Fragmentation

by Gregg Cameron

  “We’re going to New Hope for dinner,” replied Colleen, tilting her nose up slightly.

  “Oh, how romantic! What happened to looking at metal samples?”

  David smiled.

  “Angela, really, we already looked at them. David has never been to New Hope and I thought it would be nice to show him, since he is from Atlanta.” Colleen quickly exited into the bedroom and called out, “Make yourself at home, David, I’ll be quick.”

  Angela handed David a soda, saying, “Quick will be about twenty minutes, so make yourself comfortable. Tell me what Atlanta is like; I hear it’s a great place to live.”

  David started to elaborate when the door opened.

  “I’m back.”

  Jimmy came in and Angela made the introductions, adding that Colleen and David were going to New Hope for dinner. Jimmy let the comment slide, as they were only going to a local restaurant. They said goodbye and in a minute were gone. David spent the next fifteen minutes or so looking at a few women’s magazines and a cocktail table book on antiques.

  Colleen finally emerged, smiling brightly and wearing a white dress with heels. David looked directly at her legs, which he suddenly noticed were quite shapely. Fearing he might have been caught, he flushed a little and said, “All set?”

  Once in the car, Colleen directed him to go north on Interstate 95, then get off at the exit for State Route 32.

  Route 32 wound northward along the western shore of the Delaware River passing through Washington’s Crossing and on up to New Hope. As they neared the outskirts of New Hope, traffic slowed to a crawl. David thought the town seemed to have a festive atmosphere about it. On the way in, they passed many small shops and restaurants with people overflowing onto the sidewalks. The Bucks County Playhouse, once an old gristmill, stood on the bank of the river across from the old mule barge canal, which went right through the town. Colleen instructed David to continue past the traffic light, adding there were some great restaurants on the north side just a few miles out of town. It was a little after eight when they turned into a place called the Revere Inn.

  The Revere Inn was a grand old Bucks County inn made of fieldstone dating back to the mid 1700’s. The Delaware Canal ran directly behind the inn and beyond that flowed the river. In the early days, people traveling on the river and the canal would stop for lodging at the day’s end. Today, the Revere Inn is a fine restaurant, featuring patio dining with excellent views of both the river and canal.

  David and Colleen opted for the patio, as the evening was warm with a soft breeze blowing. Their table was covered with a white linen tablecloth and in the center a single candle shown in a clear glass flue. Thousands of tiny white lights wound their way through the surrounding trees, gently lighting the patio. The setting sun backlit the inn and cast a warm glow over the canal and river beyond. Colleen reaching for David’s hand softly said, “I’m glad you found that strange sample of metal.”

  “I don’t know why I took so long to get up the courage to call you.”

  The waiter came and David ordered a bottle of Chardonnay from the wine list. Colleen’s blue eyes sparkled in the candlelight as they toasted their day together and quietly discussed their adventure.

  “I feel as though I have known you for a long time, even if it’s only been two days.”

  “I know, I feel the same way,” Colleen agreed.

  Their conversation continued as soft music from a piano filled the air.

  A while later they ordered the Filet Mignon capped with mushroom sauce, twice-baked potatoes and salad. The conversation flowed easily as they talked about how they spent their summers growing up. Afterward, they shared a single serving of apple pie a la mode for dessert, then went into the inn and listened to the piano player over two snifters of Grand Mariner.

  The ride home was quiet as they listened to soft Jazz from a local station. Reaching Colleen’s apartment, they just looked at each other for a moment, they kissed, tentatively at first, then with passion.

  “I had a wonderful time today David. Please call me tomorrow.”

  “I will,” he said as they kissed again at her door.

  David felt like he was riding on air as he drove back to his apartment. Colleen was wonderful and he still could not believe his good fortune. After he arrived home and was settled in his bed, he bravely dialed her number.

  “Hello.”

  “I think I forgot to say goodnight and thanks for a wonderful day.”

  “Goodnight David, I enjoyed it too. Thank you.”

  Chapter 5

  David spent Sunday doing all the usual things a bachelor does; such as laundry, food shopping, cleaning the apartment and as promised, he called Colleen and they spent almost a half-hour on the phone.

  Monday, he was back at the laboratory looking at the samples. George Quinn reminded David the report was due for DeCosta Scrap Metals. The report is necessary, as the Department of the Navy required a disclosure of the various types of metal in the ships they scrap. It was nearly 10:00 AM when the phone rang, jarring him out of his thoughts.

  “David Albright.”

  “David, it’s Colleen, how are you?”

  “Fine, I mean excellent, what are you doing?”

  “If you want me to have another look at those samples, we could meet for lunch and I’ll take one of them back to the lab to look at again this afternoon.”

  “That would be great, how about that deli over on fifth? I can meet you at the entrance to your building about ten after twelve, if that’s okay?”

  “Do you mean the Phila-Deli?

  “Yes.”

  “It’s good for me; don’t forget the sample.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you later, bye.”

