by Mike Hartman
At 22 years old, Monica would be graduating soon. Cornell University had been kind to her and afforded her a top notch education. It had one of the top computer science programs in the nation and she had taken full advantage of every bit of knowledge the college had to offer. No stone was left unturned, no book left unopened, no class or lecture taken for granted. Monica approached Cornell in the same way she approached all aspects of life; she was dead serious about her work.
Tall and brunette, she was considered quite pretty by most members of the opposite sex. She had no idea of the visual effect she had on men. Her brain was trained to focus on her studies and on her projects. She had little time for men and paid little attention to them except as portals to new information while listening to them lecture in class or while working with them on projects or homework assignments. To Monica, it was all business, all the time.
Cornell University was a busy place with 19,000 students on campus. Monica didn’t marvel at herself for being first in her class in the computer science program. To her this wasn’t something to brag about, it was simply something she expected of herself.
Her cell phone rang. Still concentrating on her project, she didn’t notice at first. After the third ring, she emerged from her intense concentration long enough that the ringing phone registered in her mind. Looking at the display on the phone she saw that it was her mother. Answering the phone she said, “Hi mom.”
“Monica, are you still planning to come home this weekend?” her mother asked. “I’m going to the grocery store this afternoon. If you’re coming home, I’m planning to make chicken roll-ups. I know they’re your favorite.”
“Count me in!” she replied. “I’ll leave here after my last class on Friday. I should get out about two o’clock, so I’ll be home by six.” It was about 200 miles from the university in Ithaca, NY to her home in Saratoga Springs. The three and a half hour drive prevented her from getting home often, but this was a holiday weekend and she generally drove home for 3-day weekends.
“Okay dear. I’ll plan dinner for about 6:30. Drive careful.” Her mother hung up the phone. As Monica folded her phone closed, she took a minute to look around at the activity that surrounded her. She just couldn’t understand why so many people spent so much money to attend an expensive university and seemed to put so little effort into gaining a good education. With that thought she took a sip of her now cooling coffee and returned to her project, quickly fading back into her own little world.
**********
The drive home was uneventful. Monica had made the drive more than a few times in the last four years and knew the way well. She rode past the exit for Ballston Spa, her last landmark in the journey. She got off at the next exit and drove north on highway 9 to finish off the last three miles of her journey.
Sitting at a stoplight in town, a young guy about 19 or 20 years old walked in front of her car in the crosswalk. The man had close cut dark hair and looked normal enough in his jeans and pullover shirt. Monica instantly recognized him as a sailor. Most people in the U.S. would never imagine a navy man in upstate New York. After all, he was 150 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. Monica, however, had no doubt. This was a sailor.
Ballston Spa was the home of one of the U.S. Navy’s nuclear prototype facilities. It sat just five miles northwest of town at the end of Atomic Project Road. Most people have never seen this facility. Still a half mile from the main gate was a fence with an oversized sign bearing the stern warning, “United States Government Property. No Trespassing. Violators will be Prosecuted.” The size of the sign alone bared witness that this was an unusual location. The average person dared not venture any further. Sure, they could see the condensation rising from the cooling towers in the distance. It looked like huge amounts of white steam or smoke emitting from wide, impressive looking stacks. Other than that distant glimpse, most people knew relatively little about what went on inside the facility.
The Navy has a whole fleet of nuclear powered ships and submarines. Each of these vessels has a fully functioning nuclear plant onboard. Submarines have one reactor plant, but aircraft carriers usually have several reactors to supply the power required by the ship. Each of these nuclear plants by themselves can produce enough power to supply a small city with electricity indefinitely. Onboard the ship they are used to produce electricity and provide propulsion. These nuclear reactor plants are capable of producing enough power to push an aircraft carrier through the water at 30 knots or sustain a submarine underwater for months at a time.
After completing Nuclear Power School in Goose Creek, South Carolina the sailors came here to get hands-on experience in a prototype model of an actual nuclear plant. The plants at this facility were exact replicas of the plants onboard ships and submarines and provided a controlled learning environment for the men in training.
Monica knew all about the facility. Her Dad had been here as a student 25 years ago. Of course she had not yet been conceived, but they came back when she was 10 years old for a 2-year stint while her dad served as an instructor at the site. It was common for career nukes to serve for two years as instructors. This allowed them a short period of shore duty before they went back to sea.
After he retired from the navy, her father obtained a job as the general manager of the facility. This was a civilian position that carried a large amount of responsibility. That was how her family came to settle in upstate New York.
**********
Her father had brought a guest home for dinner. “Monica, this is Dan Isaacs,” her father made the introduction. “Dan is with a company called Brainstorm, Inc. He came to spend time with me this week to discuss how his company might benefit the navy’s nuclear program. He is staying in the Residence Inn, but I thought he might enjoy a home-cooked meal over the fast-food option.”
