22- Starting over… chapter twenty-two A
Pulling into the mom-n-pop restaurant parking lot, Walter got out and opened the door for Sarah to walk inside. Waitress behind the counter called over and said to sit anywhere so they sat in a booth by the window.
"Happy new year, what would you like to drink?" The waitress asked handing each a menu.
"Coffee," Walter and Sarah said at the same time.
The Waitress came back with two mugs and a pot. Pouring coffee she asked if they were ready to order.
"Cheeseburger and fries," Walter said.
"The beef and cheddar with fires for me," Sarah said.
The waitress left to put in their orders and tend to the few other customers.
Walter looked at Sarah, "what do you do with a horse in LA?"
"Well, unfortunately mostly arena work, small jumps. When Seth can get away we go out on trails, but with his wife so preggers, he is kinda' stuck so I tend to Obie and Pilot myself. You like horses?"
"Yes, lots of them…. under the hood."
"You will like Pilot, he is like an overgrown dog- Morgans are very people oriented. Parents over in 'Zona breed them. Not a big enterprise, but have done quite well in the shows."
"Morgan?"
"Pilot and Obie are Morgan horses- Morgan, pride and product of America."
"You ever fall off, get kicked, bitten, thrown?" Walter asked. "They are dangerous, big animals you never know what they may do- Superman was paralyzed by one."
"Thought you were an Irish farm kid, grew up around animals- no horses on the farm?"
"No, no horses, just cows, sheep, chickens, couple dogs, cats, but I was out of there by the time I was fourteen."
"Good grief, by the time I was fourteen I had raised and trained my first horse and got several blues with him- in breed specific shows so good competition."
"Good grief is right- you are speaking Greek- I have no idea what you are talking about."
"Wow, I finally have found something you are not expert in."
The waitress served their meals then came back to refill their cups.
"You are going to have to meet Pilot. He really is a sweetie, and he will let me know if you are as wonderful as I think you are…. a second opinion is always good."
Walter put down his sandwich. "What?"
"Gods, Walter, have you never been around animals?" Sarah asked. "Had a friend down in Tucson who had a Boxer- sweetest dog in the world, typical goofy Boxer. She had a neighborhood keg party and some guy nobody knew came in. She was on the sofa talking with a pack of people in the living room, the dog was on the sofa next to her and she said she could feel the dog growling, its hair was up on its neck, chops curled and baring its teeth staring straight at the guy. She told the guy he had better leave, fortunately he did and the dog calmed down. Turns out the guy was later arrested for beating some woman half to death. A lot of animals have a sense, know when someone is dangerous."
"So if I meet this horse and it does not try to kill me you figure I am OK to be around?" Walter asked incredulously. "And I thought I had problems figuring people out. As a matter of fact, I do know someone who might like to meet your horse. Remember Cabe? When he retires next, well this year, now, he wants to get a couple, as he puts it, well trained old nags to plod around the place he has out in the sticks." Walter laughed. "Those two will be regular Wild Bill Gallo and Calamity Allie, for sure."
The waitress came by to ask if they wanted refills or dessert. Both shook their head so she left the tab which Walter took.
"You know, sooner or later I WILL pay for the meal," Sarah said. "I am not exactly a little orphan Annie all destitute needing you to always pay my way."
"You cook? You can always rustle up some grub- isn't that how cowboys say it- at the garage. I was thinking of hauling a grill up to the roof if someone else is there to tend it."
Sarah chuckled, "you never cook?"
"As long as there is pizza delivery, Chinese take-out, or restaurants open, why should I ruin food? Put it on the stove, start a coding job and burn everything to a briquette." Walter said laughing. "I can nuke a can of soup like a pro, though, when necessary… that three days it took to hack your security program- came out of that rabbit hole, nuked a can of chicken noodle soup, an apple, cup of coffee, sleep ten hours and good to go." He said getting up to leave.
"It is amazing you have made it to your ripe old age, Walter," Sarah said joining him at the cash register then going out the door together.
Getting back to the garage, Walter opened up to pull the Ferrari in. "Open up the other side so I can get the MG out, please." Sarah said.
"Not going to stay the night?" Walter asked.
"No, don't want you to get complacent about me. I want you to look forward to my presence, I want you to WANT me here. I want you to think of me as something special in your life." Sarah said giving him a chaste kiss and whispered in his ear, "you are my king, but I am not yet your queen." She went up to the bedroom to get her clothes, stuffed them in the duffle and returned downstairs, "I will pop in the fourth to deliver a good, homemade dinner for you- give you something to look forward to," gave him a kiss, got in the MG and waved good-bye as she left the garage.
