He laughed nervously. "Well, I got you a job. I guess I didn't really lie about your qualifications. I said you had a PhD, but didn't say when you got it."
"Excellent work," I replied, feeling extreme warmth for this man who had served me so faithfully for the last fifteen years, realizing how truly fortunate I was that he had not chosen to abandon me when there was little benefit for him personally.
"Well, I don't know if you're interested, but it's at a major American university. There's this professor who's got a long-term, continually running experiment that needs to be supervised twenty-four hours a day."
"And I would be there supervising during the 'graveyard' shift, as you might say. Does he not have graduate students for this task?"
Bob shook his head. "It's too much to ask even of a grad student to babysit a lab experiment at three in the morning, seven days a week. So, what do you think? Interested?"
"Maybe," I replied. "I find myself forced to earn a living, and my employment options are somewhat limited."
Bob smiled. "The experiment is funded by a long-term grant, so the job would be secure. The hours are nine at night until five in the morning, five days a week. All you'd have to do is keep an eye on the equipment to make sure it doesn't explode. Most of the time, you'd be free to read, work on your own experiments or do whatever. The professor said he could pay twenty-thousand a year."
"This experiment must be very important to him." I groaned. The work sounded steady, but dreadfully boring. And it was work, something I simply had not had to endure for such a long time. "This sounds like a possibly viable option. What other choices do you have for me?"
Bob bowed his head, for a long time staring down at the table. "Al, I'm really sorry," he said finally. "I was able to get you this job by calling in a couple favors. Professor Hanson owes me from way back, but really is happy about having such a qualified full-time person, and he said he could probably afford to pay more later."
"Was this all you could find?" Bob nodded so subtly that it was barely noticeable. "I appreciate your efforts," I said, reaching a hand across the table and patting him lightly on the forearm, "but surely there must be many occupations in which I am quite capable of serving."
Bob shook his head vigorously. "Youare qualified to do many things, Al. Many things! My God, you're one of the most exceptional people I've ever met, a true Renaissance man, but the world doesn't value Renaissance men anymore. We live in a world dominated by specialists. Ever hear the term, 'jack of all trades, master of none'?"
I nodded, knowing full well that my able assistant had never spoken truer words. My resume - if I had one - would appear rather spotty. And how could I explain all those gaps in my work record? In a world that demands explanations for a month of unemployment, how could I explain a century? "I also imagine my 'special needs' must have made your task more difficult as well."
"You've always had a talent for understatement, Al," Bob replied, a relaxed smile finally spreading across his face. "This particular job, you'd be working at night and alone, away from scrutinizing eyes."
"I enthusiastically applaud your effort," I said, smiling broadly. "Call your Professor Hanson and inform him that I will accept his generous offer of employment. So tell me, where is this university?"
"MidwestAmerica ," Bob replied. "TheUniversity ofWisconsin , inMadison,Wisconsin ."
"Very well then." I reached for LeMeux's discarded glass, raised it in the air and clinked it against Bob's upraised beer bottle. "A toast then. ToMadison ,Wisconsin , my new home for who knows how long."
Bob drank deeply from his beer, slouching back into his chair. He looked relaxed for the first time that entire evening. In fact, he looked quite tired.
"Of course," I said, "let us not forget about Jenkins. I will have my revenge, as well as the full return of what was taken from me."
Bob sat upright once again, and the relaxed smile fell from his face. "Jenkins is the least of your worries."
"I will have him, Robert. Mark my words. He will not escape my wrath."
"Your wrath is going to have to wait a little while, Al." Bob sipped his beer and leaned back in his chair. "The