advanced age is ever going to widen his girth , she mused. He had a large head and was bald except a circle of graying, reddish hair. His deep, intelligent blue eyes twinkled when he looked at Charlie. Charlie had dressed in the tightest pair of jeans she owned and a low cut sweater. But he looked her right in the eye, at least when she was looking at him.
“Hi,” Charlie said.
“Hello,” he replied.
“Late to be just getting in,” she offered.
“Yes, it was a long trip.”
“I hate to travel,” she said. “It’s arriving that’s fun.”
He laughed. When the train came they were still talking.
Instead of boarding they left the platform and went to a cafe. They ignored the stares and talked, so much that their food was cold before they began consuming it. Charlie was amazed that this older man–he called himself Eugene–was so interesting. He also seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say. When the time came to pay the bill, Eugene used his computer to transfer the funds. As it sat idling on his wrist, Charlie noticed it displayed a familiar logo.
“Do you work for SRI?” she asked. The subject of employment had never come up in their conversation.
“Yes,” he said, somewhat apprehensive. “I didn’t tell you because some of the locals think SRI is a Japanese plot to buy up all the land.”
“I know,” Charlie bemoaned. “I get that all the time.”
“You work for SRI?” he asked more nervously.
She smiled. “Yes.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m a trainee at the school.”
Eugene’s eyes rolled up. “Wonderful. I thought…”
“You thought I was a student at CU?”
He nodded mutely.
“I was trying to look like one. Like you said, the locals sometimes don’t give SRI employees the warmest of receptions.”
He just looked at her.
“What do you do?” she asked innocently.
He hesitated.
“Are you in security?” she prodded. The SRI school specialized in security.
He nodded. “Yes, I’m in security.”
“So, what do you do for Mitchel?”
He hesitated, then smiled wryly. “I am Mitchel,” he said.
Charlie’s eyes grew wide. “You’re Chief Mitchel?”
“Yes,” he replied matter-of-factly.
“Oh, my,” she whispered. “I heard you’d be here Monday. I didn’t think...”
“I came early. I was going to visit a friend’s wife and get settled.” He paused. “This is a problem,” he said.
“Why?”
“Because, this isn’t…”
“Isn’t what?” Charlie asked. “Don’t worry. I won’t say anything to anyone.”
“It’s not that simple,” he protested.
“Yes it is,” she stated. “Just because you happen to be my superior—really my superior—doesn’t cause me any concern. I don’t think it should concern anyone else, either. Were you thinking I was going to try to use this to my advantage?”
“Well,” he said in such a way that she knew he was thinking she would.
“Well, I wasn’t. I don’t do things that way. I want to succeed for better reasons than, ‘I know the boss.’“
He looked at her for a few moments. “Trainee Jones, your career should be successful as hell.”
“Friends then?”
He nodded. “Sure. And my friends call me Mitch.”
“Okay, Mitch.”
“Although,” he said with a smile, “You’d better call me ‘Chief’ or ‘Mr. Mitchel’ around the school.”
***
Whether either of them meant for it to be, Mitch and Charlie’s friendship did help her career. When Mitchel found Charlie working as dirt-side security when she was space qualified he quickly got her an assignment on the Moon. When Takada, the Director of the Lunar Facility, protested that Charlie shouldn’t be living with Frank, Mitchel stepped in and made it possible for Charlie to stay at the lunar facility.
Charlie showered in the minuscule bathroom. She wondered if Mitchel was going to intervene in her career again and if so, how? If it weren’t for his help she wouldn’t have had the position she had on the Moon. Then he tried to get her a job on an
“Hi,” Charlie said.
“Hello,” he replied.
“Late to be just getting in,” she offered.
“Yes, it was a long trip.”
“I hate to travel,” she said. “It’s arriving that’s fun.”
He laughed. When the train came they were still talking.
Instead of boarding they left the platform and went to a cafe. They ignored the stares and talked, so much that their food was cold before they began consuming it. Charlie was amazed that this older man–he called himself Eugene–was so interesting. He also seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say. When the time came to pay the bill, Eugene used his computer to transfer the funds. As it sat idling on his wrist, Charlie noticed it displayed a familiar logo.
“Do you work for SRI?” she asked. The subject of employment had never come up in their conversation.
“Yes,” he said, somewhat apprehensive. “I didn’t tell you because some of the locals think SRI is a Japanese plot to buy up all the land.”
“I know,” Charlie bemoaned. “I get that all the time.”
“You work for SRI?” he asked more nervously.
She smiled. “Yes.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m a trainee at the school.”
Eugene’s eyes rolled up. “Wonderful. I thought…”
“You thought I was a student at CU?”
He nodded mutely.
“I was trying to look like one. Like you said, the locals sometimes don’t give SRI employees the warmest of receptions.”
He just looked at her.
“What do you do?” she asked innocently.
He hesitated.
“Are you in security?” she prodded. The SRI school specialized in security.
He nodded. “Yes, I’m in security.”
“So, what do you do for Mitchel?”
He hesitated, then smiled wryly. “I am Mitchel,” he said.
Charlie’s eyes grew wide. “You’re Chief Mitchel?”
“Yes,” he replied matter-of-factly.
“Oh, my,” she whispered. “I heard you’d be here Monday. I didn’t think...”
“I came early. I was going to visit a friend’s wife and get settled.” He paused. “This is a problem,” he said.
“Why?”
“Because, this isn’t…”
“Isn’t what?” Charlie asked. “Don’t worry. I won’t say anything to anyone.”
“It’s not that simple,” he protested.
“Yes it is,” she stated. “Just because you happen to be my superior—really my superior—doesn’t cause me any concern. I don’t think it should concern anyone else, either. Were you thinking I was going to try to use this to my advantage?”
“Well,” he said in such a way that she knew he was thinking she would.
“Well, I wasn’t. I don’t do things that way. I want to succeed for better reasons than, ‘I know the boss.’“
He looked at her for a few moments. “Trainee Jones, your career should be successful as hell.”
“Friends then?”
He nodded. “Sure. And my friends call me Mitch.”
“Okay, Mitch.”
“Although,” he said with a smile, “You’d better call me ‘Chief’ or ‘Mr. Mitchel’ around the school.”
***
Whether either of them meant for it to be, Mitch and Charlie’s friendship did help her career. When Mitchel found Charlie working as dirt-side security when she was space qualified he quickly got her an assignment on the Moon. When Takada, the Director of the Lunar Facility, protested that Charlie shouldn’t be living with Frank, Mitchel stepped in and made it possible for Charlie to stay at the lunar facility.
Charlie showered in the minuscule bathroom. She wondered if Mitchel was going to intervene in her career again and if so, how? If it weren’t for his help she wouldn’t have had the position she had on the Moon. Then he tried to get her a job on an
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