Chapter 17

During the time that their mother, Barbara, was at the Tee, her daughters, nineteen-year-old Leslie and sixteen-year-old Penny, had been regular, faithful visitors. Mark and his sisters had always had a good relationship with their cousins, but they did not see each other often. Barbara lived on the other side of the metro area, and her girls were in a different school system. During their visits with their mother, Leslie and Penny spent time with Mark, Paul, and Norma, as well, and they all enjoyed the increased closeness.

There was a humorous side to the visits, though. Immediately upon seeing the beautiful pool and hot tub area on their first visit, the girls asked if they could go swimming. Barbara told them that of course they could, and struggled mightily to hold back her laughter as they reacted with excitement.

"Um, are there any swimming suits around?" Penny asked.

"Just the standard ones that are required for the pool," Barbara answered, somehow still containing her glee.

"Oh? What are they like?" Penny asked, completely sucked in to the impending joke.

"They're like this, Honey," Barbara told her, spreading her arms to display her naked body.

"Huh? You mean... but that's just for..." then Penny stopped, mouth agape. Leslie was caught up in the joke, too, but since it was on her younger sister, she could laugh despite her own shock.

"I couldn't... I mean there are guys here... and Uncle Paul... and Mark!" Penny babbled.

"Oh, I'm sure they'd love to join us for a little family skinny dip," Barbara said, finally giving in to the laughter.

"You're kidding, right?" Penny insisted.

"No, dear. The rule here is no clothing in the water, except for bottoms during the women's periods. And yes, the guys all use the pool or the tub every day. It's a job requirement."

"But why would the guys have to be naked? I thought..." Penny was having real trouble dealing with this news. Barbara patiently explained the reasoning behind the policy. She then told about her Sunday dinner at Paul's when he was naked.

After that, Mark, if he was there, or Paul, never failed ask the girls to join them for a swim. They never did.

When Mark left the lounge after he and his folks tried to comfort Barbara following her ex's call, Mark found a secluded spot and called Leslie. He asked her if Barbara had said anything at all about the guy in the pictures. She was quite upset that Mark had seen the pictures, and asked why he wanted to know.

"Your Mom is really hurting right now. She has been doing so well, then that phone call came, and it knocked her back. I just have a hunch the guy in those pictures is very important to her. I would like to try to find him, but I don't want her to know anything about it."

Fortunately, Penny was not there, and they had a long, earnest talk. Leslie loved her father, of course, and as with almost any child of divorced parents, she dreamed of reconciliation and remarriage. Mark replayed the comforting session with Barbara, and explained why he thought it might be impossible for her to take her ex back.

Mark talked to Leslie for several more minutes before she told him that all she had heard was that he was a football player and his name was Derek. It might take some time, but Mark was sure that information was enough to locate Barbara's Warrior.

Over the next few days, he was glued to the computer and the phone. He did not tell Lindsey or his parents what he was doing, and they backed off from asking after the first day. They could all sense it was something important.

His first task was to locate the alumni association for Barbara's school, and that took several hours of phone calls and online searches. He finally got on the phone with someone very helpful and explained that he was looking for a football player, the approximate year, and that he only knew the first name. He asked her what she thought would be the best way to find the name.

The answer he got was that the yearbook would be his best chance. That small college produced a yearbook almost like a high school. When he asked if there was a collection of old yearbooks anywhere, she said only on campus. Then, he tried to find out if there were alumni from those years in his area so he could ask to see someone's yearbook. She apologized, but told him she was unable to give out any names or locations.

He understood her restriction and thanked her for the call, not much farther ahead than he had been. Then with a characteristic slap of his forehead, he laughed at himself for wasting all that time. Barbara would have yearbooks! As a varsity athlete, she would be included both with the team and individually. So would Derek.

Quickly, he called and talked to Leslie again. She thought she knew where the yearbooks might be stored and would look for them. They had another long chat. As much as she loved her father, she had thought a lot about what Mark had told her. She agreed that her mother probably could not take him back.

Mark could almost hear her blushing over the phone as she told him that she had wanted to meet the guy ever since seeing him in the picture. "You mean since seeing his penis, don't you?" He teased her. When there was no response, he apologized.

They talked a few more minutes, and she said she would look for the books right away and call him when she found them. As they were about to hang up, she said "Uh, Mark. You were right," and the connection was broken.

Leslie had called back within a couple of hours, and together, Lindsey and Mark drove across town after school the next day. They all sat down, and Leslie showed them the pictures of Derek Strom, whom she had already deduced was the Warrior. Mark asked several questions to verify her reasoning, and they left with one yearbook so he could get the picture digitized.

