White Cell
Page 16
He pulled out a pad of paper and a pen and began going through the statements and payment due notices. Compiling a list of debts, he verified what he had already known, that he owed $25,231.78. He knew he could not make a single deposit to his bank account of $25,000. It would attract too much scrutiny. So he made up a list of the days of the week and listed the deposits to be made at each bank through the week. He fiddled with the amounts for a little while until he figured they would not draw too much attention. The smallest deposit was about $500 and the largest was still under $2000.
He put away the pad and paper and rolled his chair closer to a large monitor. Then he did something that he had not done in a long time. He brought up a network simulation game called Half Life and began playing on the internet, killing his opponents with surprising skill after so long a reprieve. He had not felt comfortable enough to play a computer game since well before the money problems had peaked and he now felt good, really good. And his score showed it. He was killing everyone else in the game and they were congratulating him, talking to him over the internet on his computer speakers. “Man, White Cell, are you good!” “Where have you been, White Cell? We’ve missed ya.” Yes, thought Jim to himself. White Cell was back and he was back with a vengeance.
The internet game wore Jim out and so he decided to take a nap. He lay down on the couch in the living room but, when he did, a folded piece of paper fell out of his shirt pocket. He noticed the piece of paper and picked it up, unfolded it, and read what had been written on it: “Penny Stein, 555-3231”. Jim found that the note exhilarated him. When Cindy had pestered him about calling this Penny Stein before, he had been so sidetracked with his financial problems he could not think about a date. But now, today, he felt different. His major problem had been solved and he felt almost superhuman. He felt like he was ready for a date, even if it was a blind one. He sat up on the couch, pulled the telephone toward him, and dialled the number. He did not want to give this too much thought lest he lose his nerve. He was not, after all, good at this.
The line rang once. It then rang again. Just as it was about to ring a third time he hung up the phone. He put his hand out in front of him and found that it was shaking. He had also, in this short period of time, started perspiring. He touched his chest. His heart was beating faster than usual. How could he be so nervous about calling a girl he had never met? He had no idea who she was or whether he would even find her attractive. And yet he was nervous.
He tried the call again with the same result. He then went to the kitchen, poured a shot of whisky, and drank it. He took half a dozen deep breaths and returned to the couch. His heart was slowing down but he was still perspiring. He went to the bathroom, wiped his face with a damp washcloth, and then dried off. Okay. He was feeling better now. For the third time he went to the couch. He dialled the number.
It rang once. It rang twice. Then, apparently without any direction from his brain, his hand hung up the phone. Shit. He went to the kitchen, drank another shot of whisky, and then retraced his routine from the last time: take deep breaths, wipe face with damp washcloth, dry face. He returned for the fourth time to the couch and, again, dialled the number.
One ring. Two rings. Three rings. He was doing better this time. Hang up. Shit.
Jim gave up, refolded the piece of paper, and returned it to his pocket. He would try this again later. He was now too wound up to take the nap and was just about to turn on the television when the phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Jim, it’s Ben.”
“Hi. What’s up?”
“ ‘My Cousin Vinny’ is on TV in a half hour and Cily and I are going to watch it. You want to come over?”
“Sure,” said Jim.
“See you soon.”
“See you.”
Fifteen minutes later Ben, Cindy and Jim were all sitting in Ben’s living room.
“The movie starts in about fifteen minutes,” said Ben. “Want a beer?”
“No thanks,” said Jim.
“You talk to your Mom?” asked Cindy.
“I was going to call her tonight,” said Jim.
“I was thinking about your problem with the bank,” said Cindy.
Jim looked at her.
“I thought you might try to get a consolidation loan from a one of those loan companies,” she said.
“If the banks won’t lend me money why would anyone else?” asked Jim.
“Well, they usually charge more interest,” she acknowledge. “But at least it would buy you some time.”
“I’ll think about it,” said Jim, dismissively.
They sat in awkward silence for a minute or so.
“What about Penny?” asked Cindy.
“What about her?” asked Jim.
“Did you call her?”
“You know I didn’t,” said Jim. He did not want to tell her about his recent attempts.
“Are you going to call her?”
“Sure,” said Jim. “When I get a chance.”
Again, for a short time, they sat in silence.
“What do you think your chances are with NAT?” This time it was Ben who spoke.
“Pretty good,” said Jim, cautiously. “I figure we all have good chances.”
“No, really” said Ben. “What do you really think?”
“I think I have a very good chance,” repeated Jim. “Aside from the fact that I have good relevant experience, I think if they give me an interview I’ll be able to wow ’em.”
“That would be good,” said Cindy.
“But I think the same about all of us,” said Jim. “We’re all pretty smart. So long as there are jobs on offer, I think we all have good chances.”
That evening, after spending the rest of the afternoon with Ben and Cindy, Jim returned to his bedroom and retrieved the briefcase full of money. He sat on the bed, opened the briefcase and stared at it for a long while. He then hopped off the bed and retrieved his deposit list from the server room. Sitting on the bed with the briefcase, the money and the list he started separating the packets of money into different piles, each pile corresponding to a deposit on his list. He left the bedroom again and this time returned with a box of elastic bands and wrapped the packets of money with the elastics. He then returned the packets to the briefcase and returned the briefcase under the bed.
