There Must Be A Mistake Ch. 26

"No, he carried me."

"Who said gallantry is dead. What happened next?"

"We got to the room a little before midnight. He undressed me, put my nightgown on, kissed me good night, and put me to bed."

"My dad sounds like a terrible person so far. Please continue the worm has to turn somewhere."

"I won't give you the details, but I woke up. When he came out of the bathroom, I was ready to go. He said no, because you two were coming today, and I needed all the sleep I could get because of all of the drinking I did. I told him if he didn't get to bed and make love with me I would rape him where he stood. He got into bed and lay still. I asked him if I was going to have to do all the work. He said he had never been raped before, and wanted to find out what it felt like. I showed him for the next four hours, until we both collapsed."

Roslyn said, "I still don't see a smoking gun."

"I got my wake-up call, and my hangover. I couldn't function properly and had to get to the bathroom. It took every ounce of strength I had in me to get from the bed to the bathroom. I was three feet away, when Even kissed me good morning, went into the bathroom, and took a shower. I screamed to the high heavens. I started pounding on the door. A few moments later, he opened it with a toothbrush in his mouth. He asked me if I needed anything and we proceeded to start arguing. Let me correct that. I started yelling at him, because I needed to use the bathroom."

Delicious said, "Jen, this is a suite. It has two bathrooms."

"I know that now, because your father told me. I didn't know it when I needed it."

"Didn't you read the fire evacuation plan?"

"Don't you start with me; I got the same lecture from your father."

"What did my dad do that you kicked him out?"

"That's the point, he didn't do anything wrong, I did. I told him to go away, far, far, away, and I don't know where he went."

I walked out of the second bedroom dressed to kill. I was in my finest outfit, including my shoes with tassels. Delicious and Rosalyn looked at me with their mouths open wide. Jennifer had to turn around to see what was going on.

"Even, thank God you're still here."

"No I'm not, I'm leaving. I'm following your directive. I'm going away, far, far, away. I'm not sure where I'm going, therefore I got dressed just in case it was someplace special. Goodbye everyone, have a wonderful day shopping."

I opened the door, closed it, and waited.

Jennifer sat there stunned.

Delicious yelled at her, "What the hell are you waiting for, go get him."

"He didn't even talk to me. How am I supposed to convince him to stay?"

Roslyn said, "Do I have to leave a red mark on your face as Grayson left on Delicious to get you moving?"

"No."

She got up so fast she knocked the chair over and ran for the door. She pulled it open, and ran right into me.

"Fancy meeting you here, weren't you supposed to go shopping?"

She was all over me, kissing and hugging me as if there was no tomorrow.

"You bastard, don't you ever do that to me again."

"Madam if you remember you did this to yourself. I wasn't the one that told me to go far away. This was as far as I wished to go. When I am married you, I promised I would never harm you or cheat on you. Do you remember those words?"

"Do you remember last night Even?"

"I believe I have amnesia. I think someone raped me, but I'm not sure."

"I am happy about that, because when I have in store for you later will absolutely blow your mind."

"I remember someone blew something last night, but it was not my mind."

"Get plenty of rest Even; you are going to need it."

"Go shopping Jennifer and buy beautiful things. I want to remember you just the way you are when we part."

"You son of a bitch, are you trying to ruin our day?"

"Not on your life or mine. I love you too much to do that to you. Be happy, and go shopping. I'm going to lunch, because I didn't have breakfast, and you are wasting time. The stores don't close until 6 o'clock, I don't expect you back until 6:30 PM. One minute before then, and I will spank you until your bottom is so red you won't be able to sit down for a week. By the way, you owe the cookie jar hundred and $170. I was counting while I was in the bathroom. You hold the record, not even Delicious comes close."

Delicious yelled, "Way to go mom!"

"Shut the fuck up in there."

"I can't wait to tell Gordon his mother is up to $180. If you reach $200 and he wins the pot, I can't imagine what he's going to say to his mother for the next week."

"If he opens his mouth to me, I will break his jaw."

"I will call Monty, and have her tell him what you said. He will become a monk for the next two weeks. Girls go shopping now. I'm going to lunch. Goodbye everyone have a great time."

