Jamie left the building and hurriedly walked to his rental car. To say he was excited would be an understatement. Once inside the car he turned around to take another look at the Microtek logo on the outside of the building and then called Jillian to tell her the news.
She answered the phone on the first ring. “Well, how did it go?”
“You are talking to a man with a job!” he said excitedly.
Jilly squealed with excitement. “Tell me all about it.”
“Well, I drove past the building last night just to see what it was like. Very nice! It’s fairly modern and I’d say there must have been about 90 cars in the parking lot. I found out their assembly crews run two shifts. Since that was about 8:00pm, I’d say I was looking at the second shift bunch.”
“I met with Mr. Singleton this morning and he told me all about the company. It was pretty much like I read on the internet. They specialize in small electronic devices. I’ll be working in the surveillance camera and audio recording department. They also make laptop computers, webcams, and MP3 players. I’m not exactly sure of all the products they manufacture, but those are the products I saw.”
“He said they have made great strides in reducing the size of cameras and microphones to very small packages. They market to private investigators and even have government contracts with the FBI and CIA. Apparently the bug business is booming!”
Jillian took advantage of the pause. “What was Mr. Singleton like? Was it a tough interview?”
“He was a pretty decent guy. I liked him from the moment I walked in the door. It turns out he is a racquetball fanatic so we had something in common. He’s pretty much an average height and build, dark hair; had a weird looking mole on his right cheek. That was really the only distinguishing feature I can think of. Apparently he has been in this industry for awhile. Based on the looks of his office and the way he carries himself, he appears to have been in this business a long time. I was pretty impressed.”
“Ooh, we’ll have to celebrate when you get home,” Jilly said. “What time does your flight get in?”
“Eight o’clock. Can you pick me up about 8:15?”
Jilly replied, “I’ll be there. Have a safe flight. Love you.”
As she hung up the phone, Jillian’s mood quickly declined. She truly was happy for Jamie. This was a great opportunity for him. She felt guilty about feeling sad. It had seemed so simple when they talked about looking for jobs in the same city. Now that Jamie had found a job, somehow that seemed a bit like pie-in-the-sky kind of thinking. She hadn’t even had any interviews yet. It seemed the job market for biochemists was a bit slim pickings at the moment. Now she would be trying to limit her job search to the area around San Jose, California. That would greatly reduce her opportunities. On the bright side, Silicon Valley was booming with tech industries. On the not-so-bright side, Silicon Valley was most famous for technology dealing with electronics. What did that leave for a girl with a degree in biochemistry?
Chapter 10
April, year 1.
Ed McCoskey stepped out of the hotel room and closed the door behind him. He looked both ways and then headed down the hallway toward the elevator. While he waited for the elevator he straightened his tie in the mirror on the wall and checked his hair. He had a proud look on his face. Yes, indeed; he was a powerful man. The finer things in life were his for the taking.
As he stepped off the elevator on the ground floor his phone rang. He answered as he walked across the hotel lobby toward the door. “Hello sweetheart!”
His wife usually didn’t call him while he was at work, but today was a special day. “Hi Ed. I just wanted to tell you I’ve been thinking about you all day long. I can’t believe we’ve been married for 5 years already. You’re driving me crazy with the suspense. Won’t you give me a hint where you’re taking me for our anniversary tonight?”
“That would spoil all the fun baby.” Ed laid it on thick. “I will say this though. I’ve been thinking about you all day too. I’ve been looking forward to this night all week and just can’t get it off my mind. I’m a lucky man too, because I’ll have the prettiest woman in the place! Is your mom going to watch the kids?”
“Yes. She figured we would be out late so she offered to keep them overnight.”
“In that case,” he said, “why don’t you pack an overnight bag and include a sexy teddy. We need to do this anniversary up right.”
She responded just like he knew she would, “Oh Ed, how did I get lucky enough to find a man like you? I love you so much!”
**********
Tracy sat on the hotel bed with her knees pulled up to her naked breasts sobbing. She felt so dirty. The kind of dirty that even a shower wasn’t going to wash off. How could she have been so stupid to fall in love with this man? She was an expert in picking losers.
She had been so sure he was going to leave his wife and be with her forever. He always seemed like he cherished their time together. Now that she thought back though, she realized their time together had been mostly about sex. He never took her on dates. They had only even been to a restaurant together on two occasions that she could remember over the past three months.
Tracy heard the water turn off in the shower and her mother slowly stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her. Each one avoided looking at the other. They both felt so ashamed. As Tracy got up and headed to the shower to wash off the filth, her mother said, “We did what we had to do. Let’s don’t ever talk about this again.”
Tracy sat on the floor of the shower for a long time letting the hot water wash over her as she cried. When she came out, her mother was gone.
Chapter 11
April, year 1.
