April 9, 2001, Monday:
Happy opened the front door and saw Walter standing there.
"Good morning, Walter." Happy grinned.
"Good morning, Happy. How's our secret project coming?" Walter asked as she stepped out and hugged him.
Happy made a face.
"I'm having some problems with the math for it. I know it should work but something is off." Happy told him as they stepped inside the home.
Walter frowned.
"Well I double checked all of your numbers, I'm positive that everything is right. What's going wrong?" Walter asked.
Happy nodded.
"I'm really not sure Walter. But the motors are very jerky when they respond. I expected some until it has been adjusted properly but this is frustrating." Happy told him.
"Jerky? Have you changed the code since I sent it to you?" Walter asked as he thought.
"No, it's still the same as you sent me." Happy assured him.
"Okay, let me double check a few settings, it might be in the trimmers." Walter told her.
Happy's eyes went wide.
"That's it, that is where the problem is, why didn't I see that?" Happy hugged Walter.
"Probably because you were looking at it as an overall system fault. Send me a copy of your emulator for the motors and I can run some tests during my free period on them." Walter smiled as they broke the hug.
"Paige! Walter's here." Happy yelled up the stairs before running for the dining room.
Walter just grinned as he watched her run off.
"Young lady, that is not how we let someone know they have a visitor." Veronica admonished Happy as she came into the dining room.
"Yes Ma'am." Happy said before she plopped down in her chair.
"Well, where's Walter?" Veronica looked to the doorway. "Don't tell me you left him in the other room?" Veronica sighed.
Happy shrugged.
"Our home might be big, Mom, but it isn't so big you can get lost in it. Besides, he's family, he knows the way." Happy told her as she scooped up some cereal.
Ralph chuckled even as he reached over and caressed Happy's hair. He saw the look Veronica had and he swallowed hard and went back to his paper even as Veronica walked out of the dining room.
"Walter, come on in here. I don't know where that girl's manners are." Veronica smiled at Walter.
Walter smiled as he walked through the hallway towards Veronica.
"Good morning Mom." Walter told her as he stopped in front of her.
"Good morning Walter." Veronica told him with a smile and kissed his cheek. She absently picked at his clothes. "How does the quest for the birthday gift go?" Veronica smiled before turning and walking into the dining room.
"I finally figured it out. Now I just have to finish it. I believe the odds are more than in my favor that I'll finish it by tomorrow." Walter grinned. "Good morning Dad." Walter said.
"Good morning son. So what did you decide on?" Ralph asked.
"Well I don't want to really give it away but, it will be a representation of a series of complex mathematical expressions." Walter told him with a huge smile.
Ralph's brow rose up quizzically.
"Umm, not to discourage you, but that doesn't really sound like something Paige is going to like." Ralph said gently.
"It's a bit unconventional but I'm almost positive she'll love it." Walter said confidently.
"I for one fully believe that Walter. You don't worry about Ralph's opinion. You stick to your idea. Would you like something for breakfast?" Veronica smiled as she gestured to the chair he customarily sat in.
"No, I already ate Mom, thank you though." Walter smiled as he moved over and sat.
Walter stood up as he heard Paige's feet on the back staircase and Ralph grinned as he shook his head behind his paper. Veronica reached behind the paper and gently smacked his arm.
"Good morning family." Paige said as she came around the corner and then grinned seeing Walter standing there. "Walter." Paige moved quickly into his arms.
"So you've teased me all weekend, staying away working on my present. So what is it?" Paige asked as she sat down to eat.
"If I tell you, you won't have a present to open from me on your birthday." Walter smiled as he sat next to her.
"Fine, be that way." Paige stuck her tongue back out at him.
"Paige Dineen! You know better than that." Veronica huffed.
Paige grinned and winked at Walter where her Mother couldn't see.
"Yes Mom." Paige told her but clearly her voice told her Mother she didn't care.
Walter entered the computer lab as he normally did during his free period in school and immediately pulled the archived software from his private server. He had been developing the program to drive Happy's present over the last couple of weeks when he wasn't working on the aid package program. He downloaded the motor emulator that Happy sent to his email before turning to his software. He quickly ran through the code, all ten thousand lines of hand written code. His brain flew through the calculations as he went and applied the results to the emulated motors and watched them jerk just like Happy had described.
