Owsee, "that will leave you with a bare room in the house."
I said, "that's okay with me. I can then turned it into a writing den, where I can work on new stories."
Owsee, "that sounds like a good idea, then I would have some of my old things to make the new place more comfortable."
We then went back to the house.
The sun was now behind the mountains and we were both hungry.
I said, "you must be a good cook Owsee, after all you grew up here and know what things taste like."
Owsee, "that's true, but I've never felt good about my cooking; it's just something I don't like to do."
I said, "and I like to cook, but don't know what anything tastes like here. Kitty has the right idea, use someone else's recipes until you can come up with ones of your own. That smorgesh pie was good, but I would put a lot more cheese on it. But then there is so much to eat on this planet it's hard to know just what I want."
Owsee, "there’s a lot of fruit to eat."
I said, "yes, but I just don't feel like fruit right now. That's the trouble with having so much, you just can't make up your mind."
Owsee, "we could go to Goo da wa’s, I bet he has found what he needs to make those tasty meat sandwiches."
I said, "I was sort of planning to hit the bar later. I know, I know, nothing seems to please me right now."
Owsee, "I feel the same way, so don't worry about it. When we get hungry enough we will eat something."
I said, "do you have any more of those shrooms?"
Owsee, "of course I do, how many do you want?"
I said, "I'll take three please."
Owsee, "three! You'll be lucky if you can still fish tomorrow."
I said, "they don't seem to hit me as hard as you would think. I could handle eating three now and more later."
Owsee, "when Kitty comes home she will ask if we have eaten anything. And we will have the answer, yes, mushrooms."
I said, "and I will have another one of your rum and fruit juice cocktails, please."
Owsee, "coming right up."
And after given me three dehydrated mushrooms, he put three shots of rum in my mug, a good pinch or two of fire powder, and topped it off with the pineapple flavored juice. I ate my shrooms and washed them down with the drink. Owsee had just one mushroom and said they tasted much better fresh.
I then said to Owsee that it was too bad his transport did not have a GPS tracking system in it.
Owsee, "that we do not have, but there is a communications device. I can call her, if she is in the transport she may pick up."
A few moments later she was on the line and said she was not far from town. She said she had to drop a few things off at the shop and would be home shortly.
I told Owsee I was going to sit on the porch with my drink until she got back. He said he would join me.
After sitting down and lighting my I and said, "you know it's hard to believe I will be sitting on this porch with my children before long. Probably pointing out the stars and telling them which planets I have been to."
Owsee, "yes, it's good to have someone to pass your knowledge on to."
I said, "I don't know how it is here, but back on Earth children don't always listen to their parents."
Owsee, "I understand what you mean. But we teach our children to listen to each other very carefully, because that is the only way we learn."
I said, "and Kitty tells me that catalack children are very well behaved and learn fast."
Owsee, "yes, I have heard this. It’s because they never really have a childhood, they grow up to fast."
I said, "I wish I could have skipped my childhood."
Owsee, "you did not like your childhood?"
I said, "no, I did not. My mother and I moved around a lot. I never had much of a chance to make friends. My father left us when I was just four, and I soon learned I could only depend on myself. I could not be happy on Earth, so I left."
Owsee, "have you found much happiness up here among the stars?"
I said, "I like it here. If we had landed at the central city report, this world would have seemed like many others. But this town has a feel to it that’s like sitting on a porch, it feels open, welcome and safe."
Owsee, "yes, it was a hard place to leave and I am glad I'm back."
I said, "and I'm glad I was able to come with you."
It was not long before Owsee said, "look, here comes the kitty. I see she found the switch for the night lights on the transport."
She pulled up in front of the barn and turn the lights off.
Owsee yelled out, "do you need help with anything?"
She replied, "no," as she walked up with a bag of food, and asked if we hadn't eaten yet. To which we replied, "only shrooms," and we both started laughing.
Kitty, "only shrooms ah, well you're not on the floor yet so I bet you're still hungry."
"Yes, please," said Owsee.
Then Kitty looked at me and said, "well, are you hungry?"
And I said, "do you have anything that goes well with mushrooms?"
Owsee started laughing while I just sprouted a big grin on my face.
Kitty turned to Owsee and said, "how many did he eat?"
Owsee, "he was very hungry and ate three."
Kitty, "three, you let him eat three? Well you know what, I'm going to make supper and if either of you are passed out on the floor when it is ready I will take his share to Goo da wa."
