Nancy was rocked at the Robin, but now she wants to torch that bridge with a fun romantic date in public at the risque Mink Bar. This one exceeds all expectations "fun, naughty fun, and romantic fun" plus she reveals intimate flesh and a number if shocking surprises - including that Jorge's girlfriend wasn't quite according to Hoyle. Isabel is not here in person, but she is sometimes on their minds.
There is some action in each chapter, but chapter 3 involves something not typical for me which should be read lightly by fans who appreciate German engineering and have gentle souls.
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Chapter 1. At The Mink, Fun And An Old Friend
Friday December 4, 2020
Nancy called me the Sunday after Thanksgiving. She was ready to burn a bridge. At the last minute before she ended the call, Nancy coyly suggested that I might invite her out for a public and more romantic date next week. She mentioned that on Friday, the first Friday of December, Getty worked nights until 9 and he was always busy after. (During the Fall, attractive pre-Y2K autos like Mustangs and Corvettes were not safe on Friday nights.)
I took the bait and asked her out. She steered me to suggesting a posh, romantic and rather risque place called "The Mink Bar." I had never been there, but it had a reputation as THE place in town to take a woman in her skimpiest outfit. For guys it was a "jacket and tie, with dancing shoes."
Nancy had a different take. "In my long years of empirical research, Mink serves the best Cosmos in town. That is confirm by experts. I wonder how those will affect me?"
Well, we both knew the answer to that.
The Mink was a place where Getty was specifically not welcome, and not inclined to visit, because of a past dispute involving tips when he was a bus boy. The head waiter at "Mink" has a baseball bat with Getty's name on it. Management might change or forget, but the wait staff have a long, long, memory about people who "make change from the tip jar leaving counterfeit bills." The whole lineup is eager to start batting practice if Getty ever shows up, so for health reasons he gave the place a wide berth.
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The period between Thanksgiving and Graduation Day is always a strange one in academia. Faculty, or at least those in the business school who are well-organized, have given their final exams to duplication and really have very little to do, so they tend to be relaxed. Pace in the classroom tends to slow down, and classes tend to get out early. Faculty always build some slack into the teaching schedule in case a student protest or terrible weather or the death of some significant politically correct icon takes a day away from us. Student traffic to faculty offices is random as they discover questions on the material they should have read weeks age, these interruptions make it hard to work on research. Some efficient faculty tend to catch up on reading fiction or magazines in their office between student visits. I have heard rumors that some even read internet erotica in their office.
(You might think the university would monitor computer use. But that takes time and money, and such items usually do not make the budget after they have bought enough jock cups for the football and baseball and basketball and tennis teams.)
There are exceptions to the general mood of relaxation. Those unfortunate faculty members who teach material that "cannot be reduced to multiple choice" give essay exams so they are dreading the caffeine-fueled mind-numbing hellish sprint between collecting their exams (up to 200) and turning in their grades (often within 72 hours or less) they have created for themselves. The wise ones spend some of this time questioning their own sanity. Those who give class projects of an essay nature have a slightly longer period to work with, but since all the students write on different subjects (to prevent cheating), their longer mind-numbing trial is even more difficult. The assigned due date is usually irrelevant, students inevitably will not turn in their papers until the last day of classes. To expect otherwise is folly.
The university says we must be in the classroom for the scheduled final exam period to either give or review the final exam. I choose the latter, I give the exam on the last day of class, take the week to grade it, email the grades to the students, and then show up in the classroom during the final exam period. Imagine my surprise at finding nobody there. After 5 minutes of peaceful self-contemplation, I write on the board that I am in my office. I am confident I will not be disturbed as I do important things there. Reading comes to mind, the internet brings the entire library into my office.
In fact, I was so confident that I would not be disturbed, that I was tempted to invite Isabel over for another faculty office session, except I knew she was busy.
In terms of life outside the classroom building, this is also a relaxed period. Holiday shopping is not yet frantic. Travel plans are usually settled. The lawn and leaves no longer need attention, and any snow that appears will be gone soon so the snow shovel can slumber in peace, undisturbed. It is a good time to put up holiday decorations, but I tend to minimalist behavior in that realm.
My Halloween decorations lean to the macabre with dreadful loud music, screams, and signs saying "Children Seasoned and Eaten with Relish. Thanks For The Treats!" So for Christmas I tend to get a pass. If asked, I explain that my decorations of a spiritual nature - an 8-foot devils head - might frighten the children and offend the intolerant - that always shuts them up. You know, freedom of religion does not mean what it claims to mean if you root for the wrong team. Mormons know what I mean by that.