With that disaster averted, we all rode down in the same elevator. I escorted the girls to the three SUVs, and their agents that would stay with them all day. When they saw me heading for the next set of SUVs Jennifer yelled, "I thought you were going for breakfast?"

"I am. I just didn't tell you where I was going for breakfast."

"You son of a bitch, you are going to work."

"Do you think I would go to work dressed like this?"

"You would go to work dressed like the Pope."

"You have cut me to the quick Jennifer. You go your way and be home by 6:30 P.M. I will be waiting for you."

"You better be, or I will have your nuts tied in a knot so tight you will beg for mercy."

"I believe I begged for mercy last night, and I didn't get it. Goodbye Jennifer, have a lovely day."

Our agents had their orders, and they would not disobey mine, even if Jennifer threatened them with death. The only place they would take them was shopping.

As soon as we made the turn out of the Hyatt Regency driveway, and headed for the highway to police cars took the lead. With lights and sirens blaring, we headed for Temple. It's amazing how fast 100 miles goes when you're doing 120 miles an hour. We asked the officers if they wanted to come in with us and see what the 22nd century would look like. They both accepted. It was their day off, and what we were paying them made their day extremely profitable.

As we entered the building, they had to leave their firearms with security. I didn't expect anybody to be in the building, but as I turned down towards my desk, Gray was sitting at his desk, with Newton, Richard, Holden, and Teddy.

I yelled, "Hello kids, have you invented anything to destroy the planet with yet?"

Teddy waddled towards me, as the other three ran, kissed me, and said hello."

Holden said, "No dad, we are not destroying the world, Uncle Gray is running the numbers we came up with for the Engineering section of my new spacecraft."

"You finished the Engineering section already? You don't have a computer big enough to run the numbers."

"I know the three of us did the rest of the numbers in our heads. Uncle Gray is running it through the big computer now to see if we got them right. Would you like to sit in, and watch them?"

"Only if you want me to look Holden. I know how secret you want your project to be. I would be honored to see it. If you don't want me to look at it, I will understand. You are an amazing son, and I could not be more proud of you. Richard has jumped amazingly in this past four months. He is catching up to all of you, and I love him just as much as I love you. Newton is exceptional, but I think you will all be equal in a short period of time. Our family names will go down in history because of what we have accomplished in such a short period of time."

Teddy said, "Up, want up."

"I think we can arrange that Teddy. Are the boy's numbers correct?"

"Yes, last engines too far."

"The last nuclear fusion engines are too far out."

"Yes, 27.

"27 inches, or 27 feet Teddy?"

"Smaller one."

"27 inches."

She nodded her head in agreement.

Holden yelled, "They are not, I did the numbers four times, and they are right where the supposed to be."

"Leg buckle."

"The elevator leg will buckle Teddy?"

"Too much, buckle in."

Holden said, "I'll bet you my ice cream that you are wrong."

"Banilla ice cream, chocolate syrup?"

"Yes."

"I get two, you get no?"

"Yes, but if you are wrong, I get two, and you get none."

"Okay."

"Let's see what Gray has to say about it."

"Doctor Luck" one police officer asked, "What are these kids talking about?"

"I don't want to scare you but the oldest one in this group is nine. The one I'm holding is a little bit more than one. They have designed the first floor of our next spacecraft. It is 1000 feet wide, and I am about to see for the first time what else they did to it. You have to stand back because this is extremely secret material."

"Your joking Doctor, these children are building a 1000 feet wide spacecraft, and what their putting into it is extremely secret? I can't believe it."

"My oldest son Richard tested out of high school at eight years old. My nephew Newton did it at six years old. We have just filed the paperwork for Holden, and he is going to blow the test wide open. My oldest son, Gordon, who is now 15 years old, saved NASA'S Orion project when he was five years old. Doctor Joseph Oyster of Caltech spent $600 million on that project and almost scrapped it because she could not get the mlli-Newton-thrusters to work properly. As a last resort, he asked me to take a look at it. Gordon and I spent a total of eight computer hours and six man-hours working on that problem and fixed it.

Since we had the entire program, we went through it. We fixed everything that was wrong with their entire project. My daughter, Delicious, found five problems. Gordon went through it, and found seven. She chased him around the laboratory, and when she finally called him, she tried to tickle him to death.

