"End of lecture," Quinn said. "If you folks are committed to playing in this sand box, I'll do what I can to scrape out the cat poop but don't expect encouragement from me. I need concrete evidence before I'm a believer and I don't see that on the horizon." Betsy and I breathed a sigh of relief.
As any dream sessions needed to take place in Massachusetts where Quinn's test items were now located, we decided Martha was best suited as coordinator of the event. We assumed Howie would beg for the five of us to be in attendance. Schedules were exchanged until a free weekend opened up, after our obligatory trip to Iowa and Betsy's parents. We'd drive Peabody, Massachusetts, two weeks before our wedding.
We gave only limited thought to the upcoming session as our pre wedding trip and plans took precedence in our hectic schedule. When the weekend arrived we once again went through the turmoil of renting and car and leaving the Big Apple in weekend traffic. Peabody was two hundred and thirty miles and we arrived at our destination a little after eleven on Friday night, after nearly six hours of steady traffic.
The LeBlanc's house is a tiny cape cod, on a dead end street in south Peabody, a Boston bedroom community. Neighbors are quite close by. The house has but two small second story bedrooms. As there is no dormer on the roof, the ceilings slant downward on each side. While Betsy and I shared one bedroom and the LeBlanc's the other, Howie was stuck on the living room sofa. Quinn's equipment was located in their full basement. Everyone was tired so after perfunctory greetings over a single glass of wine for those of us drinking, we retreated to our sleeping quarters. It seemed to me we were all on edge, especially Howie who, aside from a smile and a few words, stayed out of our limited conversations.
"How do you want to work this?" Quinn asked over oatmeal and raison toast on Saturday morning. "I've set up the same old power sources as New Hampshire and I managed to gather up about a third of the same plants. We don't have an extra bed but there's a roll out cot down there."
We agreed the set up was adequate and thanked him for his efforts. Thus began a second truly monumental weekend, bringing us one step closer to changing all our lives.
Connecticut. Ah; New England in the autumn! There is beautiful foliage and stunning children everywhere. I drive the country roads, humming my tune, my new little pet safely in my hands. No need to cry on such a pretty day, little one.