Chapter 58

There was no profit following the Navy, They were going to fix it and fix it right, no matter what We said. So ... we called a cab and stopped by the warehouse for some real clothes, a shower and a cup of coffee we made. While we were at it we removed several weeks of lab experiments from the fridge and took out the trash.

"Beat you in a game of tag?" I said.

"Let's go to school like good little boys and girls," Grace said. "We need to inform Dr. Patel of our intentions, our progress and trick her into an introduction to the Geology head."

"Hey! Piper ... we're going to school. Wanna go?" We had an escort. People didn't notice.

We both had autos but we had bikes and pedaled our asses to the Engineering Department. Summer in an airplane hadn't done anything for physiques ... biking to the office was a groaning chore. In 1955, Engineering is settled in with the rest of the campus. The front desk directed us even though we'd been there before.

"Hey ... is that your cat?"

"There is an ongoing discussion about whether she's our cat or we're her people."

"Well ... she can't be in here."

"You tell her."

Piper jumped up on the counter and crouched. She looked for all the world like she was going to pounce.

"Umh ... Nice kitty ... she's not a cat, is she?"

"Nope ... Canadian Lynx, North American Bobcat cross."

"Umh ... Ok ... experimental animal." If she only knew.

Dr. Patel's secretary looked up as we staggered in the door. She was new. If the Head hadn't buzzed for coffee, we'd have still been standing ... well ... sitting on the floor ... check that ... standing ... sorta.

"There's two high school kids out here wanting to see you, Dr. Patel" Nancy said. Her desk announcer plainly said, Nancy Pankratz so we knew who she was even if she didn't know us.

"About 15 years old?" The intercom asked.

"Yes, Doctor."

"One boy about six feet three and a frizzy headed girl close to five feet?"

"Yes. ma'am." Miss Pankratz hesitated a couple of seconds, "They have their cat with them."

"I've been looking for them for a month. They're our newest masters candidates, David and Grace Austin ... David, Grace ... get in here."

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition ... Tomás de Torquemada Patel. She wore us out! Then she congratulated us on our latest work ... which we had no clue about and called the Head of Geology.

"As long as you teach your classes two hours a week, I don't care. I'm not expecting you two to come up with a Ph.D. topic for at least a year. We weren't planning on your full time presence until Fall quarter of 1957. We don't even have a vacant office for you. Oh ... you are going to hate me ... instead of Tuesday-Thursday at 11, as was our intention, classes are 8am Monday-Friday ... no wait! Don't kill me yet! ... or 8p to 10p Wednesday. What? Quit staring art me like that."

The twin in us said, "Thank you very much, Dr. Patel. We'll take the Wednesday night class."

"You WANT the night class?" She looked at us like we were crazy.

"Monday Friday at 8am in the morning? We wouldn't have a single student by the end of the first week. With no students you would FIND something and I'm sure I'd rather not," Grace said.

"Smart ... David, why didn't you think of that?"

"Oh, I did ... I just let her say it." I stuck my tongue out at Grace. She returned the favor.

"You found a place?"

"Yes ma'am. You should come visit ... late at night, wear jeans and a leather jacket." I said, and then I gave out a Dr. Frankenstein laugh, "Muhahahaha!"

"That good?"

Grace said, "Even better. Any Saturday night ... tennis shoes and a ski mask too."

Our chief supporter raised her eyebrows to the ceiling.

"Uh-huh ... bye." Twin speak. We were out the door.

"Bye, Miss Pankratz."

"Wait! Who are you?"

"15 year old nightmares, Nancy." We both grinned.

The Engineering Building was a distance from our warehouse ... but everything about UofM is close to any other part of the University. Our warehouse was next to the Ann Arbor RailRoad tracks and it was noisy but comforting. The local Steam Train Enthusiasts club ran a local two or three times a month and we loved it.

East Madison and the Ann Arbor RR tracks is the best I can do to explain our location.

The Geology building was huge and back the way we came to get to campus, a couple of blocks. The Dean was waiting.

"You biked? Wait ... you're just kids. What is Patel thinking? Well, come on. We'll talk over at the Rathskeller. You two are not old enough to drink but since I'm going to listen ... you get to pay." He laughed, we shrugged, we had out Diners Club cards.