If they sent those astronauts into space the way that program was working, the astronauts would have been dead before they passed the moon outbound, and no one would have known why.

We were at a meeting in New York, and the six astronauts and Doctor Oyster walked in. They brought a birthday cake for Gordon and personalized leather jackets for all of us. Gordon's jacket said 'Flash Gordon.' They thanked him and me for saving their lives. Never underestimate what a child can or cannot do. Kids like these are the future of the world. If you want proof of what I said, I will give you Doctor Oyster's phone number. He will gladly tell you what I said is true."

Gray called out, "Everyone get over here you have to see this."

Gray picked up Holden and showed him the numbers. "You didn't have a supercomputer to work with and you got everything correct. The three of you are absolutely amazing, congratulations."

"Holden turned to Teddy and said, "I get your ice cream."

"Gray, Teddy said there is too much stress on the outboard legs with the fusion engines. Would you run that again please?"

"Sure, give me a second while I load it up."

I asked, "Are you sure my little ticklish one?"

"Yes, two ice creams."

"You are going to turn into a bowling ball with all that ice cream."

"No, tall like daddy, mouth like mommy."

"Why couldn't you have a mouth like daddy, and be tall like your mommy?"

"No choice, God made. She funny sense of humor."

"She certainly does. Wait until I tell your father what you said. You are going to be so smart."

"Already am."

"I know, and I love it."

"Holy crap Even, Teddy is right. There would be too much stress on the outboard struts. They can't carry the load. They would buckle in. They have to be moved in..."

"Stop, don't say another word Gray. Teddy tell daddy how many inches they have to move the engine in."

"27 daddy."

"Teddy did grandma tell you that number?"

"She not speak to me today. She resting. I know answer myself."

"Even this is not even funny. When did she give you that number?"

"She told me about seven minutes ago. She and Holden made a bet over ice cream. Holden just lost. Teddy gets two ice creams; Holden gets none."

"Banilla ice cream chocolate syrup two times. Holden none."

"Tell daddy what else you told me."

"Should sit floor, no hurt himself."

"Gray, you have two choices, follow Teddy's advice, or hold on for dear life."

"How bad is it Even?"

"If I were you, I would sit on the floor."

Gray got off his chair, moved it clear of his desk, and sat on the floor.

"Go ahead Teddy tell daddy what God said."

"She funny sense of humor. I be tall like daddy, have mouth like mommy."

Gray lay down on the carpet put his hands together as if he was in prayer.

"Dear God, what did I do in my life to deserve this punishment? Wasn't marrying Delicious, and trying to make us into good people, and good parents enough? What am I going to do with this tiny little terror for the rest of my life? She is going to take over for my best friend, while we are in space. How are any of us going to survive with her as our leader? Please don't take Even away from us, I couldn't bear it."

Teddy said, "Daddy funny, make him copilot. He spank me, I spank him."

"Teddy it doesn't work that way. You have to learn how to be responsible for all the people on board the ship. You are their leader. Everyone will look to you for advice. It is a very hard job and you cannot have a temper tantrum, because you're angry with your parents. You are going to spend more time with me, in the beginning, than you are with them. What are you going to do if two people have a fight, and no one else sees it? You don't know who started it, or who is at fault. One person may be guilty, and the other is innocent. You can't put them both in jail because that would be unfair to the innocent party. How are you going to handle it? What would you do?"

"I no no yet. Must learn."

"That's right, and it takes time, it's not easy."

"Even I have the exact new number. 27.25 inches and not only that, it lines up everything perfectly for the cables. I hate myself. I think I'll go home and insult Delicious, and have her kill me."

"I'm sorry Gray, but Delicious is not at home. She is shopping with Roslyn and Jennifer."

"Would you watch the kids as I walk across the highway?"

"No I won't, because I would be an accessory to murder."

"Even what would you do if you had a 24-year-old Delicious and a one year old Teddy in your house?"

"I would do exactly what you are going to do Gray. Love them with all your heart, and protect them from them from all the evil that goes on around them. You can't help it; it's ingrained in your head, heart, and soul. Remember, God doesn't give you any more than you can handle."

