Chapter 7

I woke up the next morning with someone spreading a bad case of morning breath at me. We were holding each other and it felt good to be where I was. It was still early so I went back to sleep but moved the pillow to deflect the air flow.

The second time I awoke it was to people moving in the house. There was an analogue clock on the table because digital clocks were not invented yet. That may be another thing to make when I got LCDs done.

Corinne looked very beautiful as she rested quietly. It was time to get up though and I disentangled myself to go to the bathroom. This meant dressing. I still didn't have a robe my size yet.

When I came out I met John. "Good morning Jeff. How did you sleep last night?"

"I slept well thanks. What time does Corinne get up?"

"Usually around now. Did she wet the bed?"

"I don't think so. Does she usually?"

"I forgot to mention that. She does quite often. Her psychiatrist thinks it has a few roots but thinks it is when she has nightmares that this happens."

"Well I'll go get her and get her ready for her day."

"We do have a nanny for that."

"I know you do and I also know that you kept the servants away most of the time to make this home more like a family. Thank you but servants can be family too. I was hesitant to do much. I did not know how you and they interrelated."

"You are quite astute and I'm constantly amazed at what you see. But to answer your question, I treat them as servants. They do work for me for pay. They're not those science fiction robots. I treat them fairly when it comes to their personal lives."

"Thanks for telling me. I'll try to do the same while I'm here with you. Servants are a rare commodity in my home and usually I'm one as much as I'm being served."

I got Corinne and took her to the bathroom. She and the bed were dry. I gave her a bath but I stayed outside the tub this time. She insisted on wearing the clothes I made for her one more time and I just let her have her way.

There was nobody else at the breakfast table with us so I assumed that the person was still sleeping, they had already left or was a servant. I had met some people that liked their own gender and left the possibility open for some reason. I had my secrets and I wanted John to have his.

John did some of his work relating to yesterday and so should I. Instead I went to the piano and played some songs with Corinne. She played a few bars of a simple song and I clapped. Behind us we heard more clapping. Apparently Grampy liked good music too.

"Did you hear me play Grampy?"

"You played divinely. Maybe we'll have to get a teacher for you."

"Jeff!"

"Ah — I think Jeff has to go to school himself. His family misses him. He'll be visiting us a lot more now I think. He has a job here to do."

Corinne was undecided by her look. So when she said nothing I got her back to playing her song.

Later that morning, John said, "Yesterday you pulled two inventions out of thin air. You have any more today?"

"Only one." He didn't act too surprised.

"And?"

"The second prize I mentioned last time I was here, had to do with material that reacted oddly when heated, in a magnetic field or when subjected to an electrical current. This had been known for a long time but none have been found that react at room temperatures. There are a very great number of possible compounds and even mixtures of compounds. Some have to work at room temperatures. I just have to find them."

"It doesn't sound that important to rate a Nobel Prize. Can you tell me why it should?"

"I can make an electric clock that uses the pulses of a crystal to feed a series of lights. They could be light bulbs but they burn out too quickly. I could use diodes that emit light for a suitable display to be used on the face of this clock. It tells the time in number format."

"That sounds good but not enough for the prize."

"That was the first invention of the day. Not all of them are practical or even possible. Liquid crystals are elusive. I don't see that many people pursuing this branch of physics. Millions of tiny crystals can be made on a large area covering square feet. Small areas may be illuminated to form numbers and letters. This would be like you making the characters with the dots of your pen instead of smearing ink on your paper."

"How close are you to a break through Jeff?"

"I have been working on the plastic for the bottles and my magnetic tape. Even the tape machines you got for me have stayed idle except for one that I repaired. Some things I can make good guesses at after reading some books but other projects are a step into the dark. The laser was that way and I have a good feeling about the next laser but nothing about the liquid crystals. The liquid crystals are even further into the unknown. That's why I'm learning chemistry to try to shed some light on which way to go."

John hung his head a bit and said, "I guess I'll have to wait until this afternoon for another discovery."

We both laughed then.

