Read Online The Pot Thief Who Studied Einstein by J. Michael Orenduff - Free Book Online
Authors: J. Michael Orenduff
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hadn’t noticed it arrive. Perhaps it came up while I was staring into my rear view mirror. But there it was, a white van with ‘United Plumbing’ in big black letters.
I stayed until around ten. A quick scan of the van as I drove by on my way home revealed the driver and passenger seats to be unoccupied. There may have been someone in the back of the van – there were no windows back there – but I assumed it more likely held pipes, fittings, and tools.
I was back the next day at eleven in the morning, figuring that if I showed up at a variety of times, I might catch someone leaving or coming back. The United Plumbing van was where it had been the day before. I drove around to the back, found the Cadillac in the garage, drove around in front, put the glasses on, read page five of the book on Einstein. When that hour was up, I ate three tacos filled with caramelized jalapeños and some of the barbecued pork Emilio had sent home with me on Saturday. I drank a Tecate I’d brought along in a small cooler filled with ice. I wanted more, but I didn’t want a DUI on my record. I knew one beer wouldn’t put me over the limit.
Even though it was only one beer, it eventually worked its way through my bloodstream and kidneys and then into my bladder. I made it until just after two before going home.
I was back at midnight, driving slowly down the service road with my lights off. I stopped, peeked into the garage, saw the Cadillac by the light of the moon. I was beginning to think I understood why the phone was no longer in service.
The next day, Wednesday, I showed up at three in the afternoon and stayed until after six. The Caddy was in the garage. I wanted to go in and try to start it up. I suspected it was inoperable, just being stored there.
The United Plumbing van showed up about four-thirty while I was trying to read. It sat there for about five minutes, then turned and left. A skinny brown arm jutted out from the driver’s side. Nothing unusual about a brown arm in Albuquerque. Half the population is Hispanic with varying shades of brown skin. The other half of the population, be their ancestors from France, Scotland, or Lithuania, are just as brown because we all get baked by the sun year around.
The driver had a long pony tail that stuck out under a baseball cap. I tried to get a look at his face, but couldn’t focus. Then I realized I still had the reading glasses on. By the time I took them off, he was gone.
Maybe he realized he forgot a piece of pipe he needed. Or maybe he wasn’t really a plumber. Or maybe I was slightly paranoid.
As I left, I made a resolution to come back one more time.
11
“Wouldn’t it have been easier just to knock on the door instead of wasting all that time on a stakeout?”
“It wasn’t wasted,” I corrected her. “I used the time to read about Einstein and the uncertainty principle.”
“I thought the uncertainty principle came from Heisenberg.”
“It did. But Einstein rejected uncertainty.”
“You could have done the same by just walking up and knocking on the door.”
She’s relentless. “That’s what you would do,” I said. “You have that rancher mentality – saddle up and ride. I’m more the wary type. And anyway, the captain’s seats in the Bronco are big and comfortable and a great place to read.”
“Then why did you only get to page five?”
“That was the subject matter, not the environment. Martin insists I should read this book, but it’s taking me about an hour a page.” I shrugged. “Maybe once I get my head around the basic ideas, the rest of it will be easier.”
“What are the basic ideas?”
“Well, the uncertainty principle has to do with the behavior of subatomic particles, things like electrons and protons. Apparently those particles behave very differently from everyday objects like rocks and rutabagas.”
“Rutabagas? The book said that?”
“No, that was just my example.”
“That’s a strange
I stayed until around ten. A quick scan of the van as I drove by on my way home revealed the driver and passenger seats to be unoccupied. There may have been someone in the back of the van – there were no windows back there – but I assumed it more likely held pipes, fittings, and tools.
I was back the next day at eleven in the morning, figuring that if I showed up at a variety of times, I might catch someone leaving or coming back. The United Plumbing van was where it had been the day before. I drove around to the back, found the Cadillac in the garage, drove around in front, put the glasses on, read page five of the book on Einstein. When that hour was up, I ate three tacos filled with caramelized jalapeños and some of the barbecued pork Emilio had sent home with me on Saturday. I drank a Tecate I’d brought along in a small cooler filled with ice. I wanted more, but I didn’t want a DUI on my record. I knew one beer wouldn’t put me over the limit.
Even though it was only one beer, it eventually worked its way through my bloodstream and kidneys and then into my bladder. I made it until just after two before going home.
I was back at midnight, driving slowly down the service road with my lights off. I stopped, peeked into the garage, saw the Cadillac by the light of the moon. I was beginning to think I understood why the phone was no longer in service.
The next day, Wednesday, I showed up at three in the afternoon and stayed until after six. The Caddy was in the garage. I wanted to go in and try to start it up. I suspected it was inoperable, just being stored there.
The United Plumbing van showed up about four-thirty while I was trying to read. It sat there for about five minutes, then turned and left. A skinny brown arm jutted out from the driver’s side. Nothing unusual about a brown arm in Albuquerque. Half the population is Hispanic with varying shades of brown skin. The other half of the population, be their ancestors from France, Scotland, or Lithuania, are just as brown because we all get baked by the sun year around.
The driver had a long pony tail that stuck out under a baseball cap. I tried to get a look at his face, but couldn’t focus. Then I realized I still had the reading glasses on. By the time I took them off, he was gone.
Maybe he realized he forgot a piece of pipe he needed. Or maybe he wasn’t really a plumber. Or maybe I was slightly paranoid.
As I left, I made a resolution to come back one more time.
11
“Wouldn’t it have been easier just to knock on the door instead of wasting all that time on a stakeout?”
“It wasn’t wasted,” I corrected her. “I used the time to read about Einstein and the uncertainty principle.”
“I thought the uncertainty principle came from Heisenberg.”
“It did. But Einstein rejected uncertainty.”
“You could have done the same by just walking up and knocking on the door.”
She’s relentless. “That’s what you would do,” I said. “You have that rancher mentality – saddle up and ride. I’m more the wary type. And anyway, the captain’s seats in the Bronco are big and comfortable and a great place to read.”
“Then why did you only get to page five?”
“That was the subject matter, not the environment. Martin insists I should read this book, but it’s taking me about an hour a page.” I shrugged. “Maybe once I get my head around the basic ideas, the rest of it will be easier.”
“What are the basic ideas?”
“Well, the uncertainty principle has to do with the behavior of subatomic particles, things like electrons and protons. Apparently those particles behave very differently from everyday objects like rocks and rutabagas.”
“Rutabagas? The book said that?”
“No, that was just my example.”
“That’s a strange
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