Radio Days Pt. 02

When I finally took a break, it was two-thirty and I was hungry. I fixed myself a sandwich, opened a beer, and returned to my office. As I leaned back in my chair, my thoughts drifted back to last night and the happy time I had spent with Tish. She was in my thoughts constantly when I wasn't working on the project -- something new for me.

I'm still a bit shy. Despite the fact that I'd dated several women since I had made my lifestyle change four years ago, I was still a bit unsure of myself and how others would react to me. Once I am accepted, I can move forward more confidently, but until then, a piece of the old Ozzie was still there. That Tish had quickly accepted me was all the encouragement I needed.

When I was dancing with Julia, she told me that both she and Tommie thought I would be a "good match" for Tish. I had been a bit surprised when she said it, but I took it as encouragement and thanked her.

I resumed my research and finally called it a day just before six. I was amazed at how much I had accomplished. I know knew that each station on the dial had the same call letters; KTOM. The various dial locations identified what date in relative time the station was operating on. My documentation helped me prepare a schedule for when various programs would be broadcast.

By continuing to listen to one particular "location," I was hearing news, some music, and commercials. At first, I hadn't paid any attention to the commercials, but eventually I realized they were a valuable source of information as well. I started to realize the enormity of the task I had chosen. Even more surprising was how Uncle Darby had managed without the use of computers. He must have done it all longhand. Amazing!

I prepared a light supper for myself and dropped down in front of the TV to get the afternoon baseball scores.

I must had dozed off, the result of another beer, a late night, and several hours of concentrated effort on the project. I awoke about nine and went to the bathroom to splash some cold water on my face. I wasn't in the mood for another night at some saloon. Besides, Tish wouldn't be there.

I had been neglecting my exercise program the past few days, so I grabbed my workout gear, stuffed it into my sport-bag and headed for the gym. It was open late and wouldn't be very crowded on a Saturday night.

As I peddled the stationary bike and stared out the window onto the road, I began to take stock of what had happened in the last four days. What struck me as odd was the notion that I had simply accepted that the "radio" I had inherited would broadcast the future. Surely that wasn't the reaction of a rational man. What had made it so acceptable and believable?

I was also accepting that the information I heard would come to pass exactly as it was described. That wasn't rational either. I had no proof. Tomorrow's baseball scores would be the only hard evidence I would get. Yet ... yet ... I was assuming that the scores would match the ones I had copied on Thursday. That was a big leap all by itself.

It's funny, the thoughts that drift by when you are involved in mindless exercise. I was thinking about my ex-wife Martha and her "fate." Should I warn her? If I did, would she believe me or think I had some ulterior motive. I didn't want to see Martha hurt if I could prevent it, but perhaps I might really mess up the future if I fiddled with it. I'd read and seen enough science fiction to know what might happen when you interrupted the "time-line." Even to me it seemed odd that I was thinking of her at this late date. She had treated me poorly, and yet I was worried about her. I remembered then that her demise was some years in the future and decided it could wait.

I finished my twenty minute ride and headed for the pool. Twenty laps at moderate speed would finish my session and leave me with that satisfied feeling of having accomplished something useful. I was proud of my new body and I was dedicated to maintaining my more modern, fit image. I was confident it would be important in my quest to woo Ms. Darling.

Sunday afternoon I stopped work on the project just before five and took my legal pad and recorder to the living room. I waited for the weekend wrap-up on the baseball games with my list of "expected" scores in front of me. As the two announcers began to laboriously grind through the endless number of games that day, I knew within a minute that I had the results in front of me. Results I had transcribed three days earlier!

Test two complete. The first test had revealed the source of some of the unknown people and places that I had noted from early broadcasts. I was now satisfied that I had in my possession a device that would give me accurate information about the future.

There remained another question however. One I hadn't given much thought to. Could I alter the future? That question came to me when I was thinking of Martha last night. What if I knew someone was going to die in an auto accident? Could I prevent it? What would happen if I did? This would be a much trickier question to answer.

Monday dawned cloudy and drizzly, decidedly uncommon weather for August. I arrived at work at my usual time and began my normal workday routine. I took a coffee break just before ten and wandered down to the City Clerk's office to see if I was right about the decision to hire Tish.

