31. And The Love Bird Fluttered High In The Sky/Part Two
Early in the morning, Sandy turned up for a brief courtesy visit and also to ensure that things were all sailing swimmingly. Al, too, popped in at the busiest hour, launching on , as was habitual for him, one of his daring jokes, but he apologized when Jack reproved him. I seemed to revert to my former mirthful mood and liveliness. ‘ Time has zoomed by’ , I thought, when I peered at my watch and realized that midday was already one hour behind. Things around the offices seemed to have pretty much eased up; Jack and Larry had already hit the road for a lengthy meeting downtown that was anticipated to outlast the normal working hours. Tom, likewise, was in another meeting with Riyadh, and Gerhard had been away for two days on a trip to Basra. Sensing a hint of fatigue, I got up from my chair, and stood to the side stretching my back and arms with left and right twists and turns, and then took a trip to the water-cooler to stretch my legs. When I returned with a ‘ration’ of a cup of cold...