Engineering a Perfect Solution

I thought for a minute and then picked up the phone and called Crys. "Hi honey; listen, are you up for seafood tonight?" I heard her response which was 'Always.' "Fine, meet me there at 6:30. I will be bringing a new employee with me. She needs to pick her car up at the airport." I listened and then replied, "Yes, she is a she and yes she is very beautiful and you will like her because you and she are just alike." I grinned at her last comment before I hung up. Heather looked confused.

"In answer to your question, instead of you fighting all of that crap, we will meet my wife for dinner. The place is right on the way to the airport. After dinner, I will take you to get your car. How does that sound?"

"You don't have to do that, but if you do, I will be eternally grateful." She paused for a moment and then asked, "I take it that she was asking about me being another woman in your life and what I looked like."

"She was teasing me. We play the spouse protects his or her turf stuff frequently. I am usually the one who teases her because she works with a lot of horny men. She isn't jealous at all and I meant what I told her; she will like you. She is a statistician and works in demographics for an ad agency. She can crunch numbers that most people don't even know exist." I could see Heather's nostrils flare with excitement.

"How cool is that? I would love to pick her brain. I took stat of course, but there is a lot more that I would like to know."

"You will get your chance starting tonight. It is four now; let's get out of here at 5:30. It will take about an hour to get to the restaurant in the evening traffic."

She had a twinkle in her eye when she asked, "You grinned just before you hung up. What did she say?"

"You don't want to know."

"You might be surprised. Tell me."

"She said that I can't sleep with you until after she does. Now, I expect that I have totally embarrassed you and you think that we are very kinky."

Instead of being embarrassed, she simply asked, "Does your wife sleep with other women?"

"Not that I know of. She just says that to keep me in line."

Heather smiled, "That's what I figured, but thought I would clarify it first. I am looking forward to meeting her." She paused and then added, "For the record, I have never slept with a woman either, but I am more comfortable around a woman than most men. I get hit on by a lot of women, but generally, I like having women friends."

"You and Crys will get along just fine."

Heather rose and went back to her office while I checked my e-mail again before turning to a couple of new reports.

At 5:30, I stood up and stretched and then went to Heather's office. She was so deeply involved in something on the computer that she didn't notice my presence. "It is 5:30, Heather; are you ready to get out of here?"

"Look at this." She turned her monitor so that I could see it. "When you built this, you used two gears with a short link between them. If we took a double gear, one larger and one smaller, we could save that half inch."

"That would require a custom designed gear which we didn't have time to do and if I remember right, they needed to work at different speeds."

"They do but the difference in speed is small and would still be within the specs if we set the speed half way between their design speeds. And we have time to get a custom gear designed and made this time."

I thought about it for a minute and then announced, "Get your things; you are making me look bad eight years after the fact."

"I am not! You made an elegant and great design based on what you had to work with then. This time, some of those constraints aren't there. Your design is still valid; actually, it is flawless. This one little thing can make a big difference and save a ton of time now. And yes, I am ready; let's go meet your wife." She rose and took her purse and we left to meet Crys.

As I pulled onto the freeway, I went into my normal routine of thinking about work things. I immediately went to Heather's idea and quickly discovered that she was right. Then I thought about how to make it happen. I was thinking about several options when Heather tentatively asked, "Are you angry about my idea?"

I realized that I must have given her the wrong impression. "Heavens no, Heather. You are right and I don't have a single problem with it. I was trying to think about how to make it happen so we could try it out. We have a new computer controlled milling machine to make prototypes, but no one has been to school yet to learn how to program it."

"Is it the National 2100, by chance?"

"Yes, it is. Do you know it?"

"I don't know the machine itself, but my professor was the one who wrote the software for it. I helped him and I can write at least some basic programs for it."

"You shouldn't have said that because now, you have another job on your plate." I grinned at her but she was beaming.

After that, I shut down my usual thought process and we talked about her home and college experiences. That made the drive in traffic much more pleasant than brooding over how to turn a piece of metal into a precision part.

