DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. If you are offended by 
sexually explicit material or are under the age of 18, stop reading 
now. This material cannot be reproduced for commercial purposes 
without the consent of the author.


John Carter
By
Lazlo Zalezak
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezak, 2003


Part 3: Robes of Acumen
Chapter 2

John sat on his folding chair, occasionally sipping a glass of iced 
tea, watching the stars overhead. The moon wasn't out and the stars 
shone brighter than normal. The Milky Way stretched across the 
sky. As he started at the Milky Way, he wondered how many 
people had never seen it. Throughout the night, John watched a 
satellite move slowly across the sky. 

The dogs in town barked as a truck with a hole in the muffler 
rumbled through town. It had to be one of the last cars running 
without a Fusion Battery powering it. Of course, on moonless 
nights, the dogs barked at everything. Earlier, John and Ed had 
actually heard a coyote howl in the far off distance. It was nice to 
sit and contemplate the universe in all its glory.

Ed returned to the parapet and sat in his chair. The two men sat 
quietly for a long time. John stated, "You know, I came out here to 
write my dissertation."

Ed laughed lightly as he stated, "I remember."

"So where are you going to go to write yours?"

Ed answered, "I was going to stay here."

John shook his head while he said, "There's too much going on 
here. I bet you would have been done with your research a year 
ago without all of the distractions around here. You need to find 
some place quiet to work."

Ed thought about the suggestion. It was a good idea, but there was 
too much here that needed him. Then he realized that was John's 
point. John was suggesting that he take some time for himself. "I'll 
try to think of a place."

John nodded and looked up at the sky some more. He watched as a 
meteorite raced across the sky.  He wondered what people wished 
for on a falling star. He couldn't think of anything that he could 
wish for that he didn't already have. He turned to face Ed. "How 
are your personal finances?"

Ed laughed and then answered, "Great. When you told me that 
people would pay me to work on what I truly loved, I didn't 
believe you. I still can't believe how much consulting work I've 
gotten and I haven't even completed my doctorate."

"Darn it. I was hoping to give you some money for you to spend 
while you are writing your dissertation."

"No need."

"I was afraid of that. You have no idea how much work it is to give 
away money to responsible people."

Ed studied John for a couple of minutes. He knew that John was 
bothered by all of the money that he had to manage. He asked, 
"What is your most expensive project?"

John answered, "The emergency relief group. It costs five billion a 
year to operate."

"Is it successful?"

"Oh yes. We have thousands of people working for it. It has saved 
thousands of lives and billions of dollars."

Ed asked, "Whose money does it save?"

"The money saved is a little difficult to place. While everyone 
talks about the money saved as being insurance money, most of it 
is actually saved by the victims. Their insurance rates go down. 
When there is damage, their portion of the cost is reduced."

Ed stated, "So the direct beneficiaries of your program are the 
people that work in it and the people that are served by it?"

"Yes." John thought about that project. There were also secondary 
beneficiaries to it. They stored sufficient food to feed twenty 
thousand people for ten days in six major sections of the country. 
Twice a year, they replaced half of the stored food. This was high 
quality food, steaks, hamburgers, ribs, chicken, canned vegetables, 
canned fruits, and beverages of all kinds. 

The food being replaced was cooked and served in poverty 
sections of major metropolitan areas over a weekend. A whole area 
of the city would be cordoned off. Thousands of volunteers and 
working employees of the program patrolled the area providing a 
safe environment. Bands played and local theaters put on plays 
generating a festival atmosphere. Cops stood in line with punks to 
get food. Two festivals each year, with breakfast, lunch, dinner, 
and snacks provided, helped form real communities.  

Ed asked, "So what is your second most expensive charity?"

John thought about it, "I guess the quick clinic program."

Ed nodded, "How's it working?"

"Great. We have fifty clinics in poor neighborhoods. They provide 
basic triage for the larger hospitals. We treat minor cuts, scrapes, 
colds, and other simple problems. We keep a large enough staff so 
that waiting times are short. We've reduced the walk-in patient 
load in the major hospitals by ninety percent. Since our services 
are free, the costs at the hospitals are reduced. The communities 
now have access to good health care. Everyone has won."

Ed suggested, "So you provide a few essential services to anyone 
and the results spread far beyond those people?"

John agreed, "Yes, that was the goal in setting up that one."

