Chapter 59: Revelations

May 29, 2002, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Steve

“No way!” Jessica said, laughing. “Julie Moran? Tiffany’s mom?”

“Julie Moran,” I replied. “Tiffany’s mom.”

“What did you tell her?”

“That I’d be happy to allow her to discover for herself if the rumors were true, if she fulfilled two conditions.”

“An STI test is one, obviously, and I’m going to guess the other one is a conversation about her situation, given the separation.”

“I asked about that, and she and her husband signed a separation agreement. I didn’t pry.”

“Then what’s the other condition?”

“She has to ask you, Kara, and Suzanne for permission!”

All three of them laughed.

“You are evil Tiger!”

“Thank you!”

“What was the resolution about the sauna?” Kara asked.

“The one the kids came up with,” I replied. “Julie made it clear she’s not comfortable with Tiffany being in the sauna naked, and I promised to discuss it with Birgit in the morning.”

“Speaking of her, how did your conversation go?” Jessica asked.

“Fine. We’ll finish tomorrow morning when I tell her about Birgit Andersson. Suzanne, I’m going to skip our run, so I have enough time. I’ll run at lunch instead.”

“What are you going to do if Julie asks for permission?” Suzanne inquired.

“Invite her to discover if I am, indeed, fantastic in the sack!”

May 30, 2002, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Birgit

“Do you know what today is?” I asked.

“The day after your 14th birthday!” Dad said with a silly smile.

“Which means you owe me, Dad!” I declared.

“I knew you wouldn’t forget,” he replied. “Come sit with me, Pumpkin.”

I walked over to the lounge chair where he was reading the newspaper and climbed in. He put the newspaper down, put his arm around me, and I snuggled close.

“You know what I want!” I teased.

“Here?” Dad asked, teasing back. “What if someone comes in?”

“Then we stop!” I giggled. “Or they get a show they’ll NEVER forget!”

“You are SO bad Birgit Elizabeth!”

“And whose fault is THAT?” I asked. “I don’t know who’s worse — you or Mom!”

“Me, obviously.”

“Because you would if the circumstances were different?”

“I did admit that to you.”

“Mom would never agree, though, would she?”

“That’s irrelevant, because it wasn’t ever a real possibility.”

“We never finished the discussion last night,” I said. “You promised I could tell you!”

“Just be careful, Pumpkin.”

“And then you’ll keep your promise about telling me about the first Birgit?”

“Yes.”

“And about Karin?”

“I don’t see how I could tell the story without talking about her. Did you enjoy their visit in February?”

“A LOT! They’re so cool. Kristian, Karin, and Kjell are awesome! Aunt Sofia is like that, too. Maybe we should move to Sweden. Nobody there is as uptight as people are here! I swear, Tiffany’s parents are such dorks!”

“We talked about that beforehand. I warned you what might happen. I didn’t realize her dad was involved.”

“Their agreement was they’d both be involved in raising her, even if they’re separated,” I replied. “So they had to talk about it. But it’s so stupid! It was just Tiffany, Jesse, Matthew, Amber, and me! It’s not like there were any grown-ups in the sauna with us!”

“You know full well that Aunt Penny has NO problem with Amber being in the sauna naked with you guys, or even with adults. But you shouldn’t have had Tiffany naked in there with you. That’s when we wear suits or use towels. We used to call it the ‘Weekend Rules’ before you were born.”

“But it’s DUMB, Dad! It’s not like we were having sex or anything!”

“Birgit, honey, the fact that you would freely walk naked up and down Woodlawn Avenue doesn’t mean that everyone would, or would be comfortable with you doing so. Tiffany’s mom obviously wasn’t comfortable with the idea of how we use the sauna.”

“But Tiffany was OK with it! She just took off her clothes and walked in like a NORMAL person.”

“I know, Pumpkin. But her mom gets to decide what’s right for her. Just like we do for our kids.”

“But you let us decide almost everything!” I protested. “You told me I could go on the Pill whenever I wanted to! You told me I could have sex when I thought I was ready!”