Walter went to the section with the trimmers and began making modifications to them and then applying the results to the emulator. Walter worked on it almost the entire period. But he finished just before the bell rang, he had just enough time to recompile the software and sent it to Happy's email and shutdown the computer.
Paige came walking out of her class across the hall just as he stepped out and they grinned as they embraced at the side of the hall and kissed. They heard someone clear their throat and they both looked over and saw Sister Ann standing there shaking her head.
"Get to your next class you two. You are a menace to public decency." Sister Ann told them.
Paige laughed even as Walter turned red and she pulled him along.
"She's just jealous of me with you." Paige whispered.
Walter looked shocked and a bit disgusted by the idea which caused Paige to laugh more.
"I don't specifically mean she wants to be kissing you Walter, just that I bet she was wishing she could be kissing someone." Paige told him as they went into their language class together.
Walter sat in his room meticulously going over his string art project for Paige's birthday. He'd been a little hesitant at three of the components he put into it. But he wanted Paige to know how serious he was about her.
Megan, Sean and Louise stopped by periodically every day checking out his progress. But they all would get together after and just shake their heads, unable to decipher just what he had in his mind.
Megan had chosen not to pursue college after graduating. Her parents tried to talk her into it but she couldn't see that kind of expense when she'd never be able to utilize it much. She helped do some of the housework in their home as well as she'd take sewing jobs from neighbors to help pay her parents back for her living there. Of course neither Sean or Louise cared and they always put the money back for any time she might want something. Louise and Sean constantly worried over her. And then the day before Paige's fifteenth birthday she had a bad fall and broke her right ankle.
Doc Johnson was really worried about it as she had no pain. After inquiring Megan admitted that her foot had gone numb before she tried walking. Doc Johnson ordered new MRIs and so they sat and waited.
April 13, 2001, Friday:
The morning sun came up without finding a cloud in the sky at 6:30 a.m. in Callan, Ireland. As the sun rose ever higher into the sky Paige Dineen snuggled deeper into the covers of her bed. She frowned as a beeping noise intruded upon her sleep. Slowly she opened an eye and then closed it again at the light that assaulted her sight. She groaned as she covered her head and reached over and grabbed her alarm clock to turn it off when she realized the offending sound wasn't coming from the clock. Paige's eyes opened and she threw back the covers and moved over to the chair before her desk. She smiled as she sat down and moved the mouse of her computer and the monitor woke up.
She moved the mouse up and clicked to answer the incoming video chat request.
"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday my heart." Walter sang over the connection as the choppy video came up on the screen.
Paige grinned at his thoughtfulness.
"Good morning my love. Thank you! Did you sleep well?" Paige asked.
Walter shrugged.
"Probably not as well as you." Walter smiled.
"Is that software for making aid package deliveries still giving you troubles Walter?" Paige asked concerned.
"I think I finally found a solution for it. I'm cutting 10% of accuracy to maximize safety. The numbers are very promising. I've already sent the file to Cabe so he can get it to the aid relief people. No, my sleep had to do with a delightful image from a few nights ago that has been in my head ever since." Walter told her with a wicked grin. "But this is your day, so no more talking about the software." Walter grinned.
Paige laughed as she thought back to flashing him with her bra the other night.
"You know, it's Friday, what do you think about my birthday being on Friday the 13th?" Paige grinned.
"Statistically speaking it only seems like more things go wrong on Friday the 13th. Did you know that it is only in the US that more weird things happen on nights of a full moon? You'd think if there was any truth to it, every place would report more bizarre happenings." Walter told her.
"I think I have heard that before. Well I don't care, this is my day. You're all still coming over to my birthday party right?" Paige demanded.
Walter grinned and nodded.
"Yep, I hope you like my present. Though Megan will be wearing a cast. She broke her ankle yesterday." Walter told her.
Paige smiled but then frowned.
"Walter, I told you that you didn't have to get me anything. I just want you." Paige blew him a kiss. "I'm sorry Megan broke her ankle. Why didn't you tell me last night?"
Walter blushed.
"Megan didn't want you guys to worry. I better let you go so you can get ready for school. I love you." Walter told her.
"I love you too Walter Patrick O'Brien. Tell my sis I said tough, she needs to let us know when things happen!" Paige told him before they disconnected.
