Chapter 78: Boys and Girls, Part III

June 30, 2002, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Jesse

I arrived home from the airport and went up to my room to change out of my church clothes into shorts and a t-shirt. Once I’d changed, I got a glass of OJ from the fridge, then called CeCe and arranged to meet her at the diner for dinner. She’d been unhappy about Scarlett’s visit, so I wasn’t sure exactly what was going to happen when we got together.

My second call was to Macrina because I’d promised to call her as soon as I returned from camp, though her reasoning didn’t apply because it wasn’t just a hockey puck I’d poked during my time at camp! Of course, I couldn’t say that to Macrina. I hadn’t called her because of Scarlett, but she hadn’t called to see what was going on.

“Hi, it’s Jesse,” I said when she answered.

“You were supposed to call as soon as you got back!” she exclaimed.

“I was super-busy and had a friend visiting. I’m sorry I didn’t call.”

“And you didn’t show up for church today!”

“I decided to transfer to the Cathedral right away. Father Basil knows.”

“Bummer. How was camp?”

“Exhausting,” I replied. “But worth it! There was a bit of excitement because my roommate was arrested for rape.”

“WHAT?!” she gasped.

“It’s a long story, but he met someone and took it further than she wanted to go. She reported him and he was arrested.”

“So, there were girls around?”

“It was on the University of Minnesota campus, and there are, in fact, girls in Rochester! I actually know a few from my previous trips.”

“Why would he do something like that?”

“I have no idea,” I replied. “He’d seen her once, and this happened on their second date.”

“What happened to him?”

“He’s in jail waiting trial. He tried for bail, but he’s from Ohio and with a charge of aggravated criminal sexual assault, he’ll never get it, according to one of my lawyer friends.”

“Talk about ruining your life! How long could he get?”

“I’m not sure, but someone suggested between ten and twenty years. He was charged as an adult, too.”

“Wow. That’s just crazy. So, when can I see you?”

“Tuesday or Wednesday, maybe, but after that I’m going to be busy and then I’m going to Europe.”

“You’ll be gone for like three weeks, right?”

“Yes. And when we come back, hockey workouts start.”

“That sucks! I’m never going to get to see you!”

“There isn’t much I can do about that,” I said. “Once school starts, I’ll have hockey practice five days a week and games on the weekends, plus church, and I need time for homework.”

“You don’t want to see me, do you?”

“That’s not it,” I replied. “It’s just that even with a car, you live far enough away that it’s tough.”

“Just forget it,” she said and hung up.

I replaced the handset on the hook and poured myself more OJ. I was doing really well at upsetting girls, but I didn’t see how I could really help it. I wondered if I should just find one girl who lived in the neighborhood who I could see regularly once CeCe went to college, well, assuming she wanted to see me after our dinner.

There was one possibility, and I decided to make the phone call to at least give it a chance of happening. I checked my address book and dialed Angelina’s number.

“Hi,” I said when her mom called her to the phone. “It’s Jesse.”

“Hi, Jesse! You’re back from your hockey school?”

“Yes.”

“I know you said you’d be super-busy, but can we get together tomorrow? I totally understand if you can’t, but I’ve missed you!”

“You remember about my trip, right?”

“Sure, and then hockey practice will start just like cheer practice. And now I won’t have to sneak to see you!”

That was a refreshing change from the previous two calls. Angelina had never been jealous or demanding and hadn’t been upset that I hadn’t called her.

“Can you come over tomorrow for lunch?”

“Yes! Noon?”

“See you then!”

We said ‘goodbye’ and hung up. A few seconds later, my cellphone rang.

“Go for Jesse,” I said.

“Hi, Jesse. It’s Viktoria.”

I suppressed a groan because the main reason I’d changed parishes was to get away from her family.

“Hi,” I said warily.

“Father Basil said you changed your membership to Holy Virgin Protection.”

“That’s true.”

“Because of my dad?”

