I am a computer geek! More precisely, I'm Steve, and at 32, I am the president and sole employee of my own computer consulting business. I develop software, mostly database applications for medium and large businesses located throughout the United States and even 1 in Canada. So much for the 10 second resume.
To expand a little, I fell in love with computers the first time I was exposed to one as a child. I was fascinated by the simplicity of the pure logic, the unambiguity of the 1's and 0's, the true and false, the yes and no. It just made sense to me and I was hooked. I knew from that moment that computers would play a big part in my life going forward. I found I could do just about anything with a computer and I was good at whatever I tried. When I say I was good with computers, I don't mean that I could just surf the web, compose email, work a spread sheet or a word processor, I understood everything about the process, almost down to the molecular level.
I graduated from high school at 16, evidently I was good at other subjects besides computers. I then went to college and finished a 5 year program in 3, graduating with dual degrees in electrical and computer engineering. I'm not trying to brag, just set up some background to show how things developed to relate this tale. I originally did not plan to go to college, but my logical side won out over my emotional side when I realized that a 16 year old probably would not have much credibility with organizations I approached for a job. I was anxious to get out into the real world and get to work with the latest and greatest. Still, I chose to spend a few years in school, mostly to pass the time until I would be older, and also to get that sheepskin that so many employers seem to feel is important, regardless of what one has in his head. I had a full ride scholarship to UNC Chapel Hill, so money was not an issue and I thought I would do what it took to get by, then be able to go out on my own once finished. Fortunately I did use the time more productively, both the educational opportunity and the time to make some future plans that were better thought out.
I had not originally intended to start my own business, but as a student in the dorms, I quickly became the go to guy regarding anything computer related. I would fix and upgrade machines for the other students, I would resolve network issues (this really pissed off the campus computing staff) and even help computer science students with their homework. I did all this with no thought of compensation, I just worked for the challenge and the joy of it all. However, some of the students insisted that they give me something for my services, so I would usually just say to get me a 6 pack or maybe a pizza. This covered my pizza and beer needs (staples for a college student), but did not really do much for the more materialistic needs I had. I realized I would need to start getting real money for anything I did, and even though I still charged very reasonable prices, a business class taught me that I needed to charge for my services fees that were appropriate for the value of my time and effort.
During my college years, I watched with interest the rise and the eventual bursting of the tech bubble. With everyone flying high, I had visions of being the next instant Internet millionaire, but when the bubble burst, I realized that there were many thousands out there now unemployed who had those same thoughts. I concluded that being on the bleeding edge had some benefits, but also had just as many disadvantages and I wanted something more stable for myself. To this end, I decided to concentrate on the less flashy and sexy side of computing, the mid range machines that are the bread and butter of the majority of corporate America's back office operations. The very machines that run the country's business every day without complaint and without much notice. They just run and don't get the notoriety that the latest and greatest do. One other advantage to the bursting of the tech bubble was that there was a huge amount of new and almost new hardware available for bargain basement prices. I was able to purchase some very high end machines for pennies on the dollar. While not many know it, I have enough computing power in my basement to run a small country or a medium sized corporation. This is where I do my developing and what allows me to keep my business operating.
One advantage of having my own business is that I could structure it any way I liked. I end up travelling about half the time, but the rest of the days I can work as I like or play the way I like. As I said earlier, I am very good at what I do, and companies pay me well for my services. A custom application can cost $30 or $40 thousand, and I bill my time at $180 an hour. Again not bragging, this is just the way it is. I make a very nice mid-6 figure income and that is what allows me to pursue my other passion which is cars.
I have been a fan of cars, particularly performance oriented cars for almost as long as I have been a fan of computing. I prefer American muscle, but I can appreciate any kind of car that is not the typical commuter vehicle just doing daily driver duty. With the computer business as background, I met Jackie during my automotive pursuits, and that is the point of this story.
*****
My love of cars is almost as old as my interest in computers. I could tell you the year and most of the options available on just about any car one would see on the street even before my teen years. Now that I am old enough to drive and to get more involved in the hobby, I have joined the car club here in town. Actually, calling it a club is probably overly generous. Mostly we are a group of guys and girls with the same interests and passions. There is no structure, no rules, no dues, not even organized meetings. Usually we get together informally and just talk about our cars and whatever else comes up. The main meeting point is one of the local burger joints which hosts what they call a cruise-in every other Friday night starting in the early spring and going through the summer into the late fall. Usually, 50 or 60 cars showed up for an informal show. This was the setting for my first meeting with Jackie.
