As she drove back to the cottage John felt she was holding something back.
***
The design of quantum software became a challenge; it took up all his spare time. If he could only control that damned electron? He ran through his work again and again; sometimes sitting up late at night after Jack had gone to bed. Every Monday he started over again; he knew there had to be an answer; he was sure he was missing something. But what?
Then one Monday he made an extraordinary discovery; he had eliminated the pesky electron; he had his quantum software, but he had no idea how he did it. That was nearly worse than not having it. He checked it ten times; he had it but how? He went back over his work step by step. Days later he gave up in frustration and spent hours walking up the mountain with Jack.
***
He was worried about Cedric so much so he called to see him a couple of times a week – when Kate wasn’t visiting - and took him into town for lunch. Cedric produced the bottle; it was a very good Poitin and – with Jack relaxing nearby – they settled down for a few scoups.
‘Cedric,’ he began seeking to draw him out, ‘You mustn’t be unduly worried by losing a patient.’
‘Paddy Joe’s journey is over for this time. I’m concerned for May and her children. The health people are trying to take them into care.’
‘We can’t have that.’
He was thinking of his dear old granny.
‘Cedric you said Paddy Joe’s journey is over for this time. What do you mean by that?’
He smiled. ‘I spent many years living and working in India; everyone there – Buddhist or Hindi – believes we come back again and again.’
‘Do you believe it?’
‘Yes I do.’
‘I’ve never heard of this idea where I was brought up in London.’
‘And you won’t hear much about it here either. In India when I asked to become a Hindu I was told there was no need; stick to the teachings of the Christ they said.’
***
When Cedric called the following day he was devastated.
‘John, May has just discovered she’s pregnant; she’s out of her mind; I’m afraid she’ll commit suicide.’
‘Can I help?’
‘I’m going to stay with her until I get her a minder. Will you collect Nancy this evening and drive her out to May’s house; she’ll stay the night.’
‘I’ll do that.’
‘I rang Kate; she’s trying to find a nurse in Castlebar.’
***
One morning John awakened from a deep sleep: he had his quantum. It was like a bulb lighting in his mind; it was as clear as day; it was so simple he laughed out loud.
He let Jack out, dressed quickly, switched on the computer and began a series of tests; he skipped breakfast. He was so excited he was afraid it would escape. Later he rang Kate; she was delighted but had no idea what he was talking about.
***
Now that he had succeeded in designing quantum software he began to consider how he should exploit it financially. What would Walter do? He thought about it for a long time; then took out his pad and began to scribble ideas at will.
He reckoned he had three to five years in which to make the most of it; he wouldn’t patent it; no point, the exploiters would just move in, copy and run with it. He didn’t plan to spend the rest of his days fighting patent suits.
He would put it on the market at such a competitive price that hackers would be discouraged. That’s what Walter would do. First he would offer a seven day free trial, adjusting the software to expire at the end of that time. Then his customers could down load the package for a single payment of $1,000 payable in advance by credit card.
He set up his free trial offer on his new website WAJ&Kquantumcomputers.com and, using his John Smith credit card, bought an advertising slot on the Internet which read: “The computer revolution of the 21st Century has arrived. Get your 7 day free trial at WAJ&Kquantumcomputers.com.”
***
He rang RG and asked him to call out to the cottage. He felt he could trust him and right now he needed his assistance. He liked RG, a self made man, with his feet firmly on the ground and highly amused to be regarded as the unofficial Lord Mayor of Westport. Not that he objected.
When he arrived he put him sitting down in the dining room and served the coffee.
‘RG I believe I can trust you.’
The old man laughed out loud. ‘You must be joking.’
That was good enough; he related his life story and at the end continued.
‘I want you to set up a company called WAJ&Kcomputers.Ltd and we need to open a bank account locally.’
‘That’s no problem; I’ll have to register the company before you open the bank account.’
‘I would like you to be chairman of the company; I’m going to ask Cedric to be a director.’
‘That’s fine with me; will the company need to raise capital?’
‘No. I’d like to buy this cottage but I can only offer you £30,000.’
He pursed his lips. ‘I’ll take it.’
‘Will you draw up the necessary papers and put it in the joint names of Kate Molloy and myself.’
He stood up and they shook hands.
‘I’m looking forward to this.’ He paused. ‘You’re a very lucky man John.’
When RG departed he rang Kate.
‘I’ve just bought the cottage love.’
‘I’m so happy; it’s our special place; I’ll be out later.
***
John was surprised one afternoon when a car pulled up outside the cottage and a stranger approached carrying a document.
‘Mr John Smith?’
‘Yes.’
‘I’m serving this High Court Writ on you on behalf of the ZRC Bank in New York.’
He took the document; the man departed without another word. John read the contents slowly; ZRC were suing him in the High Court for ten Billion Dollars and seeking to establish that he was David Levin. He rang RG and arranged to visit him in his office.
RG perused the writ carefully before putting it down on his desk.
‘How did they find you?’
