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From: Lazlo Zalezac <lzalezac@yahoo.com>
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Subject: {ASSM} John Carter III 02 (mf mmf ffm ff mm sci-fi)
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 22:10:03 -0400
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<1st attachment, "Crossroad02.txt" begin>
DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. If you are offended by
sexually explicit material or are under the age of 18, stop reading
now. This material cannot be reproduced for commercial purposes
without the consent of the author.
John Carter
By
Lazlo Zalezak
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezak, 2003
Part 3: Robes of Acumen
Chapter 2
John sat on his folding chair, occasionally sipping a glass of iced
tea, watching the stars overhead. The moon wasn't out and the stars
shone brighter than normal. The Milky Way stretched across the
sky. As he started at the Milky Way, he wondered how many
people had never seen it. Throughout the night, John watched a
satellite move slowly across the sky.
The dogs in town barked as a truck with a hole in the muffler
rumbled through town. It had to be one of the last cars running
without a Fusion Battery powering it. Of course, on moonless
nights, the dogs barked at everything. Earlier, John and Ed had
actually heard a coyote howl in the far off distance. It was nice to
sit and contemplate the universe in all its glory.
Ed returned to the parapet and sat in his chair. The two men sat
quietly for a long time. John stated, "You know, I came out here to
write my dissertation."
Ed laughed lightly as he stated, "I remember."
"So where are you going to go to write yours?"
Ed answered, "I was going to stay here."
John shook his head while he said, "There's too much going on
here. I bet you would have been done with your research a year
ago without all of the distractions around here. You need to find
some place quiet to work."
Ed thought about the suggestion. It was a good idea, but there was
too much here that needed him. Then he realized that was John's
point. John was suggesting that he take some time for himself. "I'll
try to think of a place."
John nodded and looked up at the sky some more. He watched as a
meteorite raced across the sky. He wondered what people wished
for on a falling star. He couldn't think of anything that he could
wish for that he didn't already have. He turned to face Ed. "How
are your personal finances?"
Ed laughed and then answered, "Great. When you told me that
people would pay me to work on what I truly loved, I didn't
believe you. I still can't believe how much consulting work I've
gotten and I haven't even completed my doctorate."
"Darn it. I was hoping to give you some money for you to spend
while you are writing your dissertation."
"No need."
"I was afraid of that. You have no idea how much work it is to give
away money to responsible people."
Ed studied John for a couple of minutes. He knew that John was
bothered by all of the money that he had to manage. He asked,
"What is your most expensive project?"
John answered, "The emergency relief group. It costs five billion a
year to operate."
"Is it successful?"
"Oh yes. We have thousands of people working for it. It has saved
thousands of lives and billions of dollars."
Ed asked, "Whose money does it save?"
"The money saved is a little difficult to place. While everyone
talks about the money saved as being insurance money, most of it
is actually saved by the victims. Their insurance rates go down.
When there is damage, their portion of the cost is reduced."
Ed stated, "So the direct beneficiaries of your program are the
people that work in it and the people that are served by it?"
"Yes." John thought about that project. There were also secondary
beneficiaries to it. They stored sufficient food to feed twenty
thousand people for ten days in six major sections of the country.
Twice a year, they replaced half of the stored food. This was high
quality food, steaks, hamburgers, ribs, chicken, canned vegetables,
canned fruits, and beverages of all kinds.
The food being replaced was cooked and served in poverty
sections of major metropolitan areas over a weekend. A whole area
of the city would be cordoned off. Thousands of volunteers and
working employees of the program patrolled the area providing a
safe environment. Bands played and local theaters put on plays
generating a festival atmosphere. Cops stood in line with punks to
get food. Two festivals each year, with breakfast, lunch, dinner,
and snacks provided, helped form real communities.
Ed asked, "So what is your second most expensive charity?"
John thought about it, "I guess the quick clinic program."
Ed nodded, "How's it working?"
"Great. We have fifty clinics in poor neighborhoods. They provide
basic triage for the larger hospitals. We treat minor cuts, scrapes,
colds, and other simple problems. We keep a large enough staff so
that waiting times are short. We've reduced the walk-in patient
load in the major hospitals by ninety percent. Since our services
are free, the costs at the hospitals are reduced. The communities
now have access to good health care. Everyone has won."
