a quiet, “Oh.”

Dad grins, “That’s why he’s paying for the penthouse. He’s a lot richer than I am. I’m just a poor working class guy.” We both laugh.

After eating breakfast Dad and I are talking about a few things while I check my emails. Near the end is one I’ve been waiting on from Bryce. With the settlement from the wrongful death cases plus my inheritances I’ve a fair sized business network that includes many operations around the world. It’s taken Bryce some months to sit down to find out all of the businesses, their current status, and list them all for me. I now have to decide if I want to unload some of them or to make some changes. My computer is continuing to download the huge file on how they’re going, but I’m glancing through the short file which is just a list of companies sorted by country. In the list of US businesses is this hotel, it’s a publicly listed company, but I own shares through a number of sources. All up I own eighty-two percent of the hotel shares. I send an email back saying I want him to start buying up all of the other shares in the hotel as well as how to sort out the portfolio. I want full ownership of all the businesses where we’ve more than fifty-five percent ownership, if possible, and all shares held by ones we do own are to be transferred to the head company - AREA Trust. I explain I want to simplify ownership and holdings, either by buying total control at a reasonable price or by selling what we have and don’t need. This’ll allow him to put pressure on those who want to hold out for premium prices. They can either sell to us at a fair price or watch us dump our shares on the market which will make their share’s values plummet to next to nothing.

I tell Sharon I’ve got to go to school when I’m ready, but she’s free to stay as long as she wishes. She nods to me and goes back to bed after putting in a wake-up call with the desk for lunchtime. I check the school website for photos of the whole football team. They have them with biographies, and I memorise the faces of my probable attackers.

While I’m dressing Sharon asks, “How come your father lets you have so much freedom?”

“I’ve always been very mature for my age and I spent a lot of time looking after my younger sister and cousins until they died. Add in the fact that, for a few days, I had to deal with their deaths and my grandparents deaths while I got everything sorted out before Dad could join me, and you can see how he accepts I’m able and old enough to look after myself because life has made me an adult early. I’ve handled things like an adult for some months, so he treats me like one. Dad is a very pragmatic man as he has to be one in the work he’s done all his life, until now.” She nods her understanding and lies back in the bed.

I’m soon leaving, after kissing Sharon goodbye and wishing her a good rest. Downstairs I stop at the desk to pick up a nice package from housekeeping, my bagged lunch I asked for while breakfast was being served. A taxi from outside the hotel soon has me at school.

On the drive to school I think a lot about Sharon, her behaviour, as well as what I’ve seen of her responses to me and others. Earlier I noticed an interesting pattern in there, so I wonder if I should take advantage of it. I decide I will, because it’ll be good for her as well as me. We’ll both benefit in the short term as well as in the long term. It’ll be very good for me because it helps me develop skills to handle others now I’m developing more mature behaviours and I now have to manage so many adults in the businesses. She’ll also make a good adult assistant to help me in that work. I think it’ll be much better for her own peace of mind, too.

Schooling

I find the US school system somewhat confusing because it’s so different from what I’m used to in Australia. I’m used to the school year being from the start of February to late December. The US school year runs from late August or early September to late May or mid June, depending upon the state, with only very short holidays of about a week for Christmas and New Year, and again at Easter; plus they throw in a couple of extra days for Thanksgiving. They make up for it by a much longer summer holiday break.

High school in Australia is years seven to twelve with most students starting there at twelve or thirteen, but most US high schools are years nine to twelve. Lucky for me this private school covers years seven to twelve and is more like what I’m used to. But the year terms are mad because they don’t go by the year or grade number. The first two years are known as Junior High while the rest have special names for the grades; from year nine they’re freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior. Being in year ten I’m a sophomore. I’m not familiar with the names so I rarely use them, which sometimes causes trouble with the teachers and students. This is because they understand those terms quicker than the year numbers while I have to take time to convert the names to numbers.

This is a private school which isn’t dependent upon any government funds, but it still comes under the general supervision of the state government to see it operates within the rules. Between the principal and the School District Supervisor is the School Board of Governors, things very rarely go to the District Supervisor or the education department because the School Board handles them quite well.

After the deaths in my family I didn’t go back to school at the start of the year. I expected to be moving since both Dad and I needed a change. Under Australian law it’s voluntary schooling for people my age so I didn’t have to go. When Dad said he was looking to the US for work I delayed starting school until we settled in the US. That made me a little older than most of my new peers. However, I didn’t mind it because I needed the break to get myself sorted out. I also used the time to catch up on the extra subjects I needed to learn for the US education system.

