Free It Had Been Years by Michael Malflic

began asking questions. Soft and gentle subtler variations on questions previously ask, looking for new information, a slip of the tongue, a hidden inconstancy.  For those he was there to see it appeared that all was going well, nothing too strenuous, or terrible,  nothing unexpected by them as he continued making his inquiries, making notes, referring to documents and occasionally following up for additional detail or clarification.  He would soon excuse himself to prepare for his next meeting not in the private office they had provided him but in the secluded privacy of his own hotel suite, one could not be too careful, the phone could be tapped, there could be listening devices or pin sized camera hidden in the office, watching his movements, trying to decipher his notes and document he would linger over.  So they correct or prepare responses for any areas he might have objection to.  After he arrived back at his hotel his hosts busied themselves with preparing for the next meeting, one between Vincent and their investors, a small first stage venture fund.  Back in his room his eyes moved from one spec sheet to the next,  from a few pages of printed out source code to another set of printed out source code, code that perhaps looked all too familiar, from the schematics of a specialized chip set and custom green board and back to the pages of code.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

No Rest for the Wicked
     
    Vincent wraps his meetings with the venture cap firm that had done the first round of funding. Dinner invitations are exchanged and he declines, stating that he has enjoyed the day but needed some time to collect his thoughts and prepare.  He headed toward the car and climbs into the backseat, the driver doesn’t even try to get out and get the door.  “Where to sir?” ,  the driver Chris asked. 
    “No where until you stop calling me sir and start calling me Vince.”
    Chris his 20 something driver now a bit flustered “OK where to Vince?” 
    Vincent laughing heartily responds heartily “Well it’s been a suck ass day. Do you have a bed time?” Vincent asked with out pausing long enough for anyone to actually form a response let alone a slightly befuddled kid.  “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”, he said in his best Jack Nicholson impression that sounded nothing like him.
    “To the hotel I need to change.”  So Chris points the black Lincoln toward Mission College Boulevard, sure the hotel was a chain but it had a real gym, after a day like the one he just had he needed to head to the gym. 
    “Look man, I need to be at the office by 9:00am and at the airport by 10:00, I’m not going to need to go out to night.” 
    The car comes to a stop in front of the long covered walkway.
    “Ok Vince I’ll be here by 8:15” 
    “Thanks” and with that Vincent faded into the distance of the long walkway into the hotel.  A quick workout and a few calls back east for status and input from the team there on the deal.  Around 6:45 Deb arrives, she is an old familiar friend.  They go back more than a few years to the very first week of college, meeting at a Terps football game in the student section.  They were never officially a couple but over the years they had spent more than their fair share of time together.  He was a geek and she was a free spirit who ekes out a meager living on the fringe of the main stream San Francisco Art world.  Deb is wearing a flowing purple crushed velvet skirt, crinkled white blouse.  “Nice look Hippie” as he hugs her
    “Thanks, I’ve got some tofu in my purse for you” she responded continuing on “Noodles in Palo work?” 
    Pausing “ I was thinking drinks at the Fault Line and then maybe noodles in Palo. OK?”  As the two old friends headed towards her tired old white Toyota Corrola .   Vincent in a black pin stripe suit and white checked shirt.   Debs naturally dark red hair has a few purple and light blue highlights adorning the