Part 7 (1/2)
He went back into the living room, selected a film from the library and slipped it into a lap projector. He sat down and tried to concentrate on the film, a historical adventure about the days of the first moon rockets. He couldn't follow it.
The viewer rang.
He bounded from the chair as though he had triggered a high speed ejection seat in a burning jet. He went to the viewer and flicked it on.
The plate s.h.i.+mmered, and then Ciel's image came into focus.
”_Baby!_” He was certain his shout overmodulated every amp tube in the entire World City viewer system. But he felt better, wonderfully better, already.
She was smiling. ”h.e.l.lo, d.i.c.k.”
”h.e.l.lo.”
And then they looked at each other in affectionate embarra.s.sment for a moment.
”One of us,” said Pell, ”ought to have his script writer along.”
”d.i.c.k, I don't know exactly how to say what I want to say....”
”Don't. Don't say anything. Just pretend nothing ever happened. Just come on home fast as you can.”
”No, d.i.c.k. Not yet. I still want to talk about--well, everything. d.i.c.k, we've got to reach some sort of compromise. There _must_ be a way.”
”Come on home. We'll find a way.”
”Not home. Too many memories there. Besides,” she smiled a little, ”I don't trust us alone together. You know what would happen. We wouldn't get _any_ talking done. Not any sensible talking anyway. You'd better meet me someplace.”
He sighed. ”Okay. Where can I meet you?”
”How about the Stardust Cafe?”
”Again? That place didn't help us much the last time.”
”I know, but it's the handiest. I'm sure we can find a quiet place. Out on the terrace or something.”
”Is there a terrace?”
”Yes, I think so. I'm sure there must be.”
He looked at his chrono. ”All right, baby. Half an hour?”
”Half an hour.”
When she clicked off he felt his heart pounding. He felt dizzy. He felt as though he had just taken a quart of meth at one jolt--intravenously.
He sang, more loudly and more off-key than ever. He went into the bedroom and started to get dressed again.
It wasn't until he was finis.h.i.+ng the knot in his tie that the hunch hit him.
It was funny about that hunch. He would have said it came out of nowhere, and yet it must have broken from the bottom of his mind through some kind of restraining layer into the conscious levels. He didn't remember thinking anything that might have brought it on--his mind was strictly on Ciel. Maybe that was how it came through, with the attention of his conscious mind directed elsewhere.
With the hunch he heard Ciel's voice again, heard it very clearly, saying: ”_I'm sure we can find a quiet place. Out on the terrace or something._” And with that other things started to fall into place.