William Redman CarterChapter 51
- 2 years ago
- 23
- 0
Eddie stood with his legs spread shoulder wide and his fists on his hips. Glaring at the man standing in front of him, he said, "My brother is the smartest person alive."
"There are a lot of very smart people in this world, young man," the distinguished looking man said with amusement in his voice. He added, "As Provost of this University, I can tell you that many of them are here on this campus."
"I don't care who you are. My brother is the smartest person alive. He's going to win a Nobel Prize, just like Daddy John Carter and Daddy Leroy."
William stepped over to Eddie and put a hand on his shoulder. It was hard to believe how much his brother had grown over the past few months. He was almost as tall as William already and probably would grow another six inches before this growth spurt ended. Everyday he looked more and more like Ed. It was hard to believe that Eddie wasn't a clone. Hoping to diffuse the situation, William said, "Eddie, I see you've met the Provost."
"Yes. He doesn't believe that you are the smartest person alive."
William smiled at the claim and said, "There are an awful lot of very smart people in this world."
"That doesn't keep you from being the smartest of them all," Eddie said with a curt nod of his head.
Seeing the exchange from across the room, Lucy came over and gave Eddie a big hug. She smiled at him and asked, "Are you bragging about your brother again?"
"I'm not bragging, I'm stating a fact," Eddie said defensively.
"Hey, don't get mad at me. I'm on your side," Lucy said with a wink at the Provost. The elderly man smiled back at her. She whispered in Eddie's ear, "I think he's the smartest guy in the world, too."
"Sorry, Lucy. It's just that the people here don't seem to know how smart my big brother is," Eddie said with a sigh. He pointed to William and said, "Even William doesn't seem to know how smart he is."
"Let's go see your brother John. I'm sure that he'll agree with us," Lucy said as she steered him away from the Provost.
When they were out of earshot, William said, "That's my little brother. He's the family cheerleader. According to him, my little sister is the greatest athlete who has ever lived. My brother, John, is the greatest biologist since the emergence of blue green algae. And, my sister, Beth is the greatest architect since man first decorated the entrance to a cave. Of course, he's right about them."
The Provost laughed at the comment about the cave. His specialty had been in anthropology. He said, "It is understandable. You do come from a rather intellectually distinguished family. He has a right to be proud of all that your family has accomplished, Dr. Carter."
"Thank you, sir."
"I was really quite pleased when I learned that you were coming here to complete your studies. You are the first Druid College graduate to attend our school and to attract someone of your stature was quite a coup."
William smiled at the use of the Native American term and said, "You have a lot of well known scholars on campus. I doubt that I'll be the last graduate of the Druid College to finish my education here."
A tall gentleman in a gray suit approached the pair. The Provost noticed him first and turned to greet him. "Hello Governor."
"Hello, Samuel. So you finally got my son through his Master's degree."
The Provost laughed at the suggestion that he had anything to do with it and said, "We enjoyed having him on campus. You should be proud of him."
Turning to face the Governor, William took a moment to examine the father of his friend. He was about to introduce himself when the Governor said, "You are William Redman Carter, or I guess I should say - Dr. Carter. Doug has told me a lot about you."
"I hope he didn't tell you the truth about me, I'd hate to ruin my sterling reputation," William said with a smile.
The Governor laughed and said, "I can see why my son likes you. You have the same twisted sense of humor that he does. Where is your lovely fiancée?"
"She's riding herd on my little brother," William said.
"Ah, the young man who proudly informed me that you are the smartest man in the world," commented the Governor with a chuckle. He had liked the young man. It was nice to find someone who felt so proud of his family.
"Yes, that would be him."
The Provost said, "He's quite tenacious when it comes to defending Dr. Carter."
William looked across the room at his little brother with more than a little pride. Eddie was a good kid. He said, "Eddie is special and I mean that in a positive way. He's going to take my father's place in this world and those are some big boots that he's got to fill. You don't know how important it is to me to know that Eddie will carry on my father's work."
