‘Ten o’clock, it is. Thank you, George.’
`Always a pleasure, Maureen.’
Donald said, ‘Dallas phones are all tanks now. How come KC still uses flatties? Why
don’t they modernise?’
I answered, ‘Money. Donald, any question that starts out “Why don’t they – ” the
answer is always “Money”. But in this case I can offer more details. The Dallas
try-out turns out not to be cost-effective and the 3-D tanks will be phased out. For
the full story see the Wall Street journal. The back issues for the past quarter are
stacked in the library. It’s a six-part series, front page.’
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Heinlein, Robert A – To Sail Beyond the Sunset.txt
Tm sorry I brought it up. They can use smoke signals for all of me.’
‘Be glad you brought it up and make use of the opportunity I offered you. Donald, if
you intend to cope with the jungle out there, you need to make the Wall Street
journal and similar publications such as The Economist your favourite comic books.’
I added, `Ice-cream and cake?’
I put Priscilla into Susan’s room, and Donald into the room Patrick had had, just
beyond my bath. We went to bed early. About midnight I woke up, then got up to pee,
not bothering with a light, as there was moonlight streaming in. I was about to
flush the pot when I heard an unmistakable rhythmic sound – bed squeaks. Suddenly I
was goose-flesh all over.
Priss and Donnie had left here almost as babies, two and four years old; they
probably didn’t realise that this old house was about as well soundproofed as a
tent. Oh, dear! Those poor children.
I kept very quiet. The rhythm speeded up. Then I heard Priscilla start to keen and
Donald to grunt. Shortly the squeaks stopped and they both sighed. I heard Priscilla
say, `I needed that. Thanks, Donnie.’
I was proud of her. But it was time for me to hurry – much as I hated to, I must
catch them in. the act. Or I couldn’t help them.
Seconds later I tapped on Donald’s door. `Darlings? May I come in?’
Chapter 19 – Cats and Children
It was after one o’clock before I left the children; it had taken that long to
convince them that I was not angry, that I was on their side, that my only concern
was to sec that they did not get hurt – because what they were doing was
exceptionally dangerous in all sorts of ways, some of which I was sure they knew but
some of which they, may not know about or had at least not thought about.
When I had gone in to see them, I had not grabbed a robe. Instead I had gone in as I
was, bare naked, because a fully dressed authority figure such as a parent, walking
in on two children caught in delectable flagrente, is all too likely to scare it out
of them – cause bladder and bowel to cut loose. But another human as naked and
vulnerable as they were themselves simply could not be a ‘cop’. As Father had taught
me years earlier, to know which way the frog will jump, you have to put yourself in
the frog’s place.
They still would not like being caught – they didn’t! – but, if I did not catch them
in bed together, they would lie about it later if I tried to question them. It is
parallel to the old rule about puppies: if you don’t catch a puppy at it, it is
useless to bring the matter up later.
So I tapped and asked to come in, and waited.
A suppressed gasp, then dead silence –
I waited a while longer, then counted ten chimpanzees and tapped again. ‘Donald!
Priscilla! Please! May I come in?’
There was a whispered conference, then Donald’s strong, manly baritone called out –
and cracked. ‘Come in – Mother.’
I opened the door. There were no lights on, but there was moonlight and my eyes were
adjusted to the low light level. They were in bed together, sheet pulled up, and
Donald was simultaneously protecting his sister against all dangers with his strong