The House on Infinity Loop

by Bonnie K T Dillabough

She found that by thinking of the contents of a box or bag, she could peer into the contents of the boxes as well. Too bad the storage shed at home wasn't this easy to explore, she thought wryly.

  "While you are home, you should be seen by people who know you. You might want to visit family and friends, for instance. It will be important later for you to be considered a part of your community and for you to be seen coming and going.

  We will contact you in a couple weeks about your next steps. Continue your studies with the LizzieAI and keep up your physical conditioning.

  You will find a gym behind the purple door in the dimensional hallway that you can use anytime, if you don't want to take the time to come here. It has all the facilities you are used to. Since Tarafau is Tidbit on Earth, you will need to use it when you want to work out with Tarafau. However, do your running in your neighborhood, so they get used to seeing you.

  Any questions?"

  Jenny thought a moment. "Does this mean I'll be getting an assignment soon? I can't say I feel ready for that, yet."

  "You are more ready than you know and yet, you will never be completely ready," Lova said with a small grimace. "The thing is, it all changes from day to day. Just when we think we have a handle on it, something new comes up. It's all right to be a little confused at this point. This is one of those things that you have to experience yourself.

  Your next stage of training will take place in the headquarters for the Dimensional Alliance Council. You'll understand a lot more at that point."

  Jenny nodded without any real understanding as Tarafau entered the room with her travel bag.

  Lova and Jenny stood and Lova reached out both hands. "I'd give you a good-bye hug, but I don't know if your ribs could handle it right now. If you need anything, you have my cell number. Just text me."

  Jenny had to laugh even if it made her grab at her sore ribs. All of a sudden texting seemed a little primitive. "Will do. Come on Tarafau. Let's go home."

  Chapter 10: In the Loop

  Jenny was not surprised when she returned from her run the next morning to see Bob waving for her to stop to chat.

  "Long time no see, neighbor!" he grinned as she slowed and stopped. He held some trimming shears in his hand and appeared to be trimming the large sage bushes under his windows. A half-filled basket of clippings stood on the ground behind him.

  "I've been training for that new job I told you about. I'll be continuing my training online for a bit. Didja miss me?"

  "Yeah, and so did the mailman. I've got quite a pile of mail for you." Bob had volunteered to check her mail for her while she was gone.

  "I can't imagine why. I'll bet most of it is just junk mail."

  "I'll let you be the judge of that. Who did you get to take care of Tidbit? I didn't see him around and you didn't ask me to check on him while you were gone."

  "Actually, my new job allows Tidbit to travel with me. Great company, cool bennies. Travel is paid for and health benefits as well. I'm learning a lot and I get to write, so it's all good."

  "Yeah, Lizzie never left home without her cat, either. I knew you two would hit it off."

  Jenny saw a small red car coming down the street. "That'll be Sam," she said. "Drop in later for lunch and we can sort the junk out of that mail together."

  Bob chuckled and waved at Sam as she pulled past and into Jenny's driveway.

  "Hey, you!" Sam said as she got out of her car. "I got your text last night. Did you have a good flight?"

  Jenny's insides gave a little squirm. This was the part she wouldn't enjoy, she realized. Regardless of her other faults, she had always been an honest person. Her "cover story" was a lie, any way she framed it, but both Miriha and Lova had made it clear that every Guardian had the duty to keep the gateways secret. Earthlings weren't ready for instantaneous travel to the unknown dimensions. They had all they could do with preparing for possible space travel.

  "You know, jet lag and all of that. Looks like I'll be spending most of my time travelling, but the benefits are good, and we always wanted to see the world, right?"

  Jenny and Sam had met in their college days. Sam had started one semester behind her, but before she knew it, she had been ahead of her in just about everything. By the time they had spent a semester getting to know one another, they had gotten a little apartment together just off campus. People seldom saw one without the other, unless they were in different classes.

  Today she was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, ready for a casual day of hanging out. Her job at the news desk of the local television station meant dressing professionally every day, so on her days off, she had to "let it loose,” as she said.

