Chapter 2

Mike tried to gather his thoughts after the two ladies left. Nothing added up with what he knew, but he knew what he had seen, or thought he did see and hear.

He did not hear a word from Millie the next day, or the day after. On the third day his phone rang, and it was Althea who asked if Millie had contacted him. He told her that he hadn’t heard a word until this call.

Althea said, “I see. Well I’d like you to come over for dinner this evening, say about six? I live just around the corner and a half a block up at 286 E Milford Street. Ring the bell next to the  scratched-out name, and I’ll buzz you in”.

Mike was a couple of minutes early but went to the address and looked at the tenant list. All the buttons were on the right except one on the left next to a scratched-out name. Well, that was what she said, so he pushed that button.

“Hi Mike, the door is open when I buzz. Take the elevator and push the buttons for 4 and 5 together.” Mike was sort of taken aback, but the door buzzed and he went into the building. “Nice apartment building,” he thought as the elevator door opened right away, and he stepped in. Then Mike pushed both four and five buttons together. The elevator panel showed “45,” and went up. It stopped and opened at a floor with a very small hall and only one door. Mike stepped out, and Althea opened the door.

“Hi Mike, come in. Dinner will be a wee bit late, but we can have a glass of wine and chat.” Mike smiled, stepping into her apartment, giving Althea a polite hug.

The apartment seemed quite large. It was also very nice in a sort of modern but not minimalist way.

“So, Millie hasn’t called or visited? I think she is a little embarrassed about how things ended and is also a bit like the Great Dane and the Volkswagen. Now that you have a firm grip on the bumper, what are you going to do?”

Mike smiled and shrugged, “Not much I can do, as I have no contact information.”

Althea laughed, “I will correct that too, but right now, how about you call her, and tell her we are having dinner together, and add; ‘wish you were here’.”

Mike looked at her. ”Ouch, you want me dead, or what?”

Althea giggled, “Oh I don’t think that will happen, but I expect there will be three for dinner, and I cooked for it!” Althea had a mischievous smile on her lips. She picked up her phone, pushed two buttons, and handed the phone to Mike.

Millie answered and Mike relayed as asked ... there was a:

“What! ... I’ll be right there.” And Millie was there in about three minutes.

It was obvious she was still wearing her work clothes, and she was a little unsettled about the situation.

Althea met her with a big grin “I am so glad you could make it.”

Millie made to go straight toward Althea, but Mike stepped in the way “Hi, Beautiful, can I get a hug?’ He didn’t wait for an answer, wrapping her up in his arms, hugging her, and giving her a fairly chaste peck on the cheek.

Millie was a little confused now and was having trouble with what she should do next.

“This was a set up!” she fumed.

Althea nodded her head in a ‘yes.’ Mike shrugged and said “No, I just showed up for a dinner invite and assumed you’d be here.”

Millie was still glaring daggers at Althea, who wasn’t the least perturbed.

“Well, if you’d prefer to leave I’ll entertain Mike on my own; I certainly don’t mind.” Althea said.

Millie’s temper rose again “You will do no such thing; entertaining Mike all alone would be...!”

Althea’s smile never wavered “OK, well then you be his date for the evening, and I’ll just be the odd woman out.”

Mike was shaking his head. “There is no issue with you being here with us.

You seem to have been instrumental in bringing us together despite the most awkward circumstances.”

Althea giggled again, “I did, didn’t I.”

Mike stepped closer and put an arm around Millie’s shoulders “So now we just have to see what we can make out of the opportunity.” He felt Millie’s shoulders slump, and he pulled her close. “I hope we can make it work”.

Millie’s head was sort of down, but she nodded her agreement. “I’m sorry I didn’t call. It would seem that my phones are all tapped, and there’s a PI watching me all the time.”

Althea frowned. “Who do you think has done this?”

Millie sighed, “My dad. He seemed to get upset when he found some of the alternate thinking magazines and such last time he was over. Probably thinks I am going off the deep end.”

Althea nodded her understanding, “Yes, he is extremely, protective of you.”

