Chapter 7: Seven to Ten Business days

My thoughts were a mad jumble. It was as I was walking out the door that the phrase the Doctor said finally caught up with me ... I thought...

'The old man hadn't said Seven to Ten Days ... No, he'd said Seven to Ten BUSINESS days.

'Everybody knows governmental offices are only open 4 days a week ... Well, five really, but that fifth day is a myth. Nobody starts anything new on Friday. They start leaving at noon on Friday.

'But this coming business week doesn't start until NEXT Tuesday.

'This is Friday. Shit. I was already starting to sweat. I was doing my figuring on my fingers.

'Today doesn't count, nor Saturday, Sunday and Monday is a Legal Holiday. There's four days just waiting for the first one that counts!!!

'Tuesday, one.

'Wednesday, two.

'Thursday, three.

'Friday, doesn't count and neither does Saturday, or Sunday, so...

'Monday, four.

'Tuesday, five.

'Wednesday, six.

'Thursday, seven ... and that's the soonest.

'AARRGGHH ... if I test positive, and there's the best reason in the world for that to happen, it's two WEEKS from yesterday before I can possibly find out ... and if it's TEN DAYS ... oh shit! No! ... Wait ... Legal Holiday ... the mail won't leave here until TUESDAY!!! NO!!! Next week is already a goner.

'Erase all that Bill and do it again.'

I did it twice. The first time was too awful to believe. The second check was the same as the first.

If the mail was deposited and left Armadillo on Tuesday, it goes to the nearest Processing and Distribution Center It might go there by airplane or truck or both, then it goes to a Hub and Spoke setup and maybe by air or truck to the closest Processing and Distribution Center to Austin and is trucked to the local post office listed by Zip Code. The mail is picked up by the fella we curse when things are late ... the Mail Carrier ... and he brings it to YOU, the State Lab in Austin. You process the contents and the whole shooting match begins again ... flowing back through the same route until the Clinic receives the results and calls Bill's lazy ass and explains why he can't get laid for 90 days. Depending ... a letter or package from Amarillo could go to any one or more of 9 sorting centers and 10 or so hubs and back ... God forbid it gets lost.

But NOT always. A letter to a Knoxville address and posted in Knoxville goes to Atlanta ... even if the Knoxville address is next door to the sender!!

'It's going to be a MONTH before I find out ANYTHING!

'The old man gave me some pamphlets ... and I just stuffed them in my pocket. I'll NEVER get them out of these tight jeans.'

Bill was a mess ... going from sex as and when he wanted it to NOTHING for a minimum three weeks was going to blow his balls to hell and back. Rosie Palmer and her five daughters were supremely UN - FUN. You can't kiss your palm while it's busy. A pressure relief and nothing more than that. No blow jobs from DD ... or ANYBODY!!!

'What if she had Herpes!!!???!!!

'Calm down Bill ... you're jumping to conclusions that may not come true.

'Yeah, right. Oh yeah, I need gas.'

"Ma'am?"

"Bill?"

''Hmmm, I'm back to Bill, already.' "Could I get you to take me and my gas can to the Shell?"

"Promise not to spill, William?"

Sigh ... that didn't last long..."I'll try."