Community Three SigmaChapter 29
- 3 years ago
- 26
- 0
Dana’s turn:
There’s a lot going on in my life right now. Sometimes I just want to get home and get Ed’s arms around me and forget.
Sometimes Ed’s not there. He’s being a real engineer now with a real job and real duties and a couple of times those real duties mean that poor little Dana comes home to an empty house and hugs a cat. Of course next thing I know, I get a phone call.
“Hi, Terri,” I said.
“Hi, Dana. I know Ed’s out of town for a couple of nights. Are you going to revel in your morose solitude or do you desire company?”
“If you know somebody who can describe ‘morose solitude’, I’d like to see that person.”
Giggle. “That would be me. Tell Tina, okay?”
“I’ll call ‘er right now.”
“Okay. I’m just sitting here with these block diagrams. A break would be nice.”
I smiled at the idea of my eleven year old (almost TWELVE!) compatriot at work. Incongruous? You bet! But I know that if she’s over here, my mind won’t stagnate. I spoke ‘Tina’ to Siri.
“I know,” Tina said, before I could speak.
“Well, she offered.”
“You don’t have to, you know.”
“Tina, I’m here taking to the cat. He’s a wonderful cat, but a poor conversationalist. Ed’s gonna call about eight. That’s all I have going this evening. Terri’s a welcome improvement.”
“You poor, poor thing,” Tina tittered.
“Oh, I’ve heard about the sisterhood slumber parties, Tina,” I laughed.
“So come over, have dinner with us, then take Terri home with you.”
“I’ll do that. Who’s driving me?”
“I’ll come get you. And take you home.”
“That’ll work,” I said.
“I’m handing off Kathy to Terri. I’ll be there in a bit.”
“‘A bit’ is what it took me to empty DC’s litterbox and give his waterer a cleaning. Then I was out at the sidewalk waiting for Tina.
She rolled to a stop long enough for me to hop in.
“Nasty day,” I said.
“Yeah. Alan’s got gumbo on the stove.”
“Wonderful.”
“So how’re things going?”
“School. Lovely.” I sighed. “One course after another. Cindy’s not exactly pushy, but...”
“Cindy is Cindy,” Tina said. “She just smiles and you want to believe what she says about you. She got me over several ditches. Susan, even more. Her and Nikki...”
“We all KNOW,” Tina sighed. “But look at us. We did the impossible.”
“They’re still doing it,” I laughed. “And now everybody’s watching the Munchkins.”
“They’re worth watching, Dana. Very interesting, my daughter and her friends.” She paused for a second. “Everything else?”
“Regarding?”
“Domestic life.”
“I am in love,” I said. “Ed never spent a night away from me until we moved here. Now he flies off with Cindy...”
“And three technicians and a planeload of equipment,” Tina added.
“Yeah, I know ... I get a case of the lonesomes. I miss my Ed.”
“I understand. I’m the same way about my Alan. Was at first, when I used to go stay with one of the others if Alan was out of town. If it was Alan and another husband, we’d stay together. But even in the presence of my sister, I wanted my Alan. Almost killed him when he got home.”
I giggled. I’ve done that to Ed. Happily, he gave me as much as I gave him.
Dinner was great. Wonderful thing about this bunch is that any of us is family to everybody else. After a great meal, Alan drove me and Terri back to my apartment. She hugged her dad before he left. We went inside.
“C’mere, DC,” she commanded. “I know you missed me.”
He sauntered over. She plopped down in the middle of the floor and he crawled into her lap.
“Maybe we need a cat,” she told me.
“Maybe so. This one came with my husband,” I said.
Terri. Ever surprising, ever direct. “How’d you know, Dana?”
“How’d I know what?”
“That it was Ed? The guy to be your husband.”
“Gosh, Terri...”
“You don’t have to talk to me about that kind of stuff. That’s okay. It’s just that you’re closest to my age. I talked with Tina, naturally. And Cindy and Nikki and Kim. They’re all older. So I thought I’d ask you.”
“You know that ... If it was YOUR daughter...”
She fixed me with those blue eyes. “I know. I don’t expect you to tell me anything that would lead me astray. Did YOU get led astray?”
“I don’t think so.”
“You and I, we can talk. You can tell Tina we talked. That’s expected,” Terri stated.
“Okay, that’s good. You’re not putting me in a bad position.”
“I don’t want anybody in a bad position, Dana. That’s what this is all about. I’m observing a Phenomenon. From the inside.”
“I’ve observed a lot of phenomena from the inside, Terri. Some very unpleasant things. You’re very fortunate. You have a herd of people who love you...”
“I know, Dana. I see that. Even in our home-school group, there are some bad things, and that’s supposed to be, well, if I say it isn’t ‘trailer trash’, Cindy starts giggling at me.”
“Because Cindy and I both spent some time in trailer parks. But I know what you mean when you say that.”