Jamie’s plane landed at Logan International Airport in Boston at exactly 8:00pm. The plane taxied to the terminal and he exited into the crowded terminal and headed toward baggage claim. He was surprised to find Jilly waiting for him just outside the security checkpoint. He had expected her to pull up outside the doors to baggage claim to wait for him. She had a big ‘welcome home’ smile on her face. Once he passed the security checkpoint, she ran to meet him and threw her arms around him in a big hug. She squeezed for a long time before letting him go. “I’m so happy for you,” she said as her face beamed. “I missed you though.”
“I missed you too. I’ve got a lot to tell you. Come on, let’s get my baggage.”
On the ride home he told her all about his trip, what California was like, everything he had learned about Microtek, and everything he knew about the responsibilities of his new job.
When they arrived at his dorm back on campus she walked with him to take his bags up to the room. Even though it was chilly outside they decided to take a walk together. Neither of them wanted to say goodnight and part company. Each had the same thing on their mind.
For a long time they walked in silence, holding hands and just enjoying each other’s company. Jilly was the one who finally said it, “I want to move to San Jose with you.”
The way she just blurted it out took Jamie off guard. “What?” he sputtered.
She wasn’t deterred by his lack of an enthusiastic response. “I want to move to San Jose with you. I’ve been thinking about it since you called me this morning. I’ll find work there. Silicon Valley is a huge industrial market and there’s bound to be something there for me. Sure, I might have to settle for a job I might not have otherwise taken, but it will be worth it. We’ve been together all these years. I can’t just let that go down the drain. I’ll stay with you until I find a job and get on my feet, then I’ll get a place of my own.”
He didn’t need time to think about it. “I guess I could use a roommate to help with the cooking.”
Her face broke out in a huge smile and she threw her arms around him once again. This time he didn’t think she was ever going to let go of the embr
ace.
The walk back to the dorm was much more laid back. The business at hand had been discussed and settled. Now they were back to their normal selves, just enjoying each other’s company.
Jilly spotted a lizard along their path. She instantly reverted to her childhood days and carefully snuck up on the tiny reptile to catch it. Like a pro she came up with the serpent between her thumb and index finger. “Isn’t he cute?” she said.
Jamie marveled at her. Most girls would scream and run at the sight of a lizard. Jilly saw one and suddenly turned tomboy.
He asked, “Is it true that lizards can regenerate and grow a new tail if theirs is cut off?”
Jilly broke into her biochemist speech. “Yes and no. Not all lizards can regenerate their tails, but most of the smaller ones can. They are limited though because they can’t regenerate other body parts, only their tails. Some other creatures can regenerate other limbs such as tarantulas and starfish, even sponges.”
“I read an article the other day about a company in La Jolla, California. Their researchers have identified a compound called reversinal which can induce a cell to undergo reverse differentiation. This causes the cell to move backwards from its current state into its own precursor cell. Reversinal could allow scientists to generate an unlimited supply of precursor cells that can be converted to other cell types such as bone or cartilage.”
“This has the potential to make stem cell research much more practical. Stem cells have huge potential in medicine because of their ability to differentiate into many different cell types. They could potentially be used to grow a new liver, or a new lung. The possibilities are endless.”
“Up until now scientists had to rely on embryonic stem cells taken from unborn embryos. The use of embryonic stem cells is so controversial that scientists have been very limited in the research they’ve been able to conduct. This new discovery gets past the moral and ethical issues of using embryos. Science will surely take a huge leap as a result of this discovery.”
The conversation was way over Jamie’s head. He was glad she usually stayed away from her biochemistry talk and stuck with people talk.
Chapter 12
April, year 1.
Gabe sat on the grass at the edge of the Oval at Stanford University. It was called the Oval, but it was really more of a great oval shaped lawn. In the center was a large circular area about 100 feet in diameter filled with flowers to add color. Several students sat on benches among the flowered area in the center of the lawn. On the far side of the Oval lawn were university buildings with red slate roofs of various heights. The occasional tall palm tree jutted over the rooftops from behind the buildings. Beyond the red-roofed buildings in the distant background the mountains created a backdrop for the scene. It was really quite pretty, but Gabe didn’t notice the beauty. He was glum. Finals started next week and he knew he needed to be studying. Until this semester he had been one of the top students on campus. Depression had really taken the wind out of his sails and he just couldn’t force himself to open a book.
A man he had never seen before walked toward him from his right. This really didn’t catch his attention because it was common for people to walk along the edge of the oval. It did, however, catch his attention when the man stopped and sat on the lawn next to him and said, “Hello Gabe.”
“Do I know you?” Gabe asked. The man appeared to be in his mid-30’s, short brown hair; stylishly cut. He wore jeans and a sweatshirt and he had a mole on his right cheek.
The man sighed, “No, you don’t. But I’ve got a deal to offer that you won’t be able to turn down.”
Who was this guy, some kind of a freak?
The man continued, “What if I told you I could arrange to cancel your obligation to the navy and offer you a job as a mechanical engineer?”
Now he had Gabe’s full attention. The depression that had been so severe just moments ago was instantly pushed into the background. “You have my attention.”