‘My father’s accountancy firm acted for David Levin. They also knew about John Smith and the property in Hackney looked after by Maveys the estate agents who have my address here.’
‘I see. What should we do?’
‘I’ll fight it.’
‘I’ll lodge a defence.’
‘Where does this bastard Ziegler Felde think he’s going? I’ve no funds of substance and David Levin doesn’t exist.’
‘Clearly he doesn’t believe that.’
***
Kate was walking down the corridor on her way to her car when she met her old friend Peg Daly, RG’s partner, a palliative care nurse who qualified with her in UCG. A tall attractive brunette Peg was positively beaming; they hugged one another.
‘Peg, what are you doing in here?’
‘It’s lovely to see you again Kate; let’s go for a coffee and I’ll tell you.’
Together they crossed the road to the local hotel, sat in the lounge and ordered coffee. Peg came directly to the point.
‘I was in to see Dr Helen Rutledge.’
‘The gynaecologist?’
‘Yes.’
‘Are you?’
‘Not yet. It’s so long since we met I’d better tell you the full story.’
Kate sat back and sipped her coffee; Peg had been one of the livelier ones when they were in Galway. She wasn’t exactly idle herself! They had many secrets from the old days.
‘After I was appointed palliative care nurse in Westport I became friendly with Sam Higgins the local builder; a dashing handsome devil may care character. We married and settled down in a big house out the Galway Road.’ She paused and smiled.
‘He couldn’t get enough of it. That wasn’t so bad but he didn’t give me the baby I longed for. Then three years later he crashed the car and killed himself
.’
Kate had heard about the bould Sam Higgins; a scallywag known – biblically – to many young ladies in the area.
‘That was very sad Peg.’
‘It was. He was quite a character; I missed him even when it meant I got to sleep at night. I wasn’t under any illusions; I’m sure he had many others. I continued with my work feeling life was over for me. Then, one night I happened to be in the bar of the Clew hotel; R G was there; he’d been drinking heavily since his wife died. He passed out in the bar. I went to his assistance and stayed with him until we got him to the hospital. It seems strange to fall in love with a man twenty years older but that’s what happened; he loves me too; says I saved his life. He rarely takes a drink now.
There’s a lot to be said for having an older man; it was quite a change. Anyway, we want to have children but so far it hasn’t happened. I was afraid there might be something amiss with me – Sam didn’t have any luck either – so I came to consult Dr Rutledge. She says I’m perfectly normal and gave me a few tips.’
Kate got up and hugged her.
‘I’m so happy for you.’
‘I hear you have a lovely new man; we might be in here together yet.’
‘I hope so.’
***
With all the necessary documentation in place John and RG called at the Connaught bank in Westport where they met the manager Cecil Forbes, a small middle aged man full of his own importance. Shown into his private office they sat across the desk and RG produced his papers.
‘Cecil, we need a company account for John’s new venture.’
‘Tell me about it.’
John replied. ‘It’s a new computer software programme that I’ve designed.’
He didn’t look impressed. ‘Have you a statement of your personal assets?’
John stood up; RG followed.
‘We’re in the wrong bank RG; let’s go.’
‘It’s the regulations,’ Cecil stated flatly.
RG got really angry. ‘I’ve dealt with this bloody bank for the past 40 years; I’ll be closing my accounts. I wouldn’t mind but we were only looking for a deposit account.’
‘In that case I’m sure I can help you.’
‘You can go to hell.’ They walked out.
They got a better reception from Mick Reilly in the only other bank in the town. He set up the required deposit account and even offered a current one.
John could now proceed; this was old rope to him from his previous life in the business. He set up accounts with the major credit card companies and added his bank account codes; anyone paying $1,000 could immediately download the package.
He checked each day and watched the number downloading the free sample; it raced quickly through one million and by day three it was over four million. Would the sales follow? He talked with Kate every day on the phone; he didn’t tell her about the court action; it was months away and he didn’t want to worry her.
On day six the sales started, slowly at first; he got more excited as the day progressed. When it passed a million he took Jack for a long walk. By midday the following day sales reached five million and were rising by the hour. He took out his pad and started calculating; it came to five Billion Dollars. It couldn’t be that, could it? It was and it just kept rising.
A week later RG rang.
‘What’s going on; have you started a revolution? I’m getting emails from Banks, Hedge Funds, investment funds; you name it. They all want us to go public; they will help us and invest billions in our shares.’
‘The only thing those people are interested in is helping themselves. We don’t need them. I’ll be in shortly.’
***
Sitting down in R G’s office, he explained.
‘Our software has taken off like a rocket. We’ve more sales in a week than I had hoped to achieve in six months.’
John continued. ‘RG, I want you to set up a stand-alone charitable foundation; we’ll call it the Brigid Foundation and I need an accountant.’ He paused. ‘As directors of the company you and Cedric will each receive five million a year net.’
‘That’s very generous John,’ he paused. ‘My son Rory is an accountant; he has his own practice in Galway.’