“But how did you know?”
“I just knew. I already knew that whoever it might be, it wasn’t gonna be one of those ‘bad boys’ or somebody who wanted to act like a bad boy. He was going to have to be intelligent. Looks? Reasonably good-looking, which is mainly a personal hygiene thing along with a propensity to wear clean, appropriate clothing.”
“Check, check, check,” Terri said.
“We’re talking about somebody in specific, aren’t we, little sister?”
“Possibly,” she said with a wry smile. “But do keep on.”
I know I’m being played, but it’s being done in such a delightful manner that I’m not going to pull up short. Sometimes it’s not about the goal, it’s about the play. “Let’s see,” I restarted, “employable, if not employed. Educated, maybe not formally, but intelligent and able to converse lucidly.”
“He’d better be,” she giggled, “if you’re gonna drop words like ‘lucidly’ into a conversation.”
I giggled back. “I know why they call you ‘pTerridactyl’. You have a prehistoric sense of humor.”
“I’m a land creature that can FLY, too.”
“Not when Johanna hung you with that nickname.”
She tossed her head back, smiling. “I was DESTINED to fly. It’s apparent.”
“Let me know when you show vestigial wings, like Cindy’s got.”
“We’ll just leave Cindy, Queen of the Skies, out of this. And we’re creeping away from my original question. Either you’re VERY good at avoiding the subject, or we’re having too much fun.”
“Put me down for the ‘fun’ thing.”
She grinned. “I know.”
“And it helps if HE is attracted to you, for the right reasons.”
“Reasons which will mirror what you were looking for in HIM.”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “I think that Ed saw that pretty quick. Except I was fourteen. Certain things didn’t apply.”
“Yeah. That’s part of ‘If I touch you, it’s a felony.’ That’s significant. You know that in Tennessee the magic number is eighteen? Dad ‘n’ Tina ... She was seventeen. They flew back to Louisiana to get married.”
“I know. Cindy and Dan 1.0. Nikki and Dan 2.0. Me ‘n’ Ed. All those felonies.”
I love watching Terri talk. Her face telegraphs the thinking that’s going on behind the scenes. “You remember that bunch that visited us a while back? Carlita and Brindy and Dave?”
“Yeah...” I do remember. Carlita’s a pixie, kind of like a Latina version of Cindy. I think Brindy’s a lot like Kim’s Aunt Jenn. Dave’s a nice-looking guy who gives the impression that he fell into heaven. Husband and wife and family ‘friend’, indeed.
“I think there’s a bigger story than meets the eye there, too, if you know what I mean. Something sticks in my head that says Carlita was NOT eighteen.”
“Be that as it may,” I conceded, “where does that put the world’s only living pTerridactyl?”
Again, Terri does ‘direct’. “Jerry. Jerry Stengall.”
“I know Jerry,” I said. I smiled at her. “Excellent choice. Does HE know?”
“Did Ed know?”
“And he was afraid to admit it.”
“Bingo! At least at first.”
“Now?”
“I get the feeling that he understands something is there between us. I mean, he’s VERY conscious of us being anywhere alone together. Ever since I kissed him.”
“You KISSED him?”
“Well, somebody needed to kiss SOMEBODY and he’s sooo charmingly careful. We were assembling a power module. Took three hands to get one component to stay in place on the board. He helped. When I finished the connection, he was in range, naturally, so I put the iron down, turned around, put my arms around his neck, and I kissed him.”
Okay, Dana. Let’s get lurid details. “Uh, did he kiss you back?”
Giggle. “Yeah. Might’ve been reflexes, but he did, for about two seconds, then his higher brain functions took over.”
“And then what happened?” I urged.
“He and I had a very serious conversation. A lot of it was all about appropriate contact between men his age and girls my age and how he had strong feelings of fondness for me but we just couldn’t...”
“All this talk between you and me...”
“You have reinforced my hypothesis. Your data points lie right along the previously established curve.” She sighed. “He’s leaving after graduation. He has a job in Houston stinkin’ TEXAS! I may pine away.”
“Pining away is soooo archaic, darlin’,” I said. “And Houston’s not THAT bad.”
“Six hundred miles, Dana...”
“This is the twenty-first century, darlin’,” I returned. “It’s not like he’s standing on the deck of the Santa Maria sailing off to find the Spice Islands. You can email and call and Skype...”
“I know. But Dana – he’s gonna be hundreds of miles away, in a big city, on a new job, surrounded by all sorts of females that don’t carry the danger of incarceration if he has a relationship...”
“Ahhh ... I can’t counter that, baby.” I sighed. Terri’s facing something I never had to face. I had Ed wrapped up from Day One. “You know the saying. ‘If you love something, let it go... ‘“
“And if it doesn’t come back, hunt it down and kill it. And everybody else within half a click.”
