Jack Be Quick Ch. 08

I kept at it, trying to analyze every little piece of my experiences, afraid I'd miss some lesson that I ought to have learned, until I gave it up. There was only one lesson in the whole bundle - that the most important things in my life, the things that made it all have meaning, that made it all bearable, were Trudy's love for me and my love for her. At times when I could have folded up under the stress, I stood tall for Trudy and told myself that I could fall apart later when nothing important was going on. When things were good, the outstanding memory was of Trudy's sweet face, with her radiant smile and the pure love that she projected. I did everything because of Trudy and for Trudy and to make things better for Trudy. Then when I needed to be stood back up on my feet, Trudy was right there to help me through it.

I don't think I said ten words all the way to the airport. I remember thanking Priscilla as I started up the steps into the plane, and greeting Zack and Jill as we entered. Trudy knew that I had enjoyed Iceland, and I suppose she thought I was silent because I was sorry to leave. Once we got seated in the cabin, I turned to her and took both her hands in mine, so I would have her full attention as I thanked her. The auxiliary power unit was running to keep the cabin air and lights going, and its drone in the background masked the sound of my voice, as I talked very softly to her, saying things that were meant for her ears only. I wrapped it all up at the end with, "Sweetness, you are a very brave woman. I was going to say 'a very brave girl' but you're way past that. You kept going no matter what happened, you managed to stay cheerful, and you supported me and calmed me and nurtured me. Make no mistake, I could never have gone on without you. I can do the defensive driving and shooting and all that, when I know that at the end of it you'll be right there with me. But with all this terror and danger, I don't think I could've even got out of bed if I didn't have you by my side. Of course I love you, you've known that forever. But I need you to know how much I admire you, how much you inspire me. You may not have magic gold bracelets to bounce bullets off, but you're my Wonder Woman and you always will be. If we live to be a hundred, I'll still be trying to improve, because you deserve the very best."

Epilogue

We got back home, into the arms of our loving families, and then back to work. The familiar routines of our lives felt comfortable as we slipped back into them. As the weeks passed, the memory of the bad times we'd lived through gradually dimmed, almost like the recollection of a dream.

Gregory Bates kept Trudy and me on as confidential consultants, and we each got a thousand dollar a month raise. Pete let us keep his burgundy Chevy and he drove a fleet car, which should have told me that something big was afoot. When Red finished totally rebuilding my old car it went to Jerry. This time the body was a Dodge Charger, which wasn't as crowded by the big engine and transmission going fore and aft, the way Henry Ford and Louis Chevrolet and the Dodge brothers and Walter Chrysler and Almighty God intended. It was a real masterpiece, and Jerry was elated to have it.

At work, we rolled out our first complete information security package the following spring, to the sound of champagne corks popping and high fives slapping all over the lab. Now there's a strange sight, grown men and women, some of whom have never even seen a high five, trying to act like sports fans without hurting each other. I taught them all sorts of skills to help them deal with problems. I should have held another in-service class to help them deal with success.

Jim Mangrum had signed on at MIT with the understanding that once this goal had been reached, he was going back to his old associate professor job at the state university. But burned into Glenn Carlson's memory was the helpless, hopeless feeling he had after George's death, and the way Jim stepped in and saved the day. Saved the whole project for Glenn, for MIT, and for the United States, in fact. Glenn understood why Jim wanted to get back to the academic world, but he was afraid that without Jim our project would slide right back into deep shit. Leave it to Glenn to figure out how to fit the pieces of that puzzle together. Like an old riverboat gambler pulling an ace out of each sleeve, he first offered Jim a doctorate based on his technical contributions to the project, and then he capped that with an appointment to a full professorship. Maybe you don't realize it, but there's not a techie in the whole world who wouldn't sell his grandmother to become a professor at MIT. It took Jim about thirteen microseconds to accept the title of Professor of Information Technology, and reach for his phone to cancel the moving van!

Glenn didn't stop there, either. He called a meeting, and Trudy and I met with Glenn, Jim, and Jerry at the Goose. Glenn pulled a chair over next to his, where he could set his attache case and open it up. He handed me a fat manila envelope, and I pulled out a diploma granting me a bachelor's degree. I was just about overcome with surprise and Trudy grabbed me and kissed some life back into me. And then she got up and grabbed Glenn in a big hug and gave him a kiss, too. Glenn was speechless, and I was still fumbling for the right words, but Trudy took over. "Dr. Carlson, this means a lot more to us than you might realize. Not long ago we were just a couple of kids, stepping out of high school and blinking in the glare of the real world. We were determined to get an education but we were terrified of being separated by hundreds of miles to do it. This job, and being in MIT, meant Jack could be with me, and being together meant that we could completely immerse ourselves in our work. This degree tells us and the world that we made the right decisions. Our hopes and dreams are coming true, and we're not just a couple of confused kids any more, we've stepped up to being responsible adults. Thank you so much. This is absolutely marvelous!"