School

When I walk across the car park Williams walks up and stops to talk to me. While I answer him I keep walking until I reach a point where I can see behind me by glancing at the reflection in a dark tinted car window behind him. He makes some noises about yesterday being a joke and all is forgotten. I let him control the conversation as I watch the car window reflection while a couple of the other football players move about behind me, but a bit further down the car park.

After getting set the two take something out of their pockets and start a wind up to throw them. I can’t understand Americans, as instead of just tossing something at you they feel they have to go through a baseball wind up almost every time. While they get ready to throw I shuffle a bit left while I say goodbye, so I’m now between Williams and the two getting ready to throw. They adjust aim. When they release I move off.

My timing’s perfect! I’m only a pace away when I hear two splats. I turn around to see Williams’ chest covered by a purple fluid and his clothes are ruined. I say, “Shit, man. Did you see the bums who tossed those at you? I think they should be reported.” The whole incident happens with both Williams and I in front of a group of students and two security cameras while the throwers are further away in the car park.

Trying very hard not to laugh I nod at him and head off into school. Meeting one of the teachers just inside the front door I tell her what I just saw happen to Williams. She leaves the building and goes to the car park. From the doorway it looks like Williams is arguing with the two throwers. They shut up when the teacher arrives. I smile because I got an official there before they could agree on a fake story.

Warnings

I’ve got some spare time today so I head for the gym to talk to the coach. It only takes a few minutes to find the senior football coach. I knock on his open office door, and I get called in. After entering the office I tell the coach about yesterday morning’s activities and today’s before asking him to warn his players to lay off me or he may not have a full team after I’m forced to defend myself.

The coach says, “Son, we’ve a Zero Tolerance policy on fighting. You get in a fight and you’ll be suspended.”

Giving him a weak smile I say, “Coach, I’m aware the school has a Zero Brains fighting policy, but not one on bullying. Some of your boys are bullying most everyone in the school. I won’t take that shit. After being embarrassed yesterday and today Williams is likely to get some of the team to get physical with me. When they start something I’ll finish it! I may get suspended for a few weeks, but they’ll be side-lined for injuries for longer than I’ll be away. That, I can guarantee. So you better get your boys under control, or start planning on playing with a few players out for injuries. I told the principal that yesterday, and now I’ve told you. I’ve given you all a fair warning. What happens now depends upon how well you control the animals on your team. Good day, Sir.”

I leave before he can start to reply, and I head to my first class.

Walking down the hall near my classroom I see two of the football team standing in the middle of the hall waving their arms about while they talk. I smile as I know this dance well, far too well, from the past.

Walking up behind the one with his back to me I go to pass on his left while keeping a close eye on them. When I’m about a pace behind them the guy facing my way nods toward me, and the other speaks while making a fast and expansive arm movement with his left arm - his hand is in a fist like he’s about to backhand someone. Taking two very fast steps right at a forty-five degree angle I dart past both guys on the right side of the hall while the one with his back to me half windmills around to his left. He almost falls over when he fails to hit me. I smile at them when I’m passing them, and I’m soon in the classroom.

I’ve still got a few minutes before class so I have a word with a boy at the back of the class, the only member of the football team I saw in class yesterday. To be in the advanced classes I saw him in means he must be smarter than the rest of the players. Walking up to him I say, “Morning, Greg. I see you’ve a higher IQ than the rest of the football team together. Please try to get them to stop these silly games Williams and some others are trying to play because I’ll fight back, then they’ll get hurt, not me.”

He smiles while saying, “Yes, Williams and his friends can be real kids. Don’t worry about me. I’m not interested in those pecker games! I just like to play football. Sadly, I’ve got little choice about who else is on the team. Later I’ll talk to them to see if I can stop them, but I doubt I’ll be able to do anything.”

“That’s a shame. Thanks for trying, when you do. Then I hope you’ve got a good set of back up players.” He laughs while I go to my seat.

Sitting down by Kath I start to tell her about the morning events, but she already knows about the car park incident. The teacher enters, so the class begins. It’s soon over, too.

Due to Kath guiding me and my starting to learn the buildings and rooms I’m a lot quicker moving between classes today. Even so, I need a bit of fast footwork to avoid attempted attacks by two football players while moving between classes. The same happens at the next break.

