Chapter 2: Meaning

January 18, 2002, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Jesse

“Hello?” Dad called out when he walked into the house on Friday evening.

“Just me and my friends,” I said. “Everyone else is out. Were you expecting the house to yourself?”

“No,” Dad replied, “and it’s not as if I can’t go into my study or the bedroom. I did plan on a sauna.”

“We were going to use it later, but with ‘weekend rules’ because not all my friends are comfortable with the normal rules.”

“OK. I’m going to get a quick shower, have a bite to eat, then use the sauna. You saw I can’t make your game on Sunday, right?”

“You’re giving away Liz, so, yeah, that has to take precedence. I don’t see anything on your travel schedule except Mayo and your weekend in Vermont. Does that mean you can make all the playoff games?”

“I should be able to, yes. We booked the weekend in Vermont after checking which weekends didn’t have any playoff games scheduled.”

“Cool.”

“Who all is here?”

“Adi, Libby, Karli, Kwame, Chenelle, Tim, Blake, Pete, Janelle, and Lacey.”

Dad went up to his room, and I went back to the great room where we were just sitting down to watch The Wedding Planner. It was a movie Birgit had put on the Netflix list and it’s the one the girls wanted to see, so I had acquiesced. Adi and I sat together in the recliner, with her on my lap.

“I like being in your arms,” Adi said, snuggling close.

🎤 Steve

After a quick shower to remove the grime accumulated by sitting in a sealed aluminum tube for several hours, I went down to the kitchen to get something to eat. I fixed a small plate with salami, cheese, broccoli, celery, and radishes, poured myself a glass of ice water, and took my meal to my study so I could browse the internet while I ate.

There wasn’t much news of note, other than a report of a Canadian Pacific Railway train carrying anhydrous ammonia derailing in North Dakota, and an update on the crash of Garuda Indonesia Flight 421, which had only one fatality amongst the sixty passengers and crew on the 737.

Other things of note were editorials supporting and objecting to the detention of prisoners at Camp X-Ray at Guantanamo Bay. My objection to it was that it seemed to me to be a transparent attempt to avoid giving US Federal Courts jurisdiction, and I was afraid that Bush would succeed in that attempt.

The final editorials I read before finishing my light meal were against the Patriot Act, and against Bush’s hare-brained No Child Left Behind Act, which was, in effect, a complete federal takeover of local schools. Setting aside my usual objections to centralized power and the federal government interfering in things over which they had literally no authority from the Constitution, it was using a hydrogen bomb to kill a fly. Yes, there were some underperforming schools, but the plan put forth was going to remove all local control AND likely lead to a reduction in electives, and a likely end to art, music, and other courses which didn’t teach towards the standardized tests.

I took my empty plate back to the kitchen, washed it, put it in the rack to dry, then went up to my bedroom once again to put on a bathing suit. Normally I would have just used a towel, but with the possibility that Jesse’s friends would come into the sauna, I felt it was safer to just wear my bathing suit. Once I’d changed, I headed to the basement, realizing I’d be alone as the kids were in the middle of a movie.

I spent twenty minutes in the sauna, then rinsed off in the shower, went up to my bedroom to change into sweats, and went back to my study to play Europa Universalis II until my wives arrived home.

“Did you have him arrested?” Jessica asked after she, Kara, Suzanne, and I greeted each other.

“Well, he called Muslims ‘ragheads’, so what do you think I did?”

“You’re not in custody, so you didn’t beat him within an inch of his life, which means you did have him arrested.”

“I’m not proud nor am I happy, but Liz and the Board all felt we needed to protect ourselves from the political climate. Given the public support for basically denying anyone we think is a terrorist any civil rights by sending them to our naval base at Guantanamo Bay is just fine, as well as massive support for the Patriot Act, I didn’t see any real options.”

“What’s happened to this country?” Jessica asked.

“People have decided to trade their liberty for the illusion of safety, and the government is following the authoritarian playbook by ensuring there is an enemy to distract the plebs from what’s really going on.”

“We’ve always been at war with East Asia?” Suzanne asked.

“Pretty much. Bush is not going to let the opportunity to feed the military-industrial complex and ensure massive profits for defense contractors pass unused, not to mention ensure control of Middle Eastern oil.”

“You hate him with a white-hot passion!” Kara declared.

“I do, but in this case, Gore would be doing the same thing, just with a slightly different spin.”

“Cynical as always!” Jessica exclaimed.

“That I am. How was your evening out?”

“Great!” Kara replied. “Ten women painting the town red! And tomorrow we’ll do it again for Girls’ Night Out!”

“I need to walk Jesse’s friends home before we to go bed,” I said. “Once the movie is over, they’ll have a sauna, then everyone will head home. I figure another ninety minutes or so. When will the girls be home?”

“Whenever Penny sends them back,” Kara replied. “Kathy took her girls with her when she went home, and so did April. It’s just our three there with Amber now.”

“Shall we relax in the sunroom until the kids are ready to leave?” I suggested.

The three women agreed, so we headed downstairs.

🎤 Jesse

“You really use this naked?” Karli asked after we’d all changed into bathing suits and gone into the sauna.

