Road Trip: Hot On The Trail
Houston, We've Got A Problem
Chapter 4
IV
After enjoying another night at the Peabody in Little Rock, this time a full, slow-paced, and relaxing night, Michael and Maria hit the road again, checking out some of the same places they had been the day before, and a few new ones. They didn't find Zorel, but they did find some new clues. At the
Discovery Museum, the previous afternoon, after Michael and Maria had left, a boy matching Zorel's description had built a robot that talked and answered questions. It was all the museum staff could talk about; but sadly, he had dismantled it before leaving. At
the bowling lanes, the talk was all about a mother who, the previous evening, had brought her two-year old son in to bowl with her. Though the two-year-old's form was atrocious, and he could barely lift the lightest ball, he bowled three perfect games in a row, and a local bowling club was trying to sign him up.
Maria had to laugh. "Zorel has your good heart, Michael. He just wants to help people… especially little ones and underdogs."
Michael nodded. "I know."
But the biggest clue they got was from a girl who told them that she had talked with Zorel… he had even given her his name… and that he had come in with two other boys and a girl, and a lady she thought was the mother of at least one of them.
"The mysterious woman?" Michael asked.
Maria shrugged. "Must be. Who do we know on, uh… that still lives here? Everybody in our families went with us over there… even most of the grandparents. The task force bozos thought you and Max might have given us all something that would make us different, and they wanted to find out what it was… their own fun way."
Michael rolled his eyes. "I haven't forgotten."
"Mister," the little girl said, patting Michael on the arm. "Are you Zorel's dad?"
Michael nodded.
"And I'm his mother," Maria said, smiling.
"Would you give him this, then, when you see him?"
She handed Maria a folded paper. "Tell him to write to me. He's nice… and cute, too."
Maria grinned. "He does look a lot like his daddy, doesn't he!"
The girl looked at Michael and nodded. "Yeah, he kind of does! Just not as old."
Maria glanced at Michael and smiled. "We'll give this to Zorel, honey! We live pretty far away, but I think he'll answer you."
"Thanks! Oh, by the way, they're in a Jeep Grand Cherokee. They were nice people. And the lady said she knew you."
As they walked out the door, Michael shrugged. "I don't have a clue who these people could be. Do you think I'm too old, Maria?"
"For a thirteen year old girl? Yes! For me, not a chance! I think you're prime!"
Michael grinned. "You in a mood to try some Houston nights?"
Maria smiled. "As ready as you are!"
The drive to Houston took four and a half hours, most of it on US-30 West and I-59 South. The zip'pod covered the 440 miles in roughly half the usual time. And the fuel gauge still read full.
"You know, Maria, either this thing gets incredible gas mileage or it's nuclear or something! I have no idea how far it'll go!"
Maria smiled. "Just as long as it doesn't run out half way back to Antar."
"That can't happen. It doesn't use any fuel in space; it sort of gets catapulted through space by a force field. What time is it?"
Maria looked at her watch. "4:47 PM."
"Why don't we check out one or two places then check in somewhere nice and get a room, have a nice hot bath, and get something to eat… like last night."
Maria smiled. "Why, Michael! You're turning into quite the romantic!"
Michael shrugged. "I have inspiration sitting beside me. I can't help myself. I'm not responsible."
Maria laughed. "It sounds like a great plan! Zorel and his friends seem to enjoy bowling. We could check out a couple of bowling allies and maybe a museum or something, then enjoy the rest of the night together… just you and me."
Michael smiled.
Two bowling allies and two museums later they had turned up no Zorel and no clues, but Michael and Maria did bowl two games together, and they enjoyed the museums, though there were better ones they planned to hit in the morning, when they had the whole day to look. Maria had also picked up some brochures and was making a list of places to check, including the Houston Downtown Aquarium, the NASA Space Center, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and the Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Water Park, though it was 58 miles away, all places that might appeal to Zorel.
