10 Pound Bag Ch. 126-130

I took a deep breath and put it plainly out there. "We, the gentiles and heathens, will fight to the death for you, if you are truly with us. If you plan to just be there as a separate society inside of ours, I will not allow it. We will return you back whence you came. So the choice you have is better than the black man's because you will not return to slavery like they would." God, I needed to get laid. This shit was stressing me out. Drunk would have to do.

"Now, you must decide before suppertime tomorrow. I ask each of you to individually ask God in your private prayers for direction. I will forever protect your practice of that religion as is written in the rules but the complete separate society cannot exist if Rulo is to survive. I wish to hear from each of you separately after supper tomorrow. Until each man and woman has had their say privately, no more is to be spoken of this. I will see you all tomorrow."

Huge roll of the dice - shooting for seven on cold dice, even. Sometimes boldness is the answer, other times it merely guarantees grand failure. I ordered a bourbon and talked about our plans and my hope to start a bank. I studiously avoided mentioning their specific contributions. After that, it was all conversation about vision and needs that I hadn't thought of. Their women were conspicuously silent.

We had our food and conversation, then most of them took their leave. Only the Schumachers stayed behind. Surprisingly, he thought that I had said the right things, and his wife was right there with him. I had an inside ally, which might help. And we had offered the Rabbi a home.

I wished them all a good night, then kissed Aunty on the cheek and told her that we had arranged a carriage to carry her home. Amos was right there to announce that it had been waiting outside and had the fanciest carriage the town had to offer. The carriage would take both ladies home and I sent Brin with them for extra security. I was staying here and, in my mood, nobody would bother me.

With that I said my polite good-byes and made my way out to find a spot to talk with John and drink until the 'Gretzkys' showed up in a few hours. Maybe I could push that off until breakfast? Nah, I had to keep my discipline and talk business with John for the next few hours. If I had some time, I could go out and walk the stores.

Talking with John turned out to be a good decision. A cup of espresso with a cigarette realigned my perspective. I described the overall conversation with him and, after a moment, he offered his opinion. Of course, it was with his own particular slant, but basically he agreed with me. The biggest problem the Jewish and groups like them had, was that they cut themselves off from the rest of us.

I couldn't help but agree with him on that. I'd seen enough of sub-cultures in the modern world to realize that their 'cultural independence' simply made them willful outsiders. Something a true outsider would give up their first born to avoid.

A slow glass of beer gave me time to ponder and I got to thinking that idealists were outsiders also. So ideas might be 'outside' also. Then patents came from ideas and amazing money could often follow. Hmm.

It had been a long and trying weekend, so, understandably, it took me a little while to tie everything together. My mind was tired and I kept mentally flipping to tangents. It was frustrating, to say the least. I was truly ready to call it a weekend, when the connection began to emerge.

Ideas were money, huge and timeless money, if done correctly. They could be enough to sustain endless generations. But could we find a way to stay anonymous?

In the electronics bay of my camper, I was sitting on the mother lode of money. I needed to play my cards correctly to take full advantage of it.

I had a vast electronic storage system that had within it, probably mixed in between the Disney videos, a big archive of actual patents.

I held the key to most of the best money-making ideas of the next two hundred years.

So much for Wiki-surfing being a waste of time.

**** Chapter 130 -- New Friends and Old Times ****

By: Emmeran, 5 May 2021

Edited: Tarasandia, 5 May 2021

Published: 7 May 2021

Of course, my short interlude to ponder approaches to the patent opportunity was interrupted far before I wanted it to be. Mrs. Byrne was there to escort me back to my new conference room, where she had a guest waiting for me. I was clueless about who it could be and curious about the need for privacy. My runners from the different teams had been sent directly to me at the bar; that shortened the list of who might be waiting for me.

I was stunned to be introduced to a well-dressed and attractive woman who appeared to be about my age. Mrs. Byrne introduced me to the widow Grace Langdon. Mrs. Langdon's late husband had been a banker at the 2^nd US Bank and had met an unfortunate end on a business trip to New York. To travel long distances in the early nineteenth century was risky business. Until the train lines were fully established, a trip back east could easily last three months, start-to-finish. A lot of dangerous things can happen in three months' travel time.

Greeting rituals were completed and Mrs. Byrne quickly got to the point.

