2020-12-01 - Quora Computers

 2020-12-01 - Quora Computers 

Gene had gotten the text just before he left school.  Shea was working late on a project and so he wouldn’t be able to take Lyra to her after school program.  It was one of Lyra’s favorites, too; nature walking.  Gene had agreed to walk Lyra to the place where the walk would begin, The Farm.  As they started walking, Gene sent Bruce Davis a quick text telling him he would be a few minutes late and would gladly work a few minutes past his usual 4 - 9 shift to make up for it.  He pocketed his phone and laughed at the adventures of Lyra’s school day.

Miranda was walking out of the school front doors at the end of the day with Winona and Tyler.  She was wearing a short light bomber style grey winter jacket and her grey plaid skirt. She had on purple  and black striped leggings and a grey and multi coloured patterned knit scarf and gloves. She had her usual black lace up boots on and her light purple hair was in two low pigtails. She was planning to take her laptop in for repairs and was keeping an eye on Gene, trying to avoid taking it in when he was working at Quorra Computers. They weren’t in an active conflict right now but they were seemingly mutually in active avoidance. But to her relief she saw Gene walking his younger foster sister towards the access road and then they kept going. She and Winona said goodbye to Tyler as he broke off but then they walked towards Winona’s and Quorra Computers, which was of course in the same building, along with Carpenter’s Hardware shop and Dust Jackets second hand bookstore. They stopped for take out coffees and walked with them, just two giddy carefree friends on a nice walk. Miranda lingered in her goodbye at the door up to the apartments and then when Winona was up the stairs she casually walked into the computer shop and saw the older owner behind the counter. She smiled warmly at him “Hi there. I have a laptop that won’t charge. Would you have time to look at it please?”

Bruce Davis looked up and smiled as the tall young woman with purple hair walked in. He was shorter than this customer and Gene, about 5”9 with his old adidas sneakers on. Bruce dressed almost the same each day. Simple blue jeans and a button up shirt open over a t-shirt. He wasn’t in terrible shape but had a bit of a couch potato pot belly that was visible above his skinnier legs. Today his over shirt was black over a white shirt under with a faded CKAR 98 Alexandra Radio logo on it. His long grey hair was parted in the middle and in a single braid partway down his back. He had a round kind face with a pair of rectangular steel wire frame glasses. The girl looked about Gene’s age. Too bad he was late today. Pretty girl, nice smile. “Yeah of course. Let’s take a look.” He patted the counter and she pulled the laptop out and  he began to examine it just as the phone rang “Pardon me..” He said as he stepped back a bit to grab it “Quorra Computers? Yes... yes...” It was an important call and he was wishing Gene was there already as he looked apologetically at the young lady. But then Gene had perfect timing and walked in. Bruce caught his eye and smiled and then pointed to the girl with her laptop indicating he needed to get right to helping her.

Miranda’s laptop was about 10 years old, a smaller model and was covered in various stickers on the case but still clean on the inside like she did actually take care of it. The computer guy had to take a call and she didn’t mind waiting. But then she felt the breeze as the door opened and the guy was smiling and gesturing at someone. She didn’t even need to turn around. She was pretty sure she had just been directed to Gene. Miranda momentarily cringed but before he could see it she took a deep breath and forced her face into a neutral expression.

Gene had not run, but had walked fast to try and get to work on time.  He didn’t want to disappoint the older man, but he seemed very kind hearted.  And he overall liked the job.  He wound up being about 15 minutes later than he should have been and, as soon as he walked in the door Bruce, who was on the phone, smiled and pointed to the person at the counter.   With purple pigtails.  Miranda.  Gene nods to Bruce and moves around the counter, tossing his backpack into the back room.  He looks at Miranda and at least doesn’t snarl.  Things had been relatively calm between them.  “Hey.”  he began.  “How can I help you?”

Miranda also works in customer service and honesty she hadn’t buttered heads with Gene in awhile so she just said matter of factly “It’s not charging or holding a charge. I tried two cords so it’s not the cord.,.but I have it. She pulled it out of her bag and set it beside the laptop and then briefly looked at Gene. His hair was a bit wind blown but it somehow made him look ruggedly handsome. She made herself look down at the laptop cord and wait for his reply.

