Chapter 8: One For Each Day of the Week

January 29, 2002, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Jesse

“Can I say how dumb this is?” I asked Mom Two when she came back from Dad’s house.

“You certainly can,” Mom Two replied. “And all three of us, I mean your Dad, Mom One, and me, all agree. What would you say if DCFS asked you about Francesca?”

“What Dad always says — I won’t talk about any girl that way, and they need to ask her what happened. I think Dad goes a bit too far, because I’d contradict a girl if she lied in a way that hurt me. Dad says he trusts the girls not to do that, but with Francesca, I can’t be sure.”

“It sounds as if you aren’t interested in getting back together with her.”

“It’s like with Rachel,” I replied. “She’s awesome, and I like her a lot, but I didn’t need the high-speed train to crazy town! Francesca’s mom might even be worse, especially if Francesca’s dad gets custody. I just don’t need it. I saw the trouble you two and my aunts and my dad had with Grandma Adams, and there is NO WAY that I’m going to take a chance on having that problem in the future.”

“You know you might have to answer if you end up before a judge, right?” Mom One asked.

“And I’ll say the same thing — I was taught that a gentleman does not say things like that. I’ll admit to having had sex, at least once, but nothing more, and I’d never, ever say who I was with. Dad has lots of good lawyers to make sure that’s the case.”

“It might not be possible to do that,” Mom Two said. “Refusing to answer could land you in contempt of court, and they might even put you into a group home until you answered.”

“I’ll take my chances with Melanie, Grace, Trish, Ms. Meyer, Liz, and all the other lawyers helping me! I mean, they say the Prosecutor cries when Melanie walks into court, and judges are afraid of her!”

“That might be a bit of exaggeration,” Mom Two said.

“I don’t know,” Mom One said with a smirk. “You didn’t grow up with Melanie! I did!”

“So what do we do?” I asked.

“What your dad said, at least for now,” Mom Two replied. “Just go about your life as you normally would, including entertaining your two new friends!”

I smirked, “You’re just jealous! I saw you checking out CeCe at the hockey game!”

“You little brat!” Mom Two exclaimed.

“Takes one to know one!” I grinned.

“Mom Two is welcome to check out the menus, so long as she only eats ME!” Mom One teased.

“And with THAT, this Duck is migrating to his room!” I said, trying to sound disgusted.

My moms laughed, and I went up to my room to avoid any more teasing like that. I knew what they did together, at least in a general way, but the last thing I wanted to do was get details about my moms’ sex life! Or my dad’s, for that matter!

🎤 Stephie

“Are you feeling OK?” Mom asked when I went to her for a ‘good night’ kiss.

“Yes. Why are you asking?”

“Come to the ‘Indian’ room for a moment.”

I suppressed a groan and followed her. She shut the door and asked me to sit on the floor pillows with her.

“You seem out of sorts,” Mom said.

“Ashley is a rat!” I declared.

“Wrong sister,” Mom said.

“Birgit?!” I gasped in surprise.

“Yes. She thought you might be having similar problems with mood swings because you had your first period last month.”

“It’s none of her business!” I protested.

“She loves you, Stephie, even if she doesn’t always show it. She went to see Jennifer and got in touch with Katy, who helped her. Other than you telling me your period started, and you were using pads you borrowed from Birgit until I could get you your own box for your bathroom, you haven’t spoken to anyone, not even Aunt Sofia.”

“Because it’s MY business!” I declared. “That’s what you always say! I know how to use pads, and the directions were on the box if I didn’t!”

“I’m not saying you don’t, or that it isn’t private, but your mood swings affect all of us. And I know Nicholas is more than a little annoyed. Did you tell him?”

“He’s a boy! What does HE know about periods?”

“Well, your dad knows a lot, and he’s a boy, and if you and Nicholas are a couple, he should probably know.”

“I’ll tell him when I decide to tell him!” I declared in annoyance.

“All right,” Mom said. “Do it your way, but don’t be surprised when other people become upset with you, including Nicholas. Don’t think I haven’t noticed he’s avoiding you.”

“What-ever!”

“Then off to bed with you, young lady. Sleep well.”