Ed suggested, "So you provide a few essential services to anyone
and the results spread far beyond those people?"
John agreed, "Yes, that was the goal in setting up that one."
Ed stated, "When you set up the foundation, you had selected
education, arts, crisis, health, and research as the major project
areas. How are they going?"
John answered, "Health and crisis are great. I just told you about
them. Research is developing slowly, but some progress is being
made. Education isn't showing much progress though. The arts are
a total loss."
"So why isn't education showing much progress?"
John thought about it for a while, "I guess that is because the
people that need it the most appreciate it the least."
"Maybe you are targeting the people in the wrong way."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, with education you are trying to get kids into the program
that don't want it. You are targeting public school kids with
afternoon programs. They have an alternative that is just as free --
television. You have a college scholarship program, but only a
third of the available scholarships are actually taken. Instead, you
should focus on a program that represents the only option for many
people and that serves a greater need than the people involved."
John thought about it for a minute. "I'm not sure how to put
together a program like that."
Ed asked, "How about the Indian Program that you started?"
John smiled, "It is a success. William Redman's idea of starting a
free college for people of Native American descent with social
programs aimed at improving conditions for their people was very
good. The fact that it is a five-year degree with courses on Native
American culture, history, and religion is offset by its price. Where
else can they get a full free education complete with living
expenses covered?"
Ed smiled, "So start your own university for Druids. You're the
Grand Druid and, as such, you can establish legitimacy for the
Druid component. Same criteria except require that all graduates
be willing to present themselves to the Gods and Goddesses."
John thought about it for a minute, "We also need to make sure
that they have a proper mindset before we admit them. It's not a
bad idea, though. I'll have to work out some of the details."
Ed smiled. He knew his husband would have no problem. John
would think it through and one day soon there would be a new
university. He would identify the level of funding necessary and
then set it up over funded.
The two men turned their attention back to the stars overhead. The
satellite was just about to disappear below the horizon. Their quiet
time was interrupted by the arrival of Bill. "Gentlemen, I have a
request."
John turned to face Bill. He was suddenly concerned for the man.
The staff very seldom made requests. The only time that they did
was when something was seriously wrong. "What do you need?"
"I need some time off."
Ed turned to Bill with concern. It was a real need; his truth sense
confirmed it. He requested, "If I may ask, what is the problem?"
Bill's voice cracked, "I'd rather not burden you with it."
Ed realized that his statement was both true and false. Bill wanted
to talk to someone, but he didn't feel it was right to impose on his
bosses with a personal problem. "I know you feel uncomfortable
about bringing personal problems to us, but often times it is nice to
talk about them. We hope that you are comfortable enough here
with us to honor us by sharing your problems. We can often help."
Bill considered Ed's statement. He wondered if he truly meant they
would be honored by him just by telling about his problem. He
stated, "My mother has cancer. She's been the sole caretaker of my
father. He has Alzheimer's. I need to take care of them."
John listened carefully. The mother's problem could be handled
easily enough with their clinic here. The father was another matter.
That disease would get progressively worse and could last for
years. He asked, "What are your long term plans for your father?"
Bill stated, "I have no idea. I guess I'll have to put him in a home
of some kind."
"Why don't you open a home?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that you could open a home yourself. Your father could be
a patient while you run it."
Bill heard John's suggestion. There were so many impediments to
it. He didn't know the first thing about opening a private care
facility. He had significant investments that could be used towards
establishing such a business. His room and board had been
provided ever since he started working here. He saved the majority
of his very high salary. Still, he wasn't sure that he could deal with
the responsibilities associated with a private care facility. "I don't
know if I can do that."
"I'll tell you what we can do. You bring your parents here. We'll
put your mother in the clinic here at the house. You move into my
old house with your father. We'll get a couple of fulltime assistants
to help you with him. You'll be able to leave the house and stay
with your mother as much as you want. In the meantime, we'll hire
a consultant to tell us exactly what needs to be done to start a full
care facility."
Bill thought about it. He liked the idea, but he wanted to talk to his
mother first and find out how she would like it. He stated, "I'll have
to talk to my mother. However, I'm pretty sure she'll want to stay
there."