When we arrived at the restaurant, I saw Crys' car in the lot and knew that we already had a table. I led Heather inside while holding her elbow. Once inside, it was easy to spot Crys because she stood up and smiled. I also noticed that she gave Heather a quick but thorough inspection as we walked to the table. She had already had a bottle of wine and three glasses waiting.

"Honey, this is Heather Harlowe. She started with us last week while I was gone. I just met her this morning and am totally impressed. Heather, this is the love of my life. Her name is Crystal, but if you want to stay on her good side, call her Crys."

Crys smiled at Heather and said, "Forgive my husband; he has a bad habit of understating the obvious. He said that you were beautiful, but you are way beyond that."

Before Heather could reply, I said, "Crys, Heather and I had this discussion at lunch. She is very aware of how people see her, but wants to earn her stripes professionally."

Crys replied, "A woman after my own heart. But I am still going to keep a close eye on this bad boy. If he gives you any problems, call me and I will fix it."

"Thank you Crys; I appreciate that, but he told me that you wouldn't let him sleep with me until after you had."

Crys turned red and then swatted my arm. "I can't believe that you actually told her that. You are in my dog house for the rest of the night."

"Yes, mistress." I grinned, Heather grinned, and then Crys grinned.

From that moment on, I might have been the waiter or busboy. The two women spent five minutes talking about girl things and then they were into numbers and statistics. I wasn't lost, but I was ignored. I had to interrupt their talk to order what we would have for dinner. After that, all I did was keep their wine glasses full and watched as both Crys and Heather just flowered before my eyes. Crys isn't shy, but she is a lot like me about work. Heather brought out her warm personality and she was also obviously absorbing a lot of things from Crys in return.

I knew that I just needed to support both of them and that is what I did. When dinner was over, I ordered coffee and the talk began to slow down. I finally said, "So, I take it that the two of you can get along without knives or guns."

Crys replied, "Hush, you. My new friend deserves better."

Heather giggled and then replied, "Crys, don't be hard on him. He has treated me perfectly since he didn't even know that I existed until this morning. I already feel confident that I will enjoy working under him. Oops, I mean with him."

Crys replied, "You would feel that same either way. I can tell you that working with Allen will be a lot easier than having to deal with his best friend Jerry. Have you met him yet?"

"Yes, this morning." She grinned, "I felt very confident that if he had his way, my bra and panties would have been on his desk and that we would be taking the day off."

"Yes, you have met Jerry. Allen, I hope that you can tone him down for Heather's sake."

"I have already tried, but it will still be a day-to-day thing." I looked at Heather and added, "I told you to not underestimate Jerry. He is a brilliant engineer, but sometimes he thinks with his little head before his big head kicks into gear."

Heather nodded and replied, "I figured that out. If my clothes got here today, there won't be that much for him to look at tomorrow."

Crys said, "Heather, you could wear a full bear skin and Jerry would still look at you with lust in his eyes. I think that it is the Italian in him. Come to think of it, if you are free Saturday for brunch, you can meet his wife and she can tell you how to handle his oversized libido."

"Let me put it this way, I know my aunt; then I met Allen. Now I have met you. That about sums up the potential I have for a social life so far. I would be more than happy to meet you and Jerry's wife on Saturday; I like girl company. Just tell me where and when." They exchanged phone and e-mail numbers.

Crys then looked at me with a grin. "The airport is ten minutes from here and it is twenty minutes to the house. If you aren't home in forty minutes, I will file for divorce in the morning. Understand?"

"Heather, if we get hung up in traffic between here and the airport, can I stay at your aunt's house tonight. I will need to look for another place to live tomorrow during lunch."

Heather grinned and replied, "Certainly. Anything for my boss; but I warn you that her sofa isn't very comfortable." Both Crys and Heather giggled as I just shook my head.

