Chapter 48

When I woke that next morning, I went to the bathroom with the laptop. I thought at the end of the update, that it was getting easier to update my brain. Since most things at least seemed familiar, even if new things were being added very slowly and most of the old seemed gone forever.

I just went to the storage room to pick up my trike without ever thinking about where it was. That was ingrained in my memory at least. I had eaten in the breakfast house enough times, so that I didn't need to look up the directions to it or to my office. Neither was an intellectual memory, but more a rote memory.

I pulled into the parking lot of the business two doors down from the office. I sat there sniffing the air. I could smell nothing but grass that had been recently mowed. I tried the parking lot beside my building. There was a very, very faint sweet smell, I was pretty sure that only someone really paying attention would notice. Maybe a revenuer but probably not the employees of a medical device sales center. The medical device showroom was for doctors and retailer to shop, not people with broken bones. I wondered if they still considered vibrators as medical devices.

The smell in my parking lot and even close to the back door was no worse than it had been next door. I did see a couple of bees and a fly or two hanging out at my door. I ignored them as I went inside the office.

I noticed the smell was a bit stronger and would be annoying, if I stayed in the office every day. I went into the bathroom and noticed the smell was very strong in there. So I had learned that the smell could be contained in a more or less sealed area, if properly vented. The volume of carbon dioxide released into the air had to be minimal for that to work in an urban setting.

I also learned that morning that the mash had almost finished 'working off', as they said in the business. It would be time to cook at almost any moment. I had other things to do but cooking would have to begin that evening or the next day for sure.

I left the office for my meeting with Royce. I was back in the apartment at 9:30AM and he was right on time. It was a short drive since the sign company was inside an older shopping center near the downtown.

"If we are going to be serious about this, we probably need a second vehicle to cover in case of breakdowns. It doesn't need to be fancy or signed up just available for use," Royce said.

"I have a rental arrangement with a used car dealer. I expect they will still honor it. I will be cheaper just to pick up a car for a day or two while the cruiser is out of commission," I informed him. His suggestion did show that he was taking the business seriously.

We met with a young woman in her thirties at least. She knew graphic design and was even familiar with the cruiser. She pulled up a computer graphic to demonstrate different designs. I picked one that was bold with striking color combination. Also one with large lettering and a phone number that seemed almost 3D on the computer.

"We will need the car for two or three hours," she informed me.

"Royce can you bring the car and either wait for it or find a place to hang out till it is done?" I asked.

"I'm sure I can do that, but not today. Remember I have to be in court this afternoon," he reminded me.

"Sure," I said of course I had totally forgotten it. "So can you have the signs ready for tomorrow morning?" I asked the saleslady/designer.

"If you pay me today, I can have it done tomorrow morning," she informed me.

"So that leaves only the big question how much?" I asked.

"Well design and install would be no more than $1500," she said.

"Hold on we need to discuss this," I said it so that she would leave the room.

I turned my attention to Royce, "If I commit this kind of money, you can not bail on me. I sure as hell can't run this kind of thing on my own. So decide right this fucking minute are you in it for the long haul?" I asked.

"I need something and my options are not exactly coming out of the woodwork. I'm in for the duration, whatever that is," he said.

"Let me check to see if there is a procedure for me to get this kind of money from the bank." I looked up in the index of my file. It gave me the accountants number. I called my money man and explained my plan to purchase the wrap.

"I don't need to approve your purchase, I just need to know that it is you doing the purchase not some third party. Now that I know, when I see the charge to your account, I will just ignore it. Thanks for the heads up though," he said.

I called the lady back in and gave her my debit card, "Let's do this tomorrow," I said.

"We can be ready anytime after 9AM. Just call and set up an installation time," she advised me.

"Now that is up to you Royce," I informed him. You call her to arrange it and when it is done, call me on the phone. I will be busy for a couple of days I think but nothing I need for you to do."

Royce dropped me at the condo on his way to Tryon for the trial. I had no idea what it was about and I could only vaguely remember anything about Ansel and the dirty cops. I had to be reminded every time he brought it up.

I checked my journal one more time before I rode back to the office. I found an entry for me to call Wilma at work. I needed to ask how her 'date' had gone.