"He's going to be the next John Carter?" asked the Governor looking over at Eddie with renewed interest.
"No. He's going to be the next Ed Biggers," William answered.
The Provost said, "Ah, so he's going to serve the Two-Sided One."
"No. That is my destiny. His is to be the guardian angel for a small town in Arizona," William said. Looking over at the Governor, he added, "You never know. He just might become the Governor of Arizona."
The Governor said, "My son speaks very highly of Ed Biggers. He seems to value his conversations with your father quite a bit. I'd like to meet him."
Grinning at the thought of his father around a politician, William said, "He's the only guy dressed in a black robe in the room. You're free to try and chase him down, but I've got to warn you that he avoids politicians like the plague."
"Why? I thought Druids were supposed to provide counsel to us politicians."
William chuckled at the thought of his father giving advice to a man running for office. He said, "My father is a human lie detector. Half truths and lies drive him bonkers."
The Provost looked at the Governor and laughed at the hurt expression on the man's face. He knew the Governor prided himself on dealing with people honestly. The Provost said, "No wonder he avoids politicians."
"I'm going to have to talk to my son and tell him to leave your father alone. How can he fill my shoes if he doesn't learn to lie a little," the Governor joked.
"Speaking of the devil, here he is," William said as Doug approached the group.
"What?" Doug asked.
"Your father was just saying that he was going to have a long talk with you about your chats with my father."
"Why?"
"He says that my father is stunting your political career since you aren't learning to lie," William said.
"Sorry dad, I promise I'll practice telling a lie every day," Doug said with a wink at William.
"That's a good start, son. I counted three lies in that one sentence."
William asked, "Three?"
"The first one was that he was sorry. The second one was a promise and we all know that by definition a promise from a politician or his family is a lie. The third one was that he was going to tell a lie every day. Makes a politician proud to see his son follow in his footsteps like that," the Governor said as he put an arm around Doug and hugged him close.
William burst out laughing. Grinning at the rare display of public affection, Doug said, "I'm just a chip off the old block."
Once the laughter died down, the Provost asked, "So Doug, what are your plans for the future?"
"I'm going after my doctorate in history. I've got an idea that I'm considering as the primary thesis of my dissertation, but I haven't fully committed to it yet," Doug answered with a shrug. He still hadn't found what he considered to be an ideal historical episode on which to put forth the idea of a failure of followership.
Suddenly serious, the Governor said, "If you pursue that topic, I'm pretty sure that you can get federal funding to support your work. The more that I think about it, the more I'm convinced that it's one of the most significant problems facing the world today."
Doug looked uncomfortable for a minute. Biting his lower lip, he said, "I'd really appreciate it if you didn't use your influence to help me with the funding."
"There's no need to go after government funding. I'll fund your work," William said.
The Governor's initial reaction was to get upset at Doug's suggestion that his help would not be appreciated, but William's comment demanded his immediate attention. Surprised, he asked, "Why?"
William smiled at the man's sudden change in expression and said, "Because I'm going to need his work to complete mine."
Stunned by William's reference to completing his work, Doug asked, "You're really going to pursue it, aren't you?"
"Yes. If you can demonstrate the problem, then I'll find a solution to it," William said.
"Where's your little brother?" the Governor asked. Over breakfast that morning, Doug had told him what William had proposed to do.
William looked around and spotted Eddie with his father talking in the corner. Pointing over to the pair, he said, "He's over there with my father. Why?"
"I'm going to march over there and tell him that he's right about you. That is the most ambitious project that I've ever heard anyone undertaking. For some reason, God help me, I believe that you'll accomplish it."
After a discussion in which more details about their future research projects had been exchanged, William drifted off to meet with other guests. He moved into the main room of the mansion where most of the guests were gathered. The party, in honor of his receiving the doctorate and Lucy receiving her bachelor's degree, was being held in the home of the University President. That hadn't been his plan. However, when the University President had heard who was on the guest list, he had volunteered his home.
