Chapter 22: Life’s Interludes

“Hey, are you coming up, or not?” Jeryl yelled from upstairs.

I was trying to finish an assignment in my office. It was the Thanksgiving break, and we had decided to get away from school and spend the time with our family in the Deer Valley house.

“I’m almost done. I just have this last problem to finish up.”

I heard her feet on the stairs. A minute later she entered the office dressed in ski pants and her gray Diamond Skin top. She moved behind me and rubbed my shoulders as I tried to get back into the design problem that I had to turn in, next Monday. It was the last major project of the semester, and I wanted to do well on it.

Jeryl kissed the top of my head. “Sorry, I thought you were done, already. I’ve never seen you work so hard on homework. I guess you are somewhat normal, after all.”

I finished jotting down the last part of the problem and then looked up at her with a sigh. “Yes, I’m somewhat normal. Sorry if I’ve been a little short this week. For the first time since school started, I’ve been regretting taking on so much. The past two weeks have been painful.”

I had five big projects all fall due in a two-week time span. Two of them took quite a bit of time at the drafting board, meticulously documenting mechanical designs, along with the math showing they were sound from an engineering perspective. The other two were for classes in the E.E. curriculum and required lab time as well as math, proving the results. I had finished all of those before hopping on a plane for the brief vacation, but still had my VLSI assignment to finish up, this week.

Jeryl kissed me again. “Then it’s a good thing I insisted we come out here to get away for a little rest. Now, are you finished or just at a stopping point?”

“Finished, but I’ll need to check it over once more, before turning it in.”

“Good. We’re going down to Park City and doing a little skiing then.”

“Really?”

She nodded. “Yes. We need to get out and cut loose a little. Olivia wants to go, too.”

“Okay.” I put my work away and headed upstairs to change. “Do I need to come back down here to grab our stuff?” I asked.

“You get changed. I’ll carry stuff up from the ski locker. We’ll have to pick up some rental gear for Olivia, but I’ve got her dressed, at least.”

Half an hour later, we were driving down into Park City. They had a decent base of around forty inches of snow, and about half of their runs were open already. It was looking to be a great year for skiing. Jeryl got Olivia fitted with skis, boots, and poles while I went to get lift tickets for the day. Soon we were headed up the mountain.

“I still can’t believe I’m skiing with one of America’s most eligible bachelors,” Olivia teased as we got off the lift.

“Hey, that’s my boyfriend you’re talking about,” Jeryl said. “He’s not eligible!”

We all laughed and headed down the hill. The Business Insider issue had come out the week before, just in time for Jeryl to use it in part of her and Lila’s case study presentation. She had mailed copies to her sisters and cousins for a little fun bragging.

Another skier followed us down and joined us in the lift line.

“Hey, is it true?” the man asked.

It was hard to make out his features under his stocking cap and goggles. He looked to be in his mid-twenties with light brown hair.

“What’s that?” I replied.

“Are you really Paul Taylor? I read about you last week.”

“Yes, I am. And you are?”

“I’m Tom. Tom Harding. I go to UCLA.”

“Nice to meet you, Tom.”

The girls hopped on the chair lift and we were next in line. We scooted along on our skis and then dropped into the chair to begin back up the mountain.

“So, what are you studying at UCLA?” I asked.

“Film. I want to be a director. I’d ask about you, but I think I already know from the article.”

I laughed. “They did put quite a bit into those few paragraphs, didn’t they?”

“Normally, I wouldn’t bother you while you’re out having some fun, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to meet you.”

“Why’s that?”

“I want to do a short film about you.”

“What?”

He nodded his head. “It’s for my final project next semester. When I read that article, I got an idea. I need to put together a short-film for my senior project. I’d like to do it on you. Show the next generation what they can accomplish, highlight your successes, that sort of thing.”

“It’s flattering, but what would you have done if you hadn’t run into me here?”

“Well, I sent a letter to you, but you probably haven’t gotten it yet. If that didn’t work, I’ve got a couple of other topics to fall back on.”

“Like what?”

“Well, since I’m from Park City, I was thinking about doing something on the Sundance Film Festival and the impact it has on the city.”

“I’d go see that. What else?”

