Chapter 59

Seated in the student center, William drank a glass of iced tea while waiting for Lucy to get out of her class. She was taking her mid-terms and had been feeling the pressures of late. This afternoon was particularly rough since she had two exams one after the other. He had come along to provide emotional support fully confident that she would ace each exam.

An angry young man carrying a tray of food approached the table next to his. The young man threw his tray down on the table and then threw himself into the chair. Looking over at William, the guy snorted and said, "I know who you are. You're that spoiled rich kid who thinks he owns the world."

Surprised by the hostility expressed by the young man, William looked over at him taking in his worn jeans and scruffy tee shirt. When Rock started to rise, William said, "Down, Rock."

The young man looked over at Rock and shook his head. He muttered, "That's it. Keep your slave on a short leash. Fucking rich kid comes to school with his butler. Does he wipe your ass when you shit?"

Rock looked like he wanted to tear the head off the kid. Ignoring Rock, William asked, "What is your problem?"

"My problem is assholes like you who can buy their education. Some of us have to work our way through school. We're not born with silver spoons in our mouths."

William looked over at the tray of food in front of the young man. He had a small serving of spaghetti, a glass of water, and five packets of bread sticks. He knew that the spaghetti was sold by weight and that the small amount on the plate probably came to a dollar. The glass of water was free as were the bread sticks. Shrugging his shoulders, he asked, "What does it matter to you if I can pay my way through school?"

"Because I'm tired of watching spoiled little rich kids get a free ride through school. You don't even realize what a gift you've been given. Instead, all you do is party and buy your grades," the young man answered. He glared at William and turned to his food. Despite the fact that the noodles were limp and the sauce watered down, he attacked his meal with a vengeance.

Turning to Rock, William asked, "Rock, do I spend all my time partying?"

"I've never seen you party. Well, except for your wedding. There were a few parties then," Rock answered.

"I forgot about that. Of course, those receptions were more like work than parties," William said. He turned to the young man and said, "I take it you don't like parties."

"I don't mind parties. I hate the fact that rich kids like you can just buy your way through life," the young man retorted.

William nodded his head and asked, "Rock, do I buy my way through life?"

"Well, you do know how to use your money. I wouldn't exactly say that you buy your way through life. I'd say that you use your money in a manner that allows you to enjoy your life," Rock answered watching the young man carefully. He didn't trust him at all.

"That's probably accurate," William said.

"I do object to his implication that you bought your way through school," Rock said.

"Oh come on. You didn't have to study, so don't even bother to pretend that you did anything in school," the young man answered.

William held his hand in front of the young man's face. In a hard voice, he said, "Please examine my class ring."

The young man looked at it with a sneer on his face and then did a double take. Mouth open, he asked, "You went to the Druid College?"

"Yes. I did not buy my education. After I graduated from the Druid College with my Bachelor's degree in Physics, I worked hard and received my Master's degree in Sociology and my Doctorate in Economics. I earned my Doctorate at this fine institution just like everyone else who graduates from here," William said.

"You were still lucky that you didn't have to worry about money," the young man said although some of the harshness had left his voice. He stopped eating and stared at his food. Irritated, he pushed the tray away.

"Ah, so your problem isn't so much with me as with my money," William said.

"Look, you don't know how tough this world is," the kid said.

Having spent more than one night sleeping in the cement sewer pipes of the homeless hotel, Rock snorted and shook his head. Under his breath, he said, "This kid has no clue."

Reaching into his pocket, the young man pulled out a couple of coins. He threw the three pennies on the tray and said, "No clue? Fuck you! I sold my car to pay for this semester. I've got seven weeks left until I graduate and that's all the money I have left. Three fucking cents! Tomorrow I'm getting kicked out of my room because I haven't paid the rent for this month. I have no food and no place to stay. I can't even afford paper to take notes on."

"Sounds like you are in a tough spot," William said pleased to be getting to the root of the young man's anger.

"Seven fucking weeks left and now I have to drop out," the kid shouted while pounding on the table to reinforce each word.

"What about a job?"

"I've got a job washing dishes in a restaurant and it doesn't pay enough. Fifty dollars a week; that's what I make," the young man said pushing away his tray in disgust. He had five days to go until his next paycheck.

"What's your major?" William asked.

"Sociology with a minor in statistics."

William sat up and said, "That's an unusual minor. Why statistics?"

"I want to be a pollster," the guy answered. He snorted and then said, "I wanted to be a pollster."

For almost fifteen seconds, William stared at the young man while his mind considered the implications of what he had said. Pulling out his cell phone, William dialed the office. When Barbara answered the phone, he said, "Barbara. I need you to clear some space for a desk. We have a new employee."

Surprised by the request, she asked, "Who?"

The question took William by surprise. He turned to the young man seated next to him and asked, "What's your name?"

"Jack Clayton." He stared at William wondering if he was the one who was being hired.

Putting the phone to his mouth, William said, "His name is Jack Clayton. Get the paperwork ready for him."

