Chapter 255: Max the Celeb

Eve and I left the the fortress, which had once been my downtown office. I no longer had any need for an office. I hadn't hadn't needed it even when I renovated the building Lucas occupied at that moment. The bike ride back to my downtown house was only five minutes. Traffic was light as it almost always was in the downtown. If for some sick reason, one wanted to ride in real traffic, she would be forced to ride to the mall area.

There were a few old established neighborhoods around town whose streets could be used for exercise. I knew where they were and the best times to ride through them. Anytime actually was good for the classy old neighborhoods, since traffic was always light there.

There were also a few areas best left off the bicycle route. Those were some housing projects built in the seventies and eighties with government money. They were still subsidized for the poor. The towns more violent youth seemed to be spawned in those areas. There was also a high rise government subsidized apartment building two blocks north of my downtown house. It was filled with the gray hair and aluminum walker generation. It was the least violent area of town.

There were a lot of buildings in the downtown that were empty, but just as many with small businesses of one sort or another. The mills were pretty much all gone, but there were other things springing up now and then. Even so, overall the job situation was not good in Aster. There weren't a lot of jobs in Tryon either. All in all the job picture in the whole state was pretty depressing.

It was not pleasant to know that those very conditions were going to help make the retired operatives lives better in Aster. There would be a lower cost of living, than in most other places with as mild a climate. The retired operatives would bring a different economy with them. Their wealth, such as it was, came from outside Aster. How that would play out remained to be seen.

I was not making plans based on an operative economy. I also didn't plan to ignore them. What I planned, was to put some of the money I had made, and some of the local people to work, if possible.

The pool hall project was my first step. Helen had complained for years that she needed a place to have a local wedding reception. At the moment she had to drive to Tryon to find a hall to seat a hundred or more people. Well one that had any class anyway, not everyone wanted to have their wedding reception at the VFW club.

Once we were home I took a shower, then we each drifted off to our own thoughts. I hung around on the Internet checking out this and that. My interest ranged from sex chat rooms to new industries in the emerging countries of the world. I knew there were far too many regulations for me to build cheap automobiles, or any of the other products built in developing nations. We were allowing them to rape their environments for our convenience. Some of the cheap products found their way to the United States, but there were plenty of regulations to discourage the cheapest of the cheap from making it here.

So I went to bed with no new ideas, just a determination to make a difference and still make money. I had all kinds of nightmares, which made it a pretty normal night for me. I never slept really well, though I didn't realize it since I seldom remembered the nightmares. That night they woke me. I had the sensation of choking on a penis. In spite of what men think, women do not love that sensation. Choking is choking. I doubt that anyone would ask a person whose airway just got cleared of a piece of steak, "Was it good for you honey?"

Eve was by my side when I awoke. She was looking up to be sure that I wasn't in any real danger, "Bad dream?" she asked.

"Yes, one of the worst," I rolled away from her and promptly fell asleep again. I could sleep most anywhere and at anytime. It was one of my better traits, most likely a lifelong training result.

Morning finally came. Even thought I had slept most of the night, I was glad to see the sun shining through my large windows. The building faced east, so if I was awake in time, I could see the sunrise over the lower building in front of mine. The ground clutter wasn't all that great of a view, but the sunrise some mornings was spectacular.

After a morning cup of coffee and a quick email check, I was ready for a bike ride out to breakfast. The bikes were both probably in need of expert service, but with Eve it wouldn't matter at all. She wouldn't know the difference. She was forced to throttle back as far as possible, I'm sure, so that she wouldn't ride off and leave me in the dust.

In my case the work out was good for me, but I did intend to read up on how to maintain the bike a little better. Nonetheless, I made it to Helen's place which was a mile north of my downtown house at the very least. Eve and I parked our bikes in front of the building, in a space between the cars and the sidewalk. There was barely enough room, but we made them fit.

Eve drank her coffee, while I ate breakfast. "Maxine, would you give me your autograph?" one of the cops asked.

"Steve, why the hell are you bustin' my balls this morning. It's way too early for this shit," I said.

"Come on Maxine, you are the only celebrity in town," his sergeant said.

"I ain't no celebrity. I just happened to be the victim of circumstances and my own greed." I admitted.

"There is talk that you might win an Emmy. I would love to see you two in designer gowns," one of the paramedics added.

"When pigs fly," I said.

"Which? when you win an Emmy, or wear an evening gown?" The female paramedic's partner asked.

"Either," I suggested. "There is nothing entertaining about that show. You guys just watch it to see if you show up in the background," I said it loud enough for everyone to hear.