“I’m glad to meet you Dan,” responded Monica. “You are in for a real treat. Mom is always a good cook, but when she makes chicken roll-ups, she is spectacular!” Ever since Monica was a little girl, these had been her favorite dish. She had requested them every year for her birthday dinner since she was five years old.
Over dinner that night Dan said to Monica, “Your dad tells me you are a computer science major at Cornell. How do you like their program?”
She had just put a bite in her mouth and had to finish chewing before answering. Making an up and down motion with her hand holding the fork, it seemed like it took forever to chew it up and swallow, but finally she said, “It’s a good school. Rated one of the best in the country.”
“And Monica is their star student!” her dad chimed in. “She’s number one in her class.” He couldn’t help but brag on her. She had always given him reason to be proud. Monica blushed, but remained quiet.
“What do you plan to do after graduation?” asked Dan. “Have you started sending out resumes yet? I’m sure Cornell’s number one student will have no trouble finding employment.”
“Not yet,” Monica replied. “I’m planning to start sending them out next month. I don’t want to wait too late. Graduation is just a few short months away. I must admit though, I’m a bit nervous about moving on to this next phase in life.”
Dan surprised her by saying, “You should consider sending us a resume.”
Startled by his directness, Monica asked, “What does your company do?” She was new at this type of conversation and really wasn’t sure how she was supposed to act or what she was expected to ask.
“There was a movie back in the early 80’s that portrayed the ability to capture a person’s brainwaves and record the information they contain. A person wore a piece of headgear that served as a conduit to capture brainwaves. The recordings could capture sight, sound, tastes, smells, sense of touch. Pretty much all five of the senses. The recordings also captured emotion. Anything going on in a person’s brain was captured on these recordings. Later, these recordings could be played back and the person
wearing the headgear would experience everything that was experienced by the original person when the recording was produced.”
“Brainstorm has taken this concept and attempted to bring it to reality. We still have a long way to go, but we have developed some pretty amazing products along the way as a result of our research.”
Monica was impressed. “That sounds interesting. It’s an impressive concept. I would definitely be interested talking with you further. I’ll send you a resume.” The conversation then turned to other subjects, but Monica continued to think about the activities Brainstorm was pursuing.
Chapter 5
February, year 1.
Jamie Sparks pressed a bit harder. Sweat was rolling off his body as he attacked the Stairmaster. He was a regular at the gym and had been here before. His legs burned as the lactic acid was released by his muscles. He felt like he couldn’t possibly continue, yet he continued anyway. He always continued anyway.
His dedication was apparent to the casual observer. His long blond hair swept over his well-formed shoulders. He was careful to round out his exercise routine and he maintained a balanced workout regimen not paying excessive attention to any aspect of his body. He worked on his core; he worked on cardio. He worked on his chest, back and arms; he worked on cardio. He worked on his legs; he worked on cardio. Over time his dedication had produced a fit body that most people would envy.
Finishing up he hit the showers and hurried back to his dorm to get ready for his dinner date with Jillian. She would understand if he was late, but he liked to be on time. This was not an obsession, just a show of dedication.
Actually he was a pretty easy going guy. Not too much bothered him. He was a senior at MIT and had done well in his four years. Things came easy for Jamie and he had easily moved to the top of his class. Electronics Engineering was no walk in the park. It challenged even gifted students like Jamie. He enjoyed it though and excelled in every aspect.
Even though Jillian was only 2 miles away at Harvard University, things would be much simpler if they were on the same campus. Tonight they were meeting at Kasy’s on Massachusetts Avenue. This had become their favorite spot during the past 4 years. The food was good, the atmosphere was laid back, and it was just a comfortable place.
Jillian was waiting on him when he arrived. She was sitting in their favorite booth, facing the door. She had straightened her long red hair and that caught his attention. He loved it when she straightened her hair. As he approached the booth he thought to himself what a beautiful woman Jilly was. It was not so much that she would be considered beautiful by all men. Sure, they would find her attractive, but not head turning attractive. Physically she was pretty average at a height of five feet, four inches. She weighed in at 120 pounds, had average sized breasts, and looked pretty much average in every way.
In Jamie’s eyes she wasn’t average. She was the most beautiful girl in the world. He knew there wasn’t anyone else for him. He was not really sure what this meant, but to him Jilly was a beautiful specimen of a woman.
They had been friends since grade school. They were friends and they had dated off and on over the years, but mostly they were just together. Neither of them really knew what that meant, but each of them respected the bond. Neither of them had ever dated anyone else and neither of them wanted to. All that being said, they did not consider themselves boyfriend and girlfriend. Sure, there had been benefits at various times during the past few years, but that wasn’t the norm and that wasn’t what their relationship was about.
They had grown up in a small town in South Carolina and been friends since the 2nd grade. When it came time for college, they had purposely chosen schools in the same town. Jamie studied Electronics Engineering at MIT and Jilly was majoring in biochemistry at Harvard. Coming from a small town, Cambridge, Massachusetts had been a big adjustment for them. Fortunately they had each other to rely on.