We walked out to our cars and the two women shared a hug and cheek kiss. Then, I helped Heather into the passenger seat of my car and we left for the airport. This time, she was the silent one during the short drive. Once I was at the entrance to the long term parking area, she turned to me and said with full seriousness, "Allen, I can't tell you how happy I am about today and especially about tonight. I was actually a little afraid of how Crys would respond to me. Some women do go ballistic if they are insecure in their marriage. I didn't feel that way about Crys at all. I hope that we can continue to see each other and become closer. I think I can learn a lot from her."

"I don't think that this will be a problem. Like I told you, she is a lot like me. She focuses on work, but really likes to let the pressure go with someone she is comfortable with. You will also like Melissa, Jerry's wife. You will find her to be quite different though. She is very beautiful and polished like you are, but she is also very down home behind her professional front. She and Crys work at the same company and we have all been friends since college. Melissa can introduce you to people and things that neither Crys nor I can. I suspect that you have hit the mother lode during your first week. But feel free to call or write Crys; she will love it."

"Thank you." She leaned over and gave me light kiss on the cheek right next to my mouth.

As she got out of the car, I said, "I will wait here until you leave. Drive carefully and I'll see you in the morning." She nodded and then disappeared through the small terminal. A few minutes later, I saw a sporty car pull up to the gate and easily saw her profile and face behind the wheel. I felt that like everything else about Heather, the car was perfect for her. I followed her to the main drive where I turned right and she turned left.

I walked into the house forty five minutes after we had left the airport and found Crys sitting on the sofa. "Sorry about being late. There was a wreck at the exit from the freeway. I had to take the long way around to get here."

"Likely story."

"Come on, Crys; you know as well as I do..."

"I know, I am teasing you. I saw the wreck on the news a few minutes ago and besides, Heather called me when she left the airport and told me that you were on the way home. Now, to get out of my doghouse tonight, drop those clothes and pour us each a brandy. You can tell me what you are really feeling in the hot tub before I take you to bed and remind you who you are married to."

I smiled and replied, "I know damn well who I am married to." By the time I was finished saying that, my shirt was already on the floor.

The next morning, I was delayed a few minutes when I ran across Bill Reynolds as he was leaving for a meeting. The conversation was short but important. He simple asked, "How is she doing?" I told him about our first day including dinner with Crys. His reply, "I knew that you would figure it out. Continue and use your best judgment. She will be a superstar."

Then I entered the building and picked up a cup of coffee before going to my office. Heather's light was on, but her door was closed. I decided to leave her alone and went inside to check my e-mail before 9:00.

Jerry entered and sat down. "So, where is she?"

I leaned over and knocked on the wall. We heard a muffled, "Be right there." Then she walked through the door carrying several things in her hands. Today, she was still very nice to look at, but in a toned down way. She wore slacks with a blouse and sweater. "Good morning, Allen, Jerry. I talked to Brad this morning; here is what I told him. I'll talk to the others after we are through." She slid a half page report towards me. "And here, try this."

"And this is?" She handed me a flash drive.

"The program for the milling machine."

I stood up and went to the door and called Brad over. "Are you up to running the new milling machine yet?"

"Sure, if we had a program to run. I'm supposed to go to the school next week."

"Try this and let's see what happens. Try using a two by two hardened steel block." He looked at me with surprise, but took the flash drive and went towards the shop.

When I turned back into my office, Heather was showing Jerry on the prototype where the change would be and where the extra space would be available. Jerry's eyes went back and forth between what she was showing him and what was barely hidden behind her sweater. She finished by asking, "Would this help?"

Jerry turned to me and grinned, "Why didn't you think of that back then? You are the mechanical genius."

"I was trying to see if you were as good as you claimed to be"

"All right boys; there is too much testosterone running around in here this early in the morning."

Jerry replied, "That isn't testosterone you smell; that is just pure bullshit."

She shrugged her shoulders and said, "No difference."

I couldn't retrain my laugh. "Touche'! Now let's get down to business."

Fifteen minutes later, Jerry left with a smile on his face. Heather said, "That was easy."

