Dirty Old Man, Maybe Not

As I sat down across from her I said with a smile, "Alright Miss Gallagher, you called this meeting. What's on your mind?"

She smiled a little and then got serious again. "I've enjoyed out time together very much, Jason. You've taken me to wonderful, glamorous places and treated me like a princess. We've gone to other places that I enjoy and you only went to please me. I want to thank you for all the wonderful times that we've had together."

"I hear a silent but in there Kathleen. But what?" I knew what was coming, I was about to get dumped.

"But, I don't have a romantic interest in you Jason. The age difference is part of it but mainly I don't want to get involved in a relationship just now. I have goals I want to accomplish, I want to be more than a personal assistant to some CEO; I want to be a CEO someday." She stopped to take a drink of water and continued.

"You've been very good to me and I appreciate it but I don't want to mislead you. I never knew my father and you're a, well if not a father figure, at least a favorite uncle figure. You're just what I dreamed my father would be like. I'm sorry I should have told you how I felt sooner but I was having a good time and I guess I got a little selfish." Kathleen stopped talking, glanced at me to see my reaction, and then looked down at the table.

Yep, I was being dumped. On the other hand I'd just received the nicest compliment ever. The lack of romantic feelings on her part strangely didn't bother me too much. I had once thought to myself that if I was some young girl's father I wouldn't think much of an older man squiring my daughter around and trying to get her into bed.

Maybe that's why I'd never pushed Kathleen for anything more than a kiss on the cheek saying good night. Hell, maybe that's the real reason I turned down all the come-ons from those young women. Maybe I wasn't a dirty old man after all. The more I thought about it the more flattered I was; imagine being a father figure or even a favorite uncle to an amazing young woman like Kathleen.

"Kathleen, look at me," I ordered. She raised her head and I continued, "Thank you, that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. I would like to continue our adventures as friends or even as your adopted uncle. I've very fond of you and don't want to lose your friendship....... "What do you think young one?"

"I'd like that Uncle Jason," she replied with a laugh. Then the smile left her face and a look of...well fear replaced it. "Oh my God, my mother just walked in. I told her what I was going to tell you; she said she was worried about your reaction. I'm sorry Jason I didn't expect her to join us."

I stood and turned to meet Kathleen's mother. Mother? I don't think so. Maybe an older sister; this couldn't be the mother.

"Mom, this is Jason; the man I told you about. Jason this is my mother Gillian Gallagher," Kathleen introduced us.

"Hello Mrs. Gallagher, I'm Jason Borne. It's nice to meet you." I stood to greet her and put my hand out.

Gillian looked at me intently for a few seconds. Ignoring my offered hand, she sat down next to her daughter and continued to inspect me.

Feeling her stare I smiled and said, "Kathleen has just informed me that I'm not suitable as a boyfriend, but the job of adopted uncle is open. I've made an application for that position." I was trying to be funny to ease the tension that had descended on the table.

"That's nice Mr. Borne, but don't think it's a backdoor way to get my daughter into bed," she said, looking at me suspiciously.

"Mom!" Kathleen said. Her face turned red with embarrassment.

"I know all about you Mr. Borne. You're rich and used to getting what you want and right now you want Kathleen in your bed. Shame on you, your old enough to be her father! Men like you impress young woman by taking them to fancy places and driving around in fancy cars or buying them expensive gifts. Maybe in your case you'll offer her a great promotion at work; after all you do own the company."

"Mrs. Gallagher with all due respect," I said returning her angry look, "You don't know a damn thing. If I was what you described I probably would have used all those things to seduce Kathleen. But if you had gotten to know me before you chopped my head off you'll find that I'm not a liar or a schemer.

I'm flattered and touched that Kathleen thinks of me as a friend. I've no intentions of harming that friendship by being a dirty old man." I was totally pissed off at her accusation.

"I'm sorry you don't like me but Kathleen does and that's good enough for me. If she decides to continue going on our adventures that's great and that's what we'll do. But make no mistake; it will be Kathleen's decision, not yours. And if you don't like it, you can go to hell."

I turned to Kathleen and said, "I think I'd better go. Call me if you need me. Good bye Mrs. Gallagher." I walked away with dignity; actually I stomped away in a rage.

