Professor Pecunia
“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE?” Church demanded at the top of his enormous voice.
His rage slammed into me like it was a physical wall. It was a wild shift from the joy and anticipation he felt just a moment ago. I was stunned to walk into the foyer of my daughter’s home to find my father on his way out.
My father cringed away from Church’s explosive temper. The three small children ran up the stairs to hide behind the second-floor banister. They were clearly shaken by their grandfather’s roar of displeasure, but they remained at the railing to watch. Josephine and her husband Maritus were a chorus of questions. “What’s going on? Why is Pop yelling? How do you know Professor Pecunia?”
Church pointed in my father’s face. “THIS IS VERPA SUMMAS! THIS IS SHAWN’S FATHER!”
Jo stared at the man she obviously knew as Professor Pecunia. “No, he can’t be.” She approached him carefully to look directly into his face. “Are you? Are you my daddy’s father? Are you the kidnapper?”
My father sighed. He hung his head for barely a second, then drew himself up defiantly. “I am Verpa Summas. I am Chordus’ father.”
Jo retreated from the ‘professor’ and sought protection in her husband’s arms. Maritus entered the conversation. “Why did you lie to us?”
My father shrugged like the answer was obvious. “I wanted to see my great-grandchildren. You wouldn’t have let me near them if you knew who I was. Even if I could have convinced you I was harmless, Church never would have believed me.” He scanned the room, seemingly for someone to support what he said. He took several steps in my direction. “Son, you must believe me. I would never harm a child.”
I retreated from my father and towards my husband. Church pulled me against him. I took comfort from the protection of his strong arms. He issued some orders starting with Ancil. “Check Verpa for weapons or recording devices. Leave two guards on the door and have the other two sweep the house for anything he might have planted. When you’re done, do the yard and the neighborhood. Check everything including line of sight views from every single window. Call the local team for whatever resources you need. DO NOT USE THEIR PEOPLE! They fucked up big time and the whole team is on my shit list until this thing is settled.”
“Yes, Boss.” Ancil had a quick word with the guards by the door, then he went towards my father. He ran his hands over my father’s green suit and looked in his briefcase. He also used a handheld scanner to check for electronic devices or weapons. The other guards began their sweep of the property.
Our team already had the equipment they needed because we traveled with it. Church insisted they check everywhere we stayed. They occasionally found listening devices or video recorders. Most of these were traced back to creepy hotel owners, but occasionally one would be connected to an organization who wished to harm my family.
Ancil’s search turned up nothing. I was surprised my father stood still for it. He was a proud man. I expected his pride would prevent him from submitting. I wondered if maybe he had changed. I shook my head to clear the absurd thought from it. My father didn’t have the capacity to change. He’d been a proud posturing prick for my entire life. He alienated me and my mother long ago. He even managed to temporarily alienate my brother Primis, who he once doted on.
When his business started to fail, he allowed a gangster he knew to kidnap me for money. Each of those actions was individually damning. When taken together, they were unforgivable. I steeled myself against any positive emotion toward the man who had made my young life hell.
Church gripped my shoulders and spoke close to my ear. “Love, I need to call Bem. Will you be alright for a minute?”
“Yes, Love. Thanks for asking.”
He moved to the corner of the room and dialed his phone for our old friend. Bem was the original architect of our security force. He directed the training and worked with Church and my Uncle Ars to structure the organization. He didn’t run the day-to-day, but he was the head of the private army we employed to protect us and our extended family.
Church started his conversation bluntly. “Yeah, hello, I just walked into Josephine’s house in Bona Mane. Who the fuck do you think I ran into? SHAWN’S FUCKING FATHER! Yeah, they think he’s some kind of Goddamned professor. Am I sure it’s him? You bet your ass it’s him. There’s a fucking hole in the security big enough to drive a fucking Mack truck through. What? It’s a big Goddamned truck from Earth. I don’t give a fuck what you’re doing or where you are, you get here and straighten this mess out.”
He paused to listen to what Bem had to say. I imagined our old friend was doing some fast talking on the other end of the phone. I had no doubt he would take responsibility for the security breach. He would also do whatever was necessary to fix the problem and restore the operation to peak efficiency. None of that was the issue. The issue was that the breach occurred at all.
As I imagined Bem’s side of the conversation, I was surprised I’d been able to hear any of it. Church could have put himself inside a box of physical magic to keep his conversation private. He would have needed to leave a small opening for the telephone signal to get through, but that opening could have been miniscule. I realized with a twinge of regret that he had his conversation in the open because he wanted everyone to hear what he said. It was another part of his growing ruthlessness.
My father spoke. “You look well Chordus. Very fit. You must exercise a great deal.”
I looked down at myself to see what he was talking about. My view was partially blocked by the peaks of my bulging pectorals. I ran my hand over them and down my flat stomach. I still wasn’t used to my new physique and was always surprised when someone mentioned it.
My father addressed me again. “You always enjoyed exercise and physical things. I always preferred cerebral pursuits. You’re like your mother in that respect. She was an enthusiastic athlete. Is she still?”