  "I've got some lemonade in the fridge," Jenny said. "Let's take it out on the patio."

  They settled down at the little table with its colorful umbrella. "Such a nice garden," Sam said with a sigh. "And a cute gardener guy too. I hear he came with the estate."

  Jenny's eyebrows shot up. "You've been talking with Ted?"

  "I dropped by from time to time while you were gone, just to check on things," Sam shrugged. "You said you'd be gone for a while and I thought someone should be keeping an eye on the house. You're not exactly in my neighborhood anymore, but I thought it was the least I could do for my best friend." She sighed again. "I missed you so much. The hiking club has been asking about you. They want to know if you'll still want to hike with all of the travelling you'll be doing with your job."

  Sam wasn't kidding about them not being in the same neighborhood anymore. With L.A. traffic, it was about a 30-45 minute drive from Sam's place to here.

  "Well, thank you, Sam. Bob has been keeping an eye on things, picking up my mail and watching out for anything suspicious for me. I've missed you too. And as far as the hiking club is concerned, don't we have another hike coming up this week?"

  "Will you be here?" Sam asked hopefully.

  "I expect to. I understand I may be called away unexpectedly from time to time, but I should be staying here for awhile. My training has gotten to the point that I can do it online. I guess there is paperwork as well. A lot of my work is research and writing, as usual."

  Jenny could tell that Sam would have liked for her to say more on the subject, but she didn’t push. They spent the morning with Sam telling her about the hijinks of one of the cameramen at her studio and the last hike they had taken near Griffith Park Observatory. "Tough one, that. Not a flat stretch the entire hike, but the view was worth it."

  Tidbit wandered into the yard, his black tail held high, streaming behind him as if leading a parade. He seemed to be watching the butterflies dancing over the herb garden, but Jenny could tell he was more interested in Sam. He sauntered over to be petted, purring with happiness when Sam reached out to scratch under his chin and behind his ears.

  "So how are you and the cat getting along? I seem to remember you really aren't a pet person."

  "Tidbit and I get on well enough. He's pretty low maintenance as pets go. A small price to pay for all of this," and she gestured around the garden with a flourish.

  Tidbit sent a disgruntled unformed thought in her direction and she chuckled inwardly.

  "So, if you want out of your running clothes, I'll sit here with the cat and enjoy the butterflies. Then maybe you and I can go do something."

  Jenny agreed. By the time she had her shower and changed into jeans and a t-shirt, she was ready to do something fun with her friend, but she remembered she had invited Bob over for lunch and junk mail.

  "Do you mind doing it a bit later?" she asked after ringing him on her cell phone. "Sam and I are thinking about gallivanting today. Should be back about supper time. Will that work for you?"

  Bob agreed and she went outside to find her friend looking pensively into the koi pond.

  "There's something very calming about big fish like this," she said, dabbling one finger in the water. One of the koi noticed it and swam up to nibble on Sam's fingernail. Then, looking up at Jenny she asked. "Are we ready?"

>   They took off in Sam's little red car and had plenty of time to talk, moving at a snail's pace along the I-5 towards the Pacific Coast Highway. Jenny loved that drive down the coast. They stopped in at a little seafood place for lunch. There were long silences, as are comfortable between old friends, but they also laughed at the very old surfer guys hanging out on balconies in the sun and reminisced about college days.

  "So, where'd they send you for training?" Sam asked, out of the blue, when the silence had stretched for several minutes. "You didn't say much about the company you're working for."

  Jenny went into the spiel she had memorized while she was in training about an international company that needed on-the-ground researchers who could dig out information and then could write it up in reports for their investors and for marketing purposes. Sam quirked an eyebrow.

  "Sounds a bit mysterious," was all she said.

  "Yeah, I have a non-disclosure agreement. Not allowed to even name the company or tell any of their trade secrets. That's pretty common when you're ghost-writing, though. You know I almost never get my name published with my work."

