More Details and Bob, Wednesday, May 27
Jeff awoke at one in the morning and dragged himself to bed. He slept well until his alarm sounded the first time at seven. He pushed down the snooze button and semi-slept until seven-fifteen.
By eight he was at his local IHOP. Carmen Dolphino was waiting for him. She was a freelance writer for Vanity Fair. She was a knock out. Less than five-foot-one, petite, dark brown hair, and very fine features made her stand out in any crowd. She had a great smile. Jeff was a little grumpy from his evening at the studio and falling asleep in front of the TV. When he saw Carmen stand, smile and put out her hand to greet him, he brightened right up.
“Good morning, Mister Gershman, I’m Carmen. I want to thank you for agreeing to meet with me this morning. I saw you all over television last night so I know you are probably tired of talking about your uncle and your adventures.”
Jeff couldn’t help himself. He turned on the charm. “Not so tired that I am not delighted to see you. I didn’t expect such a pretty girl.”
She smiled even more. “Even pretty girls can have brains and be writers.”
“Thank the Lord for large favors.”
“Right, let’s get seated, start breakfast and do the interview.”
Again, Jeff couldn’t help himself. “Are you married? I don’t see a ring.”
“No, but I have a boyfriend and he is a lot better looking than you.”
“Ugg! First thing in the morning and you hit me right in the gut. Couldn’t you have put me down gently?”
“Mister Gershman, I am a reporter not a waitress at Hooters. I am going to interview you seriously and in depth. You had better get used to getting hit in the gut.”
Jeff laughed. “Point taken. I will be a good boy from now on.”
They were almost finished with breakfast when Carmen took out a portable recorder, made a point of showing Jeff she was turning it on, and started the interview.
It wasn’t as bad as Jeff had expected. She wanted to know his relationship with his uncle. When he told her he had only met the man four or five times that he could remember, she shook her head and stopped the recorder. She looked at Jeff and said, “Please, Jeff, tell me the truth. That is why I am recording you. If I write something and you disagree with my conclusions, I will have a recording to back me up. I don’t want to catch you in a lie. I want to tell your story and my view of you as truthfully as I can. It is hard to believe that you have only seen your uncle a few times in your life.”
Jeff motioned for her to turn the recorder back on. When she did, he said, “I am not lying when I tell you I have not seen my uncle more than a few times in my life. First of all, he and my father were not close. None of the men in our family are close. They didn’t hate each other. They just had no need to see or be with each other. Secondly, my uncle’s profession kept him in locales other than Vermont; most of them in the Middle-East. And when he came back to the States, he would almost always have to go to one of the universities that were paying for his research and spend time there. All he ever did that was family oriented was send me a birthday card each year. I was thirty-five or so before I learned that he didn’t send a card to my brother or sister. So, was I the closest to him? If you call a birthday card each year close, we were close.”
“Did he ever call you when he was back in the country?”
“Not that I recall.”
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“At my father’s funeral. It was about three years ago.”
“Did you talk then?”
“Not much. We had coffee before he left and he told me that he wished I had decided to go into his field. I thought that was strange for him to say, but then, he was always a little strange.”
“So you spent a few days together?”
“No. He arrived an hour before the funeral and left about an hour after the reception.”
“After you had coffee with him?”
“Okay, maybe two hours after the reception.”
“Why didn’t he stay?”
“I don’t think he and my mom get along. I honestly don’t know. I am going up there this weekend. I’ll ask her.”
“Was your uncle the kind of man that would spend his life looking for a great discovery?”
“I don’t think so. As I said, I don’t really know what kind of man he was or what motivated him. When I was at Ephesus going through his things, the enormous amount of research material was amazing. His specialty was linguistics, especially how people in ancient times talked to each other. He must have had a few thousand books in his room about the subject. And when we went on his computer, there was nothing but papers on linguistics and correspondence with others in the field. His desk was covered in photocopies of shards with ancient writing on them. I think he was way more comfortable doing research and communicating with others in his field than in hunting for discoveries. That is why I was so surprised when I started seeing the press reports about the supposed letters.”
“But he was working at Ephesus where great discoveries are happening.”
“Yes. That’s where he worked. But his place was in a laboratory and storage facility where items discovered were brought in, catalogued, and stored. According to the people who run the archaeology efforts there, he never went into the field to make a discovery. No one who was in the field had made a discovery that amazing in years. The director told me the biggest find in the last few years was a three-inch high figurine found in a pile of refuse. She said there had not been an intact urn discovered there in the years she had been the director. So, on the face of it, it looked unlikely that my uncle could have been the discoverer of anything; certainly not any letters from the Virgin Mary to Saint John.”