“You are irretrievably evil,” I giggled. “Besides, let’s assume, for the sake of discussion, that he DOES feel the same way you do...”
“He does,” she defended.
“ ... Okay, he feels that way. Don’t you think that he’s going to be in Houston wondering that if Jerry Stengall could make the pTerridactyl fall in love (there! I acknowledged that she COULD be in love) then just maybe some other guy, maybe one more age-appropriate, might show up and replace HIM...”
“‘Fraid not. You know that outreach thing we’ve done with the high schools. You know my contemporaries in the homeschool group. Nothing there that’s within ten dB of Jerry Stengall.”
“You’re the first girl I knew who rated prospects by decibels.”
“Am I crazy, Dana?”
“Yes, you’re absolutely insane, Terri. Sadly, poets and writers and all and sundry thinkers over the subject for millennia have catalogued that insanity. I suffer, myself.”
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Johanna’s turn: I have become the musical mommy. I’m not complaining, mind you. Dad and Mom smile at me and tell me that their prayers are answered, that I’m married, my husband loves me, we’re successful, and ... my life is as filled with wonder as I told them. Little Randall is a good baby. That’s good. I’ve heard horror stories about crying all night and teething issues and ear problems and serious diseases. Randall is none of these. The community crèche is devoid of that. There’s a...
The first couple of weeks I was supposed to do menial jobs like sweeping and mopping, or organizing equipment. I was mopping up the girls locker room when my sisters burst through the door crying. I wasn’t sure if I should leave or try to comfort them. Brotherly compassion won out, and I asked what had happened. Alex sucked up a sob, and brokenly explained. “Our team is going to be cancelled, because we don’t have a coach. Daphne’s dad was supposed to do it, but he bailed on us.” Eva kept...
“Are you angry with me?” Michelle asked, an alcohol induced slur clearly evident in her voice. “No!” I retorted. My hand was firmly on her elbow as I guided her back to our suite. “Yeth, you are.” Her drunken laughter echoed off the walls of the short hall that lead to the inner door. “Your jealous and pissed off that I fucked Marcus! And what was with all that ‘Old Boy’ nonsense?” “I just thought it added a kind of James Bond slant. An unusual situation called for an unusual approach. You no...
MILFIt was now Jeff's...or as he would be known to his students as, Mr. Winger's second day of teaching. Even though Greendale was a rundown, fairly crappy joke of a community college, Jeff had to admit it had done a lot for him. Not only was he able to complete his bachelor's degree and able to actually become a lawyer, he had also gained a core group of friends that made him a much better person. Greendale wasn't done with the tall, good-looking man just yet though. After a failed attempt at...
I have been doing some community service due to a DUI.It is my first, and I didn't have to do any jail time, but I did however get sentenced to 300 hours of community service.That is a lot of spare time.One thing that this has given me is a lot of contact with young studs that are doing the same thing.I have been able to look over quite a few of them and while cleaning up the road sides, I have had to use mother natures rest room along with a few of them. I can visually check them out and I can...
I had got a DWI and had to do eighty hours of community service. The first 48 hours I worked picking up trash off the side of the road and other stuff like that. The last 32 hours I ended up working with this group cleaning up trails that go thru the woods. My first day I showed up and there was another guy who had to do community service and a old man, I would guess in his 70's. Three women that must have been around that age were also there. They were peppy and ready to work. The women went...
Tina's view: Sometimes I curl up on the sofa in those rare moments when I need some 'me' time and I think about things. Mommyhood. Little girls always think of being mommies. I did until I realized that my own 'mommy' saw me as a problem to be solved. Fortunately the solution was her own mother, Grandma, who did me right. When Grandma died and I ended up with Mom again, I pretty much decided that motherhood wasn't for me, not if I had a chance of ending up like Mom and me. Rethinking...
Alan's Turn: One might imagine that in the aftermath of the restaurant robbery, things might be in a turmoil. To a certain extent, one would be right. I'm fortunate. I have immediate family, my Tina and my Terri. I have my full family, and Tina made sure that she talked with my sister about the incident. And I have the Community. "You gonna be okay, buddy?" Dan 1.0 asked. "Yeah. Am I supposed to be all weepy or something?" He shook his head. "Not like you had any choices." "You...
Dan Granger's turn: I have to laugh. I tried very hard NOT to burn bridges when I left my old job. It paid off. Steve called. "Hey, Steve, what's up?" "You ready to come back?" "Not funny, Steve." "Seriously. One of our clients specifically asked if we'd subcontract you so you can come in and do some stuff for him." "What and when?" Steve gave me the run-down. I wasn't too surprised. Big facility. I'd done a similar scope for part of it prior to moving to Alabama. Now...