  As they headed home, they chatted about this and that, but Jenny realized that this "job" could easily disconnect her from friends and family. She could see why part of her assignment was to re-connect. And lie. The cover story had enough truth in it to be believable. Lova had explained that you had to keep things simple. "The less you have to remember, the better."

  Jenny understood the need for secrecy but something inside her rebelled at lying to friends and family. She was committed to do her best for the Dimensional Alliance, but this part of her duties was weighing on her mind like a lead hat.

  After checking out the little shops in the beach towns on the PCH and strolling along the beach, Sam drove her home, still chatting about this and that. When Sam pulled into the driveway on Infinity Loop, she got out to give Jenny a hug. "See you tomorrow after work? I want to take advantage of you while you're here."

  "Sure," Jenny agreed.

  Tidbit was waiting somewhat impatiently on the porch, the tip of his tail twitching. He followed Jenny into the house.

  "Your friend is a little snoopy," he remarked. "Poking around."

  "What are you talking about?"

  "She made a full circuit around the shed while you were getting dressed. Then she went into the kitchen and opened every cupboard and drawer, as if she was looking for something."

  "She was probably looking for something to go with the lemonade," Jenny scoffed. And the shed is an interesting building. Sam is always up for a good mystery."

  Tidbit just stared up at her, his amber eyes nearly glowing in the faint light from the porch.

  "Hey neighbor!" Jenny turned and saw Bob striding across the street with a small box of mail in his hand. "Have a nice jaunt?"

  "You can put those on the dining room table," Jenny said as they walked through the front door. "And yes, I always have a great day hanging out with Sam."

  "She seems a little," he paused, searching for a word, "enthusiastic. Quite a ball of energy. She dropped in on your place a few times a week while you were gone, and we had some conversations. She wanted to know what I know about what you're doing, and I told her, that I really didn't know much. She even offered to hold your mail for you."

  "Yeah, that's Sam. Always up to something, especially if it looks like there might be adventure involved. It's why she works for a television station. She's always on top of everything going on in the area. But why she would want to hold onto my mail, considering you live across the street, I have no idea."

  "She probably didn't trust me not to snoop," Bob said arching his eyebrows and narrowing his eyes. "I have shifty eyes, see. Once I put on a suit for a job interview and a lady in a parking lot told me I look like a spy or someone from the mob." His shoulders shook with mirth at Jenny's giggle.

  "I sorted out the obvious junk, Jenny, but there are a lot of things from various companies I wasn't sure about. Might make the sorting a little easier."

  "I thought we might order in some Chinese food," Jenny said. "You know the people in this neighborhood pretty well and I was wondering about my neighbors."

  They settled in, he on the couch and Jenny in her "reading" chair. Bob was a wiry man, but muscular. Obviously much of what he "tinkered" with required a certain amount of strength. His brown eyes twinkled as he regaled Jenny with tales of her two neighbors on either side.

  "You've already met Elias and Cinder," he said. "I think they invented the word curmudgeon just for him. He's an army veteran from the Vietnam war days. He's pretty crusty, that one, all points and edges, but Lizzie had him wrapped around her little finger. He took her death pretty hard. As far as I can tell, he's got no family other than his dog and Lizzie was kind to him.

  You've probably noticed that Cinder and Tidbit have a running feud. The dog is as much of a grouch as his master, but really a big baby and mostly harmless."

  Jenny nodded. She made a note to herself to be less quick to judge based on first impressions. She had dealt with a professor like Elias before and although he terrified her and her classmates, it turned out that as the year progressed, she found him to be intelligent, perceptive and that his exterior brusqueness stemmed from a clear focus on his goals. His students tended to score high on their exams because of the clear expectations he had of them.

  "Now, Miss Longtree, is a completely different batch of cookies," he continued. "She's been out east lecturing at one of the big colleges. She teaches ethics and is well known in academic and political circles for being outspoken and passionate about preserving and increasing the integrity of political systems. But when she's home, she writes, putters around in her garden and builds amazing animated kites that she flies in kiting competitions all over the world.

