Scribbles

(written for 2009 Summer Alphabet Challenge & dedicated to NG, my friend and beta-gal)

Don and Alan found out that napkins have other uses for Charlie……

Don smiled when he saw what Charlie was doing. He caught his father's eye and made a sign.

Alan looked at Don and followed his eye signal. Oh yea… there's no stopping Charlie now that he has something on his mind. Charlie was holding the napkin down with one hand and writing with the other. He was in full concentration.

Don probably regretted telling him about their latest case which involved siphoning money from large corporate accounts into normal accounts belonging to innocent people like housewives the office workers or the next door neighbors. When questioned, they were totally in the dark.

Then Charlie had an idea and started scribbling.

Luckily, it was just after their meal when Alan asked about his latest case. It was because of his latest case that he seldom popped by the craftsman, and this time, Alan and Charlie came to the office to drag him off to dinner. To further tempt him, they had said they were taking him for his favorite, steak, medium rare, they both added.

Don gave in after a weak protest.

They came to the restaurant Charlie suggested. Their steaks were rather nice he added.

Alan asked if he was a regular customer as the conceirge greeted him by name and led them to a table away from the crowd near the window.

He shrugged and said he, Larry, Amita and Oswald used to hang out there for lunch sometimes before it was renovated.

Then he added that they only served lunches, cheap lunches for students, as the restaurant was quite near CalSci. Three months back, a group of entrepreneurs took over and revamped the place to an upscale restaurant. But they still have discounted economy lunches for the students as long as they show their student pass.

Alan had to agree that this restaurant was tastefully furnished, and he was impressed by the interior ambience. The only complaint was the distance, it would have to be an occasion if they were to eat here again.

And now he was thinking of what the management would say if they saw what Charlie was doing to their nice lovely thick cloth napkins. Charlie was in the process of destroying one.

Don was smiling and shaking his head seeing his father's reaction.

Alan was looking around to see if anyone was looking their way.

"Charlie, I don't think that's a good idea. Charlie?"

"Um?..."

"Charlie, will you stop. The waiter is coming this way."

"Oh dad, it's Ok. Marco knows me."

The waiter was at their table. He looked at Charlie scribbling away.

"Another idea just came up, Prof?" he asked.

Don again had to smile at his dad's reaction.

"You know he does that?" Alan asked the waiter called Marco.

Marco nodded and said, "Yes, sir. Prof always, well almost always, when he has something to write. He said our napkins are large enough for all his equations."

"Oh so your restaurant must be throwing away a lot of napkins? I'm sure that the ink won't come off." Alan said.

"No siree… we don't throw away the napkins. We pin them up on one side of the wall."

This comment brought Don's head up from the dessert he was having.

"Charlie?" Don was alarmed, "Is this true? You let them keep your equations?"

"Don't worry Don. It's not what you think. Equations to do with work, your work especially are not done here. It's all mostly academic equations. If anybody could make sense out of it, then it's good. I would have taught an invisible audience."

"Yes sir! My son and his friends come here to look at the equations, and….and our cook Martha, her daughter comes here too. And also their friends. We have a lot of students in the daytime thanks to prof and his friends. But a lot of people just look because some have doodles on it and funny cartoons."

Don looked at Charlie, 'Cartoons?"

"Oh that's Amita's and Oswald's work."

"Oh this I must see. Where is it?" Alan asked getting up from his chair.

"Alright, let's go. Marco, you can bring me the bill? And here's something for you." Charlie said handing over the full of equations napkin.

Don held Charlie back, "Are you sure you did not scribble our last case onto that napkin?"

Charlie gave Don a 'I know what I am doing' kind of look and then said,
"Don't worry Don, I did no such thing but what you've told me, I just thought of a mathematical equation, that's all."

"That's all? And you took a whole twenty minutes and that napkin's full of equations, are you sure?"

"OK, come on let's go to the other room and Don, why didn't you tell me about your latest case?"

"Hey, I just got it yesterday, and we wanted to interview the bank's personnel first. Get some data before I get to you. Don't worry, Colby will come to you in the morning. We have enough data now."

"Good, looking forward to it."

The end…..?

July 2009.