Chapter 19

Waking up early, I went to the gym, sensing the area on my way. I exercised, practiced my huku using the heavy bag, did a light workout on the weight machine, and then did my yoga routine. When finished, I showered, dressed, went to the kitchen for breakfast and supplements, then drove the golf cart to the practice range. Today was practice only, so I got two buckets of balls and practiced, then returned home.

Mom left a note she went to the gym, so I ate lunch and went to the workshop. I hooked the SSD drives to the servers and programmed two laptops. Then I practiced my knife and star throwing until I sensed Mom was returning from the gym. I put everything away, locked up, went to my room, and started reading my new course e-books. The Introduction to AI Programming gave me an idea, so I started programming. It would be my personal assistant, and she would answer my phone.

I would name her Candy, and her greeting would be, “Hello, thank you for calling TJ Jackson. I’m Candy, his assistant.” At that point, I would give her options. I would put in reasons for not taking the call, like he’s getting a massage, in the hot tub with his girlfriend, meeting with the president, or showering with friends. Then, I would have an approved call list to put the call through. This app would be fun to program. Then Mom called me to the kitchen.

She said Todd Brown called, and WME called after receiving his letter. They are cooperating fully, so the audit will take place on Thursday. I told Mom I’d bet Mr. Finkleman was happy to see Mr. Brown’s letter, and we laughed. Then Mom said Debra Brown wants you to call her about HP the negotiations. I called her, and Mom left to take a shower.

Debra said HP refused to offer anything other than a one-time payment for the purchase of the program. I told her not to worry they would call back soon. The program has an auto-erase feature installed into it for this reason. I’ll erase the program today, and they will spend some time figuring out what happened. Their next call will be more agreeable, and Debra laughed. I told her to give them hell for losing the program, then tell them since there’s no program, our negotiations are over, and hang up. Debra said the next call she was going to enjoy.

Then said she also wanted an autographed photo from the fashion show. Mom returned, and I asked Debra if she wanted it personalized. How about “Debra, the cowboy hat and chaps were exciting, but leave off the Spurs next time, TJ.” Mom and Debra laughed, then she said thanks for the offer, but please keep it professional. Then Debra said you could do that to Cora’s and hung up laughing again. I asked Mom if she thought Debra didn’t like Cora much, and she said it appeared that way, chuckling.

Mom asked me to get cleaned up, and we’ll go to the steakhouse for dinner. After my shower and getting dressed, I turned on my laptop and triggered the erase function on my server program for HP. Then I checked the bots that infected the computers of techs trying to hack into my program. They weren’t having any luck and getting pressure from management. I attached my program “Watching Children Play” to their current status report, then shut down the laptop and went to the kitchen.

When we arrived at the steak house, Mom was welcomed back by the maitre d’, and we were seated in a booth next to four businessmen. They were in a good mood, so I tagged their phones while we ate dinner. Mom said since there was a lull in my schedule, we should take the sailing lessons offered by Mr. Thomas, and I agreed. She said I’ll call tomorrow and set it for next week. Mom paid the bill, and we were leaving when a man said Barbara Jackson, is that you? I laughed, and Mom smiled and turned around, looking for the person calling her. She walked over to a booth and said Mr. and Mrs. Bradford, it’s good to see you again.

They invited us to sit, and Mom introduced me to them. We talked for a few minutes and left after promising to come to their house for dinner tomorrow night. On the way home, Mom said the Bradfords were her parent’s friends, and she went to school with their daughter Amy. Mr. Bradford did something for the defense department and traveled extensively. It will be fun catching up on lives tomorrow night. And I rolled my eyes, and Mom laughed. Then she said Amy could be there tomorrow night, and she has a daughter, causing us both to laugh.

Arriving home, I had to get my clothes that needed dry cleaning ready for Mom. I asked Mom where the Bradfords lived, and she said Brentwood, not too far from here. I rode my bike to their house, and Amy always rode over here. When everything was ready for tomorrow, we hugged goodnight and went to bed. I fell asleep and was used to the thumping, but it was still stronger than when it began and tingling all over my body. It felt different again, lingering in my head longer, and I never noticed when it stopped, and I drifted into a deep sleep.