  David quickly prepared another sample from the piece of metal he originally received. He had completely forgotten the new pieces in his trunk from their visit to DeCosta Scrap yard on Saturday.

  The Phila-Deli catered to the lunch crowd and was always busy. Droves of people moved through at a quick pace and seats always seemed to become available. David ordered ham and Swiss on rye, while Colleen opted for the soup and half a tuna salad on whole wheat.

  “Ham and Swiss on rye. David, you have become a Yankee. I would have thought you would try to find grits or something like that.”

  ”Grits, ha, they are for breakfast, but I have to admit this sandwich is very good,” laughed David.

  Colleen told him she was just finishing a big project and would have some time this afternoon to look more closely at the sample. “To tell the truth, I don’t really want another assignment until tomorrow. It’s best to start fresh on something rather than begin and have to quit a few hours later.”

  “What do you think you’ll find?”

  “Something strange, perhaps.”

  “Well, the sooner the better because I’m late on the metal quality report which is due today. Colleen, I really have to thank you for your help on this and I had a great time over the weekend. I just wanted you to know that.”

  “Yes sir, I’ll get right on it,” Colleen laughed. “Seriously, I should be able to figure something out this afternoon and I’ll call you with the results.”

  They finished lunch and as David drove them back to Farrell, he kept stealing glances at Colleen sitting in the passenger seat. He found it hard to believe she was actually sitting there and had spent a large part of the weekend with him.

  He dropped Colleen off at her building and went to his office to begin writing his report. It was almost five when Colleen called David.

  “David, this is really very odd. There are all kinds of strange things embedded in the steel’s molecular lattice. As you know, steel is a very dense substance and there is not a lot of space between the molecules in the lattice. However, these things are all just crammed in there in n
o apparent order. I would say you have something very interesting. It also appears that cells have been forced into the lattice, partially separating the metallic bonding of the steel molecules. Even more interesting, is what looks like a DNA helix that is actually wound through the lattice. Also, there are chemicals, lots of them, like calcium, nitrogen, potassium, carbon, sulfur and a lot more.” A little out of breath she went on, “About sixty more chemicals, all the ones found in the human body appear to be in there as far as I can tell. The really odd part is they are also in the exact percentages usually found in a human body. David, are you still there?” A long pause.

  “David!”

  “I’m here, sorry I was really lost in thought, that’s incredible. I don’t know what to put in my report. Wow!”

  “Do you want to meet me after work? I’ll show you what I have and you’ll see just how amazing this really is, especially the DNA part.”

  “Yes,” still lost in thought, “where?”

  “Why don’t you come to my place, I’ll make you dinner. How about 7:30, would that be okay?”

  “Yes, that would be great, thanks, I’ll see you later.”

  Colleen could almost hear the wheels turning in David’s head. He was quite caught up in these new discoveries and she wondered if he even heard her invite him to dinner. She thought about calling him later and asking him to bring some wine, just as a reminder of sorts, when her phone rang.

  “Colleen, its David.”

  “Hi, what’s up?”

  “Can I bring some wine or something? What are we having for dinner?”

  “Fish, do you like salmon?”

  “Yes, I’ll bring a bottle of white wine. What time did you say?”

  “7:30, I’ll see you then David, bye.”

  She knew he was only getting part of what she had said and sometimes she thought he was like a very cute absent-minded professor.

  David arrived right on time and Colleen greeted him with a kiss at the door. She was wearing shorts and a blouse causing David to notice what a great figure she had.

  “Would you like a drink of some kind? We’ll keep the wine for dinner.”

  “What do you have?”

  “Not a lot, but I can do gin and tonics if that’s all right with you.”

  “That would be fine, can I help?”

  “No, just sit down and relax. I’ll have drinks ready in a minute and we can go over my findings.”

  “Where is your roommate?”

  “She and Jimmy went to his parents for dinner; they’ll be back rather late.”

  She came from the kitchen carrying a tray of drinks, a small dish of snacks and an envelope.

  Opening the envelope, she began, “This is the most bizarre thing I have ever seen. What really got me is the DNA helix. I took this photo. See how it’s woven into the steel’s molecular lattice. It’s very strange. Here’s another picture of what looks like a cell and it is jammed between the steel molecules, actually breaking the metallic bond where it has pushed them out of the way. It’s almost as if at some time they were separated, after which these other things were put in and everything was reassembled. Am I making any sense?”

  “You are, but that’s all that makes sense. The big question now is, what do I put into my report? Do I fib a bit and call it plain carbon steel, or do I go out on a limb and say, carbon steel complete with what looks like human body parts?”

  “David, you have to say the latter, but worded a little differently. I could help you write it if you would like.”

  “You might lend a note of credibility to the biological aspect of this whole thing. Without that, they are going to think I have lost my mind.”

  “By the way, are you getting hungry? I’m about ready to put the fish in the oven so make yourself comfortable; I’ll just be a few minutes.”