Jim retreated to his server room, picked up the phone and dialled a number.
“Hello?” said the voice at the other end of the line.
“Hi Mom,” said Jim. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine Jimmy. How are you?”
“I’m fine Mom. You’re back home now?”
“Oh, yes. Everything is fine Jimmy.”
“Good Mom. Good. Is there anything I can do for you?”
“No,” began his Mom, letting the answer drift for a few seconds. “But I would like to know something?”
“What’s that Mom?”
“Did you call the girl?”
“What girl?”
“You know. The blind date girl.”
“No Mom, I haven’t,” he lied. “Not yet.”
“Well, I want you to call that girl Jimmy. I want some grandchildren.”
“You want me to sleep with her on my first date?” He was smiling when he said it, knowing full well what his mother’s reaction would be.
“Jimmy!” exclaimed his mother. “There’s no call for that kind of talk.”
Jim laughed. “Sorry Mom. The truth is I guess I did sort of call her,” he admitted.
“And?”
“There was no answer.”
“Then that doesn’t count,” said Mrs Kincaid.
Jim said nothing.
“Jimmy?”
“I’m here Mom,” said Jim. “I’ll call her.”
“Good boy.”
Jim felt like he was a child again but that was how his mother had always treated him. He figured that was how parents always treated their children, no matter how old they were. He ne
ver thought it was worth a fight.
“Talk to you later Mom,” said Jim.
“Bye,” said his mother. “And let me know what happens with the girl.”
“I will.”
Jim hung up the telephone, leaned sback in the chair and closed his eyes. It had been quite a week. Now that he had checked on his mother and had planned out what to do with Verde's money, he tried to turn his attention to longer term concerns. Although he wanted to return to his hacking and he wanted to find a new job, there was still something hanging over him. He opened his eyes, turned around in the chair and faced the monitor. He opened a browser and began searching the internet. He searched and searched until he found what he was looking for and then he began to read more about the crime family that Giuseppe Verde worked for.
Chapter 14 - The Offer
Mon May 10th
“Have you seen this?”
Jim looked up from his monitor to see Cindy standing over him.
“Seen what?” he asked.
“Seen this,” said Cindy, holding up a copy of The National Post.
“No,” said Jim. “I didn’t see the paper this morning. I was in a bit of a rush.” Jim looked at the paper. The top headline was “FLQ demand referendum”. He looked back to Cindy. “I don’t have time to read it Cily,” he said.
Cindy took a deep breath. “The FLQ are demanding a new referendum on sovereignty.”
Jim shrugged. “Big deal,” he said. “We’ve heard this crap before.”
“You didn’t let me finish” protested Cindy. “They have been very clear on how the referendum is to be conducted. They want it to be based on the number of provincial ridings that want to separate. So if 51% of the people in a riding want to separate then that district casts its single vote to separate. Because the “no” vote is highly concentrated in Montreal, Hull and the Pontiac, based on the results from last referendum they can’t help but win.”
Jim laughed.
“What’s so funny?” asked Cindy.
“That’s pretty smart, don’t you think?” he asked.
“Smart?”
“Sure. If they manage to force a democratic referendum under these conditions it will be hard to dismiss the result. I mean, it’s going to appear to be a democratic choice.”
“I suppose,” said Cindy.
“But you know what the real problem is?” The question came from behind Cindy. Cindy turned around and saw Ben standing there behind her.
“How long have you been there?” asked Cindy.
“Long enough,” said Ben. “But you do know what the real problem with this whole referendum thing?” he repeated.
“What?” asked Jim.
“It’s our electoral system,” said Ben. “We vote in a first-past-the-post system. A member of parliament is elected if he has more votes than anyone else in his riding. That part is fair. But a government is created based on the number of ridings it wins. That’s unfair and it’s the same issue the FLQ are trying to exploit. A majority of people in an election can vote for one political party and yet that same party can lose because of the way the districts are drawn up.”
“Since when are you interested in elections?” asked Jim.
“Ever since I read an article about Ireland’s system,” said Ben. “It’s really neat. In Ireland they vote for everyone on the ballot in order of preference.”
“Why do that?” asked Cily.
“That way,” explained Ben. “If a government can not win a majority of the votes, the second ballot choices are considered.”
“I get it,” said Jim, getting more interested. “So that way they don’t get the split vote problem.”
“Exactly,” said Ben.
“What’s the ‘split vote problem’?” asked Cindy.
“Let’s say there are three parties running in an election,” said Jim. “And let’s say 51% of the voters don’t care whether Party A or Party B wins but they absolutely hate Party C. But the other 49% vote for Party C but don’t mind Party A or Party B as an alternative.” He paused. “What is the fairest outcome?”
“Party A or Party B should win,” said Cindy.
