Chapter 9

The meetings were over for the day. The mechanical engineers that had worked with John to develop the device had left a couple of hours ago. A light dinner had been eaten, and everyone was relaxing in the living room. Jack had canceled his return home to work out some more of the details for the charity that John wanted established.

Sherry asked, “This cold fusion thing – is it really that big of a deal?”

Jim answered, “It will be worth trillions before everything is said and done. John’s share for the basic fusion chamber and the fusion battery will probably run around 250 billion dollars. Even giving away 95% of the money as charity, he will still end up with about twelve billion dollars.”

Jack added, “It’s going to be a lot of work managing that charity. I hope you realize that, John.”

John laughed at the suggestion and said, “No, it’s not.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’ll set up the foundation so that it has five major functions: education, health, crisis, research, and the arts. Each of those functions will have a separate board that oversees the moneys allocated to them by the primary board. Education can start by endowing a chair at every university. Health can set up special programs for children in hospitals and special facilities for the aged. Crisis can manage a team for response to earthquakes, floods, fires, and other natural catastrophes. Research can set up an endowment system much like the academy of science for proven researchers. Arts can set up an academy of art for well known artists, authors, musicians and subsidize troubled art galleries.”

He looked around to see if he still had everyone’s attention. He continued, “There will be a board of directors that shall set funding allotments and establish the primary directions for each of those functional areas. The goals should be established to improve the life of the average person here, and around the world.”

Sherry stared at John in amazement. She said, “I find it amazing that you could have all that money and you would give it away like that. That you would want to help others to that extent, is absolutely amazing.”

John said, “Well, I would like to be on the foundation’s board of directors in charge of allocating moneys to the five divisions. I think I would like Ed, Beth, Sherry, and Mrs. South on the board of directors, as well.”

Mrs. South frowned and said, “I’d lose all of my retirement benefits. Besides, you don’t want an old lady on the board.”

John said, “Mrs. South, don’t worry about your pension. You will be taken care of for the rest of your life. I want you to set up the sex education program!”

Mrs. South laughed aloud. Wiping tears from her eyes, she said, “I can see it now. First course will be basic fucking. Second course will be on swinging and alternative lifestyles. The third course will be on bondage and discipline. The fourth course will be a hands on fuck-fest.”

Sherry looked at Mrs. South in open-mouthed astonishment. She had not expected that kind of language form an eighty-year-old woman. Recovering she said, “You left out sex toys and fetish costumes.”

Mrs. South winked and said, “Honey, that’s covered in basic fucking.”

John was laughing and hitting his thigh in amusement. Jack added, “I bet pornographic novels are taught in the English classes.”

Jim was holding his sides, from laughing so hard. He added, “Talk about motivating kids to learn how to read!”

Mrs. South chuckled as she tried to get control of herself. “Okay, John. If I can help develop the sex education program, you’ve got me.”

Jim asked the question that had been bothering him all day. “Why are you so willing to give up so much money and power?”

John was quiet for a moment as he thought about how to answer that question. “I would rather improve the world so that my grandchildren or great-grandchildren do not need to be financial wizards in order to have a good life. I have many friends and I would like to see their children live in a better world. If I kept the money, then everyone in later generations would live in a lesser world.”

John looked at everyone in the room. He continued, “This invention is going to change the entire world. Almost everyone that makes their living through petroleum products are going to lose their jobs. Utility companies could end up being the secondary source of power rather than primary source that they are today. Wall Street will suffer major losses in some areas and gains in another. The next ten years could be very rough for many people. If we don’t invest the money to train people for different jobs, then we are looking at massive unemployment. If we ignore the arts and sciences, then the future for our children shall be dismal.”

John paused to take a sip of his coffee. His audience was spellbound by what he was saying. “A lot of things are going to get cheaper. Thirty dollars worth of material will run all of the electrical appliances in a typical household. Trains will be the most cost-effective way to move merchandise from one part of the country to another. Traffic will decrease tremendously. Cars will be powered by fusion batteries with the result that air pollution could become a historical footnote. Disadvantaged countries will not need to build a huge infrastructure to bring the benefits of civilization to remote areas.”

“The entire world is embarking on a fascinating journey. It’s up to those with a vision for a good future to work hard to bring such a future about. We can make that future a reality by giving the right information to the people who are willing to accept it. It may be a small minority in the beginning, but in time it will grow as they live a better lifestyle than those that reject the ideas we give them.”

John lamely finished with, “Besides, I would never be able to manage that amount of money. It’s way too much for my needs, and I don’t have many wants.”

