Mayte went to her desk and perched on the edge, jumping a little as her mother joined her unexpectedly from Dar's office. "Oh, Mama!"
"It is me, yes. At last they have stopped calling for Dar's office with the power and I will have some peace," Maria said. "Where is Kerrista going? Home I am hoping? She did not get much rest yesterday."
"No, Mama." Mayte solemnly shook her head. "She is going to New York."
"Ahhhh!" Maria smiled broadly. "It is about time! I was worried about poor Dar up there in that nasty place all by herself. I am glad Kerrisita is going to be with her."
"Si," Mayte agreed. "But Mama, I think Kerry forgot something before she left. She was supposed to go with those women to a dinner, and she did not tell them she was going away."
"Tcha." Maria folded her hands. "Is this those two perras?"
"Mama!" The younger woman affected to be shocked. "What would Papa say?"
Her mother expressed a sound very much like a sneeze. "I do not like those women, Mayte. They cause bad problems for us, and they were not nice to Kerrisita and Dar. I am glad there will be no nice dinner with them. They do not deserve it."
Mayte merely blinked, giving the solemn pronouncement it's just due.
Maria folded her arms over her chest. "Where was Kerrisita taking them?" she asked, almost as an afterthought.
"Tail of the Pig," her daughter supplied promptly.
"Como?"
"Si." Mayte shrugged. "That is what Kerry said."
Maria frowned. "I have not heard of this one. Have you?"
For an answer, Mayte circled her desk and sat down at her computer, accessing her screen with efficient fingers. "No, Mama, but I am sure we can find it on the Internet. There is everything on the Internet."
Obligingly, her mother followed her around and peered over her shoulder. After a moment, they both straightened right up. "Dios Mio," Maria spluttered. "I do not think Kerrisita is going to THAT place, Mayte. She is very the open minded, but...what are those two men doing?'
Mayte hastily clicked off it. "I think that is the wrong one, Mama." She continued hunting. "Here is one...oh." She frowned. "That does not look nice at all, but it is not too far from here."
Maria looked at the address. "That is near the place where they have their hatboxing lessons."
"Kickboxing, Mama," Mayte murmured. "Do you think Kerry was going there? The other women were dressed so nice."
Maria chuckled. "Come, Mayte. I have not yet had lunch. It is time for us to go get the burgers." She headed for the hallway at a purposeful trot.
"But Mama..."
"Vamanos!"
Mayte hurriedly locked her screen and grabbed her backpack, hoping Mama wasn't going to cause too much trouble. "I am too young to be arrested, I hope," she lamented, flipping off the office light as she headed for the elevator.
KERRY WHISTLED SOFTLY under her breath as she punched her door code in, and pushed the condo door open. "Hey Chi!" She eased inside. "How are you, sweetie?" She reached down to give her pet a hug. "Chi, you're going to be very upset with me, because I've got to leave tonight but I promise you when I come back, I'll have your mommy with me. How's that?"
"Growf!" Chino whirled around in a circle, her ears flying.
"That's how I feel too." Kerry confided, dropping her briefcase and jumping around in a circle herself. "Whoo!" She hopped up and down along with Chino, dancing across the floor with her. "Yeah baby. I'm gonna go get your mommy. You like that?"
"Groouf!" Chino bucked around Kerry and retrieved a stuffed toy, presenting it gleefully to her.
"Gimme that cow." Kerry grabbed the toy and cocked her arm, waiting until Chino scrambled over near the dining room table before she let it fly, clapping when the dog caught it in mid-air. "Good girl! Good catch!" She chuckled, continuing on past the Labrador and opening the back door for her. "Go on." She waited for Chino to go outside, then she leaned against the kitchen counter, glad the condo had already cooled down.
It felt very nice to be comfortable, and not sweaty. Kerry opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle of tea, popping the top and taking a sip of it. Inside the box, containers of dry ice thoughtfully provided by the island staff had kept the contents acceptably chilled through the power outage They'd even left a covered plate of fruit, which she removed and uncovered, attracted by the big strawberry in the center.
"Mm." Kerry glanced at the clock. It was only five thirty, and her flight was at eight. Still plenty of time. She figured to leave for the airport at six thirty. With only her overnight bag getting on the plane shouldn't be a problem. "Okay." She waited for Chino to come back in, then headed for the bedroom.
Chino accompanied her, but when she saw Kerry take out the leather overnighter, she gave her owner a pitiful look and went to go lay down on her bed. "Aww." Kerry put the bag on the waterbed. "You know what this is, don't you?"
Chino whined.
"Now, I told you I'd be bringing your mommy back. Don't I get points for that?" Kerry unzipped the bag and retrieved her traveling sundry kit, tucking it into one side. "Wish I could put you in here too, Chi...I bet mommy Dar would like to see you, huh??"
"Growf."
Kerry chuckled as she put three pairs of jeans into the bag, neatly folded, and added a few T-shirts and one long sleeve silk that refused to wrinkle just in case she needed something a little jazzy. A pair of leather flats along with it, then some socks and a handful of underwear. "There." She put her hands on her hips and reviewed her choices. "I think that'll do...unless Dar decides to take me to a Broadway show."
The thought rambled around in her head, bumping into her other random thoughts. Hm. Kerry wondered if Dar would like to go see a show...maybe she could find something really cool and entertaining to keep her restless partner occupied for a few hours. "And if we do..." She observed thoughtfully. "and it requires spiffy duds, well then, we'll go buy 'em." She snapped the catch on the bag handle. "Right, Chi?"
"Whine."
Kerry walked over and crouched down next to the dog bed. "Aw, c'mon, Chino...it's only a few days. Your mommy needs me." She stroked the Lab's soft head. "You know how important mommy Dar is to me, right?"
Chino wagged her tail.
"You know how much I love mommy Dar, right?" Kerry added, in a soft voice. "I can't wait till I get there, Chi. I can't wait till I see her, and I can give her a great big hug." She leaned over and hugged the dog. "Just like that, and I'll give her one for you too, okay?"
"Grrr."
"You know what? I think we might have a good time in New York. Maybe we can go to Central Park, and take a carriage ride." Kerry straightened a little. "I'd like that."
Stifling a yawn, she got up and headed back into the living room. Figuring the chances of being fed on an eight p.m. flight were slim and none, she decided to see what she could toss together for a quick dinner before she left. "C'mon, Chi...come get food."
She gave the dog a bowl of mixed kibble with some shredded chicken and got herself a cup of yogurt, a banana, some peanut butter, and the rest of her iced tea. "Mm." She surveyed her banquet. "But what I'm getting for dessert is worth it."
Cheerfully, she took the items into the living room and settled on the couch, flipping the television on to the news as she put her feet up and popped the top off her yogurt.
Now, at last, she listened as the power outage and it's restoration was explained. "Holy cow," she muttered around a mouthful of vanilla yogurt. "Look at that thing." A helicopter view of the Turkey Point nuclear plant showed the transformer building that had disintegrated, sending surges in all directions and causing the problem in the first place.
They'd been lucky. Only the transformer building had been affected by the explosion, as yet of unknown origin. Nothing had touched the nuclear part of the facility, but to say the authorities were nervous would be the biggest understatement of the fiscal year.