"All right, Trudy. Since you are the spokesperson for the Jack and Trudy team, let me dangle a carrot out ahead of you. A year from now we hope to have the next major package ready to go. If that works out, meaning if it does what it's supposed to and it's reasonably close to budget and schedule, I'll add a master's degree diploma to go on Jack's wall right below that one. I've learned a lot in the years that I've been here at MIT, and I know what a complicated business this is. Nobody does it alone. So I watch out for people who are willing to stretch and struggle to help us reach our goals. I know I said this before, but I repeat that this is the best team I've ever coached."

About that time, Pete walked into the restaurant and came on back to our table. "I called your office, Glenn, and when I heard you were in a meeting I thought I'd find you here," he said.

We all greeted him and I slid my chair over to make room between Jerry and me. Everybody talked at once, and I showed him my bright, shiny new diploma. Pete clapped me on the shoulder and congratulated me. Then he looked over the whole bunch of us. "I think of you all as The Dream Team," he said. "It happens I have some news of my own. First of all, Jerry, you can get a shave and haircut and go back to dressing like a real FBI Special Agent. You are now a Deputy to the Special Agent in Charge of the Boston office. You now have my job, and you'll still oversee this project. You'll get enough of a raise to pay for your haircuts and dry cleaning. I want to explain to all of you that a whole lot has gone on that you couldn't see, and Jerry has been right in the middle of it all, right around the clock when he had to be. That's all I'm allowed to say about it. Along with the promotion and raise, there's a letter waiting for him at the office, a special commendation signed by the Director himself. We don't get to see those every day.

"Now that Jerry's promotion is official, I'm free to be reassigned. I'm leaving next week for Kansas City, to fill in for one of our people there who's on medical leave. From there I'll be moving on to a job as Special Agent in Charge of some regional office, but I won't know where for a month or so."

* * * * * * * * * *

You must think that's the end, but in a way it was only the beginning for us. Glenn Carlson has been like a father to all of us, and he's good at it. He has a couple of grownup sons, whom I'd never met. But a dad is a dad is a dad, and I'd known for a long time that he regarded Trudy as somebody special, almost like the bright, gifted daughter that he'd never had. So I wasn't totally surprised when he showed up with some good news for her, too.

I'm sorry that I have to keep interrupting my narrative to explain something, but if you don't live in Cambridge you might not understand the way things are with those two famous neighbors, Harvard and MIT. On the surface they maintain an arm's length relationship. I guess they'd like everybody to think that Harvard is all humanities and MIT is all hard science, and never the twain shall meet. But how does that explain Paul Samuelson, who was not an engineer but an economist, of all things? He took his degrees at MIT and became the first American ever to win a Nobel Prize in Economics. He has been regarded as the father of scientific Economics. He became head of the MIT Econ Department. Under his leadership, the department became a powerful force that attracted the best and brightest, including five (Wow! Count 'em, five!) more Nobel Prize winners! That's just one example of how these big, important schools operate in a world of ideas, and the influence of their brilliant people extends well beyond their campuses.

True to that tradition, Glenn had friends all over and was very highly regarded at Harvard, even among people who couldn't even spell hexadecimal. He persuaded one of their deans to examine Trudy's record and interview her, which led to Harvard giving her the same kind of directed studies deal that MIT had given me. So she no longer has to spend her days in rigidly scheduled classes, and instead has meaningful discussions with professors, which lead to fresh ideas, which lead to independent study and research, which lead to learned papers. If she ever bundles all her term papers together she'll have nearly enough material for a doctoral thesis. So now she's sailing through the undergrad curriculum like a Hobie Cat darting down the Charles River on a breezy day, and she's already started to squeeze in some studies that will apply toward her master's degree.

Back when we were high school seniors, we set the goal of first getting our bachelor's degrees and then getting married. I'm pleased to say that we're still committed to that plan. But the time frame has changed, now that we're not talking about four years of undergraduate study any more. We expected that we'd be 22 when we'd get our degrees, and that we'd marry in June of the following year, when we'd be 23. But now, with my bachelor's degree in hand and Trudy's not far off, we've already started to plan our wedding. Ever since Iceland we've kept in close touch with Tom and Annette, and they'll be our best man and matron of honor. That's all, just the four of us in the wedding party. Keeping it simple. But the reception, now that's another story. The guest list keeps growing, and I think it'll be a huge fiesta. We're very happy, and we want to have a big bash to share our happiness with our friends. But single or married, the essence of our life is very simple - two people deeply in love, our bond tested by all we've been through together, and still holding strong.

We're far from the first couple to have proven the truth of the old saying, "All's well that ends well." We probably haven't even made it into the first billion. Then there's that other platitude, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." I had some doubts there, but I guess that one worked for us, too. We're more mature, wiser, stronger, more confident. In a world full of angry young people, we're the exceptions - totally contented, grateful for our many blessings, and not mad at anybody.

I sincerely hope that I'll never look into the muzzle of another machine gun, but even if we had to go back and live our lives over, all things considered, I wouldn't change a thing!