“My other idea was to do a biography on Tesla.”

“Wow, not many people know who he is. That might be a better approach for you.”

“No way. If I can talk you into it, doing a story on you would be the best. Think how valuable a film on Tesla would be if it had been made while he was actually experimenting with and advocating alternating current against Edison’s drive for D.C. Doing a film on you, now, would have that kind of value.”

“Thanks for the compliment, but I doubt it.”

“Seriously? You are the youngest self-made multimillionaire in the history of the U.S. Your inventions are in every car coming out of any manufacturer around the world. You’ve created some wonder materials that everybody is buying.” He pointed to the Diamond Skin logo on the turtleneck of his shirt. “You established the reward that got the Unabomber arrested, and you haven’t finished college yet. I’d really appreciate it if we could talk this over. I think I could make a great story.”

“I don’t know, Tom. I had some fallout after my last big public appearance. I don’t think I need that sort of attention ever again.”

“You mean this week?”

I shook my head. “Earlier.”

“What happened after you were on ‘60 Minutes?’” he asked, which showed he had done some research, at least.

“I’d rather not go into it. But as a result of that show, I had to garage my car since it became too noticeable.”

“Man, that sucks,” he said. We rode along quietly for a bit. “What if you held the release rights?”

“What do you mean?”

“I create the film, but you hold majority rights in it. I can’t release it or screen it without your approval. I’ll only show it for my class.”

I thought about it. I had to admit that it tickled my vanity a little. “That might work.”

We reached the top of the lift and skied over to Jeryl and Olivia. I told them I’d meet them at the base in a bit and then motioned Tom to lead the way down. We skied easily as I probed on his idea a little more.

“So, what sort of story would you want to tell?” I asked.

“My God, it was almost too funny seeing the look on his face,” Jeryl said as we chatted with her folks, Olivia, Mom, Jim and Kelly after Thanksgiving dinner. “He had no idea I was involved in the deal with Nike.” She laughed at her own story.

“So how did the other groups doing the case study feel?” Janet asked.

“They were pissed. His information packet only told half the story. A couple of groups went out and did some additional research, but I had all of our original models and knew the full story. One girl had the audacity to ask me why I had not volunteered the information to everyone; ‘to be fair.’”

“How did you answer that?” Olivia asked.

“I asked if she was taking the final for everyone, ‘to be fair.’ She really didn’t like my answer.”

“What did the professor say?”

Jeryl blushed a little. “He did ask why I had not told him. I answered truthfully. I knew a lot more about the deal, and wanted to share the real facts and decision making process we went through so everyone could learn from our experience.”

“So what should we have done differently?” Jim asked.

“We should have gotten another firm into negotiations. We probably could have doubled the valuation, easily.”

“But draw out the process by six months,” I countered. We had actually discussed opening negotiations with Adidas.

“I know. I also raised that in our case study. Time was more critical to the key stakeholders than profits. The professor did not like that comment, since he wanted us to focus on maximizing sale value, but I had our meeting minutes to prove that maximizing cash was less important than getting the deal done, to you,” she said while patting my hand. “I also mentioned the deal with DuPont that gave us royalties on the manufacture of the material. He was unaware of that detail, which made our valuation and deal much more valuable.”

“What else?” Kelly asked.

“Well, according to the books we studied, we should have taken a few more months doing market research on the brand name and design. I countered that argument to a certain extent with the ad hoc research we did using the Stanford football team before our meeting with Nike. That was another detail the professor was unaware of.”

“We talked about that with Candace at the time,” Jim said. “It would have delayed things by up to a year.”

“That’s what Lila and I hung our hats on. Time, cost, or quality; pick two. Since Paul had decided time was of the essence, either cost or quality was going to give. Because it was personally important to him from an injury perspective, the only variable that could have some flexibility in it was cost. At the end of the Q&A period, the professor conceded that we had done a very good job getting our product launched in a very profitable manner. That’s when I closed out the presentation with that blurb from Business Insider. Lila wanted to choke me, since I hadn’t warned her.”

Olivia had to ask, “What blurb?”

I blushed and Jeryl laughed again.