I felt absolutely no need to mince words with Viktoria, given she was the source of the problem.

“No, because of what you said to him because you were angry! You blamed me for something you wanted because I wasn’t interested in a committed relationship.”

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

“No, you shouldn’t have. You made a complete mess of things.”

“I said I was sorry. Why are you being mean?”

“I’m not being mean,” I replied. “Doing what you wanted to do requires maturity, and you acted immaturely and caused all kinds of problems.”

“You are being mean!”

“Fine. I’m mean. Why did you call?”

“Because I can’t stop thinking about you, and, you know...”

“Did you ever see Risky Business?”

“No. I’m not allowed to see anything rated higher than PG. Why?”

Which was what I had expected and why I had asked.

“There’s a line in the movie — ’if you can’t say it, you can’t do it’.”

“But you know what I want!”

“You made that clear, but you can’t have it. I know you remember what I said.”

“Why are you making this so difficult?”

Because of all the things I could imagine doing, getting involved with Viktoria was one of the last things I wanted to do.

“If you have to ask that question,” I said, “then you haven’t been paying attention.”

My phone chirped, saying the call had ended, which meant she’d hung up, and I wasn’t upset because she was a complication I didn’t need.

🎤 Steve

Kristin and I finished our twenty-four hours of playtime just before 3:00pm, as we’d planned. We’d had a fun shower, and once we’d dried off, I dressed in my formal kimono for Sensei Jim’s going-away banquet. Kara and Suzanne wore their kimono as well, though Jessica couldn’t attend, as she didn’t want to make a poor trade for someone to cover a few hours on a Sunday afternoon, and we’d all agreed with her decision. The meal, which was Japanese themed, was excellent, and before the «nihonshu» and pastries were served, I called for attention to present Sensei Jim with his gifts. Birgit, Stephie, and Ashley carried the wrapped gifts to the head table where the black belts sat with Sensei Jim, his wife, and his son.

The black belts presented him with a hand-sewn formal kimono, which had been made by Sakurako with help from her grandmother and a professional seamstress. The brown belts gave him a Berlitz Japanese course on CD and a Japanese/English dictionary. The other color belts gave him a leather shoulder bag. My personal gift to him was an iPod.

Once he’d opened the gifts, and we’d had dessert, there were speeches by Sensei Ichirou, Sensei Molly, Sensei Sharon, and me, and then I played the video greetings that had been sent by Sensei François and Leigh. When the banquet ended, Sensei Jim and I walked back to the dojo.

“I owe you more than I could ever repay,” I said as we stood before the shrine to «Shihan» Hiro.

“You pay me back by teaching others everything I taught you.”

“I’m going to miss you,” I said.

“Come visit me in Japan! You know you’ll always be welcome in Oguni. I know Robert would be glad to see you, as would Hideki-san.”

“I’ll do my best, but with seven teenagers, life is going to be VERY busy!”

Sensei Jim laughed, “I can’t even begin to imagine. And Birgit is the equivalent of any three normal teenagers!”

“No kidding!”

“I heard from Kara that Jesse is considering a trip to Japan next year.”

“He and an exchange student really hit it off, and she invited him to visit, but with his hockey camp, I’m not sure he can do it.”

“If he does come to Japan, let me know.”

“Will do. Is there anything you need from me?”

He shook his head, “No. I think we have everything set. You have the power of attorney forms, but as of right now, everything seems to be in order. The biggest challenge will be filing my taxes next year, but you’ve solved that one!”

“Phoebe Miller will handle everything for you, and file on your behalf. And I’m covering the costs with McCarthy/Jenkins, and I won’t brook any argument from you about that!”

“Arguing with you is about as effective as beating one’s head against the wall is as a headache cure!”

“I’ll have to suggest that to Jess as a potential ER treatment!”

“I’d say more likely for doctors than for patients!”

“For sure.”

“I suppose I should hand over my keys now, along with my access card for the security system.”

