Rainy Days

I tell the guy, “My assignment is communication test support. I’ll be here when you need me, including the whole weekend, if necessary.”
The guy asks me, “No Billy?”
I laugh “He called in with a case of the intentional flu, I think.”
The guy tells me, “Yeah, that sounds like Billy alright.”
I tell the guy I have some clean up tasks, to keep me busy. “Until your people are ready to go. I will submit my own program code fixes, but I’m not sure if we have computer people in here, what with the rain.”
We wrap up. I dump out the few code fixes that I have and walk out toward the front.
I give the code fixes to Minny, at the Software Library.
Minny tells me, “I’ll submit the compiles and link requests, but Henry is the only computer operator in today and the work is backed up. I wouldn’t be here myself, what with the rain, but I really need the pay.”
I ask, “Your ex-husband still not making the child support payments?”
Minny laughs and tells me, “The worthless ass hole can’t make the child support payments, but he bought himself a new car. The divorce Judge has arranged things so that he can’t drive his new car from a jail cell. Me and the kid are doing alright, with just my pay.”
I say, “Worse than that, your ex husband can’t join Billy and Monica, out at the lake.”
Minny again laughs and tells me, “The roads to and from the lake are flooded and the frolickers are stranded.”
I say, “The frolickers went out to the lake for water, now they have lots of water.”
Minny sneers, “There’s water and then again there’s water.”
I laugh and walk out to the front.
Benjy the Beard is gathering orders for a lunch run. He wants to know if I want to place an order.
I intone, “I have a taste for chicken, I have no voice for song, however, during the flood, don’t you look for programmer guy he’s been there and gone.”
Benjy the Beard sighs and says, “You programmer guys always plan ahead.”
I say, “It comes with the territory.” I then see the guard, sitting where the Department Secretary usually sits, wave to me.
I walk over and take the phone. I hear Monica’s voice.
Monica asks me, “Who is this?”
I say, “This is Jason, one of the few in today, what with the rain.”
Monica says, “Corrine was going to come and pick me up.”
I laugh, “Corrine and her low slung sports car are snug at home, maybe taking a look at the deluge outside. If I recall correctly, Corrine has a cat. Corrine and her cat have the same general reaction to getting wet in the rain. Corrine is not going to come and pick you up. Sorry.”
I then make my way, back into my computer test room. (As I walk, I think. If Monica needs a ride, it almost certainly means that Billy doesn’t have a car. Billy had a car and the repo guys probably came and took Billy’s car. Since Billy is out ‘sick,’ he can’t call for help, from the lake. Monica will almost certainly call several of the girls who work here and the story of Billy’s ‘sick’ fib will get to management. Ol’ Jason just might find himself promoted to Project Manager, in Billy’s place. It should be interesting.)
I then get back into my computer test room. There is no message on the outside customer test console, so I start to configure test fourteen on the new machine. I start the test on the new machine. The new machine runs but, again, not the way that it’s supposed to. I halt the new machine, reload the test program, for that machine and start to configure test fifteen.
I get test fifteen configured and I start the test on the new machine. The new machine runs again, this time the way that it’s supposed to! I very carefully document the test fifteen configuration, in detail. I realize that I’m the only programmer, in at least the city, who knows how to really run the new computer. My salary is going to increase by a large amount, if probably in another company.