I had parked my car and caught up with a good friend who had just gotten back from an overseas deployment. We were wandering around checking out the cars and talking with other friends who were there that evening. I noticed a young woman talking animatedly with 2 other guys, hearing bits and pieces of their conversation with things like wider tires, bigger carb, hotter cam, etc. this was typical of those we often referred to as posers and wannabes, people who got all their information from the car mags and offered their opinion as fact. There were usually a few of these types every evening, most drifting in and out of the scene without much fanfare. I noticed she was a little tall for a girl, although not so much so that she stood out in a group. Medium length light brown hair and sparkling eyes that seemed to be trying to take in everything at once. She was wearing faded jeans and an oversize t-shirt with a Chevy bowtie logo and the slogan "Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Fords" below the logo. I didn't look at her in any kind of sexual way, well not any more so than I would any other woman, I mean, I am a guy! And, as quickly as I noticed her, she was gone from my thoughts and forgotten.
About an hour later, I was standing near my car talking to Dan, Ken, and Ken's wife Frannie. I heard a woman's voice from behind me say "Nice car."
We stopped talking and turned to see Jackie standing there looking at my Challenger. As we turned, she said "Yours?"
The question seemed directed at all of us, I guess she was wondering who the car belonged to.
"Thanks", I said, "It's mine."
We moved back a little to allow her to walk around the car and inspect it. She looked at everything, stopping to stick her head into the open window and check out the interior. Once done, she stated, "Nice, but too stock for me."
I saw the others roll their eyes at this, but since we all had heard it before, nothing was said. My car was a 1970 Dodge Challenger TA, 340 6-pack with 4 speed. I had bought it about a year ago as an all original. Although well abuse basket case. I had spent about 9 months restoring it to near factory perfect condition. Although none of us said anything, we all knew the car would, with a little cleanup, easily fetch $75,000 at one of those high profile televised auto auctions.
I again thanked her for the compliment and offering my hand, "I'm Steve."
She shook my hand and said "Jackie. Nice to meet you."
I introduced the others and then asked what she was driving. She pointed to a 1969 Chevelle convertible across the lot. Looking in the direction she pointed, I saw a car that had been nice when it was new, but evidently had seen a hard life. It would need a lot of work, but I could see that it had potential. This was my first meeting with Jackie.
Over the next 2 months, I went to all the cruises and Jackie was there for each one. Although not intentional, at least on my part, somehow we always seemed to find ourselves together more often than not. Just walking around looking at the cars or sharing a table inside eating burgers and fries, we spent time together and got to be friends. Except for some of her wilder ideas about cars, I found that she was a very nice, intelligent person. She had graduated from NC State with a degree in Chemistry and was working at a lab analyzing environmental pollutants. She was paying her college loans back and trying to save for a down payment on a house, the kind of things most of us do. I also found that as we spent more time together, some of her wilder car ideas started to moderate. Maybe it was my mentoring, or maybe she was just learning that all those advertising dollars spent in the car mags did not translate to real world benefits for the average hot rodder.
We were eating one Friday night after checking out the new cars, when Jackie told me she had gotten a raise and that her company had also given its employees a bonus because their largest client had renewed its contract. She was trying to decide how to spend some of the money and wanted to put it into her car. We kicked around some ideas and Jackie finally decided to install a new exhaust system on the car, partly because it needed it, and partly because it would make the car sound better. I wasn't altogether sure the exhaust would be the first thing to fix up, but deferred to her enthusiasm and tried to not deflate her ego. I offered to help and told her she was welcome to come over and use my garage and tools. She gladly accepted the offer and we made a date for next Saturday afternoon. That Wednesday, the big brown truck dropped off 2 good sized boxes that contained all the parts and pieces we had decided would be best for her car.
I should state here that I often offered my help and garage to friends who wanted or needed assistance with their projects. Also, since my passion is not just a passing fancy, I did things in my normal 'too much is just right' manner. I had built a garage to house my interests after I bought the house. I intentionally bought with more land than I needed knowing I would be designing and building my own garage. I have a 6 bay garage, one that is as well or better equipped than many of the commercial garages in town. The first bay has a lift, the next 3 are for general use and usually house some of the cars I am currently playing with. The fifth bay is sealed and this is where I do the work that tends to get messy, such as sanding, welding, cutting etc. The last bay contains a state of the art paint booth where I can do painting that will rival any body shop around. I also have another bay near the front, one that I call my office. It has a couch and a couple of chairs for friends, a desk with computer and book shelves for my reference materials and catalogs, a refrigerator and microwave. There is a big plasma on the wall and the rear has a bathroom with toilet, deep sink and even a walk in shower. (I learned very quickly that Mrs. Peterson, my cleaning lady, would get really pissed if I brought dirt and grease from the garage into the house.) Building the garage and equipping it had cost 3 times what I paid for my home!
Shortly after lunch on Saturday, Jackie pulled up outside the garage. I had told her to come around behind the house and when I came out of the office, she was just standing there staring with her mouth open.
"This is your garage??"
