Chapter 29

We went to Toronto with presents for Corinne. John had some for me too. MGM had bought Jaws and the novel 'Star Wars' was going to be published late in the fall. The deal for the razors went through and we even got an offer from Bell or rather AT&T. It was a lowball figure and I was not letting them get away with it. We had sent the same design out to various countries in Europe. They had not got back to us even though they had the parts and drawings for just as long. A similar circuit was sent to CN Rail and CP Rail because they had telegraph lines that could benefit. CN also owned some vacant land that would one day have the CN tower and the Skydome. Here I would accept a trade for land that was now of very little value.

Al and Gregory picked us up. John and Corinne met us at the door. Some decorations were already up but the girls jumped in to help. John held Corinne as we talked business. She wiggled a bit and then ran to be with the girls. John saw Angela pat Jamie on the bum when he was up on a ladder but all he did was wiggle it more.

"I see he has changed a lot."

"The girls are try to turn him into a heterosexual. He likes the attempt but I still don't know where he will end up. My brain wants him to go after girls. I would hate for him to start a family and have children then figure he should have gone the other way."

"I know a few people like that. Sometimes they gave up a lot of love and the backing of the community to follow that other path."

"He has five more years to develop and I hope he learns that he has to be committed to himself very early and stick to it."

"I hear his birthday is coming up soon."

"Nine days from now on March the fourth. Paige's is two days later on March sixth and Jane's is on March eleventh. We will be going to Memphis later to sing and have a vacation."

"When will your new home be done?"

"I think the end of April to the middle of May. We have to wait until the concrete can't freeze. The inside of the house is mostly gutted in many places. I'm installing new plumbing and wiring throughout the house. With the future in mind, I have wire put in for a lot of devices that will have to come about someday. The house presently has hot water heating that is quite old. That will come out in the warmer weather and I am putting in forced air. During the summer the whole house will be air-conditioned."

John said, "That will make this house seem old."

"It is old but it still is a very nice home. If I owned it I would do the same things I am doing to mine and even put in the deeper basement. I am getting away with some of the expenses by taking advantage of grants and claiming much of the improvements are so new that they need to be tested. That way the renovations come out of the R&D budget. In fact, your new kitchen will be written off the same way."

"Does your family know about the house?"

I smiled at him. "Not yet. It's far enough out in the country to be surrounded by trees. It even has a guest house that's as big as where we live now."

Corinne's party was well attended, and even Carlo and Maria came over. I had made more hand made clothing. Corinne now had a full dress of thin deer hide with thousands of beads on it. The dress was my idea and design but I only got to do some of the bead work. She got moccasins with moose hide soles for strength and durability. I topped off the outfit with an ornate headband sprouting three eagle feathers. Paige made a cloth doll that got lashed to a board I had cut. This represented the traditional way a Native American papoose was carried. The board was strapped over the shoulder.

Corinne took off her clothes right away to get the costume on. There were some boys at the party but none of them were interested in a yucky girl and probably felt bad to have been dragged to a party.

The usual things were done at the party and the children went to play. John, Jamie, Carlo and I were the only male adults at the party. I didn't feel too out of place. My picture had been in the newspapers a great many times and they knew who we all were. Jamie didn't mind being fawned over by women. Jamie responded to the women by becoming erect, a Pavlovian response to the girls' conditioning of him. The women noticed, of course, but wisely avoided bringing this to his attention. They talked even more to him because he was very beautiful.

When things were winding down, I brought a spool of tape out and put it into the tape recorder. We sang a few songs in honour of the birthday that had not made it to the charts yet. Jack Revere and the Raiders sang 'Indian Reservation' which hit number one in 71. My voice was not strong and authoritative like it should be but I sang:

"They took the whole Cherokee nation

Put us on this reservation

Took away our ways of life

The tomahawk and the bow and knife."

The percussion was loud and the beat stirring; and it was the best I could come up with for Corinne. The children didn't understand the ideas behind the words but they enjoyed the thoughts of freedom and the percussive sounds.

