LEFT WING: Part 36
Just a Phone Call Away
Raya's door upstairs shut. Gosalyn sat there on the chair, feeling as though she had forgotten something.
"I hate this." She rubbed her head. "... I haven't gotten any mail ... what comes in by mail?" She wracked her brain, checking off the list. "Dad's bills, postcards, hate packages ... S.H.U.S.H. ..." She stopped. Two years ago she got that bank account. Before then her pay always came by a cheque in the mail.
Suddenly Gosalyn felt a tremor of hope. 'Maybe Launchpad just hasn't had the time to come around with it?'
Putting aside her egg, Gosalyn dashed across the room and grabbed the handset from the phone table by the stairs. She carried it back and settled back onto the chair. She hit speed dial.
"Ace Air Dynamics." The familiar voice was warm and friendly. It gave Gosalyn a reassured feeling.
"Hiyah, Launchpad."
"Oh, hey, Gos! I was just thinking about you. How're you going?"
"I'm doing a bit better. Still really burned ... Did dad tell you what happened?"
"Yeah! He said yeh cut your boss down to size in front of twenty-three eyewitnesses, folded him up and filed him in the recycling bin."
Gosalyn laughed at the image of Grizlykoff in a flat pack. "I wi-ish!"
"From what I heard you handled it with a real level head. I'm proud of you, Q."
Gosalyn felt tears spring into her eyes. It seemed all she was ever doing was brushing away a haze lately. "I miss you, Launchpad."
"Aw, you've been busy, kiddo, and you know I've had my own hands pretty full too."
"Yeah." Gosalyn agreed. Part of it was because he'd been doing her job on the streets since she'd become Grizlykoff's dogsbody.
"S'what's up?"
"I was just checking: you haven't had any mail come around for me at the Tower? You know; any letters, abusive phone calls or anything?"
"No, it's all quiet on the western front."
Gosalyn sat back, letting the fact settle on her.
"I take it you're waiting on something?"
"Yeah."
"I'll come straight round as soon as I get anything, I promise."
"Thanks, Launchpad." She sighed. "I think maybe they've already forgotten about me."
"Heh, not a chance." He chuckled.
"Y'know, kiddo ... If you're waiting on some grease, maybe you need to be a squeaky wheel."
"What's that mean, Launchpad?"
"Sometimes you need to speak up to be heard, kiddo. S'what yeh dad does. He's not shy of raising his voice when he's gotta. Heh, or he's just plain ol' Drake Mallard."
Gosalyn flashed on an idea. "I'm looking for a letter; I can write them a letter! What a great idea! Thanks, Launchpad."
"Hey, no problems, little buddy. Hope it helps."
"Oh!" She sighed. "It sure as heck beats doin' nothin' about it! This is great ... you're great, Launchpad! Thanks."
"Just warning yeh, it might take a bit. You have to wait for the letters to go round. It's not like email with these guys."
"It might show up before they get my letter. I've got nothing to lose by pushing."
"Well, okay. I better go. I've got a few squeaky wheels of my own I need to tend to. See you around, Q. We'll catch up soon."
"Yeah, I look forward to it."
Gosalyn hung up and picked up her egg.
She turned and looked at the spinning chairs. "Number one: scrambled eggs, number two, Justin's out the back and I'm on duty. Number three, I can just draft it first and write it up on the computer later. So I just need my notepad right now." She got up aiming for the phone table, phone in one hand and egg in the other. "Come on, baby, we're just going upstairs for a moment."