Gene took the cord when she offered it and examined it.  It was in good shape especially considering that this was a really old computer.  He glanced up at her and nodded as he blindly reached for a form.  “I’m going to need your phone number.”  he told her, trying not to sound apologetic.  The purple in her hair was growing out and he liked that shade .. her natural one.

Miranda heard Gene and had a moment of hesitation before saying “Right...ok.” She rattled off her cell phone number. For some reason the idea of Gene having it gave her a pang of something she couldn’t identify... again. Weird surge of emotion. Couldn’t she just be neutral? These surges were a discomfort. She looked over at the older guy pacing in a sort of back hallway and talking on the phone.

Bruce looked stressed and then relieved and then determined all in one conversation “So we’re guaranteed to have an order on that last shipment. Oh thank you Gail, you’re a life saver. Yeah you tell him I said so...” He laughed “The jackass... you too. Take care now.” And he clicked and stepped up beside Gene “They discontinued the motherboard that’s in all the school computers. But I just scored some old stock....how you guys doin here?” He smiles warmly between Gene and Miranda.

Gene wrote down the number, making sure she saw that he was putting it on the form.  He avoided smiling.  Of course, she wasn’t giving the phone number to him.  Why would she?  It wasn’t like they were friends or anything.  He put down the make and model of the laptop and then picked the machine up just as Bruce came back in.  “Good deal.”  he replied.  “The school needs them, believe me.”  he peered at the power cord on Miranda’s machine.  If she was lucky, it was only a loose connection, but the machine was so old, he feared the worst for her.  And the more expensive option.  Hopefully she wouldn’t blame him or accuse him of price gouging or something.  But to cover his bases, he told her.  “It might just be a loose connection, but if it’s not one of two things can fix it.”

Miranda smiled at the shop owner. And then because she was actually really grateful to have her computer looked at and that Gene was being pretty cool about it, she gave him a genuinely warm smile, not even knowing really where it came from “Thank you. Let me know either way.” She was hoping it wasn’t too expensive. “I guess for today I will be going to the library to use one of their computers.” She doesn’t really know how to end the conversation so she just slowly backs up a few steps and then stumbled a bit and felt her cheeks go red “Totally meant to do that....bye.” Then she turned and quickly left, slightly dying of embarrassment.

Bruce nodded, grinning “I know right.” Then he observes Gene’s customer service with an approving nod. But the girl seems a bit clumsy and blushing  around Gene and he has to work to hold back his smile until after she leaves. Then he raises an eyebrow at Gene “Well I sure hope we can fix her computer. Good timing. We got A32s coming in  and you got to help the pretty girl.”

Gene nodded at it and when she smiled, he froze a little bit like a deer in a set of headlights.  “Yea … bye …”  he murmured, watching her leave.  Bruce mentioned the timing and that Miranda was pretty.  He shrugged.  “Yea … I can .. we can …  I mean.  Miranda … her name’s Miranda .. we’re in the same grade …”  and he stops, blushing a little for no reason he can guess.  He takes the laptop and takes it back to the small room in the back and sets it down, resting his hand on the lid.

Bruce cracks up at Gene’s reaction about Miranda like he’s tickled pink with the whole situation “Alrighty then. Take good care of Miranda’s computer.” He has a bit of a teasing tone but before he can say anything further the front door opens and Sakura Yamada walks in looking stricken.

“Bruce….I’ve lost them….all my emails...they’re gone. What do I do? I mean do I just need  a whole new computer?” She has a laptop in a carrying bag which she sets before him like an offering.

Bruce frowns “I don’t know about that Sakura….and you likely don’t need a new computer…..let’s take a look see…..” He unzips the case and opens her laptop and fires it up “Show me how you get to your email?” He turns the laptop so they can both see it after it’s booted up and he’s gotten it to acknowledge Quorra’s wifi connection.