I kissed mom and headed up to bed, ticked at Birgit for saying something to Mom. I decided to go to her room and talk to her.

“Hi, Stephie. What’s up?”

“What’s up is you need to mind your own business!” I said angrily.

“Whoa! Chill! I just mentioned to Mom you were having mood swings!”

“Which are my business!”

“Fine,” Birgit said. “But don’t be surprised if Nicholas decides he’s had enough.”

January 30, 2002, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Steve

“No restraining order,” Gwen said when she called just before lunch on Wednesday.

“Good. Now what?”

“For you? Nothing. I’ll keep an eye on the docket for anything that might impact you, but otherwise, this is between the Cordays and their daughter.”

“What’s your take?”

“On a quick review of the application for change in custody, I’d say Mr. Corday has a very good chance of succeeding, especially given Francesca’s desire. There is one potential snag I didn’t mention — Ms. Corday could simply refuse to send Francesca to her dad, and then Mr. Corday would have to go through the Iowa courts to enforce the order. No joking, that could take until after Francesca turns eighteen.”

“But if she, and I use this term because I don’t have a better one, ran away and got to Illinois, she’d be returned to her dad at that point, right?”

“Things get tricky in a situation like this. A lot would depend on the police or sheriff and the prosecutor in whatever county she was found.”

“I’m curious, what would happen if her dad drove down to Iowa and picked her up at school, or something like that?”

“If he got back to Illinois? Probably nothing in the end; if he got picked up in Iowa, he might face charges, though, ultimately, the Illinois custody order should prevent that. But he’d be taking a serious risk. Do you expect Carol to refuse to comply?”

“It would fit her pattern of behavior. In fact, I’d put money on her taking Francesca and trying to disappear if it looks like she’s going to lose.”

“I’ll let Wayne Northrup know about that.”

“Good idea. Keep me posted if anything comes up that affects us directly.”

“Will do. I’ll send you an invoice for the work.”

“Thanks, Gwen. Oh, before you go, why is Carol being referred to as ‘Corday’ and not her maiden name?”

“That’s the name under which she has custody, and the case hasn’t been restyled. They will do that at some point, I suspect, but she’d have to petition for it.”

“OK. Thanks again.”

Just as I hung up, Aisyah came to the door to my office. I waved her in, and when she stepped through the second doorway, she turned and slid the Japanese doors closed.

“I needed some privacy for this request,” she said.

“OK. What can I do for you?”

“There is a man I would like to see, but with my father in California, there is nobody here to act as my guardian for that purpose. I spoke with Imam Iqbal, and he consented to allow you to do that, if you are willing.”

“First, tell me about the man.”

Aisyah smiled, “He’s thirty-four, Syrian, and very kind and considerate. He’s a widower who lost his wife to cancer about five years ago. He has a son who is eight. He works as a switching engineer for Ameritech.”

“What would I need to do?”

“He would ask your permission to see me, and you would set the terms and conditions. If this were to work out, he would ask your permission for my hand, and you would sit down with Imam Iqbal to work out the details.”

“I’m willing to do that, but you know I have a very, very different view on dating and relationships.”

“Yes, of course! And about intimate relations! But I also know you will honor the traditions of the mosque, and that you respect Imam Iqbal. And, most importantly, that you care for me.”

“All of that is true. What’s the first step?”

“For you to sit down with Imam Iqbal. Once you’ve done that, then Hassan will ask your permission to court me, and you let him know the conditions.”

“What does your father say about this?”

“He, too, trusts you. He was going to call you, but I said it would be better if I asked you face to face. My dad thinks I’m a bit too independent, but he’s happy that I am following the guidance of the imam at the mosque. I assume all is well with your business arrangements?”

“The check arrives on time each month, in the correct amount, along with the financial reports. I’m very happy and things appear to be going very well with the new stores.”

“And I’m very happy with my new role!”

“Which makes me happy as well. Ask Imam Iqbal to call me to arrange a time to meet, please.”

“I will. Thank you.”

She slid open the Japanese doors and left. Kimmy brought in my lunch and green tea, and I sat down at the low table to eat. Stephanie joined me two minutes later, bringing her lunch with her.

“I had a call from Deborah. The last of the claims by Braun were dismissed. We’re home free.”

