Forever Yours
13
Launches
IT WASN’T UNTIL the first weekend of April that Henry and Carol could spend quality time together. Spring Carnival opened on Thursday, but neither one could spare the time away from classes to go that day. They agreed to spend the rest of the weekend just having fun.
Henry had been recruited to help set up the robot races as part of the sponsoring department team. He helped map out the course in the quad outside the Computer Sciences building. That amounted to measuring and painting a two-inch white stripe through the half-mile course, complete with trick curves and dead-end branches.
While many of the robots that would compete came from the robotics department, a part of computer sciences, many also came from alternate programs on campus and even a few industrial competitors from around the area. The civil engineering group, mechanical engineering, physics groups, and even a couple of fraternities entered the two-phase event. Robots had to follow the course while making decisions regarding path directions and overcoming obstacles.
He worked with several other people in the department to map the route and paint the stripe on Tuesday and Wednesday nights before watching the qualifying races Thursday morning to observe if any corrections needed to be made to the course. The number one rule was that once the robot was started on its path, there could be no interference from humans directing or correcting it. They weren’t ‘remote control cars.’ They had to be ‘self-driving.’
Carol joined him for the final races Friday morning. After the track set up and overnight adjustments, Henry had no active responsibilities when the race was being run.
“You mean the robot has to make decisions as it travels the course?” she asked when she saw the first contestant speed around the track.
“I understand it gets harder each year,” Henry said. “Look. The next contestant is from the pros. American Robotics Development Corp., right here in town. ARDC won the professional division last year, but Edison Robotics is putting up a real challenge this year.”
They watched the ARDC robot zip down the track, stop at a fork in the road, then proceed to the next obstacle.
“So how are these things different from a Roomba?”
“Mostly, a Roomba just wanders around sucking up whatever is in its path. It doesn’t have a set course around the house and doesn’t go back and forth in a pattern like a person might vacuum. If it bumps into something, it changes course. These robots actually have to read the signs—which are simple, but we’re talking about robots, not people—and decide which path to take based on the information given. Look! It’s come to the detour I created last night. If it ignores the detour sign, it will fall into a puddle of water. The robots don’t often function well in water.”
The robot came to a stop at the “Bridge out” warning and chose to follow the detour. It had to slow down because the detour route was less clearly marked than the main route. It made it around the hazard and sped on.
After the races, Henry and Carol were free to head for the midway, held in the north parking lot. Some 50 booths were set up in the parking lot, some as much as three stories high! Every Greek society on campus and many of the larger organizations had booths. Each booth had games, food, or entertainment for the people walking through the “American Revolution” themed midway. Some of the booths also sold various crafts, but just visiting the booths was free.
“We should have worn costumes,” Henry laughed. “It’s like a 1776 Renn Faire.”
“Too much work. Finals are in four weeks. You would not believe how much crap the professors are piling on us as we move toward the end of term,” she answered.
“I understand. In fact, we need to register for fall classes next week. I’ve already registered for my summer classes.”
“About that, Henry. The festival is exciting and all, but can we go someplace private for a while. I need to talk to you in an environment that is very private.”
Henry got the distinct impression that Carol was far more interested in getting personal with Henry than being entertained. That suited Henry just fine. They walked to his car and he drove to his house. His parents were still at work. They went directly to his bedroom.
Carol was almost frantic in her desire to get undressed and into bed. Henry responded just as rapidly, losing his clothes and diving into the bed with her. They kissed and touched each other. Carol pulled him to her and nearly had him in her before he grabbed a condom and got it on.
That seemed to turn Carol on even more. She pulled him into her and drove up to meet his thrusts. They hadn’t had quite such a raw rutting together since their golf trip. By mid-afternoon, they were exhausted and sweaty. They showered and Henry brought their favorite soft drinks to his room so she didn’t need to dress. They cuddled together on the bed, still caressing and kissing.
“Wow! That was something else!” Henry said.
“I’ve been looking forward to this afternoon ever since we got back from the tournament. I was afraid we’d never get back together.”
“The past month has gone past in a blur. I was at the point of just coming to camp out in front of your dorm to wait for you. I knew we’d get there soon. What was the rush today?” he asked.
She looked at him and tears started running from her eyes.
“Henry, I’m leaving,” she wailed.
The news was a physical shock as Carol gripped him and wept on his chest.
“I know it’s been hard, but we can make it, Carol,” he said.
She shook her head and reached for a tissue from the bedside table.
“I got word. An email. Yesterday,” she said. “I’m moving to Baltimore. Johns Hopkins says I can enroll for the summer session, but that means I need to be there the first week of May. As soon as I walk out of my last final, my parents will be there to drive me to Maryland.”
“Oh. Crap! I mean, congratulations, I guess. I know it’s what you really wanted. I just… I’ve really grown fond of you, Carol.”
“I know. Me, too!”