“She keeps herself in good shape. She’s off traveling again with Paul. An ancient religious text was discovered in a library way up north. They’ve gone to investigate.”
My father smiled. His pleasure seemed genuine. “I’ve attended several services at the reformed church. I know that she and Paul aren’t directly involved with the movement, but they support it with their research. It seems to be gaining momentum. The message is pleasant. I don’t know if I believe everything they say, but the church teaches love and fellowship. Those are positive things.”
I opened my mouth to say something about how impressed I was with my father for trying something new like attending church, but I didn’t get the chance. I was distracted by the sound of Church as he finished his call. “Yes, I love you too. I’m sorry for yelling. I love my children, and I don’t want to see them hurt. If Shawn’s father got in here, anyone could. Alright, I’ll see you later on.”
He walked over from his corner. “Bem wants us to go to your father’s house for a few days.” He shook his head and offered a correction. “Actually, he wants us to go home. I said that we’d already started our trip, and I didn’t want to go all the way back to the estate and have to start again. Besides, we gave orders for the house to be closed and for all the servants to take the summer off. If we go home, we’ve got to open everything up and try to call people back or have temporary help and…anyway, fuck all that.
“Your dad’s place is only two towns over. It’s secure because we keep it that way. Bem is on his way to deal with the security SNAFU. He asked me to stay out of it. He said he didn’t want my ham-fists fouling up the delicate workings of his organization. I promised to keep my ham-hands in my pockets as long as he can fix the problem quickly. If he can’t, I’m going to smash what I don’t like, and he can build fresh out of the rubble.”
I had an absurd mental image of Church tearing through Bem’s security force like a black and white Godzilla through a cardboard city. I would have smirked except most of my mind was occupied by dread. I didn’t want to go anywhere near my childhood home. “Why can’t we stay here? Jo and Mari are all ready for us.”
“Bem doesn’t want us all together. The security breach has him worried.”
I got worried too. “Should Jo and Mari and the kids leave with us?”
“Bem says they don’t have anything to worry about as long as we’re not here. Jo and Mari are here all the time. If anyone wanted to do something to them, they would have done it. With us here, this house becomes a more attractive target. We only came because we thought the location was secure. With the security in question, we need to leave. According to Bem, we would protect their family better by leaving than by staying.
“He’s going to send a fresh detail to keep an eye on the house until the fuck up is resolved. Once it is, we can come back and start over like nothing happened.” Church diverted his attention to our daughter and her husband. “As long as you’re agreeable, that is. I know I’m presuming an awful lot. I want to see you both, but I won’t put you in danger. Will you give us a few days to resolve this? Can we come back once everything settles down?”
Josephine, who usually was not very demonstrative, ran across the entryway and threw herself into the arms of her Pops. Church caught her and lifted her in the air to spin her around. He set her on her feet and gathered her close for a hug. “Of course, you can, Pop. I can’t wait to have you and Dad here. I’m sorry this happened. I thought I was doing the right thing. The kids had such fun with the professor. He doesn’t seem like a bad man. Maybe he has changed.”
Church frowned at Jo and scowled at my father. He forced a neutral expression onto his face before he answered. “I doubt it, but we’ll see. The other reason Bem suggested we go to Shawn’s father’s house is so we can analyze any threat Verpa might pose. Maybe forty years has changed him.”
I paid attention to my husband’s emotions as he encouraged our daughter. He didn’t believe a word he said. He was disgusted to be in the same room as my father. He hated the man and the fact that he’d pushed himself into our lives once again. I tried to keep an open mind, but it would be difficult.
I spoke to my father who no one had consulted about our pending visit. “It sounds like you’re about to have guests.”
He drew himself up in defiance. “I didn’t invite any of you to my home.” He shook his finger at Church. “You can’t unilaterally decide to invade my privacy. How dare you be so presumptuous!”
Church strode to stand directly in front of my father. He towered over the smaller man and growled his words to the top of his head. “Verpa, you have invaded the security of my daughter’s home. Your presence here means you are in violation of the agreement which settled your involvement in Shawn’s kidnapping. I will remind you only once that the home you live in belongs to me. You signed it away to avoid financial ruin and prison time. Any violation of the contract renders our agreement on your use of the property null and void. I’m within my rights to evict you with no notice and without a credit to your name. Don’t test me. You’ll lose.”
My father remained defiant. He didn’t shrink, but he didn’t respond either. Church moved away from him to speak quietly with Jo and Mari. I was temporarily alone. Two of the guards had gotten their equipment from the car and passed through the foyer to sweep the house for audio or video ‘bugs.’ Ancil had taken over their position just inside the door. He glanced my way and noticed I was looking at him. He checked to make sure no one else was watching, then he winked.
I felt a little thrill of anticipation for later. I wondered if the three of us would be able to find the privacy we needed for some playtime. I didn’t know what our sleeping arrangements would be at my father’s house. I quickly remembered how resourceful my husband could be when he wanted something. He would want to engage with Ancil and me; therefore, he would find a way. Adventurous sex would help take my mind off the dread of being under my father’s roof after so many years. I looked forward to it.
