"I think I might know." She offered.
"Go on"
"Well, I had the directory on my machine and copied it over to the server. When I discovered the missing pages, I went back to my machine to restore them, but they were missing from my machine also. I couldn't figure out what happened to them so I figured that I had deleted them. My guess is that Professor Haggerty knew that the directory had been copied from my machine by looking at the ftp log. So he had to get rid of my copy also."
"But you told me that you had deleted the directory because I told you not to leave too many copies laying around."
She looked like she was going to say something but then just smiled.
"Go on," I said raising my eyebrows slightly in a look of faux anticipation.
"Well, you know how you are," she offered in her defense.
I didn't really get that but it wasn't important enough to pursue so I dropped it. I had bigger fish to fry, as they say, and other things that needed attention.
"Well, anyway, " I transitioned, "I asked Sherry to join me for dinner tonight at the Brewer's Pub. I was hoping that you could join us. I'm thinking about continuing to use Sherry this fall and I wanted you two to get to know each other a little better. She looked a little confused, but agreed to meet us at 7:00 p.m.
I got an extension on the INtercontinental grant and wanted to keep Sherry on the job. She was working out really well and I wanted to make sure that she and Patience were comfortable with each other - Thaddeus Wentworth, social director, par excellence!
The Brewer's Pub had a delightful double bock on tap. It was full-bodied, with a smooth aftertaste, a little sweet and very potent. I nearly finished my first glass as we were looking over the menus.
Patience looked at me and said "Prof. Wentworth, why do you drink so much?"
"It keeps the ghosts away," I answered, without thinking, and then wondered what in the world I meant by that.
Patience continued to look at me so I decided to change the subject.
"The reason I got you two together is that I wanted you two to get to know each other a little better. Sherry you will be working on the Intercontinental contract and Patience you will be working on the web site. I would like for you two to learn what each other is doing so you can back each other up. I thought that if we had dinner and a couple of drinks it might break the ice."
Patience and Sherry looked at each other and giggled.
"Would you mind letting me in on it?" I asked, slightly perturbed.
Sherry took a sip of her wine while Patience explained. "Sherry and I already know each other. Where have you been all summer? We had lunch together at least once a week. Sherry and her husband have had Smitty and I over for dinner several times."
"You're dating Smitty?" I blurted out before I managed to catch myself. I must have looked at her the way her father did when he was worried that she might be ruining her life. In return she gave me that - I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself. Besides, it's none of your business - look. I felt compelled to warn her about the evils of men. A comedian once said that if women knew what men were really thinking, they would never stop slapping us. Maybe it's better they don't know. Besides she was a big girl and it was none of my business. I gulped down the last of my second double bock and waived at the bartender for another. Sherry looked like she might be hiding behind that wineglass, but her eyes were sparkling so I knew she was enjoying the trouble I was getting myself into.
My beer came and I must have gone for it a little too quickly because Patience said again, "I think you are drinking too much Dr. Wentworth."
"Patience," I said evenly, "I appreciate your concern, but I am a big boy and I can take care of myself. Besides, it really isn't any of your business." So there, I thought. Turning the tables on her.
"But it is my business."
Well, I thought I had turned the tables.
"How so?"
"Because I care about you."
So much for the tables.
I tried to figure out how it was O.K. for her to care about my well being when it wasn't O.K. for me to care about her well being. But those double bocks were pretty strong and my reasoning was getting a little fuzzy. I thought about pointing out the absence of symmetry in her reasoning, but I was sure she would come up with another mobius strip of feminine logic that would confuse me even further. The humor of the situation was not lost on Sherry who looked like she might burst out laughing at any moment. I decided it would be better to move on to a different topic.
But, instead I just stared into my beer. I felt myself starting to brood. I wanted this to be a social evening. Instead, I felt a dark mood descending over me. I didn't really care that Patience was dating Smitty. Truth was I just didn't like surprises. The missing web pages really weren't that big of a deal. I just felt that they were a thread I would pull until I discovered something even more unpleasant. I kept turning Frank Haggerty over and over in my mind trying to get to the source of my uneasiness. Poor Frank. Probably didn't deserve all this suspicion and scrutiny. And Patience was right, I was drinking too much. Drinking far too much and I had no idea why.
I sat there lost in my thoughts, probably with a glum expression on my face.
"What's the matter Professor Wentworth?" asked Patience.
"I wish I knew, Patience." I said "I really wish I knew."