John stated, "Okay. You go there and talk to her. Then let us know
what she's decided. If she wants to stay there, then we adjust the
plans. We can have several full-time nurses brought in to take care
of her and your father. We can set up the whole house to be clinic
and get your mother the best care possible."
The offer really touched Bill quite deeply. As his voice quivered
with emotion he asked, "Why are you doing this for me?"
John thought about how to answer the question. The offer came to
his mind before he even considered whether he should do it or not.
He replied, "I care about you and you've been a member of this
family since it started. I'm doing this because you can use the help
to get through these trying times. However, it is also the right thing
to do. You are not alone in having this problem. By helping you,
I'm helping others as well."
Bill was too choked up to answer. His eyes misted. John stood up
and embraced him. As John held him tightly, Bill broke down and
cried. John held him until he regained his composure. John stated,
"Now, go pack your things. I'll get a jet here to take you to your
parents in Florida. You'll be there by the morning."
Bill stepped back, "What about my duties?"
John laughed, "We'll ask Jim to provide us with one of his
assistants. If there is anything important they need to know, I'm
sure that you'll call them and let them know."
"Thank you."
Ed watched Bill walk away. He knew that Bill was going to have a
rough couple of days getting things in hand. He turned to John and
stated, "I'll follow him there tomorrow afternoon. He'll need
someone to interview the staff."
John asked, "Why not go with him tonight?"
Ed knew that John was going to have a rough day tomorrow as
well. He stated, "You'll need me to interview people tomorrow.
You know that he won't be coming back. He's going to do what
you suggested."
John nodded, "Okay. Check out the temporary person tomorrow.
Fly there and take care of Bill. When you get back, we'll start the
search for a fulltime replacement. For now, we'll consider the
person to be an assistant for him until he formally makes a
decision."
Ed nodded, "Good. We may want to look for another person to be
a fulltime housekeeper. Ling is pulling triple duty by handling
security, assistant cook, and house cleaning. If Bill does not come
back, we can still get another assistant."
John thought about it. "There's another reason you want to get two
more, possibly three."
"Can't pull the wool over your eyes."
"Darn right. Now tell me the other reason."
Ed laughed, "Since you won't let me weasel out of telling you, I'll
put it simply. I think we need to retain a gender balance."
John nodded as he concurred, "I didn't think of that, but you are
right."
Ed suggested, "Do you think that we should let the staff interview
candidates before the candidates talk to us?"
"You need to talk to them first. We don't want the staff to get
excited about someone only to have you discover that the person is
a pathological liar or something."
"Right. I'll brief them on the job responsibilities and get a sense of
them first."
John stated, "Good. Let me call a jet to take him from Phoenix to
Miami. I'll make arrangements for you as well."
John stood up to leave when Kelly appeared at the door to the
palisade. She stated, "Beth and I will be flying with Bill. We'll
double check everything there."
Ed stated, "Well, I'm not sure that is necessary at this time. I'm
going down there in the afternoon to help interview people. I've
got a feeling he's going to be staying there."
Kelly replied, "Do you even know what questions to ask a nurse?"
"No."
"Well, Bill needs us now and not this afternoon. Beth and I will go
with him. You come in the afternoon." She looked at them both
with an expression that dared them to contradict her.
Ed and John looked at each other and knew there was nothing they
could say that would change her mind. Ed stated, "Okay, that's a
plan."
John went downstairs with Kelly. She went to her room to pack
and he went to the office to make the telephone call. He called up
the jet charter service that he frequently used when time was
essential. It took less than a minute to arrange both jets.
He went to Beth's room and knocked on the door. She answered
looking harried. "Hi, I'm just packing. If you want to chat while
I'm working, come on in."
John entered, "Take care of Bill for us. Check out his mother and
father to see if there've been any mistakes. Line up a couple of
nurses to take care of both of them while you are there. When he
decides what to do, let me know."
Beth was frantically putting outfits into her suitcase. She shot a
glance over at him that suggested he was stating the obvious. He
added, "He's going to need some tender loving care for a while."
Beth smiled at John, "Don't worry, we won't make him look too far
afield for it."
John laughed, "Well, don't wear him out. He's going to need some
energy to deal with the situation there."