"Good morning, Dickie," I saluted. Richard Bird was the decision-maker of the hiring committee.

"Hi Oz, how's it going?" he said without looking up. Dickie was constantly buried in paper and his desk was an unmitigated disaster. Amazingly, he was able to locate a specific item without a moment's hesitation. No one dared disturb Dickie's desk.

"Make a decision on the assistant's hiring yet?" I asked as casually as I could.

He looked up at me and grinned. I was apparently not fooling him for a moment.

"What's it worth to you to find out?" he grinned, leaning back in his chair.

"A fresh coffee?" I shrugged, trying to maintain my nonchalance.

"Well ... I can say we had several good candidates and the decision was quite difficult. I lost a lot of sleep trying to find just the right person for the job, you know." Dickie tried manfully to deliver this with a straight face. It was bullshit and I knew it, and he knew I knew it. I couldn't help myself. I burst out laughing.

"OK, OK ... your choice was the unanimous choice of all of us. She was by far the best candidate. Better than I expected we would find, to be truthful." He wasn't kidding now.

"Good ... I'm glad. I think she's probably capable of more than being just an assistant, given time to learn the job," I suggested.

"I think so too. Anyway, she was very happy when I called her this morning. She really wanted this job, so we've made a good choice," Dickie concluded.

"Yeah. I agree. She will brighten up this office, but you'd better warn her about your desk. When does she start?" I asked.

"She needs to move her things from Blanchford, but she has a place to stay temporarily with one of her friends. She said she'd be ready to start next Monday."

Dickie and I shared some small talk and office gossip while we finished our coffees and then I returned to my office with a very big smile on my face. When I arrived, my message light was flashing and I pushed the button after I retrieved a pencil and pad.

"Oh. Hi Ozzie. It's Tish Darling. I got the job ... just like you said I would. I'm really pleased and I can't wait to start. I promised I would let you know. Sorry I didn't get a chance to talk to you, but I'm excited about moving. I'll be there this weekend and I'm going to be staying with Julia and her husband until I can find a place of my own." She had rattled this all off in a matter of seconds in her excitement.

I smiled at her enthusiasm and noted the phone number she had called from. Like all government offices, all incoming calls were logged and the source recorded. I punched in the number and waited through three rings before it was picked up.

"Hello?" It was Tish and she sounded out of breath.

"Hi ... it's Ozzie. Congratulations," I said brightly.

"Oh ... Ozzie, thanks ... I'm really, really pleased," she gasped.

"Where have you been to be out of breath," I laughed.

"I was downstairs, packing things away ... getting ready to move."

"Of course. I should have realized that. I'm sorry if I had you running to the phone in the middle of that," I said sincerely.

"No ... it's OK. Thanks for calling back. I hate leaving messages. They sound so impersonal."

"Well, I'm pleased I was right about you being the best candidate. I'm really looking forward to having you here in our office. I think you're going to enjoy the job and Dickie is a great guy to work for."

"Dickie?"

"Yeah ... our pet name for your new boss, Mr. Richard Bird," I laughed again.

"Oh ... I wish you hadn't told me that," she said in return. "I'm likely to call him that when I'm not thinking."

"Don't worry about it. He'll tell you himself, I'm sure. Even his wife thinks it's a clever name."

There was a pause in the conversation and I took advantage of it.

"Say ... Tish ... I wondered, perhaps we can get together on Saturday evening. I thought maybe dinner and ... dancing?" It was a pretty tentative proposal.

"Uhhhh ... yes .... I guess so. Are you going to be at that roadhouse again on Friday night?" she asked carefully.

"I can be. Are you?"

"Yes ... the girls and their husbands are celebrating my new job, so we thought we'd go there. It would be fun if you could be my guest," she said. There was a note of caution in her voice.

"You can count on it. I'll be there," I said quickly.

"Great ... and ... thank you again," she concluded happily.

After we hung up, I pondered just what was happening between us. Whatever it was, it was moving quickly and I had better be prepared to keep pace. I continued to wear a smile for the rest of the week.

