Chapter 74

Wait ... Wait ... go back!

I went to Detroit...

Not that far!!

The deck houses on the flatbed?

No ... No ... before that!

I paid?

After that! God this is insane...

Mwahahaha...

You didn't do that ... When you told the guy where you live...

The Tracks?

No ... he told you something about your place ... that part.

The old machine shop?

Yeah ... that part.

The basement?

Uh huh ... you left us hanging...

What? About the basement?

WHAT ABOUT THE BASEMENT!!!???!!! You are so dense.

I don't know ... there's no door.

NO DOOR?

Can't find one.

There's gotta be a door! C'mon, Man ... go look!

I did.

GO LOOK AGAIN!!!

Readers! Can't live with 'em.

Instead, I went to the phone and called Detroit Wreckers.

"Pete. Please."

"David."

"I bought the deckhouse yesterday."

"I don't want a refund."

"I called to talk to Pete."

"I'll wait."

Jesus, this is boring ... there ought to be something I can listen to while I'm waiting.

"Pete?"

"David."

"Listen ... you said something about a basement in my place."

"Where's the door?"

"Out back?"

"Shit ... we filled that in."

"Wasn't a door ... just a bricked in hole."

"Anywhere else?"

"The forklift floor?"

"There's a ring in the ceiling?"

"A trapdoor below it?"

"A chain hoist?"

"That heavy?"

"Thanks Pete."

I hung up. Lunch.

Where are you going?

I'm going to eat.

You did that.

That was breakfast This is lunch

You're gonna feed your face and leave us hanging?

I think I'll take Grace, Arnold and the girls out to Denny's for pancakes and eggs.

Nooooo! You HAD breakfast.

Something the matter with Denny's? Ok ... the Dinner.

"LALALALALALALA" I laughed. "HaHA" "Grace!"

"David!"

"Lunch! I'll buy. Super Fly! Eats! Girls!!" I banged on the pilot house side. "Lunch! I'm buying."

I should have got the third seat.

We stuffed everybody in and went to the Diner ... looks like a railroad dining car but bigger? Yeah ... one of those. Good coffee. Smothered hamburger steak the size of a Desert Sand 11 inch oval platter with taters, your choice, topped however, on the side. Big bowl of buttered corn or green beans and a basket of dinner rolls ... Buck seventy-five, coffee included. Salad extra. Kinda high priced but not too bad. The meatloaf is good too. The chili ... mmmmmm. Greasy ... just like I like it.

There wasn't a lot of conversation at lunch ... there was a little wrestling and jabbing of forks but all and all ... good meal. I left fifteen dollars and we groaned all the way out to the car ... suburban ... truck ... panel ... yeah ... the panel. The truck needs a name.

We made our overstuffed way to the school where we found that the dorms were still frozen but the classrooms had heat again. Not that we were going to teach anything with no students.

Wonder of wonders ... we got an office ... cubical ... in the hall ... in the Geology building attic. No one will find us! Just in case ... we put our names and what we did in the slider by the door hole ... no door ... just a hole. I went out, bought some second grade math books from the 1930's at a church rummage sale and stuck them in the cubical shelf and then left a note on the desk giving our office hours ... at home.

That wasted most of the day.

I happened to be looking at Faculty Only Facilities booklet and discovered there was a sauna. The Athletic Department took reservations for the use and a faculty member could bring guests. No clothing allowed. Grace and I were half Finn. The girls were blue eyed scandinavian blondes. Hmmm?

"Anybody up for a sauna?"

I was immediately swarmed. So I called the Athletic Department and made a reservation soonest. Soonest was now ... we had to be out by midnight ... and the girl at the desk made sure we knew it was nude and there were rules posted. Mixed company was fine. There were two areas. One was attached to the gym and was a dry. The other was in a small courtyard and it was wet.