"Yes, William," Barbara said.

William hung up and asked, "Do you have any classes today?"

"No," Jack answered staring at William.

"This is your lucky day. It just happens that I have a need for a pollster. The job is yours," William said.

"I don't think you get it guy. I'm dropping out. I can't afford to go to school anymore. You aren't hiring a pollster, you're getting a drop out," Jack said knowing that by the time he got a paycheck, he'd have been living on the street.

William reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He pulled out two hundred dollars and put it on the table in front of Jack. Leaning forward, he said, "You don't understand. I'm hiring you, starting right now. Here's an advance. If it isn't enough, then tell me what you need."

Jack stared at the money. It would probably keep him in his apartment and feed him through the rest of the semester. Rather than grab it, he asked, "What's the deal?"

"I have need for a pollster and you are the first person that I've met who wants to do that kind of work. For the next seven weeks, I'll want you to investigate polling firms to identify one that is willing to undertake a major job. My wife graduates at the same time that you do. When school is over, we are moving to our house in Arizona. You'll need to move there and get to work collecting data for me."

It sounded too good to be true. Jack asked, "What's it pay?"

"A hundred thousand a year," William answered picking a nice round number.

Jack stared at William for a minute and then reached out to take the money on the table. Putting the money in his pocket, he said, "Okay."

Recognizing that Jack wouldn't be able to work until he understood the problem he was trying to solve, William opened his cell phone and hit redial. When Barbara answered the phone, he said, "It's me again. Can you find out if Doug is available to come here this weekend?"

Barbara recognized that William was excited about something. His absence of telephone manners was another thing that Mary Gold said would happen when he got excited about something. Like every other warning Mary Gold have given her, she hadn't believed it. Amused, she said, "I'll take care of everything."

"Thanks, you're a miracle worker," William said. He hung up the phone and stood up.

Rock shook his head and looked around the room when William started pacing around in front of the table. Speaking to himself, William said, "My program is basically ready for an initial trial. Lucy will be available in seven weeks to work on the math. Doug is making progress on his historical case study. Jack will be able to acquire the data we need. Things are starting to come together. I'll still need someone who will collect the economic data that's required."

Lost in his thoughts, he continued to pace while thinking through the work that was to be undertaken. While he walked around, Lucy and Natalie came over to the table and took a seat. Watching William while he paced to and fro in great concentration, Lucy asked, "How long has he been pacing around like that?"

"Ever since he hired the guy seated next to you," Rock answered shaking his head.

Lucy looked over at Jack and, with a gesture towards William, said, "I'm his wife, Lucy Carter. Who are you?"

"I'm Jack Clayton."

"What did he hire you to do?" Lucy asked. She watched William pace and knew that his excitement had something to do with the problem he had been working on since graduating.

"Run a poll," Jack said hoping that he understood what William wanted him to do.

"That explains it," Lucy said with a nod of her head. She knew that William was looking for some way to characterize the basic attitudes of the country's population as a whole. She could see how finding someone to run a poll would give him a means of making that measurement. She turned to Rock and said, "I'm kind of surprised he didn't leave already."

"He was waiting for you," Rock said. He shrugged his shoulders not even trying to pretend that he understood William's excited state of mind.

Lucy smiled at Rock's statement. She could see that William was excited and wanted to work. The fact that he thought more of staying for her than going off to do his work meant a lot. She understood how difficult it was to hold back when great ideas called. Looking over at Rock with a grin, she said, "He really does love me."

Rock shook his head and looked down at the table. He didn't understand her statement. Looking at her like she was crazy, Jack asked, "Why do you say that? He hasn't even noticed that you're here."

"He's putting off his work to wait for me," Lucy answered. She went over to William and touched his arm.

"Ah, you're here," William said snapping out of his thoughts. He looked at here with an excited grin. He asked, "How did your tests go?"

"Great. No problems."

William said, "Let's go to a Squid Shack. We've really got to talk."

Lucy knew that the Squid Shack was anyplace that served fish and chips. The closest place that served fish and chips was almost an hour drive. If they were unlucky, he'd want to drive all of the way into Pittsburgh. At least this time it wasn't burgers. Lucy said, "Sure, I could use some fish and chips. Who all is going?"

"Oh, have you met Jack?"

"Yes, we've met," Lucy answered looking over at the young man. She added, "I understand that he's going to run a poll for you."

"Yes, he is. By the way, I invited Doug," William said. His thoughts were going in twenty directions at once.

"He's coming with us to the Squid Shack?"

"No. He's coming this weekend," William answered. He paused and then said, "The Squid Shack is too far. Let's just get something to eat at a place where we can talk."

Believing she knew the answer, she asked, "So a Burger Burner?"

"No. I don't feel like burgers today. Let's go to the Chinese place," William said. He recalled that it had a separate room and the owners would open it for him if he were to request it. Nodding his head, he said, "Yes, the Chinese place. They've got a private room. We'll be able to talk there. I've got so much to tell you."