“They used it in the article last week to intro the piece on Paul. It said, ‘America’s youngest self-made millionaire transformed Nike from a shoe company to the worlds largest sportswear company in two years and made $55 Million while doing it.’ I turned the proof page they sent us into an overhead and crossed out the $55 number and replaced it with $85. Then at the bottom of the slide, I wrote in 99.9% pure profit.”

Janet looked at us both. “I thought it was a five year, fifty million dollar deal.”

“I told you then I thought their growth estimates were low. When you factor in our profit from DuPont on the material they sell to Nike, we’ll probably hit a hundred and fifty by the end of the contract. If Nike has any sense, they’ll re-sign with us at better rates for a longer term as well.”

Olivia looked stunned. “You guys really are something. No wonder you wouldn’t let me pay a thing for skiing yesterday.”

I laughed, which seemed to bring an end to dinner as we all stood up and began clearing the table. I had insisted that Mrs. Eccles not wait on us today so we divided up the clean up chores and soon had everything put away or in the dishwasher.

“So, do you really want to have a documentary made about you?” Kelly asked as we headed down stairs to see what was on T.V.

“I don’t know. Tom had some good arguments for my objections. If you could draft a contract giving me distribution control with a carve-out for his class, I think I’ll let him do it.”

“You shouldn’t just ‘let him do it’,” Jeryl said. “You should provide some funding to make sure it is high quality.”

“Why do you say that?”

We all settled onto the couch and Olivia flipped on the TV.

“I just think it will be better to collaborate with him. Whether you want to admit it or not, Paul, you are going to be famous. You need to take control of your public image. We probably need to hire a P.R. person as soon as we graduate, if not before.”

Kelly was nodding. “Just look at what happened over the summer. I don’t ever have to write another press release. Let’s pay someone who can do it well. As for the documentary, I agree with Jeryl. If you’re going to let him do it, make sure it is high quality.”

“Well, let’s talk it over with him tomorrow morning. I invited him up to discuss it at ten o’clock. Do you think you two lazy-bones will be up by then?”

Finals came and went. We were tired from the schoolwork, but not too tired to celebrate Jeryl’s birthday as well as the end of the semester. Lila joined us in our bedroom again and Jeryl’s fantasy of having her pussy licked while I took her ass was finally fulfilled. The next morning, we took Lila to the airport after breakfast. She was flying back to Virginia to spend the holidays with her father. I had surprised her with a first class ticket upgrade, at Jeryl’s insistence.

“I can’t take this, you guys,” she said.

“Sure you can,” Jeryl insisted. “Look, we don’t have a lot of school friends, but we do have a lot of money. We want to give this to you as a Christmas gift. Please take it.”

Lila looked at us both, and then nodded. She gave us both big hugs and then headed for the gate.

Jeryl watched her go and then slipped under my arm and gave me a sideways hug.

I kissed Jeryl’s cheek and then turned her toward the ticket counter.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Getting your birthday present,” I said.

“What?”

I guided her to the first class ticket counter and pulled out my wallet. “You should have tickets for two under the name Taylor,” I told the ticket agent.

“Yes we do, Mister Taylor. Two first class tickets to Oahu. You’ve got a little time before it boards, but you are more than welcome to wait in the first class lounge. Do you have any luggage to check?”

“No.”

“Paul, we need clothes and stuff. What are you thinking?”

“I had Kelly pack some stuff for you. Alison is already in Hawaii with those bags. Anything we missed, I’ll buy for you.”

She looked at me in adoration and the ticket agent smiled. “I hope you have a wonderful vacation,” she said as she handed me our tickets.

“I can’t believe you managed to plan this without me knowing it. I love you for it, and we haven’t even gotten to Hawaii yet.”

“I wanted to do something special for your twenty-first. I actually had to plan it out months ago. We’re spending a few days on Oahu and then two weeks on Maui.”

Jeryl kissed me hard and then dragged me toward security. Instead of heading to the lounge, Jeryl insisted we check out a couple of shops and pick up a small carry-on bag for a few convenience items. She picked up a couple of magazines as well.

“No research papers or reports this trip?” she asked playfully.

“Nope. It’s going to be a real vacation.”

