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Visindle Book1 Chapter 2

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Chapter 2

The Checkerboard or How It Happens

Jim Rayne walked into the Bank of the new condo apartment complex at Southern and Third St, in Industry Arizona where the structures were just written up in the local papers as the most modern and reasonable ever.

It was a testimony to advanced technology, it said.

For $10,000 Jim obtains a monthly payment bank mortgage, on a 5th floor apartment in Building F of the G7 complex.

It could be his property and as owner he would benefit from any increase in property value. That would be as his, added to the original payment if he decided to leave with the appropriate notice so the complex association can sell it choosing their own neighbor. The bank would handle booking the tenant and accounting beside.

Accounting for maintenance in the fee for the month it came out to a reasonable amount. Besides he got a free bank account and 24 hour cash machine in the building.

This system of the Checkerboard Condos had just been put into operation in that area and was going to Congress as a model for property managed.

This is the right way, one of the men pointed. The two men stood at the side of the road. Both of their hairs were disheveled from the wind. Their faces were in shadows as they stared ahead of themselves at the extremely light traffic, little electric golf cart type vehicles and electric powered chairs passing.

The larger auto garage for tenants and visitors was below the complex and entered through tunnels from the main auto thoroughfares.

The airs in those tunnels were filtered through great air purifiers before expelled to the atmosphere. The soot from the filters was collected and stored in giant drums covered in concrete and dropped into the ocean to retain coral reefs wherever needed around the world.

The ground floor fronts of the buildings contained stores for living supplies, restaurants and such as we would normally find in any community.

The new offices in the Federal Buildings were not very far from the complex they were going to.

The little cars on the street made a strange noise, when they honked. The man on the right pointed to the houses ahead of them a block down the road.

"That's where I live now,” he said. He pointed to the yellow brick building. The guy on the left who was larger than him smiled.

"That one?" He indicated with his finger.

"Yep,” returned Jim.

“I figure you’re pretty well off guy” Alex Devon came back.

The brick building Jim pointed to was the 5th building in the complex. He had walked the short walk back to his home from the new office with Alex along to show him the new Condo. The furniture man was bringing the furnishings that evening. Jim also wanted Alex to be there to help move the stuff around as they placed it.

The traffic light turned green and they crossed the street.

Only electric cars were permitted above ground in the complex area. The Condos were staggered parks and condo buildings in a checkerboard design.

A number of new industry buildings were built outside the new condo’s that were contracted with the condo establishment for housing their workers.

It was an enormous undertaking and Jim understood from someone it had only taken 2 years to complete. That was hard for him to believe.

"I hope that stuff's not too heavy, Jim.” Alex shuffled along beside his friend. He liked Jim pretty much but he was afraid if he had to carry too much that for sure it would be the end of a long friendship.

They were only one block away by the time they got to the corner.

Jim was rather happy with his new place. He'd been planning about moving to this area for two years, since he’d heard of his pending assignment. Meanwhile he'd gone about arranging for his cousin to take his old place.

The boy had just gotten out of college recently and was thinking of settling down with a family. Jim assumed he was secure about his employment.

The old place was a graduation gift to his cousin from his mother, Jim’s aunt on his mother’s side. Jim hoped he’d enjoy it at least through his graduate school years.

Alex looked up at the new buildings. They were fairly modern structures with terrace gardens apartments, like his. He lived at the Regency Checkerboard Condo a few blocks away.

"I like those gardens" Alex commented as they crossed the second street.

By the time they walk through the security door of Palace Arms Checkerboard Condo the sun was already setting.

The Red horizon filled the large picture window and lent a Red-Orange hue to the empty unlit main area of the apartment.

It was rather relaxing and a pleasant effect. The lack of furniture gave the area an awesome spaciousness.

There was stillness in the chamber, in the doorway that enveloped the two men as they entered. The echoes of their feet resounded against walls and floors.

They just come from working and both men were tired but there were no chairs to sit.

Jim turned out the climate control then brought Alex through the apartment toward the kitchen. The smell of the fresh carpentry fill their nostrils as they past through the apartment in that direction.

“I always wanted all this space," said Jim to his cohort. "It makes me feel healthy," he continued. He spoke of the extra-large living area and huge kitchen with those real high ceilings.

"I like it.” Alex said. “I know just what you mean” he finished. Jim reached into the kitchen cabinet and pulled out a large bottle of Scotch from the shelf. Then he pulled out two fair size tumblers and placed them on the counter.

Alex watched his buddy and smiled, while Jim spoke. "That Scotch looks pretty good Jim" Alex commented.

“But there are no seats.”

"That’s okay," Jim returns, as he dropped ice cubes into the tumblers.

"Two, three, that’s that." Jim counted the cubes as he dropped them into the glass’s then he proceeded to fill the tumblers with the J&B.