Walter stood there a moment then slowly walked over to the close the bay door and set the stops. Walking slowly back through to go up to the den he was thinking how different- seemed like there was so much activity going on when Sarah was around and how dead and quiet when she is gone. Whole atmosphere changes. Frogs, kings, queens, horses, growling dogs, so much to keep the mind whirling and come back to Earth when she leaves. Well, back to work tomorrow.
Reaching the den he stopped to look at Megan's picture- "such a whirlwind of activity when Sarah is around it is hard to think. Horses, Megan. Crazy, huh? Happy new year," Walter said taking his seat at the desk, powering up the desktop unit and opening the laptop to check mail.
Messages from Gina, Richard, and unknown.
Walter- you said I was manager so could pick the schedule so I decided to extend the time off until bright and early the third. Remember you need to be at Barbara Woods place at ten. First customer so be there on time, be your charming self, and wow her some more so she tells all her buddies all about you. Gina
Walter shook his head, hit reply:
Gina- Will be there on time- other than that, who knows. Walter
Walter- Should you like and have time to join in any of the tours let me know. Richard
He hit reply"
Richard- The third I have a customer's system to scan, code a security program and possibly install the following morning. After that, let me know schedule. Walter
Walter- Taking your advice and taking a more advanced robotics class- more extensive focus on the design and engineering. What are you working on? Cabe told me about the three patents- wow! Hope it is a good year for you. Ralph
Walter hit reply:
Ralph- Presently working preliminaries on habitat design and systems for possible moon living environment- robotics will be instrumental in the endeavor, I am sure. Give you something to think on while taking your class. First customer of the year tomorrow, so business is moving along. Know I love you. Walter
Walter sat for a while thinking of Sarah, is rather fast paced and interesting when she is around. Maybe I can help her with the children's educational gaming programs- interesting concept and even if not a big money maker could be a worthwhile endeavor… will have to discuss it with her next time she comes around- maybe even collaborate, another side interest….. get kids interested in math and science.
Walter brought up the music file and scrolled to Handel organ concertos 1 through 6, hit play turned the sound down to play softly, went into the bedroom, stripped down to boxers and went to bed thinking it would have been nice had Sarah stayed the night to make it nice and warm… and drifted off to sleep.
Walter awoke early, took a shower, in boxers and towel around his neck, got the coffee started then went up to the roof to see how the day looked. Leaning against the wall, it looked like the rainy season was going to get to LA at last. Low, ominous piling up of dark clouds over the entire valley. Guess the Ferrari will be remaining in the barn for a few days…. roses will be happy, though. He went back to the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee then into the bedroom to get properly dressed, complete with tie, for going to the data center at ten to scan. With luck he could get a program to fit the centers requirements and get it installed that night. Getting dressed, he shut off the coffee, went to the den, sent a message to Gina he was on the way to Anaheim. Then closed up the laptop and put it in its case then downstairs to open up and get the Malibu out for the drive to Anaheim. It started a light drizzle as he took off.
At nine-forty Walter pulled up to Safe First Financial, getting the laptop he opened the door to see Barbara Woods entering the reception area from the back.
"Good morning, Barbara. I'm a bit early, but wanted to get the ball rolling. Once scanned, there is a chance I would be able to install my program after hours tonight- have to wait and see how extensive your system is, but I am hopeful we can get you all set up before morning."
"Good morning, Walter. Follow me to the server facility," Barbara said. "Would you like some coffee, tea, water, soda?"
"A cool, wet morning like this, coffee would be good," Walter said. He entered the facility behind Barbara, put the laptop on the work bench, pulled it and the cable from the case, hooked in and sat down to start the scan. Barbara brought a cup of coffee in and put it on the table, then sat to watch the fast moving code on Walters laptop screen. Focused on the screen, Walter said thanks, reached over, drank some coffee, and continued the scan. In an hour he completed the scan, disconnected from the facility, closed up the laptop and rose.
"All done, Barbara. I will head back to the office and start on your security. I can call you to let you know when I have it ready to install. When I do, I will have to do a shutdown and restart to scan again. This is best done after hours, so either tonight or tomorrow after closing time."
"Just give me a call or message and I can keep the place open for you to do what is necessary." Barbara said. "It will be a relief to have a secure system in place as soon as possible." She led Walter back through the reception area to the door. "Have a careful drive- nobody seems to know how to drive when it rains."
Walter returned to the garage, left the Malibu outside, going through the office to see Gina.
"Just back from scanning in Anaheim, heading up to the den to get the program done- should not take long- not an overly large data system. May even be able to install tonight."
"Ooh, bet Barbara will like that. She may even offer to take you to dinner if it isn't too late," Gina laughed. "Or even better if it is late. Did she flap her eyelashes at you?"