By now it was getting to be almost 6:40 PM, so Michael started looking for a hotel. After a quick perusal through several brochures, Maria zeroed in on the
Houstonian Hotel Club and Spa at 111 N. Post Oak Lane. Besides the fact that it advertised three restaurants, outstanding sport and fitness facilities, five tennis courts, two pools, racquetball courts, and a rock climbing wall, the rooms had floor-to-ceiling windows, cordless phones, mini bars, refrigerators, safes, 25-inch TV's, hair dryers, and other amenities, including Nintendo and cable/satellite. They were not, however, exactly cheap, at $200 and up per night. And, too, Michael and Maria did not expect to be spending much of their time playing Nintendo or using many of the smaller amenities, though the full-service spa did sound enticing. And the lobby was reputedly so spectacular, with its 30-foot high hand-carved stone fireplace and fine European fabrics, that President Bush had once made a TV ad there. But most importantly, all the reviews remarked that the beds were large and extremely comfortable. In fact, a lot of wedding nights were spent there.
In the end, it turned out to be another evening of whirlwind romance, and everything they had hoped for… a hot bath, a relaxing visit to the Spa, a romantic dinner for two at the
Olivette, and each other.
Morning found Michael and Maria on the road again… after a pleasant breakfast.
"So… where do you want to look first, Michael?"
"For what?"
"For Zorel!"
"Who?"
Maria smiled. "Come on, Michael. I'm enjoying our time together, too, but we do still have a delinquent son out there somewhere."
"Oh! That Zorel!"
"Yes, that Zorel."
"What's the nearest place to here?"
"It looks like… the
Houston Downtown Aquarium. It's only 6.38 miles from the hotel… at 410 Bagby Street. Turn right on Memorial Drive, go 5.9 miles, turn left onto Bagby, and you're there."
"We're on our way! What've they got?"
"Let's see… it says they have five themed aquaria, including a Louisiana swamp, the Amazon River, and a shipwreck… lots of features and attractions, including an observation tower, a 90-foot Ferris Wheel, midway games, a helipad, a restaurant, and an acrylic train tunnel that runs through a massive shark tank. Sounds interesting to me!"
Michael nodded. "Me, too! I think that's Bagby Street coming up now… Yep, it is!"
Michael pulled into the parking area and helped Maria out, then they hurried into the welcoming center.
"What do you want to see first?"
Maria smiled. "Well, where would Zorel go first? Let's see… how about the shipwreck. If it's floating again we'll know he's been there."
Michael grinned but shook his head. "That's not really funny. He might do it!"
"I wasn't trying to be funny."
"I know. Let's go check it out."
Not finding Zorel or seeing any obvious signs of his having been in the shipwreck theme aquarium, they went on to check out the Louisiana Bayou and the Amazon River aquaria; but again, there was no sign of Zorel or evidence that he had been there… at least not yet.
Maria leaned on Michael's arm and smiled. "I enjoyed those! The bayou was great, wasn't it?"
Michael nodded. "It was certainly realistic!"
"How about we ride the train through the acrylic tunnel that goes through the shark tank, Michael?"
"You read my mind!"
They headed to the area where the train ride began and got seats on the ride. It started fairly simply then headed into the tunnel. Moments later, they were underwater, passing through an enormous aquarium, and all around them were sharks of various different species, some of them pretty large. Fortunately, these sharks all seemed to be well fed and uninterested in the potential morsels passing through their tank. They leisurely swam around paying the intruders no attention at all…
That is, until the scream. It came from a car ahead of them.
Maria nearly came up out of her seat; if she could have, she probably would have. Michael looked around, desperately trying to see what was going on, as did everyone else around them. Suddenly, out of nowhere, an enormous great white shark that looked like it was straight out of the movie,
'Jaws,' rammed itself directly into the tube. Its nightmarish mouth full of huge teeth was open so wide that everyone could look right down its throat as it sank its monstrous teeth through the acrylic, causing numerous ruptures that began to spray water everywhere… and utter and total panic amongst the riders on the train.
Maria had already turned several shades paler. "Michael, please tell me this is Zorel's doing!"
Michael nodded. "I have a feeling it is. I'm hoping it is!"
"Michael…"
"Yeah?"
"Is it wrong to be hoping that someone did something that you're absolutely going to kill them for if they did it?"
Michael shook his head.
