Recollection Rick
Chapter 40
Martha leans across the small table at the café where she and Craig are having post-performance omelets. "Tell me about the movie role you're up for."
"I don't know much about it. I just got the call from my agent today, and I haven't seen a script or a treatment. They want someone with Asian heritage, and my grandfather was Chinese. I know it won't start shooting until the end of my run with the play, or I wouldn't even be thinking about it. And the character is supposed to be loosely based on a scientist named Lee."
"A forensic scientist?" Martha inquires.
"I think so. Why?"
"Because Alexis' boyfriend Dana just won the Lee award for work in forensics. He caused quite a stir when he announced that the Hudson University students are poisoning themselves with contaminated shampoo or toothpaste or some such thing. He and Alexis made the discovery together, and dealing with the results has become a family project. Richard is spreading the word as much as he can. Alexis pulled me into it as well. I was going to mention it tonight – later."
Craig strokes a chin shaved smooth before taking to the stage for the evening. "I'm glad you brought it up now. It is an interesting coincidence, and if it ties in with the movie, the producers might want to get involved. It would be a win-win situation, publicity for the film and support for Alexis and Dana's work. What else can you tell me about what they found?"
"Not much," Martha admits. "But there's a video. I can text Richard for the link."
"Sounds good." Craig winks. "We can watch it at my place."
"What are you kids up to today?" Rick asks as Alexis and Dana split the last Saturday morning breakfast croissant.
Alexis reaches for the jar of strawberry preserves. "We're going to look for an apartment for Dana, something near the Hudson campus. "His Lee Award money came through yesterday. We got some listings from the housing office. Landlords send them there instead of putting out ads because it's free."
"A couple of them were just posted late yesterday," Dana continues, "So I should have a chance if we get there early enough, especially since I can put down a deposit."
"Then, by all means, good hunting," Rick proclaims. "But you might want to take a second look at night. As I remember from my student days, that is when the uninvited wildlife tends to emerge."
"We talked to the bug guy at C.S.U.," Alexis explains. "He told us the telltales to look for – and smell – even when a place has been cleaned up."
Rick grins his admiration. "Smart! Always good to use your connections. And a little extra caffeination doesn't hurt either. Lattes for the road?"
Dana squeezes Alexis's hand. "That would be great, Mr. Castle."
Kate wanders into the kitchen after the teens depart, pulling a diaper from her shoulder and tossing it into a basket next to the washing machine. "Lily seems to be back to normal. I put her in her swing in your office, and she's giggling."
Rick grabs the basket to start a load of laundry. "I'll join her in there in a minute. I want to do some more cramming for the tournament. I got behind. Lily and I couldn't have our usual conversations, and most of my adult interchanges have been to drum up support for Dana and Alexis' research."
"Conversations with Lily?" Kate reaches up to feel Rick's forehead. "No fever. Where have you been buying your shampoo?"
Rick presses a kiss into Kate's palm. "I'm not delirious. I admit, Lily doesn't say much, but she's a great listener. And she never hides her opinion."
"I'll give you that," Kate agrees. "All right, you go cram. It looks like we're going to have a warm-up today. I can take Lily to the park. I think I've got your maximum bump route down."
Rick cups Kate's cheek. "If you don't, she'll remind you. She may not be erudite, but she makes herself understood – loudly. Oh, and a new dog is walking its owner about this time every day. Dog isn't a particularly apt description. From a distance, you'd swear it's a lion. I think you could hide about a hundred chihuahuas under its coat. But you know how Lily is about strange animals. She loves to see the thing, even from a safe distance. If she says something like 'dawfa,' she probably means that fur-bearing hulk."
"'Dawfa,' right. I'll keep that in mind."
"It has an elevator," Dana notes, gazing around the lobby of a building dating back to the 1930s. "If I get an apartment here, that will make moving a lot easier."
Alexis examines the worn call button on the use-scarred conveyance. "That's assuming it works."
The descending car clunks into place. "So far, so good," Dana notes as the door opens. "The super is on the third floor. She's supposed to have a key to the place for rent."
Accustomed as Alexis is to the cavernous space in the loft, the apartment feels closed in, but it seems typical of the architecture of its era. The rooms, such as they are, open to a hall with a worn but serviceable hardwood floor. The bathroom was obviously built to only accommodate a tub, but a little jerry-rigging inserted a shower within the aging porcelain. The floor is tile, easy to clean but cold. However, a small wall heater blows, an upscale touch.
The kitchen is small, and the old-fashioned sink is mounted below waist height. It has a stove and refrigerator but no built-in cabinets. If Dana rents the apartment, he'll need to buy something for storage. A hot-water pipe warms the room.
A radiator heats the bedroom and small attached sitting room. A double bed would fit – barely. Compared to what Alexis is accustomed to, the flat is tiny, but for much of New York City, it's exceptionally roomy.
Dana looks around for signs of infestations or leaks. No internal warning bells clang. It's obvious that Alexis is unimpressed, but the apartment reminds him of the one his parents had when he was little before his father started his agency. He loved the floor in the hall and used to slide down it in his socks. His mother would put his mittens on the radiator to dry after he'd played in the snow. That apartment had an ancient wood-burning fireplace, which his parents never used. He suspects they were afraid they'd start a chimney fire if they did. But it still gave him a place to hang his stocking at Christmas time. And when his parents could afford to move up a little, he missed the place. He turns to the super. "What kind of internet do you have?"
"The neighborhood just got fiber optic, and the landlord got a special deal to get hooked up." A surprising smile cracks her face. "My kid has a hard time complaining about how long it takes to do his homework now. And I don't get those blue circles anymore when I download a service manual. It's good."
"What's included in the rent?" Alexis asks.
"Heat, water, and garbage. Tenants pay for the Con Ed, internet, TV. But the owner has an agreement with the university. It guarantees to send us decent students who won't tear up the place, and he keeps the rent down."
"Down how far?" Dana inquires.
"$975 a month. That's dirt cheap for New York. But I need the first and last month plus a $500 security deposit. Can you manage that?"
Dana does some quick mental arithmetic. With his scholarship, prize money, and the stipend as a lab assistant Gilly offered, he can make it. He's not going to be taking Alexis on any fancy dates, but they spend all their spare time in the lab anyway. "Yeah, I can."
