Chapter 32: It's the little things

BILLY, MEGAN, MINA & WENDY: Wound too Tight. Chapter 32. It's the little things.

"Aren't you being a little presumptuous?" For a Dean of Women, she was an asshole.

"Presumptuous?" Mina had been expecting something like this all afternoon.

"This is, after all, a party for Faculty." Miss Prissy continued. "I think..."

"Whew ... had me scared there for a minute." Mina interrupted ... on purpose.

"Scared?"

"Yeah ... I thought you might be the Rush supervisor for a Sorority ... if that was the case I was going to tell you I wasn't interested." Mina was being oh so incorrect.

It was amazing. There had been this buzzing and humming of friendly academic conversation all over the Chancellors garden. A correct formal informal party. Not black tie but not baggies and Berks either.

Although, over by the Anthropologists, there was an odor ... quite like someone had shot a skunk a couple of days before. Stinky but subdued ... and a lot of blue smoke, coughing, muted "'Ere's" and muffled "Whoa's".

If anyone on campus had the reputation of being 'Old Hippie', you would have found them gathered there. A blaze of color in a grey room. Like a fantastic sunset after a fast moving rain storm or strong sunlight through a stained glass window. The fun folk.

The past week had been hectic. Finding the house had been a chore ... until Megan hauled out a debit card and asked the realtor to run it for balance ... and that was the name of that tune.

"I have 70 or so of these just in case we need more. We want land ... with a home, close enough to an airfield long enough for a Beech Twin and maybe a Lear or a Cessna Citation and reasonably close to the University.

"There needs to be hangar space close ... In fact, Sharpe Field would be ideal ... if we could get the whole 1700 acres. If need be, we can get a Bell to fly into school ... next year. This year we need hangar space for the Beech and a home with 10 bedrooms and 12 baths ... today."

Well, don't you know, that was fun. The run around was pretty spectacular but eventually they settled for an aging antebellum mansion on 450 acres just a few miles from town ... there were covenants on the land ... no subdivide ... no mining ... and a home on the National Historic Registry ... can't tear it down, can't addition it, no apartments.

It was big enough.

It was amazingly cheap.

It was a mess.

The six of them moved into a block of condos while a fleet of workmen rumbled through the mansion ... restoring everything. Of course ... that hadn't happened yet ... but they were working on it.

But, right now Mina was dealing with the Dean of Women ... who had the idea lodged in her head that Mina was a freshman ... and she was partially right.

Now that Mina was Faculty she could attend classes as and when she wished ... free.

Such a deal.

They came prepared to pay out of state tuition for three and enroll three in high school. Megan was the only out of stater now ... but they were working on that. So in a limited sense, Mina was a student ... but not subject to the bitch standing in front of her.

At the confrontation, the friendly buzz and hum of academic conversation stopped. The blue cloud dissipated ... except for a cough or two ... holding your breath can be difficult under certain circumstances.

The History Chair noticed ... Bill noticed. Mina was standing on a garden pedestal so she could look in the Dean's eye ... and have a better target. Bill migrated ... and that made the situation just a tiny bit worse ... now there were TWO obviously freshman party crashers and they weren't going to get away with THAT!

The Dean of History moved in. "Veronica ... have you met our new faculty members?"

He smiled and continued, "Auburn was truly blessed to secure the two people who are going to change History from 'Blah' to 'Blaze.' Doctors Mina and Bill Sutherland? Greet Veronica Lodge, Dean of Women. Mina and Bill are both taking undergraduate courses in an effort to round out their education. Both are Instructor Pilots with multi piston and jet engine endorsements and I expect we'll see their handiwork in the Aero Club. They have their own ... what do they call it? Oh yes ... Warbird.

"And twins."

He turned to Mina, "What ever have you done with Miss Fox? I was hoping you would bring her."