CHAPTER 37

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I interviewed twenty candidates over the next week with the help of Simon who had been with me from the beginning. I tendered offers to eighteen, rejecting the other two despite their excellent qualifications. One was an arrogant ass, just what I didn't need in a business where my techs would interact with customers every hour of every day. The other reject was absolutely brilliant, but had virtually no communication skills. He would be better off in a position where he interacted with computers instead of people. I'd known two like him while in graduate school.

In spite of my busy schedule, Sara and I used Wednesday morning to drive into the village of Northport to get our marriage license and, hopefully, speak to the magistrate about marrying us. Getting the license was a breeze, but we learned that the magistrate only worked part-time. However, the clerk told us the magistrate's name and where his office was located. We were there less than ten minutes later.

I held the door for Sara and we entered the lawyer's office hand-in-hand. Stepping up to the receptionist's desk I asked to speak with Mr. Osborne. "Do you have an appointment," she asked.

"No, but we'd really appreciate it if we could speak with him. I doubt we'll need more than five minutes." She spoke on the phone for just a minute and asked us to follow her to a conference room.

A minute later a short portly man entered and greeted us. "Good morning, I'm Wiley Osborne. How can I help you?"

"I've read on the internet that magistrates can perform marriages in New York State. We'd like very much if you could marry us at my home on December 9th. Of course, I'd be willing to pay you for your time. Would a thousand be sufficient?"

"Let me see if I understand you correctly. You're willing to pay me a thousand dollars for what will probably be ten to fifteen minutes of work?"

"Yes, of course you'll have travel time to the end of Bluff Road."

"You know, I usually charge $70 for marriages performed in Village Hall."

"Yes, but my best man is coming in from Boston the day before because he has to work. He's an instructor at Tufts University and he has two classes Friday morning. He doesn't have tenure so he can't risk canceling them. I'm having Peter Luger cater a late lunch and you and your wife are welcome to join us if you wish."

"What time did you have in mind?"

"We were hoping for 10:30 or 11:00. I'd pay you in cash that morning."

"It's a deal. Would you mind telephoning my secretary the day before as a reminder? I'll put it into my calendar, but I sometimes forget." He gave me his card. One glance and it was burned into my memory. We thanked Mr. Osborne and walked out into a beautiful November day. I drove Sara home where we kissed before I turned around on my way to the office.

Simon and I finished the interviews the following Thursday afternoon and within the next two months I'd have thirty-five new techs assigned to my new office in Arlington, Virginia. They'd be on the job in the Pentagon once they had completed their month of training and the federal government's vetting program. The thirty-sixth--one Calvin Wilson--would report to work here. Calvin, an Afro-American, had an interesting interview. After the initial test in which I asked each candidate to crack into my laptop, something that was absolutely impossible, I asked about his run-in with the law when he was thirteen.

"Simple; I was a know-it-all punk. I got involved with this gang and I thought it was the coolest thing. They sent me to pick up a few drugs from some 'supplier.' Fortunately, he turned out to be an undercover cop. Rather than take me into the station he took me to the Boys and Girls Club and sat me down in front of a computer. I knew about computers, of course, but I had never actually used one. I grew up with my grandma and we were poor as dirt. My school had a computer lab, but I never saw anyone in it. I think they were concerned with vandalism or theft.

"Anyway, that was the first time I ever sat at a computer. Like most kids I started by playing games, but then I got curious. I wanted to know how the computer worked. Detective Cooley arranged for me to audit a course at the local community college. I loved it. Not only did I do well in that course, but I started to do really well in my regular school work, too. I ditched the gang and became a real student instead. The rest, as they say, is history. I got a full scholarship to the University of Chicago. I still see Detective Cooley. He saved my life and he's become one of my best friends." I already knew that. I'd gotten the story straight from Cooley's mouth. He called it his greatest triumph. I thought he was absolutely right. I offered Calvin a job on the spot. He would be able to start in less than a month once he had been able to relocate his grandmother to Long Island.

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In some ways Sara could be extremely progressive. Our sex life was an open book and she was both imaginative and energetic. She always wanted to try new things, new positions—some of which were potentially dangerous. Yet, in other matters she could be very old-fashioned. That's why I never saw her wedding outfit. I had offered to buy her an expensive gown. I could afford the best, after all. But Sara turned me down cold. "What a colossal waste of money. Why don't you donate it to some worthy charity?" I wrote a check for $10,000 to the Salvation Army.

The other thing that got me was that Sara was moving out the night before the wedding. I didn't understand why, but she said it was bad luck to see the bride before the ceremony. I shook my head several times, but agreed when she told me how much she would look forward to our first night as husband and wife. "Just think how badly I'll miss you tonight and how much I'll want you tomorrow night."

So it was that I kissed Sara good-bye on Friday afternoon when I got home from my haircut and manicure appointments. I waved as Cara drove her away, already missing the love of my life. With a sigh I climbed into my Highlander and drove to the Islip-MacArthur Airport where I met Rob and his date, Allison. She explained that she was a grad student in math at Harvard and that she and Rob had met at some social event that had been organized by Pi Mu Epsilon, the national mathematics honor society. "We talked about our work for a while and somehow the subject turned to how math was involved in computer programming. Then Rob told me how he had roomed with a programming genius. Of course, I assumed he was exaggerating, but when I looked you up on Google I was amazed. Rob also told me about your 'girlfriend,' Daisy and her mother. Wow, what a total bitch! Anyway, Rob and I have been seeing each other for a while and when he asked me if I'd like to meet you I jumped at the chance."

"Thanks for the compliments, but I'm just an ordinary guy who's been extremely lucky." I spent the next ten minutes explaining how I met Sara when I thought she was Cara and the expression on my face the following morning when I found myself between the two of them. Allison roared with laughter. That stopped when I pulled into my driveway.

"This is some house, John. Holy cow!"

"I should tell you, Allison, that Rob is a dyed-in-the-wool Yankee fan and he's always quoting either Phil Rizzuto or Yogi Berra."

"I know," she giggled. I've learned the hard way. Can you show us the house when we go in?" That's exactly what I did, first showing them to a bedroom that was as far away from our bedroom as possible. I finished the tour by showing them the view from the back yard. They washed up and I took them out for dinner—nothing fancy, that would come tomorrow when the catering crew from Peter Luger arrived around eleven, shortly after my dream came true.