Part 22 (2/2)
”Oh boy,” I sighed, getting up to follow. The direct approach wasn't working very well.
To make a long story short, I got my exercise that day. In the end, Penny did listen to everything I had to say, but only after I'd put several new miles on my sneakers, and only after Penny had nearly broken her own neck.
That evening, I called Dr. Grey's number to try to set up an appointment, but Dr. Grey wasn't available. ”Danny's having a pretty bad weekend, Andrew,” Meredith told me. ”She hasn't been out of bed since yesterday.”
”Oh no,” I said. ”Not. . . not because of my visit, I hope.”
Rather than rea.s.sure me, Meredith simply asked: ”Is there something I can help you with?” I explained why I'd called. ”Uh-huh. . . well, she's definitely not going to be up to seeing anybody tomorrow. Maybe later in the week. You want to try back on Thursday or Friday?”
”OK,” I said, wondering how Maledicta would feel about waiting.
On Monday morning I came into work early to talk to Julie -- and to apologize. At one point on Sunday, in between flight responses, Penny and I had b.u.mped into her on Bridge Street. It was bad timing, as Julie belatedly recognized -- even as she came running up to us, she saw the look on my face, and slowed. ”Hi,” she said. ”I hope I'm not interrupting anything. . .”
”You are,” Maledicta piped up. ”f.u.c.k off.”
I figured Julie might still be upset about that, and I was right. I found her in one of the storage tents, digging through a carton of old printouts, and at first she wouldn't look at me, though she grudgingly acknowledged my presence. ”So,” she said tersely. ”What's up?”
”Well, Penny has agreed to go see Dr. Grey. . .”
”I know,” Julie said.
”You do?”
”Sure. That's why she called in sick today, right?”
”Penny called in sick?”
Julie finally looked up, an expression of disgust on her face. She thought I was only pretending ignorance. ”You're going to tell me you didn't know?”
”No,” I said. ”No, I didn't know. When did she call you?”
”This morning around five-thirty,” Julie told me. ”Not my best time of day.”
”What did she say?”
”Just that she wouldn't be coming in. When I asked her what was wrong, she told me to mind my own f.u.c.king business.”
”Maledicta,” I said.
”Yeah, Maledicta. What does she have against me, exactly?”
”Against you?”
”She's been openly hostile to me every time we've met.”
”I think Maledicta is hostile to everyone, Julie -- even to Penny. It's her nature.”
”No,” Julie said, shaking her head. ”With me it feels like it's personal, somehow.” Her eyes narrowed. ”Did you say something to her about me? Something to make her mad?”
”No,” I said. ”At least I don't think I did. Like what?”
”Did you tell her the only reason I hired Penny was so you could get her treatment for her MPD?”
”No! Why would I tell her that -- it's not true, right? And besides, Maledicta wants Penny to get treatment. She's more committed to the idea than Penny or even Thread at this point. So she wouldn't be mad at you for that.”
”Hmmph,” said Julie. ”Hmmph, well. . . I suppose in one sense it's an improvement over last week, at least she called before not coming in this time. . . so she's not seeing Dr. Grey today?”
”I don't see how she could be. Dr. Grey is. . . she's not available today. If Penny called in sick, it's probably something to do with her neck.”
”Her neck?”
”Penny got a pretty bad knock on the head yesterday,” I explained. ”I was worried that she might have given herself whiplash. And if her body is in pain, then whoever's in control of her body is in pain too, which could be why Maledicta seemed extra unfriendly.”
”Oh,” Julie said.
Seeing her soften a little, I took advantage of the opening: ”About what happened yesterday, Julie, I'm really sorry. . . you just caught us at a bad moment.”
”Sat.u.r.day too I guess, huh?”
”Sat.u.r.day?”
”Sat.u.r.day afternoon, I saw the two of you driving in town. I waved, but you ignored me.”
I shook my head, and Julie lost her temper again.
”Jesus Christ, Andrew!” she exclaimed. ”I saw the two of you together, don't try to tell me I didn't!”
”No, Julie, I'm not saying we weren't together, I just, I don't remember seeing you on Sat.u.r.day afternoon.”
”You were looking right at me when I waved.”
”Well that doesn't mean I saw you. If the car was moving, I was probably paying attention to Maledicta.”
”Yeah, well, whatever,” Julie said dismissively. ”Never mind.”
”Would you like me to call Penny and find out why she's not coming in?”
”No.” Julie shook her head. ”No, let's just try to get some work done today. . . however much we can get done with half the software team missing.”
There were any number of tactless remarks I could have made at that point, but I wisely chose to keep my mouth shut. A little while later, though, Dennis, far less cautious than I, decided to crack wise about Penny's absence: ”Gee, Commodore, that was a great idea you had about hiring a second programmer. It's only been a week and already I can't remember how we ever got by without her. . .”
Julie and Dennis were at each other's throats for the rest of the day, which at least kept Julie's attention off me. After work, though, as I was leaving the Factory, I spotted Penny's Buick idling just inside the gates, and got a sinking feeling in my stomach.
”Penny?” I called, walking up to the car.
Maledicta. ”f.u.c.king get in. Thread wants to ask you some more questions about the house.”
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