William hadn't gone more than a dozen steps when Jan approached him. She smiled and said, "Congratulations, William."
"Thank you, Jan," William replied feeling a little guilty. For the first few months of her residency in the house, he had been in Texas. The past few months had been exceptionally busy. Much of his time had been spent negotiating the last draft with his supervisory committee. He said, "We haven't really had a chance to talk much since you moved into the RV. How are you doing?"
"I'm doing great. I apologize about not coming into the house more often. It's just that I spend most of my time in the RV. I love it in there. I love the privacy, the quiet, and the comfort. I've never really had a place that I could call mine," Jan answered. There were times when she spread out on her couch luxuriating in her privacy.
It was easy to tell that Jan was very happy. Her smile was contagious and he was quickly infected with her happiness. William said, "I'm really glad that you like it. Lucy has loved having you around."
"Lucy has been wonderful. She takes me to school with her when you aren't available. We go shopping every week. She's been teaching me to cook. Of course, Lisa has been helping me with that as well."
William said, "It sounds like you've been busy. Now that it is getting warmer, maybe you could start joining us for Tai Chi in the morning."
"I'm not really much of a morning person. I've been getting up kind of late every morning," Jan replied feeling a little embarrassed at rejecting his offer. She felt that rejecting his offer was the same as denying that she owed him a lot.
Linda, an attractive young woman, was a special friend of Patrick. She had a well defined hour glass figure with long shapely legs. Her hazel eyes, flecked with gold, drew attention to her face. Her face with soft features was framed by naturally curly blond hair that gave the impression that she had just come from bed. As far as most men were concerned, she would have been an ideal cheerleader type except for what many thought was one major flaw. She was the least endowed female on the...
Wearing western garb, William sat on a bench soaking up the sun in front of the Morgenstern building housing the Department of Economics within the School of Business. Classes would be starting in three days and the current crop of undergraduates were busy moving into their dorms. He watched the parents and their children wandering around the campus with a frown. The sons and daughters wanted to declare their independence despite fears of the great unknown. The parents wanted to keep their...
"You're lonely." Shrugging his shoulders, William answered, "My girlfriend is hundreds of miles away." "I don't mean that way," Joe said. "What do you mean?" "You don't have any friends. There may be a lot of people around you, but you don't really have any friends." Joe cut a piece out of the steak and put it in his mouth while watching William to judge his reaction. He knew that William was going to be leaving in a week and wondered what was going to happen to his...
William sat back and stared at the stack of papers. He had spent the past four weeks going over the first draft of his dissertation and fixing the small errors that had crept into it. Sections had been changed to be more precise. The language had been improved to be more readable. References had been checked and the original sources double checked for accuracy. This pass through the dissertation was at a less strenuous pace than the first pass. He had worked eighteen to twenty hours a day on...
Representative Sidney Smith walked to his office pleased that he had an entire afternoon without a single appointment. Between public speeches, committee meetings, time spent on the floor of the House of Representatives, and smooching with businessmen for funding, he felt that he never had time to think through the issues. It was his standing order that no appointments were to be scheduled Friday afternoons. That was his time to catch up on the issues of the day. Entering his office, Sidney...
While reading her book, Lucy occasionally glanced over at the television to watch the election coverage on the television. It was kind of sad, but the news coverage only addressed a few of the state elections. When they failed to mention the race in Texas, she shook her head and said, "The news services really make me mad." "Why?" William asked moving his book aside to look at Lucy. "They are only covering some of the races we're interested in," Lucy said gesturing over at the...
Responsibility is perhaps one of the most complex words in the English language. Written down on paper, it is fourteen characters long. It is pronounced using six syllables. Whether it is written down or spoken, the word is significantly larger than the average word. Despite that, it is still too short of a word to convey a concept so significant. It is a heavy word; just ask anyone who strives to live up to an unpleasant responsibility. Responsibility can weigh a ton. A responsibility is a...