“What about the other two men that were killed. The ones that had lunch with him.”
“I don’t know about them except what I was told by the authorities. I know one of them was a specialist at putting pieces of things back together. He would take shards and attempt to reassemble them into a jug. The other one had something to do with dating objects. That is really all I know about them and I could have heard that information on the television news.”
Carmen spent some time asking Jeff about the entire process he had gone through when in Ephesus. She spent a great deal of time asking him about the two mullahs who had been present. Then she came to her kicker: How much money had he been paid?
“I will give you the same answer I have given everyone else. All of my expenses, fees for my time, and arrangements were paid for by: The U.S. Department of State, the Catholic Church, the Israeli government, the Turkish government, and several Muslim sects.”
“Yes, but how much?”
“That is nobody’s business but mine and those who paid me.”
“Why won’t you reveal an amount?”
“For the same reason I won’t tell you how much I make from my real estate transactions or how much I am paying my ex-wife, or how much money my father and my uncle may have left me and my family. Because it is nobody’s business. You do not have a right to know how much I make.”
“I understand you have some big real estate closings coming up?”
“Again, that is not your or your reader’s business and I won’t discuss or reveal detailed information about my personal life to anyone. I can say that no one group paid me to come to a conclusion about anything. As a matter of fact, no group of groups paid me to come to a conclusion. Let me restate that. Nobody paid me to lie, hide anything, or come to a conclusion not supported by the facts. That should be sufficient for anyone to know.”
“Did you ever work for the United States government or any of its affiliates?”
“Yes.”
“Explain!”
“I spent two plus years in the United States Army. I was an enlisted man.”
“Did you go on any secret missions while you were in the Army?”
“I don’t know. They weren’t secret to me and my men. The people back home may not have known about them but we sure did.”
“Did you direct any of those missions?”
“No.”
“You were not a leader in the Army?”
“I was a squad leader. I led a group of between seven and nine guys. But we didn’t decide what to do. We had officers for that.”
“Did you ever serve with people from other countries, like any of the Muslim countries?”
“We were in Iraq and Afghanistan. In each the entire country is Muslim. All the members of their army are Muslim. The guys trying to kill us were Muslim.”
“Are you currently seeing anyone?”
“As in?”
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
“Oh. How did we get from serving with Muslims to my girlfriends? Are you going to ask me if my girlfriends are Muslims?”
“Are they?”
“I have been dating several women, none of whom are Muslim. I do not have a girlfriend or a steady. I am not engaged.”
“You were married?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
“Again, none of your business.”
Carmen reached up and shut off the recorder. “Those last questions were for my benefit. I don’t really have a boyfriend that is better looking than you.”
Jeff laughed. “Do you have a boyfriend of any kind?”
Now Carmen laughed. “Well, I have been dating a few people up in the city, where I live. But nothing serious.”
“I have a few girls I have been dating also. One of them has decided that I am marriage material, based on a few television interviews. I am resisting.”
Carmen looked at him for a few seconds and asked, “Would you like to go out some time?”
“You live in New York?”
“Yes.”
“Let me have your number. I am going to be in the City Friday. I will give you a call.”
Jeff spent less than an hour with the CPA and tax attorney. He was not sure what the deal was with the money in Switzerland or Rome. In one breath, it was not taxable in the United States under certain conditions. In another it was taxable at seventy percent. He asked them to prepare a list of options for him that would be completely legal.
He was back at the Agency just before lunch. Diane had a fist full of messages for him, most of them from press people as he had forwarded his cell phone to the office number. He said hello to Jack Dunham who came in with a potential customer to introduce her to Jeff. Apparently, Jeff’s exposure on television was becoming a closing tool for the realty business.
One of the messages was from Sandy asking him to call. He punched in her number and she answered in a very soft voice. “What’s wrong, Sandy? Why do you sound so bad?”
“Bob left me.”
“What?”
“We got in a fight last night and he stormed out. I haven’t heard from him since. I have tried his cell phone and he won’t answer. I called his office and his secretary says he is in conference.”
“What did you do?”
“I got angry. You know me. When I lose control, I say things I don’t mean.”
“Sandy, you have to start growing up.”
“I know. Can you come and get the kids? Perhaps keep them for the night?”
“I don’t see why not. But, for just one night. I have to fly up to New York tomorrow afternoon. I am appearing on one of the network morning shows Friday.”
“Thank you, Jeff.”
“What time do the kids get home? Would it be Okay if I picked them up at three?”
“That will be perfect. Maybe you could come over a little early so we could talk?”
“I’ll be there at two.”