"You have a very bizarre sense of humor, young lady. Barbara was very businesslike and professional," Walter said grabbing a cup of coffee from the kitchen and heading up to the den. Powering up the desktop, he thought a moment then brought up two programs, found the one most compatible, and made the necessary alterations. Three and a half hours later, he pulled an external hard drive out of a desk drawer, hooked it up and started the download. He got up, stretched, grabbed the empty coffee cup and went down to the office. Refilling his cup in the kitchen he pushed through the swinging doors to sit in the easy chair in front of Gina's desk.
"Downloading the program, so call Barbara and find out if it can be installed this evening after shift shutdown- I assume there is but one shift so a restart, scan and done," Walter said sitting back to drink his coffee.
Gina called Barbara to explain the rest of the procedure and that Walter has finished her program and could be installed today. Explaining the system would need to be shut down and restarted, so a time when it would not interfere with her operating hours.
"Give me a minute to check with Walter." Gina said into the phone and pressed hold. "Walter, she said she closes up at five and everything could be done then if you want." Walter nodded that five he could be there ready to get the job done.
Pressing the hold button, Gina confirmed, "Yes, he can be there to finish the job at five. He will also need to explain the monitoring of the system going forward. Yes, yes, he should be there- barring any accidents, you know the crazy LA drivers when the roads are wet." Gina laughed, "Yes, he will be careful. Good-bye."
Gina hung up and looked to Walter. "She will be ready to have you install and whatever else you need to do. Only open regular business hours so can do all you need to do and your first customer will be a happy camper to have it done so quickly. Who knows, she may recommend others once she sees how worry-free she is in future."
"See, the good programming is what makes for happy customers- no arm twisting required." Walter said with a smile. "I will leave a little early- in case of accidents. LA drivers get stupid when it rains."
Getting up he went to the den to check mail and the downloading program. Opening the laptop there was the usual messages from the completed data centers monitoring reports, and a message from Richard.
Walter- the tours are taking place around the different departments- tomorrow will be the think tank, fabrication and testing at the main facility- care to join in? Front gate at eleven. Richard
Walter hit reply.
Richard- see you at the gate at eleven. Walter
Closing the laptop to put in its case, the download complete he pulled the cables and put the drive in a static free bag, boxed it up and put in the laptop case. Checking the time, decided to head out to get to Safe First Financial data center in time- better early than late as traffic will be a mess somewhere along the way. Going downstairs he went into the office.
"Gina, taking off for Barbara's- so message her I am on the way. Be careful driving, and see you tomorrow morning. Got a message from Richard to join in the tour tomorrow at eleven, so won't be here after ten," Walter said as he went out to hop in the Malibu.
Arriving at Safe First Financial, Barbara met him at the door. "This is certainly a fast turnaround. Things are not shut down for another twenty minutes- care for some coffee?"
"Coffee would be great- chilly and wet out there. Managed to skirt three accidents on the way over. I can start the download, then shut down and restart to scan a few things and good to go," Walter said following Barbara to the server facility. He pulled the boxed hard drive and laptop out to plug in the cables and start the download.
Barbara returned with a cup of coffee and put it on the table for Walter who thanked her. She sat to watch the procedure. While the download was working, Walter explained about the necessary monitoring of the system and gave her another business card with his e-mail for at least monthly reports on any attempts- more often would be better. The download was completed so the system shutdown to restart with his security system working. Once back up and running, Walter scanned the system again to find everything working well. He disconnected his hard drive and laptop to put in the case.
"I keep this specific to Safe First Financial programmed hard drive in a safe in my office for possible future need. Should your system have a catastrophic failure, small chance, but better safe than sorry. Again, should there ever be a problem, do not hesitate to contact me- I will ensure the integrity of my programming as long as you have it installed." Walter rose and Barbara led him to the door. He shook her hand and left for the garage.
When Walter got back to the garage, he went to the den pulled the laptop out to check mail to see a message from Marta.
Walter- still want to have dinner? Will understand if not with the weather- accidents all over. If so, there is a nice cozy restaurant at the hotel, will have a table by the fireplace at seven-thirty. Marta.
Walter hit reply.
Marta- Leaving now, will see you shortly. Walter
Going back out to the Malibu, he left for the hotel only having to skirt two accidents. The rain had let up to just a misty drizzle when he parked and trotted to the hotel door, hair somewhat sparkly from the mist. Going to the hotel restaurant, he entered, spotted the fireplace and saw Marta sitting alone at a small table for two.
"Good evening, Marta. The fireplace is nice with the chill this evening." Walter said sitting down. "Did you enjoy your tour of Elias facilities today?"