He took them from his pocket and handed them to me.

“You’re always welcome here, Sensei,” I said.

“When I leave on Wednesday, I do not intend to return. My kids and grandkids will visit me in Japan, but I’m not coming back here. I’m not quite sure how you take it!”

“I have sufficient distractions, and, to be honest, do my best to stay in the bubble of the Compound, NIKA, and the circle of like-minded people I’ve gathered around me.”

“You have done a pretty good job of insulating yourself from quite a bit of the madness that seems to be overtaking the country.”

“Hopefully, the seeds being sown will bear fruit down the road.”

He nodded, and we stood quietly before bowing to each other. We left the dojo, shook hands, and he headed home while I hurried to the hospital to meet Jessica so I could walk her home.

“What’s with the getup?” Allyson asked, coming out of the hospital with Jessica.

Jess and I exchanged a quick kiss, and the three of us began walking, though Allyson was heading for her parked car while we were walking home.

“The master of our karate school retired today and is moving to Japan,” I replied. “We had a banquet for him, and I chose to wear my formal kimono for the ceremony.”

“How was it, Tiger?” Jessica asked.

“About as you would expect any banquet to be. The ceremony at the dojo was more important, at least for me. How was the ER today?”

“The usual for Summer in Chicago — three gunshot victims, two stabbings, four ODs, six MVAs, two women in labor, and three ‘hold my beer and watch this’ events.”

“At least Jess doesn’t have to work Fourth of July!” Allyson said as we reached the point where she’d turn to walk to her car and we’d continue north. “That elevates things to a whole new level of stupid!”

“Things which burn or blow up tend to drum up business for you docs!”

“Yeah, because gang-bangers don’t create enough as it is? Two of those three GSWs were a drive-by.”

“They can’t tear down Stateway Gardens, Robert Taylor Homes, and Ickes Homes quickly enough,” I replied. “Talk about a massively failed experiment!”

“See you later in the week, Jess,” Allyson said.

She turned and headed for her car while Jess and I continued towards the house.

“I did invite her to the Fourth of July party,” Jessica said, “but she’s not off until 10:00pm, so I don’t know if she’ll decide to show up or not. And I found out she went to school with Sylvia Ochoa.”

“Small world,” I replied. “I met her best friend Kristy, an attorney, who’s married to a partner in an investment firm that competes with Spurgeon.”

“They apparently had a pretty wild time in college. One lucky guy got to be with the entire group of ten girls and deflowered at least three of them with an audience!”

I laughed, “Normally, a guy would be jealous of that, but I might have my balls cut off and fed to me if I felt even a twinge of jealousy!”

“You might! Who’s cooking tonight?”

“Stephanie, Natalie, and Albert,” I replied. “It’ll be ready as soon as you finish your shower, as usual.”

“You do take wonderful care of me.”

“I promised to do that,” I replied.

“And you’ve kept it every step of the way.”

“Because I love you, Jess.”

She smiled, “I know. And I love you, Tiger.”

🎤 Jesse

“It’s obvious you aren’t happy with me,” I said to CeCe after the waitress took our orders.

“We were supposed to get together when you came back from hockey camp, but instead you brought a girl home and weren’t available for the entire week.”

“It wasn’t planned,” I replied. “It just kind of developed. If you and I were a couple, it would never have happened, but we agreed to keep it casual because you’re going away to school starting in August. You’ll be away for most of the next four years and I’ll be here for two years, then in Madison.”

“You think I’m upset because I thought we were a couple?”

“No. I was just pointing out why we weren’t a couple. I honestly didn’t intend to upset you.”

“More like disappoint,” CeCe said. “After all, we did have plans, even if they were just getting together when you came home.”

“For that I apologize. The only plans I have this week are to see Angelina tomorrow for lunch. Otherwise, I planned to hang out with whoever is around, and spend time with you.”

“No other girls?”