Ed stated, "When you set up the foundation, you had selected 
education, arts, crisis, health, and research as the major project 
areas. How are they going?"

John answered, "Health and crisis are great. I just told you about 
them. Research is developing slowly, but some progress is being 
made. Education isn't showing much progress though. The arts are 
a total loss."

"So why isn't education showing much progress?"

John thought about it for a while, "I guess that is because the 
people that need it the most appreciate it the least."

"Maybe you are targeting the people in the wrong way."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, with education you are trying to get kids into the program 
that don't want it. You are targeting public school kids with 
afternoon programs. They have an alternative that is just as free -- 
television. You have a college scholarship program, but only a 
third of the available scholarships are actually taken. Instead, you 
should focus on a program that represents the only option for many 
people and that serves a greater need than the people involved."

John thought about it for a minute. "I'm not sure how to put 
together a program like that."

Ed asked, "How about the Indian Program that you started?"

John smiled, "It is a success. William Redman's idea of starting a 
free college for people of Native American descent with social 
programs aimed at improving conditions for their people was very 
good. The fact that it is a five-year degree with courses on Native 
American culture, history, and religion is offset by its price. Where 
else can they get a full free education complete with living 
expenses covered?"

Ed smiled, "So start your own university for Druids. You're the 
Grand Druid and, as such, you can establish legitimacy for the 
Druid component. Same criteria except require that all graduates 
be willing to present themselves to the Gods and Goddesses."

John thought about it for a minute, "We also need to make sure 
that they have a proper mindset before we admit them.  It's not a 
bad idea, though. I'll have to work out some of the details."

Ed smiled. He knew his husband would have no problem. John 
would think it through and one day soon there would be a new 
university. He would identify the level of funding necessary and 
then set it up over funded.  

The two men turned their attention back to the stars overhead. The 
satellite was just about to disappear below the horizon. Their quiet 
time was interrupted by the arrival of Bill. "Gentlemen, I have a 
request."

John turned to face Bill. He was suddenly concerned for the man. 
The staff very seldom made requests. The only time that they did 
was when something was seriously wrong. "What do you need?"

"I need some time off."

Ed turned to Bill with concern. It was a real need; his truth sense 
confirmed it. He requested, "If I may ask, what is the problem?"

Bill's voice cracked, "I'd rather not burden you with it."

Ed realized that his statement was both true and false. Bill wanted 
to talk to someone, but he didn't feel it was right to impose on his 
bosses with a personal problem. "I know you feel uncomfortable 
about bringing personal problems to us, but often times it is nice to 
talk about them. We hope that you are comfortable enough here 
with us to honor us by sharing your problems. We can often help."

Bill considered Ed's statement. He wondered if he truly meant they 
would be honored by him just by telling about his problem. He 
stated, "My mother has cancer. She's been the sole caretaker of my 
father. He has Alzheimer's. I need to take care of them."

John listened carefully. The mother's problem could be handled 
easily enough with their clinic here. The father was another matter. 
That disease would get progressively worse and could last for 
years. He asked, "What are your long term plans for your father?"

Bill stated, "I have no idea. I guess I'll have to put him in a home 
of some kind."

"Why don't you open a home?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that you could open a home yourself. Your father could be 
a patient while you run it."

Bill heard John's suggestion. There were so many impediments to 
it. He didn't know the first thing about opening a private care 
facility. He had significant investments that could be used towards 
establishing such a business. His room and board had been 
provided ever since he started working here. He saved the majority 
of his very high salary. Still, he wasn't sure that he could deal with 
the responsibilities associated with a private care facility. "I don't 
know if I can do that."

"I'll tell you what we can do. You bring your parents here. We'll 
put your mother in the clinic here at the house. You move into my 
old house with your father. We'll get a couple of fulltime assistants 
to help you with him. You'll be able to leave the house and stay 
with your mother as much as you want. In the meantime, we'll hire 
a consultant to tell us exactly what needs to be done to start a full 
care facility."

Bill thought about it. He liked the idea, but he wanted to talk to his 
mother first and find out how she would like it. He stated, "I'll have 
to talk to my mother. However, I'm pretty sure she'll want to stay 
there."

John stated, "Okay. You go there and talk to her. Then let us know 
what she's decided. If she wants to stay there, then we adjust the 
plans. We can have several full-time nurses brought in to take care 
of her and your father. We can set up the whole house to be clinic 
and get your mother the best care possible."

