How to Date an Android, Chapter 19 Part B

  Continued from Part A

  I tried to put in an order for the temp service to have someone do a shopping list of future supplies to extend how long I can wait this out, but their phone number is offline. That’s interesting because there’s too many unemployed people for them to run out of people willing to do those runs, which is telling.

  Weird…how is that possible? I am sure I don’t have the number wrong. This is the same number I used before.

  I go back to my exercise regime and start working out. I built up a good sweat and it helped me clear my mind. But the weights I was using were something an elementary kid would use so it’s still discouraging when I look at them. To take my mind off it I think about my next phase of pnning instead.

  A few hours ter I decide to use my backyard for a garden. There won’t be any grass at all by the time I’m done with this. Everything is going to be wall to wall garden. But that’s a lot of work. It’s not something I can even start within a week, partly because I’ve still got mobility issues. Unfortunately I can only work so much on it while recovering from my injuries.

  That’s a good survival strategy right? All I have to do is be self sufficient right? Then I can have the android help be the guards.

  I have to think differently than before and like I’d never had all this technology since public utilities were dependent on technology. It will also mean coming up with new ways of doing things.

  I’ll have to go through my trash and my used stuff to look for anything that can be converted into a portable garden pot or pnter. That means cans, buckets, pstic containers, and even old ramen cups and trays.

  I have enough dirt so I don’t need to buy dirt…but it’ll be hard ter on to actually do the digging with just my arms, since my feet are still pretty weak even though I’m trying to walk.

  But it’s already hot and midsummer. So I’ve already missed part of the growing season right? …That part kind of bites. I could gamble on a te winter being enough time to actually get something from growing things. Lately the mass encroachment of concrete in the country had somewhat deyed the winter cold because of the ability to trap in heat longer.

  I would have to also start soon enough to do all kinds of seed experiments. It wouldn’t be feasible to think that everything that I made would be a success and having many types of experiments and approaches would counter the losses.

  Jeez, there was a ton of stuff to do actually. And not enough time to do it.

  Still no boost data phone when I checked for it after lunch. That’s weird, since androids are dependable.

  After exercising I went at it again after I got a second wind. I even added in other types of exercises that weren’t prescribed. But some weren’t doable. When you have trouble sitting up or even getting off your back then anything that makes you get on your back is not even possible or worth the risk.

  Towards evening I finally got some stuff in my mailbox as per our pn.

  It’s a wonder the postal system has survived this long. It never died out over the years because not everything can be downloaded…but their reputation is beyond horrible. They don’t even try very hard and it’s not unusual for them to deliver unpredictably. If they are supposed to deliver the usual time around 2 PM in the afternoon on a given street, it isn’t unusual to at least once a week see them doing it te at night like 9 or 10 PM.

  I’m surprised though when they deliver te.

  There’s a knock on the door.

  It takes a while but I answer.

  It’s the postal guy.

  “Hey I don’t usually do this. This is under the table you understand? I don’t want to lose my job and I have four kids. One of them is sick,” the guy said.

  He slips me a nonstandard postal package. It’s an envelope. Is this the boost phone? It’s way te. He should have had it here yesterday. He leaves quickly, looking around over his shoulder.

  “Wait, who gave this to you to send to me?” I asked before I opened it.

  “I don’t know man. Like I said…my kid needs a kidney transpnt. I needed a few bucks on the side to help him out. Don’t tell anyone please.”

  I didn’t say anything but nodded.

  He leaves. I open the package.

  I breathe a big breathe of relief. It’s the boost phone.

  There’s an envelope too. And there’s also a text message in the data phone.

  I read the first message.

  It reads; “If you are reading this then you got the package. Also there should be a clip of money in the same envelope to further our goals. The amount in the clip should cover down payment in case we need to work things out. They might not return the previous down payments cash in time to rush this through. Also if there’s a price difference...”

  It has no name…but it could only be Barbara.

  Wait, where is it? Where’s the money clip?!

  I looked around…

  ...