We sang a few of the songs the girls would introduce in Memphis. The girls drew spirited applause and Jamie smiled as if to say that we were his friends and we sang great. His voice was sweet too and I was sure he would make girls all over the world drool over his words and his looks.

John said when we finished, "Those songs were just great. I liked that one about the Cherokee. It has to hit number one and stay there for a while."

"Thanks John. Song production has dropped a bit. I'm too busy with other things. I have to work hard now for one to get squeezed out."

"Maybe if you relax for a while it will get easier."

"It could but then I have to abandon all the rest of the things I'm doing. Even if I make a half million a year the other businesses will beat that in a while. I may have bitten off too big a chunk of life. The only way I can manage is with a lot of good help. There are thousands of people looking for work. If I buy from others then I don't know the quality or if I will get robbed."

"That is a problem with me too. You check references and you hire them for a probationary period and hope they aren't acting. You do all that and still get burned once in a while."

"I wanted to hire Doctor Madeline Davits to assist me but she keeps putting me off."

"She has patients that depend on her."

"I thought of that. Perhaps the city has to get developed more first."

"That could be it and the lack of sufficient numbers of patients she would have. You might still route all your prospective employees through her or somebody else."

I changed the unproductive topic and said, "We have all the established businesses I need. We need your charmer to do his magic."

"He's in Regina now and should be back Tuesday. I'll see what his schedule is like."

There was no shopping on Sunday so we just visited then bussed back to our home.

Mr Mason was going to buy the rock crusher now. The ground was frozen solid so moving the behemoth would be easier. If we waited until the spring it would be harder and costlier to move. We lined up some additional construction people and companies but no contracts were signed because we didn't tell them what they would be doing.

Warren Sondly came up on Thursday to meet us. Mr Mason conned someone into giving the man a chance to plead our case before the full council. He was perhaps thirty-five, tall and athletic looking. His hair was wavy and pulled back. His clothing was impeccable and I didn't like him.

He was greasy in the way he spoke. Within minutes I think he would have had Jane upstairs in her bed with her legs spread. Susan was similarly treated and her eyes glowed; because she would do the dragging given the chance.

He went through all the females then he saw Jamie and he did the same thing. I was the only one that he couldn't charm. Edgar, James, Mr Mason and I sat at the table and went over the maps. The same data had been sent to Toronto but now there were more words with the pictures.

Sondly asked, "What do you want all this land for?"

"Room for more companies, room for expansion and a place for some R&D."

"What are you developing? An atomic bomb?"

"Just a new way of precision cutting and welding and then a small electronic display that can produce numbers and letters."

"All that land for just that? There must be more."

"Some will be turned into park land and some into single family homes. Does city council need the board feet of lumber being used?"

"No, but it helps to know what they are hindering and helping. Usually they will try to see what they can get out of this personally."

I used some coloured pencils and marked where houses would go then where proposed businesses would be built. I mentioned the aggregate yard and the proposed location of the crusher. There was no use telling him too much. The lands that James and Mr Mason wanted were added to the pot along with one more. I would get it cheaper now than they would later.

"We need an overpass built here and here. There are a lot of trains coming through and this is both safer and ensures that the customers come this way."

"Ah, so that is why you want this land here and here," he said as he pointed to the map.

"Precisely. My name cannot be used, and Mr Mason is a local director of NADI. The corporation is bringing both business and work to this hard pressed area."

"Tell me what you think is a fair price for each of the areas. Do you have a figure for the cost of the two overpasses?"

We gave him all the data and suggestions on how this could be financed through the government and the railway. He left for his hotel room and I felt a need to take a shower. Nobody else seemed to feel this way though.

The next day was Friday. Jena talked to me whenever she could. She must have memorised my class schedule and knew where I would be at any particular moment. She met me every day after school and on occasion got a ride home with James and me. Much of the time she was telling me how her family was getting along. This was informative but I went over there every week to see what progress was being made anyway. The snowblower had been improved a few times. There was enough white stuff that we didn't have to make our own. Jena even ran the unit to test it out and made money cleaning people's sidewalk or parking spot.