Doug, sitting in the loveseat sideways with a leg over the armrest, looked up from his book and saw that William had put down the manuscript he had been reading. He asked, "So what do you think?" "I like it," William said nodding his head. "What about my conclusion?" "I think you are right on target. It does seem that a crisis of followership must be a democratic phenomenon," William answered. Doug had concluded after studying several dozen national histories that a loss in...
"That woman is impossible," Forest Shadow declared. "Which woman?" William asked looking up from the journal in which his paper had appeared. In the week that she had been there, Forest Shadow had said that about Lisa, Lucy, Jan, Natalie, and Nicole. He didn't think there was another woman in the house about whom she could complain. "Jan. Can you imagine that she started in on me again about how I treat Lucy? White people just like her were the ones that raped our culture. Why should...
The Denver Aquarium is owned by a restaurant chain. The Carters had reserved the entire place for two parties, one held at lunch time and the other held at dinner time. The lunch time party was to allow employees of the Fusion Foundation, fellow students, and neighbors a chance to interact with the newlyweds. The dinner time party was for executives, business types, and elected officials. Perhaps it was because of the years spent living in the desert, but the entire family looked forward to...
Seated in the student center, William drank a glass of iced tea while waiting for Lucy to get out of her class. She was taking her mid-terms and had been feeling the pressures of late. This afternoon was particularly rough since she had two exams one after the other. He had come along to provide emotional support fully confident that she would ace each exam. An angry young man carrying a tray of food approached the table next to his. The young man threw his tray down on the table and then...
A shiver went through William when he woke in a nice soft bed. The last thing he remembered was lying on the hard ground. Even before he had a chance to open his eyes, he heard Lucy say, "He's waking up." "I'm awake," he said opening his eyes. The first thing he saw was Lucy. She was looking down at him with an expression of concern on her face. She immediately hugged him and then stood back to give him some space. He was comforted by her hug and reached up for her hand. "I was so...
William walked out the front door of his house to await his visitor. His daytime bodyguard, Colt, walked behind him wondering why they had come outside. For all he knew, they had left the house just to stand around all day in the sunshine. His eyes automatically checked the surroundings for any threats. The two men headed over to the driveway with William leading the way. A minute later, a rental car pulled up in the driveway. Colt glared at it as if it were a direct threat. He relaxed when...
Used to being sent to answer the door despite the fact that no one had knocked, Ken headed towards the door as soon as William had told him to answer it. He shook his head in puzzlement the entire trip. Although he knew from experience that there would be a person at the door, he hadn't given up wondering how William did it. Colt looked from William to Ken wondering what was happening since he hadn't heard anyone knock. The door opened to reveal a very tired looking green robed Druid while...
William looked across the table at Patrick and asked, "So how are things going?" "They are going well. Once I got over the initial shock, I found that I can deal with the nudity," Patrick answered although he wasn't going to mention the unease he felt when talking with Lucy. "Good. After two years here you'll be able to handle most things that life throws at you. You'll need that when you become a Chief," William said choosing his words with great care. It was time to plant a seed...
"Congratulations, Dr. Carter," Oliver Brown said with a grin. He was seated in a large chair in one of the emptier rooms of the mansion sipping on an iced tea. He was wearing a pair of silvered sunglasses. Despite years of living with his gift, it still hurt him to be around too many people. William took a seat across from the Grand Druid and said, "Thank you. What are you doing in here?" "I'm hiding from the President of the University. He wants me to send some of our graduating...
Cupping a match in his curled fingers to protect it from a light wind, William lit a cigarette. He shook his hand putting out the match and dropped the extinguished stick into a bucket. Holding up a hand, he said, "The screen door will slam in a minute." Despite the warning, Dale jumped when the screen door slammed shut making a noise like a rifle shot. He said, "I'm glad you warned me." "The cook takes out the trash every night about this time. It used to startle me every time I...