  Its missing.

  Shit… the delivery person must have stolen it.

  And there’s no money clip. I can vaguely see there had been something in there because there was some tape on the inside of the envelope to keep the clip ft against the phone and from moving within the envelope.

  It’s been stolen. Wow.

  We really needed that for this to work out. We’d finally gotten a pn and now we had to change things. And it was in jeopardy and soon to be fading smoke of a broken dream.

  OK that means I have to solve this.

  Was it the postal worker that had stolen it? If what he said was true then I suspect him the most if he’s desperate. It could be him…but it also depended on how many people had been involved in the hand off before it got to him.

  And when I tell Barbara her company called, her text response came back as, “Melinda? Or was it Melissa? I don’t know either of them. They don’t work in my department. Did you save the video feed?”

  “I did. Is there a way to send it to you?” I texted back, via voice import and convert to text.

  “Send anonymous saved as a generic attachment. I’ll send you the email account. On standby.”

  I sent a copy of the recorded conversation with Melissa.

  A few minutes ter Barbara’s response comes back.

  “This person doesn’t work at our branch. Our branch is the only one servicing this county and the two other counties close by.”

  “So what does that mean? Who is she?” I asked.

  “She doesn’t work for Meliffera,” Barbara said.

  “What? How can that be? So who is she? She was acting like she was with you,” I said.

  “She might be hunting androids or those that harbor them or it could be a fed employee trying to figure out if someone who was one of the purchasers happened to be the one that stole that batch of androids. She might be a cop too,” she said via text.

  I cringed. Shit.

  Wait. Rex. I didn’t do anything wrong. I just said I’d call her back and hung up. So I’m good. Just don’t let her in the door.

  “Jack, be careful,” she said.

  “I’ll try. But…uh, I got to go. Somebody’s is outside,” I said.

  “Don’t go outside after dark,” was the st thing she said.

  ...

  Jack’s House stats;

  8000 square foot yard, consisting of front yard and backyard. Front of the house has a rge concrete sb for parking cars where vehicles rest waiting to be worked on. There’s still grass and wn space on a very small part of the front yard. Also the yard has a sizeable side area on one side of the house that goes towards the back that also has paving.

  Iron rod fence (not chain link)

  Wood shed (and wood pile) in the back yard

  Old school truck (not a mag truck); very very old. But Jack has made it look good and very clean. Its in perfect working order.

  Old junker car (client refused to pay 5 years ago, sitting in back of property; Jack has forgotten about this but it does run). This car is older than Jack is like the truck.

  The old House; consists of 2 levels and basement. Basement is small and more of a glorified celr and basement unfinished.

  Main floor; the main floor of house years ago had dining, kitchen, and first floor opened up and joined into one room to convert into a shop space area. Load bearing walls were not removed but had beams remain in pce which were strengthened at time of shop conversion. First floor bedroom 1 was turned into an office space. Bathroom, looking very pin and ordinary, old school on first main floor.

  Second floor; 2 bedrooms on this floor. The second bedroom has a converted separate entrance and staircase that comes up from the outside of the house going to the converted entrance making this room much like a mother in w apartment where a tenant could go in from the back and side without being seen or bothering the shop area. The main master bedroom is Jacks though with injuries he doesn’t like going up to the second floor. There’s a library ssh study on the second floor also. And a converted utility closet. The washer and dryer for the household and a utility room are also on the second floor and set up so that the renter of the mother in w apartment can have access while the main house can be either closed off and locked with or without the undry room to either side.

  Garage; there is a small old school garage on the property that is a very small old style from when peoples garages were more compact. Jack doesn’t use the garage for much except to store parts and tools, using it as an overflow from the shop. Its so dusty he doesn’t like going in there.

  Basement; right now the basement is mostly empty, but Jack recently began putting up storage shelves and supplies there. All his new supplies, camping equipment, etc can be found there as he’s getting ready for trouble. The basement is one room. At one point someone had put up framing to install other rooms in the basement, but it wasn’t finished.