Chapter 7

I awoke Friday rested and excited, ready for the day. I 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, vitamins, and a protein drink, and then drove the golf cart to the practice range. I warmed up and then played a round with three young ladies. I continued to hit shots in trouble spots and blamed it on them distracting me. That caused them to shake their booties and bend over more, laughing at troubles. I still won by one shot and said the losers had to rub my stiff muscles. That caused them to double over laughing. Finally, I thanked them for the game and exaggerated a limp, walking away and forcing them to howl and laugh at me.

I arrived home, and Mom was in full preparation mode. First, we had hair and manicure appointments, then picked up my suit. I told Mom the Western movie people might be pissed if I got a haircut. So, you better go it alone, and we’ll have to settle for getting mani-pedis together. That caused Mom to laugh and settle down. We ate lunch, then were off for the mall. I browsed while Mom got her hair done and did our nails together. The ladies in the shop thought it was cute. Then we went to the tailor, and I tried my suit on. And it fit fine, and we headed home to prepare for tonight.

I was a bit nervous arriving at the restaurant, but a calming feeling washed over me once we entered. A young girl escorted us to a room, knocked on the door, and opened it. We took our shoes off and then met Mr. Tanicka, and I greeted him in Japanese, shocking him. Mom told Mr. Tanicka I had a gift for learning languages. TJs has learned ten so far, and he was impressed. We sat on the floor at the table, and Mr. Tanicka pulled a cord.

The events happened just like in my dream, but I tripped the girl, and she knocked herself out. I got up, kicked the man in the balls, and then the head to be sure. Mr. Tanicka was on the phone speaking in Japanese so fast I couldn’t understand it. When he finished the call, he thanked me for saving his life. Then, leaning forward, he whispered to me that he owed me a life debt. Mr. Tanicka told us tonight’s dinner was ruined, but could we meet again on Tuesday night? Mom and I agreed. He hugged Mom and whispered something to her, causing her to smile. Then, several people rushed into the room, guarding Mr. Tanicka and removing the perpetrators. We were escorted to our SUV and given enough food for several meals.

When we got home, we changed into comfortable clothes and ate. Mom said tomorrow after your practice, we have errands to run. First, take our clothes to the dry cleaners so your suit is ready for Tuesday night. Then go shopping for a new shirt and tie for you to wear and a new dress for me. I can’t wear the someone again, and I groaned, and Mom laughed. Then I asked Mom if her dinners in the private room were like ours tonight, and she laughed and said nothing close. But expect to be treated like a child stolen at birth and found ten years later.

By Monday night, he will know everything about you, what you can accept, and how to give it. So, on Tuesday night, all you have to do is say thank you, and this is very generous of you, Mr. Tanicka. But Mom said you’re so screwed, TJ. I groaned, and Mom laughed. Then Mom had her fun and said he wouldn’t go overboard. I was joking. But he will keep an eye out for you and help your career out. He is almost like a proud Grandfather, so if he offers to meet regularly, accept his offer and listen to his advice. We hugged goodnight and went to bed. The thumping started as soon as I was asleep, and then it felt like I was receiving training or knowledge in my head again. My hands, arms, head, legs, feet, and body occasionally twitch. Then it stopped, and I drifted into a deep sleep.

I awoke 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. When finished, I showered, dressed, went to the kitchen for breakfast, vitamins, and protein drink, 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. We ate a quick lunch, dropped off our clothes at the dry cleaner, and went to Trey’s.

Trey groaned when we walked in, and Mom said oh, grow up, Trey. I need a nice dinner dress for a meeting with Mr. Tanicka. Get your assistants to help and talk to TJ. I told Tray I wanted a custom tux with the collar and lapel in a deep dark burnt orange or deep dark blood red. Colors that blend with black and don’t stick out like the cheesy tux rentals. And an accent on the pants at the outside bottom, like a tall, narrow triangle to match the top. Class and style show men can wear something other than a black tux and a white shirt. Maybe shirts to match or black, and remember, all custom-made. Make up a drawing, and let’s see what it looks like. Talk to you later, and I left.