"Well, that’s enough for me.” Alex noted, over the amount Jim was pouring into the large glass.

"We've got to move some furniture today remember." Alex finished.

"Okay" Jim stopped and handed Alex his glass.

Than he filled his own. “Follow me,” Jim directed his friend as they left the kitchen to the largest room, to gaze out off the huge picture window. Beyond that wall of window was a terrace garden. They stood gazing out of the open window at the view and the orange sun setting in the horizon. They eyed inquisitively the terrace garden on the other side of the open window, as two very attractive women passed it, while the two men quietly sipped their scotch on the rocks.

After about two more gulps of the drinks they heard the apartment’s building lobby doorbell.

“Must be them now.” Jim walked to the intercom and turned on the video.

The picture displayed two, deliveryman in overalls with the Brinks Furniture insignia over their hearts.

Jim buzzes the buzzer.

It took about three hours to move all of his furniture up in the elevator to the apartment.

About half way through the, ITSA Machine, device was brought up. This was the most modern apparatus. It was the ultimate in virtual intelligence and media management to date in 2028.

The main screen took half a wall.

It was a big expense but that was what money was for, valuable comfort.

After the furniture was brought up, the delivery fellows left. Then Alex and Jim set up the media center and moved some furniture about some to find an acceptable balance in the placement design.

The living area rugs were plush and thick. The furniture seating was lush and billowy.

It was nice to relax recalling the wait before the furniture arrived with no place to sit.

Some mobile paintings were the highlight of the decor.

Mobile paintings were as varied and complex as computer screen savers had become. They were merely an application of that popular screen saver medium for unused monitors. They decorated flat panel wall display video monitors in Jim’s apartment that could be used for Movies Sport Television or Computer functions.

Hector the A. I. played an assortment of Jazz classics as they sat in the plush seats sipping a second drink

“I like it Jim.” Alex commented sinking deep into his armchair.

“Yup, sure is nice.” Jim enjoyed his seat also.

“I don’t believe I’m saying this but I’ve got to go Jim.”

“Alice will be waiting for me.”

“You want to call her?”

“Okay.”

Jim’s finger activated Hector’s voice control. “Hector, call Alex.” He said.

Is love the author of song or are songs written for love? -B. Toad

After a moment or two the larger wall screen displayed an image of Alex’s living room.

Alice sat in a couch smoking a cigarette.

“There you are. I thought you were coming home after work. “She said, after a moment.

She was an attractive redheaded lady, 5 feet 5 inches, with very full dimensions, though certainly not fat. She was dressed in a terry cloth robe.

“Hello Jim.”

“Hello Alice.”

Her video screen displayed Jim’s living space.

“Nice place.”

“Thank you for the compliment Alice.”

“Alex you’re not coming home are you. It’s so nice there you should move in with Jim. I can send your things over.”

The fellows were amused.

“Alice sometimes I can’t tell when you’re joking.”

“Who is joking? Not me!”

“I’m on my way Alice I just wanted to tell you I was leaving.”

A young toddler about five and a half years old entered the picture on Jim‘s screen.

“Is that daddy?” The young boy commented, seeing the images on the video display.

He wore a pair of pajamas.

He walked to where his mother sat then.

She took him in her arms.

“Yes dear that’s daddy.”

“Well when do the trained seals come on?” Alice was trying to move the conversation along.

Alex spoke to Jim as he rose from his seat. “I really must go.”

Jim shook Alex by the hand as he got up to leave. “Thanks Alex.”

“It’s nothing Jim; you’ll get my bill in the mail soon.

“I hope you’ll enjoy your new place. We’ll have to do up this house-warming thing a bit in the future.

“Alice will pick out a nice new house present and we’ll bring it over next weekend.

“We’ll bring Tommy too. Right Alice?” He turned to the camera as he spoke.

“Fine with me.” Alice replied.

“Hay Alex that’s some thing I’ll be looking forward to.” Jim said as he walked Alex to the door.

Jim walked with Alex down the hall and left him as he got in the elevator.

After returning to his apartment he locked the door behind him. He fixed himself 2 TV dinners and retired to his bedroom. After a time grooming for bed, he had himself a good night’s sleep.

 

In the distant horizon, flew a lonesome jet, recently from a local airport headed for Star-base Nevada.

There were few stars in the sky one could make out through the airplane’s cabin window.

After a time the passengers on board had finished their meals and the stewardess was clearing the trays, from the seats tables.

Bill handed his tray in. He was sitting next to a buxom young lady.

It made Bill a bit warm; to be seated next to this strange female with such a volume of dimensions, as yet personally unexplored.

Her blond hair was long and fell across her shoulders.

She wore a somewhat see through blouse and a veritable see through bra. They were very fashionable and very enticing in design.