The offer really touched Bill quite deeply. As his voice quivered 
with emotion he asked, "Why are you doing this for me?"

John thought about how to answer the question. The offer came to 
his mind before he even considered whether he should do it or not. 
He replied, "I care about you and you've been a member of this 
family since it started. I'm doing this because you can use the help 
to get through these trying times. However, it is also the right thing 
to do. You are not alone in having this problem. By helping you, 
I'm helping others as well."

Bill was too choked up to answer. His eyes misted. John stood up 
and embraced him. As John held him tightly, Bill broke down and 
cried. John held him until he regained his composure. John stated, 
"Now, go pack your things. I'll get a jet here to take you to your 
parents in Florida. You'll be there by the morning."

Bill stepped back, "What about my duties?"

John laughed, "We'll ask Jim to provide us with one of his 
assistants. If there is anything important they need to know, I'm 
sure that you'll call them and let them know."

"Thank you."

Ed watched Bill walk away. He knew that Bill was going to have a 
rough couple of days getting things in hand. He turned to John and 
stated, "I'll follow him there tomorrow afternoon. He'll need 
someone to interview the staff."

John asked, "Why not go with him tonight?"

Ed knew that John was going to have a rough day tomorrow as 
well. He stated, "You'll need me to interview people tomorrow. 
You know that he won't be coming back. He's going to do what 
you suggested."

John nodded, "Okay. Check out the temporary person tomorrow. 
Fly there and take care of Bill. When you get back, we'll start the 
search for a fulltime replacement. For now, we'll consider the 
person to be an assistant for him until he formally makes a 
decision."

Ed nodded, "Good. We may want to look for another person to be 
a fulltime housekeeper. Ling is pulling triple duty by handling 
security, assistant cook, and house cleaning. If Bill does not come 
back, we can still get another assistant."

John thought about it. "There's another reason you want to get two 
more, possibly three."

"Can't pull the wool over your eyes."

"Darn right. Now tell me the other reason."

Ed laughed, "Since you won't let me weasel out of telling you, I'll 
put it simply. I think we need to retain a gender balance."

John nodded as he concurred, "I didn't think of that, but you are 
right."

Ed suggested, "Do you think that we should let the staff interview 
candidates before the candidates talk to us?"

"You need to talk to them first. We don't want the staff to get 
excited about someone only to have you discover that the person is 
a pathological liar or something."

"Right. I'll brief them on the job responsibilities and get a sense of 
them first."

John stated, "Good. Let me call a jet to take him from Phoenix to 
Miami. I'll make arrangements for you as well."

John stood up to leave when Kelly appeared at the door to the 
palisade. She stated, "Beth and I will be flying with Bill. We'll 
double check everything there."

Ed stated, "Well, I'm not sure that is necessary at this time. I'm 
going down there in the afternoon to help interview people. I've 
got a feeling he's going to be staying there."

Kelly replied, "Do you even know what questions to ask a nurse?"

"No."

"Well, Bill needs us now and not this afternoon. Beth and I will go 
with him. You come in the afternoon." She looked at them both 
with an expression that dared them to contradict her.

Ed and John looked at each other and knew there was nothing they 
could say that would change her mind. Ed stated, "Okay, that's a 
plan."

John went downstairs with Kelly. She went to her room to pack 
and he went to the office to make the telephone call. He called up 
the jet charter service that he frequently used when time was 
essential. It took less than a minute to arrange both jets.

He went to Beth's room and knocked on the door. She answered 
looking harried. "Hi, I'm just packing. If you want to chat while 
I'm working, come on in."

John entered, "Take care of Bill for us. Check out his mother and 
father to see if there've been any mistakes. Line up a couple of 
nurses to take care of both of them while you are there. When he 
decides what to do, let me know."

Beth was frantically putting outfits into her suitcase. She shot a 
glance over at him that suggested he was stating the obvious. He 
added, "He's going to need some tender loving care for a while."

Beth smiled at John, "Don't worry, we won't make him look too far 
afield for it."

 John laughed, "Well, don't wear him out. He's going to need some 
energy to deal with the situation there."

John drove them all to the airport in the large van. He drove up to 
the building occupied by the private charter company. A small 
squadron of people came bustling out to get their luggage. In ten 
minutes, they were seated aboard the small jet. As John waited for 
it to take off, he turned to the man in charge, asking, "Could you 
make sure they are met by a limousine when they arrive?"  