“Yes, I did,” Dad agreed. “And the same is true for your brothers and your sisters. But your moms and I, and Aunt Elyse, Aunt Josie, and Aunt Jennifer, are NOT normal Americans. And neither are Aunt Kathy, Aunt Penny, or their husbands.”

“‘Normal’ Americans are a bunch of uptight, prudish dopes!”

I chuckled, “You’ve been talking to Aunt Penny, haven’t you?”

“Obviously! She promised to tell me all about the two of you when I turn fifteen!”

Dad groaned, “I may have to kill her! But didn’t you come here for something else?”

She traced a finger up my arm, “Oh, I did! To tell you my fantasy!”

“Go on.”

“This version has been edited for television and rated PG-13!” I smirked.

“Thank you.”

“Instead of saying ‘no’, you scooped me into your arms and carried me up to my room. We had our first real kiss, then we undressed each other. We got into bed and ... you know what? This no longer seems like a good idea.”

“Why do you say that?” Dad asked.

“Because it’ll get me so worked up and you won’t do anything about it.”

“I can’t, Pumpkin, for all the reasons I gave.”

“I know. I understand, I just don’t agree.”

“That’s a sign of being a mature young woman,” Dad said.

“You promised to tell me about Birgit Andersson, and if you don’t start talking, I’m going to make you do the other things I want! Repeatedly!”

Dad laughed, then began the story with the first time he met Birgit Andersson in homeroom at Milford Junior High, which was the same day he met Larry Higgins, who was friends with him, Birgit, and Jennifer. I didn’t like how the first Birgit treated Dad for most of the year, because it was dumb to not act on being in love. They could have been lovers for an entire year, instead of just that one time. I could tell Dad was sad about that, and I wondered out loud why she would treat him that way.

“It’s an important thing to remember — trying to not hurt someone’s feelings can end up hurting their feelings. She felt it would be better not to become involved and for me to be hurt when she went home.”

“With what happened, maybe she had a point,” I said.

Dad shook his head, “No, because no matter what happened, we had our time together. That was true with Stephie and Jorge, and as much as the deaths of my three friends hurt, I cherish every minute I had with them.”

He went on to tell me about the year they spent apart, which had also happened with Mom. The difference was Birgit had to go home to Sweden, which both of them knew, as opposed to Mom having had some kind of breakdown from stress. A year after Birgit had gone back to Sweden, disaster struck. Dad was devastated and his friends helped him get through it, even though his mom was a total bitch the way she always was.

“I do not get her!” I declared. “How can anyone be so mean?”

“I have no idea, Pumpkin,” Dad replied. “We just have to resolve to never act that way towards anyone.”

Dad told me about going to Sweden as an exchange student, where he met Karin. They had danced around a relationship because Dad didn’t want to dishonor Birgit’s memory, but eventually, they got together when Dad had visited Stockholm.

“Not going to tell me what happened that night?” I asked.

“I believe your active imagination can fill in the blanks!” Dad replied.

“Around the world?” I asked with a smirk. “Tell the truth, Dad!”

“Yes,” he replied.

“But not twice the way you did with Rachel, PLUS the sundaes?” I asked.

“Rachel should be a bit more discreet.”

“Breakfast in three minutes,” Mom said from the door to the sunroom.

“OK,” Dad replied.

I really felt something was missing from the story because what he’d described was more like one of his dalliances than a life-changing experience. That didn’t make sense to me, because I knew the lasting effect Stephie’d had on Dad, and the lasting effect Jorge’d had, though that was different. Dad had given me the story, but not the meaning.

“What was the most important thing that happened with Birgit?” I asked.

“She didn’t use these words, but she felt it was important that I figured out who I was. And that’s been my life’s work since that first day she and I made love. She set things in motion, and my life, with all its ups and downs, has been about becoming the best man I can be — the best husband, the best dad, the best friend, the best boss. All because she challenged me to grow into a man, something my mom absolutely forbade. And Birgit’s goal was that I would be the man she would love for the rest of her life.”

“She did, didn’t she?” I asked.

“Yes, she did,” Dad agreed.