Jack looked around the room at everyone else. He had known that John was able to attract good people to his side. Again, John had gotten good people to help him. He had to wonder what would happen when John Carter became a household name. He asked, “How will you maintain your privacy?”

John replied, “Sherry, do you think I’ll have any problems retaining my privacy where I currently live, in Arizona?”

She laughed and said, “I don’t think so. First, they’ll have to get through town. We’re a nosy bunch, there. Everyone is protective of his or her privacy, particularly with respect to strangers. Then they’ll have to get past Maria. To do that, they’ll have to kill her. She is so protective of you, that you wouldn’t believe it. Then you have Ed, Beth, and Kelly. They will move heaven and earth to make sure that nothing bothers you. Finally, anyone that wants to go after you will have to get by Rover.”

Jim said, “Odds are, after the first dozen unwelcome visitors, they’ll make the whole town a gated community. Only residents allowed.”

Jack smiled and said, “Okay. You win. I guess you’ve made an impact on the whole town.”

Sherry smiled at the suggestion. She said, “He changed a few people that made it less than paradise. We appreciate the difference that he has made to the town. We don’t even care that he is going to have two wives and a husband.”

John’s eyebrows went up and asked, “How did you know that?”

Jim answered, “You can’t hide in that town. Those three look at you with absolute love, with a little lust thrown in.”

Jack mused, “I’m gonna have to mention that to Jenny. She might like that idea a lot. Besides, it might give me a chance to sleep late in the morning.”

John laughed and said, “Knowing Jenny, I bet she wakes you up two hours early just for a morning glory.”

Jack agreed, “Morning glory, afternoon delight, evening tango, and midnight madness, she loves them all.”

“And you complain?”

“Not at all!” Jack laughed at the thought. He couldn’t get enough of Jenny. His life was completely changed since meeting her.

Sherry winked at Jim who smiled back at her. They had just agreed that at some point in time they were going to meet Jack and Jenny together. Who knows, they just might form a multiple partner marriage. John noticed the exchange and asked, “So what great secret are you two hiding?”

Sherry smiled demurely and said, “What do you mean?”

John answered, “Most successful lawyers that I’ve met are married to skinny bitches with silicon enlarged breasts. Trophy wives, if I can use that term. So how is it that Jim married a real woman?”

Sherry frowned and said, “Jim is a better man than that.”

John quickly clarified his statements, “I understand that Jim is a good man.”

Jim smiled and said, “Sherry, you know what he means. He’s the only one in town that doesn’t know about us.”

Sherry shrugged her shoulders and said, “I didn’t think about that.”

Jim answered, “I was dating one of those trophy women. I had gone to one of those horribly boring social functions with her. She was a real bitch, but everyone was jealous of me. Even I couldn’t believe that she was with me.”

Sherry made one of the first catty remarks John had ever heard her make. “She had so much silicon that it had become a rare commodity.”

Jim laughed at the catty remark. He said, “It wasn’t that bad. Anyway, I’m standing there with blue balls because that woman hated sex. It’s a common trait shared by all trophy wives. I’m trying out the finger foods in the buffet line and Sherry’s standing over there. I tell her that the food is great. She thanks me for the compliment. I introduce myself and we start talking. Sherry asks why I’m not with a real woman.”

“The idiot tells me that he is with a real woman.”

Jim shook his head and said, “Then she tells me that a real woman loves to fuck her lover. She’s not concerned about how her makeup looks. She’s concerned that he feels well-fucked and appreciated.”

“He’s looking at me like I just told him that I was from the moon. All he can do is say ‘really.’”

Jim laughed and said, “I was really thinking, REALLY, in all capital letters. So I ask her what a real woman will do. She tells me anything. After I ask for some clarification, she says, regular, oral, anal, threesomes, swinging, and anything else his imagination can come up with.”

“He asks me if I’d do a woman for him.”

John added, “Well, she up and tells me that she would for her lover, but what made me think that I qualified as her lover. She adds that I wasn’t good enough for her. You talk about feeling like a fool. I’m standing there with an erection. I’m trying to pick up a woman that I figured would give her right arm to be out with a guy like me and she refuses.”

Sherry laughed at the memory of that day and said, “You should have seen him. He really looked hurt.”

“I was hurt!”

Sherry continued, “Well, he asks me why he isn’t good enough. I tell him that a real man loves to fuck his woman and will do anything for her. I told him that he wasn’t a real man.”

“Believe me, when I tell you that her comment really pissed me off. I wasn’t a real man? Bull. I told her that I was more of a man than she could possibly handle.”

Sherry continued, “So I asked him if he’d suck a cock for me. You should have seen his face. He turned three shades of red.”