"Of course, Dr. Carter. Is there anything else that I can do for 
you?"

John thought for a moment before asking, "Yes, can you arrange 
for two bouquets of flowers to be there when they land? Let them 
know that one is for Bob to give to his mother and the other is 
from the Carter clan."

"I'll get right on it."

"Thank you. Ed will be flying down there this afternoon. I hope 
that won't be a problem."

"No problem. The jet is already on its way here."

"Great." John left the airport, taking the most direct route home. It 
was going to be very late before he arrived home.

John woke in the morning, dressed, and performed his normal 
morning ritual. He went to the kitchen in search of breakfast. 
Marguerite was at the table reading a recipe book. He got out a 
bowl, milk, and a box of cereal. He joined her at the table. "Good 
morning."

She glanced up at him and then down at his breakfast. She snorted, 
"Garbage. All you eat is garbage."

He laughed, as he answered, "I didn't want to disturb you."

She glared at him, stating, "my job is to make sure you don't eat 
garbage!"

He laughed as he repeated a line from a commercial. "Kids love it 
and parents recommend it."

He fixed his bowl of cereal while Marguerite watched. She finally 
stated, "It's a very nice thing you are doing for Bill."

"I'm just happy that I can help. How did you know?"

She sighed, "I talked to Bill this morning. His mother wants to stay 
there where all of her friends are. He's going to stay there and open 
the clinic that you discussed with him. He talked to Ed, too."

John nodded as he processed the information. He asked, "So how 
do you feel about losing Bill?"

She was quiet for a while. She was going to miss Bill, he was nice 
and a considerate lover. She smiled, "Ed said that he was going to 
hire three more people. So I guess I'll have two more men and a 
new woman to sleep with."

John had just shoveled a spoonful of cereal in his mouth. He nearly 
choked at her response. He had expected a more serious answer. 
As he struggled, she added, "We'll see if any of them can make 
Ling scream."

"You aren't going to let me live that down, are you?"

"If I remember correctly, she isn't the only one you've made 
scream."

"Well, she's so embarrassed by that night she's never invited me 
back." John could understand why the shy Ling wouldn't want to 
embarrass herself with a repeat performance. Everyone had teased 
them both for a week.

Marguerite looked back down at the cookbook and muttered, "Men 
are so stupid sometimes."

John couldn't quite make out what Marguerite had said. He asked 
for clarification, "What did you say?"

"Nothing. Just reading an ingredient out loud."

"Oh," replied John. 

Ed came in the kitchen and grabbed a cup of coffee. He sat down 
next to Marguerite. He stated, "I have lined up a bunch of 
interviews at a temporary agency for later this morning and 
afternoon. I would like everyone to come there and help us select 
the new people."

John nodded, "What about the person from Jim's office?"

Ed smiled, "She's coming too."

John asked, "Who is it?"

"Cathy, his public relations person. He said that she already works 
for you, you might as well pay her directly."

John laughed. That had been a long-standing joke between them 
and Jim. John didn't want to steal Jim's employees away from him, 
but Cathy was perfect. The staff already knew and liked her. The 
Carter clan knew and trusted her. He chuckled as he teased the 
cook. "Now our Marguerite here just might get a chance to sleep 
with her."

She retorted, "Already happened. However, you are going to have 
to wait a year before the extended benefits package becomes 
available to her. Eat your heart out, boss."

Ed laughed at the look on John's face. He said, "She got you."

Several hours later, Ed and John were in a private room waiting to 
interview someone. They had been sitting there since they had 
arrived three hours ago and not one candidate had passed the 
questioning of the staff. John asked, "Do you think they are being 
too rough on the candidates?"

Ed stated, "I don't know. They are probably taking about fifteen 
minutes a candidate, so they've gone through about a dozen by 
now."

Their discussion was interrupted by a knock on the door. A young 
man entered the room and sat down. Ed stared at him, the man had 
not been in the group that he had interviewed earlier. John stated, 
"Hello. May I have your resume?"

Ed interrupted, "Please put your resume on the table and then 
leave. We'll be in touch with you."

John looked at Ed in surprise. The young man pulled out a resume 
and laid it on the table. He stated, "I'm sure that when you consider 
my qualifications I'll be hearing from you."