Gene blinks and looks sharply at Bruce when he starts teasing.  Opening his mouth to tell the teasing older man to go fuck himself, an elderly Japanese woman walks in saying she’s lost all of her emails.  So instead of telling him to go fuck himself in English, he murmurs it in Mohawk.  The sentiment remains, and Gene turns to the laptop, plugging it in and booting it up, realizing he forgot to ask Miranda if she had a password on it.  Fortunately, she does not, and he snorts slightly thinking of her reaction to him asking for her password.

Sakura taps the icon on her screen for her email “Stephanie set this up so it’s all one click...but now I just get this page asking me about security and telling me news stories about Covid…..do I have a virus? I don’t watch the porn Bruce...I’m an old woman.”

Bruce chokes, trying not to laugh at Sakura. He had heard Gene muttering something in what he guessed what might be Mohawk but he didn’t speak it. “Hey old women can watch whatever they want right? I won’t tell...but no I don’t think you have a virus. I think your email program did an update and it looks different now. This is legit...answer these questions and confirm your security stuff…..” He nods at her to go ahead. 

Sakura starts answering them and mutters to herself “My mother’s maiden name….ok….backup email? Oh I don’t know what Stephanie put for that...let me call her…..” She starts dialing on her phone and waits “Steph honey…..I’m at the computer place…..yes they’re helping me get my emails back…..don’t you take that tone with me...I don’t care how old you are…”

Gene notices that the computer is at 10% and not charging.  He also hears the conversation between Bruce and the older lady, which makes him clear his throat of several laughs before flipping the laptop over, grabbing a screwdriver and beginning the process of cracking the case.   He looks at the power connection and bites his lip.  The computer is older and the power cord is attached to the motherboard.  He begins to run a test or two, but the phone rings and he answers it.  “Quorra Computers, this is Gene.”  he pauses and arches his brows.  “Well … did he eat it or did he just bite it ma’am?”  he asks politely.  The answer makes him blink.  “No ma’am … if it’s in pieces…”  she interrupts him and his brows raise.  “Ma’am, I think you should take the dog to the vet, just in case.  And then yes, you’ll need a new phone.  I’m sorry …  No problem.”  He hangs up a moment later, shaking his head in disbelief at people.  He goes back to his tests.

Bruce rubs the back of his neck and turns his face away, unable to hide his amusement with Sakura’s side of the conversation. Then he catches a hint of Gene’s phone call and  exhales through puffed cheeks. It was going to be one of THOSE days. 

Sakura nods as she cradles her phone “Uh huh…...can I just put you on with Bruce? You two solve it please…..” As she passes Bruce her phone Stephanie can be heard yelling “Mom you need to make it send me an email!”

Bruce takes the phone and clears his throat “Hello Stephanie….yep…...it’s ok I clicked it. Just tell me the password when they send it to you. No it’s an update…...oh I don’t mind…” He chuckles a bit and types “Yep...yep…..ok we’re in. Have a good night Steph. Thanks.” He hands the phone back and gestures at the screen, revealing all the emails still intact.

Sakura does a little hop as she takes the phone “Oh thank you thank you!” She says to Steph “He’s a miracle worker….what do you mean he should charge me double…..oh I’ll talk to you later...the cheek…Bye bye now.” She hangs up and beams at Bruce.

The door opens and Walter McLeod comes in looking sad and ashamed with his phone in a clear tied off bag of rice. He lets out a great big sigh and waits his turn.

Gene is able to figure out the problem easily, but it is not a happy answer.  He sighs and looks around the back room and finds what he is looking for; a motherboard that will work with her computer .. and is actually an improvement of what she already has.  He bites his lip and looks out the door into the main shop.  Bruce is talking to a fat man with a phone in a bag of rice.  He loiters until Bruce is done, making a silent bet on the possibilities .. the man dropped it in the toilet, washed it in a washing machine or dropped it in a pot of water somehow.

Sakura packs up her laptop and actually does pay for the service time, not double but regular with a  nice tip. “Bruce you’re fantastic.” She slings the bag over her shoulder and turns seeing Walter “Oh dear…..good luck with that Walrus. Take care boys.” And she heads out.