The World According to Susan: I am officially ready for a break. It's almost Christmas. I almost hide when I see my math professor. That's okay, though. He almost hides when he sees Cindy. Jason's right there with me, though. He's tested out of some classes and he's gotten transferred credits for a lot of things he took for his technology degree and if he does a summer semester next summer, he just MIGHT squeeze his way onto stage with the rest of us. I hoping. He deserves it. We work...
Cindy's Turn: I finished, well, actually WE finished a Skype session with Kara. This time it was me and Nikki and Kara. I turned to Nikki. "She's a sister, you know. Should be part of the Community," Nikki said. I'm glad Nikki said it first. I don't want everybody to think I'm running this show. I'm certainly not malicious or anything, but everybody contributes in this effort. "How do we make it happen?" I asked. "She's music, not engineering." "We had Mizz Patel handling...
Bill Carmody's turn: Interesting turn of events, I think. Two years ago I had Dan Richards on my power plant project. I knew him and Alan Addison from a previous power plant project where we were engineers, all three of us, on the same project. They're technically beyond reproach. Now I'm on THEIR payroll. 'Their' is, of course, 3Sigma Engineering. We're redoing several rural substations in Georgia. I ride herd on contractors, mainly, and make sure that they adhere to plans, and I...
Bill Hardesty’s turn: I’ve just become Bill 3.0. Cindy officially conferred the status upon me. “Bill 1.0’s my adopted dad. Bill 2.0’s Haley’s husband in Louisiana. Since you’re part of this now, you shall be Bill 3.0.” Which is fine, except to Herself, the Vickster, I’m ‘Billy’. “Cindy said you were ‘Billy’ when she first met you.” “I was. I like to think that I’m mature enough to be ‘Bill’ now.” Sparkly eyes. “Not ‘William’?” “Bill.” Snicker. “Billy.” That snicker is one reason I’m...
Beck’s turn: First thing I did when we got home is call Mom. “Hello, my lost daughter,” Mom said, using her best ‘poor me’ voice. “Did somebody go into the hospital? It is not yet Saturday.” “Mom, your GRAD-daughter...” ““GRAND daughter,” Mom corrected. “My grand-daughter the millionaire...” “Your grand-daughter the research scientist...” “What has become of her now?” “She’s holding a letter in her hands that says she’s graduated college with a degree in engineering.” “My...
Teresa’s turn: Mom’s totally destroyed. I’m standing on a pedestal, a seamstress, a REAL seamstress, is taking measurements for my wedding dress. “Mom, stop crying, for heaven’s sake...” “Every time I think about you getting married,” Mom sobbed. “It’s the expected progression in life. Grow up, leave home, get married...” “Finish college is in there somewhere,” Vicki said. She’s my co-conspirator. We’re getting married the same day. She’s tagged my little brother, a big surprise, since...
Susan's turn: I'm waiting for the aliens to show up. Here's how I figure it will break down. Nikki and Cindy will work with Terri and Rachel on the Star Wars squirrel denial system. They'll actually GET that 95 gigahertz transmitter, and in the process of modulating its output so that it only severely annoys squirrels instead of cooking them on the spot out there in the yard, they'll transmit a signal into space where it will be picked up by an alien spacecraft. The aliens will come...
Bill Carmody’s turn: Yesterday’s wedding was a delight, especially watching my NEW daughter (!) and Cindy, my original daughter, looking and acting very much like twins. Can’t help but grin, just thinking about it. Both of ‘em have a little fire in their eyes, and when they’re together, you can nearly SEE the sparks flying between them. Couldn’t have asked for a more unlikely development, right up to matching green dresses they bought together for the wedding. And my phone buzzes --...
Tina's turn: "What's so funny?" my husband asked. "Stoney and Jo are coming back and they're still flyin' that Pitts." "Did they buy it?" "She says 'no', but two trips, you gotta wonder." I giggled. I know the real reason. A combination of scheduling conflicts and weather had kept us from holding the weekend airport social and landing contest. The social, however, now had a few outside participants. I mean, it was bound to happen. We don't exist in a vacuum. On any given...
Cindy’s turn: 0700 for a wake-up. The alarm caught me when it went off. Sometimes I’m drifting between sleep and awake, but not this morning. I finally got to sleep, found out that Dana’s a kicker, so I kicked back. When the alarm went off, I let it roll for a bit, listening to the whines and other sounds of the gang waking up. I killed it, turned to get out of bed, but was a bit slow. I saw a T-shirted Rachel flash by muttering “bathroom...” Well, at least with two rooms we can split the...
Tina's turn: I keep telling myself that Bot-bot is not a real pet. I only wish I knew what was going on in my little girl's mind. Parse that statement, won't you? I have a stepdaughter who's ten years younger than me, who is probably past me in some ways, academically speaking. I know she does things with technology that all of us in the community wonder about. What went on in her head that caused her to take a mobile squirrel repeller platform and convert it into a pet? Yeah, I know,...