'What!? Who is this guy?' turning my head toward him...
"Oh, my friend!, Surely you remember me! I was the 'bot who upon it was my privilege to provide you with transport.....during...the last.....shall we say..'inconvenience'....shall we say?"
"Inconvenince? To what are you referring?"
"Well, you know.... you stole a ride on me at a most inconvenient time...I had been asked to take a certain lady...whose name need not be mentioned...take a certain lady's clonepups for a walk but....then...you gave me a command to take you to the "inconvenience'...you know....the whole thing ..up town?"
"Oh! Yes! I remember now...That was you?"
"Yes it was....an inconvenience at the time but....for most humans...walking clonepups is an..inconvenience...so that particular inconvenince...was a rather pleasurable outing.."
"Pleasurable OUTING! WHAT THE..... how can you refer to it as a "pleasurable outing"...a LOT of people apparently DIED because of that!!"
"If I might be so bold as to ask sir....why did you append the adverb..."apparently" "?
"Well..."
"Yes....your Kub....my Kub....you know girls....they 'talk'...as it were, kaffee klattchs...as it were...you know the girls..."
"Um....no I don't know about 'the girls' but I do know that my Kub tries her best to take my best interest to heart..."
'What.....where am I....are we...'.........' this is......fifteenth....' I WAS on.....twelfth'...
"Here Sir....Have you ever been to the Continental Club?"
'Continental Club.....what is going on?'
"Ummmm no don't now that....WHAT are we doing? How am I here? What is going.."
"Please sir...let me lead the way...."
"Passphrase please....the large grey 'bot in large gray clothes asks....'
'What?'
'WHAT is he.....it....is he a 'bot? doing?'
"Never mind.... inquire of Bruce if you would kind sir...."....WHAT is the ...'bot...guy...doing....is he....kind of waving his hand...?'
The eyes of the big gray 'bot kind of...don't know....go blank.....
"OH! Yes Sir! Yes....go right on in gentlemen...., please excuse me...I did not know! "
The 'bot quickly backs toward the door, gently pushing others in the line to the side....
"Make way! "Make way!....'
'WHAT is going on....?'
A hover waitbotress suddenly appears and takes my hand....
''''''Pleeze this way zur......you and your acquaintance are at our disposal....pleeze sir....""""
A rather slouchy band is playing on the stage......the place reeks of decades old booze..... the boards of the floor are uneven....the lights....if they may be called that....so garish....garish....
But....on the walls........... real.....paper...........what were they called...?
A servingbot sidles up to the bar...and somehow....
I'm sitting at the bar..........
"For the genulman my fellow" intones the servingbot...
"My gentleman is new to the club!"
"Ummmmm yes you...um yesss he is new, I know that but why is he here with YOU?"
'WHAT THE FOUCOUL is going on.......??....
'...."HE IS WITH ME....."....intones the 'bot....
"OH! I SEE!" says the servinbot in a rather...surprised manner....
'The band that is playing is not "all that good"...in fact...I have heard better....many times...'
"My friend's Kub tells me that he is a rather sophisticated gentleman....He....ummm.....he....HELPED by enlisting my help...in the last....shall we say....inconvenience?".....
'And again.....' he slightly...waves his hand....
"OH...yes.....I ...see....And just what will the gentleman have this evening?"
'Me....I'm just looking around......this really is a ....'rum lot' as they said thousands of years ago.... people from ten star systems....bots from fifteen.....and a few .....things....wellllll...'
"I think that the gentleman would like something....'historical'...after all he is....an EDUCATOR..."
The bar......
becomes.... quiet.......
only the band plays on....
"Oh....an EDUCATOR....." says....the servingbot with an air....of.....what...awe?"
"Yes....my DEAR friend is...and EDUCATOR."
"Then drinks are on the house of course my friend...I am much in your debt for honoring my lowly establishment with the presence of ...your ....FRIEND?"
"Yes...my FRIEND."
'Is it just me ...or has it become very....'quiet'...in here...? except for the band?'
"I am thinking something rather historical for my friend...I think that he would appreciate something with a sense of history to it....."
"Yes, by all means!" says the servingbot....
"I assume that you have what used to be known as a 'Manhatten Glass" have you not?"
"Well OF COURSE we do! You of all 'bots should......oh sorry....Yes of course!"
Then.... In a Manhatten glass....with a few rocks, not too many...."
"Of course!"
"You do have rye whiskey?"
"Welll yes of course! ? "
"Southern.....rye whiskey......if you know whereof I speak..."
'A slight hesitation on the part of the servingbot.....'
"Ummmm ..." it turns to another serving bot....the other servingbot... hurries from behind the bar and out the door...
"Please sir...can the 'bots in this poor place be excused for a short while?"
"Ummmmmm yes...of course but.....WHERE are we? HOW do you remember...oh yes...your Kub...my Kub....WHAT is this place?"
"Well sir....if I may be so bold.....the Continental Club....has a rich and storied history....the first NAMED club was in what was called....how many aeons ago....the Continental Club in what was....New ....calling...calling..OH YES..New York City...it was on the coastal plain to the east of us....but then the next well known version of the club was in the central plains....a place by the name of TEXES..... Oustin....yes..Oustin...just north of MEXSOUTH.....or...was it SOUTHMEX...........anyway....the Continental Club was reknowned for being the place where the great singers and bands started for....well into several hundreds of decads....but...then it was moved?"
Turning to the serving bot...."Was it moved or did it move?"
"crrrrrkkk I think it was moved..."
"Ahem...yes...in any manner you now sit...sir...in one of the few remaining clubs which has historical ties that go back more than a thousand years or so...by your reckoning....if you would....regard the representations on the walls ....all of them represent great audiologists of the bye-gone eras....and....
....since you are an EDUCATOR....I thought that you might appreciate...."
The other servingbot has scurried into the place....
the people are talking again....
The band plays on......
"Oh YES..." my ...friend...'bot says...
The two servingbots are making themselves busy behind the bar...
My friend says....
"Two shots of bottled in bond Rye Whiskey...... one fourth shot synth-lemon juice...
Mix them well and pour into a Manhatten glass which has previously had two rocks introduced....swirl...
then...three quarters shot red...shall we say....claret wine....decanted atop the mix...with a slice of nouveau orange "en saile"...
'hmmmmm ya know....it's not that bad....not that bad at alll...'
and the band....plays on.....