“All the other ones all started dating or are away for the Summer or live too far away to see regularly. Of what we called the «Filles du jour», only you and Angelina are left. Also, I changed churches.”

“Because of that pastor and his daughter, right?”

“Deacon, but yes.”

“You really should have popped her cherry before you did that!” CeCe exclaimed mirthfully.

“A headache I do not need,” I replied. “I’d much rather be with you!”

CeCe smiled, “You mean that, too.”

“Of course! Please do not take ‘not now’ with regard to being a couple as ‘never’. We’ve discussed what happened with Francesca.”

“Her mom is in prison, right?”

“Yes. Minimum security for two years, unless something changes, which I don’t expect.”

“What is it with crazy parents?” CeCe asked.

“Tell me how your dad will respond if he were to find out I slept over?”

CeCe shook her head, “I’ll be happy if he lives his entire life and never finds out!”

I chuckled, “You’re getting the hang of ‘Darmok’ with that Pulp Fiction reference!”

“Speaking of spending the night, my parents will be in Milwaukee for the Fourth of July and won’t be home until the next afternoon. OK to sleep over?”

“Absolutely!”

July 1, 2002, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Steve

“Steve, I have Jacob Goldberg for you,” Kimmy said over the intercom late on Monday morning.

I had her put him through.

“Steve Adams,” I said after picking up the handset.

“Hi, Steve. You know that Phoebe called me, right?”

“Yes, about a claim by BB&T for the intellectual property of EB.”

“I spoke to their counsel, and they’re claiming all the intellectual property of EB, post-merger, is security for the loan.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but Braun couldn’t pledge copyrights he did not hold, and I know for a fact, because you did the due diligence, that there were no signed instruments of transfer executed for any of the property. I personally signed the transfer of the VLC copyrights to Patent Partners after the attorneys for Knowles and Jackson signed the transfer to SKJ.”

“I agree, and explained our position. They’re going to file suit immediately.”

“Against whom? The loan was to Braun, personally, right?”

“Yes. They’ll file against him, Knowles and Jackson, SKJ, Patent Partners, NIKA, and probably you personally.”

“What’s your take?”

“Let them. We file for bankruptcy as planned, and they can take it up with the magistrate judge. Given we agreed to transfer the rights held by EB at the time Braun signed the note, we’re in good shape because we’re honoring the letter of the loan guarantee. They won’t get an injunction if they were to seek one, as that would actually reduce the value of their claim, and the new entities could pay damages and, if necessary, licensing fees.”

“I’m OK with that. Did you speak with Jamie?”

“Yes. He agrees.”

“Good. No settlement. It doesn’t make economic sense, and I want them twisting in the wind in bankruptcy with Braun.”

“Got it.”

We finished the call, and I asked Kimmy to see if Jamie was available, and if so, put him through to Liz’s office. Two minutes later, I was sitting in Liz’s office with Jamie on speaker.

“I agree with Jacob,” I said. “They’re looking at a million dollar loss, because the intellectual property they now own is effectively worthless. I will buy the old Simply Legal IP from them for $10,000, which is ten thousand more than they’ll get out of Braun or in bankruptcy.”

“I’m pretty sure they’re aware, which is why they want the VLC IP. That’s worth significant royalties if they could, in effect, steal it from you.”

“And we all know that one lawyer with a briefcase can steal more than a hundred men with guns!”

“What we do puts food on YOUR table and allows you your unique set of relationships!”

“Now, boys...” Liz said mirthfully.

“We’ll move to dismiss against everyone except Braun and EB,” Jamie said. “We should get that, as until they prove an improper transfer of copyright, they have no claims against SKJ, Patent Partners, NIKA, or you personally. If they were to win against Braun and EB, they’d still have to get past the bankruptcy court and copyright assignment statutes before they could actually bring a suit that would survive a motion to dismiss.”

“We’ve been down the road before,” I said. “Do your magic, work with Liz and Jacob, and let me know if there are any problems.”