Somehow, the train made its way through the aquarium and out the other side without the tube rupturing, and when the tube was examined, after everyone had got out, there were no cracks or punctures in it at all, which totally confounded those in charge. It was even more perplexing, however, for the riders, who found that they were not even wet in spite of the fact that water had been spraying everywhere inside the tunnel. The aquarium personnel spent a great deal of time trying to calm people down and convince them that there were no great white sharks in the aquarium, even explaining that great whites have never been successfully kept alive for very long in aquaria. They become moribund and quickly die. But all such explanations were for naught. People believed their eyes and their senses; at least, people who didn't know Zorel believed their eyes and their senses.
In the section of the train where Zorel had been riding, two other boys and a girl knew… and wanted to do it all over again. It was the most exciting thing that had happened to them so far on this trip. Their mother also knew, but she was not smiling. She explained that they couldn't tell anyone what had really happened, and because of that, the ride might be shut down for the rest of the day.
Zorel hung his head. "I was just trying to make it more exciting."
"I know," the lady said. "It was exciting… but that's because we know it wasn't real. All those other people on the train were peeing their pants and making nice with God."
"I'm sorry," Zorel said quietly.
The lady didn't say anything for several moments, then she nodded…
"Well… okay. Some of them probably needed to make nice with God anyway. Besides, it WAS kind of exciting! But DON'T do it again! You're lucky no one figured out what really happened back there. Your parents had to leave this planet to get away from some of the people that you don't want to know you're here. Trust me!"
Zorel nodded.
Unfortunately, Michael and Maria had been seated near the back of the train, and Zorel had already dismounted and disappeared by the time they were able to get out. Maria checked herself over and saw that she wasn't wet.
"It was Zorel."
Michael nodded. "Yeah. But he's gone already. Come on! Let's see if we can catch him! He might not have got too far away yet!"
They rushed out into the open and looked all around, but Zorel was nowhere to be seen.
"Are you okay, Maria?"
"Yeah. I'm used to it. Believe it or not. Not much really scares me anymore. Not for long anyway."
Michael smiled. "Yeah, I know what you mean. You remember when you said that what didn't kill me would only make me stronger?"
"Yeah."
"I just got a lot stronger! Why don't we check out something totally non-scary, maybe the midway games. Then we can check out the observation tower… from the ground… in case he decides to liven it up with a scene from
'Towering Inferno' or recreate the Leaning Tower of Pisa!"
Maria smiled and nodded, but after visiting these attractions and several others, they still had not spotted Zorel and eventually decided that he had probably left the park after the incident with the great white shark.
"What's the next place on your list, Maria?"
Maria looked at her notes. "The
Houston Museum of Natural Science. It says they have a collection of mineral specimens, a dinosaur skeleton, space-station models, a planetarium, an IMAX theater, and a six-story butterfly center where the butterflies will land on your arms."
"Sounds nice!"
"Yeah! It's at 1 Hermann Circle Drive. Go north on Bagby, turn left onto Franklin Street, which becomes Preston Street, veer left onto Washington Avenue, then turn left on Houston Avenue and again on Heiner Street. Then merge onto I-45 S towards Galveston and go 1.2 miles, merge onto US-59 S toward Victoria, get off on Fannin Street, make a slight left onto Montrose Blvd., and then you'll enter the Hermann Circle roundabout. It's only 5.02 miles total. Most of those turns are only like .1 or .2 miles."
"We're almost there! It took almost as long to read all those turns as it did to drive here."
Maria looked up. Sure enough, they were entering the Hermann Circle roundabout, and the Museum of Natural Science was right there.
"If that dinosaur skeleton comes to life and starts chasing people Zorel's going to be on restriction till he's twenty-one! At least!"
Michael chuckled. Neither one knew it, but at that moment, Zorel was receiving a strong warning about the same thing from another source… the lady he was traveling with… though her children made it known that they totally disapproved of the ban and thought a live dinosaur skeleton was a great idea.
"Every time you do something like that, Zorel, you put yourself at risk. Sooner or later these little incidents will come to the attention of someone out there who will put two and two together, and you do not want that."
"Aw, Mom!" the other three said, almost in chorus. "We'll never get to see something like that again if Zorel doesn't do it while he's here!"
Their mother shrugged. "I guess that's just one of those little pleasures in life that we'll all have to forego, sad as it is."