A new flood of tears started and this time, they were mixed with Henry’s.
“I’d given up. When there was no word after spring break, I just figured that was it and they didn’t want me. When I got that email yesterday, I couldn’t believe it. I called them and they said they had a cancellation and one space was open if I wanted it. What could I do? I accepted on the spot. Johns Hopkins, Henry. Johns Hopkins wants me!”
“So do I, but I’m not going to try to compete with them. It’s really great news for you, Carol. This is like a dream come true for you. I could not be happier for you,” he asked.
“Happy and sad and angry and excited and elated and devastated and… I wanted to see you last night, but you were out marking the robot course. I just wanted to be in your arms,” she said.
“You’re always welcome in my arms,” he said. “No matter what.”
Their next round of sex was slow and loving, each afraid it would be their last.
Henry had already registered for the summer classes he intended to take, but Monday, he had to get waivers from instructors and his advisor in order to get the fall classes he wanted. His record over two semesters and one summer session made it possible for him to pack his schedule for the fall.
He was officially declared to be on the AI degree track. His schedule for the fall included Computer Vision, Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, Human Memory, Decision Making and Robotics, and Human AI Interaction. He was taking his electives over the summer, figuring the classes called Language and Thought, and Ethics and Policy Issues in Computing would be more relaxing and allow some summer down time. He might even get to visit Carol in Maryland sometime over the summer.
Her announcement that she was leaving could have ended their relationship on the spot, but instead, they found more time to be with each other, even meeting in the library to study and rushing to Henry’s house to make love during a two-hour break in schedules in the afternoon.
“Is this going to make it harder for you to leave?” he gasped as he filled a condom.
“Are you trying to make it harder?”
“No. I just want as much of you as I can get while we are together.”
“Then I want to make this hard for you. Push into me again!”
Of course, the final day of classes approached on the twenty-third and they took Saturday to check into a hotel, order room service, and screw as much as possible. Sunday, they had to get back to their respective groups to study for finals. Both had intense loads and finals nearly every day. They spent the reading day on Wednesday together, but when they kissed goodbye that evening, both knew it was probably for the last time.
“I don’t want to let you go, Henry, but I know this is what’s right for me.”
He bit back a retort about what was right for him and just held her more tightly.
“I guess we always knew this was a possibility,” he said. “That doesn’t mean I will miss you less. I love you, Carol. Maybe one day we’ll be in the same space at the same time.”
“As long as you aren’t stretched out on an emergency room operating table, I’ll be happy about that. I love you, Henry.”
They didn’t drag the parting out.
Carol was gone by three in the afternoon on Friday while Henry was completing his last final exam.
Henry had a week to get his head straight before summer session began. Unfortunately, Luke and Isobel still had two weeks in their spring semester before they would get home.
“Hey, Chas. How’s it going?” he asked when his call connected.
“Blech! I’ve already switched to full-time at the restaurant but the wages are so tiny, I don’t know why I bother. I could be making over a thousand a day, just to hang out with some random dude who’s lonely and wants to pretend he has a hot young girlfriend. How about you?”
“Well, I don’t have a girlfriend anymore. She’s gone to Baltimore. Didn’t know if you’d want to hang out at all, but I can’t afford a thousand a day.”
“Do you think I’d charge you like that? Henry, don’t make it about money. You take care of me. That’s all I’ve ever asked.”
“Do I do that well enough?”
“Oh, yeah. We aren’t seeing each other often, but you are an anchor I really need. How about Wednesday night? I’m off Wednesday because I work Saturday and Sunday.”
“That would be great. Um… I was also wondering if you’d get me the name of that rental agent you mentioned. Luke says we need a physical street address for our corporation and he’s temporarily assigned my home address as the corporate address. I’d rather it wasn’t at Mom and Dad’s house.”
“Good point. I’ll text you her name and number. I’ll see you Wednesday night.”
Henry contacted the agent and set up an appointment to tour apartments.
“Chastity Pappa spoke highly of you,” Anna, the rental agent, said. “I was disappointed to not hear from you earlier.”
“I had very little time to spare during the school year and was saving as much money as I could for this move,” Henry said. He was pleased that she’d been able to arrange showings for him on Tuesday. His parents had declined to collect rent from him during the school year, even though he had grants to cover it. They all figured he would need the money to pay for a decent space when he moved out, not to mention groceries.
“I think we’ll be able to work well together. This first apartment I want to show you is the basic single apartment, not much different than Chastity’s. You won’t be holding parties here. Many of the residents are older and quite vocal about keeping the noise down. I know that sounds like a contradiction in terms, but they don’t hesitate to call the building manager, or even the police if they consider a tenant to be making too much noise. Still, the rent is comparable to university residence halls, but you don’t have the benefit of meals.”
