Chapter 19 - Down to business
Joe and Ben had taken the occasional leak on the edge of one of the "parking lots". Now in what he took for the motel room, he woke up in the middle of the night with a sense of gentle urgency. The gentle would become not gentle, and soon. He had to finally go to the bathroom. He wandered around his area with no real success on that count. He wandered next outside his room.
The entourage and his caretaker were scattered around the room. Some were awake, some were asleep. Some were resting though awake, and some were talking in hushed tones so as not to disturb the others. It was night time outside. As soon as he wandered into their room, one of them roused his friend. He rubbed his face and grabbed his translator and held it out like a handheld microphone.
"I have to go."
The answer came back.
"Where do you want to go, Joe."
He clarified. No time for idiomatic language differences at this juncture.
"Bathroom."
He understood. He led him back to his room he had searched and found nothing that seemed like the proper place. What he had taken for a small closet, turned out to be the privy. The seat? Lifted up and... well, there it was. He was surprised when it turned out to be a bidet as well. Great. He'd have been embarrassed asking where the toilet paper was anyways. Before he could get up from the after care of the warm water bidet treatment? A rush of warm air came. He leaned back into seated for that. The bidet would now blow dry.
Wow. Not unpleasant. Again, back home? He could "invent" something that would benefit the rich and elite in the exclusive resort in the sky. That probably the "inventor" himself couldn't afford to have for himself. Like the painless blood draws. You could only "help" those above you in station. Long after you were dead, if even then? Only then would it filter down to helping people like yourself.
He did wonder how to finish this thoroughly pleasant if unexpected procedure off. When he came out, his friend gesticulated him to follow him back in. He placed his hand on the back of what he took for the "tank", and pressed down on the lid until it made a sound, and a dull blue glow came. From under the now closed lid.
He tried to lift it? It was locked. When the dull blue glow went away, he could lift it. Nothing but fine ash, after a quick burn. His friend said nothing. Amused, perhaps. He then pressed on the lid of the tank a second time. What sounded like rushing air for a few seconds. He lifted the lid a second time. The fine ash was gone.
His friend told him to tell Ben when he asked, or in the morning. He went back to bed.