Maybe the reason I was so angry was that Mrs. Gallagher had me pegged; she understood what I wanted when I first started seeing Kathleen. But something had changed, now I really liked the girl; not as a possible bed partner but because she was a fascinating young woman. I really enjoyed listening to her express her ideas and ideals, her goals and dreams and somewhere along the way I began to want to be her mentor, her teacher, her friend, and hell yes even her adopted uncle.

I didn't expect to hear from Kathleen that afternoon but the next morning she was sitting in the outer office when I got to work at 6 AM.

"I'm so sorry Jason. Mom had no right to jump all over you like that."

I smiled at her got us both a cup of coffee and led her to the sitting area in my office. "Remember during one of our talks I told you that I believed everyone is responsible for their actions?" She nodded and I said, "The key word in that statement is their actions, not the actions of others. You don't owe me an apology."

"But Mom didn't........"

"That's on your mother, not you. Lighten up little one, everything's fine. Now go to work before I dock your pay," I said as I patted her on the shoulder and walked her to the door. Kathleen nodded, smiled, and went back to her office.

Sometime around 7, I heard a knock on my office door. Must be the morning for early visitors, I thought. "Ya, come in." Gillian Gallagher came into my office. I felt the anger from yesterday start to boil up again.

"May I talk to you, Mr. Borne?" I didn't say anything but nodded at her.

"I came to apologize, Mr. Borne. I shouldn't have gone off on you like I did."

"No you shouldn't have, at least not until you got to know me a little better."

She blushed and started to say something more but I held up my hand to stop her.

"Have a seat Mrs. Gallagher. Would you like some coffee? I make it myself; as good as my secretary is she can't make coffee worth a damn." I got the coffee and sat down across from her in front of my desk.

As I poured the coffee, I took a closer look at Mrs. Gallagher. She was a more mature version of Kathleen; I could see where Kathleen had gotten her auburn hair, green eyes, and good looks. Mrs. Gallagher was about the same height as her daughter with a more mature figure.

Mrs. Gallagher continued, "I just didn't want my stupidity yesterday to affect Kathy's job. It's not her fault that her mother is a crazy person. But Kathy is all I have and I'm sometimes over protective where she's concerned."

"So you're here because you're worried about her job, not because of what you said. If I was the type of man that you think I am, her job would be in jeopardy; lucky for all three of us that I'm not that type of guy. She would be very hard to replace. Relax; the only way Kathleen will leave the company is if she resigns."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean....."

"Look Mrs. Gallagher, true confession time. When I first met Kathleen, my intentions were exactly what you thought." She started to respond but I held up my hand to stop her and continued. "But after a couple of dates and getting to know her, I realized that I didn't want to be the dirty old man that you accused me of being. I wanted to be her friend, her mentor, and help her if I can."

She leaned back in her chair and looked at me. I could tell that she was puzzled by my confession.

"Kathleen is a remarkable young woman. She's formidable in her business dealings and yet she's one of the sweetest people I've ever met. Her co-workers jump when she suggests things but they all think very highly of her and would do almost anything for her. I want to spend more time with her and since I refuse to be a lecher I guess my role will be that of an adopted uncle."

"You're not at all what I thought you were or what I expected Mr. Borne."

"After ripping each other a new one yesterday don't you think you could call me Jason? Every time someone calls me "Mr. Borne" I think of that guy in that movie."

My comment eased the tension and got the smile I wanted. "Maybe you're right Jason; I'm Gillian."

"I remember," I replied. "It's a little early for lunch but could I interest you in breakfast? That little café where we met makes a mean omelet. I'd like to discuss some ideas I have concerning your daughter and my 'niece'."

Gillian tensed up for a second and then smiled and accepted my invitation to breakfast. The waitress brought coffee and then our food order; we talked as we ate.

"You said you had plans for Kathy Jason?"

"Yep I do. She is talented, has a head for business, and I want to make sure that she continues to work for my company." I explained my ideas and plans for Kathleen and asked her what she thought of them.

"That's wonderful Jason. But I have to ask, why Kathy?"