Bruce takes the payment from Sakura “Oh….thanks. It’s not trouble...really. Maybe call your daughter first next time and don’t panic. You take care too Sakura.” Then he looks at Walter as the man plunks the rice bag on the counter “If it’s been in a toilet I need to get the disinfectant….Hi Walter….”

Walter swallows “Fish tank. Sally threw it in the fish tank…..it wasn’t my fault. I didn’t ask her to send me those pictures…..she hit Oscar and he went…” He gestures with his hand in a float to the top motion “Belly up….” He sniffs a bit.

Bruce is momentarily speechless and then opens the  bag and clears his throat and carefully asks “Did you share private pictures of Sally?” He’s trying to piece it together.

“No….no….Lorna….Lorna sent me pictures. It was going so well….” Walter deflates a bit.

Gene moves slightly back in the workroom as Sakura leaves and the new man .. Walter .. arrives.  He loses the bet with himself when it’s reported the phone was thrown in a fishtank.  And had apparently killed … Oscar … who was a fish he guesses.  Bruce mentions one woman’s name and Walter mentions another.  Gene pulls up to another laptop and reads the invoice, amused.

Bruce examines the phone “Well tough break eh? How long was the phone in the water?” He winces as a trickle of water dribbles out and sticks it right back in the rice.

Walter grimaces at the phone going back in the bag “Oh let me see….She ran out…..I tried to chase her but I got winded. One of the neighbours popped out and asked if I was ok…..I think they were gonna call 911..” He snorts “Never seen a  fat man run I guess. Anyhow I made it back…..I flushed Oscar…..sang him a song…”

Bruce interrupts him “You flushed the fish and sang a song before you took the phone out of the tank?” He sounds concerned.

Walter defends himself like this should be normal “Well yeah...I always knew he was a Zeppelin fan….only appropriate to play him Stairway to Heaven…..not sure if I got the guitar solo bang on….you know grieving….”

Bruce interrupts again “That’s a seven minute song….and we can assume a ten minute attempt at a run? So this phone was underwater for at least twenty minutes?”

Walter scoffs “Oh I’d saya  good thirty….Sally wasn’t done telling me what for right after she threw the phone…”

“Jesus….Walter….k leave it in the bag overnight...change the rice before you sleep. It needs some time to dry out.” Bruce hands him back the bag “Sorry about your fish.”

Gene reads the invoices and figures they are actually caught up … the drowned phone and Miranda’s laptop notwithstanding.  He comes out as Bruce gives Walter some advice about drying out his phone and as he does another man comes in looking somehow annoyed and down.  He looks at Walter with a raised brow, adjusting his laptop.

Adum Brate looks at Walter, then at the bag of phone, then Bruce and back to Walter with a slight grin.  “Sally destroyed another phone, eh?”

Walter takes the rice bag back from Bruce and nods humbly “Ok man….thanks.” He turns and replies to Adum with a sad sigh “I can’t win….I can’t help it if some of the lady fans are just drawn to me right? You get it Mr. Mayor? Mind you your wife’s pretty smokin too….” Walter was simply Walter.

Bruce face palms “Bye Walter!” He calls out like he’s shooing him now. Guy didn’t know when to quit sometimes. “Mayor Brate…how can I help you today?” He says with a welcoming smile.

Gene blinks both at what Walter said, but that he said it to the mayor.  He finally gets to see the man whose wife runs the sex shop and he isn’t surprised the guy isn’t an old fat foggey.

Adum looks at Walter, evenly.  “Actually Walter, I don't get it … except from my wife.  If the lady fans are drawn to me I use this tried and true trick.  I tell them I’m married to a wonderful woman.  You might try that and who knows … you and Sally might just manage to get REengaged.”  he shakes his head and looks at Walter as if the larger man can leave whenever he is ready.

Walter smiles, taking the hint “It’s good advice…..” He’s been put in his place and he takes it, especially from the mayor “You have a good one eh? See ya Bruce….” And he lumbers out of the shop humming Stairway to Heaven.

Bruce looks awkwardly at Adum and then laughs “Guy never changes. What’s troubling your tech then?”

Gene watches the big man leave and is impressed with this young mayor, but he stands back, since the men seem to know each other.

