Chapter 10

After Sherry left I got back into my truck and headed home myself. I stopped at the house and got a quick lunch and read the morning paper. As usual, there was not much of interest there.

I got to the office a little after one. My secretary... oops, Personal Assistant (must be all PC don't you know), Marian, had a handful of phone messages and some paperwork for me to review and sign. She was about 10 years older than me. A stout, steely-haired grandmother with 4 grandkids, she took no guff from anyone.

"It's about time you dragged your butt in here. I was getting bored", she groused. "Sometimes I think I'm the only one that works around here."

"Marian- you ARE the only one that works around here. I'm just playing, you know."

I went to my desk and flopped down in the high-backed chair. I flipped through the messages and returned several, none of them terribly important. I signed what needed to be signed and handed it all back to Marian.

"Anything else happening that I ought to know about?"

"Not right now. Don from the lab called and would like you to stop over there when you can. He said it wasn't urgent."

"OK, I'll head over there in a little while. I want to check my e-mail and catch up on some reading first."

"OK, boss. Oh hey- what's your schedule for next week?"

I frowned as I tried to think what was special about next week.

"I don't know Marian, why?"

"Crimony, John! Don't you have even a clue?", she said incredulously.

"Umm no, I guess not", I mumbled.

"Next Thursday is Thanksgiving, and it was just a couple of days ago that you were muttering something about deer hunting. I swear, you wander around in a fog about half the time!"

"Oh, yeah, I guess I lost track of the date." I must have blushed a bit because Marian grinned.

"That's all right. It's just job security for me. Someone has to keep you straight", she said with a broad smile.

"Well, you do a good job- I don't think I tell you that enough."

"Oh, stop the Blarney! You're making me blush. John, you're one of the easiest people to work with that I know of."

"I think maybe you don't know all that many people, then" I teased.

She reached out and smacked me on the back of the head. "Smart-ass! If you were one of my grandkids you'd have gotten a thimble alongside your head for that. Anyhow- what will we be doing next week?"

"Hmm... I'm not sure. We'll definitely close Thursday and Friday. The lab is scheduled to be closed then, come to think of it. I really haven't planned on doing any hunting out of town. The guys that usually come to camp are scattered all over Hell's half-acre this year, so I guess I'll just hunt close by. Do I have any appointments for next week?"

"Nope- the week after Thanksgiving, on Tuesday you have the meeting with Walt about the foundation, and on Thursday you have the Ambulance Authority Christmas dinner and party at 6."

"OK, tell you what. Lets close Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Will you make sure to tell the guys at the lab in case I forget?"

"In case you forget? John you ALWAYS forget!", Marian laughed as she headed out the door, "Sure, I'll tell them- right now, in fact."

"Thanks Marian."

"You're welcome."

She shut the door behind her as I booted up the computer and logged on to the Internet. I brought up Outlook and downloaded my company mail. A few pieces of real mail popped up. Inquiries, some literature articles I'd ordered and a note from the company that had bought my old firm out wanting me to fly out to the Pittsburgh Conference in San Francisco in mid-February when they'd be unveiling the newest versions of the carbohydrate analyzer. They'd pay for everything, plus my usual exorbitant consulting fee, but I'd have to make myself available for questions at the show booth for the two-day event.