Her bosom was somewhat large but she was of pleasant features and the extra weight at her breasts seemed firm enough. She looked rather pale though.

The movement of the plane was making him a bit nervous in the stomach and for some reason it eased Bill’s comfort to stare at the woman’s breasts.

He appreciated women as flesh, to be consumed, in a manner, for the maintenance of ones health, as one might have dinner.

Due to the very complexity of the female nature, for Bill, it helped to reduce them to a simple comprehensible dimension in this manner, in his mind.

Bill was a male. That was very much his case. This fact could impress or irritate others.

For Bill, females could be a very welcome source of vital life energy when they were with you. On the other hand they could be ones greatest enemies when they were against you. Women often used the fact against males to obtain what ever it was they wanted out of men. Women knew that they were so elemental to mans’ nature. For Bill, dealings with women called for reserve and cool discretion.

Bill a fellow with a sallow complexion, well groomed, nicely built, at a medium age of 45, 5 foot 11 inches and weighing about 190 pounds smiled at the lady of our description, who was about thirty-seven years of age. He excused himself as he stepped by her into the aisle.

There wasn’t much distance to the back of the plane as distance goes.

He’d been seated a bit forward of the engines and had to go a bit farther back to have a cigarette.

They had allowed smoking on a couple of flights a day and he was lucky to have been on one of those.

The back of the plane was crowded with people drinking and smoking.

Many of the passengers appeared quite thrilled being on a plane. Others, perhaps more seasoned flyers, were more matter of fact about it.

Many had great big smiles as they discussed, with drinking companions, their destination on the Moon or at the new space station resort, after their next flight from the spaceport.

Bill unlike the others planned a shuttle flight to San Francisco to meet a man about a job.

The terms of Bills pension allowed him the opportunity for some gainful employment without effecting his payments.

He was often able to deduct from these earnings work expenses, such as the cost of such things as air transportation, so it afforded him more income within the terms of his disability pension.

He flew often as he could.

This air travel was rather round-about but he took it to see the spaceport like a tourist might and enjoy his trip while on his way to his appointment. It was as expensive a way to go with the spaceport stop thrown in, for the money. This flight was not very full as people going into outer space were not as plentiful as all that and he filled in the seats that might be empty otherwise on the way there and going on to San Francisco.

He’d been injured at work some years before and pensioned. He was able to feel less demand upon him now, as thereby his basic needs were somewhat provided for.

They truly were no real compensation for the damage to his body and health but for Bill there was consolation in the acceptance of his fate.

In fact Bill was going to make a bit of a vacation out of his trip to San Francisco also. He’d not been there before so he too had some excitement about his itinerary, as his fellow passengers were also observed to display.

Bill was lucky to find a seat at the back of the plane.

He was almost finished with his cigarette when the speakers blared.

“Passengers please take your seats; we are about to land at Nevada Star-base.”

After the plane landed and discharged the passengers, Bill wandered through the terminal looking for the registration desk, to register for his next flight.

After a reasonable time of gazing about the wide spaced terminals, he found his airline desk and obtained his boarding cards for the next journey.

He was booked on a British Airway 709 that flew through the space port terminal delivering Europeans to the spaceport. It would almost be empty flying on to San Francisco but for the tourists like himself, Europeans bound for San Francisco terminal or an occasional San Franciscan returning from a space vacation, according to Bills travel agent.

Most of the returning Europeans, from space flights, preferred going through Dallas and N.Y. then on to Europe, he’d explained.

Bill took a quick between flight guided tours through the spaceport and took loads of photos, while he waited for the connecting journey.

He was in San Francisco and settling into a comfortable bed by Midnight.

A. B. was watching the Late News show in his living room. Lenore was reading a book in the den that originally when the apartment was rented, was believed it was going to be a child’s area, when the happy day came.

Though Lenore wasn’t planning on that too soon, the area was especially nice because of the pleasant premonitions of the life to come that might have resided within its walls. The news of strife in the world upset her so she sat where she was when A. B. watched the news.

The Book was by A. Dykn a noted Finnish author that had been translated quite well to her taste.

Lenore was well educated for her duties as a housewife, having a degree from University. She felt her education gave her an advantage as a person and she had no cause to be unhappy about her life with A. B who was a very well endowed successful person from a wealthy family.

Lenore didn’t care for the proverbial rat race herself and proffered the more retired position she enjoyed as a housewife.

Mrs. Abraham Benjamin Tile. It had a nice ring to it.

Meanwhile A. B. sat in the living area, enjoying the good news he’d had from the vice CEO on the companies profits and sales reports, by phone moments before.

He had a scotch on the rocks on the table or in his hand and sipped it occasionally.

He thought to donate large discount coupons for the notebooks that had been selling like hotcakes to the schools and use it as a write off.