"Mrs. Langdon has found a fiscal shortage in the family accounts and is in need of a boarder to offset that shortage. She has a small but fine estate and a delightful home. I would prefer that you stay there during your visits, rather than that horrid place they call a hotel."

It sounded like a decree more than a recommendation; I did feel a little rebellious at the implied responsibility. A beautiful and cultured woman can make that feeling fade quickly and Grace Langdon did so with a smoothness worthy of her name. She quickly pulled me into conversation, beginning with the well-appointed room provided for our meeting by the gracious Mrs. Byrne. I turned to smile at Mrs. Byrne, only to find that she had magically disappeared, leaving us alone together. Very suspicious, if you ask me. I was being lured in, like a helpless hungry fish. Damned women.

Suddenly, we were talking about the pommes frittes and what a magnificent new recipe it was. She had tasted them earlier and was astounded by the simple yet rewarding flavors. I was a bit taken aback by the effusive praise; I had to remind myself that the modern world offered us endless varieties of everything available on our handheld computer/phone.

Mrs. Byrne chose that moment to return with a serving of aforementioned treats and a variety of sauces to dip them in. Apparently, she was having a good time experimenting with this new dish. I asked for another round of beer, and dug in to snack. I listened to Widow Langdon describe the estate and various maintenance issues she was struggling with. Since her problem was money, I was starting to view this as more of a business proposition than a housing option.

My watch told me that the 'Gretzky's' would arrive soon, so I let her know that I was expecting some old friends for supper and invited her to join us. I explained that I would prefer some private time when they first arrived to catch up, and if she could provide us a quarter-hour of privacy, it should be a fun supper. I would tour her house when supper was over. She had shifted to wine, so we drank a toast just as my visitors arrived. Mrs. Langdon took her leave and I greeted my new 'slaves' with a big smile.

I sat them down and got right to the point. "Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Gretzky we need to get our story straight, arrow-straight, and I envision something like this."

"We met at a social function in Cairo while you were preparing for a trade trip to New Orleans. You were shipwrecked in an awful gale in the Gulf and ended up here, where I happily redeemed my friends and allowed them to return to society at their proper station."

I finished my initial proposal and sat back to observe their reaction. They seemed confused and I wondered how long they'd been here as slaves. I explained the entire story concept to them. They were obviously over-educated, yet not the leadership type unless they had direction. But I still needed them. I focused on what I needed from them.

"You each need an education and social rank backstory. You have to be close family members of a powerful African nation. We should build collaborative backstories that explain you and your education. Minor African tribal titles would help, if you recall any from your studies. I'll get you dressed for the part tomorrow.

"Now the widow Langdon shall return and you need to stick with the 'Cairo then shipwreck' story I gave you. We've got a couple minutes to describe our meeting in Cairo so each of you come up with something where we meet and become good friends." Time was starting to get short and I wanted this to be a successful gambit.

"Sadly, you will need to continue to using back doors until I have you dressed properly. But if you two can figure out Cairo, I can handle it from there." With that I got up and headed for the toilet to clean up a little, while they sorted out their background. Amos was in the kitchen as I passed through. We had a brief word and I sent him to help them with their stories. I'd try to find the widow and buy them some more time.

The outhouse stunk but was a relief, and washing up under the pump was refreshing and reviving. I was ready for an espresso and then a light supper. Fries are heavenly but they are a heavy snack when made correctly.

As I approached the back door again, I noticed Widow Langdon on a bench swing in the yard. I decided to intrude on her solitude. I gently and silently took a seat on her slowly-moving swing and we spent a quiet minute just swinging together in silence.

When she finally spoke, she said, "I was watching you. I have been watching you for the last two days. You are an interesting man, Mr. Narrater."

"I'm actually a boring person, dear lady, to whom interesting things have happened. Our guests for supper are a fine example. I first met them in Cairo whilst serving, if I recall correctly. They were members of the court of some local dignitary. To find them here and in such a state was quite surprising." I paused for effect.

"My plan is to dress them properly tomorrow. I know where to take him, but I'm unsure what I can do for her. We should join them soon, though," I finished.

I felt a gentle hand on my arm and she said, "I can see to the lady's garb first thing tomorrow. And I'd be delighted to join you for dinner with them."

Mission accomplished. I had played it correctly.