Chapter 28

I'd seen, and said, "Hi" to Katherine at the race the week before. But we didn't have time for much more than that. The following weekend in Boston was a different story. Due to conditions totally out of my control, the weekend turned out very exciting, but difficult. My plans when I'd left school with my team were simple. It involved going to Boston, racing, and coming back to school. The problem was that it just didn't end up that way.

With Adam living on the river, Todd's mom Cheryl wanted to spend some time with him and me. Katherine was in town for the regatta with her team, and her mom came down to watch. Laura's mom and grandmother, Pauline also came over to watch. Besides Adam, Todd and Laura's mother, I'd slept with them all. They all wanted to have some time to talk to me if not find some time and a place to fuck.

Once I received permission to drive Todd and myself, down and back, I realized that I had plenty of time to spend in Boston. We helped load the team trailer. Then we followed them down near the water to find a parking spot for the boats near the launch and take out ramp. After that, I dropped Todd at his mom's place, and then drove over to Adam's to spend the weekend. We went out on the roof and watched some teams getting in a late practice.

He told me that our word processing software had a long way to go if we were to include all the new functions we'd planned. But in the short-term, he wanted to go ahead and release the software with what was currently working. Then, over the next year, we could add and test the additional features. Once we completed that, we could come out with an upgraded version.

I asked, "How do you want to market it?"

"I want to meet with IBM. We're already one of their partners with the operating system through Microsoft. My pitch will be very simple. I want them to sell the new word processor as a replacement for their present line of typewriters. Initially, that approach will be expensive. But most businesses will buy one if they do any volume of work. Just the fact that, with the new software, the program will allow a user to make just the changes needed, will justify the added cost The user can then reprint just the corrected page or the entire report. This will create a huge savings over the existing white out and type-over methods."

"Do you want me to set it up, or go with you?"

"If you want to go, you are more than welcome. But I think that I can handle the deal. We're still fifty-fifty partners, so I'll make the best deal that I can. I'll make it non-exclusive just like the last one."

"Your plan sounds good to me. How is the latest arbitrage software working? What happened with the law suit?"

"The good news is that law suit went away. But the bad news is that they figured out what we were doing. They're trying to figure out how to duplicate what we did. At the same time, they're trying to buy it. We're non-exclusive, but Patterson gets ten percent if we sell it to the other firms. They receive almost sixty now, so they aren't in a hurry to let them in. They think that a judge will force us to license the software to them, or allow them to create their own. But our patents and copyrights will provide us with royalties, so we'll go along with whatever the court's order."

"How is the new software working?"

"Great. It was so funny when on the third day after we installed the program, the trading computer looked like it was malfunctioning, as it turned out trade after trade. Each trade was identical, but it was one after the other. A bond offering had hit its allowable conversion date the day before, and the firms that owned it were going to sell it. It was a good company, Freeman's, and the rate was fair, but not great."

"They raised the rates the next morning which dropped the price of the bonds. Since the bonds were convertible to common stock shares at any time, the formula in the computer started buying the bonds, and selling the stock. The stock is a rising star, so people kept stepping up to buy. With the computer program doing the job we programmed it to do, the first trades were making three dollars a share. By the time the last trade closed, it was still clearing almost two dollars a share. At that point, there were no more bonds to buy. By the time the dust settled, we'd converted ten million shares of stock and made over twenty-five million dollars."

"I can only imagine the number of pissed people out there. As soon as they found out that the value of their holdings went down to adapt to adding on another ten million stock shares, they had to feel angry. The stock price went down, because our purchases had diluted their stock value."

"Don't tell Tiffany. I like her begging for it. We can cut her a check at the end of the summer, for her portion of the proceeds, right before she leaves for school. I think she's going to Brown down in Rhode Island."

"She's such a great girl. I think the world of her dad, and she's so pretty. I don't want to tease her if she needs money."

"Don't become all soft on me."

"Mike will be up to watch her race tomorrow. If you have the time to join us we're getting together for dinner."

"I'd like that. I know we just made ten million from that bond deal, but he still picks up the check for us poor school boys."

"We should pick it up tomorrow."

"Then Tiffany will think that we have money."

"I'll talk to Tiffany."

"You do that. I trust you."

I was up and across the river early. When I reached the other side, I set up the tent by myself, but made sure that we had a great location, and a good view of the river. The tent was easy to find with the green canvas, and the big "E" on it. When the driver came down, he was happy that I'd taken care of it for him. We worked together to set up the tables where we'd lay out the food and drinks. We also set out some chairs and blankets to give us some extra space in front of the tent. The team showed up around nine-thirty, and the driver told the coach what a big help I was.