"Sheesh!" the younger of the two boys, who was about Zorel's age, retorted. "What fun is a bunch of bones that can't even chase people?"
"It's fun enough! This is a science museum, not a Halloween haunted house!"
The girl, who was about nine or ten, grinned. "Is there a haunted house here? That would be a great place to show Zorel! Nobody would know he was doing stuff in there!"
"Why don't we just enjoy the science exhibits… like normal people… without creating visions that aren't there or making bones chase people, okay?"
The sighs were audible; however, after twenty minutes of walking through the museum and looking at the exhibits, they realized that they were actually enjoying it, much to their surprise. Zorel found the mineral specimens and planetarium to be of particular interest, and everyone enjoyed allowing their arms to be covered with butterflies in the huge, six-story butterfly exhibit. They even discovered that the dinosaur skeleton was 'awesome,' though it never roared once or chased anyone out of the building.
Michael and Maria, too, found themselves enjoying the exhibits. Pleasantly surprised at not finding anything 'unusual' going on, they relaxed and concluded--incorrectly--that Zorel had not been there, since there were no people panicking, police cars, detectives, or paleontologists trying to figure out how a dinosaur skeleton could come to life. As luck would have it, Zorel simply happened to be in different exhibits the whole time they were there, and like ships passing in the night, neither was aware of the other's presence…
Which meant that Michael and Maria's little vacation would continue, at least for now. And neither of them could pretend anymore that that thought didn't give them at least a twinge of pleasure.
Their next stop was
NASA and the Houston Space Center, at 1601 NASA Pkwy, in Clear Lake. It was 26 miles from the Science Museum, but it was on the way to Galveston Island and the water park. Maria read Michael the instructions as he drove…
"Make a right on San Jacinto Street and merge onto US-59 N then TX-288 N. via the exit on the left. Merge onto I-45 S toward Galveston and go 20.3 miles to exit 25, go toward FM-528/NASA 1, veer left onto Gulf Freeway, merge onto W NASA Rd 1/FM 528 N, go 2.7 miles and you'll see it."
"What've they got?"
"It says they have simulations that allow you to experience what it's like to walk in space or land on the moon, and visitors can tour the NASA control center."
"That sounds right up Zorel's alley! The simulations especially! He has an adventurous streak that's ten miles long."
"Don't I know it! But he's been on a moon before… the one off Jupiter that Max and the others named after you. Let's hope he doesn't tell everyone that little fact."
Michael nodded. "It was actually named for both of us, because I proposed to you there on our way to Antar. They should call it 'Michael and Maria's Moon' instead of just 'Michael's Moon.' I think I'm gonna tell Max to change it!"
Maria smiled, remembering. "They called it 'Michael's Moon,' because it was you who proposed there. It was your Waterloo… where you enjoyed your last moments of blissful bachelor freedom."
Michael grinned. "Freedom is a mental condition."
Maria laughed. "I'm not sure how to take that, but I'll take it to mean that you're not too unhappy being stuck with me."
"I've never looked back once… and that's the truth!"
Maria leaned over and kissed Michael on the cheek. "Neither have I, Michael… not even when our children send great white sharks to scare us! Living the life I had before I met you, after being married to you, would be unbearable. I used to get freaked out by all kinds of little things; now, after being with you, I'd go crazy from lack of stimulation!"
Michael grinned. "You are one of a kind, Maria! That's why I love you! There's no one else like you in the whole universe!"
As soon as they drove into the parking lot at the Space Center, Michael spotted a Jeep Grand Cherokee.
"Did that girl say what color the car was that Zorel was in, Maria?"
"I don't think so, just that it was a Grand Cherokee."
"There's one."
Maria looked and nodded, but a quick scan of the lot revealed two more Grand Cherokees nearby. "It could be them. But there's no way to know till we actually find him."
Michael nodded and helped Maria out of the zip'pod. It seemed old-fashioned sometimes, but Maria didn't care. She had grown accustomed to it and enjoyed it. It was like every time he opened a door for her he was saying, 'I care about you.'
"Nothing wrong with that," Maria told herself, with a satisfied smile.
"And if anyone disagrees they can open their own doors, but they won't have Michael, so it's their loss."
