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Follow-Up Week: Day Four
Oct. 4th, 2007 10:25 amThursday, October 4, 2007
Ben's Kosher Deli
209 W. 38th Street
Manhattan, NY
Ray dropped into his usual seat at his usual table without taking a menu- all the waitstaff here knew his preferences by now- and waited. He'd gotten as far as thanking the waitress for his soda before a very cranky voice said in his ear, "I'm not even supposed to be here today."
"Why on Earth not?" Ray said, glancing sideways. Grandpa Maxim was as solid as Ray had ever seen him. Some days it was hard to remember the old man had been dead since Ray was thirteen.
"Shemini Atzeret started last night at sundown. Don't you pay attention to the calendar?"
"Only the really big days," Ray said. "Sorry."
Maxim Stantz snorted and moved his seat around to the other side of the table. "So," he said. "What's so important that you had to show up here early today, anyway?"
"Well," said Ray, "there was the incident last week with the scientist at the Natural History Museum raising most of their extinct mammals from the dead."
"I saw that. Giant robots, Raymond?"
"One of them was a friend and one of them was a complete surprise, believe me," Ray said dryly. "We're hoping not to have to do anything that spectacular in future."
"Probably wise. Your friend Chen's got an inquiry board appointment because of it."
"I know. He told me." Ray glanced around for the waitress, but it was starting to get busy. "I was going to mention my daughter next, but you obviously heard about that already. We're planning on going up to Ulster County somewhere sometime soon to get her used to the new form's capabilities without disturbing anybody too much."
Maxim nodded. "Wise idea. The less witnesses, the better."
"Yeah, that's what I figured," said Ray. "And then there's the part where I've stopped aging completely and became immune to poisons and stopped getting sick and lived forty-seven years in the past of another world before I finally managed to get back to here."
"Okay, I- wait. What?"
"You heard me, Grandpa." Ray leaned forward across the table. "It took me a while to notice, but I noticed, all right. Talk about having to get ready for serious long-term planning."
"Uh-"
"Grandpa Maxim, I swear on the grave of Charles Proteus Steinmetz, if you had any idea this was going to happen to me and you didn't tell me about it, I'm gonna spit in the pastrami sandwich when you're not looking."
Ben's Kosher Deli
209 W. 38th Street
Manhattan, NY
Ray dropped into his usual seat at his usual table without taking a menu- all the waitstaff here knew his preferences by now- and waited. He'd gotten as far as thanking the waitress for his soda before a very cranky voice said in his ear, "I'm not even supposed to be here today."
"Why on Earth not?" Ray said, glancing sideways. Grandpa Maxim was as solid as Ray had ever seen him. Some days it was hard to remember the old man had been dead since Ray was thirteen.
"Shemini Atzeret started last night at sundown. Don't you pay attention to the calendar?"
"Only the really big days," Ray said. "Sorry."
Maxim Stantz snorted and moved his seat around to the other side of the table. "So," he said. "What's so important that you had to show up here early today, anyway?"
"Well," said Ray, "there was the incident last week with the scientist at the Natural History Museum raising most of their extinct mammals from the dead."
"I saw that. Giant robots, Raymond?"
"One of them was a friend and one of them was a complete surprise, believe me," Ray said dryly. "We're hoping not to have to do anything that spectacular in future."
"Probably wise. Your friend Chen's got an inquiry board appointment because of it."
"I know. He told me." Ray glanced around for the waitress, but it was starting to get busy. "I was going to mention my daughter next, but you obviously heard about that already. We're planning on going up to Ulster County somewhere sometime soon to get her used to the new form's capabilities without disturbing anybody too much."
Maxim nodded. "Wise idea. The less witnesses, the better."
"Yeah, that's what I figured," said Ray. "And then there's the part where I've stopped aging completely and became immune to poisons and stopped getting sick and lived forty-seven years in the past of another world before I finally managed to get back to here."
"Okay, I- wait. What?"
"You heard me, Grandpa." Ray leaned forward across the table. "It took me a while to notice, but I noticed, all right. Talk about having to get ready for serious long-term planning."
"Uh-"
"Grandpa Maxim, I swear on the grave of Charles Proteus Steinmetz, if you had any idea this was going to happen to me and you didn't tell me about it, I'm gonna spit in the pastrami sandwich when you're not looking."