The extent of the information available on the Internet is astounding. During his two previous projects, Mark had become quite adept at following trails to what he needed. It turned out that this search was much shorter.

'Prominent Local Developer Suffers Heart Attack' read the headline of one article a few months old. The article started out 'Derek Strom, Managing Partner of LW Development was rushed from his office to a local hospital complaining of... ' Later, it went on 'Angioplasty was performed to open several clogged arteries, and doctors felt nothing else would be needed, as long as Strom changed his lifestyle... '

Another, older piece was headlined 'Strom Firm Targeted by DA' and started out 'LW Development and it's founder and managing partner Derek Strom are under investigation by a special grand jury looking into excessive profits from land needed for the new Newbury mall... '

Still older was an item on the society page: 'Strom Divorce Announced' and the article started 'Wealthy developer Derek Strom and socialite Rebecca Jennings Strom signed a divorce agreement last week... family friends told reporters the divorce was covered by an extensive pre-nuptial agreement. It was the third marriage for Strom and the second for Ms. Jennings.'

At that point, Mark wondered if he wouldn't be doing the best for his aunt by just forgetting all about Derek Strom. He did not sound like someone Mark wanted to connect her with. Still, it was her life, and her dream of many years. She was hurting right now, with her ex wanting back into her life. She deserved a man, and she should have at least two to choose from.

Mark had given quite a bit of thought to the proper way to contact Strom. He could have called the office, but there was little or no chance he would get through. He was not even sure any message he could leave would get through, much less trigger a callback. He could probably find Strom's home address, but mail was not an option because he did not want to give away the city with the postmark.

Finally, he decided on a rather old-fashioned approach. He sent a telegram to Derek personally, requiring a signature upon receipt. The message was succinct: 'If Lady Warrior has any special meaning to you, please contact me at 877-... ' He had arranged with Plonske for one of their 800 bank to forward to his cell. Still leery of the man's suitability, he did not want to even give out an area code.

Within a surprisingly short time, Mark received a call from Derek. The man was obviously used to being in charge, and control was obvious in his voice and manner. "Who am I speaking to?" Derek demanded as soon as Mark answered the phone.

"I hate to be impolite, Sir, but I am not ready to reveal anything just yet. Please understand that it is for the protection of someone I care about a great deal," Mark responded.

"That someone must be Barbara Ventri, or at least that was her maiden name. I assume you are her son," Derek said quickly.

The suddenness of the revelation startled Mark, and he hesitated for a while. "I am not sure you have given me enough reason yet to reveal anything," he finally said.

If that response upset Derek he did not show it. There was a sigh from his end of the line, then he said in a much gentler voice "Son, I assume you were telling the truth about caring a great deal for Barbara, so I am going to take a chance. If you found me, you probably know a bit about me. If you do, I am surprised you even bothered to make contact. Quite frankly, it might be better for Barbara if you just forgot you found me."

"I have been struggling with that exact issue," Mark replied. "I still have to decide if this should go any farther."

"I understand and applaud your caution, but for me, personally, it would be sad if it stopped here," Derek continued. "I don't know how old you are, but I am going to talk to you like an adult. Barbara represents the biggest mistake of my life. We had a few unbelievable encounters, and I was quite honestly in love with her. I never let on, because she was not the right kind of girl for where I wanted to go. I let myself be embarrassed by her size, and never pursued her."

"Instead, I pursued and married the 'right' girl to get me started on my quest for money and power. Today, I have what I went after. It has cost me three wives, my health, and almost my life. And it doesn't mean much without someone to share it with."

Mark finally had to ask "Why didn't you try to find Barbara?"

"Shame," Derek answered without hesitation. "By the time of my first divorce, she was happily married, and I did not feel worthy of her, anyway. I think it has been kinder to let her forget about me. Why have you found me now? Has something happened with her?"

"I'm still not ready to answer that," Mark told him.

"You know the name of my company," Derek stated. "Do you know what 'LW' stands for? That's right, 'Lady Warrior'. I have not forgotten her for one minute since that party. Also, you are absolutely the first person I have told the meaning of those initials. Please keep my secret."

That's all it took for Mark. Without telling Derek any more, he asked him to call back at 9:00 that evening, to which Derek agreed.

