I spent two weeks in the hospital... apparently the force of that damned chip being pulled through my body and then torn from my neck had done quite a bit of internal damage. I was alive, though -- that had to count for something.
The experience of being cooped up in that sterile place wasn't as miserable as you might think; Sammy was at my side day and night. It was a violation of their communist visiting hours policy, but where else would he go? Spending twenty-four hours a day together gave us a lot of time to get to know each other... to rebuild a relationship that had crumbled long ago as result of my own neglect.
Misses Jan was there too... as a patient, at first -- she was in a coma for a couple of days, but came out none the worse for wear. She had no memory of what had happened to her -- her last recollection was of a chemotherapy session, taken early at my behest. To the bewilderment of the doctors, she showed no signs of cancer any longer. They said it was a miracle... they didn't know the half of it.
All of that was no less than six months ago... things had changed quite a bit since then.
Not more than a few days after I was released, I got right back to work. The first order of business was to fix the damage that Hughes had done by pushing Big Red's engine beyond its limits. When I had the motor taken apart, I found several other small problems with it that I hadn't realized existed before. Caring for the truck as much as I did, I felt I had to fix them.
Janet did her best to convince me to leave them be... she said that someone would buy the tractor without brand new glow-plugs, belts and alternator cables. She was right, of course -- she usually was. Whenever she was away, though, I pulled my beloved girl into the garage and went to work on her. I had to work quickly, being sure to get her back onto the lawn with the For Sale sign on her before my trusted bookkeeper returned.
It was like I was having an affair, really... ordering parts on credit cards I hadn't told her about, having them shipped to my home address so she would never know they existed, and manufacturing errands for her to run so that I could have some time alone with my baby. She was on to me, though, and this particular afternoon would be the day that my sneaky-ways were finally uncovered.
"Randy!" She barked as the chime on the front door announced her arrival. "God damn it, Randy, have you been tinkering with that truck again?"
"No, Misses Jan!" I lied. "Why on Earth would you think that?"
"Because it rained today, you fool!" The angered woman continued, stepping up face to face with me. "You tore up half the damn lawn moving it around!"
I smiled... I didn't mean to -- she was obviously pissed, but something about the whole thing just struck me as funny.
"Don't you laugh, Randy!" She ordered, wagging her finger around in my direction. "You've got ten trucks in the lot that you ought to be working on instead, there's no reason to go fiddling with that hunk of crap out front!"
"I'm sorry, Misses Jan!" I said, trying to sound sincere. "Big Red just holds a special place in my heart, that's all. She took good care of me for a long time -- I feel like I owe her the same in return!"
"You've got Stockholm Syndrome, Randy -- that truck held you hostage! All you ever wanted was to get out of that death trap and start your own garage; now you've got it, but you can't pull your head out of your behind and get focused on making it work for you!"
"The shop's doing fine! What could having a little fun in my down time hurt?"
"You should have fun!" She replied. "But not the kind you have under that big red hood! You should be spending time with Sammy!"
"Oh, he's having fun too!" I suggested. "Just look at him over there!"
Right on cue, my boy hopped up from under the hood of a Peterbilt we were changing the oil on. His little face was covered in grease and grime; I'm not sure how he managed that, but it was awfully cute anyhow.
"Hi Auntie Jan!" He said with a smile, his teeth blindingly white in comparison to the rest of his blackened body.
"Oh God," she moaned. "There are two of them!"
The door chime interrupted our little squabble, sending Janet to the front counter to greet a potential customer.
"Well hello there!" I heard her voice beaming with glee. "What brings you out this way?"
"Oh, I was in the neighborhood." My new friend Ambassador Butler replied.
I was excited to hear his voice again; hadn't seen him since I'd gotten out of the hospital. Sammy was excited too as we both raced up to meet him.
"Mister Gold! Mister Gold!" My boy said glowingly as he attacked the man with a hug.
"Wow, champ! You're getting big!" He returned with a smile.
"Ambassador!" I addressed him, shaking his extended hand.
"Call my Conrad, please!"
"Are you getting ready to leave?"
"Sure am!" He answered. "Everything is pretty well wrapped up here! We swore in Elaine Dickinson as the new head of DETA this morning -- she'll do a fine job, I'm sure. With everything quiet out there in the universe, I'm scheduled to take a bit of a -- sabbatical, I guess you'd call it."
"So I take it there's been nothing out of our friends lately?"
"Nothing at all... they apparently abandoned all of the bodies they’d hijacked just after Zeenadi died. We still don’t know how they were doing it -- I guess we never will. Taxol has be banned, though -- just in case. Not to worry, though -- I'm sure they've got their hands full -- if any of them are still alive. I feel kind of bad for them, actually... as much of a menace as they were, no one deserves to face the threat of extinction."
"It's a taste of their own medicine, that's all." I rationalized. "They brought it on themselves."
"Yeah, I suppose you're right... Polyphemus found something about them that it felt warranted their extermination. We knew The Tal-Gashot were creatures who operated on the principles of honor and respect, but none of us ever imagined that the beast would pass its own judgment on the battlefield."
"I'd hate to think what would've happened if it hadn't."
"Me too... in other news, though, The Council asked me to pass along its gratitude to you and your family. We recognize the hardships you endured, and we hope we've taken a small step towards making it up to you through the small monetary contribution we've made."
"Heh!" Janet interjected. "He'll have the entire contribution pissed away soon, if he doesn't get control of himself!"
"Don't mind her!" I said with a grin. "I think that Count guy left some traces of himself behind!"
Butler started to chuckle, but cut it short quickly when he caught her irritated glance. Looking somewhat uncomfortable now, he loosened his collar and swallowed heavily.
"Anyway, I'd better get going... it's my daughter's birthday today, and if I miss it again I think she'll be as angry with me as The Phloxans used to be."
"Goodbye, Conrad -- and thanks again."
"All the thanks go to you, Mister Johnston -- and to your little boy here!"
"Ah-hem!" Janet cleared her throat.
"You too, of course, Misses Jan!"
We held him in the shop for a few more minutes, saying goodbye in each of our own ways. When he left, Sammy and I got back to work on our oil change. Janet walked off to the office where I heard her opening envelopes.
Shit! I'd left the invoice for the new grill I ordered for Big Red in there! Hoping she wouldn't find it, I asked Sammy to pass me a fresh filter. When he put it in my hand, I very nearly crushed it -- my strength fueled by rushing adrenaline as a sudden shrill scream sent shivers up my spine.
"God damn it, Randy!"
A Note From The Storyteller:
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading Said To Contain as much as I enjoyed writing it. It may not be the most polished piece of literature to grace the Earth, but it wasn’t composed with a Pulitzer Prize in mind… I consider myself a storyteller, not an author… I seek to entertain, not to wow you iron-clad prose.
If I’ve been successful in doing so, please reco
mmend my work to your friends and family. I do not make my living through writing, but any reward for the countless hours spent in front of a glowing computer screen will help float the fledgling boat. Besides, my efforts will have been in vain if no one ever knows that my work exists.
Please check your preferred e-book retailer for other bits of fiction from me in the days to come. Also, please take the time to post your comments at Said To Contain’s Facebook page… you honor me with your attention.
Until next time -- always remember to treat yourself to something.
Become a fan of Brandon Messerschmidt & Said To Contain @ Facebook!
Thank you for reading books on BookFrom.Net Share this book with friends