Jeff dialed Bob’s number. His secretary answered the phone, “Mr. Williams’ office.”
“Hi, Jennifer, it’s Jeff Gershman.”
“Mister Gershman, I saw you on NBC news last night. You certainly look handsome on television.”
“But, as you know, having seen me many times, not so good looking in real life.”
“Ohh, I wouldn’t say that.”
“Okay, at any rate, is Bob available to speak to his angry wife’s ex-husband?”
“Hold on!”
Jeff listened to tinny music for a minute or two until the phone clicked, “Hey, Jeff. I hope you are not calling me for Sandy. I don’t want to talk to or hear from that woman ever again.”
“Right. How are you, Bob?”
“I am destroyed. I was a happy man until I met your wife.”
“My ex-wife.”
“Whatever. Now my life is a mess. I can’t really even work. I just sit here and look out the window and think about how I am going to get myself out of this mess.”
“Look, Bob, I shouldn’t get involved in any way. But, Sandy and the kids, and you by extension, are part of my family. I need to do whatever I can to make sure you are all doing well. I am going over there this afternoon to talk to Sandy and pick up the kids for the night. Would you consider having dinner with me and the kids?”
“Do you think that is wise? Involving the kids in all of this?”
“One of the things I learned during the divorce and just before it is that the kids know something is going on. They just don’t know what. It is always better if they understand that people are not perfect and have problems. It is also important that this is handled with them as part of the family, whatever the outcome. I grew up in a family where no one talked. I don’t want that for my family, or, I should say, our family. So, what do you say? We meet at a kid-friendly place around six-thirty?”
“Are you talking Burger King or MacDonald’s?”
“No, something better than that. We need to sit at a table and eat like civilized people. How about Applebee’s or Chili’s?”
“Let’s do the Applebee’s near my house.”
“We’ll see you there at six-thirty.”
Jeff actually spent the next two hours working on real estate. He checked in with all the parties in the closings he had coming up. He called one or two of the potential buyers he had shown houses to see if they were still interested. They all said yes and mentioned, of course, that they had seen him on TV. Just before he left the office to head over to Sandy’s, he stopped in Jack Dunham’s office and asked him to follow up on a couple of things for him. Jack agreed.
Sandy was sitting on the back porch of her house with a sweater on and a blanket around her. As it was the end of May and about seventy-eight degrees outside, this looked a little unusual. Jeff was, however, used to the drama Sandy could create. He pulled up one of the other outdoor chairs and sat. “So, Sandy, you’ve fucked up your life again.”
“Why do you have to say things like that? It wasn’t all my fault.”
“You forget. I used to be the one leaving the house and refusing to come back. Bob is a lot more grown up than I am. So, you must have really hit him with the big guns to get him to run.”
“I don’t know what comes over me. I love him, you know. I think I love him more than I ever loved you. I am not saying that to make you feel bad. I just want you to know that I don’t want to screw this up with him. You and I should never have been together. I met you, a decorated combat veteran, so much older than the other boys at school, and you liked me. We should have tried to live together after school before we got married and got pregnant.”
“I know. I did love you, and I still do. But not like a wife. We never should have married. Now that you are the mother of my children, you are always going to be part of my family. So, what can I do to help keep this family together?”
“You can help me figure out why I treat those I love the way I do.”
“Sandy, you need to get a job.”
“What?”
“Who had the better grades in college?”
“I did.”
“Who is the most aggressive person on this porch?”
“Me.”
“As long as you are a stay-at-home mom, you are going to be frustrated. I don’t care how much money Bob has, you need to be filling that part of you that needs accomplishment and engagement. You are smarter than me, possibly smarter than Bob. All you do is sit around the house waiting for the kids to come home. I am not saying the kids are not important. I am saying the kids need to see a successful mother as well as a successful father. I know I have not been the best example for them. I am determined to change that. I want you to be the best example for them.”
“But, it is important that someone is around to take care of them.”
“I agree. Perhaps you should find a housekeeper or nanny. Anyone can make them meals and make sure they do their homework. Someone needs to show them what a successful person looks like. I hope I can do that. I think you have to do that also. Besides which, I don’t think you are going to be able to get along with any man if you don’t go out and get involved in something that interests you.”
There was silence for at least a minute or two. Then Jeff said, “Think about it!”
They both sat there looking at the pine trees and the bushes that were gently rocking in the slightest of breezes. The blanket dropped from the chair. The sweater came off. Sandy looked over at Jeff and asked, “Do you have a girlfriend or someone you are interested in?”
Jeff smirked. “God, San, why would I tell you about stuff like that?”
“Like you said, we are family. I have a right to know what is going on in your life. You are neck deep in my problems.”