The months passed without much of anything too remarkable occurring. William spent most of his time working with the candidates running for office. Lucy worked on the program trying to find ways to represent the quality of the society graphically. Construction on the facility for holding the computers was progressing nicely. The young couple kept the staff very busy as well. With the ever increasing need for data, Victoria spent nearly every hour of the day searching for new sources of data...
Spreading margarine on the slice of toast with long smooth motions, William was getting ready to enjoy breakfast. Lucy watched him, waiting for him to cut his slice of toast along the diagonal. Rich enough to afford butter, it always amazed her that he actually enjoyed margarine more. William looked up from his toast and winked at her. Rock, the nighttime bodyguard, was watching him with narrowed eyes. The other three bodyguards were seated at the far end of the table eating their eggs....
William stared at Lucy in shock. Unable to believe what he thought he had heard her say, he asked, "Excuse me?" Pointing to the woman at the front of the conference room of the Carter House, Lucy said, "I asked her to remove her clothes." "I thought I misunderstood you," William said. He glanced over at Mary Gold. The woman had her head down and was hiding her mouth behind her hands. The twinkle in her eye suggested that she was trying not to laugh. The twenty-four year old woman...
The Catholic religious wedding ceremony for Cathy Black Thorn and David Light Wind started at noon. It was a traditional Catholic service and lasted for almost an hour before they exchanged their vows. The Catholic priest provided a nice service in which he blessed their marriage. To tell the truth, Lucy had found it rather boring. She also felt that the bride wasn't given the kind of attention that most women sought in the wedding ceremony. At two, the bride and groom met at their future...
"Is it working?" Lucy asked watching the array of monitors at William's desk. Shaking his head, William answered, "I don't know. We've only progressed ten years in the simulation. We've got another ninety to go." "It's been running for twenty hours," Lucy said looking over at the clock. They had started the program the previous day at noon and it was now just a little after eight in the morning. "That's right," William said woodenly. His eyes examined the curves of the...
William shook his head in amazement while going through the stack of papers Barbara had handed him. She had all of their expenditures typed up for the accountant complete with receipts. The confirmations for chartered jets were in a neat little stack. The agenda for the meetings had been typed up with copies for everyone. Looking up at Barbara, he said, "You are amazing. I don't know how you keep up with everything." Upon hearing more praise from William, Barbara squirmed in her chair. It...
William stepped out the front door of the hotel and froze. Rather than facing a run down street in San Diego, he was in a meadow. There in front of him was a contrived scene of life and death. To his right, a man was facing death as a giant wrecking ball swung towards him from behind. To his left, a different man faced an identical death. He shouted, "Duck." Both men stared at William as the wrecking balls swung through them. William stared in horror at the result. Two broken bodies lay on...
The activities being performed by the occupants of the house would never be the subject of a Norman Rockwell type of picture. The scene just wasn't cute enough. Lucy, seated at her desk, was busy writing up her solution to the math problem that William had given her. At his desk, William was busy changing his program for predicting economic and social trends. Over at the dining room table, Jan was writing on a pad of paper; capturing another chapter of her book. At the other end of the...
The gymnasium of the activity center was empty except for a long table at which the tribal elders of all the local tribes were seated. All eyes were watching the door at the far end of the room for their visitor. The tension in the room was high. Most of them expected their visitor to argue with them about their conservative stance and they were not looking forward to it. They were sure that they would lose this argument with this particular visitor. Looking around the room, Robert White...
Talking quietly with each other, Lucy and William waited in the theater for Eddie to arrive. The theater room had four rows of ten seats each facing a large screen. Each chair was large and comfortable with a holder for a soda built into the armrest. Beth had ordered the chairs from a real theater supply company. Like a real movie theater, the floor slanted down towards the front of the room. At the entrance to the room, there was a snack bar complete with a typical theater-style popcorn...
Greetings had been exchanged and the guests shown their rooms in the Carter home. The next order of business was to relax. William stripped off his clothes and headed towards the pool. He jumped in feet first, reveling in the feel of cool water against his bare skin. Lucy and Ann, naked as well, slipped into the pool right behind him. Before they had even moved a dozen feet from the edge, Betsy charged into the poolroom throwing off her clothes even as she ran. Without pause, she jumped into...