Adum sighs as Walter leaves and looks at Bruce.  “Never.  I feel sorry for Sally.”  He sets his laptop down.  “Well, first let me work on my courage while I introduce myself.”  he looks at Gene.  “Adum Brate.  You’re Gene … I know because I dealt with a bit of that fallout from the school.  I’m very sorry about that, by the way.”

Gene blinks again.  “Oh …  hi … Mayor Brate.”  he shrugs.  “Well I guess it’s OK, but they never did find out who printed those fliers.  But it’s all out in the open now so … I guess that’s … a thing.”

Adum nods.  “True .. but VanBuren is working on it.  The school has some issues this year.”  he shrugs.  “Alright … now that I’ve stalled …  I have a problem with the CD drive.  I really don't know how long it’s been like this, but …”  he turns the laptop towards the men and it looks almost normal, except for some pale pink and brown around the edges.  “I’m not one hundred percent sure, but I THINK Izzy may have tried to feed my computer…”

Bruce nods along as Adum says he feels sorry for Sally “Yep.” Then he listens to Adum introduce himself and talks to Gene about the awful poster that had gone up in the school “Well maybe it filters out the asshats right?” He replied when Gene said it was out in the open. “Know who’s the genuine deal as a buddy.” He’s curious about the issues at the school but knows he’s not privy to that information. He does some IT work for them and tech support but he’s certainly not that connected and he doesn’t have any kids. Then he listens as Adum explains the child wanting to feed the CD drive and laughs “She wouldn’t be the first….” He leans down and looks at the drive and then sniffs at it “Smells fruity…..no mold ...yet. I’ve seen worse.” He stands back up “But it’s going to take some delicate cleaning...and we may need to replace the drive if it’s real bad further in there.”

Gene nods.  “Yea.  It kind of is.  The people that need to know the truth know the truth.  The asshats can assume what they want.”  his mind flashes to Miranda quickly, but then the business of the CD drives diet comes up.  He takes his turn sniffing.  “Fruit punch fruit roll up.”  he annonces.  “I liked those when I was a kid.  Never thought to feed a computer one.  Guess I was a greedy kid.”  

Adum nods.  “That's a good way to look at it, Gene.”  he sighs and rolls his eyes.  “That sounds like Izzy food to me.”  he says and shakes his head.  “You fix it, please.  I’ll have a word with my generous little girl.”

Bruce gives Gene an encouraging look and then chuckles when Gene even knows what flavour of fruit roll up it is “Nice….maybe keep her on carrot sticks...harder to get in there.” He smiles and nods at Adum “We’ll get it sorted. You could get your kid feeding all those cats if she wants something to feed.” He teases. Bruce knew how many they had...roughly. The Brate cats were infamous.

Gene grins about the carrot sticks.  He doesn’t have any kids, but that sounds like good advice.

Adum chuckles.  “She has a good heart.  And don’t get her started on cats.  We’re trying to get her ready for Voldemort’s time.  I told her the baby will get my office if it's a boy and she says we should trade the baby in for another couple of cats.”  he shakes his head.  “Alright … let me know when the dental work on my computer is done, would you guys?”  he smiles, ready to depart and leave them alone in the store.

Bruce has to laugh about the baby cat negotiations “Izzy’s a clever one. Have fun with that. Will do Adum. Have a good night.” And then he’s gone and Bruce putters around getting some tools and solution safe to remove fruit roll up gunk from the CD drive. He happens past the laptop Gene is working on and looks at him “How’s this one working out? See you found it a new motherboard…”

Gene nods and waves.  “Good night, Mr Mayor.”  he calls as the man leaves.  He sees Bruce looking for the solution and he comes near him to answer him.  “Yea …  basically I figured I could put this in. Basically she needs a new machine and this would be a new machine.  The only thing is, this motherboard is more than she used to have … if that’s alright?  It would come out to about 300 bucks.”  he’s done the math in his head.