John came from his office a while later and he asked, "How do you feel about the cook doing her job?"

"I guess it's ok. I don't want her to think her job is in jeopardy. Corinne and I could do it but maybe we can make something else before your guests start to arrive."

"An invention?"

"Yes, but an old one. I wanted to make some beanbags. Corinne can learn some coordination and have a fairly safe game at the same time." I talked to Corinne and found that none of the simple bags were attempted. It could have been Corinne's wish not to do this but it could have been Sally's. It didn't matter. I would make them now. "How are you fixed for some rags and some dried beans?"

"I see it's going to be an old invention for sure. I'll see what I can find plus some needle and thread."

Mrs MacIntee was the cook I found out. She was about fifty years old and contrary to the norm she was short and thin. She brought out her sewing basket and some light brown corduroy pants.

"Thanks Mrs MacIntee, this will do great. Do you by chance have the beans too or do I have to stuff them with rags?"

"I'm afraid it will have to be rags sir."

"That's ok."

I used the sheers as Corinne watched intently. I explained what I was doing in various ways so she would remember. In only a few minutes I had a sack made and turned it inside out. Corinne had fun ripping strips of material off an old sheet and she stuffed them in the sack when I held it.

I stretched the opening of the sack and Corinne put in the stitches as she concentrated on doing it right. With a lot of practice at aiming we got the few inches closed up then we cleaned up our mess. Corinne wasn't used to doing this but did it with me.

She laughed and giggled as she tried to catch the small pillow then threw it wildly to me and I had to jump for it. When John came out I said, "Grampy, play catch with us."

We made a triangle and we rotated so I caught Corinne's throws. John even hammed up on his catches so he could hear Corinne's laughter.

When it was time for lunch, I said, "If you spend a lot of money to hire an animation company to make cartoons, you can make a good return on your money if the films get sold all over North America. If you bought a toy company you could make the characters in the cartoons and sell them for even more money. The series of educational cartoons reinforce the sale of the stuffed dolls and vice versa. Buying the animation company is good too but it is difficult finding a good person to run it."

He said, "That's an interesting idea. I don't have that kind of money though or the time to run it. Perhaps I can interest somebody else in doing this."

"If you make the cartoons of one type at a time you get to sell one type of doll. One little sweet girl could be called 'Strawberry Shortcake'. Another could be 'Cabbage Patch Kids'. When they die out you can have cartoons for the same kids with a different theme. Soft plastic figures could be made for boys dealing with brave soldiers but this may encourage boys to more violence."

"That's even more interesting. It has long-term profits but has a high start up cost. Animation though is costly and time consuming."

"Go to Japan. They have low wages and would be eager to find a way of bringing in more dollars. They're innovative people. If you make the characters of many nationalities, then the sound track may be altered to cover more languages. If you ignore quality you can just have an animation of the mouth to suit each language."

"I'll think on this."

Mrs MacIntee used a spatula to slide out some food but it stuck to the bottom. The food went into dishes and put in front of us. I pointed to the clock and it was not quite noon yet. John looked too and wondered.

"At the risk of being early in your prediction, make aluminum fry pans. There is a slippery high temperature plastic called Teflon. It has been around for years. Bond it to the frypans and food will not stick. The food is not contaminated and doesn't change the taste. Less fat is needed with a slippery surface. I can't see how strong the plastic is but you have to make plastic spatulas. This use may not be in the patent for this product, so you can tie the market up. Mrs MacIntee will slide her food out of the pan and it will be many times lighter than a cast iron fry pan."

"I'll get some people on it right away. You get the patent and then fifty, fifty."

"Deal."

Mrs MacIntee just looked at us wondering what all this was about.

Later the men started to arrive, including Mr Berger. Some of last night's crowd came too. One man in particular stood out a few hours later. Hank Morgan was an chemical engineer out of school only a few years but he had some extra background in plastics. He was bright and burned with an internal flame. Currently he was in a low paying job and looking to improve things for his young family.

