America 1982-Chapter 165 - 61 Blow the Horn

"Sophia, you keep enjoying Boston’s scenery with Holly, Susan, and Mark, but Jason, we’ve got some fucking serious business to attend to back at Stanford!" Tommy left these words for his companions and flew back to California with Jason—to his real stronghold, the SSD Fraternity house.

Charles, Eric, Ted, and other SSD members who were on good terms with Tommy had long been waiting around their own roundtable conference table. Seeing Tommy and Jason rush back in, Ted excitedly slapped the desktop a few times with both hands:

"You finally didn’t make us wait until our hair turned white! Dumbass Tommy!"

He then slid over two documents that were already prepared in front of him toward them, skimming the table surface: "I finished the draft myself, and had the editor from my dad’s newspaper help me revise it. Admire my moving prose."

Before Jason arrived, Ted was acknowledged by SSD as the playboy and charmer with handsome looks, a slick tongue, and moreover, a clever brain; otherwise, SSD wouldn’t have asked him to seduce the pretty girls.

Beyond these advantages, he was also a journalism student at Stanford’s School of Humanities and Sciences, with his greatest dream being to take over his father’s serious and in-depth newspaper and transform it from focusing on international affairs to juicy gossip.

Tommy browsed through the drafts while Jason stood with his arms crossed without even touching them: "Ted, my dear brother, I have no issues with any of the other descriptions, as long as you remember to subtly mention my bat is comparable to that of a Mandingo in the article."

"Are you sure you never considered actually reconciling with the other side?" Eric asked Tommy, who was perusing the drafts, with a smile: "That should have been a shit ton of money, at least more than robbing a bank would yield."

Tommy flipped to the next page and, without lifting his head, spoke to his Big, "Although I drive the shittiest car in SSD, Eric, I can still tell you, I’m doing this for the common good, not for the fucking money." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"Great, just keep repeating that in your mind a few more times, some mental hypnosis, make yourself believe that lie," Charles said as he picked up the baked snacks that their fraternity’s cook had prepared for a few of them, simultaneously popping them into his mouth.

"This character piece is of very high quality, Ted." Tommy looked at Ted after finishing reading the drafts: "But I only have two problems, first, do we need to be this fake even with our own people? The embellishments and euphemisms throughout the article seem a bit too much."

"Buddy, the things you fucking do aren’t even human. If I didn’t embellish, didn’t use euphemisms, the you and Jason presented in the draft would be one hellbent on bullying ’nerdy’ companies to take their place and the other a clueless playboy making money from sleeping with middle-aged women rather than beautiful girls to save up. Even if it’s fucking SSD of our own, we can’t... just straight up tell everyone, yeah, SSD has been established for over a hundred years, always maintaining tradition, never forgetting our original aspiration, our members are consistently assholes," Ted retorted after hearing Tommy’s dissatisfaction with his draft:

"To think I racked my brains out trying to portray you as someone concerned with the underprivileged, insisting on technological equity."

"If I didn’t know what kind of person I am and just read this piece, I would absolutely believe Jason and I were good kids, just like those fucking nerds, you know what I mean? Like Tom’s corporate kind, James from Symantec, those are the actual good kids with dreams, wanting to change the world, doing what they love..." Tommy gestured as he explained to Ted:

"You get it? I mean, our internal SSD magazine is published monthly, and every month it’s got these touching stories. No matter how much you praise us, at most it makes us look no different from those true good kids in the magazine. I don’t need two thousand living SSD brothers to finish reading and say, ’Wow, seems like SSD has another guy warm-hearted toward public welfare.’ But instead, after reading it, the wealthy and influential SSD brothers should understand, Shit! How dare a bunch of nerds fucking challenge SSD brothers? What the hell is happening in the world? Nerds have taken over the United States? And it looks like our brother is doing pretty well, not just well in defense measures but seems he can turn around and kick those guys’ asses real hard! This method... seems not just about kicking asses, huh? Looks like it could even make some money? Should I give him a call and chat?"

After finishing his speech, Tommy took a sip of coffee and looked at Ted: "That’s the response I need them to have after they’re done reading."

"And the second issue?" Ted frowned slightly: "If it’s just about writing that you’re an asshole, there’s no need to waste the prose."

"You forgot to write about another of my charities. The Veteran Care Association is the charitable organization in collaboration with SSD. Tommy Hawk once said, ’I will always provide training services to the veterans free of charge, helping them return to normal life.’"

"Female employment, technological equity, the barrier to knowledge for the lower classes, and now you’ve fucking added care for veterans. You might as well just directly declare to everyone that Tommy Hawk is Jesus reincarnated, here to save the strayed lambs! Fucking kneel down and worship me, celebrate the birth of a new god!" Ted gave Tommy the finger after hearing his words:

"Right now, out of the few public opinion points that ordinary people care about, besides homosexuality and tax cuts, you seem to have ticked off all the boxes for yourself."

Tommy spread his hands, "Believe me, if declaring myself as a reincarnated gay Jesus exempt from taxes to the United States Government were an option, I’d have fucking done it a long time ago."