She smiled as she saw him approach the table. “Hey,” she said.
“Hello gorgeous. Have you been waiting long?”
“Just sat down,” she answered. “I ordered you a beer.”
“Thanks, you know me all too well.” Jamie wasn’t really a drinker. He had only been drunk one time in his life. He was more of a one beer with dinner kind of guy. Not an everyday thing, but he did enjoy a beer when they came to Kasy’s. “How was your day?”
Jilly told him about her day. Her personality was a bit more spirited than his. Where he was laid back, she was usually a bit more fired up. She told him about her classes and expounded on the people she liked to talk about. She always had interesting stories to tell about her day.
Being a biochemistry major, there were not really any interesting stories to tell about her subject matter. There were only so many people in the world interested in hearing about biomolecules such as carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Realizing this fact, she tended to stick with stories about the people she encountered each day. Jamie liked listening to them.
Jilly’s favorite person to talk about was Missy Hughes. Missy was the number one student in Harvard’s biochemistry program. Jilly was a close second, but no matter how hard she tried, Missy always seemed to outperform her. Not by much, but enough to maintain the lead.
They ordered their food and continued to chat while they waited for it to arrive. “I think we should talk about our future,” Jilly surprised him. “I don’t necessarily mean us as in our relationship. I mean us in relation to what we’re going to do after we graduate.”
Jamie was glad she brought the subject up. It had been on his mind lately, but he wasn’t really sure how to approach the subject. They had been together so long that he couldn’t imagine going their separate ways to start separate lives apart from each other. He smiled at her with a bit of a sheepish grin as he answered, “I must admit I’ve been thinking about that more and more as graduation approaches. It’s less than 3 months away.”
Jilly sighed, mostly from relief after hearing that she wasn’t the only one with this on her mind. “I’ve been thinking we need to look for jobs in the same part of the country. Better yet, we need to look for jobs in the same town!”
“We’re on the same page sister. I’m not sure how we can pull it off, but we need to do everything we can think of to make it happen. This could be a bit tricky. Jobs for Electronics Engineers and Biochemists don’t exactly grow on trees. It will be a real challenge to find them both in the same town. I’m guessing we will have to limit our search to the larger cities.”
The waitress arrived with their food and their attention turned the meal. It felt good just being together. Each of them knew they had something special. It wasn’t exactly love, it wasn’t exactly romantic; but whatever it was, it was important to them both.
Chapter 6
February, year 1.
Gabe Santos focused his attention on the water around him. He should have been focused on his driving, but the water was just too distracting. Up until recently it hadn’t captured his attention in the same manner, but now as he drove across the Dumbarton Bridge on the Bayfront Expressway the San Francisco Bay dominated most all of his attention. Near the southern tip of the San Francisco Bay, the water was only about a mile across at this point. Once on the other side he would catch the 880 for the rest of the 45-minute drive up to Alameda to visit a friend. Gabe was in a real predicament and he needed time to think.
His father had died when he was only 2 years old. His mother nearly went off the deep end and was just never the same. She had done what she could to raise him and his 3 year old sister, Tracy, but she hadn’t really provided much of a life. She spent most of his childhood jumping from one man to the next and one job to the next. Tracy and Gabe never experienced an abundance of stability while they were growing up. They did the best they could. As you would expect, even though she was only a year o
lder, his sister practically raised him through their younger years. She always felt responsible for him.
His mom held many jobs in the 20 years since his father died. Mostly she worked as a waitress in various food joints. She never made good money, but somehow she managed to put food on the table. She tended to jump from man to man over the years; always looking for Mr. Right. The problem was that Gabe’s father had been Mr. Right.
Things were different back then. She had been a cheerleader, outgoing, with a great outlook on life. He had been a nerd. Well, it might not be fair to call him a nerd, but he wasn’t a jock like the guys the other cheerleaders tended to date. He liked math and science and spent his time actually preparing for life after high school. She found this attractive and latched ahold of him early on. They were married right out of high school and they both worked to put him through college. Tracy was born the next year and Gabe the year after that. Somehow they managed to feed both children and still pay for him to attend college, although he did have to slow down by only taking two classes each semester. Life was good.
The car accident came swiftly and unexpectedly. In an instant their lives changed forever. Even though she jumped from man-to-man and from job-to-job after that horrific day, she loved her children very much. They meant the world to her and she would gladly give her life for them if necessary. She only wished she had been able to provide for them better financially.
When it came time for college Tracy opted out. There wasn’t any way they could afford it, so why bother trying. Besides, she didn’t really like school anyway. She liked beer and men. She was hoping to hit the jackpot one of these days, get married, and live happily ever after. Unfortunately, she was now 23 and it was starting to seem like something should have already happened by now.
