desk.” Will moved to the gigantic desk in his personal quarters. “The most important problem in my life is solved. You’d think I’d be relieved. Maybe even happy.” He chuckled.
“Turns out Cass was the most important problem last week. Now, the rest are screaming.” He ran his hand through his hair, as he did when upset. Will was wired and angry and felt like snapping. At least Leroy didn’t ask him why.
“Let’s go over the game plan for Cass. When she’s discharged from the hospital, I’ll move her to the Havertin Institute for treatment of her addictions and mental illness.” Leroy started to object, but Will shut him down.
“Havertin has an impeccable reputation. And they won’t kick her out. They can’t. It’s a locked institution. I’m committing her involuntarily. She won’t be able to get herself kicked out and go back to what she was. None of us want to go through that again.”
“She’s locked in an’ can’t get out?” Leroy said. “What if she needs to get out? What if that place isn’t so good as you think? Can you visit her and see? Can I?”
“No. No visitors. I can talk to her shrink, but not her. By cutting the patients off from the outside world, the hospital becomes their universe and they learn how to live in it, something they didn’t do in this world. Havertin is a good place.”
“ You don’t know it’s a good place . How many good places did you put her in before that didn’t work?”
Leroy had challenged him. No one did that.
Will reared back in his chair, ready to blast the kid. But he smiled. “You care about her, I like that.” He fiddled with a paperclip on his desk, thinking.
If Cass lives, this young man will most likely become my son-in-law. He won’t make it at the level of the pond where I swim, but he’s a damn sight better than all of the sleazy shit-heads Cass has brought home. He can do things that no one can. And he’ll be good to her. Maybe I can clean him up a bit.
“Leroy, there’s no sense you hanging around here for months. How would you like to take a vacation?”
“I’d rather see Cass.”
“That’s not going to happen until she completes treatment.” Will shot a look at him. He’d been told people found his dark blue eyes intimidating. He didn’t care. “Where have you been, Leroy? Have you been to Europe?”
“No.”
“How’d you like to see Rome? And Venice? How about London?”
“No, I’m not interested.”
“Everyone wants to see those places.”
“That time I flew back to New York to get Cass with Doug was the only time I’ve been on a plane. I thought I’d die. I’d never have done it except for Cass. I never want to do it again.”
Will smiled. “If we could handle your fear of flying, would you like to see London? Stay in a castle and go foxhunting in England? Eat pasta in Rome?”
“There is nothing that could make me not afraid of flying.”
The phone rang. Will picked it up.
“Duane here,” Will was silent maybe a minute. “What the fuck are you talking about?” He was out of his seat screaming into his receiver. “No, Ric, it is not OK if you make ‘a few adjustments’ in the new NumoPhone. Yes, I know it will increase our margins and market share—until our buyers discover that we’ve sold them crap.
“Numenon does not make crap, Ric, even if you and your friends want to. Numenon is what it is because it creates excellent products that you have to beat to death to break. We care about our customers.” He listened a bit longer.
“Oh, yeah, Ric. You’re right, we could toughen our exchange policies so if our stuff falls apart, our customers are stuck with it. But we’re not going to, because we’re honest and fair.
“You know the most important thing about Numenon as a corporation? We’ve never been whores for profit.
“No cheap crap. No lying. No screwing buyers. We pay our people living wages. That’s how I’ve run this company for forty years.” He slammed the
“Turns out Cass was the most important problem last week. Now, the rest are screaming.” He ran his hand through his hair, as he did when upset. Will was wired and angry and felt like snapping. At least Leroy didn’t ask him why.
“Let’s go over the game plan for Cass. When she’s discharged from the hospital, I’ll move her to the Havertin Institute for treatment of her addictions and mental illness.” Leroy started to object, but Will shut him down.
“Havertin has an impeccable reputation. And they won’t kick her out. They can’t. It’s a locked institution. I’m committing her involuntarily. She won’t be able to get herself kicked out and go back to what she was. None of us want to go through that again.”
“She’s locked in an’ can’t get out?” Leroy said. “What if she needs to get out? What if that place isn’t so good as you think? Can you visit her and see? Can I?”
“No. No visitors. I can talk to her shrink, but not her. By cutting the patients off from the outside world, the hospital becomes their universe and they learn how to live in it, something they didn’t do in this world. Havertin is a good place.”
“ You don’t know it’s a good place . How many good places did you put her in before that didn’t work?”
Leroy had challenged him. No one did that.
Will reared back in his chair, ready to blast the kid. But he smiled. “You care about her, I like that.” He fiddled with a paperclip on his desk, thinking.
If Cass lives, this young man will most likely become my son-in-law. He won’t make it at the level of the pond where I swim, but he’s a damn sight better than all of the sleazy shit-heads Cass has brought home. He can do things that no one can. And he’ll be good to her. Maybe I can clean him up a bit.
“Leroy, there’s no sense you hanging around here for months. How would you like to take a vacation?”
“I’d rather see Cass.”
“That’s not going to happen until she completes treatment.” Will shot a look at him. He’d been told people found his dark blue eyes intimidating. He didn’t care. “Where have you been, Leroy? Have you been to Europe?”
“No.”
“How’d you like to see Rome? And Venice? How about London?”
“No, I’m not interested.”
“Everyone wants to see those places.”
“That time I flew back to New York to get Cass with Doug was the only time I’ve been on a plane. I thought I’d die. I’d never have done it except for Cass. I never want to do it again.”
Will smiled. “If we could handle your fear of flying, would you like to see London? Stay in a castle and go foxhunting in England? Eat pasta in Rome?”
“There is nothing that could make me not afraid of flying.”
The phone rang. Will picked it up.
“Duane here,” Will was silent maybe a minute. “What the fuck are you talking about?” He was out of his seat screaming into his receiver. “No, Ric, it is not OK if you make ‘a few adjustments’ in the new NumoPhone. Yes, I know it will increase our margins and market share—until our buyers discover that we’ve sold them crap.
“Numenon does not make crap, Ric, even if you and your friends want to. Numenon is what it is because it creates excellent products that you have to beat to death to break. We care about our customers.” He listened a bit longer.
“Oh, yeah, Ric. You’re right, we could toughen our exchange policies so if our stuff falls apart, our customers are stuck with it. But we’re not going to, because we’re honest and fair.
“You know the most important thing about Numenon as a corporation? We’ve never been whores for profit.
“No cheap crap. No lying. No screwing buyers. We pay our people living wages. That’s how I’ve run this company for forty years.” He slammed the
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