“There’s more to you and Karin, too, right?”

“Yes, there is.”

“And the most important thing she ever did?”

“Slap me across the face,” I replied.

“What?! Why?!”

“Because I was being a «jävla idiot», of course. I loved her, and she loved me, but every time I made any progress with my relationship with her, something happened that caused me to put her in second place. I did it over and over again, and finally, she couldn’t take it any more. We’d gone to a quiet place to be alone together, and she made it clear that I’d treated her like crap. Being a complete idiot, I accused her of arranging to be alone in a secluded place so she could unload on me without me being able to leave. She slapped me, hard.”

“Dumb, Dad. Really, really dumb.”

“Oh, I know it. And I promised to do better, and she forgave me. In the end, our views on marriage and family simply didn’t line up.”

“She couldn’t share?”

“That’s a shorthand way of saying it, but in the end, she couldn’t accept Kara as an equal wife, even without the marriage relationship your moms have.”

“When did you finally figure things out?”

“I haven’t, really, because it takes a lifetime. I could also say when I went to Japan, which is when I began to see things much more clearly.”

I snuggled close and just cuddled quietly. It was pretty amazing how meeting the first Birgit had created my dad, and no matter what he thought, he was the best dad ever.

🎤 Steve

Kimmy came to the door of the office just before 10:00am.

“Larry Jefferson is here for his interview,” she said. “Bob asked how you want to handle him being in a wheelchair, given the «tatami» flooring.”

“Bob didn’t mention that in his email,” I replied. “I think we’ll meet in the «yōshitsu» room.”

“I asked Bob about that, and he said it wasn’t relevant.”

“I get Bob’s point, but he knows about the flooring in my office, so, actually, it was relevant, given where I do my interviews. But I’ll take that up with Bob.”

“I’ll let him know and they’ll escort Mr. Jefferson to the «yōshitsu» room.”

“Thanks, Kimmy.”

She left and Penny leaned towards me.

“Why would Bob hide that?” she asked.

“Because, with the minor exception of the situation with the flooring in here, it’s actually none of our business. That was what I meant when I said Bob didn’t mention it. It’s irrelevant otherwise. It’s not like being physically challenged in any way affects someone’s ability to code or manage.”

“Being mentally challenged hasn’t affected your ability to do it!”

I laughed, “That’s rich, coming from you, Penelope!”

“Watch it, Buster!” she growled menacingly.

About five minutes later, I went to the «yōshitsu» room and Kimmy brought me tea and brought a bottle of water for Larry, who Bob brought in just as she left.

“Steve Adams, President, and Founder of NIKA, Larry Jefferson, candidate for General Manager of the Managed Services business unit. Larry, Steve Adams.”

Bob left, Larry and I greeted each other, then shook hands.

I’d been somewhat surprised by his background, as he’d received his degree in secondary education with a specialization in history. After teaching for a few years, he’d taken on the challenge, together with a math teacher, of developing a computer programming class at the High School where he worked. He was self-taught, and had parlayed that into a career change, and was now a director for a web development company.

“You were at Taft the same time as Clark Brody and Doctor Mike Loucks,” I said. “Did you know them?”

“Know them? We were part of the same posse! You didn’t see that I listed Clark as a reference?”

“Those aren’t shared with anyone outside of HR,” I replied. “But knowing Clark, you took a big risk!”

“And you know Clark, so you know you have to take anything he says with a metric ton of salt!”

I nodded, “True! What made you decide to switch careers?”

“A mix of challenge and opportunity,” Larry replied. “Recovering from the accident took about eighteen months, and I was going stir crazy, so I found a gig developing websites. A year in, they offered me a team lead position, and then two years ago, I was promoted to director with four teams reporting to me.”

“How many staff?”

“It varies as projects vary, but between twelve and twenty. We float people between teams, depending on projects.”

“Did you have full P&L responsibility?”

“Not like you mean, but each project had a budget, which I helped establish, and I had to manage to the budget.”

“How do you handle hosting?”

