(Continued from March 21, 2010)
The monetary compensation that aunt Dorothy mentioned was so substantial that Alphonse was visibly astonished. He uttered: “Never before have I been offered such a hefty sum for my services. So, of course, I accept the job.”
The timing for the temporary employment could not have been better. Alphonse had recently quit a position in a company where there was too much friction between workers. He had asked my opinion about a decision that he needed to make. My advice was: “If it happens, more than once week, that you get home at night as frustrated as you are now, it is time to put in your resignation. Your health is a lot more important than the money they pay you. If you need a loan to see you through to the next job, you know on whose door to knock.”
While aunt Dorothy and Alphonse discussed details about the job and the giggling girls were unsuccessfully trying to attain my young friend’s adroitness with the bar’s remote, my thoughts reverted to the scene with robot Sam.
From a practical point of view, Sam definitely outdid Sophia, the salad bar. However, the mirth that had been created around the dinner table indicated that gadgets have many different uses and purposes. It occurred to me that catering outfits could entertain a dinner crowd with a Sophia-like contraption. I decided to mention the possibly new line of clients to my new daughter’s aunt.
Since we had all filled our bellies to capacity, we decided that some digestion was necessary before a special dessert would be fully appreciated. The food server told us, with a big smile: “That is good news for the chef; he needs a bit more time to prepare his version of chocolate mousse as well as other goodies.” So, Alphonse was urged to continue his tale about time spent with Bob.
Highly elated, because of the new job, Alphonse was ready to put his spin on the story: “When we arrived on the street, Bob pointed at an alley and said: ‘I usually walk to the pub through there.’ Since there were a number of unsavory-looking characters halfway down the alley, I advised him to accept a ride in my Mini. After a few seconds of hesitation, he acquiesced.”
“During the short ride around the block, I noticed that the knuckles of Bob’s right hand turned white due to his extremely tight grip on the support. I must admit that I took the corners a bit wildly, but a young fellow should enjoy an invigorating ride.”
“Never again will he get into your car,” Alice asserted. “The guy with whom he catches a ride to work is the only person he trusts. Bob has trained him to drive very slowly and carefully.”
(To be continued)