“Minus about thirty K in legal fees.”

“What does Dad say? Cost of doing business?”

“Unfortunately. What were the dismissal grounds?”

“Mostly that the claims were either adjudicated or waived back when NIKA tangled with Lone Star or later with Braun. A couple of them were dismissed because they failed to state a claim for which the court had remedies.”

“Good. I saw Cindi’s emailed report of new business, and I can’t imagine anyone at Knowles and Jackson is happy with all the ‘Simply Legal’ customers we’ve won away from them.”

“Ohio is going to be NIKAland before we’re done!” Stephanie declared.

I chuckled, “Anything that screws over the Brauns and Volstead is fine with me.”

“Cindi is putting together a feature request which will improve our ability to handle intellectual property cases.”

“I’m not surprised,” I said.

“I know I’ll see your report on Friday, but how did the first month go with Managed Systems?”

“We’re on plan,” I said. “Cindi is champing at the bit, but I don’t want to move any more aggressively. Remote backup, web hosting, and email hosting are going smoothly, and we’re working a small list of bugs and a larger list of feature requests. Most of the work Reed and I are doing right now is on hosted NIKA Legal, and we’re on target for July for our first real customer.”

“Good. Have you heard from Liz?”

I laughed, “Right! Because she’s going to send her ex-lover a ‘wish you were here’ card while on her honeymoon?! Not!”

“She’s back Monday, right?”

“Yes.”

“Did anything come of the call from Mike?”

“No. You know nobody will ever meet my terms, which, of course, is the point. I do want to know who’s kicking the tires, even if I won’t sell.”

“It has to be Braun and his dad.” Stephanie asserted. “We’re hurting them badly, and they’re going the way of BLS. Speaking of which, what do you think of trying to buy Knowles and Jackson when they tank?”

“I’d love to, just to be able to rub Braun’s nose in it, but all that’s going to be left is a carcass which Cindi has picked clean!”

“I suspect we’ll have trouble winning away any of the ‘Virtual Law Clerk’ clients. We’ll be able to compete for new ones, but the disruption in moving would be huge, even if we build screens to emulate it. Our system just doesn’t work the same way, and those clients have a huge investment in the software. I think if we did try to buy them, or their assets, we’d have to run it similar to Athena.”

“They won’t sell to us,” I replied. “Hell, they’ll go bankrupt first.”

“And then we show up with a pre-packaged plan to get them out of bankruptcy, pay off all their debts, and take the company away from them with the help of a federal bankruptcy judge!”

“That can work?”

“It’s not the norm, but anyone can submit a reorganization plan, and one that makes all the creditors whole would be VERY difficult for the court to turn down. The trustee really would have no choice but to endorse it, and the creditor’s committee would jump at it.”

“I guess you did learn something in that MBA program besides what NOT to do!”

“Actually, the bankruptcy knowledge came from Arthur Andersen.”

“And Cindi’s opposition research says they’re burning through cash, which is exactly what she intended to happen.”

“Yes. She figures they have maybe eighteen months before they’re forced to do something. I can’t imagine Volstead is going to want to throw more good money after bad, even if Braun the Elder might.”

“Yes, and a cornered rat will lash out,” I replied. “But I trust you and Cindi to handle it. I saw Elyse’s final financial report for last year. People are going to be VERY happy come bonus time.”

“There was a dip during September and October, but then things picked up, especially with our disaster recovery services. Granted, those only generate modest recurring revenue under normal circumstances, but they have the potential for massive revenue if they’re ever activated. And our diverse business makes us resilient during economic downturns. Did you see the staffing requests?”

“Yes. Did you see Beth’s request?”

“Six interns? I’m not sure we can keep them busy! I’ll have a word with Julia and Dave. I know Beth wants to place as many young women here as she’s able, but we do have SOME limits, and I’m reluctant to give all the positions to U of I. I know Dave won’t be happy about that, as I’m sure he has at least one or two candidates from IIT.”

“It’s up to you, obviously, but Beth can’t take over the internship program. If she squawks, send her to me.”

“So you can personally take hand on her interns?” Stephanie smirked.