Bruce nods in agreement “Yeah this one would work….and better. I dunno call the customer about the pricing before you do it all. Besides then you get to talk to her again.” Bruce snorts and grins as he turns and opens some little plastic bin drawers. “You know I’m just teasing you. But she did seem a little flustered by you…”

Gene nods and then sighs as Bruce teases again.  “She and I don’t … no it’s not like that, man.  We’re like … like …”  he can’t even think like what.  “Oil and water?  Cats and dogs?  We are in the same homeroom and a couple classes and just ignore each other.”  he holds up a hand.  “But I’m a professional and she’ll get nothing but the best from me.”

Bruce laughs but does back off “Oh Gene…..I’m just winding you up. I know you’ll do great. Bit of a shame though you don’t get along with her. Just my opinion.” He finally finds what he’s looking for and pulls out a handful of cotton swabs “Aha…..degunkers!” He sets Adum’s laptop up in a space to work on it and clicks on another lamp to shine some light on the project as he opens up the drive and dips the swab in some cleaning solution and begins to gently scrape away.

Gene snorts.  “You got weird opinions, man.”  he shakes his head and picks up the phone, looking at the invoice for Miranda’s number.  He takes a deep breath and blows it out.  “OK …”  he breathes and then begins to dial from the landline.

Bruce scrapes away but looks sideways for a second at Gen as he’s sensing he’s psyching himself up to call Miranda. He raises a brow briefly and then keeps working.

Miranda is settled at one of the computers in the Alexandra library she’s typing and deleting and typing and deleting and then finally she shoves her head into her hands in frustration…..poetry is hard. As she slumps in her block, her phone rings and she scrambles digging in her bag for it as she is in a library after all. She looks at the call display and sees Quorra Computers and then answers speaking quietly “Hello?” She says a few decibels above a whisper.

Gene listens to the phone ringing and wonders if she might have turned it off just to avoid speaking to him.  Typical.  But she finally answers and her voice is soft and quiet.  She’d mentioned going to the library but the low soft tone of her voice is a bit of a surprise somehow.  It’s nice.  Then he shakes his head and remembers he doesn’t like her and she doesn’t like him.  “Rand … Miranda?”  he corrects himself before calling her by the name that feels natural to him.  “It’s Gene at Quorra Computers.  I’ve examined your computer and you need a new motherboard.  I have one here and can install it without affecting your hard drive.  It’s going to be 303 all told.”

Miranda hears him almost call her Randy and then he corrects it to her full name. She feels an odd twang of disappointment? How can she feel that when the first time he called her Randy it annoyed the hell out of her. Who was he to decide on a nickname….but now she felt strange. She focussed on what he was saying next. Gene at Quorra Computers. She smiled and looked at her phone even though he couldn’t see. Gene had a nice voice. Sometimes you didn’t focus on a person’s voice when they were sitting in the same room...or glaring at you. She heard motherboard and then the amount and sighed audibly “Three hundred and three….shit…” She let out another sigh and then asked humbly “Do you guys….let people pay in installments? I…..uh….I don’t have all of that today but I can pay some and then some when I get paid next week. I don’t expect to collect my computer until it’s paid up.”

Bruce peers into the CD drive and scrapes but listens to Gene talking to Miranda with quiet interest. 

Gene arches his brows, a bit surprised that Miranda was asking about installment payments.  “Yes, we do.  No problem.  It would be up to you, as long as its paid in full, you could even pay a dollar a week.  It’ll take 303 weeks to get your machine back, but …”  he had already learned that a little humor could make people relax about money, even though he assumed that Miranda Rogers was well off.

Bruce chuckled into his task at Gene making his long term payment joke. Maybe he really wanted to see a lot of this girl he claimed he was oil and water with. Kids today….

Miranda was relieved and then couldn’t help but giggle at Gene’s joke. It put her at ease after having to ask for installments. Then after giggling she caught a few looks from tables nearby and realized she was being too loud so she dropped her voice again to the low decibel “I think I can get it paid off a little faster if that’s ok. Does Quorra do e-transfers? I can make a payment tonight even if you give me the email. I’ll pay 200 and then the rest by next Wednesday.” She poises her pen at a scarp of paper to write down the email.