Barbara was more than a little puzzled when Mark asked her to meet in the staff lounge that evening at 8:55, but she agreed. Things were usually pretty quiet by then. When they were together, she asked him what it was all about, but he hemmed and hawed and stalled. He had a feeling Derek would be punctual, and sure enough, at exactly 9:00, his phone rang. He just handed it to his aunt, and said "I'll handle everything over here for you." Then, he walked out the door while she still held the ringing phone, a puzzled frown on her face.

It was killing Mark not to know what was happening with the phone conversation, but he kept himself busy. All of the employees knew all of the residents on both sides, so he could talk freely with all of the men. It was basketball tournament time, so most of them were watching TV. It was easy just to sit in and talk occasionally in the male fashion.

It was 10:30 and some of the men had drifted off to their rooms when he saw Barbara motioning to him from over by the lounge. He walked over and she pulled him inside and closed the door. "I don't know whether to kiss you or spank you," she said.

"Does it have to be either/or," he joked back.

"Damn!" she said, ignoring what he thought was a great quip, "Just when Larry wants to get back together, Derek turns up."

"He, uh, didn't exactly just turn up," he told her.

"Yeah, that's what I hear. Why?"

"Well, you may get back together with Uncle Larry - I don't know," he told her. "I just don't want you to do it because you think you have no other choice."

Her eyes moistened at that. "But Derek's not the same man I knew back in college," she said.

"No, and Uncle Larry's not the same man you married, either," was his answer. "Now, you have a choice. I thought you deserved that. It was obvious the night you showed us the pictures that Derek would always mean something special to you. From my short talk with him, the feelings seem to go both ways."

"Besides," he added, "ever since your girls saw him in that picture, they've been dying to meet him."

That brought a smile and the barest of giggles from her. Then, her face softened, and she said "Thanks, Mark. I don't know what is going to happen. Derek and I are going to talk every day. I still haven't decided to talk to Larry. I appreciate having a choice, I really do. I'm not sure either is the right choice, but we'll see." With that, she once again pulled him into the cavern of her cleavage.

Derek's story was in many ways an American classic. Whether it was classed as a tragedy was still to be determined. He was unusual in that he was a pure orphan: all of his resources had never been able to uncover his family background. He had spent every spare dollar trying to find his identity. In the early years, those dollars were scarce and precious, but that was his priority.

As his wealth increased, the trail had already become cold, and no infusion of cash could turn up anything. He had been told by more than one befuddled researcher that it looked like the trail had been purposely obliterated. They had never seen such a complete absence of clues.

As a cute, healthy, white male infant, he was adopted quickly. Unfortunately, that had been an attempt to heal a marriage badly ruptured by infertility or impotence. At the age of six, he was cut loose again after the divorce.

Since most potential adoptive parents want infants, Derek became fodder for those who work the foster care system for cash. Of the next five homes he stayed in over seven years, only two were legitimate, caring folk looking to help unfortunate children.

Derek was blessed with a quick mind and was very perceptive about people. He survived the worst of his foster stays by learning to 'play' his hosts. He also developed an impenetrable cynicism and an unquenchable thirst for the good things of life that he saw only on TV.

Unlike so many boys in his situation, he did not openly rebel. Instead, he honed his manipulative skills. He eschewed confrontation in most cases, and sought ways to protect himself by connivance and blackmail. In the process, he developed his own strong, but non-traditional code of morality.

When he was thirteen, the biggest event of his young life occurred. He was taken in as a foster child by a woman in her early sixties who was afflicted with MS. Her husband had left her, unable to handle her deterioration. The woman, Margaret, had a little family money of her own, so Derek's accommodations were a step above what he was used to.

Before she accepted him, Margaret insisted on a private interview at her home, and a most unusual interview it was. As with many MS suffers, there was major swings in disability between her good and bad periods, and the interview occurred during a fairly good period.

"Derek," she told him, "I chose you for several reasons. One, you appear to be strong, and I need your strength. When I am at my worst, I am nearly helpless. I also think you are bright, and I would love to have someone I could talk to. Now, I am going to give you a severe test. I am going to act as I would on one of my bad days. You are to help me as you would if you lived here. If you cannot handle that, I will look for someone else."

With that, she went to her bedroom, put on her nightclothes, and got in bed. Then, she put him through the whole process of getting her up, helping her to the bathroom, bathing her, dressing her, and fixing breakfast. It was terribly embarrassing for him, but at the same time, the two connected in a way he never had with another person.

When the test was all done, she complimented him on how considerate and gentle he was. "Why didn't you choose a girl?" he asked.