“Right, because THAT would be the right message to send to the young women she’s mentoring! And don’t forget our High School internships.”

“The flyers went out to the High Schools within a fifteen-mile radius. Dave and his team can handle four. Barbara is accepting one from a technical prep school near the office.”

“Have you considered offering an internship in Colorado Springs?”

“I discussed that with Barbara and she’s OK with the Summer High School interns, but she doesn’t think there’s enough work for them during the Spring or Fall internship periods. Dave and Skye agree.”

“That settles that. What about Athena?”

“Included with the other ones here; for internship purposes, it’s all the same. Do you want an intern for Managed Services?”

“We don’t really have enough work for them,” I replied. “Reed and I are firing on all cylinders, and Aisyah and Nicole are keeping busy, but aren’t overworked. Maybe next year.”

“OK. Anything else exciting going on?”

“Other than what I mentioned yesterday about the custody battle, no.”

“Cool. Mind if the kids and I come over tonight?”

“You know you’re always welcome! What about Joel?”

“He has a rush construction job, so he’s pulling overtime. Everything is cool.”

“Dinner? Or after karate?”

“Dinner, if that works.”

“Sure. I’ll call Estrella — she’s preparing dinner tonight.”

“She’s off to California soon, right?”

“Friday.”

We finished our lunch, I called home, and then sat down with Reed to go over our design.

January 31, 2002, Chicago, Illinois

“Hi, Steve!” Achara said when I met her at Star of Siam for our usual Thursday lunch.

“Hi! How are things going?”

“I had a great talk with my dad last night. He’s really come around.”

“I’m glad to hear that. And school?”

“Great! The nuclear engineering program is tough, but I like the challenge.”

“Good. Did you have your second date with the NROTC cadet?”

“Yes, but I’m not sure he’s what I’m looking for. I plan to go out with him one more time, just to be sure.”

“What are you looking for?” I asked.

She smiled, “Clone yourself, then subtract ten years, two wives, and numerous girlfriends!”

I laughed, “I’ll take that as a compliment!”

“You should. Someone like you, only younger, would be perfect. I think it’ll be after I graduate before I meet the guy because I want him to be five or six years older than I am.”

“Grad students,” I replied. “If you want to avoid your department, I’m sure Kara could recommend someone. You should speak with her. I promise you she’ll be discreet. She could even invite him to Philosophy Club, and you could casually speak to him.”

“That would be good,” Achara said. “You know I’m very, very discreet in that regard.”

“I do.”

“And you learned the lesson I taught you?”

“If you’re referring to the state of being, then yes, I think so.”

“Good!”

We ordered our food and talked about her coursework, and when we finished, I paid the bill, we exchanged a chaste hug, and I headed back to the office while she headed to IIT.

🎤 Jesse

“Mom One and Mom Two, this is Kenzie,” I said when she arrived just before dinner. “Kenzie, these are my moms.”

“Hi!” Kenzie exclaimed. “Which is which?”

“I’m Mom One,” Mom One said, then pointed to Mom Two, “and that’s Mom Two.”

“Welcome!” Mom Two said. “Dinner is in about five minutes.”

“OK. I’ll get drinks.”

I checked with Kenzie and then filled glasses with drinks. When I finished, Kenzie and I sat down, and then Mom Two brought dinner to the table. She made awesome casseroles, and the one tonight was excellent — chicken and vegetables in a cream sauce with just the right amount of spices. I had two helpings, and when we finished, I volunteered for Kenzie and me to do the dishes.

“Oh, sure,” Kenzie groused good-naturedly. “I come to play house and end up doing dishes!”

I chuckled, “I learned a long time ago that fifteen minutes of chores makes my moms very happy and guarantees they won’t bug us!”

“And they won’t object if you take me up to your room after we finish?”

“They won’t object.”

“Weird.”

“Not really. My moms and my dad think it’s normal for teenagers to fool around, and they think it’s better to make sure they have all the information they need and a safe place to be.”

“My parents would never accept that! Ever! I think my dad expects grandkids without me ever having sex!”

I laughed, “One time in the history of the world, if you believe in the Incarnation?”

“You mean Jesus, right?”

“Yes. And I wouldn’t count on an angel coming to talk to you!”