“Right,” said Ben, continuing Jim’s explanation. Jim shot him a dirty look but Ben continued. “Let’s say Party A gets 30% of the vote and Party B gets 21%. Under our system Party C wins and a majority of the population does not get what they intended.”
“Ok,” said Cindy. “So how does it work in Ireland.”
“In Ireland,” said Ben. “After the first votes are counted, since no party has a majority no one wins. But after the second votes are counted either Party A or Party B will win.”
“Neat,” said Cindy.
“Yeah, well, ours is a shitty system,” said Jim. “What else is new?”
“What’s new,” said Ben. “Is that these FQL fuckers are using our system against us.”
Cindy was looking bored. “Fine, fine,” she said. Then she looked at Jim. “Have you called Penny yet?”
“Kinda,” said Jim.
“What’s that mean?” asked Cindy.
“I tried to call a few times but I never managed to get her.”
Cindy crossed her arms and gave Jim “the look”.
“Really,” said Jim imploring her to believe him. “I really did try.”
Cindy unfolded her arms. “Alright,” said Cindy. “But you have to keep trying.”
***
After Ben and Cindy left, Jim’s telephone rang.
“Hello?” he said. Then, in quick spurts, he responded to the caller. “Yes, this is Jim Kincaid. Really? Wow. Sure. Okay. Hold on.” He quickly scribbled a phone number on a piece of paper. “Thanks. Bye.”
At about the same time as Jim was speaking on his telephone, Ben’s was also answering a call in his cubicle.
“Hello? This is Ben Gould. Yes. Of course. I am. Fine. Thank you. Bye.”
After the calls, Jim and Ben both got up from their desks and ran into the corridor. They zigzagged through the corridors until they almost collided in the middle. They stood there looking at one another. Then, without saying a word, they burst out laughing.
“You too?” they asked each other in unison. They both nodded.
“I guess you were right,” said Ben.
“I guess I was,” said Jim.
Just then Cily came running through a corridor, turned, and almost collided with Jim and Ben.
“You too?” asked Jim and Ben.
“Yep,” said Cindy smugly. “I guess we’ll all be moving.”
Back at his desk, Jim gave the job offer some thought. He was feeling pretty good about his prospects now. With the immediate financial problems sorted out through the loan from Verde and with the long term prospect of a career at NAT Jim felt his life had certainly taken a change for the better. He also thought about Penny Stein and decided with his new confidence he should be able to call her now. He reached into his shirt pocket, removed the folded piece of paper and looked at it. He would call her this afternoon.
He was too exhilarated to work. He looked at his watch. It was almost break time. He looked around his desk to make certain no one would be watching him, and he then pulled his briefcase out from under his desk. He reached into the briefcase and pulled out two envelopes thickly packed with money. He placed one in each jacket pocket and then headed out of the office.
When he returned from depositing the money into his chequing accounts, Jim decided to do a little research on NAT. He found that, although the company had been around for a long time, most of its growth had been in the last five years. It had offices in 22 countries but its head office was still in Toronto. Sheldon Mintz, the CEO, was widely credited with its success and he had a reputation of promoting talent from within. That appealed to Jim.
Then Jim thought back to his research the night before. Verde was a real concern. His family was known for strong arm tactics that could prove very unpleasant. And so Jim resolved to pay Verde back as soon as possible. The new job wou
ld make that a lot easier.
Then Jim had a thought. He picked up the phone and dialled a Toronto number.
“Hello?”
“Mom, it’s Jim.”
“Jimmy!” exclaimed his mother. “You’re calling again? And in the middle of the day!”
“Mom,” said Jim. “I’m actually just calling to ask you a question.”
“Yes?”
“How did Dad like working at NAT?”
“That’s a funny question,” said his mother. “And that was a long time ago. Why do you ask?”
“They just offered me a job,” said Jim.
His mother was silent.
“Mom?”
“That’s terrific news,” said his mother, excitedly. “Sheldon Mintz is one of the finest men I know.”
Jim was incredulous. “You know Sheldon Mintz?”
“Oh yes,” said his mother. “Your father and I have known Sheldon for years.”
“So how did Dad like NAT?”
“Your father loved NAT. As a matter of fact, he liked it too much. He often came home late and when I complained to him about it he would just say that he was behind at work. But I knew the truth. I knew that he just loved the work he was doing and couldn’t leave it behind. So he came home as late as he thought I would allow.”
“So you think NAT is a good opportunity for me?” asked Jim.
“I don’t’ know anything about the company anymore,” said his mother. “But as long as Sheldon is still involved, you can’t go wrong with NAT. It’s a terrific opportunity.”
At lunch time Ben came by Jim’s desk and the two went down to the coffee shop. Let’s go out somewhere nice today to celebrate,” said Jim, when they arrived at the entrance to the coffee shop.
“Fine by me,” said Ben.
They walked to the outdoor pub in the Sparks Street mall. The temperature was warm again and, though there were clouds, the sky was very blue and the sun shone down between the buildings. Ben ordered a tuna melt so Jim had nothing to argue about. Through lunch they spoke at length about the opportunities that awaited them at NAT. When the bill came Jim took it.