CHAPTER 3C - Cat Wrangler
1016 Words
“Bring her too; you’re an old cat. She’s a pretty good cat wrangler.”
“OK, Doll, see you at 7 p.m. tomorrow night.” They disconnected.
“Why tomorrow night?” Brigit asked.
Monica spoke, “The regular shuttle would have a cow if we tried to carry 600 pounds of cargo dirtside. Tomorrow afternoon, at about 4:15, a cargo shuttle leaves to make deliveries. Their first stop is close to your farm. The delivery cost is $50. What a deal!”
Joseph peeled off another $25 and tossed it on the counter, “Split the delivery cost with you.”
“Agreed.”
Before he could grab the cash, Monica picked it up and stuffed it into her shirt. Without saying a word, she just looked at the ceiling.
Brigit replied, “Well, I guess she told you.”
~~~~~~~~~~
They stayed a while longer and talked to Monica and Mik. Nice people. They look forward to having dinner with them tomorrow night.
They walked out and headed in opposite directions from where they had arrived. They were walking and happened upon a few of the station’s officers, and Brigit stopped next to them.
After a moment, one man turned to them, “May I help you?”
She said, “Not really sure. Do you have any idea how I can locate Magda?”
The man smiled, “Yes, ma’am. Follow me.”
He led them through a corridor and into a section that said STATION PERSONEL ONLY.
Entering a room, “Commander, these people asked for Magda.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant,” He saluted and left the room.
Joseph said, “You are the commander of this station?”
“That I am,” Magda replied. “Allow me to properly identify myself; I am General MagdaLynne Rochavarro.”
Joseph and Brigit stood there in a tad bit of shock. Joseph said, “It is a great pleasure to meet you.”
“So, what all have you accomplished in the last four and a half hours?” She asked.
They recounted breakfast at the diner, how much fun it was, and how interesting it was to eat caged food. She laughed at that, saying how she never thought of that before.
Then, talking about Mik, she smiled. “I like that old man. He is unique in this universe. I’ve never seen him stressed, never seen him impressed. But, you, young lady, impressed him.”
“How can you tell?”
“He never asked anyone for a ham biscuit. He gets them himself. Let me guess. They also gave you something for his daughter?”
“They did,” Joseph answered.
“I saw it on the shuttle. He took a liking to the two of you.”
“He’s dropping in for dinner tomorrow night at the farm to deliver the boxes of blanks.”
“Is he now. Let’s see, the only farm I ever heard of him visiting is Hill’s Farm.”
“That’s the one,” Brigit said.
“I take it the delivery is on the cargo shuttle around 1600 tomorrow.”
Joseph nodded.
“I have not been there in ten years. I used to love the horses.”
“I’ll invite you also,” Brigit said. “How do you feel about chicken pot pie?”
“Gayles pot pie?” She grinned, “Best in the universe.” She opened her terminal and tapped a few buttons. “I’m good. What time?”
Brigit laughed, “Dinner is at 7 p.m.”
“It’s a date. I may travel with Mik and Monica and not tell them until we arrive.” She got a really evil grin. “Keep that quiet, please.”
“We will.”
“Now, let’s get the two of you a special tour. Ever been on an EVA?”
Brigit asked, “A what?”
~~~~~~~~~~
The flight home was a bit longer since the spaceport they took off from was the shuttle’s last stop before the station. They left the station bound for Orlando. The landing was exciting, and Brigit is doing a lot better now.
After making the scheduled stops for more than an hour after leaving the station, they landed in Denver. Brigit was on a window seat, and she saw the settlement, she thought, from the window. She did not mention it to Joseph as he was sleeping.
It was just past 8 p.m., and they saw Jonathon waiting for them as they left the spaceport.
As they approached, “Welcome back to Earth, weary travelers.”
“Thanks. Gravity feels odd!” Brigit said. “Never did I ever expect to hear that from my mouth.”
“How did it go?”
Joseph spoke, “Well, you know about Mik, so that is taken care of. But you don’t know that we are having another guest tomorrow evening for dinner.”
Jon stopped dead, “And who would that be?”
Brigit said, “Well, it is the commander of the station, General Madga….”
Jon continued, “….MagdaLynne Rochavarro, have not thought of her in a while. She liked horses, and we were the closest stable to the spaceport.”
“Well, she’ll be here for dinner tomorrow.”
They were almost back at the farm when they noticed a truck delivering things to the barn.
“Some of your stuff is here. We can put it on the wagon and lash it solid. A head start on when everything arrives.” Jon said.
Entering the house, Jon looked at Gayle. “These two are trouble!” He smiled.
“And why is that?”
“It seems that not only are Mik and Monica joining us tomorrow, but they met and invited MagdaLynne as well.”
Gayle stopped, “Wow, I have not talked to her in a decade. What’s she up to these days?”
“Well, according to these two, she is the general in command of the station.”
Gayle froze. “Excellent!!”
- Writer