Lunch

Third period class is over and we’re off to lunch. Today I brought my lunch, as did Kath, so we go straight to our table. When we do I notice a number of the football team standing around near the queue for food as if waiting for someone. Our table’s at the back wall, so it’s easy for me to sit with my back to the wall. After I pull my lunch out of my bag the group of football players is very quick to break up.

Because the morning classes pass without any real incidents I think they haven’t formulated a new strategy yet. Lunch is nice because Greg joins us as a way of showing he’s not involved in the trouble. I ask him about American Football. “Greg, out of interest, what positions do you and Williams play on the team, and what do they do?”

“I’m the team’s QB and he’s the WR.” I give him a very vacant look. He smiles at my expression and starts again. “I’m the quarterback, I take the snap and either pass the ball or hand it off, depending upon the play.” After a series of questions and answers I learn he controls the plays on the field as per the coach’s instructions. He accepts the ball from the start of play and passes to where the others are supposed to be to take it to make a first down or touchdown; or he hands it off to another player, most often the running back. Williams is a wide receiver, the best in the state for the last two years. His job is to run down the field to catch the passed ball, or go along the scrimmage line to take a lateral pass to run down the field, or similar moves. The coach thinks the loss of either one of them will be a serious cut in the team’s performance. Greg finishes with, “I think you’d be a better wide receiver than Williams. Over the last few days I’ve seen the way you move. You’re faster than Williams and you think quick on your feet. That means you’re more able to respond to developing situations. You’re also much more athletic than he is, so you can dodge better, like I heard you did in the hall this morning.” It’s clear to me they’re not great friends.

“Tell me more about the game and rules, please.” He does, at some length. I listen to him while I wonder if joining the team will help me.

After a pleasant lunch Kath and I leave a bit early. We go out one of the doors to the outside to walk around the building while we talk about visiting her grandmother tomorrow. Being careful of our path we take the long way around to our next class. Arriving on the second level by the stairs furthest from the cafeteria I notice a small knot of football players hanging around near the top of the other stairs, another ambush avoided. I wonder when they’ll get the message and give up.

During the afternoon I’m a bit worried when neither Williams or any of his mates come near me during the class break. I figure they’ve planned something for straight after school.

After School Activity

When the final bell goes I head for the exit. I stop when I see some of the football team near each gate. Hmm, do I have a confrontation now or do I try to avoid it. I decide to try and avoid it today, if I can.

I say goodbye to Kath and head back into the school. Leaving by one of the rear doors I make sure it locks behind me when I walk out. I walk close to the buildings in full view of the cameras. I walk around the outside as if heading to go out one of the side gates. When out of view of the cameras I double back to the sports ground. I figure this will be the last place they’ll expect me to be, so I’ll hide around here for a while.

After searching and studying the various constructions I find the perfect hiding place. The sports ground has both a football field and a baseball field. The football field has a nice electronic scoreboard while the baseball field has a large manual board where someone stands on a wide ledge to place painted number plates on hooks on the board. The ledge is reached by an almost upright ladder going up about three body lengths, and the ledge is a body length wide to allow two people to pass each other in safety while they work on the scoreboard. It has a railing around the edge of it at waist height as well.

In my bag I’ve a nice compact digital video and still camera that has a detachable viewing screen. I place the camera against the rail’s middle post and set it to watch the field. Plugging in the extension cable I detach the viewing screen and move back against the board. Like this I’m not visible from the ground because to be far enough away to see onto the ledge they’re too far away to make out anything as small as me lying at the back. I settle down to wait, but I glance at the camera screen every few minutes because it’ll take anyone several minutes to cross the field to the scoreboard. I pull out a text book to study while waiting.

About fifteen minutes later someone walks out to take a long look around the fields and the spectator stands before heading back toward the main school. After another fifteen minutes a second searcher makes the same inspection. About thirty minutes later there are three doing the search together. I continue to wait where I am.

When almost forty-five minutes go by without any more searchers I decide they may have gone home. I pack up my gear and I leave my hiding place. I take care to walk around the field while keeping close to the fence and surrounding buildings. Nearer the school buildings I give them all a careful study before moving out to cross the open ground between the sports field and the main buildings. I circle very wide of the buildings to be sure I stay out of the view of the security cameras. Reaching the front I see all of the regular gates are shut and locked, but the wider one the cleaners use is open. The only cars in the car park are a few older model ones parked near the cleaners’ gate. I smile while I walk out and down the street as I head away from my hotel. When I’m a few streets away I call for a taxi and take it to the hotel when it arrives.