"Jerry and I are very different, but when it comes to work and what needs to be done, we are usually on the same page of the hymnal. A Monday morning update is simple and will get you up to speed faster than anything else. I'll have files on the active projects on your computer this afternoon. Now go take care of the babies; I have a 10:00. I probably won't be back until noon."

"I won't be here over lunch. A certain beautiful woman I met last night is picking me up to show me a deli that she likes."

"Bring me back a hot pastrami and swiss on rye with brown mustard and leave off the conspiracies."

"Would I conspire against you?" She laughed.

"Of course you would. This is just an excuse for her to tell you lies about me." I grinned. "Have fun, but not too much fun."

"I wouldn't think of it."

"Riiiight." I replied as I went out the door heading to the big marketing conference room.

I came back to my office at 12:30 with two sheets of paper and question marks all over my face. I was tempted to say that someone in marketing had been smoking something that he shouldn't have, but the big guy sitting at the end of the table didn't think so. He wanted an assessment of its potential within a week. My only problem wasn't about its potential; it was that I couldn't see how we could do it in the configuration that they wanted. I was brooding over this when Heather walked in carrying a bag and wearing a smile.

"Boss says, 'Eat.'"

"You boss or Crys boss?"

"Both. How was your meeting?"

I slid the two pieces of paper over to her and opened the bag. Besides the sandwich there was a bag of chips, a bottle of water, and a slice of key lime pie. At least my lunch would be good. I started eating and looked up to find Heather reading and smiling as she did. Maybe she saw something that I hadn't seen.

When she finished reading, I said between bites, "We have to give them an assessment of potential by next week. What do you see?"

"I can write the report this afternoon, if you want." I almost choked.

When I finished that bite, I replied, "You are definitely going to have to explain that attitude. Give me your best shot."

"You eat; I'll talk. This is what I was actually doing in school; I wasn't expecting to be using it this soon. It is sort of the new wave in engineering and is slowly catching on. Take a car or truck or tractor. The first thing you look at is the spec of what you need to do and then you take a similar truck design and start adapting it with new or different parts. You enlarge or shrink things and add new pieces to it. Finally, you get a vehicle and test it. Some things don't work as you want and you have to redesign. After all of this, you get a vehicle you can put into production. You have spent literally years and a lot of money to get to that point. What you really end up with is same old truck updated to today.

"Under this new concept, you start with the spec and expand on it to decide what you really want and need to do. You aren't looking for one size fits all. You are looking for the most comprehensive design to do the core task you need. Once you know that, then you start deciding how to achieve it. Sometimes an existing design is fine, but other times you have to think outside the box. You need wheels. Do you need two, three, four or more? How are you going to drive those wheels? An engine and transmission or four independent variable speed motors? What kind of fuel do you need to use? How fast or how much of a load are you expecting to need? City traffic, Interstate highway, or intermittent use? You get the picture. Once you answer the questions, you start putting the right sized pieces together in a workable manner. You don't have to have the motor in front or back; it can be under the passenger cab or located at each wheel. The frame and then the body only needs to be the minimum needed to protect the equipment and the occupants. In short, you put together something that meets the core spec. When you are through, you have a unique vehicle to do the job you need done, See?"

"Sort of. But they want a continuous process; trash in and useable material out."

"You are thinking about a continuous conveyor belt with a huge motor running it to move the total volume and mass of the trash. Think four, five or six smaller conveyors each handling only one thing. Take the metal. The first thing we have to do is separate the ferrous from the non-ferrous metal. Only the metal goes through the magnets and the ferrous metal is dropped onto a second conveyor and they are processed separately. Running the glass and paper through the magnets requires a larger chamber, stronger magnets, bigger drive motors and stuff. The paper only needs to go through a shredder/pulper. The glass needs to be washed before it is crushed for recycling. We talked about that issue in school. Actually, glass needs to be sorted by color or at least the color additive so that you don't end up with an ugly brown glass as the output."