JC: William Redman Carter Noble Savage Chapter 8 By Lazlo Zalezac Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2005 "I've got the program completed and most of the data collected. We'll start the simulation at the end of the semester," said William pointing to his project chart. It showed each of the major milestones in his research project. Ignoring the chart, Professor Johnston was busy looking over the new computer on his desk. He couldn't believe how much William had accomplished over the past few weeks. He was still looking over the data and knew it would be days before he would finish exploring it all. William had managed to collect, in a short period of time, economic data about households that he hadn't known existed. Eyes fixed on the computer screen, he said, "You've made a lot of progress. I'm impressed." The cell phone in William's pocket rang interrupting their conversation. After looking over at his professor, William pulled the cell phone out. Glancing at the face of it, he saw that the caller was his father Leroy. Concerned that he had not anticipated the call, he answered it, "What's up, Daddy Leroy?" "One of my meetings got canceled, so I'm going to be in your area of the country later this week with nothing to do. I thought I would stop by Thursday and then leave Saturday. Are you up for a little company?" Leroy explained. Wanting to let Professor Johnston know that he'd only be a minute, William went to make a gesture to the man. He found that Professor Johnston was busy looking over data in the computer like a child with a new toy and was totally oblivious to what William was doing. Turning his attention back to his father, William said, "You're always welcome. Can I ask a favor of you?" "What?" "Would you mind giving a talk here on Friday? I’m sure the biology department would love to have a Nobel Prize Winner give a Friday afternoon lecture." "I've got my standard College seminar lecture in my briefcase. Set it up," answered Leroy. "Great. I enjoy showing off my parents," William said with a chuckle. It pleased him when his parents got the credit they deserved for their hard work, particularly Leroy. The quiet black man was often overlooked because of his more famous husbands. "My plane is ready. I'll see you Thursday." "Right, Thursday." Professor Johnston had turned around in time to hear the farewells. Not having paid attention, he had no clue concerning the identity of the person with whom William had been talking. Seeing the smile on the face of his young student, he asked, "You have a date?" "That was one of my fathers. He's coming to visit next Thursday," William answered while wishing that he had a date. "Is he here on business?" Professor Johnston asked. He wasn't normally that curious about his student's private lives, but he didn't have many fifteen-year-old students. In a funny way, he felt like he had to watch over the boy. "It's mostly to visit with me, but he's agreed to give a lecture here on Friday," said William. "When and where?" he asked thinking it would be a chance to meet a member of William's family. Even though there was a lot of information about his parents in the press, Professor Johnston knew that it wasn't the kind of information that would give insights into the family. He was curious what kind of parents could produce someone like William. "I don't know yet. I have to arrange it," said William. "Well, go do that. I'm going to look over this data," Professor Johnston said. Turning to look at the screen, he wondered where William had managed to get home purchase data going back fifty years. "County tax records," said William as he left the office. William stepped out of the Morgenstern Building and looked up at the spring sky. It was the first warm day of spring. The women on campus had shed their coats and donned short skirts. The young men on campus were busy watching the young women. It was a spring day on campus and love, well at least lust, was in the air. The bench outside the Morgenstern Building was unoccupied and William went over to it to make a call. Fishing out his cell phone, he called Mary Gold to see if she could help him arrange a meeting with the chair of the biology department. She called back after ten minutes with the news that he had an appointment in twenty minutes. William took his time walking over to the biology department. He noticed Doug was walking with a young woman and talking animatedly. He hoped his friend was able to get a date, but feared that it was highly unlikely. The women who interested Doug seldom gave him the time of day. Doug wasn't interested in the women who were interested him. Doug, in a paraphrase of Groucho Marx, often joked that he wouldn't want a woman that wanted a man like him. Thinking about his friend, William made his way across campus towards the science building. It was a large two-story building covered with ivy. He entered the building, taking in the architecture and thinking of his sister, Beth. He knew that she'd probably find the architectural style very boring. He made his way towards the biology department on the second floor. The halls were wide with pairs of doors spaced far apart. Each laboratory had two doors, one on each end of the room. It took him some time to find the office. Entering, he went to the secretary's desk and said, "I'm here to see the department chair." Looking up at the young man, the secretary figured that she would put him off in a gentle manner. She answered, "Do you have an