  He studied the photos and sipped his drink. Lost in thought he did not see Colleen standing in front of him.

  “Dinner is served,” Colleen announced as she took his hands and led him to the table.

  He poured them both some wine and raised his glass in a toast.

  “To the mysterious sample of steel, thank you for bringing me here.”

  Colleen’s eyes sparkled as she added, “Thank you, old chunk of steel.”

  They both laughed and then settled down to eat.

  David took a bite of the salmon and thought, “Colleen is an excellent cook.”

  “Is it all right?”

  “No,” he paused. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened, “it’s better than all right, it’s the best I’ve ever tasted.”

  “David, don’t do that! I thought for a moment that you didn’t like it. It’s a new recipe and I probably should have tried it out first.”

  “A toast to the chef,” clink.

  Dinner was a hit by all accounts and afterward as they shared another glass of wine on her balcony, David kissed her. When she returned the kiss with a deep passion, David realized there was something very special about Colleen, something that made him afraid to rush. After another lingering kiss, he pulled back a little and said, “I think I had better be going, it’s late and I have to finish the report. I’ll call you tomorrow and thanks for a great evening.”

  “I’ll miss you. Call me when you get back to your apartment.” Kissing her again, he said, “I promise.” He stood there looking at her, a moment longer his heart pounding in his chest. He briefly thought of asking to stay, realizing this time he should go.

  Back at his apartment, David spread all the documents on the kitchen table and began to ponder the report. Colleen was right. He would have to reveal the contents of the sample in a careful manner. On the surface, it was just generic steel. It was only when examined under the electron microscope that the impurities become visible. When he did the tensile strength test at the lab, he found that the sample retained only 87.6% of its original theoretical design strength. This percentage was quite low, but low readings were common in older alloys made under less controlled environments, but this was too low.

  The presence of foreign material in the molecular lattice compromised the metallic bonding between the molecules. This phenomenon made the weaker tensile strength more plausible. David struggled with the wording for the basic disclosure of the test. He knew his final summary would have to say something like “At some time in its life, this sample of steel had been subjected to an unusual event which has caused these impurities to reside within the molecular lattice.” He thought about what Colleen had said about the wording, then remembered he was supposed to call her when he got home. Quickly, he dialed her number.

  “Hello,” sleepily at first “David is that you?”

  “I’m home now.”

  “It’s almost 1:30 AM. Where have you been?”

  “I’ve been here, trying to figure out what to say in the report and I just remembered I was supposed to call you.”

  “What are you having trouble with?”

  “The wording.”

  “Okay,” yawned Colleen, “let me think a little bit… How about this: ‘The sample contains a number of unusual substances and elements, the most compelling of which are human cells and DNA. In addition to the cells and DNA, there are the sixty basic elements, which make up the human body intertwined within the steel’s molecular lattice. These elements are in the same proportions as normally found in the human body.’ Does that make sense to you?”

  “Yes, that sums it up very well. Thank you.”

  “I’m glad you called me even though it’s a little late.”

  “Colleen, I was thinking, do you want to get together this weekend, like a movie or something?”

  “Yes, that would be nice. Can we decide tomorrow?”

  “Sure, I’ll call you. Good night.”

  David
finished his report and put it into a folder.

  Tuesday morning he put the report into an overnight envelope and sent it to DeCosta Scrap Metals so they could present it to the Department of the Navy. David called Colleen at work to finalize their plans for the weekend. He had to leave a message on her machine as she was in another part of the building.

  Chapter 6

  It was almost noon when Colleen called and asked if they could meet again for lunch. David picked her up at a little after noon and they were in the line at the Phila-Deli within minutes.

  “David,” her eyes were sparkling, “how would you like to go down the shore this weekend?”

  “Where?”

  “To my parent’s house in Ocean Beach. We have a boat and we can go water skiing and do all kinds of stuff like that. It would be an escape from all these strange things.”

  “That sounds great! Are you sure it will be okay with your parents?”

  “Oh yes, besides they are not going to be there but my brother and his wife are coming down with their two-year old daughter, Mary Katherine. I hope you don’t mind little children?”

  “I would love to come. In fact, I’m ready to leave now.”

  “I’m afraid we will have to wait until Friday after work. Here’s what I have in mind. You pick me up Friday morning all ready to go. We’ll drive to work together and at 5:00 PM, we hit the road. It takes about an hour and a half, maybe a little more if the traffic is bad, but from Philadelphia we are going in the opposite of the normal shore traffic for a while. How does that sound?”

  “Great, what do I bring in the way of clothes?”

  “Not much, a couple of bathing suits and shorts, maybe a golf shirt, things like that. We are very informal there. Have you ever been to the shore?”

  “No, I can’t wait.”

  They finished lunch and drove slowly back to work. Colleen gave him a kiss as she got out of the car and asked him to call her tonight.

  The rest of the week just dragged along for David. Time was moving at a snails pace and the anticipation of spending the weekend with Colleen was all he could think of.