When Bob was dressed and ready to go, Beth changed her appearance so that it seemed that she was wearing a conservative businesswoman's dress.
"It seems appropriate." she explained when Bob raised an eyebrow in inquiry. Bob nodded at her answer and held the car door open for her.
Bob's neighbor saw him opening the car door and gesturing for someone to enter. He couldn't see anyone. But Bob was acting like someone had gotten into the car. The neighbor watched as Bob got into the drivers door of the Caddy and drove off, seeming to talk to the empty passenger seat.
"Poor guy's going nuts." the neighbor told his wife later that day.
Bob reached the Motorola plant with plenty of time to spare. He walked up to the main doors and collected his security pass from the guard stationed there. Ms. Vitelli was waiting for him in Donnelly's office. "Glad you could make it." She said.
Bob took the papers handed to him by Donnelly and read them while standing. All seemed in order. Bob took out a pen and signed the contracts, passing them over to Donnelly for him to counter sign. Once the formalities were done, Bob looked at Vitelli, "Care to show me where my office will be?"
"Delighted." said Ms. Vitelli. She led Bob through the maze of corridors to a nice sized inner office. "Will this do?" She asked.
Bob nodded. "This will do fine. I'll need a better computer, but I can bring mine from home if need be."
Ms. Vitelli said, "Personal computers are not allowed to be brought in. Security reasons."
"Understood." Bob said.
"We'll get you an updated computer this afternoon, and we will assign a secretary to you from the steno pool and put a desk for her here in the outer office." Said Vitelli.
"Sounds good. What time do I start tomorrow morning?" Bob asked.
"You're on straight salary instead of hourly, so you don't have to clock in. But the rest of us are usually here by 8:30"
"Sounds good to me." Bob said. He shook her hand again. "I'll see you in the morning." Bob made his way through the hallways until he found the main door again.
"Come with me a moment," said the guard on duty at the front desk. He took Bob over to a room nearby and had him stand in front of a blue square on the wall while the guard took his picture. "Your picture badge will be ready for you to pick up when you get in tomorrow morning. Pick it up at the desk when you first get here. And please remember to sign the log book every day when you arrive and when you leave."
"Right, Sing in and out. No problem."
"Welcome to the company." said the guard.
Bob went out into the bright desert sunshine and stood there soaking up the heat. He saw Beth standing by the Caddy waving. He started over. When he got there, Beth was already in the passenger seat. Bob started the car and flipped the AC on to HIGH. He powered down the windows to let a breeze blow through until the AC cooled the car a bit.
"Damn, aren't you hot?" He asked. Then smacked himself in the forehead. "Right, ghost. I tend to forget that minor detail."
"Minor detail indeed." Beth snorted softly.
"Speaking of de tail, how is yours feeling this morning?" Bob asked with a sly grin as he drove.
Beth snuggled up close under his arm. "De tail, as you put it, is just fine this morning."
"Good then we can try a few experiments today." Bob said with satisfaction.
Beth craned her neck up to look at him warily, "Just what did you have in mind? Last night was my first time, remember?"
Bob laughed. "You have a one track mind you little vixen. I wasn't referring to experimenting with sex."
Beth blushed. She knew that she had been neatly set up. then had her chain yanked by an old pro. "I'll get you for that one." she said, but she couldn't keep from laughing.
Bob powered the windows up. the AC was kicking in nicely. "Just a few ideas that I came up with yesterday and this morning." he said. "Never present a puzzle to an engineer. He'll keep plugging away until he finds an answer."
"Plug away then." Beth said.
"Not now." Bob said in a mock surprised voice. "We're driving. Wait until we get home for that."
Beth gaped, her mouth opening and closing like a goldfish out of water.
Bob shook his head. "Beautiful women and their one track minds."
Beth gasped and smacked him on the shoulder with her little fist. "Beast." she said.
Bob winked at his ghostly passenger. "Gotcha Sweetheart."
When Bob pulled up to his house, Beth simply stood up and walked through the car door and on into the house. Bob of course, had to do it the hard way. He saw his neighbor looking at him out of his window, and gave him a cheery wave.
Inside, Bob found Beth waiting in the living room. "Good, let's have lunch. Then we'll try a few things."
Beth followed him into the kitchen where he fixed simple grilled cheese sandwiches and soup. Bob fed her as usual and Beth savored every mouthful.
To tell the truth, Bob enjoyed feeding Beth. It gave them an intimacy that he had never shared with Eileen.
After the meal. They adjourned back to the living room.
First Bob handed her the remote control for the TV. While they both touched it, Beth could easily work the buttons. When Bob let go of the remote, Beth was able to hold it and press the buttons, but the remote would not work. She could carry it around, place it in her pocket, and even walk through walls with it. When she handed it back to Bob, it again worked normally.
"This could come in VERY handy." Bob said.
Next he set up a video camera and a still camera that he could trigger by remote. The video camera never picked up a thing, even when they were in contact. But the still camera showed her clear as day when the film was developed. As long as she was in direct skin to skin contact.
Bob took her hand again and led her out into the back yard. His neighbor's wife was outside in her garden. Bob called out a cheery greeting. The neighbor came over and put out her hand. "Hi neighbor. I'm Marge Davis."
"Hi, Marge. I'm Bob Johansen."
Marge gave him a sour look. "Aren't you going to introduce your lady there?"
"Sorry," Bob said. "My manners have evaporated in the desert sun. This is my fiancée Elizabeth Cook."
Beth put her hand out for Marge to shake. Marge gave her hand a quick pump. "Nice to meet you Elizabeth."
"Please, just call me Beth."