“Hah! I’ll believe that when I see it. I bet you are doing something work related by the second week.”

I gave her a kiss. “Only if ‘doing’ the COO is work related.”

Our flight was on time and we both indulged in a cocktail after boarding the plane. We were both in casual clothes but hardly looked out of place amongst all of the holiday travelers. The flight was long, but uneventful. We finally landed in the early evening. Warm humid weather and a smiling Alison greeted us.

She escorted us to our car and soon we were downtown on Waikiki beach at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. We had a suite overlooking the ocean and were more than happy to fall asleep to the sounds of surf after making love in the large king-sized bed.

After breakfast the next morning, we were off to do the touristy things. Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial were sobering, as was the Punchbowl National Cemetery. The mosaics at the monument highlighting the wars in the Pacific theater were impressive, but subdued by the rows of white crosses spreading out inside the crater bowl on lush green grass.

We had sushi for lunch, which took some convincing for Jeryl to try. Alison opted for more traditional fish and chips. The afternoon was a leisurely drive up to the North Shore to watch the impressive surfers skirting death in the shallow waters on towering waves. Dinner was back at the hotel, with a relaxing breeze coming in across the beach.

The second day we were up early and off to Hanauma Bay to enjoy the snorkeling in its crystal clear waters and enjoy the coral reef that had become established inside the shallow crater. We all enjoyed the warm water, the bountiful sea-life and incredible scenery. By the end of the day Jeryl’s summer tan was returning while Alison and I were slightly pink from the sun.

“I think I like Hawaii,” Jeryl said as we headed back to the hotel in the afternoon.

I grinned. “I know I do. Tomorrow we’ll fly over to Maui. I hear it’s even more relaxing than Oahu.”

“I don’t know. I feel pretty relaxed, here,” Jeryl said as she squeezed my hand.

The next day we flew over to Maui, and settled into a suite at the Four Seasons. Jeryl quickly discovered the spa and decided I should pamper her. Of course I agreed. We had a wonderful relaxing time over the next couple of days, before her next birthday surprise arrived.

“Mom, what are you guys doing here?” she asked, as we walked into the restaurant for breakfast on our third day there.

Jerry rose and shook my hand as Jeryl hugged her mother. Mom and Jim greeted us as well.

“You didn’t think I’d let my youngest daughter fly to Hawaii for her twenty-first birthday, with her boyfriend, and not insist on coming along to chaperone, did you?”

Jeryl took a seat by her folks, while I sat down across from her by Mom. I was glad to see genuine warmth in Janet’s smile at me.

“Paul, thanks again for flying us out here. This place is amazing. I’ve always wanted to visit Hawaii.”

I shrugged and smile. “I’m glad you could come. How are Jordan and Jyl doing?”

Janet launched into a family update and we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. Afterward, we all strolled down to the beach and enjoyed the warm sand on our feet as we walked off the large meal. Jeryl grabbed my mom’s and her mother’s hands and dragged them down to wade in the water. We men laughed at her antics.

“Jerry,” I said as we lagged further behind the ladies. “Do you remember the discussion we had a few years ago about Jeryl and my long term plans?”

Jerry looked at me with a smile and replied, “I do.”

“Well, I’d like to ask for your blessing to marry your daughter.”

Jim broke into a huge grin, as did Jerry.

“Of course you have it, Paul. I can’t imagine you two separating and I can’t think of anything that would make Jeryl happier. When do you plan on asking her?”

“Well, there seems to be a family tradition of proposing on Christmas Eve,” I said with a smile at Jim.

“And you expect us to keep this a secret for four whole days?” Jim asked.

“I do. I’ve got a bunch of activities arranged for us all, so hopefully you and the ladies will be too tired to demonstrate any pent-up excitement.”

“Oh really?”

I nodded. “This afternoon I booked a golf lessons with the pro to teach me how to swing a club, and to improve your games.” I knew they both played, Jim more seriously than Jerry. “Tomorrow, we’re taking a trip up to Haleakala Crater and we’re biking back down.”

“Biking?”

“They rent you a bicycle and you more or less coast down the road from the top. It should fill up the day. On the twenty-third, we men are going deep-sea fishing while the ladies are having a spa day. Then on Christmas Eve day, we’re all going for a sail.”

