While Claire was causing mayhem in Newport, in Cirencester Steve Bawtree opened the package he has just received and was pleasantly surprised by the amazing device he was handling; it was compact, tactile and beautifully put together. He placed the ear piece in his ear and put the eye piece over his left eye. It had to be his left eye because his right eye was a glass one, having lost the original one some years ago in a pub brawl. He took the control pad and pressed the on-button. The 3-D image of a demo video came to life, together with the music that piped into his ear, Steve thought the experience was unbelievably amazing. He could not wait to communicate the good news to his business associates. He picked up the phone and called Claire who was in no mood to answer the phone. Steve’s news could not wait so, he dialled Perth, Australia. He finally convinced one of Gill Bates people to put him through.
Gill: yes?
Steve: Mr Bates, it is me Steve Bawtree
Gill: yes, what do you want Bawtree
Steve: I have most excellent news for you Mr Bates
Gill: I am listening
Steve: the prototype of the iBall is complete and it is wonderful
Gill: good. I take it you will be carrying out extensive field tests on it to make sure it works perfectly
Steve: I have already done that and everything is “A Okay”
Gill: that was quick, what tests have you conducted?
Steve: I have carried out focus groups, I have conducted controlled tests with a group of people in different age groups; I have tested it on short sighted people; long sighted people; colour blind people; people with squints; people with lazy eyes; people with Glaucoma; even people with one eye and all the results have been positive with no side effects whatsoever. Not only that, compared to anything else on the market, the sound and picture quality are 100 times better than anything on the market!
Gill: and you can prove all of this with fully documented test results?
Steve: absotively
Gill: good. Now I need you to send the prototype and the manufacturing specifications to the factory in China immediately. I will have one of my people send you an email with the address of the factory in Shanghai
Steve: consider it done Mr Bates. Now with regards to the small matter of money; I wouldn’t normally ask but I am a little tight at the moment
Gill: isn’t it a bit early in the day to be drinking?
Steve: I meant I need some money because my Sarah is..
Gill: I will instruct my people to send you a down payment. Don’t forget to send me the test results and the iBall specification and send the prototype to China straight away. G’day
Steve put the phone down and worried about the extent of lies he has just told. But Claire made it clear the sooner the prototype was signed off the more money he stood to make. He wondered how he was going to prove he carried out all these tests. There was only one thing for it; make up the test results and send them as soon as possible. He began to work on the results straight away.
On Monday evening, Riesling and Walter sat down after dinner to discuss the day’s events.
Riesling: what’s become of Newport pet? We suddenly have Al Qaeda terrorists, milk tankers spraying people with milk, chicken running around in their hundreds. This used to be a quiet little city, isn’t it?
Walter: yes, yes, yes. I don’t mind telling you these events are putting me off my CarCom work
Riesling: don’t say that pet, this could be our future
Walter: well, how would you like to go around drenched in milk and covered in chicken feathers looking like an oversized wet turkey?
Riesling: all is well that ends well pet. Besides, we got Charlotte as a new pet in the back garden
Walter: who is Charlotte?
Riesling: the hen who was sitting on your shoulder when you came back to change your clothes. I called her Charlotte; she is a lovely thing and keeps chasing Izha and Zatar round the garden
Walter: hens, Al Qaeda, exploding milk tankers, this used to be a quiet little city my Little Chicken!
That same evening, Steve sat in his office making up false iBall trial results to send to Gill Bates. By 10:30, he was very pleased with the work of fiction he produced and, as a reward for his efforts; he lit up one of the funny cigarettes his beloved Sarah rolled up for him from the cannabis plants she had been growing in their green house. Steve went to bed very happy and high as a kite!
Considering herself lucky to get away without being arrested for the attempted random murder of the citizens of Newport, Claire sat in the lounge of her Bristol hotel drinking a glass of wine to plan her next move. She had to admit that Walter was indestructible. Suddenly, a very good-looking man walked in and all thoughts of Gill Bates and Walter Patch disappeared from her mind; she couldn’t take her eyes away from the exceptionally handsome man. He walked over to the bar and ordered a Scotch on the rocks, looked around the lounge and his eyes met Claire’s; he smiled at her, and she blushed. It was all she could do to stop herself from spilling her drink! The handsome man took his drink and twirled its contents causing the ice cubes to rhythmically crash against one another and the sides of the glass. He walked over to Claire who was getting flustered by the second.
Brad: hi, I am Brad
Claire (blushing): I know, I have seen all your movies
Brad: oh sorry, I didn’t think you would recognise me, I don’t like to go all Hollywoody on people
Claire: not at all, I am Claire
Brad: can I join you?
Claire: yes please
Brad: you seemed to be in deep thought when I walked in
Claire: oh, was it that obvious? I have some things to deal with
Brad: good things I hope
Claire: some good, but mostly bad
Brad: I don’t wish to pry into your private affairs but I have found that every bad thing in our lives has a good side to it. The trouble is we don’t take the time to look for the good because we are busy looking at the bad
Claire: I am not sure I follow you
Brad: well, let me give you an example. If you are trying to catch a train and you miss it by a few minutes because of traffic or something, your first reaction is to feel bad about missing that train. But, if you stop to think about it, maybe some external force made you miss that train for a good reason. Let’s say you look around and this person walks down the platform who turns out to be an old friend you hadn’t seen in years and all of a sudden, you are happy to have missed that train!
Claire: well, that’s an interesting theory
Brad: look, let me ask you something: did you miss or fail something today?
Claire: you can say that again!
Brad: right, why don’t you think about this missed opportunity but from a positive perspective this time and say to yourself; “maybe I was meant to miss this thing, what positive thing can I do to make the situation better?”
Claire: mmm, I think I can follow you
Brad: promise me you will do that
Claire: I promise
Brad: now, let me get you another drink
Claire lay in bed wondering whether her encounter in the hotel lounge actually happened; it seemed so real and the advice so wise and relevant. She sat one meter away from “Gorgeous Brad” and they looked at each other, eyeball to eyeball!! Claire made the most important decision in her life before she slowly drifted to sleep. She dreamt she had a cameo role in a movie called “Ocean 13”.
To read the next chapter, please click here: Chapter 25