William and Ed returned to the hotel refreshed from their little swim at the Mayor's house. William felt confident that another candidate had been found with a good chance of winning. They entered the suite laughing about the mayor's reaction on discovering them swimming in the pool. The laughter turned to surprise when William spotted his mother relaxing in the living room of the suite. She was seated next to Lucy. He said, "Momma Kelly! What are you doing here?" Seeing that William...
Lucy watched the screen through red eyes that saw the world through a blur. She hadn't sleep for the past thirty hours. The programmers were asleep on the floor having exhausted the last of their stamina under the nearly constant pressure from Lucy. Even if she hadn't been so tired, it would have been hard to interpret the results. There were a hundred curves all overlaid one upon another. After running twenty four hours, the model had projected ahead only twelve years. Considering the...
Amused by what he was doing, Derrick led the little horse using the reigns. Lucy was seated on its back holding onto the saddle horn with white knuckles. She was nervous; feeling like the horse was huge and ready to run away at any moment. She looked over at William and, voice tight with tension, said, "I've never ridden a horse before." "You don't say. I would never have guessed," William replied with a grin from atop the horse that Derrick had given him. It was a nice quarter-horse...
"Your mother and I watched your meeting with the White Buffalo on the news. That's how we knew to go to the ranch," said Lucy. "Pardon?" William was not aware that there had been a television camera at the ranch. "Someone filmed the whole thing with their video camera. It was on the television within half an hour of it happening." "So what did you think?" "Strange. It was like you weren't there. Your face was blank. Your voice was strange with an odd echoing quality to it. When...
Following behind Rock and Natalie, Lucy and William entered their home with a sigh of relief. They had both been very busy since their graduation. The summer had started with locating, hiring, and delivering Dante to Harry for the purpose of creating a statue of the elderly Druid. That had been followed by their wedding with a week of parties, their honeymoon, visits to a number of tribal councils, and a few visits to Homeless Hotels around the country. Exhausted, they planned to stay at home...
Ling and Betsy stopped the car at the front gate leading to William's place. Over the past year, the front of the property had changed to where it looked more like the entrance to a military base than a ranch. There was a little guard shack that sat beside a closed metal barrier. Ling's trained eye recognized the retractable barrier was capable of stopping a charging dump truck. Worried about the kind of reception they would receive, Betsy asked, "Are you sure that he'll see us?" "It...
Wearing nothing but a loincloth and a small leather bag around his neck, William walked to the edge of the stream. Once there, he paused and looked down at the ground. At the border between water and land was a stone that caught his attention. Kneeling, he picked it up. The stone was the diameter of a quarter with a thickness of a quarter of an inch. The edges were worn smooth. There was nothing remarkable about the stone except for one feature -- the center of the stone had been worn away...
"Uh oh," William said as he pulled into the driveway. Rock, Colt, Natalie, and Nicole were standing in the driveway with their arms crossed and a frown on their faces. They didn't look too happy to see him. "I forgot about them." He turned off the motor and stepped out of the car. Looking at the four body guards, he asked, "How did you enjoy your vacation?" "You dumped us in the middle of nowhere," Colt said. "Sorry about that," William said. He glanced over at the front door to...
"Do you think I should open a publishing house?" William asked. "No," Linda answered putting the manuscript on the table. She had just finished reading it and had been very impressed. She knew Happy Harry, but not many of the other homeless. She had noticed that the manuscript had Forest Shadow crying like a baby by the time she had finished it. "Okay, so who do we take the manuscript to?" "Al Maloney would probably be the best person. His publishing house has handled a lot of best...
John Carter, William's older brother, squatted down by the campfire and picked up the coffee pot. While pouring a cup, he asked, "So what do you think of Betsy's legal problems?" Shrugging his shoulders, William answered, "I don't know what to think. I keep hoping that the father will drop the charges. It would be a disaster for the prison system if she were to go to jail. The thought of that sends shivers down my spine." John laughed and asked, "What do you think the chances are of...
