by Ben Winston
“Certainly Eric. The young woman in question is currently attending a lecture on Theoretical Physics, being given by Dr. Gerard Gershwin, in the lecture hall of building 6C, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts,” Sarah replied.
“Thank you Sarah, please notify me when she leaves the building,” I asked.
“That’s... that’s scary Eric,” Mom said.
I nodded agreement. “Yeah, it can be. Which is why I gave Sarah those instructions if I get taken. If someone attempts to steal her code, not even the best antiviral software will save them.
“I know it’s off topic, but to show you I’m not completely paranoid; did you know that our government has this huge, secret facility that does nothing but go through people’s email, IM conversations, and cell phone calls?”
“That would just seem... impossible; there’d be way too much data to sift through,” Mom said.
I shook my head. “Not really, they have this program that screens all the personal information that ever goes through an electronic medium in this country. When it finds or hears certain key words or phrases, it gathers all the info it can and passes it to the huge pool of people that then dig through everything they can find about the people involved in the call or message. There are some people, normal citizens like us, which are under constant scrutiny. Those people have not done, and most likely won’t do, anything wrong. They are targets for purely political or personal reasons.
“It’s a blatant violation of a person’s right to privacy, so it’s supposed to fall under the ‘Office of Homeland Scrutiny’. That way if they want to, they can just grab whoever they want, claim they’re a terrorist, and poof! No one ever hears from them again.”
Mom chuckled at me. “My son, the conspiracy theorist!” she giggled.
I returned her grin. “Yes I am; I also believe in UFO’s but unfortunately this isn’t a theory. This department is located in Cheyenne, Wyoming in some of the old, decommissioned NORAD facilities. Sarah and I found it when she caught their computer’s tag on my phone when I was programming her.”
“You know, I don’t think Christy is the only genius. This is some pretty advanced stuff, Eric,” Mom commented. “Maybe I should start thinking about finding a prep school for you, and plan on you going to a school like MIT as well!” I could tell she was kinda proud of me.
I slowly shook my head, smiling sadly. “I appreciate the thought, Mom, but I’m having a hard time deciding to go to school. If you’re really smart, and get really good grades, especially at someplace like MIT, they monitor you more closely, and everything you do, invent, or discover, is analyzed to see if it can be used by the government before you can even get to a patent office. They’ll even set the CIA or NSA on you if you leave the country; it’s really ridiculous the lengths they’ll go to just to control people and technology.”
“This is starting to sound way too ‘X-Files’ for me. Are you ready to go home, Sweetheart?” Mom asked.
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About half way home, Sarah notified me that the lecture had ended, and Christy was leaving the building.
“Sarah, please connect us and allow caller ID for this call. I’ll be hands free.” I asked.
“Connecting now,” Sarah replied.
It rang a couple times, and I could imagine Christy was deciding to answer or not, but curiosity must have won out.
“Eric? Is it really you?” she asked when she answered.
Resisting the urge to make a smart-assed comment, I chuckled softly to myself. “Yeah, it’s really me. This is Christy, right?”
“God, I’ve missed you!” she said happily, but with tears. “I... I tried to forget you and get on with my life. But I just can’t! It’s been so lonely, and every time I closed my eyes, you were there, waiting for me in my dreams.”
“I’ve missed you too, Sweetheart, and I must say, I’m happy that you couldn’t forget me. I’ve thought about you every day and wondered why you never wrote to me or anything. Finally, now that I’m older, and graduating, I decided to visit your parents and get your contact information. I just didn’t know if you’d talk to me,” I said.
“I’ll always talk to you, love,” she replied.
I looked over at Mom, and she had tears in her eyes, but was smiling.
“Would it be possible to come and visit you?” I asked. “There are a ton of things I need to talk to you about.”
“If one of those things involves spending the rest of our lives together, I’m all for it. But, coming out here would be a wasted trip; I’m defending my dissertation on Wednesday and am planning on flying home either later that evening or Thursday morning. I’m on stand-by for a couple of flights. Uhm... Do you think your Mom would mind if I spend a couple of nights with you?” Christy asked hopefully.
Trying not to let my smile burst into a chuckle, I replied. “I don’t think she’d mind at all, Honey. She’s pretty aware of how I feel about you. Can you hang on a sec?” I asked. “I need to check something.”
I heard her chuckle. “Okay, what are you up to Little Man?” She’d used the same teasing manner and phrase to get me to open up to her back when we first met.
“A surprise I hope! I’ll be right back, I promise.”
“Okay, I’ll be waiting!” I could hear the sniffles and imagined she was crying happy tears.
I put her on hold and asked Sarah about flight information from Boston for Wednesday.
“There’s one flight, non-stop, from Boston to Minneapolis. It departs Logan International at six-forty that evening. There are only three seats available in first class.
“After an eighteen minute lay-over at Humphrey Terminal, there is a flight to Duluth arriving at eight-sixteen. Do you wish to book this in Ms. Rogers’ name?” Sarah asked.
I glanced at Mom and she nodded affirmative. So I told Sarah to go ahead and send the flight information to Christy’s email. I thanked her and went back to Christy. But when I took her off hold, she was talking to someone.