We all learned more as everybody contributed to our pool of knowledge. When they left, we put the new men on our chart. We all seemed to have our favourites but Mr Berger would have to get the nod to who should work with him.

Before I knew it, it was time to go. I had not seen our research facility but I did get some books in exchange for those I brought back. With our interlinked projects would ensure that all of us would strive to get the other portions up to speed.

I was given the task of providing the wording for the patents once again but still they could not be completed because all of the data had not come in. Now I would get reports from the engineers and chemists to help me.

Corinne cried when I left but cheered up that I would have to come many more times on weekends.

It was dark when I got back but still earlier than last time.

Word had spread at school about the sale of my song. Girls came up to me in the halls and simply said, "Hi." This was enough to make a dirty old man smile or even a young one.

Second period was health and Mr Renzo came in to give us his talks on staying in shape, personal hygiene, mental problems during puberty, eating right, and sex. The last item was usually glossed over.

Sex Ed was not a course and from what I had pieced together over the years had not been handled better until the late seventies. It appeared that the teachers were just as inhibited as the many of the students.

Sam Constecki now sat close to me so we could pass the occasional word or two. He was as fucked up as the rest of the students and I set him straight on many points. As we came to know one another better he started to ask more questions. I ended up giving him what Mr Renzo was trying to get across but did it more bluntly. Other kids had heard and while some laughed, most didn't.

Gloria had been encouraged to change some of her wardrobe and habits but this had been done through Paige. Later Gloria had come to me with questions. Paige had let her know that I was suggesting things to her.

Gloria treated me like one of the girls. This felt a bit odd but not when I remembered when I was older and talking to women at parties. I suggested colours and fabrics that would go good with her features. Oddly enough more of the shy girls came to me to ask questions. I was a regular 'Dear Abby' after a while.

When I had come back from Toronto the second time, Sam stopped me in the hall. "Hi Jeff. Did you get a chance to talk to her yet?"

"I was not in town over the weekend and Home Ec is in one more period. We have Phys Ed last class. I'll try to have an answer by then.

"Thanks Bud."

When I got to Home Ec class later I hurried over to Gloria. "Hi Gloria. A young man that I know is interested in finding out how to hold hands with a real live girl. He's not a jock but he's shaping up. He's not without a clue as to what to do but he's learning." The girls around us almost had their ears moving like radar antennas so I added, "There are spies all around us trying to fill up their gossip tanks." I got close to her ear and said, Sam Constecki is really nice. It's a safe way for each of you to have a first date."

Gloria was a little shocked. I guess she wanted one of the hunks the school had but she had to start off by learning to walk first.

When I did sit she leaned over and asked, "Did you really write that song?"

It didn't sound like she was interested in Sam and I answered, "I sure did."

Mrs Cameron started her class. "Today we are going to talk about fashion. Is there anybody here that wants to give us the definition?"

Two volunteers worked at it then Mrs Cameron said, "Mr Congdon, would you give it a try?"

I had to think a bit more and add to what the previous students had said. "It is a combination of things. Some can be a true meaning on their own. One idea is that fashion is a popular trend, especially in styles of dress but includes hairstyle and even perfume. It can also be a quality of grace, beauty, or honour. The third choice would be customs and manners of behaviour though this changes much slower than what is in vogue with clothing."

"You covered all the points I wanted to Mr Congdon. Tell me what you perceive as proper dress."

"That is a slippery subject. Proper is a vague and misleading word. What I perceive is not necessarily what everyone else will see. I like clean clothes that match so they do not jar the eye. Some clothing, as a whole, suits some people better when complexion, hair colour and hairstyle are factored in. Some designs of women's clothing can be great on one woman and devastating on another."

I looked at her and asked, "Shall I go into examples?"

"Go right ahead. I think most of the students here listen to you on matters like this."

I guess she wanted to see how I was more like Ann Landers or Abby. "Some women are heavier than others. They would like to minimise this attribute. Some fabrics and styles can accentuate features. A short jacket can be seen to cover less than it should and bring a viewer's eye to the hem. A woman with large breasts would want to have a dress that is open at the front to let women know what they were competing against and men know she would make a better mate."