“Okay. There are the three I have been dating for the last few months. Two of them have disappeared since the TV coverage has started. One of them, Jackie, has taken me to meet her parents and is putting on the full-court press to get me to commit. I have no interest in her. She is just climbing my celebrity ladder. I met a senior agent at the Department of State that I am very interested in, but she is so committed to her career that I think she will have no time for me. I met a reporter for Vanity Fair this morning that I am going to take to dinner up in New York Friday. Other than that, there is no one.”
“You better not end up happier than me.”
“I think I already am.”
“You really think me getting involved in something is going to make the difference in how happy I am?”
“Yes. And when you are happy, Bob is going to be happy. I can attest to the fact that when you are unhappy, every man within the sound of your voice will be unhappy.”
“You could be right.”
“I am.”
“When did you get so smart? How come we couldn’t talk like this when we were together?”
“It takes some of us longer to grow up than others.”
When the kids came home from school, they burst into the house like someone had fed them sugar. Jeff grabbed them and took them away to get some more sugar. The three of them sat at Dairy Queen nibbling on ice cream. Janet looked at her feet and asked, “Daddy, why is Mom so mad at Bob?”
Jeff smiled at the little girl, looked over at his son and asked, “Casey, you want to tell her why?”
“Janet, Mom gets mad at her husbands because they don’t do what she wants them to.”
Jeff couldn’t help himself. He laughed. “I think there is more going on than that. I think your mom needs to be doing something that makes her feel good about herself. Don’t both of you think she could be really good at something, like running a business, or being a lawyer?”
Janet jumped up in her seat and yelled, “Mom would be awesome. She can do anything.”
Casey thought about it for a few moments and then nodded his head. “You know, Dad, that could be the problem. She is just too good to sit home and do nothing.”
Jeff looked at his two children and realized for the one-millionth time how much he loved them and wanted to see them be really happy. “Kids, this evening we are going to have dinner at Applebee’s with Bob. We are all going to try to help him work out his problems with your mom so the two of them can be happy with each other. Then you are going to spend the night at my apartment.”
At this statement, both kids celebrated. They loved staying with their father, not just because they loved him, but also because there were few rules at his house and they could both stay up watching TV until they fell asleep.
At Applebee’s, there was an uncomfortable silence as everyone first sat at the table. Bob looked like he had no sleep for days. The kids were a little afraid of him. He was a little afraid of Jeff. Jeff didn’t know how to start the conversation. Finally, Casey said, “So, Bob, what’s the problem with you and Mom?”
Bob couldn’t have looked more agitated. “Casey, I am really not used to talking about my personal problems with a child.”
“We’re all in that house together. We have to live with her too. It would be better for us all if you two could get along. My dad thinks Mom should get a job or something that challengers her. Would you be against that?”
Jeff couldn’t believe this was his son. He never had the guts to jump into a conversation like that, especially when he was eleven-years-old.
Bob looked at Casey and said, “You know we have plenty of money. She doesn’t have to work.”
Casey nodded. “But, what if she needs to be doing something besides sitting at home trying to figure out what we are all doing wrong?”
Bob looked over at Jeff. “He has a point.”
Jeff looked at Janet. “What do you think, sugar?”
“I think Mommy could be great at anything. She could be a doctor or a policeman.”
Bob looked at the two kids across the table and asked, “If I suggested this to her, would you guys back me up?”
They both nodded. Jeff couldn’t stand it any longer. He had to say something. “Bob, Sandy is highly intelligent. She left me in the dust at school. She is supremely aggressive. The more she sits at home with nothing to do but take care of the kids and find things about you she doesn’t like, the shorter your relationship is going to be. Casey and Janet are right. You need to push her to become somebody. You have the money to hire somebody to make sure the kids are taken care of, a housekeeper of some kind. If you are short, I wouldn’t mind helping out.”
Then he looked at the kids and asked, “You kids wouldn’t mind coming home to somebody else if you knew them, would you?”
Janet asked, “Will they be an old lady?”
Bob responded, “I don’t know. Whoever we hire, you two will have to approve of them first.”
Both kids nodded their approval.
For the rest of the dinner, Jeff had Bob describe his childhood to Casey and Janet. When he had finished the description, Janet looked at him and said, “I hope you don’t do that to us. It sounds like you didn’t like your father very much. I would rather like you.”
Casey shook his head. “Man, if you ever did that to us, I would have to go online and find out how to make a car bomb.”
Both men laughed. Bob said, “Casey, it won’t ever come to that. If it gets close, you come and confront me. I don’t think you will have a problem with that.”
Casey said, “Deal.”