After lunch Mei kept reviewing how the first meeting between Philip and Karla went. It was very important to her, she had so much invested in this plan. Of course she wanted to keep her relationship and the great sex with Karla but she wanted it for Philip too.
She'd planned on introducing her in a much more dramatic way, in a leather getup and on her knees, arms tied behind her back and that ring gag in her mouth. She wanted her ready for him, kneeling at the door or something like that. But Kenisha ruined that idea. Anyway things seemed to have worked out. She could see Karla wasn't taken with Philip but she wasn't rude and she'd come around. Philip seemed to like what he saw. He was polite and offered to help her. Overall it was a good first meeting.
Back at the center she sought out Jerome and spent as much time with him as she could, singing to him at every opportunity. She thought about her card, made of metal for god's sake, and thought about its buying power but realized it couldn't help Jerome.
Since she took a long lunch she texted Philip to see if she could stay late today and, getting his agreement, called the taxi company and told the dispatcher she'd need to reschedule and would call when she was ready.
Between protecting the kids from themselves and trying to take moments to nurture Jerome, she caught herself daydreaming about the card and thought about places she could go and things she could buy like an eighty-five thousand dollar Hermès handbag or fabulous shoes. She thought of Markéta and the shopping they could do together. Then she considered these kids and wondered if money could make a difference. If she had a million to spend what could be done for them? First she'd hire more trained professionals to staff the place. The facilities, if a bit institutional, were in good shape. It was the care and the attention these kids needed and while Sarah was trained, most of the auxiliary staff like her were not. She wondered if she could use the card to donate to the center and decided to call Ms. Patterson back and see what power the thing really had.
##########
Ai had read Philip's short messages half a dozen times or more since their exchange.
Ai,
How's school?
I had a great time with you and wanted to thank you again for your invaluable assistance in getting my project completed. It was a great success!
Philip
She didn't over analyze it, didn't wish it longer or for anything more like a 'Dear' before her name in the salutation. What was important was that he was making contact and only two days after her visit to his home. The universe was following through.
She wrote back:
Philip,
School is great. I was really hoping you would contact me again. Call me with all the details!! It's my personal cell.
Ai
It might've sounded too eager but she didn't care. She didn't want to play games. She wanted him to know she was interested. In fact, she wanted him to take her to bed right away.
He texted soon after asking her to coffee: "Got time this afternoon or evening to get together? Nothing serious, just a coffee if you're free."
Of course she responded right away. "I'll be around all evening... just text me when you're close."
She had an appointment tonight, a two hour for eight fifty but she'd drop it in an instant if he wanted to turn their coffee encounter into something more interesting.
His text came in an hour and forty minutes later with a name of a coffee shop and an address. "I'll be there in forty minutes."
She responded with a grinning emoji and forty five minutes later pranced into the coffee shop looking exactly as a college girl should. She wore a light gray school sweatshirt, jeans and her hair in a ponytail. No makeup applied or needed; she looked young, vital and energetic.
She saw Philip and rushed toward him. "Hiya," she bubbled, "great to see you again!" She extended on her tip toes and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for the email."
"Sure, Ai. Great to see you too. You look fantastic."
"Thanks. So what's up? The machine perfected?" She curled up in the leather armchair he'd reserved for her.
"Well you know in engineering nothing is ever perfected, just improved, but thanks to your help and suggestions my girlfriend loved it. But nothing's up really, just wanted to stop by and say hi and buy you a cup of coffee."
"Oh that's so sweet. I'm kinda already wired though and another cup would probably turn me into a rambling mess."
"Yeah, me too. You ok here or you want to go for a walk?"
"Nah, I'm good here for a while. We can walk in a few minutes if you want."
"How are classes?"
"Good. I've only got one since it's summer but Applied Hydraulics is lots of fun. You know, I keep thinking about your machine in class, I mean when the title of one of the professor's PowerPoint slides was 'Creative Uses for Industrial Rams' I just couldn't stop laughing. I'd like to make one of your rams as a class project. I think hydraulics might make the action more smooth, fluid, you know? But that might not get a good grade no matter how well it was designed and presented."
"You want to make one anyway?"
"Really? Like for myself?"
"Sure. My first floor is a shop. I have everything you need, pipe presses, lathes, a press brake, drill press, acetylene and arc welders. You could build anything you wanted. I'll finance the parts if you want, my gift."
"Wow, you're kidding?" she grinned and nearly hopped out of the chair in excitement. "Wow, I'd love to work in a real shop, all laid out right with good tools and plenty of space."
"Come over tomorrow and take a look. You have any appointments?"
"Yeah, three but I could come in the morning. The first one is an outcall in a hotel across the bay downtown and it's not till two."
"Great, come over at like ten or so."
"Wow, super! I'll be there."
"Need the address?"
"No way," she said playfully, "I made a contact for you when I was leaving. I was hoping you would call me again."
That was nice he thought. "Want to see..." his phone rang, it was Karla, he silenced it and resumed, "...our machine in action?"
"Wow, you mean live with your girl?"
"Maybe sometime, but I have a video I took last night, just the raw footage." He'd show her the first half as he wasn't sure she'd appreciate the whipping.
"God, I'd love to!"
He was sitting with his back to the wall and got out his laptop and traded places with her. She sat down, took a look at the others in the room and received the laptop from him, the video queued and ready to go.
"This in your place?" she asked and saw him nod, "Wow, you've really got it tricked out."
"Yeah, I've never been able to do things half way."
"What's the one in the background for? ... Oh wow, she's pretty," she said as the camera revealed Mei's face.
"It's for rear domination."
"Oh yeah, I see that. That something you're into?" she asked, looking with a pixie's eyes at him over the screen.