John drove them all to the airport in the large van. He drove up to
the building occupied by the private charter company. A small
squadron of people came bustling out to get their luggage. In ten
minutes, they were seated aboard the small jet. As John waited for
it to take off, he turned to the man in charge, asking, "Could you
make sure they are met by a limousine when they arrive?"
"Of course, Dr. Carter. Is there anything else that I can do for
you?"
John thought for a moment before asking, "Yes, can you arrange
for two bouquets of flowers to be there when they land? Let them
know that one is for Bob to give to his mother and the other is
from the Carter clan."
"I'll get right on it."
"Thank you. Ed will be flying down there this afternoon. I hope
that won't be a problem."
"No problem. The jet is already on its way here."
"Great." John left the airport, taking the most direct route home. It
was going to be very late before he arrived home.
John woke in the morning, dressed, and performed his normal
morning ritual. He went to the kitchen in search of breakfast.
Marguerite was at the table reading a recipe book. He got out a
bowl, milk, and a box of cereal. He joined her at the table. "Good
morning."
She glanced up at him and then down at his breakfast. She snorted,
"Garbage. All you eat is garbage."
He laughed, as he answered, "I didn't want to disturb you."
She glared at him, stating, "my job is to make sure you don't eat
garbage!"
He laughed as he repeated a line from a commercial. "Kids love it
and parents recommend it."
He fixed his bowl of cereal while Marguerite watched. She finally
stated, "It's a very nice thing you are doing for Bill."
"I'm just happy that I can help. How did you know?"
She sighed, "I talked to Bill this morning. His mother wants to stay
there where all of her friends are. He's going to stay there and open
the clinic that you discussed with him. He talked to Ed, too."
John nodded as he processed the information. He asked, "So how
do you feel about losing Bill?"
She was quiet for a while. She was going to miss Bill, he was nice
and a considerate lover. She smiled, "Ed said that he was going to
hire three more people. So I guess I'll have two more men and a
new woman to sleep with."
John had just shoveled a spoonful of cereal in his mouth. He nearly
choked at her response. He had expected a more serious answer.
As he struggled, she added, "We'll see if any of them can make
Ling scream."
"You aren't going to let me live that down, are you?"
"If I remember correctly, she isn't the only one you've made
scream."
"Well, she's so embarrassed by that night she's never invited me
back." John could understand why the shy Ling wouldn't want to
embarrass herself with a repeat performance. Everyone had teased
them both for a week.
Marguerite looked back down at the cookbook and muttered, "Men
are so stupid sometimes."
John couldn't quite make out what Marguerite had said. He asked
for clarification, "What did you say?"
"Nothing. Just reading an ingredient out loud."
"Oh," replied John.
Ed came in the kitchen and grabbed a cup of coffee. He sat down
next to Marguerite. He stated, "I have lined up a bunch of
interviews at a temporary agency for later this morning and
afternoon. I would like everyone to come there and help us select
the new people."
John nodded, "What about the person from Jim's office?"
Ed smiled, "She's coming too."
John asked, "Who is it?"
"Cathy, his public relations person. He said that she already works
for you, you might as well pay her directly."
John laughed. That had been a long-standing joke between them
and Jim. John didn't want to steal Jim's employees away from him,
but Cathy was perfect. The staff already knew and liked her. The
Carter clan knew and trusted her. He chuckled as he teased the
cook. "Now our Marguerite here just might get a chance to sleep
with her."
She retorted, "Already happened. However, you are going to have
to wait a year before the extended benefits package becomes
available to her. Eat your heart out, boss."
Ed laughed at the look on John's face. He said, "She got you."
Several hours later, Ed and John were in a private room waiting to
interview someone. They had been sitting there since they had
arrived three hours ago and not one candidate had passed the
questioning of the staff. John asked, "Do you think they are being
too rough on the candidates?"
Ed stated, "I don't know. They are probably taking about fifteen
minutes a candidate, so they've gone through about a dozen by
now."
Their discussion was interrupted by a knock on the door. A young
man entered the room and sat down. Ed stared at him, the man had
not been in the group that he had interviewed earlier. John stated,
"Hello. May I have your resume?"
Ed interrupted, "Please put your resume on the table and then
leave. We'll be in touch with you."
John looked at Ed in surprise. The young man pulled out a resume
and laid it on the table. He stated, "I'm sure that when you consider
my qualifications I'll be hearing from you."