I said, "what are we having?"
Kitty, "I don't know yet, but it is going to take a real long time." And she went inside.
I said to Owsee, "I think she is mad at us."
Owsee, "I think she is more mad at me."
I said, "what did you do?"
Owsee, "I let you get messed up."
I said, "that's not your fault, you're not my keeper."
Owsee, "she feels I am responsible for you when she's not around."
I said, "so she is just showing that she cares."
Owsee, "that's one way of putting it."
I said, "well I can't fault her for that. But she must understand that we need to have some fun from time to time."
Owsee, "she knows that, so she will be sweet on you again in a matter of moments. But as for me, it will take a bit longer."
Kitty then came back out and knelt down next to me. She gave me a kiss, then looked into my eyes and said, "are you all right in there? You're not tripping to hard are you?"
I said, "I'm fine. The shrooms don't hit me as hard as they do Owsee."
Kitty, "what’s this you’re drinking, fruit juice?"
I said, "was rum in it."
Kitty, "well at least you're watering it down now."
I said, "how was the city? Did you find out what you needed to know?"
Kitty, "I found out a lot. But I'll save that for supper." And she went back inside.
Owsee, "you see what I mean. You are forgiven; me, she is not talking to."
I said, "that will change by the time we sit down for supper. But there is something I am worried about. The mid-air water take-on, from the lake in the mountains. Your ship is big, but to take on another 3000 units of water while hovering. Will it have the power to hold steady and then make it into space? Remember our take off from the moon.
Owsee, "to start with we no longer have 30 years of waste to dump. And you’re a ship lighter, as you're not taking that three-story high monster with you, that's a lot of weight. Even with the water you will be a lot lighter than before."
I said, "I worry about the fuel burn and that it may taint the water in the lake."
Owsee, "the big ship uses air thrusters just like your ship. And you only need to get the nose over the lake to suck up the water."
I said, "you make it all sounds so easy."
Owsee, "it is, at least with that ship. Remember I spent 20 years working on its systems so that one man could fly it."
I said, "and you have done a very good job at it."
Owsee, "think you. It nice to have one’s work appreciated."
I tried to relight my pipe, but it was burnt out. I as Owsee if he had anything to smoke on him. He pulled out a 4 inch bud and said, "this will keep you from a walk to the barn for now."
I said thank you, and that it was a nice bud. He said yes it was and to note the red hairs in it. He said that some have purple hairs in them, and that this was one of the seed plants that his people brought with them when they came here. And that now it grows just about everywhere.
I said, "so you're telling me you come from a race of the intergalactic stoners."
Owsee, "I don't understand what that is. But we do love a good smoke as well as a good story."
I said, "and a good drink."
He replied, "yes, for some of us. For many of my people it is not used in their homes. It is said to dull the mind."
I said, "that it does. Why I bet I have forgotten more than most will ever learn."
Owsee, "and I hope I have learned more than I will be able to forget."
I said, "well put, yes well put."
Owsee, "like this Ranger you were to meet. I have heard of him, or others like him. They dress in black and walk with a metal staff. It is said they help people from time to time, and are members of a secret society. They have no love for the CM, that I can tell you."
I said, "well it looks as if this may be a treat for me after all. We will have as few hours to talk before we get to the third station. Maybe he can help us help the dock rats, and screw the CM."
Owsee, "screw the CM." Owsee said as we lifted our mugs to make it a toast. And draining our mugs, we went inside to our house bar. We could smell what was cooking in the oven and it made me think of lasagna. I can only hope it tasted like it.
From the kitchen kitty said, "I see the drill rig is gone, is it done already?"
Owsee, "yes, we now have a new power supply. There will be no more brown outs on windless cloudy days. And the backup generator is working just fine as well. I gave the power cells from Nibor’s ship a recharge today."
Kitty, "so that's what I saw in the barn when I pulled up."
I said, "and Owsee made some fresh juice today, lots of it."
Kitty, "I saw a keg in the cooler. How much did you make?"
Owsee, "about five barrels full, Nibor did the picking."
I said, "it was just two trees, and it went rather fast."
Owsee, "yes, very fest. I can truly say I have never seen anyone pick fruit that fast before in my life."
Kitty, "I thought you were going off to work on a new story today."
I said, "I did, but that only took half of the day. Then I brought three cargo containers back and filled them most of the way with water. Tomorrow Owsee and I are going to put fish in them. And I am going to take them to the hungry dock workers on the next three stations."