“I am sorry, Mike. I can always Create an illusion over myself and leave my apartment like I did a few minutes ago. However, anyone going in or out of my apartment is likely me, so the PI is still an issue. I think if you were to come visit me, Dad would be there with the posse in minutes.”

Mike laughed, “I don’t mind meeting your dad.”

“If only it were so easy. I am so sorely inclined to do everything behind his back, just to get even with him.” Millie replied.

Mike shook his head. “No, I would like to meet them normally, not over guns and threats.”

Althea smiled and nodded. “I think that is wise, Mike. I understand Millie’s irritation, but this relationship doesn’t need to start with her father’s ire aroused. He’d likely never agree to anything, regardless of how logical and even beneficial it will be to his hopes. He has a real issue with being obstructed.”

“Boy, doesn’t he!” Millie added.

“Well how about a glass of wine that Althea has kindly provided and moving on to different subjects. I can provide access to my building and get you a burner phone if you’d like,” Mike said with a smile.

Millie smiled at him, “Thanks, Mike,  but of course I can enter your building and apartment any time without your kind help, just like Althea did,” she said with a cat that ate the canary grin.

Mike ‘s smile faded. “Ah! Just like me being able to pop open my spare bedroom door with a small screwdriver in a couple of seconds huh?”

Millie’s smile disappeared. “You evil man, you knowingly put me where you could have your way with me.”

Mike shook his head, “fat chance of that happening; that Millie was safe as a babe in her father’s arms.” Everyone laughed.

Althea smiled, “well, dinner should be about ready, so let’s get our food and talk while we eat, regardless of Emily Post’s guidance. It’s going to be buffet style, served in the kitchen.”

Once served and everyone seated, Althea put out her hands to Millie and Mike. “Great Lord, help us to see a path for Mike and Millie that won’t cause any heartburn in either family. Thanks for your love, this food and all the good you bring us. Amen.”

Mike said: “Thanks, I haven’t said grace in much too long; so witches are Christians too?”

Althea smiled and shook her head No. ”We believe in God, His good, and in the evil in the world, but we choose not to follow denominations or put specific guidance on how to say thanks or ask for aid. Each person does that as they feel it should be done.”

Mike nodded. “Makes a lot of sense really, and so what magics can you witches do, beside opening locks and creating ugly illusions?”

Althea shook her head. “Mike, what a question, it could take years to answer that, but almost none come with lightning, sparks, loud noises or the like. Most are like love, slow, inexorable and barely noticeable to those not looking for it.”

“I see, and you are both witches?”

Both ladies shook their heads. “No, I am just learning to be one, Mike.

It’s slow and difficult, as it requires you to think quite differently than you have been taught. I likely have years to go before I could be called a witch by those who know what a witch really is.”

Althea nodded her agreement.

“So can we guys become witches too?” Mike asked.

There was a moment of silence before Althea spoke very carefully, choosing her words. “Well yes, but not often allowed. Men seem to slide into using their powers for  ... um ... what we will call unseemly purposes. Even some of the most promising could not fight off the temptation, so no, we do not teach men the magics we have learned.”

Mike’s face clouded a bit. “That’s a harsh indictment of all men; I would certainly hope to be a better man than that.”

Althea nodded. “Yes, Mike, you have shown every indication of being such a better man, and I will gladly use my abilities to help you, but to teach you would bring the wrath of the Coven and more. It is a  sworn rule among us to prevent the things once done. Even now, the repercussions of those times abound, with women often seen as chattel or subservient beings, here to satisfy men’s needs.”

Mike frowned and nodded. “Yes, I can see that. Unfortunately, a lot of men are just worthless bastards in that way.”

Althea nodded and smiled. “I am not surprised you see that, as you are very different in your thinking from most men. That is why Millie is drawn to you as am I. We both hope to be in your life for a long time to come, should it please God.”

“Now Althea, I am not sure we want to open all the doors at once, I am not even sure I want to open some of them at all,” Millie said seriously. Mike looked back and forth between them.

Althea put her hand up in a stop motion, “let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

You and Mike need to spend time together seeing if you are compatible in the many ways people interact.”

The rest of the dinner was pleasant.

Millie asked, “May I come over to your apartment for dinner this Friday? I do not want to go out, just want to eat there.”

