Sunday Sept 20, 1992
Sometimes nothing hits the spot like a project, or at least a semblance of one, and as an homage of sorts to the Morse Code test he'd just aced, he'd spent most of the last evening then since breakfast fumbling about with a C program to, well, do something with Morse Code.
He thought it would be cool to type a letter and have it beep the code, but it proved beyond reach to set the length of the beeps. But the real itch was to have a library that set the dots and dashes for each letter, each number, each character. Seems this could eventually lead to some kind of wiring with the radio, but for now, he had the VAX to himself so time to play.
Eventually it got to the point of typing in a character, say, B and the printout comes back as,
****************************** ********** ********** **********
which will do nicely for a start.
All through this time, something mentioned in the computer lab while they got him set up, he'd been seen with the English instructor, didn't she date one of the Math professors a couple years ago? Nick didn't think so, his gal had been away from the campus, otherwise she would have had to avoid him or lightning would have struck much sooner than it had.
Still.
It wouldn't go away.
Falling asleep was difficult last night. He didn't want to call her until later today to rest up and heal up before one of the biggest weeks of her career. Not that it would matter if she'd been seeing someone, but it didn't fit what she'd related, and what had always made sense, all these months, the moments, the times, the laughs. Even the love, he was starting to come to terms with.
He'd found himself increasingly tempted to call her that moment to clear things up, but didn't, turned on the TV, nothing on, turned on the rig, then thought duh, jazz. Maybe she had already fallen asleep to jazz.
For Nick he jazz did its trick and he drifted off in a state of suspended disbelief.
Morning came to the smell of breaky cooking so he wandered downstairs, pecked his mom on the cheek, she asks him what's wrong, he shrugged it off as trying to get a program to work.
"Are you sure honey? Have you talked to our Noreen?"
"Not yet, trying to let her rest."
"She'll be fine, you know that."
He did. Still.
So the rest of the morning he had gotten the C code to do his bidding but it seemed a hollow victory.
So he hops on the bike for the standard tour, then some side streets, but he can't shake it.
Gets home and picks up the cordless, fully charged, then heads out to the front steps and dials her.
After three and a half rings, a sleepy voice, "hello?"
"Hey, how's the patient?"
"Glad to awaken to your voice."
"Sorry, didn't mean -"
"It's okay, *ah-HHEMM*, sorry, actually this thing is running its course, fever down, mostly slept since you called yesterday. Sandy brought some soup, bless her heart."
"Well that's good, will you be ready for the world?"
"I have to be. But will the world be ready for ME?"
"I don't see how it ever will babe."
"We'll make up for the lost weekend, after the term settles into a groove."
"Yeah."
Pause. "Don't sound so enthused there."
"Sorry, just...um...."
"What's going on?"
Pauses. "I have to ask you something."
"Anything."
"Well, when i stopped by the campus yesterday I had to ask the computer lab geeks for a password, and one of them thought you had dated Professor Darling."
All Nick hears is a mix of coughing and laughter.
"You OK?"
"Are you SERIOUS?"
"Yeah one of them thought it was you."
"Oh please, Mr. Marvelous? Have you ever met that guy?"
"No, but...is he the real tall one, kinda like that dude from Carol Burnett?"
"Yeap, he's our own Lyle Wagoner, gets around too, sheesh, I swear that guy tries for everything he can get his hands on..."
"OHHHH...I didn't know, never heard that particular gossip."
"Sweetie it sounds like someone is either pulling your leg or full of shit."
"If not both." Nick feels like an asshole.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know...."
"Babe don't worry about it, it's hilarious, I mean, he is pretty good looking, if you're into that type, but no way, I like my lab geek." He could hear the smile in her voice.
"Will you be around tomorrow?"
"Don't know yet, I may have to miss a meeting or two but someone will get me notes.
After a few minutes they wrap up and she vows to sleep, he to ride some more and do whatever sounds good.
Nick takes another bike ride and ponders what to do about Alan, that weird little bearded fellow who brought up the whole Darling thing.
As the cooler breeze sets in he watches some Funniest Home Videos while poking around the VAX filesystem, just because he can.