satisfying dinner of homemade kosher ground beef meatloaf in puff pastry, spiced red cabbage and mashed potatoes. Ruthie’s father Rolf had an important paper for an upcoming gynaecological conference in Paris to work through and he needed some peace and quiet time. So Ruthie and her mother Marcie took everything through to the stylishly outfitted designer kitchen to load up the computerised dishwasher and generally tidy up.
“Mmm! Momma, that meal was just so delicious.”
Marcie gave Ruthie a warm motherly hug.
“Thank you, bubba. I knew you would like me to make your old Grandma Bloom’s favourite recipe.”
They continued to busy about the kitchen clearing up.
“So, Ruthie, you say things are better at work these last few days?”
Ruthie gushed happily.
“Oh, Momma, it’s been fantastic! Jill has been pushing some great work my way and I’ve been working real hard on some juicy stories. Of course, I can’t tell you about them – sworn to secrecy and all that - until they hit the press. Jill has even promised I’ll get a by-line on a couple of the smaller articles.”
Marcie ruffled her daughter’s long dark glossy black hair and gazed lovingly into Ruthie’s brown liquid excited eyes.
“That is fantastic. You seem to be so much happier about it. I’m sorry again, Ruthie, for rubbing you up the wrong way about your new career. Little bubba’s gotta find her own path in life and you are doing it really well. I’m so proud of you!”
Ruthie hugged her mother back and exhaled a little shriek of excitement.
“Thanks, Momma. You and papa have been so great and I just want to make you proud. Funny thing is, I’m not sure what changed things with Jill. Although, I believe from one of the other girls in the office that Jill probably got a bit of a rollicking from Mr Buckley.”
Marcie hesitated, not wanting to spoil the moment.
“We-ell –“
Ruthie looked quizzically at her mother.
“Well what, Mom?”
“Well, er, maybe I asked your papa to have a quiet little word with your boss, Mr Buckley. They were playing golf last Saturday and I just said, Rolf...”
“Aw, Momma - I want to do this myself!”
“Look, what you gonna do, huh? You gonna push the rock to the top of the mountain all by yourself? Sometimes you need a little hand, baby.”
“Okay, Mom, but you’ve got to let me go my own way from now on.”
Marcie tweaked her daughter’s nose playfully.
“Sure, baby.”
They had finished loading the dishwasher and clearing up the worktops and Ruthie turned to head up to her room to chill out. Marcie called her back.
“Ruthie, have you seen my red-coloured memory stick lying about anywhere?”
“Nope - sorry, Momma - I’ll look out for it though.”
Damn, thought Marcie, I haven’t seen that darn thing since that God awful presentation.
Chapter 4
Earthdate: 08:36 Wednesday February 5, 2081 GMT
E wan Sinclair and Gary Mackintosh walked briskly out of Kings Cross Station and along Euston Road, both of them nervously glancing around. They should not have been so nervous. However, their fear was primal and instinctive. Gary had assured Ewan that their hacking incursion into the E2MSN network, as far as he could possibly ascertain, remained completely undetected by NASA HQ. Furthermore, Gary, using his consummate computing skills had set up his hack through more than a dozen computers spread across the globe, totally unknown and unseen by their computer owners, with a level of encryption that would take Alan Turing weeks to crack, never mind the NASA boys. If NASA cottoned on to them they would be more likely to think the hackers were in Lagos or Lima than in London. Ewan just prayed Gary was right.
Only a few minutes ago, they had alighted from the 5.30am red-eye Superliner train from Edinburgh Waverley, which had cruised down the newly upgraded East Coast High Speed Line in just under three hours. Four hundred miles and only five minutes late. They walked on past St Pancras
“Mmm! Momma, that meal was just so delicious.”
Marcie gave Ruthie a warm motherly hug.
“Thank you, bubba. I knew you would like me to make your old Grandma Bloom’s favourite recipe.”
They continued to busy about the kitchen clearing up.
“So, Ruthie, you say things are better at work these last few days?”
Ruthie gushed happily.
“Oh, Momma, it’s been fantastic! Jill has been pushing some great work my way and I’ve been working real hard on some juicy stories. Of course, I can’t tell you about them – sworn to secrecy and all that - until they hit the press. Jill has even promised I’ll get a by-line on a couple of the smaller articles.”
Marcie ruffled her daughter’s long dark glossy black hair and gazed lovingly into Ruthie’s brown liquid excited eyes.
“That is fantastic. You seem to be so much happier about it. I’m sorry again, Ruthie, for rubbing you up the wrong way about your new career. Little bubba’s gotta find her own path in life and you are doing it really well. I’m so proud of you!”
Ruthie hugged her mother back and exhaled a little shriek of excitement.
“Thanks, Momma. You and papa have been so great and I just want to make you proud. Funny thing is, I’m not sure what changed things with Jill. Although, I believe from one of the other girls in the office that Jill probably got a bit of a rollicking from Mr Buckley.”
Marcie hesitated, not wanting to spoil the moment.
“We-ell –“
Ruthie looked quizzically at her mother.
“Well what, Mom?”
“Well, er, maybe I asked your papa to have a quiet little word with your boss, Mr Buckley. They were playing golf last Saturday and I just said, Rolf...”
“Aw, Momma - I want to do this myself!”
“Look, what you gonna do, huh? You gonna push the rock to the top of the mountain all by yourself? Sometimes you need a little hand, baby.”
“Okay, Mom, but you’ve got to let me go my own way from now on.”
Marcie tweaked her daughter’s nose playfully.
“Sure, baby.”
They had finished loading the dishwasher and clearing up the worktops and Ruthie turned to head up to her room to chill out. Marcie called her back.
“Ruthie, have you seen my red-coloured memory stick lying about anywhere?”
“Nope - sorry, Momma - I’ll look out for it though.”
Damn, thought Marcie, I haven’t seen that darn thing since that God awful presentation.
Chapter 4
Earthdate: 08:36 Wednesday February 5, 2081 GMT
E wan Sinclair and Gary Mackintosh walked briskly out of Kings Cross Station and along Euston Road, both of them nervously glancing around. They should not have been so nervous. However, their fear was primal and instinctive. Gary had assured Ewan that their hacking incursion into the E2MSN network, as far as he could possibly ascertain, remained completely undetected by NASA HQ. Furthermore, Gary, using his consummate computing skills had set up his hack through more than a dozen computers spread across the globe, totally unknown and unseen by their computer owners, with a level of encryption that would take Alan Turing weeks to crack, never mind the NASA boys. If NASA cottoned on to them they would be more likely to think the hackers were in Lagos or Lima than in London. Ewan just prayed Gary was right.
Only a few minutes ago, they had alighted from the 5.30am red-eye Superliner train from Edinburgh Waverley, which had cruised down the newly upgraded East Coast High Speed Line in just under three hours. Four hundred miles and only five minutes late. They walked on past St Pancras
Similar Books
