"Nice view!" said Brains with genuine enthusiasm. His companion giggled and said "Why, Mr Hackenbacker, you really are an incorrigible flirt!".
"I-i – mah-meant the vah-view from the the Nah-Needle!" he stuttered. His face was nearly the color of Thunderbird Three. Raji laughed as she tucked a strand of her long ebony hair behind her right ear. There were very few other tourists on the observation deck of the Seattle Needle. Most opted for the HK Sphere these days. Brains was an admirer of old-school architecture though and really wanted to show Raji some of his favorite places. When Michael Rafferty at Nordheim invited him to assess the latest iteration of their nanoversion, Brains was only too keen to accept. After all, Vancouver was only a hop away from Seattle and Jeff couldn't object to a bit of relaxation afterwards.
Rafferty was one of Brains' few friends outside Tracy Island. While he could not match Brains' intellect he had a way of turning ideas into cold, hard cash. About once a year he offered Brains an obscene amount of money to come work alongside him at Nordheim. Once a year Brains quietly declined and thanked Rafferty for the offer.
"You're kinda quiet, Hiram" offered Rafferty after the assessment. The two men were in Rafferty's executive office overlooking the Nordheim Plant. Rafferty rattled the ice in his bourbon and grinned "Hey, I just figured it out. You either came up with a new theory on Isolinear morphography or you met a girl!. C'mon, which is it?"
Brains coughed and took a gulp of gatorade. "I'm that transparent am I?" he laughed, perfectly relaxed in Rafferty's company " Her name is Raji Sabapathy and she works at Grumman-Tech. Here's a pic"
"You really fly under the radar, man. I had you figured for a lab rat and you land a hottie!" Rafferty was genuinely pleased for his friend . It was way past time for the gentle and quiet man to find a bit of happiness." Wait just a minute tho. Grumman are in Seattle and….hey, I oughta be offended. This whole trip was just a front for your romantic assignation!"
"Well, it's not a romance as such but she really appears to be on the same wavelength as me. Quite rare." observed Brains.
"Plus she's a A-number one hottie, you old fox! What's your secret? I know …you give them the old shy techie routine then move in like Flynn!" laughed Rafferty , rocking back in his Lazee-Boy. The meeting continued amicably and all too soon Brains was on the private Nordheim shuttle to Seattle to meet Raji. She must have seen the Needle many times but acted like it was her first time. She couldn't help teasing him a little and watching his reaction.
"Fancy a bite, Hiram? I'm getting a bit peckish" she said. Brains looked puzzled. He wasn't too sure of some of her english expressions. but he guessed the meaning . She continued "There's a cracking trattoria about 5 blocks from here. The linguini is pukka. How's that sound?"
Mighty confusing, thought Brains. Pukka linguini must be one those new dishes that Lord Oliver kept flogging on T-Sat. There was a light rain falling as the couple ran from the tower to the taxi. This was Seattle though and it was coming down like cats and dogs on arrival at Romano. Nothing could dampen Brains' mood though. It didn't get any better than this.