Mom got her dress, so we went to the mall, and I got a different shirt and tie. Then, Mom needed shoes to match the dress. I asked if she needed matching underwear and got slapped on the ass then she laughed. After the shoe store, we stopped, got Italian takeout, and went home. It was late, so we ate dinner and went to bed. I fell asleep right away, and the thumping started, then the flow to my head, and when it finished, I was in 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, vitamins, and a protein drink, and then drove the golf cart to the practice range. I warmed up and went out alone because no one was there yet. Today, I tested the distance of my drivers and irons with my new grip. Following David Brooks’s advice at Titleist, I moved my hands two inches higher on the shaft. My growth was affecting my stance and swing. I took notes of the drive’s maximum distance to be able to adjust my swing speed. Reducing the ball travel for certain situations is critical for your approach shot or shot on the green. I finished five under, played around, felt good, and headed home.

Mom wanted to have Sunday brunch again, so we went, and I ate more reasonably this time. Mom didn’t and groaned all the way home. Mom went to lie down for a while, and I finished her book, then reread all my ebooks so I knew all the material. Too bad they had a structured pace, or I could finish sooner. Mom came back out and was feeling better at dinner time. She said I will fix you something, but I’m not eating again today, laughing. While I ate, Mom asked about my real classes, and I told her about the restrictions. Mom said to go with the flow this semester, and we will find a university you can go to at your own pace. With the movie and golf, your time might be limited this semester anyway.

We hugged good night, and I went to bed. Mom slept all afternoon and wasn’t tired yet, so that she would finish her book. I asked her to tell me how it ended, and was going to bed. I could hear her laughing on the staircase, and I laughed, too. Another night of going to bed early, I fell asleep right away. The thumping started, then the flow to my head, and when it finished, I was in a deep sleep. Subconsciously, I wondered if this was preparation and training for future events because no dreams followed.

I awoke Monday 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. When finished, I showered, dressed, went to the kitchen for breakfast, vitamins, and protein drink, then drove the golf cart to the practice range. Today was practice only, so I got three buckets of balls and practiced reducing my swing speed. It worked well on the irons, but I needed to work on the drivers, then returned home.

Mom was on the phone, and she said he just came in. So, you can ask him that question, and she handed me the phone, smiling. Andrew Finkleman asked me if I knew why I was getting a lot of offers for modeling all of a sudden. I told Mr. Finkleman I would answer his question if he answered one of mine first. When he said go ahead, I told him you might want to take off speakerphone, and he said ask. I told him Dad ignores me, and Mom can’t answer my questions, so here is my issue. How did you handle puberty growing up? Because I started and there was a roar of laughter on his end, the phone went dead.

Mom was laughing, too, so I let her settle down. Then I said it was true, but I did it to get a private call from him. I don’t want the world to know I saved Mr. Tanicka’s life. Things are going on we don’t know about. Like who hired the assassins and who would come after us if they knew I stopped it. Only Mr. Tanicka, you, and I know what happened right now. I’m sure not telling a room full of people what happened and hoping they keep their mouths shut. Mr. Finkleman will understand the need for secrecy and tell no one. Mom said I was right, and she didn’t realize there could be a threat to us for what happened.

Mr. Finkleman called back and said, OK, I’m in my office alone laughing. I said good because what I’m about to tell you can’t be disclosed to anyone else, or you are signing my and mom’s death warrant. We were invited to dine in a private room at a Japanese restaurant with Mr. Tanicka on Friday night. He was friends with Mom’s dad and had seen us at the restaurant a few days earlier. While dining, two assassins tried to kill him. I threw a plate at the one threatening him, got lucky, and knocked him out. The other fell, running away, and knocked herself out. So, according to Mom, now Mr. Tanica will be like a doting grandfather wanting to help my career. It’s important now for those people and companies calling to return a favor to Mr. Tanica. So be fair and nice to them, and everyone benefits. And if there are conflicts, do as Mom told me and offer solutions so we can accept their offer.

