Edith and Ben - Can I Come?

[Originally posted at Ana Mardoll's Ramblings.]

And I fumbled my keys into a puddle. Which I suppose is better than fumbling myself into a puddle. Before I could pick them up Edith got them and handed them to me. I asked, "How do you do that?"

"What?"

"Come out of nowhere."

"I trained for 20 years with a team of elite ninjas." I said nothing. "Ok, I walk softy-"

"And carry a big stick?"

"I actually prefer knives, they've got a lot of practical value as tool where a big stick is pretty much a club or a lever, neither of which you need all that often. A big stick is useful as kindling, but you need a knife to make it into kindling of the appropriate size. Unfortunately school policy prohibits weapons so while I'm on school grounds I'm not carrying much of interest at all." I was lost. She noticed I was lost. She returned to the original topic, "If you don't make a lot of noise when you move, it's actually very easy to sneak up on people by accident."

"Ok," was the best I could manage.

"Anyway, I've been thinking about your trip to Seattle."

"You have?"

"I think I should go with you."

"I was kind of thinking of it as some time to be alone."

"I know, and I'm sorry, but your truck hasn't had to make a trip like that since the accident. I think every thing is fine -I wouldn't have told you it was fixed if I didn't- but if something went wrong with my repairs and something happened to you I'd never... I'd feel a lot better if I could tag along, as your mechanic."

I could understand the sentiment, but I was a little bit lost on the utility, "What difference would it make if you were there?"

"Hopefully none at all. We go thither, we return hither, nothing goes wrong and all is fine." I'd like to pause here to reflect on the fact that she said 'thither.' That is all. Moving on, "But if something does start to go wrong, if the truck starts to feel funny or there's a strange rattle or whatever I can check it out immediately. You just pull over, I'll have a look, and I can say if it's something to be worried about or not. I can tell you that we have to turn around, that we can keep on going, or even, depending on what it is, that I can fix it on the spot.

"I can look over the truck once we get there to see if everything is as it should be. Hopefully all of it will be superfluous, but if something does go wrong having a mechanic on hand could make all the difference in the world.

"So, can I come?" Her points sounded good, her expression was extremely hard to resist. I told her she could and she said, "Groovy," and walked away. I was left to ponder who says, 'groovy.'

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