Ed watched the man leave the room. He didn't realize that he had
been holding his breath until it came out in a blast. He turned to
John, "He's a psychopath."
John looked at Ed, "What do you mean?"
"I mean he's as sick as Henry Buckman. Don't touch the resume.
We'll send it to your friends in the FBI and let them deal with
him." The sense of revulsion that had washed over Ed slowly
began to release its grip on him.
John picked up the telephone and dialed Ann's telephone number.
She answered on the first ring. He stated that Ed found someone
that he suspected of being another serial killer. He told her they
had a paper here with his fingerprints on it and requested her to
send an agent over to collect it. He even added the word please to
his request.
John looked back at Ed. He consoled him, "We'll get him, don't
worry."
Ed shook his head as he stated, "I've never had such a reaction to
anyone before. That guy literally glowed with evil."
John stated, "Good thing you were here."
Ed went to the door and looked into the room. The staff was
interviewing another person. "I guess we should ask the
receptionist to take a paper into them to let them know we didn't
accept that guy."
John took care of it. The two men went back to waiting. After
thirty minutes, a FBI agent showed up and bagged the resume. He
left discreetly when there was a knock on the door. John and Ed
returned to the table. John stated, "Come in."
A woman entered the room. She had the hair, high cheekbones,
and eyes of a Native American. John and Ed looked at each other
with surprise. They had expected the staff to pass on only men. Ed
stated, "Please come in and have a seat."
"Thank you," stated the woman as she walked to the chair and sat
down. She looked up at them for a second and then set a resume on
the table in front of them. "I'm Sarah Redman. I understand that
you have a domestic position open."
"Yes, we do." John answered. He thought about the name and
wondered if she was related to William Redman.
"Good, I'll take it."
Ed and John looked at each other in surprise. This was a very
confident young lady. John asked, "Are you related to William
Redman?"
She looked at John for a moment. She nodded, "Yes, he is my
grandfather. How is it that you know him?"
John replied, "I took a journey with him once. We have a mutual
respect for each other."
She raised her eyebrows in disbelief. She retorted, "My grandfather
only respects one white man and that's John Carter."
Ed smiled, "Allow me to introduce ourselves. I'm Ed Biggers and
this is John Carter."
She actually blushed when she realized with whom she was
talking. She had the grace to apologize, "Oh, I'm sorry I didn't
realize."
"No problem," replied John. He asked, "Are you aware of our
lifestyle?"
"I believe that I have a good idea."
Ed asked, "Would you mind telling me what you believe it
encompasses?"
She stated, "I know that you two are married to each other and to
two women. If I got the job, then I would live in your house.
Consequently, I would probably see each of you undressed,
particularly in the pool area. Since I'm a nudist, you can walk
around naked all day long for all I care."
John asked, "Any thing else?"
She shrugged, "The staff stated that they tended to swap beds quite
frequently and that I would be invited to join. I like men and
women. They all seemed quite nice and I don't think that would be
a problem."
John looked at Ed. Ed stated, "She tells the truth."
John stated, "Before we hire you, I want you to talk to your
grandfather and Robert White Feather. If I hear back from Robert
White Feather that they both agree you can work in the house for
us, we'll hire you. If they have a problem with it, we'll find you a
position within the Fusion Foundation. Is that acceptable for you?"
She sat back and looked at John. She stated, "Neither one of them
is particularly pleased with my lifestyle. Why do you insist on their
permission for me to work for you?"
John smiled as he answered, "Because I respect them both. Your
grandfather established the Native American College. Robert
White Feather has helped us many times in the past."
Sarah looked puzzled as she asked, "Grandfather did what?"
"He established the Native American College. You didn't know
that?"
She frowned as she thought back to past discussions with her
grandfather. She stated, "No wonder he looked smug when I told
him that it was just another white man's project to turn us into
white men."
John laughed aloud as he remembered her grandfather's advice to
Linda Redman to come visit him. William felt that she had much
to learn from him. If he knew William, the old man would insist
that she work for him. "I'm sure that he was highly amused."
She stated, "I seriously doubt he'll give me permission. He wants
me to go to school. He says that I need to find my Indian heritage."
John smiled, "Talk to him. You might be surprised by what he
says."
<1st attachment end>
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