I awoke, exercised, practiced my huku, sensed the area, grabbed my walking staff, and took off running my route, keeping a steady speed and stride. When I reached my turnaround point, I increased my pace on the way home. After stretching, I showered, dressed, went to the kitchen for breakfast and supplements, and then drove the golf cart to the practice range. I warmed up, went out, and checked the ball distance off my drives and irons. The layoff must have helped because I was hitting the ball further than before. I didn’t keep score, but I felt good with my round.

Mom wasn’t home and left a note running errands. So, I ate lunch, went to the workshop, and checked on Lamberts first. I hacked into their camera system to see what was going on. Jenna and Lana were nude sunbathing by the pool, and no sign of Daddy. Next, I checked on the folks at HP. They were having a panic attack, blaming the techs for erasing the program. The techs were trying to recover the lost program. Next, I checked my investment fund advisor. He had a hot tip he couldn’t act on because he was on the company board brokering the deal. Pfizer was acquiring Therman Pharmaceuticals. Last I checked on the four businessmen, they were on the negotiating team for the acquisition. Their texts said Therman’s stock would shoot up 40% at least when the sale was announced.

Sensing Mom was en route home, I flipped the dummy switch, locked up, and went to the house. I quickly checked Mom’s tablet and saw she changed books. I was pleased, and her new book was “Executive Assistant.” Laura was a newlywed and worked as a legal secretary for a law firm. It was her first job out of school, and she had to work long hours. The new partner chose her to be his executive assistant. Laura discussed the promotion with her husband, who said to take it. Her pay would almost double, but the job required travel and long hours. David, her husband, said you are putting in the hours already, so accept the increased pay.

Laura slowly learned all of her duties, and making sure her boss was relaxed for the meeting was the first one. While massaging, she saw his spear and was hooked. Sensing Mom would arrive soon, I reset her page, turned off the tablet, and went to my room laughing. At least this book wasn’t about female superiority. When Mom arrived, she called upstairs for me to get ready for dinner at the Bradfords. The drive over was short, and Mom said James and Melinda Bradford were part of her parents’ close net group of friends.

When we arrived, it was like a reunion. Amy was there, and they screamed and hugged. I was introduced to Amy and her 14-year-old daughter Chloe. We walked into the house, and I asked Chloe if she felt ignored as I did, and she laughed. Everyone stopped and looked at us, and Chloe said go ahead and ignore us. We’ll keep busy, grabbing my arm and leading me to the den. We heard laughter leaving, and I told Chloe her Mom and my Mom acted like long-lost lovers, causing us to laugh. Chloe told me she would be a freshman at Bentwood High School next year. Then I asked what grade I was in, and I said I was finishing my junior year at UCLA. Chloe was stunned, so I offered to help her with math, science, or computer homework.

We were called to dinner, and we sat together at the table. I tagged the Bradford phones while Chloe asked my Mom if I attended UCLA and was a Junior. Mom laughed and said yes, but it’s online because he’s too busy to participate in physical classes. Chloe said wait a minute, why is TJ too busy to attend school. Mom and I laughed, and everyone was staring at us. Mom said I was a model and actor and played amateur golf. We just got back from France, where he modeled for Louis Vuitton. Chloe screamed and said my girlfriends are going to be so jealous. Can I get a selfie with you? I said sure and asked, dressed or in underwear, everyone to laugh.

Mom told Chloe Louis Vuitton was sending publicity photos of the show so TJ could sign one for you. They are releasing the fashion show on Netflix soon, so they felt he needed some to sign for fans. Mr. Bradford said wait a minute. Sam Barton said an amateur named TJ Jackson won the Canadian Open. Is that you? Mom said, Yes, he plays a little golf, too. When we were ready to leave, I picked up Chloe in my arms and asked if she wanted a kiss as Mom took the photo on her phone. She was laughing, and I was smiling for her selfie.

