Robert Smith - The Planner

Bates takes the note and nods, impressed. Much to Planner’s surprise, Bates immediately destroys the note. He’d already memorised the name and number.

* * * *

A shower and 90 minutes, later, Planner was greeting Katherine in the hotel bar, with a handshake and small peck on the cheek.

“I’m glad you could make it. The jerks not keeping you too busy tonight?” said Planner.

“The jerks weren’t playing at all,” Katherine chuckled. “Stone-walling. So I have some time off this evening.”

Their waitress arrived with drinks, “Sir, Madam, your drinks. Can I get you anything else?”

“That’s fine. Thanks,” said Planner.

Katherine took her cocktail and started drinking it fast, barely able to make eye contact with Planner.

“So you work in New York and live in DC?” said Planner, trying to restart the conversation.

“Pretty much. I’ve been commuting for the past year. Usually one week in NY and the next working from home dialling-in from my home computer. So not too bad.”

“Nice view from your office?” he asked, still struggling to rekindle their rapport.

“The windows are too narrow to have a good view. One of the many things I don’t like about the building.”

“You don’t like the building?”

“No! Do you? I don’t know anyone that does,” Katherine said while continuing to drink quickly. “Apparently it’s so full of asbestos; it might be condemned! 49”

“Really? I didn’t know that.”

“55 Broad Street, down the road; I know one of the people working there. They emptied the building to have the asbestos stripped from there. It cost five times more than the original building cost! Can you see them doing that for the Twin Towers?” she said, adding, as if this was more important, “Even the shops in the basement mall are closing! Blah. So how has your day been?”

“Not good. A mess really,” sighed Planner. “Too many changes to plans; all sorts of detritus to be cleared up. I’ll need to beg for more resources. Cap in hand: Please Sir, Can I have some more. I’m beginning to think the whole program is flawed.”

Planner received a text message. Planner looked down briefly to read it. The text message from Bates read, “Fort D. all set up for next week”.

“Is this another defense contract going awry?” she asked hesitantly.

Planner looked up and said, “I’m afraid so.”

“Will you be able to sort it out with millions or billions?” she teased.

“It’s a billion dollar deal,” lied Planner smoothly. “But I’ll clear up my mess for an extra few million. But now I feel there may be other aspects flapping about and not pegged down.”

“So another billion, huh?” she said deliberately exaggerating. “Is your job on the line or anything?”

“You know I haven’t really thought about that,” said Planner jokingly. “Now I’ll be worrying about that tonight.”

“Nah! Worry about it in the morning. You have to sort me out tonight: stop me worrying about the jerks. I have so many things in my head at the moment,” said Katherine returning to her cocktail.

“Well… you know that the human mind can only deal with a maximum of eight big ideas at a time?” soothed Planner.

“Really? As many as that! I thought it was only women that could multitask,” She said with a fake laugh.

“Ooh, first sexiest remark of the evening! And not from me!” teased Planner.

Katherine had a more genuine laugh but still seemed ill-at-ease, “You have to excuse me. I guess I’m not use to going drinking with strange men. Boring men, yes. Strange men, no.”

“So tell me about yourself, Katherine. You seem a bit nervous.”

“I guess I am. I prefer talking about work in general. Safer subject.”

“The jerks are a safe subject?”

“I see your point,” she said. Then with feigned good humour, Katherine said, moving uncomfortably in her seat, “I’m pretty much a bitch at work. It’s easier that way. But speaking to another human, this is where the problems begin.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, I find that it is easier to live in the land of lies. I live the life of an ogre devouring all in front of me. But in the real world, I have to admit to being a mere mortal.”

“And that causes a problem because…?” asked Planner wondering where this conversation was leading.

“What normally happens in the real world, is that, say, this salt-of-the-earth type guy rides into town, ties up his horse and wanders into the saloon, leans of bar and orders some drinks, you know, the way they do. He looks around and settles his gaze upon me across the crowded room, as I play my hand at the card table and win another huge kitty…”

“This is the real world, you say?” teased Planner.

Katherine provides a sarcastic half-smile.

“Sorry, go on”

Katherine continued gloomily, “So we meet, have a few laughs, and then, because this is the real world, I fess up. I say, I-have-a-daughter and then, with barely a tip of the hat, I watch my cowboy ride into the sunset…”

Planner responded quickly, “What’s her name?”

“Beth. She’s ten,” said Katherine, lightening up after making this confession.

“Ten? That’s a great age,” said Planner. “Tell me about her.”

“She wants to be a professional baseball player. She’s not very good but very enthusiastic.”

“The best way to be.”

“Not very good?” teased Katherine.

“That too,” Planner laughed. “I was actually talking about enthusiasm but, hey, let’s celebrate the not-naturally-talented too.”

“She probably has talents, just hasn’t found them. Last month, she wanted to be a doctor.”

Planner chuckled, “It’s good to keep your options open.”

“Were you one of those people that knew what they wanted to be at ten years old?” she asked.

“No, not at all. My parents pushed me hard. I complied. Got on well.”

“Ivy League?”

“Cornell,” said Planner. “It was good. I had a great time. My mates and I lived in a big old house close to campus. Every other house down the road was full of students. We had parties every weekend, under the watchful eye of residents that sat out on their front porches watching the commotion. I think they kind of liked it. Went down to the lakes at weekends. Picnicked out. Felt I lived through several lifetimes there.”

“Sounds lovely. Better time than I had at college. So what took over your life?”

“My job? I went into Aircraft Control Systems. Fascinating stuff, loved it. Found I was working with the engineers all night trying to get things fixed and working right; Electronics, Networks, Software, I used to know it all. It was boom-business in the eighties and I was good at my job. Yeah, I used to be good at my job.”

“Just used-to-be?” she queried.

“It’s a different job now. It’s er… political nowadays,” said Planner uneasily.

“You seem like you can handle it.”

“Appearing that-way is one of my strengths.”

“So work has taken over your life?” she asked.

“Oh totally. Several midnighters last week. Mind you, I also went the movies last night, so not all bad,” he said.

“What did you see?”

“Gladiator. On my command unleash hell!” mimicked Planner.

She laughed. Planner was glad she laughed. They continued to laugh together all night; even when there was no joke. They even laughed when they said good night with a peck on the cheek. But they were lovers by the end of the week.

Planner was in a featureless WTC7 conference room with various members of the Rainbow Team including Bates, Turquoise and Indigo. Bates was reading through a set of minutes on his chunky, IBM Thinkpad laptop.