“That depends on the client, but we have our own servers in data centers as well as host some customer hardware there. Some customers have their own on-premise servers, or have them in their own data center space.”

“Do your teams manage the servers?”

“No. We have a small infra team that does that. I’m familiar enough with server ops, NAS, and networking, and I have my CCNE and MCSE certs, so I’m confident I can manage systems engineers as well as software engineers.”

“What about Unix or Linux?” I asked.

“I’ve been studying for the RHCE exam. I used to play a lot of basketball, and when I couldn’t, I decided to use the time to obtain as many certs as possible. I also took some business classes at the local community college.”

“You’ve lived in the Cleveland area for your entire life, except when you were at Taft,” I observed.

“My wife’s parents are here, and her dad has some serious health challenges, so she wants to move here. She received a job offer from CPS as an assistant principal starting in the Fall. She used to teach English, but went back to school to get her Master’s in public education administration.”

“Did you read the materials Bob sent you through your recruiter?”

“I did. Gutsy move to start a business right out of college with four friends. My wife was impressed by the all-female executive suite. You don’t see that very often, even outside IT, and basically never in IT. I always had a tough time finding qualified female candidates and qualified minority female candidates are as rare as an honest politician in Chicago!”

I laughed, “Nah, because qualified female minority candidates actually exist, unlike honest Chicago pols! If you read the material, you’ll know how we find them.”

“Through your partnership with a professor at the University of Illinois who also sits on your Board of Directors. My wife and I actually heard about that several years ago when one of our students received a scholarship from that program. We discussed creating a mentorship program, but the red tape in our district was a nightmare.”

“I’ve heard that story far too many times,” I replied. “And not just in schools. I see it at the hospital where my wife works.”

“Your bio on your website and in the material Bob sent me was vague. Clark told me a story that was also somewhat vague, but sounded like one of his tall tales from back in the day.”

“I have a complicated family life,” I replied. “I’m married to a trauma surgeon who works at UofC and teaches at the medical school there. I have seven kids, but only two of them are by my wife.”

“He wasn’t joking,” Larry said, shaking his head. “I have three, and that’s enough challenge for me and my wife! And my wife would no more tolerate your situation than Amy would!”

“She does seem to keep Clark in line! Your kids OK with moving here?”

“All three of them are in elementary school. Another year and my eldest will start High School, so if we’re going to do it, now’s the time. I’d hate to move them once they started High School.”

“I know I’m bouncing all over the place, but that’s my usual style. What’s your take on our corporate culture?”

“Unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Bob included a copy of the article from the local business newspaper in the material he sent me through the recruiter, and I read the employee handbook. If it’s all true, and Clark says it is, it’s the kind of place I want to work. I’d wager heavily that if I wanted to start a mentoring program for inner-city kids, you’d support it.”

I nodded, “I’d need to see a proposal, but that’s the kind of thing we encourage.”

“Sign me up!” he declared.

“I’m going to have Penny Penfield come speak with you, and then we’ll have lunch with the team. Just fair warning — Penny can be a bit over-the-top.”

“OK to speak freely?”

“Sure.”

“Clark told me she’s the craziest white chick he’s ever met, and he’s met quite a few!”

“Clark is not wrong,” I chuckled. “She’s also the best software engineer at NIKA, but if you tell her I said that, I’ll have to deny it because I’ll never hear the end of it!”

I brought Penny in, and after introductions, I went back to my workstation and saw an IM from my sister asking me to come by when I had a chance. I didn’t have anything pressing, and had enough time before lunch, so I went to Stephanie’s office.

“I ran the idea about paying different prices for the outstanding shares in Knowles and Jackson by the team at McCarthy/Jenkins, Liz, and Jocelyn Mills. There are no significant concerns about your idea of making different offers to different shareholders. The one concern, on which all the attorneys agree, is that Braun the Younger could tie things up in court. Ken, the CPA, and tax attorney at McCarthy/Jenkins, made the comment that you don’t have to make an offer for all the shares. You just want control. So if Volstead is willing to sell, and the founders are willing to sell, Braun remains a minority shareholder with no power.”