"I think I will get rid of all the steak knives in the house, forks, and tools. Thank goodness we only have three more months left on Earth, I'm not sure I could take much more."

"Take my hand Gray; it's time to get back to work."

I lifted him up, and he kissed Teddy. "Little wonder you missed by a quarter of an inch."

"No, width of blade."

Gray looked at me, and shook his head. "Don't you love having two doctorates, and being wrong to a one-year-old."

The two police officers behind me laughed, and so did I.

"Einstein was wrong once."

Gray said, "Really?"

"Yes, he thought he made a mistake, but he was wrong."

"Even, sometimes you're a real bastard."

"That's why you get paid half $1 million year, and I get nothing."

The officer asked, "He gets paid half $1 million a year?"

"Yes, and he's underpaid. He is a brilliant scientist, and he's married to my daughter, who also gets paid the same amount as he does. They are both underpaid, because they are going to give their money to charity when they leave this planet. They also own half of the B&O railroad. Between Gray and his father, they own controlling interest in the railroad. I'm sure they will make some arrangement, because right now their stock is worth over $950 million."

"They have all this money, and they're leaving the earth to go explore the universe?"

"Many people that are going on this trip are worth billions of dollars, including me. I am leaving my money to my wife and my little one here. They are staying behind, because he is building the next ship. Holden's ship will be the first to travel the universe with paying customers on board, and will return to earth several years later. The amazing part is they have already finished laying out the hardest part, the engineering section. The other parts of the ship are easy. They will be the entertainment areas sleeping quarters, air conditioning units, and stasis units. The Best Luck, which takes off on Christmas Day, solved all those problems. Now Holden and his team will make a bigger, faster, and better spaceship than ours is. I wish I could be around to see it, but our flight is for discovery, to advance scientific knowledge, and transmit it back to earth. We will be so far away, it could take a generation for our messages to get back, but eventually it will get here, and be of use to the scientific community."

"I guess you guys are going to say someone's got to do it first, why not you. Isn't that correct?"

"If you look at the list of our investors, there are only 20 of them. Our spacecraft is going to come in close to budget and maybe even a little bit less. We estimated $340 Billion. When have you ever heard the government launch a rocket for that amount of money?

They are in the process of building their new Super Rocket, which they are calling, a 'Space Launch System'. It is still three years away from its first test. In three years, we will all be in stasis waiting to reach the first star system, with a possible livable planet. It will be 2024 or later before NASA takes a shot at getting to Mars. We hope and pray they get there safely, and return home the same way.

We have done our part to make that happen. Now it's up to the rocket, and that sucker is huge. The problem is it still uses hydrogen, with an oxygen exciter. We've already seen one spacecraft blow up before our eyes because something went wrong with a rubber seal. Our spacecraft is so far ahead of NASA, and they haven't asked us how we do it.

They are still working on a $1 trillion system that can blow up before everyone's eyes, and kill people who have trained for years to go to Mars or another planet. It doesn't make any sense to me at all."

In September of 2024, our flight crew will awaken from stasis. If everything has gone correctly, we will be less than one week away from our intended planet. It will give us time to check the instruments, and help the medical crew as they awaken. They will help the others as they awaken. It is a timed sequence of eight per hour."

"Doctor, you don't leave anything to chance. You have a schedule for everything."

"When you are guarding a dignitary, you have the same protocol. Your heads are on a swivel looking for any threat he may encounter. You are on heightened alert every second. It's the same thing when you are in space. Everything has to go by the numbers. If you move one valve to early, and it ruptures, the whole ship could explode.

That's why it's computer-controlled, but there is always a man watching that computer. There is always another man down below in the engineering section close enough to handle any emergency that pops up. Computers are not infallible, and neither are humans. That's why they work together, hand-in-hand to get the correct outcome."

"Doctor Luck, this place is amazing."

"Jeff you have no idea what this place has done in the last six years. I promised my investors that 300 to 400 patents would come out of our work here before we were finished, and that the money they invested in this project would be paid back before we took off. So far, we have 678 patents approved, with seven more going through the process. Not only have our investors made their money back, they are in the plus column by hundreds of millions of dollars. You have never met a happier group of investors in your life."