Inside the Space Center, they immediately set out to look around, and right away it became apparent that there was a lot more to see than the brochure had indicated. They decided to start with an exhibit called 'Blast Off,' billed as an 'unparalleled multi-media sensory experience that allowed visitors to experience a dramatic high-definition audio/video extravaganza culminating in a dynamic space shuttle blast off.'
After Blast Off, they checked out 'Living in Space,' a hands-on exhibit where guests could test their skills at landing the shuttle or retrieving a satellite through interactive computer simulators.
Next, they perused 'The Astronaut Gallery,' where spacesuits dating back to the first American trips into space were displayed along with portraits and crew photos of every U.S. astronaut who has flown in space.
After the Astronaut Gallery, they checked an exhibit sponsored by Pepsi, called 'The Martian Matrix.' This exhibit was billed as 'four stories of out-of-this-world fun for kids in an action-packed play area with a space theme, including slides, swings, and foam-ball battles, as well as other featured activities.'
From there, they went to 'Starship Gallery,' which highlights great moments in space exploration, including artifacts and hardware from the Mercury program through Apollo-Soyuz, including a special Lunar Vault.
Unknown to Michael or Maria, almost at the same time, Zorel and his friends had been getting off of the NASA Tram Tour, which had taken them on a behind-the-scenes journey through NASA's Johnson Space Center, including the Historic Mission Control Center, the current Mission Control Center, the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility, and the "all new" Saturn V Complex at Rocket Park.
After the Tour, they spent a few minutes at 'Mission Status,' where Mission briefing officers provide live updates on current space flights and astronaut training activities. Guests can listen to communications between Mission Control and astronaut crews aboard the space shuttle, and a live video shows a behind-the-scenes view of activities in the Johnson Space Center and a satellite link of a shuttle launch via Kennedy Space Center of Florida.
And now they were at the 'Kids Space Place.' This was billed as interactive themed exhibits that give children a chance to explore and investigate the different aspects of space exploration… jumping on the Moon, manning the space shuttle, building a rocket, and flying in space, among other things. At that very moment, in fact, Zorel was jumping up and down on the "moon," explaining to his friends how it felt to really jump up and down on a moon near Jupiter, when suddenly a giant steel claw descended on his shoulder.
Okay, it wasn't a giant steel claw, but for a moment, he would have sworn that it was. He whirled around and gasped… "D… D… Dad! Mom! What are you doing here?"
"What are WE doing here? What are YOU doing here, Zorel? That's the question that your dad and I are waiting for an answer to!"
Zorel blanched and stammered, trying to think of any conceivable explanation that might possibly get him 'parole' sometime before his hundredth birthday, but nothing came to mind. He had that sinking feeling of doom.
"We need to talk," Michael said, dragging Zorel out by the arm. When they were in a somewhat more private place, Michael looked at Zorel, but Zorel could not look him back in the eyes. Unable to think of a single excuse for his actions, he simply told them the truth. The sphere had been there, and on the spur of the moment, he had decided to take it and visit Earth. He hadn't actually planned to stay more than just that one day, a few hours really, but he was having so much fun that he 'forgot' to come home. Thinking about that for a moment, he admitted that it wasn't exactly true that he forgot, but he had put it out of his mind, and that was like forgetting.
"Can I say goodbye to my friends, Dad?"
Michael looked at Zorel's face. He had messed up… big time… and he knew it, but his face was the very picture of contrition.
"Where did they go?"
"I think they're waiting to see what's going to happen to me."
"What do you think should happen to you?"
"I don't want to say."
"Why not?"
"'Cause it might be worse than what you were going to do."
"You think so?"
"No. Not really. But I was hoping."
"Well, Zorel, your mother and I have been thinking a lot about that, and the truth is, we're going to have to figure out something that's appropriate. I can't even think of anything right now."
"It's that bad, huh?"
"Worse!"
Zorel nodded. "How did you find me?"
"We just followed the disaster reports. And by the way, your mother and I were on that train at the aquarium when the shark tried to eat it!"
Zorel closed his eyes and groaned. "I didn't know."
"Obviously. You've been having quite a fine time here!"
"I wanted to see where you and Mama grew up, not just pictures and stuff…"
"We all visited Earth together a few years ago, Zorel. I'm sure you haven't forgotten."