“Wow, you have this all planned out, don’t you?” Jerry asked.

“I do. I’ve been thinking about it since the summer.”

“Well, you have my blessing and I’m sure Janet will agree once the cat is out of the bag. I just hope I can keep quiet until you pop the question.”

“Okay, this is truly amazing,” Jeryl said as she settled into the cockpit of the big catamaran sailboat and leaned against me. We had sailed from Maui to Molokini where we anchored before snorkeling around the reef.

“It is,” Janet agreed as she joined us. She was in a relatively conservative one-piece black bathing suit, but still looked attractive. Jeryl was in a light blue bikini with a floral sarong tied around her hips. I had opted for a loud Hawaiian shirt above my swim trunks.

“I can understand why people got upset with the Navy for detonating those munitions last year. This place is too beautiful to blow-up.”

“It is,” I agreed.

“So Paul,” Janet said. “Jeryl tells me you’re actually taking a vacation. Is it true you didn’t bring a single report to read this trip?” She smiled as she asked.

“Hey, I can take a break, despite what you and my mother and Jeryl think.”

We laughed. Mom, Jim and Jerry joined us. They had towels with them and were in various states of dryness. The captain of the catamaran joined us as his crewman headed to the bow.

“If you’re done swimming for a while, we’ll lift anchor and have a little sail around Kaho’Olawe.”

“Sounds good,” I said as the others nodded. Soon, we were under sail and enjoying the gentle roll of the sea. Jeryl rested against me after we moved to the foredeck and settled with my back to the mast. It was an incredibly relaxing end to the morning.

We had a light lunch onboard after the captain put us on a long tack toward Lanai. Then Jeryl headed back to the foredeck, dropped her sarong and pulled off her bikini top before lying down in the warm sun. Her mother saw her, shook her head, and then settled into the cockpit with the others to enjoy the sail. I just returned to my seat at the mast and enjoyed the view.

Just looking at her golden skin confirmed I was making a good decision. I knew I had been granted an incredible second chance at life. I wanted to make the world better, but I also knew in my heart that I had to do it with Jeryl by my side. I had left all the work at home, but that did not mean my mind stopped working. I knew two lines of research were playing out and that business would take a lot more of my time in the coming year. I wanted to make sure Jeryl knew what she meant to me before I got totally consumed with those efforts. That was one of the reasons I had chosen to propose on this trip.

The other was that I knew the world was reaching a turning point. The collapse of the Soviet Union was a catalyst for destabilizing the Mid-East and giving rise to both Fundamental Islam as well as Fundamental Christianity. I knew it was the rise of fundamentalism in many flavors that led to a worldwide decline in the quality of life and the slow death of liberty. If I was going to change that trajectory, it needed to start now. I knew I was not strong enough to undertake such a challenge on my own. I wanted Jeryl with me.

I dozed off in the afternoon sun and only woke as we tacked back toward Maui. Jeryl was on her stomach, still working on her tan. I glanced at the sun and realized it was already late afternoon. Jeryl stirred and smiled when she saw me awake.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you take a nap in the afternoon, Paul. Except maybe after ravishing me,” she added with a grin.

“Hey! I’m on vacation. I can take a nap.”

“I must be losing my touch. Here I am, almost naked, and you fall asleep.”

“Ha! Like I’m going to do what I’d like to with our parents onboard.”

Jeryl pulled on her top and grabbed her sarong before reaching her hand out to pull me up. We made our way aft and joined our parents. I excused myself to use the head and retrieved a small package from my bag. I knew we were heading back to Molokini to anchor again for a sunset dinner.

Once we were anchored, the captain and crew began setting out our dinner on deck. A table was set up just in front of the cockpit and chairs were retrieved from the hulls of the catamaran. As the sun dropped to the horizon, hurricane lamps were lit and dinner was served.

Dinner was fresh grilled Mahi Mahi with traditional local vegetables. We all had a glass of white wine. I decided poi was not going to be a staple in my diet. I think everyone agreed. After dinner, we had assorted fresh fruits for dessert. The sun slipped below the horizon leaving us in its warm afterglow and I decided this was the time.