Todd showed up five minutes after the team. His mom gave me a hug. Laura's mom and grandmother showed up, and I think that her mom knew something, but she didn't know what and with whom. As a result, she looked at me funny all day. Mike and his wife also took the train up to see Tiffany, and meet with Adam and me. Other parents joined the crowd including Katherine's mom. Phillips had set up just one tent away from ours, so I saw both of them. Our race wasn't until two in the afternoon, so I relaxed, and played backgammon.

As I was finishing a game, Tiffany stopped by. She asked if she could use the restroom at Adam's place, so she didn't have to use the port-a-potty. Of course I said that she could. Katherine saw us walking, and decided to come with us on our walk. We walked up the river a half mile than then across the bridge towards Beacon Street.

Katherine asked, "What are these marks on the bridge for?"

Since I didn't have an answer, I told her to ask Adam. We all used the restroom with me entering last. As I came back inside the room, I heard Adam telling them a story. He said, "It is about a fraternity pledge at MIT named Smoot, who someone had given the task of measuring the bridge using his body. It turned out that the bridge was just over three hundred 'Smoots long'. The 'Smoot marks' have been there since the early sixties, or late fifties. Oliver Smoot has had more than 'his fifteen minutes of fame'. He hated getting up, and lying down all night long. The new pledges hate the up-keep on the marks, but they're there, and will be, for a long time."

Tiffany said, "That's a cool story. Is it true?"

"I believe it is. If not then it's still a cool story. Do you want to go up on the roof, and watch the races, for a while?" Adam asked.

I added, "If you come back tonight, he'll invite you up to watch the submarine races."

"Shut up Nick."

"You don't want to show me the submarines races, Adam? Maybe I'll have to find someone else who'll watch them with me. What do you say Katherine? Would you watch them with me?"

"Tiffany, anyone would be stupid to turn you down."

Adam came back, and said, "I wasn't turning you down. I just didn't want Nick to tease you, or put you on the spot."

"Nick looks out for me, and he wouldn't have suggested it if he didn't think it would be in our best interest. The fact of the matter is that I trust him although I want to punch him quite often."

I jumped in, "There's no need for violence, because I'm a lover not a fighter."

"I'll love with you," was Katherine's reply.

We couldn't stay at his place all day, so we all walked back with Adam joining us. Tiffany asked Katherine if she wanted to put a wager on the race. She replied, "Loser has to give Nick a blow job."

Tiffany asked, "How does that help the winner?"

"I think you're going to win after watching you last week. I just want that cock in my mouth again."

"You're a slut. You've been hanging out with Julie too much."

"I'll tell her you said that."

"Give her a kiss too, and tell her it's from me. Make sure to use lots of tongue."

It was close enough to race time to start warming up. I went for a short jog before stretching my back, arms, and chest. Sue got us all together, for a pep talk. Then we had to carry all of our gear down to the launch. We were the last high school men's eights to row followed by the college men's eights.

Sue had us on a slow row up to the start line with plenty of time to recoup before we raced. The first college team from George Washington University passed us.

Their Cox yelled out, "You kids had better hurry up, or you'll miss your start time."

Sue looked at her watch, and then over at the side of their boat. She yelled, "You guys probably couldn't make it all the way across the Delaware. George Washington would be disappointed if you were the crew assigned to his raid on the British. You'll be early to the start, and late to finish."

"We'll pass you before the half way point."

"And if you don't pass us at all, then you can carry our boat to the trailer."

"You're just high school kids with big mouths."

"Chicken?"

"If we pass you then you carry our gear."

"We'll take the bet even though you just gave yourself an extra half of the race. You big strong college wussies."

"Good luck kids."

Sue felt pumped, but she didn't have an oar, so the only thing she could do was make us work harder. She said, "Well we don't have to carry this boat to the trailer, so don't leave anything on the river. Give it your all, and then give it some more. Don't worry Nick; your dick will recover by tonight when you need it."

The other seven guys laughed, and I got a flash of her pussy while we glided under the bridge, but she covered up before we made it out the other side.

We spent ten minutes at the start area. When the five-minute mark arrived, Sue went through a specific sequence of moves that had us at full speed when we hit the line three seconds after our start. She had us dig deep, for the entire five thousand meters, and forgot what the coach said about calling us "Fucking Pussies." One mother on the bridge didn't like her kids to hear that. All of a sudden, a bunch of drunken college kids started cheering for us. "Go Fucking Pussies, Go." They didn't stop after one or two cheers, but kept going until we were almost to the next bridge. The team from George Washington crossed the finish line ahead of one high school team. We were the last high school team to start, and we passed three others in our row to first place in our division. Two other college teams passed them. We picked our boat out of the water, and placed it on the grass off to the side.