It would increase sales on ITSA notebooks as they became more popular still and peripherals sales would likely rise considerably beside, all in all it would be good for the company and it’s image.

 

A few minutes later Lenore came in to Abe’s space.

Lenore wanted to go to a club that evening.

A. B. though was too done in for that.

“Lenore let’s skip the club tonight.” He sipped his scotch.

“How about deciding on the wardrobe.”

“The wardrobe?”

“Our trip to the Moon? The big presidential Bash?”

“Oh yes the trip to the Moon.”

“Abe I’ve been doing that all week. Let’s go out for a drink and some dinner. It‘s 8:30 in the evening and we‘ve not eaten anything”

“Okay, if you insist, okay.”

They got themselves dressed for the club.

A. B. washed his face and hands.

While he toweled himself he looked in on Lenore. She was putting on her eye make-up.

“You almost ready dear?” He inquired then slipped into a jacket while she answered.

“One more minute, dear.” She finished putting on her make-up.

They left for the club shortly after they’d dressed for the occasion.

It was a short hop by car to the club.

There was a nice Jazz group playing when they got there.

Laura and Abe sat at a secluded table.

Abe ordered the drinks and dinner when the waitress came by for their selections.

Milligan's Jazz Scene was their favorite club. It had been for many years. It was an old social establishment that had existed since the end of the twentieth century.

San Diego was a nice place to find Jazz nightclubs and live performers.

Jazz was Abe’s favorite music.

There were a few servicemen in their street clothes with dates for the evening.

Besides the waitresses there were some other stag’s floating about the club, hoping for a lonely sailor, to spend the evening with, very likely.

The two sat discussing the new Palace Arms Checkerboard Condo in Nevada, they were purchasing and the free trip to the Moon that came with it.

President Alexander Carmichael was flying up there and it was mostly public relations for the private sector space tours industry as well as for creating a welcome party for the president when he got there.

 

 

When Rayne awoke the next morning he felt like a new person.

The Auto-Coffee maker alarm from the kitchen had woken him, as he’d put the snooze function on his own bedroom alarm. When his own alarm went off again he was quickly out of bed and into his morning.

All morning as he readied himself he marveled at his good fortune to have such a spacious new living space.

The apartment entrance was from the house walkway terrace overlooking the building courtyard.

The outside windows looked out upon a large park with another condo complex beyond that.

The park outside his window had a ball field in it and some tennis courts. Each park was designated for a different use; to fill in what was missing to each condo complex as the designations spun about the checkerboard design.

Each of the four facing sides of the complex had a park. Every ones outside windows looked out on parks. All inside residence windows looked out upon the terraced garden.

 

 

 

Agent Rayne had coffee while he waited for his instant breakfast to emerge from the new microwave ready to eat.

The eight buildings surrounded a courtyard. The height of the center eastern building was a floor lower, only two floors high, to allow more sun in the mornings into the courtyard earlier.

The roofs of all the buildings had potted gardens and were accessible by any of the tenants by stair or the elevators that serviced buildings at the main complex entrance.

Jim’s Condo apartment was composed of two very large areas. One was the living room the other was the bedroom. Off the living space was a kitchen area with an open bar between it and the main living room area.

The large bath with a window facing the park was between the two large spaces and had an entrance to either.

There was an open commons region in the center where community meetings were held, sometimes in a tent when the weather threatened.

The day’s activities planned flitted through Jim’s mind, as the breakfast cooled the prescribed time.

He had to be at the office by 9 but he would have some company time at the handgun range during the day. He had a new 44 he wanted to try out.

 

Without knowing it Jim had moved in next to a Hollywood starlet.

She occupied the large studio north of his condo apartment.

She was very well stacked, had dark hair and dark eyes.

She was 23 and had a body that could make men wanton.

She was an inch taller than Jim was 5’7“.

She was a happy lady named Jessica Van Camp.

Her ancestors had been a military family for centuries.

She on the other hand had studied at the San Diego State University for another trade. She was a psychoanalyst.

She also was a yoga instructor and as we said before a popular movie personality.

She had a practice as a therapist and was a business partner in a local massage parlor where many attractive women worked.

It would be a wonderful symbiosis, with her, the stressed out agent, Jim Rayne, would come to enjoy, with time.

While Jim had his breakfast Jessica read an article in a magazine at her breakfast table as she too had her morning’s fare.

 

 

 

 

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Right click on the image and save the picture to your desktop, then open it, to see it full size.

We hope you are enjoying the tale. There are some lost chapters I have to find or rewrite and it is coming along slowly between housework and other personal necessities that demand my time.

The next chapter was written in 1983 as an investigation and arrest for treason of B. Toad. Of course all charges were dropped but while it went on I gave a copy of the original draft of it to the Secret Service agents who were my contacts.

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God gave us the freedom of choice. We can always go the right way or else.
Master B Toad
2004