"When his facilities are touted as state of the art they are not joking. You did say he may grumble over costs but does get what he pays for is very true."
"Richard has big aspirations for his space program. He has single mindedly geared all his commercial concerns toward funding the space program. He very well may get to the moon again long before NASA or you guys in Europe. I do not understand the lack of drive of NASA and ESA to getting to the moon and on to Mars."
The waiter came to take drink orders.
"The general populations these days do not see the incredible outlay of funds the space programs use when there is so much need here on Earth. That is the biggest roadblock these days." Marta said. "The great exploration drive of long ago has waned- the space frontier does not have the same interest."
Walter sat back as coffee was served and dinner orders taken.
"Fortunately, there will always be those in the population who want to explore, will push the limits of the frontier like Richard and Musk- and all who work for them." Walter said. "While the NASA and ESA organizations may not want to expend the funds, there are many within those organization who DO want to push the sciences to get man off Earth."
The waiter came to set entrees and refill drinks.
Marta looked at Walter, "I saw the latest Elias Enterprises newsletter- like the company newspaper. Three patents for space related components. Impressive. You have such an interest in the space project yet won't live off planet? One would think you would jump at the chance."
"Such exploration is a younger man's project. As it is looking like Richard may launch in two years barring any unforeseen difficulties, those who make the journey will be younger. I will help get them there as much as I am able, but, the science, math, and design are more my forte and focus at this time."
"Have you worked on your moon habitat project? Any lines of design started?
"No, been busy- all this going to the gala and new year party has me behind my internally set timeline, plus my first customer of the year took my entire day today. However, within another day or two things will be back to usual and I will be spending more time at the computer. I had planned on spending time on it tomorrow but Richard invited me to attend the tour of the think tank, fabrication and test facilities. So I shall see you there?"
"Yes, while I believe the think tank is geared more to the theoretical and mathematics so more in line with Ilya's focus, we will all be herded through. Like I said, I do a lot of math in the design, but not at that level. You may enjoy time with Ilya- you both speak the same language," Marta said. "I will look forward to seeing you tomorrow- maybe you can give me some insight on that higher math. Ilya can be so pompous and superior when it comes to the mathematics he does not make the subject interesting."
Walter chuckled, "I just explained to some people a few days ago about what an unmannered bunch those with math proficiency can be. Over the years I have learned the hard way to tone the obnoxious down a bit….. took quite a few black eyes, but it eventually sunk in."
"It must have as I have seen no obnoxious behavior in you at all. For a mathematician of Ilya's caliber I look forward to your explaining things tomorrow."
The waiter came to refill drinks and ask if they wanted the dessert cart to come. Both shook their heads and declined and Walter requested the tab, standing to pull his wallet and give the waiter his credit card. Sitting back down, he leaned back to relax asking how much longer they were going to be in LA and what their next stop was to be.
"Three more days scheduled with the Elias facilities here in LA then a couple days at the Elias rocket test site in Arizona, then back to Europe," Marta said. "Do you ever visit Europe at all, miss it, all the different languages spoken, the different nations so close together to visit?"
Walter smiled, "Were I interested in different languages all I need to do is go to any number of different ethnic communities around LA. Each state in America is different like your different nations, but you know the language throughout, even if some sound funny. The soft drawl of the Southern states, the clipped New Englander, the strange twangs of the New York boroughs. So much of Europe can be found here in America. The Sierras, not as tall as the Alps but just a rugged, the mid-west plains like the eastern steppes, the forests of Germany- see the redwoods and the forests of the Adirondacks, Poconos, and Blue Ridge, add in the deserts, you were in Florida and now SoCal so the sunny recreational areas and shorelines, the gentle rolling green fields of Ireland are similar to eastern states of Pennsylvania, Ohio and others. No, I do not miss Europe. Would you ever leave Europe and come to America to stay? I dare say Richard would love to have you join his enterprise."
Marta looked at him, "no, I have a hard time with Americans. Brash, violent, hard, and loud." She laughed. "You are the most pleasant American I have been around, though Richard and some of his people have been quite pleasant, too… but then they have to be- showing their best side to touring foreigners."
"I think your view of Americans is due to too many American movies- the average American is really quite nice, open, and helpful. I spend a lot of time in the 'back country' like I took you to for lunch. Just a few visits and they remember me, call me by name, are conversational. I have come to be very fond of Americans as a people. Maybe if you spent time here you would come to understand them more."
The waiter returned with his card.
"I will see you tomorrow, Walter, I look forward to it," Marta said rising.
Walter walked her to the lobby said good night and she entered an elevator and he returned to the Malibu for the drive to the garage.