Zorel shook his head. "We saw the Appalachians, Alaska, and Florida… and Roswell, too, a little bit, but it wasn't the same. I wanted to know what it was like for you, Dad, growing up here, living the way you did when you were here, being like you… I wanted to understand what you went through… and what Mom went through… actually living on Earth."
Michael seemed to soften noticeably. "You won't find that here, Zorel… or anywhere else now. It only exists anymore inside me… and your mama… and the others who were there and lived it. Those days are gone, and the people that made them what they were are gone… Well, some of them are anyway. The Parkers opened a new CrashDown on Antar. And your Grandma Amy is on Antar. And most of the other good people are there with us… Jim, Kyle, Alex, Max and Liz… even Alex's grandparents! And as for the bad people, the ones that tried to hurt us, we don't really want to see them again."
"I know. But I can still feel you here, Dad. Mom, too. It's like a part of you is still here, and I wanted to know that part, too. Do you understand?"
Michael nodded. "Well, at least somebody has been taking good care of you. You've only gotten into half as much trouble as you usually do."
Zorel smiled slightly. "She knows you and Mom… and Uncle Max… and Uncle Kyle."
"Where is she? Your mom and I would like to see her."
"She's standing right behind you, Dad."
Michael turned around and saw a lady, two boys, and a girl standing near the wall on the other side of the room, waiting patiently. Apparently, they were giving him and Maria the time they needed to talk privately to Zorel. Taking Maria's hand in his and holding onto Zorel with the other, Michael walked over to where the lady was standing.
"Hi! I see our son has found friends already in the short time he's been here. You look very familiar. We were trying to remember where… Wait a second! I remember now! Kyle! You know Kyle and he introduced you to the rest of us when we were here once before. Stacie, isn't it?"
"Pooh. Like Winnie."
"That's right. I have to apologize for our son. I know he can be… well… spirited sometimes. We appreciate your taking care of him more than you could ever know! Not just anybody would be qualified to do that. Thanks!"
"Don't mention it! Actually, we've enjoyed having Zorel around. He's been a lot of fun, and he's kept us all entertained. We're going to miss him when he goes back home."
"That's nice of you to say," Maria said, with a smile.
"No, really, it's true! We've enjoyed having him with us. It won't be quite the same without him when he goes. I don't suppose you'd let him stay with us for a while. I'd take good care of him."
"Yeah! Yeah!" the two boys said, nodding excitedly. "Please let Zorel stay for a while!"
"Yeah, please let him stay!" the girl begged.
Michael looked at Maria, and she hesitated. "I don't know."
"Well, it would let us have a little more time together… just the two of us," Michael said, starting to consider it.
"Please!" the children begged.
"I don't know," Maria repeated. "It doesn't seem right to let Zorel go off and enjoy himself when he hasn't done his penance yet."
"Mom, I PROMISE I won't enjoy myself! Honest!"
Maria grinned in spite of trying not to. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Zorel! Or ones that you don't really mean."
"Well, I'll try not to enjoy myself. Is that okay?"
Maria sighed and looked at Michael. Every cell of her being longed for a few more nights like the last two with him. Her reservations wavered, then crumbled…
"If we let you go, Zorel, it's only because we know you'll be well taken care of. And when you get home, there will still be the piper to pay. You have to promise to listen to Pooh and not get into too much trouble, at least none that will make us regret making this decision."
"I promise, Mom! Honest!"
"And one more thing," Michael said. "Liz's sphere."
Zorel looked in his pocket and pulled out the sphere. "I was going to bring it right back."
"When, Zorel? You forgot to come back home, remember?"
Zorel winced guiltily and handed the sphere to Michael. He took it and looked at it for a moment.
"I need to know something, Zorel. Liz called the sphere before we came here, but it didn't answer her. What did you do to it?"
"Nothing, Dad, honest! I don't know why it didn't answer her!"
Michael looked at the sphere again. "Sphere!"
"I am here. What is your wish?"
"Are you answering me again then?"
"I have always answered you, since I was asked to by the Queen."
"You didn't answer to her when she called you… three days ago."
There was a short silence, then the sphere answered hesitantly…
"I am very sorry. I did not hear a call. I believe… I may have lost a day in my memory."
