CHAPTER 10

Bob

“I can’t believe the professor let me down,”  Bob said in despair.  He was visiting Scot’s room, unannounced as usual.  Bob lived off campus and bemoaned the fact that he had less opportunity to meet coeds.  He traveled to the dormitories anytime he had a chance.
“Are you complaining about that fantastic deal you told me about last month,” Scot asked, faking concern.
When Scot met Bob at the Post Office, Bob was taking one small step toward some big dream.  Bob was short.  He had the classic Napoleonic complex.  The Post Office was a temporary step on his climb to the top of the mountain.  The trivial work there was below him, he believed.  He constantly searched for ways to get out of work.  Unfortunately, he had to work to fund that climb.  Scot figured that he spent twice as much time trying to get out of work as he would need to spend doing a regular job.  Bob saw himself as “a natural entrepreneur” destined to be a captain of industry.  He had read Ayn Rand’s book Atlas Shrugged.  Well, he had read half of it Kevin discovered during a contentious discussion of that work.  So doing physical work was a dilution, diversion and obstruction of his destiny.  Alas, he had to eat and sleep until he reached his optimal level.  Until then, he had to go through the motions of working, and living far below his perceived status.  
“I seem to be a natural idea man,” Bob reaffirmed.  “I see a situation, and, within seconds, an idea pops into my mind about how it can be done better, and how a profit can be realized from it. I’m not greedy or gluttonous, so I’m not distracted by ‘quick buck’ schemes.  Most businessmen want to get straight to the money, so they compromise, take short cuts and destroy the deal or foul it up so badly one or more parties is harmed.  When I see a deal, I ask myself: ‘Will all parties benefit from this?‘  If the answer is yes, I know I have a team, like draft horses, with all pulling the load in the same direction.  That lightens the load for everyone.  The objective is accomplished to everyone’s benefit.  I call that ‘Conceptionism,’ my version of Ayn Rand’s philosophy.”
“Why didn’t professor Taylor see the benefit of your botany project?” Scot inquired, not surprised that the professor lacked the enthusiasm, and vision, Bob had.
“He is an academic, after all," Bob replied.  "Everything needs to be peer reviewed before any action is taken in his world.  He said it would be exploiting the students.  I pointed out that the students would be getting hands-on experience.  It would be a valuable learning lesson.  My contractor would get his orchard planted, and I would get a small stipend for bringing it all together.  I spent a lot of time coordinating with everyone.  Now, all that time was wasted.”
Scot remembered some of Bob’s prior “deals” that he cooked up while working at the Post Office.  All seemed half-baked to Scot.  Meanwhile, everyone else was stuck carrying Bob’s portion of the load.
The most preposterous idea Bob had, that Scot was aware of, was to get pigmentation treatments to turn his skin black so that he could qualify for minority student grants, scholarships and, most important, corporate loans.  He also would have affirmative action preference for many future business contracts.  He went so far as to consult several physicians.  All advised against the idea, but he did find one who was willing to do it.  Unfortunately for Bob, the doctor was not willing to do it for free.   The doctor wouldn't give him minority preference even though the billing would be done when Bob was a member of a minority class.
Bob was willing to devote days putting together some of his “deals,” but he wouldn’t work an hour for food, clothing or shelter.  He spent all of his time at the Post Office talking to people and lining up “future investors.”
The Post Office had concealed cat walks along the upper walls of all its facilities.  There were slits about every 25 feet.  The slits were visible for anyone to see, but no one could see if anyone was behind them peering out.  Supervisors could observe their employees without being seen.
To no one’s surprise, Bob disappeared one day as if he had been beamed up by a space ship into capitalist heaven.  It was unusual because the Post Office was desperate for help at that time of year.  There was some speculation, but no one dwelled on his plight.  He wasn’t missed.  Everyone had done some of Bob’s work at one time or another.
Scot was surprised when Bob appeared at his dorm door one afternoon.  Bob was delighted with the visible surprise on Scot’s face.
“How did you find me?” Scot asked, somewhat alarmed.