“My name is Dan Bentley,” the man continued. “I’ve been sent to talk to you by some very powerful people; people with connections. Here’s the deal.”
“I work for a company called JLS Technologies. We design and produce mechanical things; small mechanical things. Think of a watchmaker…now think smaller. JLS stands for ‘Just a Little Smaller.’ Because of the nature of the things we develop, it is important to us that our employees maintain very strict confidentiality. All of our projects are to be considered Top Secret. Nothing we do is for public knowledge.”
“As I said, I’ve been sent to talk to you by some very powerful people. People who can make things happen.” Dan stopped talking for a minute to let that sink in.
After a few awkward seconds of silence Gabe asked, “What kinds of things?”
“Well, let say for example…paying back the US Navy for the money they’ve spent on your education and ensuring your debt is cancelled in full.”
A few more seconds of awkward silence, then, “I’m not sure I believe you,” Gabe finally said.
“That’s okay, you think it over.” Dan stood and handed Gabe a business card. “If you decide you want to talk about it, give me a call at this number.” With that the man walked away just as nonchalantly as he had approached.
Gabe was left sitting on the edge of the oval lawn looking at the business card in his hand. The only words on the card were the name ‘Dan Bentley’ typed in the center of the card and a handwritten phone number underneath the name. There was no company name and no address.
As Dan walked back to his car the voice inside his head said with certainty, “He will call.”
“Yes,” said Dan, “I do believe he will.”
**********
It didn’t take him long. Gabe called Mr. Bentley within the hour. They arranged to meet for dinner that night to discuss the particulars. Meeting for dinner, as it turned out, meant a private dinner in the seclusion of the executive suite at the Rosewood Hotel. This would ensure no ears would overhear their conversation.
By the time dinner was over, Gabe had become a believer. The deal was struck, his secrecy was sworn, and an implied threat to his wellbeing was made concerning what should happen if the code of secrecy was ever broken. By the very nature of Dan being able to manipulate the U.S. military, Gabe had no doubt he had the wherewithal to carry out this threat. Gabe was a believer. He was also an employee of JLS Technologies.
As Gabe left the hotel that night, his depression was a long forgotten thing of the past.
**********
After seeing Gabe to the door, Dan returned to his seat to finish his drink. The voice inside his head again, “Good work. You’ve done well.”
“Thanks,” replied Dan. He gently removed the mole from his right cheek and set it on the table. Then he removed the tiny earpiece from his ear and the voice became silent. Yes, he thought to himself, it has been a job well done.
**********
Dr. Michael Bowles sat at his desk with his laptop computer in front of him. The image on his screen went from the steady picture of the executive suite at the Rosewood to a swift motion as if someone had dropped the camera. Then he was staring at the ceiling. He unplugged his microphone and closed the lid on the computer.
Chapter 13
June, year 1.
Mickey’s eyes popped open. He was instantly awake. Today was the big day when he would start his new life and his mind was filled with excitement! It was a bitter sweet excitement. He was glad to get away from his mom’s house; she was impossible to get along with. And he was excited to start his new life and face new adventures. On the other hand, he was walking away from the only world he had ever known. As dysfunctional as his family was, it was the world as he knew it.
He had called his dad two days ago to see about having lunch together. His dad had been too busy. He was always too busy. He wondered if his dad woul
d ever be proud of him. It didn’t matter because in just a few hours he would walk away from this life, never to return. He thought of Red and the relationship he had with his dad. He dreaded watching Red’s dad send him off. The thought was just about more than he could bear.
His mom hadn’t been home when he went to bed last night. He heard her come in about 2:00am. He had been laying there trying to go to sleep for the past three hours, but excitement wouldn’t allow sleep to settle in easily. He had laid there thinking about what today would hold in store for him. The thought of boot camp was wildly exciting and super scary at the same time.
Mickey got up and took a shower. As he packed his toilet articles in a small duffle bag he heard his mom’s voice from the kitchen. “Can’t you think about someone besides yourself for a change?” she asked. “He’s your son Ed. It won’t kill you to come see him off. I’m sure Bambi, or whatever her name is this week, will understand.” She was quiet for a few minutes while she listened to his response. Mickey stood in the bathroom and listened. “You are a pig!” She slammed the phone down.
Mickey walked out to the kitchen. His mother smiled at him and tried to pretend like nothing had just happened. “I made you pancakes,” she said with a forced smile.
Mickey and his mom talked while he ate. The conversation was a bit strained. Mickey knew his mom loved him and would miss him. He also knew a certain part of her was glad to see him go.
**********
Later that day Red and Mickey were at the recruiting station. Red’s mom and dad were there to see him off. Mickey’s mom was also there. Petty Officer Pelkey told them it was time to say their goodbyes and the boys loaded into a government van along with three other recruits. Baggage wasn’t a problem. They weren’t bringing anything with them. Where they were going, they wouldn’t need anything.