Pop: Chapter 13a

     I quickly get back in the car, so no one can hear the rest of the conversation.  I have a feeling things will get quite loud.

    "Why were you in Ohio?  We planned the route perfectly.  You and Miguel were supposed to go through West Virginia to take up to an hour off the drive.  Especially if you left early this morning."

    "Well, Miguel couldn't make the trip, so we had to go with Paul."

    "Paul?  Didn't he get another job back in February?"

    "He came back to help out this week when Miguel's brother had a medical emergency.  Didn't ask for specifics.  Anyway, Paul had the free time, so we got him for the rest of the week."

    "But, what about Ohio?" I was trying my best not to yell into the phone, but I was starting to lose it.

    "Paul thought this route would be better.  To be honest, we are already half way to Lexington.  I just wanted to make sure that the carrier had picked up before I called.  That roaming plan you set up isn't the best in certain areas."

    That almost calms me down, but I still have a nagging feeling something else will go wrong.

    "Just drop by the hotel.  It's less than a block from the center where the dinner is being held, so you'll have plenty of time to get ready."    

    "About that.  I didn't book rooms at that hotel."

    "What?!?"  I'm on the verge of shouting.

    "Yeah.  The college booked me some rooms, for my visit tomorrow.  I've got a few more details to iron out of my contract.  They are also looking into some places I can rent when I start teaching there next year."

    "Berea? That's at the other end of Madison.  That could add an hour round trip.  You did get my message that we are moving up the dinner by an hour or so to avoid some storms that could pop up?"

    "I got it.  Don't be such a worrywart. The hotel's in Richmond, not Berea. That's not as far away.  We'll still have time to check in and drop everything off before heading back.  There will be plenty of time."

    "That is still an extra thirty minutes that we might not have.  Dad, this could cause problems."

    I hear him sigh before he answers.

    "Look, I get that you're a schedule freak.  I've only known you a few years, but I get you.  Sometimes, you just have to let things fall where they may.  You can't always get what you want, when you want it.  A few minutes isn't that important in the bigger picture of things."

    He's wrong, but I won't tell him that.  Not right now.

    "Just try to get here by six.  Now, did you get Thad's messages as well?"

    "Yeah," Dad sniffles a yawn before continuing. "I read that stupid piece.  Dawkins was just starting out when I wrote that for the 'Fine Arts.'  Now, he's a managing editor.  He is more literary than the typical art snob."

    "I guess you two didn't get along much."

    "Well, he wasn't a main reason for my quitting, but he was a reason.  They way he butchered that piece just so he could hurt you."

    "So, I guess the original didn't sound as bad as he let on?"

    "There was a totally different vibe going on.  I sent you a link to the original in my cloud account.  There, you can read it as it originally was."

    "Wait, you had a cloud account way back then?  I didn't think they existed yet."

    "No.  Of course not.  I transferred the records over when it became available, but I still had kept the original."

    I keep forgetting how up-to-date my Dad has been with technology.  From his work at the university, he's been on the forefront of innovation for years. And he taught art studio classes, not the type of thing that one usually thinks of when talking about computers.