“I just searched the student directory at the Student Affairs office,” Bob said, proud of his resourcefulness.
"Those records are available only to students and faculty," Scot said having caught Bob in a deliberate lie.
"I am a student again," Bob responded.  "The research I was doing was going so well, but I needed access to material only available to those in the Information  Technology Department.  So I decided to go back to college."
Scot saw no reason to stand on ceremony.  “What happened at the Post Office that you left so suddenly?  You didn’t even say goodbye to me.”
“I had some medical issues that required immediate attention,”  Bob lied.  “An opportunity came up when a medical specialist had an unanticipated opening.  I couldn’t pass it up.”
Bob proceeded to explain his pigmentation treatment plan.  The explanation was interspersed with complaints about the unfairness of racial preference tests and screenings.  He wasn't opposed to becoming one of those racially preferred people and taking full advantage of its assistance.  Unfortunately for Bob and posterity, lack of funding impeded the great innovator from making his contributions to the world.  To his credit, he never spoke of living the grand life of the super rich should his unique contributions pay off.
“How have you been surviving? Scot asked “Did you get your degree?  Are you still studying Botany?”
“I haven’t had the money for tuition,” Bob responded dejectedly.  It’s so difficult for a talented person to get a break in this education system.  We need a system similar to what the European’s have.  If you do well you can stay in school tuition free.  Why is this nation so far behind the times?  Doesn’t it need all the talent it can get?  Any idea what’s involved in moving to another country and becoming a citizen?”
“We can get other nation’s talent,” Scot responded.  “Go to any high tech location and find someone who does not have a foreign accent.  Americans will be in the minority.  Americans will be in the administrative positions, but seldom in the professional jobs.
The major flaw in Bob's capitalist genius was that he tended to build the edifice then add the foundation.  It was one of those quests for the foundation that prompted Bob to search for his Post Office co-worker in the first place.  After about an hour of pleasantries and reminiscences, Bob got to the point of his visit.
“Have you ever taken a Spring break to Florida?” Bob had asked.  "Why don't we go down there and get a nice tan and maybe meet some girls?" he suggested before Scot could respond to his inquiry.  "I'm sick of this snow and cold.  You provide the car and I'll pay for the gas."
It was the trip to Florida on Spring vacation that Scot got to know the real Bob.  Only later did Scot figure out that Bob already had a plan to go to Florida.  His plan lacked only the transportation.  He had someone to pay the expenses.  He remembered that Scot planned to continue working at the Post Office until he got enough money to buy a car.  Scot did buy a car.  Bob had found two girls who had advertised on the Student Union bulletin board the need for transportation to Fort Lauderdale.  He told them he would do it, even though he had no method of transportation at the time.  Bob didn’t practice logical sequences.  Too mundane he claimed.
"In the genius mind, the subconscious makes decisions that the conscious mind does not fully grasp yet," Bob explained.
The girls made it clear on the trip down to Florida that they wanted nothing to do with their drivers once they got there.  Apparently they thought they could do much better.  On the third night, the girls appeared at the door of their drivers motel room and wanted to do something?  Probably pay their bar bill, Scot had predicted,  They were attractive at college, but on Spring break in Fort Lauderdale, they were throw backs.  They had to settle for inferior models.
"I was upset when you told them we already had dates, but now I find it to be a humorous case of divine justice,"  Bob said.
“Do you think that is why Rose refused to have anything to do with me when we retuned to college?”
“It has to be,” Scot asserted, not believing his answer.
Scot wasn’t going to tell Bob, but Sally had contacted him a couple weeks after they returned to college.  She confided that both found Bob to be unattractive physically and mentally.  He struck them as a scam artist, as someone to avoid.  Scot always wondered if Sally wanted to strike up a relationship with him.  If that was the reason for her visit, he didn’t take the bait.  He also wondered how much Bob had charged them for the Florida trip, but never thought to ask Sally.  He thought it might be inappropriate to ask the girls. Maybe Bob and pulled off one profitable scam in his life.  Scott would be offended if he did at Scot's expense.  Either way, he would just maintain that Bob owed him a favor.