“Sure. But I know some of you aren’t comfortable with that, so that’s why we’re using what my family calls ‘weekend rules’ but which really apply anytime someone feels uncomfortable or doesn’t want to be naked.”

“With your parents and siblings?”

“Since I was a baby,” I replied. “But as I said, it’s up to each person, and if one person objects, then we use bathing suits or towels.”

“Weird.”

“My dad lived in Sweden and he basically adopted their view of nudity and of how to raise kids.”

“That’s why you’re basically free to do whatever you want?”

I laughed, “It might seem that way, and it might even technically be true, but that’s not how it works. I have to be responsible for anything I do and be ready for the consequences. So I could do dumb stuff, but then I’d risk losing my privileges.”

“Man, I wish I had that kind of freedom!” Tim declared.

“You?” Lacey said, shaking her head. “I was barely allowed to come here tonight! I had to beg my mom to talk to my dad.”

“Why?” Karli asked.

“Because my parents don’t know Jesse’s parents. I’m not usually allowed to go to anyone’s house unless my parents have met their parents. But my mom convinced my dad it was OK because Jesse and Tim are on the hockey team and dad likes to go to the games.”

“That’s seriously uptight!” Blake declared.

“You have no idea about uptight,” I said, shaking my head.

“Do your sisters have the same freedom?” Karli asked.

“Sure. My dad doesn’t treat boys and girls any differently, though he does adjust things for each kid because each of us is different. I play hockey; my brother Matthew is in drama; my brother Michael is into robotics; my brother Albert is learning to fly.”

“And your sisters?”

“They all take karate lessons and do whatever girl stuff they do that I do NOT want to know about!”

The guys all laughed.

“What’s wrong with girls?” Janelle asked.

“Nothing!” I declared. “I’m just glad I’m not one!”

“Oh, please! Like being a boy is a good thing?”

“It is!” I declared.

“We can pee standing up!” Blake declared.

“Of course it’s about your dick,” Karli exclaimed, shaking her head. “It’s ALWAYS about your dick!”

“And,” Libby smirked, “with a pussy, I can get as many dicks as I want, AND have the guys eating out of my hand to get it!”

“She has a point,” Kwame said.

“Nah,” Tim declared, “not if you don’t want it! Then they have ZERO power!”

“Leaving aside Tim’s observation,” I smirked, “girls want to fuck just as much as boys do, they’re just unwilling to admit it!”

“He actually has a point,” Janelle giggled.

“That’s because society is messed up!” Libby said. “Guys who have lots of sex are ‘studs’, but girls who have lots of sex, or even WANT to have sex, are ‘sluts’!”

“I hope nobody here thinks that,” I said. “Everyone has read Bethany’s book, right?”

“Which book?” Janelle asked.

“Smart Teens; Smart Choices. If you haven’t read it, I can give you a copy before you go home.”

“What’s it about?” Janelle asked.

“Everything you could possibly want to know about your body and about sex, including instructions and diagrams!”

Everyone laughed.

“Which is NOT the main point!” I declared. “It’s really about having a healthy attitude about sex and that teenagers having sex is a normal part of growing up. There’s a ton of information about birth control that you would never hear in school, as well as pretty much everything you need to know about puberty, diseases, and pregnancy.”

“My dad would have a heart attack!” Janelle declared.

“So don’t show him the book!” Libby declared. “You’re sixteen, and you have an absolute right to know everything you need to know about your body and sex. It’s not up to your dad, or your mom, or the school; it’s up to you.”

“Exactly,” I said.

We finished our sauna, took individual showers, and I got a copy of the book for Janelle from Dad’s study. Then, due to the rules my moms had set, I went to find Dad so he could walk with us. At Adi’s house, I got a nice ‘good night’ kiss, and after we left the last house, I contemplated discussing the situation with Angelina with him, but decided, in the end, it was better to just let it go.

January 19, 2002, Naperville, Illinois

🎤 Michael

“Are we ready?” Mr. Perez asked.

“Yes,” Joe said. “I verified that all the controls work.”

“And I verified that all the electrical connectors are tight,” Andi said.

“And there are no problems with the body,” I said. “We’re ready.”

“Good,” Mr. Perez replied. “Manuel, are you ready to drive?”

“Yes! Mike, Joe, and I practiced with our lightweight prototype for three hours yesterday.”

“Our strategy is sound, Mr. Perez,” Andi said. “We’re going to win!”

We left the small classroom, which was our ‘ready room’, and went to the auditorium where the arena had been built thanks to Eduardo’s company, who had made a big donation. He and Dad had also provided most of the money and resources to build our bot. They played the national anthem, then announced all the schools that were participating — Oswego, Naperville North, Naperville South, Plano, Yorkville, Aurora East, Aurora West, and Plainfield.

First up would be Yorkville against Plainfield, and we’d be last in the first round, facing Plano, so I went to sit with Dad and Eduardo, and Andi sat next to her dad, who was sitting next to Eduardo. Matthew, Albert, and Jesse were there to watch, as was my mom, but my sisters had zero interest in robots.

“Who’s your real competition?” Dad asked.