Mike said, “No problem, anything in particular you’d like or just the same old two double cheeseburgers?”

Millie tried to smack his hand “Be nice.”

They all laughed. The party broke up soon after dinner as everyone had obligations and/or work the next day.

Come Friday, Mike was putting together a roast chicken dinner with twice baked potatoes and a rather complex salad with lettuce, spinach, a bit of shredded cabbage, cucumber, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. He wasn’t sure what Millicent would like but felt this was pretty safe.

She knocked at his door, and he let her in, giving her a hug and kiss on the cheek, which she returned.

“I am sorry I didn’t ring the bell at the front door, but that damn PI was following me, and I wanted him not to be able to push in behind me.”

“What? The damned PI is that pushy and close? Normally they just stay back and report.” Mike replied.

“Daddy seems to be able to make anything worse with his over reactions,”

Millie said.

“Well, we’ll watch his actions closely, Mike turned on the TV and flicked to a channel that displayed eight different windows, each of a part of his building. The PI was outside the front door working with something in the key slot for the door.

Mike grabbed his phone and did something with it, “You are on video, and the police have been notified. Leave now or you’ll have a bigger problem.”

Mike spoke into his phone.

The man jerked and looked around, finally seeing the camera lens. He started to reach up, but then looked away and dropped his arms and hurried away. Another camera showed a walking police patrol closing in on the front of the building.

“I think the evening will be quiet now. May I offer you a glass of Chablis?” Mike said with a smile.

Millie’s response, watching the screens was “Cool! Yes,  a glass of wine sounds nice.”

Mike served a nice home cooked meal and used serving dishes rather than just serving in the kitchen.

Millie giggled, “showing off for the rich girl I see.”

Mike frowned. “No, just trying to make you feel a bit special and not just eating at Mike’s kitchen.”

She smiled. “It is very much appreciated.”

They finished dinner and Millie insisted on helping put the leftovers away and help in cleaning up.

Then they went out and sat on the couch.

Millie sitting close to Mike. “I enjoyed that hug when I dropped the act and wish to be close again.”

Mike could hardly ignore the invitation, so they hugged, cuddled and ended up making out with Millie sitting crosswise in his lap.

After a while Millie rose excusing herself to the restroom. Mike followed her suggestion as well.

When he came out, he turned on the TV channel with the cameras and sure enough, the PI was across the street in a doorway.

He pointed out the guy to Millie, who grumbled.

“That bed you used before is still available. I will not bother you, although you are welcome to come bother me if you are so inclined.”

Millie gave him that ‘You dirty old man’ look and then smiled and shook her head. “Please Mike, I don’t want to go too fast. I am pretty sure that we will be a good match but need to take my time. I think I will stay here though and let that twit of a PI enjoy a night out in the cold. I am sure dad will blow a fuse in the morning.” she smiled.

In the morning, she came out dressed in last night’s clothes, enjoyed a cup of tea and a croissant, then excused herself to go home.

Mike let her out a back door to the building and saw her safely to the main street that crossed the one in front of his  building.

He went back up to change her bed and get some work done. On the night stand he found a note to him, with her phone numbers, address and email, and with the caution that all were probably monitored.

Over the next month or so, Mike and Millie spent more and more time together, be it eating dinner, weekend shopping or excursions to places not too far away.

Millie’s father removed the PI and phone taps, in exchange for her sleeping in her apartment again instead of with “friends” every night.

Her mother was a bit more circumspect; just asking about what she was doing and what trips she had made. Her mother also pointed out various upcoming events that might be of interest to Millie.

Millie’s mother had surmised that there was someone in Millie’s life, but didn’t ask, as she understood how angry Millie was about her father’s prying. But she listened and put things together. She didn’t say anything to her husband, since his response would kill any relationship, in her mind.

Millie worked as an investment advisor in her uncle’s firm, where her dad’s twin brother Milton kept an eye on her. She had proven to be one of the better advisors in terms of account performance, despite often making some very unusual or even strange suggestions to her clients.

She had built up a solid following for her unorthodox methods and managed to average 8.5% over the market’s performance long term. She was especially noted for perceiving downturns and moving money to avoid serious losses.

