"I hope not, Helena. I think my body couldn't handle more than one cup of that kind of coffee in a day." Helena laughed again as she poured me a cup, and I was reassured by the aroma drifting up towards me. I was later to learn that the household I had inherited kept bags of different types of coffee beans for different parts of the day, and that Helena could have put the best baristas of my world or hers to shame.
Helena was about to leave me and Thales to our discussion (like any good majordomo, Helena was a master at anticipating the desires of the head of the household, even one new to me), when I asked her to join us as well. Somewhat warily, she sat down and let me talk her into pouring herself a cup of coffee of her own.
"I want both of you to start thinking about moving."
There was a look of alarm on both their faces before I reassured them, "No, I'm not talking about getting rid of you. I'm talking about all of us moving. I mean, this is a very nice house." Which was an understatement, to say the least. The house I had inherited was several thousand square feet, with all the amenities of the modern world as this universe defined modernity. "But we're in a residential neighborhood. Which limits the things me and Thales can experiment on. I'd like some room. And, I want to make sure you and everyone in the household is happier to wherever we're moving, Helena. Think about what you'd like in your new kitchen, Helena. And your living quarters. Think about what can be done to make things easier for people to keep up with friends and family they might be moving away from. Don't limit yourself when you're coming up with your list."
I almost started laughing at the gape jawed look Helena and Thales were giving me. I knew in this world that it was simply unheard of for a white man to really look out for the welfare of his indentured black servants. Oh, the head of the household might throw a minor celebration for a valued servant like Helena and Thales when they turned fifty or sixty. He might go the trouble of making sure his chief cook had the most modern appliances. But he would probably only have the vaguest idea of the living quarters his indentured servants lived in, and wouldn't ever give them much thought.
Seeing that near empty room of Gabrielle's had almost broken my heart, and it made me hope that, as small as the rooms Helena and Thales must inhabit, that they had at least something in them that connected them to other people. Which led to host of other questions like, where did the children of my servants stay? How were they taken care of? What kind of education did they get?
I would have to address these and other questions in the near future. For now, it was enough to get that ball rolling in the minds of my two senior servants. I would have to undoubtedly expand on Helena's initial list, but it would be a start.
"And me and you, Thales, aren't going to have to have the biggest and best lab you could imagine. It's going to be bigger than you could possibly imagine."
Thales just shook his head in disbelief. Helena took this moment to laugh as she stood up, "I'll let you two men get to your doodling. And Thales, I'm trusting you to make sure yours and Mr. Johnson's breakfast don't get cold."
Me and Thales chorused, "Yes, ma'am," which made Helena laugh even harder. As she left the room, I heard her chuckle to herself, "Strangest white man I've ever met."
Between bites of egg and ham, me and Thales lined out what would be our dream lab, as well as the interim lab on our present property. When Thales asked very deferentially if I could afford all this, I replied, "Don't you worry, Thales. My uncle not only left me a good chunk of change, but I already have my first idea. But I'm going to need you to take me out to the port. Well, after we drop by the bank, that is." A thought had come to me as I had sipped my coffee and thought about bags of coffee beans. I wasn't sure, but I had hunch that this world had never had a Malcom Purcell McLean or his equivalent. His invention alone was sure to pad my bank account enough to let me put my plans into motion.
Before Thales could question me about my idea, Helena returned to the dining room. If I had known Helena a little longer, her body language alone would set off alarms in my head. Unfortunately, I was completely oblivious to the warning signs her stance was sending me. Even the neutrality of her tone when she announced that there was a visitor awaiting me in the front parlor didn't alert me.
"Mr. Hall did say he would be coming by today," I answered. "Actually, I'm glad he came by. I wanted to see if his firm had a patent lawyer on its staff. I need to make sure me and Thales are covered," I said with a smile to my household electrician.
"No, sir, it's not Mr. Hall," Helena said, the grimace never leaving her face. "It's Mr. Whiten, one of your neighbors."
"Fred Whiten?" I asked, my eyes immediately focusing on Helena.
"Yes, sir, I believe that's Mr. Whiten's Christian name." I should have noticed the distaste in Helena's voice, or the odd way she said 'Christian' when she admitted that Mr. Whiten's first name was Fred. But to be truthful, I was too excited to notice any of these telltale signs.
Back in my universe, Fred Whiten was not only my neighbor, he was one of my best friends. I knew it was irrational, since my Fred Whiten couldn't have followed me into this universe, and that the Benjamin Johnson of this universe had probably never even met this universe's Fred Whiten. Still, I felt as if getting to meet this world's Fred Whiten had to be a good omen.
Boy, was I in for a rude awakening.