There was a hint of suspicion in her voice. I paused and looked hard at her before I answered. "I have several people working for me; they are really good at the technical aspects. But none of them have the talent or the foresight or the motivation to help me run the company; none of them are administrative types. You understand what I mean?"

Gillian nodded saying "I think so."

"I think Kathleen has the talent, the moxie, and the motivation to be my right hand; my girl Friday if you will. Not like a personal assistant but as my second in command or vice president or whatever title we choose. Believe me, I've put a lot of years and made a lot of sacrifices to build PSI into what it is. I'd rather have a good administrator than a bed partner; good administrators are harder to find. Does that answer your question and put your mind at ease?"

"Yes it does, and thanks you for putting up with me Jason." She gave me a little smile and said, "You mentioned sacrifices. What sacrifices, if you don't mind telling me?"

"I'll answer that if you'll answer some personal questions for me. Deal?"

That's only fair, I guess," she replied.

So I told Gillian about my intense concentration on building PSI and how it caused my marriage to break up.

"You sound sad about it instead of resentful or angry," Gillian remarked.

"Julie was and is a good woman. It was my fault that we broke up; I didn't have my priorities straight back them. By the time my partners and I had the company on a solid basis it was too late. She had lived in the apartment I paid for in Santa Clara for one year and then sent me an email that she was moving. Two years after the divorce I went looking for Julie. PSI was up and running and I thought possibly we could reconnect. Julie hadn't said where she was moving so I used some connections and found she'd moved into an apartment in the same building; with her new husband."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories," Gillian said.

"Its okay; that was two years ago so the ache is pretty much gone, but the regret still jumps up sometimes." I paused for a few seconds and added, "That's one reason I want to train someone to take some of the load off my shoulders. If I ever find a special someone I want to be able to concentrate on them instead of PSI. I would like Kathleen to be that go to person."

She smiled and reached across the table and patted my hand. Time to smooth things out a little, I thought. "It's not a line, but you don't look old enough to have a daughter Kathleen's age." I saw the look on her face and added, "I'm not trying to flatter you; it's an honest opinion." You can never go wrong complimenting a woman; or anyone for that matter.

Gillian gave me the first genuine smile I'd seen and replied, "I was 16 and in love; but when he found out I was pregnant he left town. His parents said he'd run away and they didn't know where he was. I didn't believe them but there wasn't much I could do. So I raised Kathy by myself, although my family did help us a little. Gallagher is my family name."

As we talked I learned that Gillian owned and ran a medical billing and transcribing business. She had three people working for her and she ran the business out of her home. We finished breakfast and went back to my office.

My secretary was at her desk by this time, "Stacy, call Doan and talk to Kathleen Gallagher. Tell her I would like to see her within the next hour please."

"Miss Gallagher is on her way Jason. She'll be here in about 30 minutes," Stacy informed me five minutes later.

When Kathleen entered my office she saw her mother sitting in one of the chairs in front of my desk with a stern look on her face. I was behind the desk with a scowl on my face, looking angry.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" She asked and before we could answer she said, "Jason, what's going on? You both look upset." Kathleen was worried; the last time she had seen us together we'd been almost yelling at each other.

I had this elaborate plan to kid her along and make her think we were fighting again, but I couldn't keep a straight face. One look at Kathleen's face and I started laughing. Gillian laughed too and it was a couple of minutes before we could control ourselves.

Kathleen looked surprised at us and then she started to get mad. Before she could say anything, I told her to sit next to her mother.

"Your mother came to see me about an hour after you did this morning. It's all good Kathleen," I told her. "We've had a long talk and she decided I'm not the ogre she thought. Look, I have a farm or ranch or whatever with a four bedroom house a little over two hours outside the city. There's something special there I'd like to show both of you, I also want to talk about some plans I have. We can leave early Saturday morning and come back Sunday evening."

Gillian already knew what the talk would be about and nodded at her daughter. "That sounds like fun," Kathleen replied. "It should be beautiful in the country. What time should we expect you?"

"I'll pick up Kathleen at 6 AM if that's okay and then we can come for you."

"You won't have far to go, Kathy lives with me. We'll have a thermos of coffee ready when you get there."