I decided to discipline myself in my new hobby and dedicate just two hours per evening to the project. I had collected an enormous amount of information and yet I wasn't really any closer to solving the mystery of my Uncle's wealth. I knew what was going to happen in the future, but I hadn't really come up with a solid idea on how to take advantage of it that would produce the incredible results that Uncle Darby had created.

I was fairly confident I could generate several million dollars and that would get me started, but then what? I kept coming back to Mr. Felix Bindle and what he might know that he would share with me. If that failed I would fall back on Plan B; win a lottery prize that would provide me with seed money for my assault on the future.

I was in a great mood when Friday rolled around. I was caught up at work, which wasn't unusual. More importantly, I had a date with a beautiful woman that evening. Even though we would be in the company of two other couples, I got the sense that Tish's friends were on my side. They were in matchmaker mode. It wouldn't take much of a push for me to fall.

I strolled into Dorsey's just after seven and saw the two couples with Tish at a large booth along the side. I walked over and introduced myself to the men. I thought Kaz Hashimoto looked familiar and he quickly told me why. He owned the local dry cleaning establishment and I had seen him there when I took my suits and shirts in. Gil Timely gave me a hearty welcome as well.

We ordered our meals and the table talk was friendly and spirited. I could tell the Timelys and the Hashimotos were good friends, but I certainly wasn't left out of the conversation. We chatted about the town politics and the economy in general as we worked our way through the meal. All the while, I was keeping Tish involved in the conversation. She was the reason I was there.

We had barely finished our meal when the band began and while our hosts were willing to sit out the first few to digest their meal, Tish and I were up almost right away. I had been anticipating holding her in my arms again and I was delighted that she was just as happy to be with me too.

It was another night like the previous Friday and both of us lost track of time. I caught Julia and Tommie exchanging knowing glances now and then, but I wasn't deterred. I had my arms around a lovely blonde and I was in high spirits as we celebrated her new job.

The night ended too soon as far as I was concerned. We had enjoyed ourselves and I thanked our hosts for including me and promised I would repay their kindness. In the meantime, in one of the few opportunities I had to talk to Tish in private, we made a date for the next evening. It would be a lot different in atmosphere, but I hoped we would be just as compatible tomorrow as we were tonight.

Tish left with the Timleys and I drove home in what I could only describe as a state of euphoria. I was feeling very good about our budding relationship.

Saturday, I spent a bit more time on the project, but in truth, I wasn't really focusing on it the way I had been. My thoughts were filled with Tish and that was a distraction. Besides, I had collected enough data to fill a book, but I still wasn't any closer to resolving the mystery surrounding my uncle's wealth.

I arrived at the Timely home just before seven that evening and walked to the front door. It was Julia who met me there and invited me in.

"You're right on time, Ozzie. She'll be just a couple of minutes," she said with a nice smile. "I'm really glad you two are getting along so well. She needs someone ... steady and dependable like you."

"Oh good. I'm steady and dependable," I said, rolling my eyes upward. "That's a real girl-getter."

Julie quickly changed to a serious look and her voice dropped to something slightly above a whisper. "It's what she needs right now, Oz. She's had a rough time lately and she doesn't need another problem-child to deal with. Go easy on her, hear me?"

I couldn't mistake the concern and seriousness of her message. I nodded my head in understanding. "Thanks for the heads-up," I offered.

Julia's smile returned as she turned to see Gil approaching from the kitchen. "Hi Ozzie," was his genuinely friendly welcome. "Where are you two off to tonight?"

"Evening Gil. Thought we'd try Domenicas. It's always reliable and a bit quieter than Dorsey's," I chuckled. "I hear they've got a new singer who's really good."

At that moment, Tish walked into the living room and I nearly did a classic double-take. She was wearing a pale green satin dress that flattered every inch of her. Revealing in front and back, a hem well above her knees and a snug wrap around her hips. I'm not sure I didn't gasp.

"Wow ... Tish ... you look ... fantastic!" I finally managed.

She flashed her thousand watt smile. "Thank you."

I managed not to make a total fool of myself as we walked to my car, hand-in-hand. We made some small talk on our way to the restaurant and I gradually began to relax. I couldn't help stealing the odd glance at this lovely vision. If Tish noticed, she didn't say anything.

