Summertime, and the Living.....

I didn't get a chance to make an entry yesterday. We're in the middle of another heat wave (the third or fourth so far this month), and when I got home it was so hot, and Doyle called. I decided to wait and see what he had to say. This, then, might be considered a double-feature.

ONE: I was out yesterday morning, as usual. It was cooler then it has been, so I wanted to take advantage of it. After all, the humidity was due to come back strong. I'd had a good breakfast at the IHOP on Parsonage Road across from the Menlo Park Mall and decided to walk around in the mall for a while. I got bored pretty quickly.

I then drove to Metuchen to check out the library. Nothing new there, and still a little early. I took the long way around to the Inman Avenue branch of the Woodbridge Library, and intended to go from there to Rahway. The library was open, and their air conditioner was fixed so I spent a few minutes there. On my way back to the parking lot and my car, I noticed that there was a man, across the street, sitting on his front steps, painting the iron  hand railings. There was no one around.

I took out the Flasher, got into my car, rolled down the windows, and sat there a while. It was quiet. No people, no cars. Just me and the painter. I would be making a right turn to leave the parking lot, then a right onto Inman Avenue in order to get to Rahway. The painter would be on my left, the driver's side. I pulled out of the lot, made the turn, scanned the area, then ... point, press, Flash. I was at the corner making the right.

I was almost to Rahway when my cell went off. Confirmed.

TWO: Like I said, Doyle called yesterday. He picked me up in front of my place, and we drove around in his air conditioned car - definitely government issue. He looked rested - better then I'd seen him last.

"Getting some use out of the Flasher, I see."
"Trying to stay in practice. Anything new?"
"Yes and no. The 'no' first. 'No' they haven't come to an agreement on which politician to set you on, which brings us to the 'yes'. They have decided to scrap the whole of Phase 2. In fact, they've decided to postpone everything until September."
"What does that mean for me?"
"Well, Business as usual. You keep on doing exactly what you've been doing. Random Events. Until they sit down in September and come up with a whole new agenda."
"What makes you think that? That there'll be a new agenda?"
"Some things have been said by some of the People Upstairs. Not promises exactly, but I think you'll be pleased. They were happy with the Forrest Event, after all."
"You keep telling me that - you and Givings - but I don't understand what that leads up to."
"Sorry, but I can't say anything else right now. I don't have enough details. But I think it'll work out for you. By the way, we told you that the new Flasher you have is good for 3 tries before recharging. That's 3 tries within a 24 hour time period. If you keep stretching you Events out like you have, it'll just keep recharging between uses and you could probably do 1 a day indefinitely."
"Oh, I see. I meant to ask about that." I paused, but couldn't think of anything else to question. "So I just keep on doing random Events until you tell me otherwise?"
"That's about it." We were back in front of my place. "Is there any place I can drop you? Or is this good enough?"
"This'll be fine."

I got out of the car, and he drove away. It was going to be the hottest day of the year, so far. I was going to stay in.