“I think Aurora East,” I said. “Their JROTC unit built their bot, and they got help from some Navy guys.”

“I think I might have to have words with some of my Navy friends!” Dad declared.

“Yeah, good luck with THAT,” Matthew laughed. “Navy men stick together!”

“I hate to say it,” Eduardo said, “but Matthew is right.”

“Just advice, right?” Jesse asked.

“Yes,” I replied. “Except for using the grinder or welding, we had to do all the actual work.”

“What traps are there?” Albert asked.

“A spike trap, a flipper, a ramp, a hammer, and there are also two piston-rams on the center pillar, which can spin. They’re randomly controlled by a computer.”

“No fires or saws?”

I laughed, “The Fire Marshal said no explosions or fires, and the schools felt a saw was too dangerous.”

“What happens to the arena when you’re done?”

“Eduardo’s company will make it available to other schools who want to do the same kind of competition. Saint Charles is already looking at doing something because they have a CNC/CAD program. They’ll be tough to beat, just like Aurora East.”

The competition started and the two bots went after each other, but neither could disable the other, and in the end, Plainfield won on points, having made more successful strikes against Yorkville. The second match was no contest, with the Aurora East robot using its spiked ram to disable the Naperville South robot in less than a minute.

“I’m so glad we used a sloped design,” I said. “That spiked ram won’t easily penetrate it.”

“Yeah,” Joe agreed, “but Naperville lost because they let Aurora trap them against the wall and hammer them with the spike. Their bot looks a bit heavier than ours, and if they can trap us, or shove us onto the flippers or spikes, we’ll be in real trouble.”

The third match went nearly the whole time, but just before the end, the Aurora West driver made an error, and the large hammer slammed his bot, breaking one of the wheels, giving Naperville North the win. That meant it was time for our match, so we went to the ‘ready room’ and Manuel and I carried our bot to the arena and set it in the starting position, which was marked on the floor.

Plano’s bot was designed to ram other bots, and didn’t have very many moving parts, which made it simpler to drive, and harder to disable. After a quick discussion between Joe, Andi, Manuel, and me, we decided on a strategy — a quick, long, high-speed run across the arena with a goal of flipping the Plano bot onto its back. If Manuel could time it right, and the Plano driver couldn’t avoid the contact, we’d win in a few seconds.

When the buzzer sounded, Manuel drove as fast as he could, angling just to the right of the center pillar, as the Plano driver had made a slow move to that side. Manuel surprised him, the front of our bot got under the Plano bot and flipped him, but their bot bounced off the side of the arena and landed on its wheels. That gave us five points, but their bot was still alive.

The next three minutes were spent with both teams maneuvering for position while trying to avoid the traps, but then Manuel executed a perfect deceptive move and managed to shove the Plano bot into the center pillar just as the rams came out and it started to spin. That didn’t disable the other bot, but it turned its back to ours, and Manuel simply drove right under it, hit the buttons for both pistons, and the Plano bot landed upside down to give us the win.

We had fifteen minutes to make any necessary repairs, but there was nothing wrong with our bot, so we simply checked all the electrical connectors and lubricated the pistons for our match against Plainfield. In the end, it was an easy match because their hammer was disabled by the hammer trap, and Manuel simply shoved the bot into the corner and held it there long enough to win. In the second semi-final match, Aurora East made short work of Naperville North, setting up a match between us and Aurora East for the championship. There was a fifteen-minute break before the consolation match was supposed to begin, but Naperville North couldn’t repair their damage, so Plainfield took third by default.

“What do you think?” Manuel asked as we checked over our bot.

“I think we’re in trouble,” Andi said. “Their bot is low, like ours, so we’re not likely going to get under them, and their bot is heavier, so we’re not likely going to be able to shove them around. Both of us have sloped sides, but that actually works to their advantage, as their front ram is so strong.”

“We’re more maneuverable and faster,” I said. “So I think you just do your best to stay away from them and look for an opportunity to score a few points. If you let them get a run on you, the way we did in our first match, we’re toast.”

“What if we try to lure them to a trap?” Andi suggested. “You know, make it look like they can get a run on us, but move at the last second?”

“It’s worth a shot,” Joe agreed. “But we have to time it perfectly.”

We were still discussing our strategy when the bell rang, signaling that we had to carry our bot to the arena. When the buzzer sounded, Manuel carefully maneuvered to stay out of a straight line from the Aurora East bot, and avoided the traps, but never managed to get into a position to attack without having to take a big risk. After a minute of basically running away, he got our bot into position to try to lure the Aurora East bot to the spike trap. It almost worked, but the spikes only struck a glancing blow on the other bot.

Manuel maneuvered to escape, but had to dodge the ramp that popped up, giving Aurora East a chance to ram us. They only got a glancing blow, and our sloped sides saved us. A quick maneuver by Manuel allowed him to strike the East Aurora bot in the side, not doing any damage, but scoring a point. Moving quickly away, Manuel maneuvered for another try, but had to dodge the center pillar which started spinning and that gave Aurora East an opening. They went into reverse, and pushed us against the wall, and Manuel couldn’t break free before the referee declared Aurora East the winner.