Paige got out clean underwear and walked to the door of her bathroom room in her oversized sleepshirt. Paige hurried through her normal routine so she'd be ready for when Walter got there to go to school. She smiled as she opened the door and saw a brightly wrapped present on the floor at the door. As she picked it up she saw the note attached. "Happy Birthday, Happy." Paige smiled as she looked just down the hall and saw the door of her sister's room. She placed the package on her bookshelf to save it to open later.
Paige moved quickly down the hall to the stairs and began walking down. As she turned the corner into the dining room she felt blessed seeing her parents and sister at the table.
"Happy Birthday Paige!" The three of them greeted her.
"Thank you." Paige grinned and stopped to give each one a kiss. "Thank you for the present, Happy. I'll save it to open later if that is okay." Paige told her.
"I hope you like it." Happy told her as she nodded.
"It came from you, I'm sure I'll love it." Paige smiled as she sat down to eat.
Walter hoovered over his sister as she got out of the SUV that Ralph sent to pick them up and bring them to the restaurant. Walter left his present in the back of the SUV while Louise took the small present they had for Paige in with them to the restaurant.
Paige greeted the rest of her family before she smiled lovingly at Walter. Then Paige looked a bit disappointed that Walter's hands were empty. Walter swallowed hard as he recognized the expression from previous ones his Dad had for him.
"I'm sorry, I left it in the SUV, I'll go get it, I was just worried something could happen to it in here." Walter told her quickly.
Paige shook her head and pulled him into her arms.
"It's okay Walter. I was just really looking forward to finally seeing it. Sit down here with me." Paige kissed him before they sat.
"Here you go Paige, happy birthday." Louise said as she handed the small gift from her, Sean and Megan.
Paige grinned as she took it.
"Thanks Mom, Dad, sis." Paige told them as she saw their names on it.
She tore it open and found a very old antique gold locket.
"Oh, it's beautiful." Paige said as a tear ran down her face. She turned the little knob at the top and the locket opened revealing a picture of the O'Briens on one side and an older looking picture of a woman on the other.
"This is Shannon O'Sullivan. She is who has been recognized by the family as the matriarch of the O'Sullivans. There are so many stories I can tell you about her." Louise explained. "This locket has been passed down from O'Sullivan daughter to O'Sullivan daughter since 1725. This picture was one of the first pictures after people developed cameras back in 1826. It's always kept with the locket. Shannon was the fourth O'Sullivan daughter to receive the locket. I'd given it to Megan on her eighteenth birthday and on her nineteenth she told me she wanted to pass it to you as her sister." Louise said even as her voice wavered a little and her eyes shone with tears.
Several tears ran down Paige's cheeks as she looked at Megan.
"Are you sure sis?" Paige asked as she reached over and grabbed her hand in hers.
"Of course I am. Happy birthday, I love you." Megan told her.
"Thank you, I love you too." Paige told her before she turned her back to Walter and held the locket out to him.
Walter took the locket and carefully opened the latch and slipped it around her neck and then locked it in place.
"It's beautiful, just like you." Veronica told her. "Isn't it beautiful Ralph?" Veronica asked and then looked at him as he didn't respond. "Ralph?"
"What? Oh, yes, it really is beautiful and it looks gorgeous on you sweetheart." Ralph told them.
"You seem distracted." Veronica told Ralph.
Ralph smiled as he nodded.
"Long thoughts of my baby girl growing up. And right behind her is this little girl." Ralph smiled at his daughters.
Greetings! I hope this finds you all well! "Callan" chose to start talking again. lol Just finished chapter 47 and that ends the year 2002. 2003 will see a number of changes in the story.
Railman - lol Glad you like it!
Susan - Yes, poor Sly. I felt so bad writing that for the poor guy. No wonder he has OCD about things in order huh? Secrets are never a good thing are they? I guess they better know about it, if not, might be some hell to pay. lol Looks like you got to wait another chapter for Paige to see her present from Walter. lol
Margaret - For sure he would be crushed if she doesn't. And he's getting to the point he understands facial expressions a bit more. I don't think she'd be able to fake liking it. Let's hope!
SkunkeeFunk - No worries, I've sent you messages here. I hope you got them. If you are on Twitter, click my name and then click the little circle with an envelop on it to send me a private message there. To check the messages here, click your username on the top right (web browser version), then click Private Messaging and then click Inbox to find them.
To the Adventure! -Tim