The last test, marked with an A+, joined the rest of the tests stacked on the left hand corner of William's desk. Looking over at Lucy, he said, "That's the last one." "So how were the grades?" Lucy asked looking up from her work. "Not bad," William answered patting the stack of test papers. The first eight weeks of teaching had been hard on William. He didn't have any real experience of dealing with high school students. Getting his early education at the Druid College had not...
William rushed into the hotel and looked around the lobby. The elevator door opened and Lucy stepped out looking around the lobby. They met halfway with a hug that was just on the tasteful side of being publicly acceptable. William said, "I've missed you." "I missed you," Lucy said burying her face into his chest and enjoying his scent. It felt good to feel his arms around her. "I'm so glad that you could make it here," William said running a hand across her back. It felt so right...
It was the day after Thanksgiving and William sat in his hunting stand watching the area in front of him for an older buck to appear. Several does and a young buck had passed in front of him a little after sunrise, but they were young animals that would strengthen the herd. He was waiting for an older deer to come through. There was a nip of cold in the air that was usual for that time of year. He could actually see his breath. Frost had covered the few grasses that grew along the banks of...
The squick of a white board marker flying across the white board filled the air. William looked up and watched Lucy work through the equations on the board; her hand moving at almost a blur. She stepped back for a second and then dived in for another round of simplifications. Her hips swung from side to side as she worked her magic on the mathematics. With her entire body participating, her long hair started swaying in a most seductive manner. William was entranced. Frowning, Lucy stepped...
Lucy stepped out of the truck and went around to the back to get her suitcase. Before she had a chance to pick it up, Ken had grabbed it while looking at her as if she should have known he'd carry it. The van with Linda and Ed pulled up beside the car. Looking around the parking lot in front of the country hotel, William said, "We'll get checked in and then I need to get on down the road." "Are you sure that you don't want me to come?" "Lucy, I'd love for you to come, but you...
"So you're going to become Dr. Carter?" Eddie asked while watching his brother pack up his books. William looked over at his little brother. The boy was turning into a good looking young man. His short black hair, piercing grey eyes, and subdued Native American features gave him an exotic look. William knew that it wouldn't be long before the girls started following his brother around town. Pulling the roll of tape over the top of the box, he answered, "Yes, if I ever manage to get out...
"Son, you know I have to tell the truth," Ed said looking William in the eye. He had finally caught up with William before his son had entered his office. "Yes, I know that," William said with a sinking feeling in his stomach. He looked away from his father breaking eye contact. "You know that it isn't always an easy thing for me to do, don't you?" "Yes, I know that." Shaking his head, Ed said, "You can't hide away from the world forever. Your little brother has asked you...
Ken removed his clothes and placed them on the patio table. The past four weeks had wrought major changes in his physique. He had lost fifteen pounds, with even more fat having been turned into muscle. His shirts were too large around the waist and too small at the shoulders. He glanced over at his wife to see how she was reacting to stripping outdoors. Lisa's body was a soft red color, flushed as a result of embarrassment. After a month of morning exercises with William, Ling, and Tim...
"Where's Betsy?" "She's grounded," Eddie answered. He shrugged his shoulders and, looking over at his mother, said, "All she did was have a little swim." "Naked, in a public aquarium, and with sharks," Ling said filling in a few details that Eddie tended to forget. Putting an arm around his little brother, William pulled Eddie against his side and said, "At least she didn't get threatened with a spanking." "True," Eddie said. He was tired and wished that he had been able to...
Seated at his desk, William listened to the sound of a twelve-string guitar emanating from the guest room. He liked the music Greg Banner created. Lucy loved the music and could listen to it all day. Turning to Ken, he snapped his fingers to get the man's attention. Once he was sure that Ken was looking at him, he said, "Doug is here." Ken reached the intercom in time to hear the signal from the guard. Pushing the button, Ken said, "Let Doug in." "Sure," came the answer. It sounded...
