problem, you will not only change the world but change my life. I’ll have weekends off. I’ll get to work a normal eight-hour day. I might even get to take a real vacation.”
“I don’t want to put you out of work,” I teased.
He laughed, shaking his head and pointing toward the harbor. “There are a lot of old ships out there. I’ve got enough work to last me three lifetimes.”
“This is true.”
“It really is a game changer,” he said. “What you are doing is going to just make life easier for the world in general. People want goods faster. They don’t want to pay ridiculous shipping fees. You are making it all the better. That award you won is just the first of many. I’m sure you are going to have yourself a Nobel prize in the near future.”
I sipped the horrible coffee. “I have to admit, I never did any of this because I wanted to change the world. I didn’t do it because I was thinking about global warming or climate change. The designs just made sense. I don’t need awards or recognition. Selling my ships is enough.”
“Yeah, because you make a lot of money.”
“That doesn’t hurt,” I answered honestly. “If people are willing to pay, I’m willing to do my part for mankind.”
“And you are a scientist,” he agreed. “Scientists look at facts. You saw a problem and you fixed it. You weren’t looking for accolades, awards, or a pat on the back. You got rich for the right reasons. You weren’t screwing anyone over.
“No, I wasn’t and I’m still not. I would like a little acceptance from my father. And hers. I would like for them to be able to admit I’m not a total loser. They don’t even have to tell me I did something good. I just want them to look at me with decency and not complete disdain.”
“You are not a loser. I don’t think anyone actually thinks that. How can they? You are the most successful guy I know. You are right up there with Gates and Jobs.”
I laughed. “I don’t think so. I wouldn’t want to be. That’s way too much pressure.”
“You are whether you like it or not. You’ve only been doing this for ten years. Just think what you will come up with in the next ten. Like this rudder problem. You are going to fix it and it is going to revolutionize the shipping world. I bet you’ll have it so good, these ships will come into the harbor like a Ferrari. Tight corners, speed, and steering like they are on rails.”
“Yeah, I don’t see that happening. If you think that’s possible, you have no business doing what you do.”
“Like it or not, you are doing selfless things. You can call it making sense, but you choosing to make ships more efficient is pretty fucking cool.”
“Thanks.”
“It makes you just a little less of a dick,” he added.
“Gee, just a little?”
He held up two fingers and put them very close together. “That much and that is being generous.”
“Call me when you get that thing up and out. I’m going back to my office to work on some stuff.”
“You mean my new rudder. You are going to work on my new rudder.”
I got to my feet and shrugged. “It isn’t like it’s going to just fall out of my head. Even if what I’m thinking does work, it’s going to take some time. You know that.”
“I do know that and I’m okay with waiting. I know you’ll do it.”
“I’ll talk to you later,” I told him and headed for my car.
I had an itch to sketch. My brain was being bombarded with a hundred different ideas. I didn’t know what would work and what wouldn’t, but I was going to solve the issue. It might not be tomorrow or even the next month. I would figure it out. I was looking forward to having something to work on, to fixate on.
I drove to the office, forcing myself to focus on my driving. I did get a little distracted when I had a new puzzle to solve. I could get obsessed. I tried to tell myself to keep it in check. Maybe things would be different this time. Evie would keep me from getting too wrapped up in the project. She would force me to leave the office. She would make me eat and shower.
And hopefully want to distract me in other ways.
When I got to the office, I closed the