appointment?" "Yes, I do," he answered. "Your name?" "William Redman Carter." The secretary didn't need to look at her appointment book to know he was expected. Less than thirty minutes earlier, the Provost had called to make the appointment for him. Surprised that it was such a young man, she said, "Dr. Dorman will see you now." Entering the office, William looked at the frumpy looking woman seated behind the desk. She was in her late fifties and didn't bother to hide it. Her gray hair was pulled up in a bun with strands of hair sticking out in disarray. She looked over at him with a frown and asked, "Who are you?" "I'm William Redman Carter." He knew that wasn't her real question. She wanted to know what made him think he could get an appointment with her on demand. "Why would the Provost demand that I meet you?" "I have arranged a guest speaker for Friday afternoon," answered William although that wasn't the real reason. Mary Gold had made a few calls to arrange this meeting and he guessed she had just cut through the bureaucracy by going directly to the top. Very few people rejected calls from a representative of the Carter Clan, particularly people who were in charge of fundraising. "What has that got to do with me?" "Your department is hosting him." Dr. Dorman sat back in her chair and stared at William. The look she gave him had withered many a graduate student who had wasted her time. She seriously doubted that a teenager could arrange a speaker who would be of much interest. Much to her surprise, he smiled at her with amusement in his eyes. Curious at the fact that she couldn't intimidate him, she asked, "Who is this guest speaker?" "Dr. Leroy Jones, Jr." She didn't have to ask who he was, but couldn't believe that she had heard the young man correctly. Sitting forward, she asked, "Dr. Leroy Jones, Jr.?" "Yes." "The man who did the groundbreaking research on Chronic Wasting Disease?" "Yes." "You are talking about the Nobel Laureate Leroy Jones, Junior?" "Yes," answered William nodding his head. "May I ask how you managed to arrange for such an important person to give a lecture here?" "Sure. He's one of my fathers and is stopping by to pay a visit. I asked him if he'd be willing to give a Friday afternoon lecture and he said yes," answered William. She didn't need to hear any more than that. Smiling at William, the department chair asked, "What time should I schedule the lecture?" "How about after lunch?" "Excellent. I'll schedule lunch in the faculty dining room and we can go from there to the lecture hall. Would a noon lunch be okay with you and your father?" "That would be fine," answered William. "Thank you. I'll make the arrangements." Dr. Dorman knew that news of the seminar would spread like wildfire across the campus. Dr. Leroy Jones, Jr had given the world a new infectious mechanism, joining bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Not only had he done that, he'd found how diseases produced by it could be cured. He had done it as a biologist and not as a veterinarian or medical researcher. While making his way from the building where the biology department was located, William froze with his heart hammering in his chest. Seated on one of the benches was a young woman. She looked to be fourteen going on fifteen years of age. Her hands covered her face as she cried. Her shoulders moved up and down. Her silky brown hair came down to the middle of her back. His spirit leapt on seeing her. Hands trembling from nervousness and excitement, he made his way over to the bench. Looking down on her, his vision met reality. Yesterday's tomorrow had become today. Now that he was faced with her, he didn't know what to say despite the fact that he had sought opening lines for years. Unsure for the first time in longer than he could remember, he asked, "Would you like to talk about it?" "You wouldn't understand," the young woman said between sobs. She didn't bother to look up at the individual who had asked the question. Taking a seat next to her, his heart pounding in his chest, he said, "I bet I would understand." "I'm fifteen years old and in college. Nobody takes me seriously. Everyone makes fun of me. I hate it here." Her complaints were ejected like bullets between sobs. The other students called her 'kid.' Some of them even rubbed her on the head like she was some kind of pet dog. It angered her that she made better grades than other students, but they wouldn't allow her to participate in their study groups. "I'm fifteen years old and in college," William said softly. He had problems with others taking him seriously, but no one made fun of him. When he needed to be taken seriously, he would wear his robe from the Druid College. That made people sit up and notice him. The young woman pulled her hands away from her face and turned towards him. It was her intention to call him a liar since she was sure that she knew better. Instead, she was shocked to see someone her own age looking at her. Disbelieving her eyes, she asked, "You're a student here?" "Yes, I am," answered William staring at the face he had dreamed of seeing for years. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, despite the fact that her eyes were red from crying and her nose was running. "Prove it." "Trusting soul, aren't we?" asked William with a grin. He fished around in his pocket and pulled out his wallet. It took him a minute to locate his student ID. Removing his ID from the wallet, he held it up for her to see. "Why haven't I see you before?" she asked. Her red rimmed eyes opening wide at seeing the student ID. "I'm usually over in the Morgenstern Building," he answered replacing the ID in the wallet and the wallet to his pocket. "Oh, I don't ever make it over there." "My name is William Redman Carter." Finding the formal introduction funny, she replied, "I'm Lucille Desi Wilkins." "I'm pleased to meet you Lucille." "Call me Lucy. So you are really a student here?" she asked unable to believe that she had found another student her age. "Yes, I'm really a student here," answered William with a grin. Now that she had calmed down, William thought it would be better to talk with her in a more relaxing environment. He asked, "Would you like to go over to the student center with me?" Not wanting to return to her dorm, she answered, "I'd love to go." As they walked along, William knew that the complaints she had raised wouldn't provoke the kind of tears he had seen. Some other event had to have happened to trigger her reaction. He asked, "So what upset you so much?" "I went to my dorm room after class to drop off my books and my room mate was having sex with a guy on my bed. On my bed!" The anger in her voice was unmistakable. It was the final straw after a long line of abuse by her roommate. William listened to her roommate horror stories. Shaking his head, he wondered how someone could be so crass towards someone younger. It offended his sense of right based on the rule to protect the weak from the strong. Four or five years difference in age might not mean much to a middle aged person, but to a teenager it was a quarter of a lifetime of experience. She vented her frustration and after a while fell silent. She wiped her eyes unable to believe that she had been crying again. The idea that she would have to return to her dorm and sleep in a bed that had been violated by her roommate was crushing. She never wanted to return to that room. William was touched by her pain and wanted to help her. He said, "I'm sorry that your room mate is a complete jerk. Maybe I can help you get moved to a better room." "What can you do?" asked Lucy feeling that her situation was hopeless. She looked at William seeing a teenager in the same situation as herself. Her attempts to change dorm rooms had failed. When she had asked the resident assistant about changing rooms, she had told her there wasn't another available room. "I'm sure that something can be done," answered William knowing he would move heaven and earth to make life better for her. She was his love and her life was going to be a fairy tale existence from that day forward. He had been waiting to meet her for as long as he could remember. The young couple made their way to the student center. Once there, Lucy went to the restroom to wash her face while William rushed off to get them something to drink. In the restroom, Lucy scrubbed her face, blew her nose, and brushed her hair frantically. Looking in the mirror, she wished that she wore makeup to hide the effects of crying. She managed to finish and find a table before William was able to pay for his purchases. She waved to him to let him know where she was seated and sat down when he nodded back at her. After paying for the beverages, William made his way to the table. He held up a bottle of orange juice and a bottle of apple juice to let her pick one. She pointed at the bottle of orange juice and he handed it to her. She looked at him and, feeling suddenly shy, said, "Thank you." "You're welcome." Lucy looked across the table at William unable to believe that a handsome young man like him was spending time with her. His black hair, dark eyes, and copper colored skin gave him a very exotic appearance. Although he was a little shorter than she was, she knew that would change with time. His next growth spurt would put him taller than her by several inches. From the attention he was giving her, she believed he was just as interested in her as she was interested in him. Lucy asked, "Can I ask you something?" "Sure," answered William. He was tempted to tell her that she just had asked him something, but the relationship was too new and fragile to risk on a bad joke. "Why do you introduce yourself as William Redman Carter?" "I am very proud of my name. William Redman was my great- grandfather. He was a Medicine Man of my tribe and founded the Native American College. My father was John Carter. He was the Grand Druid and founded the Druid College. When I give my name, I am doing honor to both men. It is a constant reminder that I have to strive for excellence," answered William. His answer was a major shock. She hadn't connected his name to the Carter Clan and had never heard of William Redman, although she had heard of the Native American College. Suddenly, the handsome young man was larger than life and that terrified her. She needed some time to think, but he was seated across from her. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Tell me about yourself." For the next hour, William and Lucy exchanged personal histories. While his life was an accelerated version of hers, there were enough commonalties that they connected. They shared an enjoyment of math, science fiction, and martial arts. One difference was that she had been held back from achieving her full potential by parents and a school system. Her parents were concerned that she was growing up too fast. The school system didn't like to make exceptions, even for bright students. The conversation also touched up lighter subjects. She had explained that her name was a result of her mother's love of the 'I Love Lucy' show. She'd been named Lucille after Lucille Ball and Desi after Desi Arnaz. When she had finally seen the show, she'd been dismayed. When William went off to refill their juices, Lucy sat at the table thinking about what she had learned. She had rushed through school; passing classes like cars passed bicycles on a highway. She had lived with people treating her like some sort of strange beast because she was successful at anything she attempted. For the first time in her life, she had met someone her own age that was even more successful than her. She didn't know how to react to him. She kept thinking that she'd like to react to him in the manner she wanted others to react to her. From across the student center, Doug had watched William and Lucy talking. When William left the table, he saw the concerns flitting over her face. Deciding that he would help, he went over to the seat William had just abandoned and sat down without waiting for an invitation. Looking at Lucy with interest, he said, "There are some advantages to looking your age." It was Lucy's experience that too many of the men on campus thought that a fifteen-year-old girl would love to date an older man. They felt she would be an easy lay. Consequently, she had to fend off several pickup attempts a day. Rolling her eyes in anticipation of another pickup line, Lucy asked, "What advantages?" "You find a young woman your own age," said Doug. "Are you claiming to be fifteen?" Lucy asked. It was clear by the tone of voice that she knew it was an absurd claim and that she wasn't amused. "Not at all. I'm talking about William," Doug said looking at her quizzically. He didn't understand her hostility. When her posture showed signs of relaxing, he said, "The two of you make a cute couple." "We're not a couple!" "You could have fooled me. My friend William is head over heels for you. I'm not going to put words into your mouth, but if you aren't goo-goo over him then my name is Donald Duck." Doug leaned back in his chair and watched her face turn red out of embarrassment. "Goo-goo?" "That's short for madly, deeply, and truly interested," answered Doug with a grin. "Oh, I shall have to add that to my vocabulary one of these days," she answered with a laugh. "It's a perfectly good word." "Who are you?" "I guess by your question, you don't believe my name is Donald Duck," Doug said. She blushed when she realized what he meant by his reply. Winking at her, he said, "I'm Doug. I'm his second best friend on campus." "Who's his best friend?" "What's your name?" Doug looked at her expectantly. "Lucy," she answered surprised by the sudden change in topic. "Lucy." It took Lucy a minute to realize that Doug hadn't changed the topic. He was saying that she was William's best friend. The presumption embarrassed her and excited her at the same time. While William walked towards the table, he noticed Doug and Lucy talking with each other. She was laughing at something Doug had said. He thought it was strange that Doug had known of another student his age and had never let him know. When he reached the table, he asked, "Do you know each other?" "I introduced myself to Lucy, but she didn't believe that my name was Donald Duck so I had to tell her the truth," Doug answered while winking at Lucy. Noticing the wink, William had to play out the game. As he slid the orange juice to Lucy, he asked, "Why would you tell her that your name was Donald Duck?" "I told her that if you weren't goo-goo over her, my name was Donald Duck. She turned around and asked me for my real name." "Goo-goo?" asked William. "That's short for madly, deeply, and truly interested," said Lucy giggling at how his reaction mirrored hers. "I shall have to add that to my vocabulary one of these days," William said with a laugh. On hearing that, Doug burst out laughing. Lucy giggled at hearing her own words coming out of William's mouth. Shaking his head, Doug said, "You two belong together. William, if you don't invite her out for dinner then I'll lose all respect for you." "Invite her out for dinner?" asked William wondering if Doug wasn't pushing him into doing something that would scare Lucy away. "I'd hate for Doug to lose what little respect he has for you. I guess I would have to accept if you extended an invitation," Lucy said. She hoped that by saying yes in that manner that it would make it easier for William to ask her out. "Will you come to dinner with me tonight?" asked William nervously. "Yes," she answered almost before he finished asking the question. Almost as soon as the word was out of her mouth, she realized that she had just accepted her first date. The enormity of what had just occurred flustered her and she put her hand over her mouth to hide her embarrassment. "Call me Cupid. I have fired my arrows, hit my target, and now must leave. Have a fun time you two," said Doug with a flourish of his arms as he stood, bowed, and then left. He called over his shoulder before either one of them had a chance to react, "I expect to be invited to the wedding." Once Doug had left, they looked at each other nervously. Wondering if she had just been played by an experienced team, she said, "I know that Doug was joking, but I have to know. Are you really interested in me?" Reaching across the table, William took her hand and, looking her in the eye, answered, "I have been waiting for you my entire life."