Mike had been keeping up with managing his business and working at searching through code for lines that did something unexpected or sent things someplace unexpected.

These frequently indicated the code had been intentionally corrupted and often that it either allowed unauthorized access or simply sent information somewhere in down times. Trying to find every place this happened was beyond him and his staff, but each time they found such code, they would adjust their antivirus program to counter it.

Not just any hacker could work around the program Mike had designed and built. It took a very talented hacker to find a way to evade the security.

Constantly looking for such techniques and defeating them made his product quite secure. He had no issues with releasing updates as often as needed, and he had created a method using a small, individualized dongle to keep remote hackers from seizing control through his updates system.

Mike had also been quietly watching the ten-story octagonal building being built next to his apartment. The current owners were in trouble as the now resurging epidemic had scared away would-be tenants. Too many people working from home, and their logical purchase program had not allowed for anything like what had happened.

A bankruptcy would destroy the family that had worked very hard to get to where they were. Mike had expressed his interest, but at a price that basically bailed them out with little profit. They had refused to even talk.  Now things were coming to a head, and they had to find a way to stay afloat. A loan was not going to help if the current situation persisted, so they had to make a decision. Mike was in a position where he didn’t really need a loan, he could eliminate a bunch of holdings and buy it outright. He had enough funds to finish the building too.

Another input was Millie’s feeling that the markets were going to drop significantly in the months to come. So he would get more out of his money now if he bought the building. He and Millie had made some loose plans for adjusting his holdings for what she felt was coming too, so he had started to move his investments accordingly.

Millie also spent time with Althea, sometimes a lot of time, but wasn’t inclined to talk to Mike about it, which irritated him.

Late one afternoon, Millie had come in with Althea for supper. Mike had asked for a few minutes to finish his project, so the ladies were being quiet. He occasionally glanced up without moving his head to look at them, and he noticed that they seemed to be communicating and would occasionally shake their heads or make some hand gesture.

The cherry on top was when Millie stood and asked; “Would you like some wine too, Mike?” Not a word had been said between them prior to this and there hadn’t been any hand signals.

He said “Sure”, but his mind was processing all this. He had finished his task a few minutes earlier and had been just observing. Now he closed the computer and got dinner under way. He gave both ladies a hug and a kiss on the cheek and both responded likewise.

Millie’s apartment was two floors above Althea’s. The next time Mike was there, he looked around and noted the composition notebooks in her bookcase by the desk. Not many folks keep such things close.

As luck would have it, Millie appeared from the kitchen and said: “Althea just texted and asked me to come down for a minute. I’ll be right back.”

Mike smiled and said “OK, no problem.” but he also noticed that her cell phone was on the desk. It’s just not good to keep fibbing, even if it was harmless, as best as he could tell.    Millie closed the door, and he heard the elevator door open and close. He pulled the first composition book and opened it to see a lot of writing in no language he had ever seen.  It was mostly just a few characters, a space and a few more. Most were alphabetic but there were a lot of strange ones too.    He pulled his phone out, turned on the video camera and carefully scanned each page into his phone. He then closed the book and put it back. He put his phone away and went in the kitchen to retrieve a beer from the fridge.

Then Mike walked out and took the seat he had been in, turned on the local news on TV, and drank the beer.

Millie was back about two minutes later and said something about Althea wanting to go somewhere together, then finished making dinner for the two of them.

Afterwards they cuddled as usual and talked softly about their future.

Millie still did not want to discuss marriage, although she agreed that it was something they would do ‘soon’.

Mike went home with a good dinner and a lot of questions.

At home Mike started researching the “language” he found in Millie’s composition book, and found it was vaguely similar to shorthand, but it had a lot of unusual characters and a very old usage, in that the sentence construction, headings, organizational features and pronouns were far from modern. So he searched old shorthand styles which provided nothing but a comment that it developed from earlier styles.

Pushing the search engines, he finally found a footnote that said something about a Cabal Argot. This didn’t help all that much except that the search engine noted a single bookstore as having books on assorted Argots. It was in the city, but not easy to get to, and not in the best of neighborhoods.