‘Will you ask him to contact me?’
***
On his way home he called on Cedric who made the coffee; they sat down outside the house.
‘Any progress with May and her children?’ he asked.
‘She had a miscarriage and spent a day or two in hospital. She has plenty of funds to keep her going for the present.’ He paused. ‘I didn’t really know her before Paddy Joe died; she a very attractive little woman totally committed to looking after her kids. I don’t think she was ever a suicide risk.’
‘What did she do before she got married?’
‘She was a typist in a local solicitor’s office.’
‘We need a computer operator for the new Foundation. Would she be interested?’
‘I’m sure she’d be delighted.’
‘We’ll pay for her training and she can work from home.’
‘Would you pay her €20,000 a year?’
‘That’s not enough; make it €40,000 tax free.’
He looked at him quizzically. ‘Can you afford that much?’
He grinned. ‘I’ve appointed you a Director of the Foundation. I hope you don’t mind. RG and Kate will also be Directors.’
‘I’ll be happy to serve in any way I can so long as I can continue my present work.’
‘Of course; the two will fit in well together.’
He grinned. ‘I think I should tell you the annual salary is only five million after taxes.’
‘That’s far too much John.’
***
Kate arrived in the evening with her overnight bag; Jack made a great fuss of her. She patted his head; he loved it.
‘Jacko, you’ll be in the dining room tonight.’
She hadn’t been out for a number of days although they talked on the phone every day. Disappointed and surprised she hadn’t become pregnant she kept it to herself; after all their wonderful nights together!
He brought her up to date and concluded.
‘We don’t need all this money love. I’m setting up a charitable Foundation which I hope you’ll run with me.’
She smiled. ‘I would love to. Would I have to give up my present job?’
‘Only if you wish; this job will pay you five million net of tax a year.’
‘Oh my God, that’s an awful lot of money.’ She paused. ‘John, there’s a children’s home out Achill way that’s in need of funds; it’s run by a lovely order of nuns but they’re getting very little help from the state.’
‘My grandmother was brought up in an orphanage by an order of nuns; she didn’t like them.’
‘A friend of mine has a child out there; it’s a very sad case. I visited with her a few times; those nuns are really lovely.’
‘There’s your first project. Find out what they need.’
‘Will we be able to continue it every year?’
‘I’m working on that.’
She got up and grinned. ‘Now, out of the kitchen you two while the chef performs her magic. I’m sure Jack would like a walk.’
***
R G’s son Rory arrived the following week; a tall rugged looking ex-rugby player with a robust sense of humour. John put him sitting down and served the coffee.
‘Thanks for coming Rory; I need your professional assistance.’
‘Certainly John; I never kick for touch,’ he laughed.
He produced three typed lists.
‘First Rory I want you to deal with all financial and taxation matters for the company. As some of these will be international I’ve included my father’s old London firm of accountants that will assist you. Am I right in thinking that sums paid to charitable organisations are not subject to tax?’
‘I think that’s generally correct but I would have to check other jurisdic
tions.’
‘My second sheet is a list of properties that I want to buy in London, New York and Hong Kong.’
He scanned the list.
‘We’re talking a shed load of money here; where is it coming from?’
‘We have the money. Those properties are currently producing about half a billion a year in rents; 95% of which is to be donated to our charitable Foundation.’
He produced his final list.
‘I want you to takeover those two concerns. I suggest you use stock brokers recommended by our London accountants.’ He paused.
‘The job pays five million a year net plus expenses; you’ll be doing a lot of travelling.’
‘That’s a lot more than I make now. The wife will be pleased; she’ll have more time to play golf.’
***
When Kate arrived for the weekend she was excited.
‘I’ve been out to the children’s home; John it’s in serious need of refurbishing and day to day finance. I told the nuns I would talk to you; they’re so thankful. Can we do it?’
‘Of course. How much do they need for running expenses?’
‘Five thousand a month would be a God send to them.’
‘We’ll give them six for a start.’
‘What about the repairs?’
‘I’ll ring RG; he’ll find us an architect. Does the property need to be extended?’
‘I’ll ask them.’
‘It won’t be a problem.’
‘What about the cost?’
‘It doesn’t matter; I won’t say that to the architect.’
‘I’m so excited John; those poor nuns are so deserving. How soon?’
‘Will you ring them and get details of their bank account? I’ll get the bank manager to make the transfer immediately.’
***
Winter became spring; the countryside shed its bleak appearance and took on a verdant green outlook. John hadn’t forgotten the past; he was bemused and thankful that he was still here. He spent most of his spare time with Kate; her happiness was all that mattered to him. The Brigid Foundation was up and running and secure for the future; May, a happy cheerful woman once again after years of worry and stress, worked closely with Cedric.
John joined Cedric once a week in what he called his Poitin night. On one such occasion the question of suicide came up. Cedric was dismayed at the continued rise in the number of suicides especially among young people.
A Fateful Farewell Page 5
