Aftermath
Copyright© 2009 by Peter H. Salus
Chapter 19
Friday morning I phoned the studio and left a message for Sue that everything had been approved. Then I got out my notes and called Canberra. After explaining things to Janice, she told me she'd do a "bit of rummaging" and call back as soon as feasible. I'd heard Mona come in, so I went next door. The coffee wasn't quite ready, so I sat down.
"Anything new?"
"It's my mum's gall bladder. They'll do surgery on Monday."
"Don't worry. It's no longer a big deal."
"You're the third person to tell me that."
"Anything else?"
"Janice is going to phone with information on building funds. And furnishings. And staffing."
"Well, I put together the 'Policies and Procedures' and the sundry forms. There's a lot of paper, but none of it looks like a problem."
"That's a relief. Coffee?" I poured a mugful for myself.
"Just half, I want it quite white this morning." I took care of her request.
"Do I have any vacation time outstanding?"
"Over a month. Why?"
"I want to go visit my mum once she's feeling better."
"That might come under compassionate leave. I'll look."
"Don't bother. I'll never use up my vacation time otherwise."
"Will all three of you go?"
"Of course. Here to Brisbane to Roma."
"You'd best book seats soon."
"Why?"
"Brisbane'll be infested with tourists."
"Right. And that's got to have an effect on other bookings."
"Exactly." The phone rang. "CSIRO, Dr. Hollister's office. Oh, good morning, Miss Carr. He's right here." Mona just handed me the phone.
"Hey, Sue!"
"So it's all okay."
"Yes. 'We few, we happy few... '"
"Henry V."
"So, not just a pretty face, eh?"
To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account
(Why register?)
* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.