Saturday morning at 6 AM my Lincoln Towne car stopped in front of Gillian's. My friend, George started to get out and open my door but I waved him off. "I've got this George, stay put," I said.

Before I got more than three or four steps toward the house Gillian and Kathleen came down the walk way to join me. George had the trunk open and stowed their two small suitcases. He came around to the passenger doors and opened both of them. I watched him and shook my head; he was showing off.

Directing Kathleen into the front seat, Gillian and I climbed into the back; George closed both doors and went the driver's side and got behind the wheel. Once we settled into our seats, Gillian said, "I didn't expect to be picked up by a chauffeured limo." Kathleen had turned in her seat and was looking back at us.

"Ladies, this is George Kelly. George this is Gillian Gallagher and her daughter Kathleen. And this isn't a limo, it's a Towne Car. George isn't my chauffeur; although sometimes he does drive me around."

"Nice to meet you George and I'm sorry about the chauffeur remark," Gillian said.

"I've been called worse; don't sweat it Miss," he replied smiling into the rearview mirror.

"George is your driver but he's not your chauffeur?" Gillian questioned.

"No, George is my.....What are we calling you this month George? Security consultant isn't it?"

"Just don't call me late for supper. Other than that you can call me whatever you want," George answered with a chuckle.

"Let me clear things up for you a little," I said and began the story of George. "George had been assigned to my security detail when I was in the Army. He and I were both from Missouri and about the same age so we became friends. By the way that almost got us in trouble. I was an officer; had to be to get the security clearances I needed, and he was an enlisted man."

I stopped to explain that the Army frowns on fraternization between officers and enlisted personnel. "My boss was a tight ass Major; he read me the riot act and told me to stop socializing with George. "That's an order Lieutenant," the Major said.

"Maybe it'd be best if I resigned my commission," I told him. Boy did he get flustered.

"Two days later I went to see Brigadier General Jackson; he was the big boss of the operation. I told him I needed George's help with our project. He gives me an insight into the soldier's part in all this, Sir. I would find it difficult to get the results we want without his assistance."

The General wasn't stupid. He'd gotten a report from the Major and what I'd said. Jackson knew I didn't need George but he also knew that I was just stubborn enough to resign; leaving him and the project in trouble. He gave me a hard stare for about ten seconds. "I'll have Sergeant Kelly assigned to your crew. Don't ever go outside the chain of command again Lieutenant."

As I got to the door, the General called my name and gave me a hard look, "Borne. The thing about running a good bluff is not to do it too many times; someone might just call it the next time. You understand Lieutenant?"

I nodded and he said, "Now get out of here."

"Anyway he assigned George as a security detail while we were stationed in England; I was working on some highly classified computers and the General used that as a justification. When we came back to the U.S., I finished my tour and got out. George was a lifer and stayed in. We lost track of each other."

"Lifer?" Kathleen asked.

"Yeah, I made a career in the Army, put in my twenty, and then pull the pin," George explained.

"Pulled the pin?" Kathleen asked.

"Retired; after twenty three years of service I pulled the pin. Anyway, I ran into Jason again at a seminar on the west coast about ten years later. I was one the security people for the auditorium," George replied.

"That means he was a rent a cop," I interjected. "And if y'all don't quit interrupting I'll never get the story done," I said with a pretend frown. George grinned, Kathleen giggled and Gillian smiled at my outburst.

"George and I had supper that evening and brought each other up to date. He said he had worked as a body guard for a while but didn't like putting up with some of the jerks he worked for. He quit the body guard business after telling off one of his clients. His Army pension was enough to live fairly well and he took a job as a security guard to supplement his income but mostly just to have something to do."

"It was either quit being a body guard or beat the hell out of my client. I thought quitting was the better choice," George added.

"There you go again, interrupting. The next day I called George and offered him a position with PSI. He's been with me for almost eight years now." I met George's eyes in the rearview mirror and added. "Hiring him was maybe the worst mistake I've ever made."

That got a smile from George and another chuckle from Kathleen. I'd been leaning forward so Kathleen and Gillian could hear the story. I sat back in the seat and relaxed; enjoying the ride and the company.