Henry considered the possibilities. The building was quiet, but if he brought Chastity over to celebrate, they’d certainly be thrown out. She was quite vocal at times. The apartment itself was basic. It had one large living area that included the kitchen and breakfast bar with room for a television and sofa. It had one bedroom with attached bath. Henry didn’t have too many clothes—especially compared to Chastity, but there would be barely enough room in this closet to put the basics, and if he wanted a dresser, it would need to be in the living room. With just one window in the kitchen and one in the bathroom, the whole place made Henry feel claustrophobic. Each time Henry found an outlet, he tested the circuit and wasn’t happy with how few he found.
“It has possibilities,” Henry sighed. “I think it’s too small. I have quite a lot of computer equipment, and I’m concerned about power.”
“Hmm. We might do better to get into a more modern building that has better power, then,” Anna said.
Power consumption was always an issue, it seemed, even when AI wasn’t involved.
The next building she showed him, however, was newer construction and was pre-wired for cable, WiFi, and had multiple outlets on every wall. The main room was an open space that included a living/dining area and kitchen, much like the first apartment. The bedroom was larger, as were the bath and closet.
He nodded as he checked all the outlets with a circuit tester. He found two twenty-amp circuits in the apartment, plus separate circuits for the kitchen appliances. That meant plugging devices into different outlets wouldn’t necessarily mean they were on different circuits. He would need to back each of them up with an uninterrupted power source (UPS), and protect even the company server. It just still felt small.
“I kind of like this place,” he told Anna. “Is this as good as they get?”
“Well, there is another place I could show you, but you’ll want a roommate to split the cost with you. It’s quite a bit bigger. It’s a renovated older space, so I’m sure you’ll want to check the power in it as well. I haven’t actually toured it yet, so this will be an adventure.”
The unit was a two-suite row house. Henry was concerned that it was older construction and might not be adequately wired, but the renovation had included everything out to the walls.
“According to the listing, the developer who owns this unit is a fanatic when it comes to modern conveniences. He gutted the unit to the shared walls and rebuilt everything. The second and third floors are complete master bedroom suites with private workspaces as well as a lounge area and bedroom. The first floor has a large living room, dining room, kitchen, and a half bath.”
“This place is huge!” Henry said as he began surveying the main floor.
It was eighteen feet wide and the front third or more of the length was devoted to a living room with an attractive bay window next to the front door. Then came the stairwell, which was open all the way to the third floor. Beyond the stairwell was the dining room, the kitchen, and a laundry/utility room.
He checked the breaker box in the utility room and discovered the unit was dual metered for the two private suites with a common living area. He continued exploring up to the second floor and found the bedroom at the front of the house. A large sitting area was between the stairs and the bathroom. Beyond the bathroom was a large work area or second bedroom.
“It could be used as a two-bedroom suite, but the owner doesn’t want to split the lease more than two ways,” Anna said.
“I wouldn’t want more than one housemate anyway,” Henry said. “Having a full office area is a big bonus.” He checked the wiring, noting cable connections in the bedroom, the sitting room, and the second room.
They continued to the third floor. The layout was identical. Henry could imagine two people with full offices in their suites. Anna said even the cable wiring was split between the two suites.
“What’s up there?” he asked, pointing to where the stairs narrowed and continued to a door above.
“The listing just says ‘usable space, but no bath.’ Might as well check it out. If you don’t want this place, I can think of some other people who might match the profile.”
They went on to the fourth floor and opened the door. This was an open room, about half the length of the unit instead of a full suite. It had windows in front and French doors in back. The doors opened to a rooftop deck. The room was wired as well as the suites, but it was all one open space.
Henry headed back to the third floor, this time checking water pressure and time to heat. Both were good. He also noted that all the bedroom, bathroom, and workspace doors were lockable.
“I suppose that now I’m enthused about the space, you’ll tell me it’s three or four grand a month,” he said.
“List is $4,000,” Anna said. “Remember, the owner is expecting to need to split that between two tenants. I could put your application in and go scrambling to see if I can find you a roommate for the other half. Or… hmm… I bet I could get ten percent, or maybe even fifteen off, if you take it as a single lease with a waiver to sublet part of it. I’m betting the owner doesn’t really want to manage the housemate situation. If you are the only lessee, I’m sure I could talk him down.”
“I assume since everything is double metered, utilities are on top of that,” Henry said.
“Oh, yes. If your computing takes up that much power you could be adding a chunk.”
“I like it. I’m sure I can find a housemate, but it might take until people start showing up for the fall at the university. And I think my business will chip in to have the office space on the fourth floor. I can handle a few months of the full lease if you can get it down a bit. I’ll take the top floor and a half. That’s a sweet suite.”
“You don’t even need to tell a subletter how much of the space you have,” she said.
Henry considered that notion, but didn’t think it would make a difference. He would have a space large enough that Open Cloak Design could hire one or two people.
He couldn’t wait to tell Chastity.
Please feel free to send comments to the author at devon@devonlayne.com.