  I think you and she will get along well, if you're ever both around long enough at the same time to get acquainted."

  Bob leaned back in his chair. "Me, I putter around in my workshop. You haven't met my bird, Ignatius, yet. He's my workshop buddy and he makes for a great alarm system. My son, Cleo, pops in and out from time to time. He's attending Berkley, majoring in robotics. Kinda takes after his dad, I guess." Bob's face softened. "Or at least his mom always said so. My wife and Lizzie were good friends, you know. Nattered together like a couple of songbirds sitting on a powerline. My wife passed about two years ago. Complications of a lung infection. Lizzie got me through it though."

  Jenny wasn't sure what to say. "I didn't know, Bob. I'm sorry. I wish I had really been able to get to know my aunt. From what I hear, from those who knew her, she was an amazing person."

  Bob smiled, shaking his head. "Ah, Lizzie was definitely one of a kind. But don't let all of us fans fool you. She could be hard as rock and cold as ice when she chose to. There are a lot of folks who think they can prey on older folks like her. But more than one have discovered that more often than not the reason they got to be so old in the first place is because they use their brains for more than to keep their ears apart.

  She and Tidbit were always a good match, I thought. Tidbit wouldn't be afraid of a mountain lion. I wouldn't want to mess with those two if they teamed up, for sure."

  Jenny was enjoying letting Bob ramble on. He was animated, gesturing often with his big calloused hands. Being around him was comfortable.

  "So, what do you putter on, in that workshop of yours?" Jenny asked. "Hotrods or nuclear fission?"

  Bob laughed. "Nothing so typical. You'll have to come over and see. It's hard to explain. I was an engineer for years and once you get your hands into creating new things, it's hard to stop. I have worked on a few projects for Lizzie, in the past. I imagine you'll find them when you get around to sorting through the shed out back. Lizzie was a collector, for sure. She admired clever gadgets and I was never quite sure what I'd find her playing with on any given day."

  "Speaking of workshops, I really should get back to mine. Did you get anything useful in that stack of mai
l, I wonder?"

  Jenny looked at the small box full of mail. True to his word, Bob had removed all the ad flyers and there were no letters addressed to "resident" in there. She sorted through the business stuff, laying it aside for later, and found a letter decorated with little panda bear stickers. From her mom. "My mom has always decorated her letters with cute stickers, since I left home for college," she said to Bob, somewhat embarrassed.

  The postmark indicated the letter had only been mailed a few days ago.

  "Dear Jenny:

  Your dad and I will be headed up the coast next week to attend a genealogy convention and we thought to drop in to visit on Friday. Will that work for you?

  We miss you and we want to see you in your new home. I might even be able to persuade your dad to make his famous deep dish pizza, if you'd like. What do you say? Send me a text.

  Love, Mom"

  The short note was surrounded by more frolicking panda bears with little hearts and flowers.

  Jenny couldn't help but grin. That was her mom all over. There was nothing elegant about her. Her mop of dark brown curls tended to be untidy and she was round instead of slender. But Jenny had to admit that her mom had the market cornered on cuteness.

  Her dad was tall and skinny, and he adored her mom like a schoolboy with a crush. They were the world's cutest couple, in Jenny's opinion.

  "You'll like my parents," Jenny said to Bob, who was standing, preparing to leave. "My dad is famous for his homemade deep dish pizza. You should come over for supper. And dad would love a tour of your workshop. He'll talk your ear off, though.

  My mom is just a cute, sweet bookworm with a penchant for anything sparkly that isn't a rare gem. She doesn't approve of how precious gems are mined, so she prefers crystals and cleverly created glass items. And dad says that's ok with him. A lot easier on his budget." Jenny laughed.

  Bob smiled. "I'll look forward to meeting them. And now I'll be off. Have fun with your mail."

  Jenny rolled her eyes. "Looks like that was the only 'fun' in this pile. See you tomorrow."