"Next week, I’ll give it to you. Forget about this month’s magazine; it can only appear next month." Ted shrugged and then, excitedly added: "I’m super busy this week, you know. The School of Humanities has a pair of twin sisters majoring in Slavic Languages and Literature—Danish, with model figures. I just got their pager numbers..."

Tommy Hawk took out a cigarette, placed it between his lips, lit it and inhaled deeply before cutting off Ted’s excuse for procrastination, "If you promise to finish it today, even though I can’t find your old man’s editor to polish it for you, I can arrange two model-level beauties to be your assistants. But if you give it to me next week, forcing me to delay its appearance in the magazine, maybe I won’t know how to talk up your strengths to others. However, I absolutely have a thousand ways to make you earn the title of ’children’s golf clubs’ at Stanford University before tomorrow. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Jason."

Jason, beside him, nodded repeatedly, telling Ted, "Experience tells me that you’d better listen to him, Ted. This dumbass can really follow through. Then give me the number of that pair of twin sisters, and Tommy and I will help you out..."

"What the hell? Are you still in the mood to hit on girls at this time?" Tommy looked at Jason with dissatisfaction:

"You are a co-founder of Actor Corporation. Tomorrow, you are supposed to head to SSD’s headquarters in Evanston with Eric and the others, then wait to pick a group of presentable people to accompany you to Boston. Holly has prepared a batch of computers and software to focus on the universities in Massachusetts that have SSD Chapters, supporting their training programs with school women’s organizations. I’ve squeezed out a chunk of money to have a bunch of newspapers and TV stations in Massachusetts ready to report on your charity activities. The company has arranged for you to make a big splash, and yet you still fucking have the mood to chat up girls?"

Seeing Tommy’s serious and earnest expression, Jason nodded, "Okay, I was just joking. Of course, I’d rather be in the spotlight on TV and newspapers than with girls."

"But I’m still touched that you’d think of me when there are beauties around, brother. Just that work comes first right now." Tommy patted Jason’s shoulder, easing his tone, then turned to Ted:

"Just give the twins’ number to me. I’ll make sure they’re well taken care of for busy Jason, even if it means I have to take a dose of ’dignity and honor.’" With that, I still volunteer willingly. Alright, everyone, I’ve got another meeting to catch. Goodbye."

These guys all paid their highest respects to Tommy Hawk as he left the conference room, raising their two middle fingers high in the air, bidding him farewell with a continuous stream of F-laden, praise-filled phrases.

"Thank you for the encouragement. The trumpet has sounded. Let those nerds from the prestigious schools in Boston see just how much energy an SSD misfit, who didn’t deserve to have a Chapter at those schools, can muster!"

...

Fraternity President Matt sat on a bench outside the library, looking like a spy at a rendezvous, carefully passing an envelope from Tommy Hawk over to the document he handed him, while vigilantly scanning his surroundings. Seeing his behavior, Tommy asked curiously:

"If I didn’t know that what’s inside is just my own explanation of the technology equity concept, your expression alone would give me the illusion that I’m passing secret Soviet information, Matt."

"I remind you, Tommy that from now on, this term no longer belongs to you, got it? It belongs to the alumni of our Fraternity’s Berkeley, California branch of the law school, the former Mayor of San Diego, and now Senator Pete Wilson, serving California in the United States Senate."

"You fucking picked a person for so long only to choose such a crappy big shot for me? The papers in California don’t speak highly of him, mocking him for taking four years to pass the bar exam, and as mayor, supporting the California Proposition 13 to lower property taxes and make living pressure-free. But then, right after leaving office, he opposed the same proposition, claiming raising property taxes would let the government use those funds to improve the homeless situation." Tommy scoffed upon hearing the name of the influential person they had found for him:

"You get what I mean? He’s just like a bisexual gigolo, selling out both front and back."

Matt looked down on Tommy dismissively, "That’s a basic quality for a politician. Aren’t your Actor Corporation dealings the same, selling both front and back?"

"Hey! Don’t fucking insult Actor. It’s different from politicians. As long as the price is right, Actor sells not just front and back but also provides service from every direction to satisfy customers more than any politician could." Tommy shrugged and said:

"I just worry whether this guy, who climbed up by being the President’s pimp for years, can really make the most of the concept."

Matt said, "If he weren’t so desperate to change his public image and at his wits’ end, who would pay attention to you? Among our Fraternity alumni, we even have a living Supreme Court Justice. But do you think he’d care to listen to my crappy ideas? Only someone with a problem to solve would take something from you to tackle his own issues and might incidentally help you along the way."

"I understand that, Matt. No need to explain it to me. Cut to the chase, my time isn’t in abundance," Tommy said as he waved at Maya, who had just stepped out of the library’s main entrance, whispering to a classmate, then he asked Matt.

"They’ll fax these explanations to the Senator’s assistant in Washington. If the Senator finds it interesting after reading, he’ll listen to you give a detailed clarification. The main point is, you should take some time out of your busy schedule to explain it to him in person." Matt turned back to Tommy:

"Remember, you only get one chance."

Tommy met Matt’s gaze sharply, "You can always trust me. I’m not like Mr. Pete Wilson, who only got his chance to practice law after four attempts."