“...and it sounds like he still loves me!” Christy said.
“That’s wonderful, Christy! I’ll miss you, you know! It’s really hard to find good TA’s.”
“Thanks Shelly. I’ll miss you too.”
As she said that, I let her know that I was back.
“I’m back, Sweetheart,” I said.
I heard her say ‘Bye’ softly, I guess to the woman she’d been talking too.
“So, are you going to tell me what the surprise is, or do I have to wait until I get back there?” she asked playfully. Now, she was starting to sound like the happy, sweet girl I remembered.
“Actually, I’ll tell you this one, because you’ll be getting the information in your email shortly. Uh, do you think you could be ready to leave and be at the airport by six o’clock after your ordeal with the Professors?” I asked.
“Yeah...” she said guardedly. “I’m on stand-by for the six-forty flight.”
“Actually, you’re booked in first class. You’ll be landing in Duluth at a quarter after eight,” I said calmly.
“First Class! Eric, that ticket’s almost a thousand dollars!” Christy said.
“I think I can justify it. After all, if it helps get you back here sooner, I’m all for it. Besides, I can’t take all the credit; final approval came from the boss. I’m only the guy that had the idea,” I replied.
“Eric, would you please give her a big kiss for me?” Christy said, excitedly.
“I'll let you do that when you get back here.” I said in a teasing voice.
She laughed, but said happily. “Jesus! It’s like the sun just came out in my world! I can’t stop smiling!”
“Well, you don’t know how relieved I am either. After so long, I was worried that you not only had a boyfriend, but that you really didn’t want to have anything to do with me at all,” I said.
“I knew you had high school to get throug
h, and that you’d need to be free so you could grow up. I know it seemed like there wasn't really anything between us, but I fell in love with you. I knew that I’d be leaving, and I tried not to, but...
“At first, I didn’t know why your mom thought you needed a babysitter, but I think she knew that you just needed someone to help you get through the loss of your dad. You were always so sweet to me and there was all this pressure to perform at school. I discovered the only times I could relax was when I was with you. That’s why I kissed you the first time.” She’d gotten quiet, and I could hear her quietly crying.
“Christy, I do love you. The past is the basis for that love, but it’s past. Now, we have our future, together, I hope,” I said. “Why don’t we hang up for now, and you can go home and relax, unless you have something else to do. We can talk more again tonight.”
“I love you too Eric. That’s a really good idea; I’m starting to get funny looks. But how did you know I wasn’t at home already?” she asked.
“Two reasons, one I can’t tell you yet, and the other is that I can hear outdoor noises: a water fountain, people chatting and laughing. I also overheard the last of your good-bye with a lady named Shelly. Student’s don’t usually room with instructors, and if she was your roommate, she’d be the last person you’d say good-bye to,” I replied.
“Hmm, very good, Sherlock. So when will you tell me the other reason?” she asked happily.
“After our lips part for the first time after you get here. That should be about the second or third day you’re home.”
I could hear her laughing. “You got that right, Little Man!”
“You know, Blondie, I’m not still the scrawny little geek you remember. I think I might surprise you,” I said.
“Why don’t you call me back at bedtime tonight? I do need to practice and work through a case of the nerves. I gotta tell you though, I already feel better about it!” Christy said happily.
“Love always feels better when it’s returned, Honey. Talk to you tonight,” I said.
“Okay, talk to you later... I love you!” Christy said.
“I love you!” I replied and hung up the phone.
We had arrived home while Christy and I’d been talking, so I looked over at my mother.
“Now, all we need is to convince Jamie and Ellie.”
“I don't think it'll be that hard to convince them,” Mom said. “Jamie and I have been discussing moving in together anyway. Ellie adores you, and already calls you her big brother.”
“Do you think Ellie might have a crush on me?” I asked. “Will she be hurt when I tell them about Christy?”
“Maybe a little, but that's pretty common for girls her age,” Mom said. “Just talk to her, that's really the only way to handle this anyway.”
“I suppose,” I replied. “I just don't want to hurt her.”
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“Hi Lady! How are you?” Julie asked her best friend. She could never understand how Jamie’s ex-husband could have cheated on her repeatedly with one of those diseased, skanky, mine-whores. Oh well, he was out of their lives now, forever.
“You sure sound chipper! Did ya get laid or something? If so, please share the secret!” Jamie replied.
“Jamie, you know I don’t kiss and tell!” Julie teased.
“Wow, you are in a good mood,” Jamie replied.
Julie smiled. “Yeah, I guess I am. That's kinda the reason I called,” Julie suddenly remembered what I’d told her about calls being monitored and made a decision. “Think you and shortcake can come down for a visit next weekend? I'd love to tell you all about it, but don’t want to talk over the phone.”
“Actually, we could come down anytime. Ell’s finished the Phys-Ed requirement for the year, and her final tests got mailed in Friday.” Jamie sighed. “Mediscribe downsized me and four thousand others. They’re moving the jobs to Mexico because labor’s cheaper there. I don’t know what’s scarier; losing my only source of incom, or handing over the medical records of a couple hundred thousand people to employees they’re only paying twenty-five cents a day to, and who have English as a second language. Anyway, they bought out my contract, so we’re okay... for a couple months.”
