Let's Make a Deal (Bob and Nikki Book 11)
ships adrift, no sightings of pirate vessels that could be her in new paint?”“None, Boss.”
“That’s plain flat weird. Ships don’t just vanish. That might make a good test of the new sensors, when we get them, as long as they’re able to pick up a ship adrift.”
“Boss, as long ago as they were lost, we’re talking cubic light-years of space to search.”
“That’s why we need the new sensors, so we can search at FTL. We could never cover that much volume, flying in normal space. Besides, there’s that brilliant algorithm you’re about to come up with that will cut the search by three-quarters.”
“Flattery doesn’t help, Boss. I’m a bot. I will see what I can do about narrowing the search, though.”
“Good enough. Need anything else?”
“A quiet afternoon, playing Frisbee with you and Snitz?”
“We could all use that, I think. Talk to you later.”
“Bye, Boss.” I laid out the fire, and lit it. Before it was burned down to coals, my comm rang again. “Bob Wilson.”
“Bawb, there are two of the little shit shovelers trying to get down to your house. Should I let them through?”
“Yes, Morning Flower. They are friends of mine. Thanks for looking out for me.”
“Any time, Bawb.”
“Bye.”
“Bye, Bawb.” Shortly, the ship Joshua and Rikki had left in came in for a landing out front. The two fighters escorting them peeled off. I waved at Morning Flower, and she waggled her wings. I went around the house to greet our guests, and found Nikki already taking care of it. Joshua saw me coming around the house, and said, “Hi Bob. Thanks for inviting us to supper.”
“Just easier than flying up to the Gene to get your report. Rank has privileges, you know.”
“Save that line of crap for somebody who didn’t live next door to you for twenty years. I’ve heard it all before, and I didn’t believe it then, either.”
Nikki said, “He has to try, Joshua. You know that, don’t you?”
“I do. I can’t even count the number of times I tried to pay him for helping me with something. He’s pure hillbilly, no doubt about that.”
Something clicked in my head. I said, “You never put up any antennas! Those waveguides and things you had me machine never had a thing to do with ham radio, did they?”
“C’mon, Bob, you just now figured that out?”
“I never really cared, to tell you the truth. You were a good neighbor, if you thought you needed those parts, they weren’t that tough to make, and it was a good excuse to get out in the shop.”
“I always wondered why you didn’t ask about them.”
“I didn’t figure you were going to hurt anybody with them, so whatever they were for was your business.”
Nikki was looking back and forth between the two of us. Finally, she said, “You mean you had him building parts for Galactic equipment for years, before I got caught in his garage?”
Joshua looked sheepish. “I suppose so. Is that a problem?”
“I guess not. It does help explain how he kept his cool when I showed up, though.”
It was my turn to be confused. “How do you mean, Space Cadet?”
“If you had been living next to an alien for all those years, helping him with parts for his equipment, finding a different alien in your garage wouldn’t be as big a shock.”
“I never knew Joshua was from out of town. What difference does that make?”
“You’re going to tell me Joshua never did or said things you didn’t understand, that you just let slide?”
“Of course, but that happens with everybody. Why should that be special?”
Joshua spoke up. “Ma’am, you’re forgetting that he isn’t what you would call normal. All his life, he’s been the one who’s odd, so whenever something a little off happens, he just assumes he read the situation wrong, and tries to fix it.”
I said, “I am still here, you know.”
Nikki touched my arm. “I know, Caveman. Sorry.”
“No biggie. I just don’t understand what you two are arguing about.”
Nikki said, “Joshua is saying that because you’re on the spectrum, you assume whatever happens around you that is strange is your fault.”
“Well, yeah, what would you expect? If I was smart enough, I would understand, and it wouldn’t be strange.”
Nikki pondered that for a minute. She looked at Joshua. “That’s really how he looks at life, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Ma’am, it is. If someone acts differently than what he expects, they must have a good reason, and if he can figure it out, he can understand them.”
Nikki looked at me, wonderingly. “Caveman, I never understood that about you. I’m sorry.”
I was confused by everything they were talking about, and now Nikki seemed upset. I didn’t like that, at all. I said, “Whatever I did to upset you, I’m sorry, Space Cadet. Could you explain what I did wrong?”
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Bob. You’re fine. I just understand you a little better now.”
That sounded like she was trying to make me feel better for doing something she couldn’t explain to me, because I was too dumb. I wasn’t happy about it, but I didn’t want to fight with her. I shouldn’t have had her take Steve’s cold reading course, I guess, because she could see I didn’t like that answer. “What’s wrong, Caveman?”
“You won’t tell me what I did, because I’m too dumb to understand. I’ll try and do better.”
She came and hugged me. She said, “No, I’m the one who was dumb. I didn’t understand how you see the world, I just expected it was the way I see it. Please don’t feel like you did something wrong, because you didn’t. Pregnancy hormones are making me a little weird, and I’m not saying things as well as I might, but it isn’t your fault.”
I