On the way home, Mom said you’d be invited back to Bradford’s house soon. Amy and Chloe were really taken by you tonight. Now you’ve got another pair of females to hone your skills on laughing. I asked when were the next sleepovers as we parked in the garage were. Mom laughed while walking to the house and said we’ll see. Mom’s phone rang, breaking up her joyful moment, and it was Mr. Tanicka. He asked if I could play a round with him and two business associates tomorrow morning. I told him I would gladly play a round with him tomorrow, and we said goodbye.

Mom said she would read her book before bed, so we hugged goodnight, and I went to bed. I fell asleep and was used to the thumping, but it was still stronger than when it began and tingling all over my body. It felt different again, lingering in my head longer, and I never noticed when it stopped, and I drifted into a deep sleep. Then, my dream started.

I was on the golf course with Mr. Tanicka and his two business associates. At the eighth tee, I hit first, stepped back and behind everyone, and let an associate go next. Mr. Tanicka was next, and the other associate took out a syringe and walked to Mr. Tanicka. I hit a pressure point in his lower back, and he froze. Then I took his hand with the syringe, pushed the needle into his stomach, and emptied it. He screamed, and his partner ran, leaving his clubs. He fell to the ground, jerked a few times, then lay dead still. That’s where my dream ended.

I awoke Thursday and went to the gym, sensing the area on my way. I exercised, practiced my huku using the heavy bag, did a light workout on the weight machine, and then did my yoga routine. Then I entered my stash room, got the mineral rocks or diamonds, and locked up. When finished, I showered, dressed, went to the kitchen for breakfast and supplements, then drove the golf cart to the practice range. Today, I would play golf with Mr. Tanica, so I got two buckets of balls and practiced, then waited for them to arrive.

After greeting Mr. Tanicka and his two associates, we started our round. And like last time, they talked business in between shots. When we reached the eighth green, it happened just like in the dream. Mr. Tanicka removed the syringe and carefully put it in his pocket. He said let’s move him into the woods with his and his partner’s clubs. Be careful not to leave your fingerprints. We did that and finished the round by ourselves. Mr. Tanicka thanked me for saving his life again. I said that was what family does, so please, no more gifts, and he laughed.

Then I told him that Pfizer was acquiring Therman Pharmaceuticals. I said Therman’s stock would shoot up 40% at least when the sale was announced, and Mr. Tanicka smiled. He said that means Pfizer stock will drop at the same time. Then I gave him the mineral rocks, and his eyes got big. I told him the finished piece was for Mom, and the unfinished pieces should be sold except for one. I told him how to finish Mom’s piece and about my ring idea, and he smiled. I said we split the profit and put mime in the investment account. Mr. Tanicka said he would invite Mom and me to dinner soon, hugged me, and said goodbye.

Mom was sitting at the kitchen table with the show’s publicity photos when I got home. She said Your fans will love these and I looked at the five stacks of pictures and groaned. Mom laughed and said Todd Brown called, and auditors finished in two hours. He wants us to call him when you get home. Mom called, and Mr. Brown said the auditors found 2.5 million missing from my account due to sloppy paperwork. I asked what I paid in commissions to WME. He said one million and change and asked how I wanted to proceed.

I asked him to call them and say my client paid good money to promote and advance his career. All he got was a glorified answering service. Mr. Jackson wants to stay with you but needs to see how you propose fixing the blatant problems in his representation first. Then, we’ll meet to review the fine details if he’s satisfied with your proposed solution. Todd Brown said he loved my idea, would tell us how it worked, and said goodbye.

We ate a late lunch, and then Mom wanted to run some errands. First was the dry cleaner, and then I laughed when we pulled into the crafts store. We laughed as Mom picked out a dozen picture frames and a box of protective covers. Then, I needed the proper pen to write on photo paper, and we stopped for BBQ take-out for dinner on the way home. While eating dinner, Mom said she was going to the gym tomorrow and then to the beauty shop for her hair and nails. So, I’ll be on my own tomorrow, but remember we leave early because of the traffic.