Gene grins a little when Miranda giggles.  It wasn't a sound he heard much, considering their very salty relationship.  “Sure thing.  And no rush, really.”  he assured her.  He gives the shop email address and tells her.  “It’ll be ready by morning, but you can pick it up whenever you’re ready.”  why was he acting like he wanted her to come by and visit her laptop as if it were a sick child.

Miranda leans her ear into the phone where his voice was coming into her ear. She wasn’t even doing it consciously. “OK….” She mostly whispered as she wrote down the email “I’ll get it when I’ve fully paid it off….next Wednesday. The library’s pretty nice actually. Thank you and um goodnight.” Why did she say goodnight to him? That was an odd ender. “I mean bye.” She clicked off the call and then lightly smacked her phone into her forehead. What the hell Miranda? Then she looked down at the email and decided to send that transfer now so the shop had it before they closed. When she was done she looked at her blank document again and then closed her eyes. What meaningful topic could she come up with a poem’s worth of crap about? “Merlin…” She whispered to herself and slowly began to start typing.

Bruce gave Gene another side eyed suspicious look and then went back to his scraping. When Gene seemed to be off the phone he said “Ah fuck Walter McLeod….I’ve got Stairway to heaven stuck in my head now. You know it’s a seven minute song…..so if you ask a girl to dance to it and she says yes, it’s a sure sign she likes you enough for seven minutes…..bet they don’t play that at your school dances…” He chortles.

Gene almost grinned when Miranda said goodnight to him, but she cut the connection before he could say anything.  He hung up the phone and moved to Miranda’s computer as Bruce started talking.  “Seven minutes?  What the fuck.”  he looks at Bruce with suspicion.  “If you’re talking about Miranda … don’t.  I’ve had enough of privileged white women to last me a lifetime.”  he snorts.  “And I don’t plan on going to any school dances, so … no.”  He keeps his eyes on his work.

Bruce laughs quietly “Hey man I’m just talking about music. You brought up Miranda this time. She does seem nice. But I get it...for sure.” He wasn’t going to ask stupid questions about white women as he knew some of the sadder parts of Gene’s past with foster moms and being exploited into child prostitution. So he stuck to the light stuff. He’d told Gene he was a safe person to talk to many times though “ I’m beginning to wonder how many fruit roll ups are in here…..there’s a lotta gunk. And school dances suck. I hated them. Back in my day it was like all the dudes on one side all the chics on the other. Fast songs and the girls would dance and then it would get slow and they’d look across at us like a challenge. I got a lotta nos. But a few yesses now and then. Thing with Stairway….there’s this fast part in the middle...and then you’re kinda like do we break apart and fast dance or do we just wait it out. And if you’re a guy who looks like a chicken having a fit when you fast dance…..like me…..it’s bad news. I don’t envy your age sometimes…..but in other ways….it can be the best time.”

Gene glances up from his work and at Bruce and the computer.  “Well, it’s a top of the line computer, so its thin.  If the mayor's kid is real young she might think it’s too skinny?”  he offered.  “So maybe it got extra helpings?”  he smirks a bit when Bruce mentions dancing like a chicken and then shrugs.  “Well, I’ve never been to a school dance and even if I went to one here I wouldn’t be dancing with Miranda Rogers.  She’d probably accuse me of pickpocketing her or something.”  he doesn’t realize he’s actually still talking about Miranda.

Bruce laughs about the thin computer getting seconds and then takes in the news that he’s never been to a  dance. Gene’s life before was clearly very controlled maybe? “Well you should go to one...just to see how much they suck….request stairway and just watch everyone squirm.” He cracks up and then looks at Gene again “Didn’t she just ask to pay in installments? You think she’s worried about pickpockets….I mean i know she’s a doc’s kid but this ain’t a big Vancouver hospital he’s working at. Unless you think she’s a racist. I mean she was pretty friendly for one…..but it happens.” He scrapes away as he talks, going through many cotton swabs.

Gene snorts.  “I’d say I’ll live vicariously through you, but if there is a dance I’ll probably have to go.  Sparrow will make me go out and socialize.”  he rolls his eyes as he finishes the install, then puts the case back together.  Flipping it over, he boots it up.  “So … Stairway to Heaven, eh?”  He sits back and folds his arms.  “My first time should be with you, Mom and not some random DJ, right.”  he teases.  “Play it for me.”

