Page 212 of The Texas Sterling Collection
“Good morning, lads,” Ailbe spoke as he strolled into the classroom.
“Good morning, professor,” the students responded, almost in unison. Ailbe liked the students honoring him. Woe be the student who questioned him or failed to show respect.
“I asked Mr. Wyl Sterling to come and speak to you today. He is a world-renowned cybersecurity expert who is in Ireland for his honeymoon. He spoke at the Technology Symposium on Wednesday. You lads are in for a treat. A man of Wyl Sterling’s caliber rarely visits my classroom.”
“I bet his wife doesn’t like him working on the honeymoon,” one student said. The other lads chuckled.
“He doesn’t have a wife. He has a husband,” MacGowan said. “I met them both and never met a more happily married couple.”
Stunned expressions crossed the faces of several students, but a few sported smiles. Ailbe looked around the room and spotted the few who were likely either gay or trouble.
Garrett Burke raised his hand.
“Yes, Mr. Burke?”
“What is Mr. Sterling’s husband’s name?” Garrett asked. A few of the lads chuckled at the question.
“I don’t see that the name is anything of your concern, Mr. Burke, but it’s Rod. Rod Sterling.”
“Oh…like theTwilight Zoneguy on those ancient television shows,” one student smarted off. The rest of the students laughed.
“If you had bothered to do your homework before opening your mouth, Mr. Cassidy, you would know theTwilight Zoneguy is Rod Serling, without a T.”
The chuckling subsided.
Wyl poked his head in the door of the classroom. “Am I in the right place?”
Ailbe turned to greet Wyl and Rod. “Yes, Misters Sterling. Please come in.” He shook hands and guided them to the front and center.
“Lads, this gentleman is Mr. Wyl Sterling, the renowned cybersecurity expert.” He briefly squeezed Wyl’s shoulder. “And the gentleman accompanying him is Dr. Rod Bonner Sterling, who is not only a musicologist and an expert on opera, but he is also Wyl Sterling’s husband.” He placed his hand on Rod’s shoulder. “Let’s make them feel welcome.” He began applauding, and the lads joined in. Rod moved to the back row to sit while Wyl took a position at the front of the classroom. Ailbe sat by Rod.
“Dr. MacGowan asked me to give you a shortened version of my presentation for the symposium. Afterward, I’ll be glad to answer questions from you lads,” Wyl began.
Again, Wyl demonstrated his extreme comfort in front of an audience. He walked back and forth across the front of the lecture hall, using his hands to emphasize points or briefly pausing to let a particular item soak in.
Rod peered at the lads, all of whom focused on Wyl and his topic. After twenty minutes, Wyl stopped and slid his hands into his pants pockets, gazing at the lads seated in the classroom. “All right…who has a question?”
Hands shot into the air immediately, and lads squirmed in their seats to be first.
Wyl pointed to a student in the back of the room, waving his hand wildly. “You. Give your name, then state your question.”
“Seamus MacAuley, sir.”
“Yes, Mr. MacAuley?”
“Cybersecurity sounds like a fascinating career. How did you get into it?”
“I got into security about when home computers became widespread, Mr. MacAuley. While serving in the Marines, I worked with the government to ensure the safety of our military and all Americans. As computers infiltrated society, I studied coding each year to keep up with not only changes in technology but changes in criminal activity as well.”
Students raised their hands again, waving wildly in the air. Wyl pointed to a student in the front row. “You. Give your name and state your question.”
“Bradan Cooney, sir.”
“Yes, Mr. Cooney?” Wyl said.
“Were you involved with any criminals?”
“Good question, Mr. Cooney. After computers became prominent, much of what I learned came from criminals. As the general population began to learn computer coding, the criminal element emerged. As they were caught and tried, many criminals volunteered to help the government understand how they had committed their crimes, enabling us to become more effective at catching others. So yes, I learned much of what I know from criminals.”