I was going to get cut off now. "A tall girl can wear clothing that lets her be seen as graceful. Long bare arms help here.

"Clothing, though, is a way of fighting among women and men too. Some schools demand that everybody wear a specific uniform. This was done to lessen this form of combat. Parents and their children can go broke trying to buy the latest trends in clothing. I do not like ripped clothing but if it is repaired well then it shows some common sense that many parents want to instil in their children. A suit with patches at the elbows looks more comfortable somehow. Some clothing actually looks great if ripped or distressed."

Mrs Cameron said, "Not many young men would talk about breasts in a class like this Mr Congdon. Now tell me how ripped or as you said distressed clothing can look good."

"Jeans look good but if they are washed with rocks and a weak bleach they'll get light blue and look worn and comfortable. You can sell that idea to the manufacturers for some money if you wish.

"A gown can have the hem cut as if it were ripped at varying lengths. This to me looks nice. A third way is to take a pair of snug jeans that fit a woman quite well. You cut small holes in the garment. The material at the edge of the holes is allowed to fray. This exposes small portions of skin while hiding the great majority. In some ways this is more erotic than the same woman wearing a bathing suit. My female employees wear a shirt that's tied instead of buttoned. Again it covers more than a bathing suit. A variation on this is simple cut offs that are cut short and the hem allowed to fray for a few inches. Now the wearer looks confidant in her apparel as if it was just something she threw on to wash the family car."

"You seem to like female skin Mr Congdon."

"It has its allure but the girl wearing it is more important. Most young men only look at the shape and no further. A sense of humour and intelligence are sometimes out of fashion but people are odd animals. It would be nice to have a manual for their care and feeding."

"I think you're right. Now everybody turn to page 131 in your book — "

When I got out of class, Gloria pulled me to one side, which was not like her. "What should I do?" She was worried.

"Meet me across from the school where my gang of ruffians are usually standing. I'll try to have Sam there too. Just leave it to me."

I looked at her until she finally said, "Ok."

Much later I got to see Sam in PE. I didn't say anything just smiled and made the sign for ok. Now I got a bright smile in return. We did gymnastics with rolls, vaults, and then did routines on the parallel bars. I did fairly well here though I was slow. Others were told to hurry up but I wasn't. I guess I was getting some slack after all.

After class, I had a quick shower then got dressed. Sam was waiting for me. "What did she say?"

"We had no time to talk. She'll see us in a few minutes across the street."

I collected my chemistry books and the small amount of English homework assigned at the end of the class. Sam and I got into position first. He asked, "What did she say? Is she really going to come?"

"Sam, she's just as nervous as you. Girls are funny creatures but to be honest boys are too. You have so many ideas in your head that are wrong then you base you life on these faulty assumptions. Now tell me what you are doing in History."

"You got the — no I guess you don't. You already took all that stuff. Why do you want to know?"

"Because you are going to wet yourself with worry. I also think you will not relax until you know that it's safe."

We talked about what we wanted to do with our lives but always I got the question, "Where is she?"

We stayed there for fifteen minutes and I had to almost hold Sam in place. I was beginning to worry myself but I knew that Gloria had nobody to lean on as Sam now did.

The flow of people coming from the school was now a trickle but I did eventually see the face I wanted to see. Gloria kept looking down and kept the books in front of her as if for protection.

Sam saw her almost immediately. I knew this because he finally shut up about his question.

When Gloria came close I said, "Hi Gloria. I want you to meet my friend Sam Constecki." I turned to Sam and said, "Sam, this is Gloria Swenson."

I heard a weak "Hi," from each.

"Let's go for a drink. My treat."

"Jeff — "

"Sam, you are going with both of us or I'll drag you."

"Ok."

I tried to keep the conversation going. I asked all the things that he found interesting then asked Gloria what she found interesting. If they could remember then they would know what to talk about later.