“Good for Sparrow…...she’s good people.” Bruce steps back from his work for a moment and pulls out his phone from his back pocket with a laugh “Don’t call me Mom...kid….my man tits aren’t that big.” Then he cues up the song “A little trip back to 1971 but it’s still a musical genius….” He clicks to play it and a notification comes up “Oh your not friend paid her first installment… we can ring that in before you cash out.” Then he plays Stairway to Heaven.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCOdXYoC_bo

Gene snorts.  “More than a mouthful is a waste …”  he replies about Bruce's man boobs.  Then he nods about the payment and sits staring at the screen as the song plays.  “How can anyone dance to this?”  he complains a minute into the song.  But it gets better … but keeps going on.  About five minutes in, he is still staring at Miranda’s desktop as the battery finally begins to charge.  The screensaver kicks in and he almost reaches to move the mouse, but doesn’t, looking at the pictures that make up her screensaver.  Dr Rogers and his boyfriend … her brother Romeo … Duncan and Fernanda being Duncan and Fernanda.  Miranda, Tyler and Winona .. Miranda and Winona .. and then older ones of people he doesn’t know.  A basketball team photo.  Miranda without dyed hair.  Gene swallows .. it’s a beautiful shade of brown.  And some guy … a friend?  Lover from before she moved to Alexandra?  He blinks when the screensaver cycles back to the doctor and his boyfriend.  Dante’s lawyer.  Then the music stops, but Gene keeps watching the screen.  Suddenly he realizes the music has stopped too.  “Can it be any longer?  And … someone was high for this, weren’t they?  And .. it’s about .. death?”  he speaks, hoping his staring at the screensavers of Miranda’s life wasn't too obvious.

Bruce gets a little lost in the music himself and nostalgia and grins at Gene's commentary at the beginning and end, but he does see him watching Miranda’s computer screen and catches the odd photo. “1971….oh fuck a lotta people were high….” He laughs “It’s about death in a way but it’s also about materialism….the woman in the song accumulating wealth...but it won’t get her into heaven or some shit like that. Some people say it was all written in one session, others say it’s bits thrown together by Jimmy Page and Robbert Plant with the guitar solo recorded way later. Then you get the weirdos who think it has hidden Satanic messages. People used to spend a lot of time analyzing music. We didn’t have the internet yet so our brains had to work for it.” He nods at the screen in front of Gene “Snippets of someone’s life eh?”

Gene shakes his head.  “And played at fish funerals?”  he snorts.  “So back then you had to think more, which was usually done while high, I’m guessing.”  and then he mentions snippets of someone's life and Gene’s hand shoots to the touchpad, stopping the screensaver.  “Just got caught up in the song.”  He makes an excuse.  “And .. it’s working just fine so …”  he shuts it down.  “Her battery is fine and it’s charging up.  I’ll check it tomorrow and see if it hits 100% …  or you can .. of course.  And make sure it holds the charge.  And .. all.”

Bruce chuckles “Yeah played at fish funerals. Only by the Walrus…..who was likely high when he did it. Yeah it’s ironic that we thought we were all about free thinking while we killed our fuckin brain cells?” He smirks about the obvious cover about watching this girl he supposedly didn’t like’s screen saver photos go by. Even if he didn’t like her….the teenage hormones were surely still working. “Well good work. You go ring her through the till for the installment while I start the next layer of this sticky excavation. Take the invoice and put her in the system. That laptop’s bloody old. She might need us again.” He says casually.

Gene laughs about the Walrus.  He’d heard the show, but he’d never made the connection to the guy in the next bunch of houses on his street.  And the whole doing drugs thing, although he understood the appeal given his life.  He set the laptop aside.  He’d check it again before he went home.  Just to be sure.  “Yea … she might…”  he agrees.  She probably would.  And he wan’t sure what to think of that.  They couldn’t manage to get along, yet lived down the street from each other, sat close in school, worked next door to each other.  For them … this small island town couldn’t possibly get smaller.