Mind the Time
Copyright© 2014 by Old Man with a Pen
Chapter 43
Charles edged back a little ... as far as the wall would let him. Stuttering, he said, "Vee, what did you do?"
"Took her to the hospital."
"Before that."
"Tossed the cop in the corner, he touched me."
"No ... before that."
"Told Miss Barker to keep her hands off my shit."
"After that. but before the cop," he nodded in the direction of the blue pile. He was still asleep.
"Oh ... when I cut off Miss Nosy Barker's hand?"
"Yeah ... then."
"I popped back to Fourteenth Century Sagami Provence, Japan and commissioned a tachi from Gorō Nyūdō Masamune, paid for it in gold from California I mined before Sutter built his mill, worked with my grandmother I don't know how many generations removed in 3500 BCE Egypt for 16 months while the sword was being made, flashed back to Japan, picked up the sword, dropped back here, cut off her hand, went back to Japan with the proved sword, showed the sword and hand to Masamune who engraved the proof marks, found a buyer and sold it to a samurai ... who was very glad to get it ... popped back here, picked up Miss Barker who was just beginning to bleed, took her to the hospital and came back. The doctor said he had no trouble reattaching the hand and Miss Nosy Barker would be back to work in two weeks." She paused and grinned, "Don't you just love modern medicine."
The look he gave her was priceless. Vee showed the note to someone else in the office.
"Miss Barker handles that," said the secretary.
"She stepped out for two weeks," said Vee, as she put her PPL back in her inside pocket.
"She would ... lessee, the note says show you around campus ... escort and keys ... every building." She looked around, saw Charles and said, "Chuck."
There was no response. Chucky was looking at Vee with horror and just a trifle of dawning respect.
"CHUCK!" she hollered.
Chas gave a start and said, "What?"
"Take Miss Austin around and show her what she wants to see." She tossed Charley a set of labeled keys.
"Yes ma'am."
They stepped out of the office, walked out to the truck and he held open her door. She seated herself decorously. Charles walked around to his side, got in, closed the door and said, "You really are her."
"Yeppers ... let's go."
"Where?"
"Engineering first."
Engineering was more practical than esoteric ... the department had tools ... great big tools. Lathes with three foot throws and thirty foot beds, two thousand ton drop presses, tiny jewelers lathes and giant mills ... engine boring, crank grinders, rod hones ... Vee was in heaven.
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