Church finished speaking with Jo and Mari. He hugged them both and apologized for everything that wasn’t his fault. I did the same. Church used his big, fatherly voice to call the three kids down from their perch behind the second-floor banister. He picked the three of them up with his magic and rotated them around like they were carousel ponies. He hugged each giggling child as they passed before him. Once each one had been hugged and teased, Church passed them to me so I could do the same. I said ‘goodbye’ to my grandchildren.
Church released the two boys and one girl from his magic. The children gathered in front of my father with uncertain looks on their adorable faces. The oldest boy, five-year-old Josiah, had a question. “Professor, will you come tomorrow? You didn’t finish the story about mean old King Pravus.”
My father patted the child’s head and ruffled his dark hair. “I am sorry. I won’t be able to make it tomorrow. Something has come up…an obligation I had forgotten about.”
The explanation didn’t sit well with Josiah. “But…but what about the bad King and the nasty war and the brave heroes and everything?”
My father displayed a tight, uncomfortable smile. “We’ll have to finish the tale another time. Now be a good boy, and I’ll see you again soon.”
Josiah clenched his hands into angry little fists and stomped his foot. He pouted, seemingly sad instead of angry, and held his arms out for a hug. My father raised worried eyes to my daughter. She nodded to express her permission. He struggled down onto one stiff and elderly knee and hugged each child from oldest to youngest. He stood and patted each head and sent the children toward their parents.
I didn’t know what to think about what I’d just witnessed. The man who had reluctantly taken his leave from three tiny children had always been a prick to me. From my earliest memory until the day my mother sent me to the capital when I was fifteen, he treated me like I was a pain in his ass. I didn’t want him to treat my grandchildren that way, but I was stunned to see tenderness from someone who I didn’t think was capable of it. I shook my head because I didn’t know what else to do and moved with the departing group through the front door.
The two guards who had remained outside went down the steps with Church while the rest of us lingered on the porch. Church addressed my father. “How did you come, Verpa?”
“I took the bus. I didn’t want to arrive in my own car with an identifiable number plate. I know full well about your surveillance network. Your people would have checked, and I would have been discovered.”
Church gestured toward our estate car and started to say something, but my father talked over him. “I must say, while we are on the subject, that I think it’s reprehensible the way you have your family members watched. I honestly do not know why they stand for it. Chordus, I’m even more surprised at you. Why do you permit such an invasion of their privacy? It’s monstrous.”
Smoldering anger rose inside my husband. His hands became fists. He took a step toward my father, then restrained himself and backed away. He leaned against the estate car and rubbed his face with both of his palms. The contemplative action calmed him enough so he could speak without shouting.
“Verpa, I’d prefer if I didn’t want to choke the living shit out of you for the entire duration of our time together. Anger is so exhausting. Can we just acknowledge that I don’t like you and you don’t like me and let’s get along the best way we can for a few days? Please.
“As for the security I have placed around my children and their families, you only have yourself to blame. As much as it gags me to admit, I really should thank you for kidnapping your son. That ridiculous escapade showed us our vulnerability. The security team I employ doesn’t watch my children. They look outward to watch the world. They vet each person who comes near. For the most part, they remain at a distance. None of my children have live-in guards. They wouldn’t want them, and I do not wish to impose. The security force keeps their personnel close to wherever one of mine goes. They manage threats and respond in case of an emergency.
“Over the years, the team has defended my loved ones from multiple threats. In every occasion, these threats have been taken out before they were able to cause actual harm. Your presence here today tells me the team has gotten complacent. The head of the force is on his way to conduct a shake-up. Again, as much as it gags me to admit, I should thank you for exposing the weakness. All that aside, would you like to ride with us, or do you wish to take the bus?”
My father frowned. He didn’t seem to appreciate Church’s oration. As for me, I was proud of my husband. He managed to speak to a man he hated without shouting. My father didn’t seem to know what to do. Church tried to make his decision for him. He stood away from the side of the car and pulled the door open. He held it and waited.
My father got in and put his briefcase in his lap. Church leaned into the opening and offered an afterthought. “Oh, and Verpa, my husband’s name is Shawn. I ask you to refrain from using the hateful name you forced upon him when he was born. He hasn’t used it in more than sixty years, and it’s been legally changed for nearly that long. Thank you in advance.”
He shut the door and scooped me up in his arms to hug me tightly. “Are you alright, Love? I can feel you’re not. I’m sorry our trip started out like this. Bem will be here soon. He’ll get the mess straightened out and we’ll start again like none of this ever happened. Ok?”
I wrapped my legs around his waist and hugged him back. I kissed his mouth. “Thank you for thinking of me. Thank you for trying to be civil with my father. Thank you for being you.”
He kissed me and set me down so we could get into the car. Ancil got in with us. The other two guards got into their ‘chase car’ and followed behind. We set off for my father’s house.
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