It was easy to see that she was interested in me personally but I shied away from new commitments. Alice still bothered me and of course so did Jamie. I was not as trusting now but I still got roped in to a lot of hard luck cases. People were always short of money and most of the loans were never even intended to be paid back. On the home front I sent back the December welfare cheque with a note of thanks and that I was now supporting the family. January's cheque never came so I guess the government did learn.

Ian was still going with Janice but Sam and Gloria had split up. The latter two were at least more self-assured and would be able to find their own friends now.

Girls found me cute though I still had some blotches on my skin. Paige was not even perturbed. She knew where my heart was. When there were dances, it was always Paige and me. I like to show off and show her off and it was fun for both of us. I rarely sang but I played with Tom's band on occasion.

Friday evening James and Charley went to the council meeting and put our proposal forward. We had typed out the proposal and provided a copy for each of the councillors. It covered the main points but didn't go too deep into detail. The council though tabled our request for another week so they could review the situation with their staff. They liked the overpass idea, as it would bring jobs to the city.

Edgar was anxious to get started on the lasers. Now that we had storage we sent for the shipment of materials. We only uncrated a few items. A month ago I had told him about a man named Czochralski, then what he had found in 1917 about growing crystals like rubies. "The floors are wood and they bounce just a bit. You need to set up where it's solid."

"I can build a shed close to the transformers."

"Give it a try. In ten years you will say the process is easy. You need to make records of everything including if you burped. Some of this will be documented proof but we have to work on it to find what's best."

"Do you want the ruby or that yttrium-aluminum-garnet?"

"I like the ruby but the YAG will be more productive. The ruby will be far too weak. When you get this type done we can try another type I thought of. Should be simpler but things like that can be deceiving." I was referring to the neodymium glass laser but I could not remember as much as I did about the rest. There was even a compound that could be used to modulate laser beams but for the life of me I couldn't remember what it was.

The next Friday, Warren Sondly reappeared before the council and he was put off again. He asked for a definite date and was just told to be back the next Friday.

That night I was over at the Browns' home. Barry was more cheerful than usual. His dad was happy too, and moved with a joyful bounce. The two of them worked well together and now both had a purpose after losing something valuable. They had been working with two stroke engines. All of these were from brand new chainsaws. They made a leaf blower but the neighbours objected to the noise even with the windows closed. Two cycles were noted for this problem and to put a better muffler on would cut the efficiency of the motor dramatically.

Mrs Brown's two daughters sat on each side of me on the couch as she fetched me some coffee. Jena and Laura both seemed to have designs on me and they sat close. Jena started when there was a pause in the conversation by talking about dancing and taking my right hand into hers. Both of her hands moved then as if trying to put my hand on her leg.

"Jeff, I know that if I get a chance to show Mr Johnson how I dance he will do something for me too."

"Jena, the man sells records and promotes singers. He can do absolutely nothing for you. I said before that you could work at the carwash. The girls sing and dance while working. The pay is great. The only other temporary thing is to see if I can get the school to put on a musical. I can write the music, we can all work on the plot and then you sing and dance."

"But I can't sing."

"I don't think you have tried hard enough yet."

Laura took my other hand now. "I dance too and play the violin. Could I get a chance?"

I had to shift around to look at the girl but Jena didn't release my other hand. "I guess 'Tiny Talent Time' could start sooner."

"What's that?"

"Just a television idea that features young talent. The children could dance but some could sing or play an instrument. Girls would be more prominent performers and came on in groups for security and to keep time with the music. Some would be very young."

I had an idea but stopped for a minute at its implication. I turned back to Jena. "Television shows are done in various ways. They can be done privately then sold to stations from all over the continent. Sometimes they are just local and done in a studio. These too may get syndicated to other stations if good. I will suggest to NADI that they promote a small-scale review of local talent. It will not get televised immediately. An audience will see. If this turns out then it can get televised."