"MS is progressive," she told him. "I will require more care as I get older. As I get more dependent, you will be getting bigger and stronger. Can you handle this?"

Derek accepted her offer, and entered into the nearest thing to a normal family life that he would ever have. There was no question he was a live-in nurse, but Margaret was very careful not to treat him as such. They took advantage of her good times and traveled. They played games, they talked, and sometimes argued. She pushed him in his studies and helped him where necessary.

Margaret was fanatical about her exercise regimen, knowing that it was one thing that could extend her functional years. She purchased a weight set for Derek, and persuaded him to use it regularly. She also pushed him to go out for sports at school. He had not been eager to join any group activities, but she had the perfect motivator.

"Derek, you are ambitious. You want things. There is nothing that opens doors with powerful men more than excelling in sports," she told him. He listened, understood, and took it to heart. It was obvious he was going to be quite tall, but probably not beefy. He could run fast, and he had naturally good footwork. Many times, Margaret wondered how the parents who spawned such a fine physical specimen could have abandoned him.

After much consideration, Margaret counseled him on his choice of sports. "Football is the ultimate man's game. You are rather slender, but you are tall and fast. If you build up your strength, you can be a receiver." And that became his goal. Fortunately, he learned to love the game for itself, and not just as a means to an end.

She saw his almost desperate drive to achieve and acquire. She understood where it came from, and she sympathized. Still, she saw the potential for his own destruction there, and tried to head him off. They spent countless hours talking philosophy and working through people instead of over them. It did not dull his ambition, but it helped to keep him from the worst abuses.

During his stay with Margaret, Derek learned about a lot about love. He came to view his attention to her physical needs as not so much a chore, but as a way to express his feelings for her. At first, he caught a lot of flak from schoolmates about his living arrangement, but he learned to let it bounce off of him. He quickly discovered that sports stardom quelled most hazing. When he carefully wheeled Margaret to her place in the stadium before each game, there were zero hecklers. Eventually, she was allowed to ride on the team bus to away games.

Margaret's MS progressed faster than anyone expected, making her almost totally dependent on him. He had developed genuine love for her, and was very serious about caring for her as best he could. With school and practice, she had to be alone for long periods, but she would not hear of him dropping anything to spend more time with her.

As is often the case with people weakened by other diseases, pneumonia took Margaret, late in Derek's Junior year when he was still nine months from being eighteen. Ever cautious and thorough, she had made provision for him to stay in the house until he left for college, even though it belonged to her ex.

Her own inherited money was nearly gone, but she willed the remainder to him. It was enough to get him established on campus, with a modest emergency account stashed away. It was as a small tribute to Margaret that the little account was still untouched at the time he reconnected with Barbara.

The county got involved and it took intervention by the coach and an influential booster to get them to leave Derek alone for the nine months their authority lasted.

After all of the travail of his early years, Derek's four years with Margaret had produced a maturity far beyond his contemporaries. Between his conditioning, his skills, and his almost fanatical dedication, he became a coach's delight from the first practice. He simply outworked every competitor, and became the leading pass receiver as a freshman. The same drive carried over to his studies, which he was able to dispatch with modest effort and top-10% grades.

He had to work because scholarships at the small college level were modest, even including some academic money he had won. The coach was able to find him a job with the right flexibility to work around his schedule during the fall.

As a good-looking high school football star, Derek was certainly no stranger to sex. His reluctance to leave Margaret alone unnecessarily had hampered his social life somewhat, but he entered college with more than the usual freshman's experience. With no Margaret to worry about, he was free to service the the coeds who seemed to line up for his attention. That queue of willing pussy posed the only significant threat to his success at college, and he quickly realized the danger and dialed himself back.

The impact of the bad years, the years of deprivation and abuse, never left Derek. His drive to acquire, to build security for himself, was the dominant force of his life. It was the motivation behind his football, his academics, and his social life. Everything he did was done with an eye to its impact on the future he wanted to build.

Derek chose the girls he dated using two very strict criteria. First, they must look good, therefore making him look successful. Just as important, they must provide a connection to someone of influence and potential career assistance to him.

It was with that mindset that Derek bared himself along with Barbara at that unbelievable boosters' dinner. It was that mindset that was shaken and nearly breached in the few additional nights they shared their bodies with each other.

Barbara failed both of his selection criteria badly. She was beautiful and sexy, but jumbo-sized did not fit the eye-candy look he needed on his arm for the image he was building. On top of that, her family was of average means, and provided him no possible career enhancement potential.