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I guess he doesn't know much about you as a young girl either, come to think of it. But for him to refer that strongly to being bullied as a young boy, wow. Just wow!
Seeing the physically strong man who so confidently walks down the street leaves no picture in my mind of him being anything but sure of himself.
Strong and powerful. Confident and a good conversationist with his deep, vibrant voice. Funny and smart. That's how I see him today.
I do remember thinking how he must be shy. Yeah, at the tech convention, he did act shy. Well … I was brazen enough for the both of us.
At the hospital, Hendrik had me come in and chat with his dad. I started to see his dad's behavior in his facial expressions and I chuckled to myself at this turn of events.
Now that Hendrik’s father was back home, he decided to stay with his dad for a few days. His father both communicated reluctance for Hendrik to fuss over him and great pleasure that his son would do so!
Sound like mom much?!
Hendrik encouraged me to return to work. We spoke every morning when I woke up, then we spoke again at every one of my lunch hours and every evening after his father had fallen asleep.
Hendriks's last report was somewhat amusing to him, as I could clearly hear in his voice. “Vader is getting grumpy about staying in bed or in his lazy boy chair all day! He's been itching to get back to work, so tomorrow we're going to see his doctor for a clean bill of health. Otherwise, not just the plant management but also the union won't let him back on the job. And if he only gets a partial bill of health, he also cannot go back to work. So Papa is pretty anxious until he knows what the doctor is gonna say.”
When his father’s doctor finally declared that he was out of the woods and ready to go back to work, Hendrik asked me out for dinner.
It is at that dinner that I decide I can finally confront Hendrik about his identity.
“Hendrik, remember those all-nighters I did before your dad was in the hospital?” he nodded. “Well, I had to go to one of the old wise men. We were having trouble with some coding.”
Hendrik looked at me and asked, “Old wise men? I don't know what you mean by that, but by the very name you give them, I can't imagine what you, the All-Seeing Eye, cannot figure out on your own!”
I had admitted to him that the team had given me a nickname. “You tease, go ahead. Tease. Iamthe All-Seeing Eye.” And I did some woo-woo things with my hands and rolled my eyes to prove it.
I took up my mission again, “That is what many of us call the most senior employees, the ones who were there when MetriCooks was just getting started. My old wise man is a guy named Craig Hillard, a really smart man I wish was my boss instead of Jeff the No-Tech-Walking-Ego.”
I laughed and shook my head as I mentioned Jeff in this way, and Hendrik chuckled as well. “For my part,” said Hendrik, “I'm very happy about Jeff since that's how I found you again!”
Not to be deterred from my mission, I said to him, “Well, Craig let slip that someone named Hendrik founded MetriCooks and then he got all flustered. Really, really embarrassed. Painfully nervous. So much so that he begged me not to repeat what he had just let slip … apparently after so many years of keeping some kind of secret.”
I looked Hendrik square in the eye, “You wouldn't know anything about a ‘Hendrik’ founding a company called ‘MetriCooks,’ would you now?”
Bad timing. Hendrik had just filled his mouth with a huge forkful. So I waited, so many questions still to ask him.
First—who are you, really?
Second—why have I never been to your home?
Third—who are these “associates” of yours, Hendrik, who came for me when your dad was hospitalized?
And more importantly—are you the multibillionaire founder of the company I work for?
Chapter 35
Hendrik
Ifevertheexpression“saved by the bell” really saved someone, my phone saved me just then. My phone rang urgently at the same time I got a pinging text. I picked up the call as I swallowed the huge bite of food I had just put in my mouth.
“Yes, Trey,” I said instead of a hello.
I listen to Trey. He says that an attempt to break into my studio apartment has been stopped by the two crew members on duty.
“Have you called the police?” I pause and listen. “And the men? Oh no, Marianna, too? Any injuries?” And I listen some more. “I’m still at the Thai place,” and I confirmed the address to him, though he already knew it from having dropped me here barely an hour ago. “OK, excellent thinking, Trey! Thank you very much. She'll be waiting for you.”
I look over at Beatrice who is dumbstruck by the wordspoliceandinjuries. “My Lady Fair,” I sighed. “I have to go to my crew now. My associates. They have foiled a breaking and entering and the police are involved. The whole neighborhood is apparently in an uproar. I don't want you to go with me because I don't know how dangerous it still might be.” I looked her pointedly in the eyes, “You remember Trey?”