She thought on this then said, "That is like putting on a local musical."

"Jena, you have no idea how good you are compared to the rest of the world. You get to find out this valuable piece of information and see where you have to expend more effort. You can look at this like a contest; it should be fun."

"So only some people here see me?"

"Mostly it will be the family of those that are going to be on stage. It is small scale but has the possibility of growing."

"I guess I could do it if Laura does it too."

"Me?" came from the other side of me.

I turned around again. "Just a minute ago you said you could dance and play the violin."

"But — "

When nothing more came out I said, "I risked a lot of my time in writing some songs. All the work could have been wasted but people liked my music and I made some money. You have to risk some of your time too. I hear your dad plays the violin too. You have a chance to learn something more about dancing from your sister. It may turn out very well."

Laura thought about this and pulled my hand to her chest. This was not spontaneous. She used it to rub one of her small breasts. She stopped quickly when her mother came back but her father and brother were already watching us.

When the coffee was put in front of me, I thanked Mrs Brown and Jena pulled my other hand back on the inside of her thigh as if shifting her weight. Her mother's back just happened to be turned. I wondered what the girls would be like if there were no family around to hold them back.

I called a taxi to take me home but Jack said, "I can drive you."

"That's fine. It is getting dark now anyway and a taxi is actually more convenient. What you can do if you want is get a trailer and load it with most of your tools and pull it out of the city to test the equipment. Nobody there to be bothered by the noise."

"I do have a trailer. I guess we can do that."

"When you find a place check the odometer to see how far it is. Keep track of the mileage because it has to go on your expense account and I can deduct it. If you form a limited company you can do all the deductions yourself."

"Who do I talk to?"

"My accountant's name is Mr Bayer. Talk to him first. He won't charge anything."

James came over later and looked tired. I knew just how he felt. I had taken over an existing businesses and there was so much to do in addition to integrating the new employees. I had gone to the yard with a clipboard and walked behind James as we toured the business. There was a great deal to do and retraining employees that had done this job for years was very difficult.

Bookmark December 26, 2007

The steel company was not getting back to us about its products and that made me angry because I couldn't use what I had devised. Space had been set aside for our new cabinetry in simulated kitchens. The store was being altered and there was no room to bring more things in. I was copying shamelessly from the way Home Depot did their merchandising. Garden tools would be right at the front door but I had very little of my own products to put up there.

James said, "I just can't believe how bone headed some people are. You told me what you wanted and I see that it is simple but they don't want to even try it."

"They are hired on a temporary basis. Trade some employees with Carm or Charley. Everybody gets a new start. You avoid firing them and they keep a job though it isn't what they are used to."

"I might have to do that for a few. Maybe I can do that to the worse and the rest will see that I mean business. Oh, Mr Mason got the crusher. He was afraid it might be sold so he snapped it up. The scrap dealer is keeping it outside his gates on some bedrock. There is little chance that it will get stolen," he said with a laugh. The device weighted over fifty tons and was coated with thick grease that would be a problem to remove.

"James, I am sorry but I have one other small job for you."

He said resignedly, "What is it?"

"Just check on the availability of some high pressure hydraulic hose on Monday. Quarter inch is good."

"What for Sir?"

James had stopped seeing me as a boy and I think now didn't like calling me Mr Congdon or Sir."

"We mount a gasoline engine to a cart. It drives a high-pressure pump that connects to the city water. The water comes out from two thousand to four thousand pounds per square inch pressure. A small orifice can direct the water at concrete or anything that can needs cleaning. Doing it close to a car will peal the paint off."

"Can it really do that?"

"I have talked before about even more pressure. A sixty thousand pound unit can peal the bark from a tree and even slice the wood. Adding some things to the water and it will cut steel and the holes will look very smooth and even."

"First you talk about four then sixty thousand pounds. How can you come up with all this?"

"The dirty crusher needs to get cleaned and the idea just came to me. The other idea I thought of before."