William looked up at the stars overhead. The sight of the summer sky was always special to him, particularly on nights without a moon. The stars seemed so low that you could reach out and touch them. Turning to the dark shape seated next to him, he said, "I love looking at the stars out here." "I do too," Eddie said with a smile. In the dark, his white teeth seemed to stand out. William pulled out his pack of cigarettes and took one out. He handed the pack to his brother and said,...
"Vera." "What?" she answered without even looking away from her computer screen. Her fingers did not slow down in the least bit. William frowned at the tone of voice that she used in answering him. It seemed to him as if she was upset about something. Dismissing his concerns, he said, "I need you to research the sex industry." "Excuse me," Vera said drawing out each word twice as long as would be normal. She saved the file she was working on before turning to face William. The...
"You're going to be heading off to college soon," William said looking across the fire at Eddie. He added another small log to the fire and sat back to watch it catch. "I've got another two years of high school," Eddie said poking a stick into the fire and watching the end start to burn. He pulled the stick out of the fire. The weak flame flickered and died. The small glowing bud at the end of the stick slowly faded. "Enjoy them while you can," William said. Everyone was telling...
The students trickled out of the classroom in ones and twos as they finished their final exams. William sat on the floor across from the door watching them leave. Some looked confident, others angry, and a few as if they didn't care how they did in the class. Those who looked blurry-eyed or were sloppily dressed had spent the previous evening cramming in the hopes of learning the material at the last minute. When Lucy stepped out of the class, she rolled her eyes and smiled. Closing the...
Chuckling to himself, William shook his head as elements of the near future resolved themselves in his mind. Ken, seated at the dining room table, looked over at him wondering what he had found so humorous. He was about to ask when William said, "It is time for one of my mothers to make an appearance." Lisa, in the kitchen with Tim, wondered why he hadn't asked her to prepare one of the guestrooms. She came out of the kitchen and looked at William with concern. This was the first that...
The underground bunker for housing the computers had been completed. A work crew sent by Dan Biggerstaff was busy wiring the room to support the network that would tie the computers together. It was a massive job considering that they were linking ten thousand computers together. It was made even more difficult due to the fact that they were physically located on four separate floors. The room was cold. The air conditioner was set up to cool ten thousand machines, but there were only empty...
Head in William's lap, Lucy was busy reading a math book. His hand was busy stroking her arm in an absent minded manner while he was reading his book. Lucy put her book down and said, "She's got a crush on you." Frowning at the sudden introduction of a new topic, William asked, "Who? What?" "I said she has a crush on you." "Oh, that's nice," William said wondering who had the crush on him. He turned the page and continued reading. "You don't know who I'm talking about, do...
Nancy Darnell, Mistress of Ceremonies for the Druids, stood at head of the platform. She had finished explaining the significance of the ceremony that was to take place and now she was waiting for the bride and groom. This was her first wedding ceremony in which none of the individuals involved were a Druid. Oliver had volunteered to perform the ceremony, but she had insisted that she be allowed the honor. It was, after all, her service. A very serene Lucy walked to the platform from the...
Jack sat in his new office unable to believe the difference that twenty four hours made in his life. His office was larger than the room he was renting. The furnishings were much more luxurious. Barbara Gray had told him that it had been the bedroom and exercise room, but they had converted it to his office. He would have been quite happy if they had left the bed in the room, but he wasn't going to tell them that. He got up and made his way to the break room to get a soft drink. That was...
"What?" Patrick shouted upon learning the nature of the elusive quarry that they were hunting. He was wearing a brand new hunting outfit that he had talked his father into buying for him. The camouflage coverall, the camouflage hat, the orange vest, and hiking boots that had been a source of immense pride had become a source of embarrassment. Unable to believe what he had heard, he said, "We're going rock hunting!" William and Dale were having a hard time controlling their laughter. The...