Ed watched the man leave the room. He didn't realize that he had 
been holding his breath until it came out in a blast. He turned to 
John, "He's a psychopath."

John looked at Ed, "What do you mean?"

"I mean he's as sick as Henry Buckman. Don't touch the resume. 
We'll send it to your friends in the FBI and let them deal with 
him." The sense of revulsion that had washed over Ed slowly 
began to release its grip on him.

John picked up the telephone and dialed Ann's telephone number. 
She answered on the first ring. He stated that Ed found someone 
that he suspected of being another serial killer. He told her they 
had a paper here with his fingerprints on it and requested her to 
send an agent over to collect it. He even added the word please to 
his request.

John looked back at Ed. He consoled him, "We'll get him, don't 
worry."

Ed shook his head as he stated, "I've never had such a reaction to 
anyone before. That guy literally glowed with evil."

John stated, "Good thing you were here."

Ed went to the door and looked into the room. The staff was 
interviewing another person. "I guess we should ask the 
receptionist to take a paper into them to let them know we didn't 
accept that guy."

John took care of it. The two men went back to waiting. After 
thirty minutes, a FBI agent showed up and bagged the resume. He 
left discreetly when there was a knock on the door. John and Ed 
returned to the table. John stated, "Come in."

 A woman entered the room. She had the hair, high cheekbones, 
and eyes of a Native American. John and Ed looked at each other 
with surprise. They had expected the staff to pass on only men. Ed 
stated, "Please come in and have a seat."

"Thank you," stated the woman as she walked to the chair and sat 
down. She looked up at them for a second and then set a resume on 
the table in front of them. "I'm Sarah Redman. I understand that 
you have a domestic position open."

"Yes, we do." John answered. He thought about the name and 
wondered if she was related to William Redman.

"Good, I'll take it."

Ed and John looked at each other in surprise. This was a very 
confident young lady. John asked, "Are you related to William 
Redman?"

She looked at John for a moment. She nodded, "Yes, he is my 
grandfather. How is it that you know him?"

John replied, "I took a journey with him once. We have a mutual 
respect for each other."

She raised her eyebrows in disbelief. She retorted, "My grandfather 
only respects one white man and that's John Carter."

Ed smiled, "Allow me to introduce ourselves. I'm Ed Biggers and 
this is John Carter."

She actually blushed when she realized with whom she was 
talking. She had the grace to apologize, "Oh, I'm sorry I didn't 
realize."

"No problem," replied John. He asked, "Are you aware of our 
lifestyle?"

"I believe that I have a good idea."

Ed asked, "Would you mind telling me what you believe it 
encompasses?"

She stated, "I know that you two are married to each other and to 
two women. If I got the job, then I would live in your house. 
Consequently, I would probably see each of you undressed, 
particularly in the pool area. Since I'm a nudist, you can walk 
around naked all day long for all I care."

John asked, "Any thing else?"

She shrugged, "The staff stated that they tended to swap beds quite 
frequently and that I would be invited to join. I like men and 
women. They all seemed quite nice and I don't think that would be 
a problem."

John looked at Ed. Ed stated, "She tells the truth."

John stated, "Before we hire you, I want you to talk to your 
grandfather and Robert White Feather. If I hear back from Robert 
White Feather that they both agree you can work in the house for 
us, we'll hire you. If they have a problem with it, we'll find you a 
position within the Fusion Foundation. Is that acceptable for you?"

She sat back and looked at John. She stated, "Neither one of them 
is particularly pleased with my lifestyle. Why do you insist on their 
permission for me to work for you?"

John smiled as he answered, "Because I respect them both. Your 
grandfather established the Native American College. Robert 
White Feather has helped us many times in the past."

Sarah looked puzzled as she asked, "Grandfather did what?"

"He established the Native American College. You didn't know 
that?"

She frowned as she thought back to past discussions with her 
grandfather. She stated, "No wonder he looked smug when I told 
him that it was just another white man's project to turn us into 
white men."

John laughed aloud as he remembered her grandfather's advice to 
Linda Redman to come visit him. William felt that she had much 
to learn from him. If he knew William, the old man would insist 
that she work for him. "I'm sure that he was highly amused."

She stated, "I seriously doubt he'll give me permission. He wants 
me to go to school. He says that I need to find my Indian heritage."

John smiled, "Talk to him. You might be surprised by what he 
says."