Kitty, "how long will you be gone?"
I said, "about two days."
Kitty, "are you going with him Owsee?"
Owsee, "no, he can do this on his own. If I go there may be trouble. You know how I get when it comes to the CM."
Kitty, "would you like me to come with you?"
I said, "no, I don't think it would be good for you to do any extra space traveling in your condition."
Kitty, "okay but don't do any more shrooms in hyper space, or your mind may not be the only thing that gets lost."
I said, "don't worry, I will be sleeping from gate to gate on this trip. How is your reading coming along?"
Kitty, "I have all the sounds of the alphabet down. Now I just need to work on reading things."
I said, "Goo da wa has some pages of poems I wrote, we can start you own them. I will try to finish the story I’m writing by the time I get back.
Goo da wa, will be handing it out a page a day over about three weeks, to get new customers."
Kitty, "well I hope I can get a first look at it."
Owsee, "yes, I don't want to take three weeks either."
I said, "you both can get a look at it when I get back. Oh by the way, we were looking around on the net and found a clothing dealer in port. What was his name?"
Owsee, "B.B. Britches."
Kitty, "I know about B.B.. He has some of the more exotic things. But what I need here is work clothes and children wear. That is what wears out, and people need around here. I'm no longer selling to tourist."
I said, "so you found the makers for the clothes you will sell?"
Kitty, "for some of it. I brought some of it home for the shop and there will be some factory reps coming to see me this week, I'm on the list now."
Owsee, "on the list, that's just another way of saying they will be coming around to try and sell you something. If they come to the house I never heard of you."
Kitty, "if you turn my dealers away you will never get another meal from me."
Owsee, "you see, give a woman a kitchen and it's like giving them a gun."
I said, "well then, here’s a saying for you Owsee. Don't take a wife until you learn to cook."
Kitty, "I've got one. Don't have children until you stop being one yourself."
Owsee, "here's one, if a man wants to fill his mouth with food he must learn to keep it shut."
Kitty, "I like that one."
I said, "you know we should write this down on small pieces of paper and put them in a jar. We can call it the wisdom jar, and put it on the bar at Goo da wa’s."
Owsee, "and other people can write things down and put them in the jar."
Kitty, "and maybe a vote on the best saying, once a week."
I said, "maybe a board behind the bar with the name of the poet of the week."
Owsee, "maybe we should ask Goo da wa what he thinks of the idea before we get too excited about it, after all it's his bar."
I said, "well of course it's up to him. But it sounds like a good idea, just like I had an idea for the shop but it's up to Kitty. Say you have a shipment of work gloves, and you don't know what to charge. You put a pair on the counter with a sign that reads. "Guess the price of these gloves and win a free pair." If someone can’t read you just tell them the deal. By the end of the week you will know how much people think they are worth."
Kitty, "that's a fine idea, and it can work with any number of things."
I said, "it's just an idea, like the fact that your store is not as big as some of the stores the clothing company’s deal with. Therefore, they may not want to give you the best deals. However, if you were to buy a year’s worth of something, you could get the big store discount. So you can use my money, and I will put it in storage for you. I'm sure I could make more credits that way, than if I just left my money in the bank."
Kitty, "it will take a little time to find just the right thing to invest in. But it's a great idea, thank you."
I said, "it don't need to be just one thing. Maybe a six month supply of two things, or many things, as long as you get a good deal."
Kitty, "well that certainly gives me something to think about."
I said, "is there anything you would like me to bring back from one of the space stations?"
Kitty, "I can't think of what you may be able to find on a space station that you can't find here."
I said, "and you Owsee, what can I get you? Other than the head of a C.M.A.."
Owsee, "I can't think of anything right now either, just bring me back a good story."
I said, "well now that's an easy one."
Kitty checked the oven as I asked Owsee for another drink. The smell was just wonderful and I was getting very hungry. She said it would take just a few more minutes.
Owsee, "I just thought of a drink that Kitty would love. It's made from a fruit we call Nan, it's long and green but taste like cream. My father made a nice liqueur from it once."
Kitty, "did you say a fruit that taste like cream?"
Owsee, "yes, you may have seen it the day you went fishing. It's at the end of the lot by the lake."
Kitty, "you mean the one that grows in large bunches?"
Owsee, "yes, that's the one. They turn yellow as they get ripe, then black when they are no good."
TheTraveler - book 1 Page 21