Sid worked around the outside of his house getting it prepared for
winter. The hoses had to be disconnected, patio furniture carried into
the garage, and the last of the fall leaves raked. None of the jobs
required his full attention. As a result, he had plenty of time to think
about his life.
In hindsight, he was sorry that he had told Cynthia about the portal.
She hadn't gone through it yet and he didn't know if she really did
want to go through it. He could tell that the idea of camping and
wilderness cooking didn't thrill her. He didn't know if she was all that
excited about the fact that she would have to take care of his sexual
needs as well, although he could imagine that she was dreading the idea.
His biggest fear was that with her inexperience she would end up
getting killed. For her to go to Chaos in the company of an individual
who was knowingly riding into trouble was not a good thing; particularly
when she didn't know even the basics of self-defense. He could imagine
nothing worse than watching a lover die.
His second biggest fear was that she would complicate his
relationship with Sally. Although she had learned the grace and manners
of Sally, he wasn't convinced that having a relationship with Cynthia
was a smart move. He feared that she would be jealous of Sally and
forbid him from going to Crossroads to see her. Although Sally talked
about him finding an Earth woman, he wasn't sure that she would really
like that.
Working in a slow, but steady, pace, Sid finished the yard work early
in the afternoon. It had only taken him about three hours to take care
of all the tasks. His uncle had often said that a job rushed took twice
as long. Satisfied with his work, he put the rake in the garage and
closed the door. Everything was ready for whatever weather the winter
might throw in his direction.
Standing in the front lawn, he looked over the property with
appreciation for the gift his uncle had given him. He thought back to
the times when his uncle and he would work in the yard. The men would
work side by side while talking about honor, duty, and compassion. His
uncle swore that his personal motto was, "Death before dishonor, duty
before pleasure, and compassion above all else." Sid had enjoyed those
discussions and taken the lessons to heart.
Entering the house, he grabbed a drink out of the refrigerator.
Taking a sip as he headed towards the study, his progress was halted
when the telephone rang. The closest phone was in the kitchen, so he
went back in it. Picking up the handset, he answered somewhat
suspiciously. He seldom received calls and those were usually from
telephone salesman.
No comments:
Post a Comment