The meal was excellent, just as I expected. We were sharing a bottle of Italian Pino Grigio and trading stories about our past. We were not, however, delving into our former personal relationships. I talked about my youth and the loss of first my father and then my mother. She talked about her parents, both still alive and living in Spokane.

As our waiter cleared away our plates I sat back and admired the woman sitting across from me. I was unaccustomed to being with someone quite as beautiful as Tish and I wondered if we had a future together. I hoped so. She was not just lovely to look at, but her wit and intelligence and quiet nature made it a pleasure to be with her.

Somehow, we hadn't run out of things to talk about and our conversation was moving along nicely when she surprised me with a question.

"How's your puzzle-solving coming along," she asked quite innocently.

"Uh ... fine ... uhhhh ... well ... uhhhh ... I'm sort of stalled right now," I said without thinking.

"Can you tell me about it?" she asked.

I sat for a moment without responding. Felix Bindle's admonition about a tight lip notwithstanding, I was very tempted to spill the whole story out to Tish right there and then.

"Uhhhmmm ... I'm not sure you'd understand ... I mean ... it's complicated," I stammered.

"Most puzzles are," she smiled. How the hell could I resist that smile? I still hadn't developed a plausible story without frightening her or letting her think I was some weirdo with a space-alien fixation.

"Tish ... I ... uhhhh ... it's hard to explain. I'd really rather not just yet," I said in a defeated voice.

She sat there, just smiling at me, enjoying my discomfort I thought. "Come on, Ozzie. Spit it out." She was almost laughing. I couldn't figure out what was so funny. My first thought was that she would find my story laughable, if not ridiculous and that was the last thing I wanted to have happen. I needed to stall for now until I had a better handle on how I could explain what was going on. In addition, it was way too early in our relationship for me to pop this one on her. I wanted a much more time to get to know her and more about her past before I tried to explain the inexplicable.

"Uhhhmmm ... look, Tish ... can we take a rain check on that. I'll be happy to tell you about it when I've got it clear in my own mind. Right now, it's something I feel I have to work out on my own," I said with what I hoped was a reassuring tone. Despite Bindle's warning, it didn't occur to me that she would be a threat. It just didn't seem to be her nature.

"Do you promise?" she asked, watching me with a look of amusement.

"Well ... of course. I promise." I was hoping that I wouldn't be called on that promise any time soon.

She looked at me with a bemused expression and a wrinkled brow. I didn't know what to make of her response until she spoke.

"Ozzie, are you pulling my leg?" she asked seriously.

"No ... I wish it were that simple. I mean ... I wish I could explain it better than I have." I watched her face for any hint that she was going to bolt, but that wasn't what I saw.

She nodded her agreement.

I desperately needed to change the subject.

"Tomorrow. Why don't we go sightseeing? I'll pick you up and we can spend the afternoon together. I can show you ...," I paused.

"I'm sorry, Tish ... am I rushing you? I don't mean to, but ...."

She was smiling slightly and not looking at me. I had pushed her too quickly. She could probably see the flush on my face from that realization.

"Ozzie, we hardly know each other. We need some time," she said with a worried look.

"I know ... I know," a slight smile on my face. I got a very nice one in return.

"I'm flattered. Thank you. Let's just take it slowly, OK?"

I didn't get the feeling that she was pushing me away, just giving herself some space and time. I think I must have breathed a sigh of relief.

"What should we do now?" she asked.

"Well, there's a young lady who is about to entertain us with some nice contemporary jazz and there's a dance floor near the band and the night is still young," I grinned.

"And I thought you were shy," she laughed.

"I am ... or at least I am until I feel comfortable around the person I'm with."

"This is all happening very fast, Ozzie." She was serious. She was concerned.

"I was thinking that very same thought not long ago. On the other hand, I don't hear any voices inside me telling me to slow down. That's usually a good sign. What about you?"

"No ... no voices," she said, shaking her head. "I didn't think it was possible for me to ... I mean ... it's about trusting someone, isn't it?"

"Yeah ... that's exactly it ... trusting someone," I said as I rose and held my hand out to her. In seconds we were on the dance floor in each other's arms and I was back on my own personal cloud-nine.