(Continued from April 21, 2010)
After cleaning my teeth, I checked on the number of covers on the bed. On top of the sheet, there was a heavy woolen blanket; and, on top of that, a light spread. Having determined that the room temperature was twenty-one degrees Celsius, I removed the thick blanket.
While I was carefully folding the large blanket, a feeling of extreme tiredness enveloped me. It made me happy for it banished any lingering worry and it promised immediate restful slumber. Not often am I blessed with such soothing sleep; nor, it appears, is the remainder of adult humanity. Centuries ago, Shakespeare poetically referred to its unique magic as “…sleep that knits up the ravell’d sleeve of care.”
The next morning, the sound of distant clatter woke me up. The digital clock on the nightstand informed me that it was six thirty. I felt completely reenergized; and, since, the previous evening, seven had been bandied about as a good time for breakfast, I got up immediately.
I was the second guest to walk into the boardroom. Alphonse was already sitting on a chair in front of his bedroom. He was so focused on the contents of the bodyguard’s handbook, which aunt Dorothy had given him the previous evening, that he wasn’t aware of my presence until, almost in front of him, I observed: “I take it that you are considering the bodyguard’s rules and regulations as a hurdle to be crossed before you can get to the fun stuff.”
“You are right. Although these details are quite interesting, I can’t wait to get my hands on robot Sam,” my young friend responded with a chuckle.
We could hear the girls moving about in their bedrooms. Then, minutes later, aunt Dorothy and Thea walked in and the arrival of the hostess prompted the server to start setting the table. She also placed, in front of each seat, a number of leaflets, which contained a list of fillings for the omelets that the chef would prepare.
On the top of the leaflet, in bold letters, was an advisement that was particularly pleasing for hungry folks: “You may want to try various different omelets. For each one, please check the squares in front of the desired fillings.”
The hostess and all the guests were gathered around the table and the server brought jugs, containing a variety of fruit juices. She then collected the leaflets for the first round of omelets and ten minutes later she placed the steaming dishes in front of us. Aunt Dorothy, noticing our astonishment at the quick service, observed: “The chef has developed an extremely rapid routine. So, for a small group, he can prepare them as fast as we can devour them.”
(To be continued)