Chapter 76

They pursued the pleasantries, and totally ignored me. Murray knew I was bored so we wrestled. I pinned him but he took me two outta three ... cat is bigger than me. When we were through I looked for Alan and mom. They were gone but my kart was on the floor and plugged in. I logged in to the ‘net and started studying metals and metallurgy. I got involved.

Maybe three hours and they were back smelling of hamburgers and rootbeer.

Ooo ... totally mean mom.

When discussing Surprise and me one has to remember New Zealand. In New Zealand I’m almost 10... 4 when we got there and five years building boats and going to school. So it’s not like she’s dealing with a toddler. I might look like a 4 year old but mom knows I’m just short.

“I’m going to the Antler, mom.”

“Got any money?”

“I’m good...”

“I doubt that ... got any money?”

“Mom ... you know I have a tab.”

I do ... Frank tells me when I’ve spent too much and I go to the bank and transfer funds. HooBoyhowdy ... the trouble I had at the bank the first time? Mom had to tell them where the cow ate the cabbage. So now I’m friends with Tessa ... she’s the teller ... Tessi the teller.

“Afternoon, Frank.”

“Hi Tyche ... I hear you had a busy morning.”

“It was interesting. Did you know about the Molybdenum layers in the bluffs?”

“Moly, what?”

“Molybdenum ... it’s a slippery metal. Colorado has a big Moly mine. Looks sorta like lead but it’s not as cohesive. When it’s under pressure it’s like needle bearings.” I have to keep my explanations simple because ... well ... Harry Potter calls ‘em muggles. And they don’t understand.

“A Wendy, fries and a ‘beer please ... and some burger for Murray and a saucer of ‘beer.”

“Murray want fries?”

“I’ll share.”

“Ernie!”

“What?”

“Wendy and side and a half of fries,” shouted Frank.

When I order fries and say I’ll share with Murray ... I get a side and a half ... or Murray gets ‘em all and I don’t get to eat any of ‘em. So ... when there’s an order for 1.5 order of fries the cook knows I’m feeding my cat.

“Half a pound for Murray,” said Ernie. “Hi Tyche.”

“Hi Ernie.”

“I hear you saved the town from the communists this morning,” Ernie said.

And all the customers said, “Hear Hear!” The place was packed with locals ... towards the bitter end of October there are darn few summer folk still here. This time of the season they get ignored.

Frank always brings my rootbeer before the meal ... Ernie doesn’t. Ernie serves it all at once.

“So they say.” Big gulp ... for a four year old. BURP “AH” “Just target practice.”

The general consensus was that the summer folk ought to spend some money ... the slope across the lake on the south side looked like a war zone. All the south side summer cottages on that end off the lake were pretty badly shot up.

Wasn’t my fault ... I tried to maneuver each tank so if they missed ... and they all did ... the recoil sent ‘em into the lake. And the shell went into the second growth timber area east to town. The ones I dropped my little dynamite bomb in their barrel really recoiled. Shot ‘em way out over the water.

I’ll bet nobody but the kids know about the moly.

The lake will be frozen ... probably by morning. David Austin of Anderson’s Salvage can fish ‘em out in the spring.