Mr. Finkleman said shit, no wonder you wanted to talk in private. Everything you did or will do would be questioned if this got out, so you can depend on me to keep it a secret. I told Mr. Finkleman he was missing two important parts. First, Mr. Tanica may open some doors, but I must earn the part. The wave of offers is a one-time thing. For them to continue, I have to do a good job. And I’m worried about the people who hired the assassins. Mr. Finkleman said he understood and hung up.

Mom said I handled it well, and now let’s enjoy the rest of the week. I agreed, and we played cards for the rest of the afternoon. Mom ordered pizza for dinner, and we watched CNN. A breaking story banner scrolled across the screen. Jack Billingsley, a candidate for South Carolina governor, and an unknown woman were arrested for DUI early this morning. The reporter said this couldn’t be good for his campaign. Already ten points behind in the polls, it gift wraps the sitting Governor another term.

Mom said I told him not to run, but he wouldn’t listen. So now he’s pissed away all or most of his money on a failed bid for Governor. I hope he didn’t mortgage his business, or he’ll be in deep shit with no way out but to sell it to pay off debts. I wondered if they let him go after booking or if they saw the device. Mom said she didn’t think about it, and we both laughed. We hugged goodnight and went to bed. The thumping started, then the flow to my head, and when it finished, I was in a deep sleep.

I awoke Tuesday, 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, vitamins, and a protein drink, and then drove the golf cart to the practice range. I warmed up, went out alone, and practiced adjusting my swing speed. The drivers improved my shots, but I was excellent with the irons. I had the ball dropping where I wanted it most of the time. Shooting two under, I was happy going home.

Mom had lunch on the table ready for us to eat and go. And we went first to the dry cleaners, then to the market, then home. Unloading the car took time because Mom claimed my increased appetite caused us to go sooner. So, she bought more this time to return to our normal schedule every two weeks. I said, speaking of normal schedules, what will the people at the mall think? We’ve missed three days in a row, and they will think we were sick or had been in an accident, and we laughed. Mom said I was right. We’ll visit tomorrow to prepare for our trip, laughing and me groaning.

Mom went into preparation mode. First, she ironed my new shirt. It needs to hang for a while after ironing. Then we ate a snack and got our clothes out of their plastic covers from the cleaners and store. Then we cleaned up ourselves, which, for me, required a shower. It took her an hour and fifteen minutes, so I lounged in my bathrobe while waiting. After an hour, I dressed, put on my bracelet and medallion, and went downstairs for Mom to do my tie. She said I needed to learn to do it myself, and I asked why. When you get tired of doing it, we don’t go places that require it smiling. Mom laughed, and I said besides, I don’t like wearing them. They felt like someone had put a rope around my neck and was ready to hang me, and Mom laughed again.

We arrived at the restaurant and could tell security was tight tonight. Guards were at the private room entrance and Mr. Tanicka’s room. He greed us, and we sat for tea, and he explained what happened Friday night. Mr. Tanicka said he outbid another group on a project, and they were upset. So, rather than talking, they made me pay for my error. They are being dealt with now, so I have extra security chuckling. What you may not understand, TJ is how we do business in Japan. It is different from here in the States.

Groups of people bid on projects at home. I represented the group on the bid, and the losing group thought taking me out would cause the group to pull out. However, they errored in their judgment, and what I did prevented an all-out war between the groups. And I’m happy to be around to enjoy a meal with you and your mom laughing, and we laughed, too. We enjoyed an excellent meal, and Mr. Tanicka said he would like to meet with me occasionally to see how I was doing. I said I would like that and looked forward to talking with him. Mr. Tanicka thanked me again and said if I needed anything, call him, giving me a card, and we said goodbye and left.

On the way home, we enjoyed the dinner and Mr. Tanicka’s company. Mom said she enjoyed seeing him again and that I would benefit from having someone to ask for advice. I agreed and asked if calling him grandpa was going overboard, and we both laughed. Arriving home, we hugged goodnight and went to bed. I fell asleep when my head hit the pillow, and the thumping started again. Then the flow to my head, and I was in a deep sleep when it finished.

I awoke 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. When finished, I showered, dressed, went to the kitchen for breakfast, vitamins, and protein drink, 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.