So long, Johnny Part 3

I wish there were some point in time - some critical moment in the drama - where Johnny and I made our peace and became best of friends.

But it didn't work that way. It happened slowly.

I got a job at a factory making night-vision goggles. Johnny told me it was the best thing I had ever done and I should stick with it. (I hated it). I lost everything I owned and became homeless. Johnny told me I'd work it out. I worked two full-time jobs while getting my life back. Johnny told me I had a long ways to go and not to get so soft.

I grew my hair long. Grew a beard.

He told me that I should settle for what I could get and work my way up. I dropped one job and picked up a full course load at the local college -- 4.0 average. He told me I should think of a permanent solution for my kids instead of having them bounce back between me and my sister. I met a wonderful woman who loved my kids as much as I did.

I did a lot of good things trying to prove Johnny wrong.

Johnny told me that a full-time corporate or government job was the best to have. So I went into consulting, billing by the hour or project and never knowing where my next meal was.

Somewhere along the line -- not sure where -- he stopped being wrong so much and I stopped being right so much. The tables turned.

Consulting didn't work out so well in backwater, Virginia, so I had to travel. I would call mom and Johnny from Sacramento, Friday night, stuck over the weekend.

"Well what you want to do," he'd say, and I'd quickly grab a pad, "is head up 50 into the gold country...."

"But I'm out in Rancho Cordova"

His mind was like a map. "That's fine. You know what, Daniel? You're already on 50. So just head east. There's wonderful views as you go across the mountain and head into Tahoe"

Zeus on a rope, but the man was right! Wow! I had never seen a sight like rolling over the mountain and into Tahoe on 50. Incredible.

On Monday we spoke again.

"Did you try that out?" he'd ask.

Once I stopped gushing over how much fun I had, he proceeded to instructions for my next weekend in California.

And you know what? I liked that. I liked being able to call "home" and talk to mom about my life problems and then have Johnny give me the orders for the free time I was going to have later. I liked hearing him tell me, I liked trying them out, and I liked reporting back on my experiences. And Johnny liked giving orders too, if only in mock. Quite a few times after reporting back Johnny pointed out that I had screwed up my orders something fierce. I missed a turn. I drove one way instead of another. He always stuck with me, though.

On the phone mom would soothe, "You know, Johnny loves you, Daniel. He always talks about the places you are visiting"

And so I grew to love John Fullerton.

Johnny came slowly to acknowledge me, as well. Since I had such a scrappy start for my consulting career, everyplace I went I got ahead. Johnny always saw this as a chance to get a full-time job. And he always gave me clues on the "status updates"

"Working at the Immigration service, Johnny. Designing a system that will millions of day laborers from Mexico"

"You should check around. See if they have any openings. The immigration service has great benefits"

Next year.

"Working at a little startup in Georgetown, DC"

(I could hear the sigh on the other end)

Next year

"Working for Invacare, Johnny. Making wheelchairs and things to help folks who are sick"

"That's a good business. Lots of room for growth. Check into a dealership"

He was always looking for the chance for me to pair up with the big company. I was always rejecting it.

I don't think he really quite realized what I was doing. Or maybe he did.

"Working for Ford Motor Company, Johnny"

I could hear -- almost see -- him perk up.

"Really? In a factory?"

"Nope. Working for the CIO, number three guy in the company. We're trying to make a new core system to replace most all of their other computer systems"

Of all the things I have ever told Johnny, I think this one gave him the biggest pause.

"You should check out whether they have work on the assembly line. They have some good jobs there"

But I could tell his heart wasn't in it.

From Ford, the companies got more exotic and the job descriptions more important. Working with Pitney Bowes to help them re-build their online postage system. Working with Charles Schwab, training dozens of teams building their new portfolio system.

Eventually, I think, he just gave in. Daniel was not going to work in a structured job for retirement. Either you keep thinking the kid is a loser, or redefine success.

So he redefined success.

One of my favorite moments came in 2005. I was working at the Defense Commissary Agency -- DeCA. We were building a new computer system to replace 31 existing systems. DeCA delivers groceries to service-members all over the world, 24-7, and they do it at cost. I was leading the team that was re-designing the system. We had a dozen super-users flown in from all over the world. We only had 3 months to finish the initial job.

Johnny and mom came to visit me in Petersburg.

I told my main client, Lt. Cmmdr. Gordon Jones, about Johnny's history in the service. When they showed up, nothing stopped, but it was like a red carpet tour. Gordon took us all over the base, showing Johnny how DeCA made sure that the civilians attached to military members could still get "normal" food -- no matter where they were. We saw systems to track containers. We saw systems to track food items. We saw system to track each individual sale. We saw system to track every problem DeCA was having -- anywhere in the world.

We went into the "diagnostic" room, where big screens and dozens of operators worked problems.

Johnny entered and they all stood.

The conversation changed after that. Somehow Johnny realized that I was somewhere he hadn't been.

Part 4. Next