“Oh Honey, I’m so sorry! But it might actually be a good thing; you and peanut grab some clothes, and come on down. Eric and I have something we'd really like to talk to you about,” Julie said. “You’re only an hour away, after all. You two could be here long before dinner.”
Jamie chuckled and almost covered the mouthpiece of the phone. Julie winced and held the phone away from here ear as Jamie yelled.
“Hey Ell? How’d you like to go down and visit Julie and Eric?”
Although muted, Julie heard Ellie's reply, “Absolutely! When are we leaving?”
“How about twenty minutes? That should be enough time to pack, okay?” Jamie asked still loudly enough to be clearly heard.
The muffled reply sounded like 'ready in ten.'
Removing her hand, Jamie said. “I think she might have either a bit of a crush, or at least some hero worship towards Eric. Every time we talk about him her eyes light right up.”
“Hmm, Eric has recently gotten a girlfriend; you don’t think she’ll be hurt, do you?” Julie asked.
“I don’t think so; she likes him, but I don’t think she considers him realistic boyfriend material. But, the rest of this discussion can wait until we get down there. If I’m not ready when she is, she’ll come and 'help' me. I really don’t need my thirteen-year-old daughter looking in some of my drawers!” Jamie said.
“No, I don’t think I'd like someone going through my drawers either,” Julie teased.
Jamie chuckled and replied, “See you in a bit.”
“Drive safely, okay?”
This time, Julie heard Ellie clearly in the background. “You’re still on the phone? I’m packed already! Come on; I’ll help you!”
Julie laughed as she heard the quiet moan from Jamie.
“Here we go! Bye!” Jamie said.
“Bye!” Julie replied, and hung up the phone.
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Meanwhile, I was in my room; I asked Sarah to print out my English and History term papers so I could put each of them in their respective binders. Then I started burning disks for the computer science project; I burned a DVD ROM with my source code, a CD ROM with the installable program, and finally a CD with the interactive tutorial for new users. I got the labels for the disks off the printer and signed the form surrendering the rights to this program to the school district. I hoped Principal Eichens and Superintendent Bock would like it. If they used students to market it to other schools, they stood to make a nice supplement to the school's budget.
With all my homework assignments in my backpack, I turned back to the stuff Julie wanted. With Sarah’s help, I had everything done in just a couple of hours. Just for the hell of it, I added a couple of other programs that I’d written as potential products. I had Sarah compile and include a data sheet on what there was for competition so Julie would have an idea of the market.
I picked up the info for Julie and opened my door to see a very cute redhead wearing a halter-top and tight shorts. She wore her hair loose because she claimed that if anyone ever put pony tails on her she would have to hurt them.
Meeting her smile with one of my own, I said, “Hi, Cuteness.”
“Hi yourself, Handsome. Whatcha doin’?” she asked.
I grabbed her hand and led her back toward the stairs. “I was getting some information together for Mom. Since you’re here tonight, I was wondering if you’d like to go out to dinner with me. There are a few things I’d like to let you in on and maybe talk a little.”
She looked up at me a little nervously. “Eric, it’s not about... I mean... ‘Cause although I really do love you, I’m not gonna follow you around and stuff. I mean, you're like my brother!” she finished anxiously, and quiet
ly, since we were getting close to the hearing range of our mothers.
I stopped and turned to her. “No Sweetheart, don't freak out! This isn't about that, it's about us moving in together, and how you'd feel if I got a girlfriend.”
I could see her thoughts spinning a mile a minute. “Oh, so why do we need to go out for that? We could just talk about that here.”
I shrugged. “A couple of reasons, I thought it'd be neat to leave the two older ladies home for once while we went out, and I'm kind of excited about all the stuff going on in my life right now, and I'd like to celebrate with my 'little sister'!”
“No matter what, we'll always be friends thought, right?” she asked in return.
“I will be your friend longer than you'll want me to be!” I said. Now, let's go see the ladies.”
––––––––
We got to the kitchen where Julie and Jamie were sitting, and I set Mom’s information down on the table for her and winked at her. I gave Jamie a hug, and said Hi to her. “May I have the honor of taking your lovely daughter out to dinner tonight, Milady?” I asked formally, but I had a grin on my face.
“Hmm, I don’t know, what are you intentions towards my Daughter, young man?” Jamie asked, getting into the spirit of the conversation.
“Well,” I said trying to look serious, “I feel I need to be honest with you, I fully intend to make her part of my family.”
“This sounds serious. I don’t know if I should let you be alone with her, after all, she’s only thirteen years old,” Jamie replied in mock seriousness. “If I agreed to this, what time would you have her home tonight?”
I nodded agreement with her. “This is serious, and I understand your concerns. I will have her home by eleven o’clock tonight.”
“I don’t know, eleven is kind of late for such a young girl. I think you should have her home by eight,” Jamie countered.
“Eight!” Ellie crowed.
I winked at her, and she calmed down. I turned back to Jamie. “I can see the need for such an early time, however, it would not give us very much time for conversation and discussing our future together. I’ll have her home by ten-thirty.”