I took Jeryl’s hand in mine as I tapped on my wine glass. I stood at the head of the table and smiled at everyone.

“Thank you all for coming and spending some time with Jeryl and me. As you know, I told Jeryl this was to celebrate her twenty-first birthday, which it is. It’s also something else.”

I stepped over next to her and dropped to one knee. Her eyes got big as I pulled the ring out of my pocket and held it up to her.

“Jeryl Alison Salaway, I love you with all my heart. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Tears came to her eyes as she nodded, unable to say a word. She lunged into my arms, nearly knocking me over.

“Yes. Yes. Yes.” She managed to say before kissing me passionately.

“What are you doing, lover?” Jeryl asked as I sat in the living room of the house watching the news.

“I think this is the first shuttle flight that has some of our technology on it,” I said. “I was just checking to see if it went well.”

Jeryl dropped her purse and sat on the couch next to me. “Thiokol?” she asked.

“Yep.”

“I never really understood why you singled them out at the start of our freshman year.”

I could not tell her the real reason and it bothered me. “Would you think I’m silly if I said I just wanted something I made to fly in space?”

“Of course not, but I doubt that was the only reason.”

“Well, long-term I’m pretty sure our materials could make for a better, safer shuttle. NASA takes years to flight-test anything though. Thiokol makes the boosters for the shuttle, so they go through tests much quicker.”

“Really?”

“Well, yes and no. Since the boosters are partially re-used they can be given minor modifications and then used in a real flight much sooner. Columbia is being launched today. Thiokol let me know our new coatings are being used in the booster assembly.”

“Which coatings?”

“They used the aluminum oxide coating for the strengthening cover on the joints for the booster. They also used the first few batches of spun-nanotubes in the back-up O-rings. They did static test firing last fall and said the performance looked really good. Evidently, some of their engineers were concerned about shrinkage in cold weather, and this compound appears to help with that.”

Just then, the news cut over to show the final countdown for Columbia’s launch. Jeryl held my hand as the seconds ticked down. Lift-off occurred with all the power and thunder we had come to expect. I held my breath until they were clear of the tower and throttled up to full power.

“Wow, that is always impressive,” Jeryl said.

I agreed.

“It looks like everything went well,” I said. Of course, I knew the next launch, of Challenger, would be the real test.

“So what else would you do differently to the shuttle?” Jeryl asked as I relaxed against the couch back.

“I’d make everything lighter to improve the carrying capacity and performance. I’d make the external tank light enough and strong enough to carry to orbit for use in orbital construction. I’d use that aerogel formulation to replace the tiles for protection on re-entry. There is a lot that could be done if NASA embraced technology instead of being mired in whatever was available at the time the contract was written.”

“Should we start talking to them?”

I thought about it for a minute. I had wanted to prevent the Challenger disaster but not really thought further than that.

“No. I think NASA is trapped in its own bureaucracy. I might talk to Lockheed or Boeing, however. I bet we could do something exciting, even if it was just better big dumb boosters. I’ll have to give it some thought.”

“Well why don’t you do that as we walk over to campus?” she asked as she stood and pulled me up.

“Why do we need to go to campus?” I wondered, as it was Sunday.

“I’ve got to meet Lila at the library to study. You just get the pleasure of your fianc鎒s company on a beautiful sunny day.”

“Well, I can hardly say no to that,” I said with a smile.

Together, we headed out the door.

“Victor, that is ridiculous,” I said in the phone. “Send your auditors down if you want, but all of our material is accounted for.”

“Then how do you account for this report from the CIA?”

“Since I can hardly see the report over the phone, I can’t account for it. Should we even be discussing this on an open line?”

Silence.

“Can you come down to Palmdale?”

“No. I’ve got class this afternoon.”

“When can we meet at your office?”

“Four o’clock. And if it’s not today, it won’t happen for a week. Next week is spring break and I’m going out of town.”

“Okay, I’ll be there.”

I hung up the phone and then picked it back up to dial Kelly.

Four hours later Kelly, Candace and I were joined in our conference room by Victor and Major Hampton. Neither guest looked happy.

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