Michael looked at Zorel, and Zorel shrugged.
"Did you drop the sphere, Zorel… or do anything to it at all?"
Zorel started to shake his head then hesitated. "The only thing I did was hide it for about an hour… before I came here. I didn't want anyone to see it and take it back before I could come to Earth."
"Where did you hide it?"
"In a bottle of jubish… in the refrigerator."
Maria gasped. "Jubish? Antarian wine? Zorel! You made it drunk!"
"It brought me here okay."
Michael nodded. "That explains why it answered to you, I guess. It was too drunk to know who you were and thought you were Liz. Then it probably went to sleep for the next day or two!"
"I didn't know jubish would hurt it, Dad. It's just a metal sphere. It can't drink!"
"Actually, I didn't know anything would affect it either," Michael agreed. "But now we know, don't we!"
"I'll never do it again, Dad!"
"I know you won't. But do you realize, Zorel, that if you had run into problems or had needed to come back to Antar you wouldn't have been able to? The sphere wouldn't have answered you. And you ARE going to have to make amends to everyone when you get back… especially Liz."
Zorel nodded.
"Are you sure you want this kind of drama, Pooh?" Maria asked, with a grin.
Pooh smiled. "My kids are having a ball. And I have to admit, he's really livened things up for us."
"I don't doubt that!"
"We'd love to have him finish the trip with us, if you wouldn't mind."
Maria sighed. "Well… then I guess it's decided. Zorel, be on your best behavior! I'll ask Liz to ask the sphere to answer to you, but just until this trip is over… just in case you get into trouble and need to get away fast or something… and so you can come home after the trip is finished. But if you do get in trouble, don't leave Pooh and your friends in harm's way!"
"I promise! I won't!"
"I'll be happy if you just don't make the news. Oh, yeah… Somebody asked me to give you this when we found you."
Maria took out the folded note that the girl at Professor Bowl had given her in Little Rock.
Zorel unfolded the page and smiled. "Shelley!"
"You got a girlfriend?" the older of the two other boys asked in a slightly teasing voice.
Zorel grinned. "Maybe."
Maria looked at Michael, and he turned to Zorel. "Zorel, we'll see you in a few days. Pooh! Thanks! You don't know how much we appreciate this!"
"It's okay. I understand. You guys just relax and enjoy yourselves for a few days. We're going to head over to Galveston Island to the water park after we leave here. That should be a lot of fun!"
Maria laughed. "That's where we were going to go next… to look for Zorel. But now that we found him and we know he's okay, I think Michael and I can find other things to do that are more fun… for us, right Michael?"
Michael grinned. "Definitely! Oh, and one more thing! Listen, uh, I guess you've been paying for Zorel. I don't think he had but $220 on him."
Zorel gasped. "You knew about that?"
Michael nodded. "Yes, we did! Anyway…" He handed Pooh a Visa card. "I have three of these on me. You can use one of them. Don't worry about what everything costs."
"That's awfully generous!"
"It's nothing, really. Max is paying for it. Shall we go, Maria?"
Maria nodded. "Thanks, Pooh! We won't forget this! Zorel… be good… And, uh, I think it'll be okay to have fun… just a little bit!"
Zorel grinned. "Thanks, Mom! Thanks, Dad!"
Back in the zip'pod, Michael smiled. "I know a great place for dinner. It's called 'Las Alamedas.' It's not very far from the hotel. Here! Check it out!"
He handed Maria a brochure, and she read it…
Las Alamedas Restaurant
8615 Katy Freeway
Review 1:
Although Las Alamedas is very romantic, it's also a great place for family and friends. The inside architecture is something you would expect to see in a Mexican/Spanish movie. It's absolutely beautiful. The dining area overlooks a bayou. On weekends, there is live music in the bar area, which adds an element of fun. And then there is the food! You literally can't go wrong with anything on the menu. This is a very impressive restaurant to take friends and family to. Even the chairs seem to offer an extraordinary level of comfort. Las Alamedas is probably the classiest restaurant I've ever seen.
Review 2:
Las Alamedas is one of Houston's most enduring and romantic Mexican restaurants. This lovely hacienda overlooking the bayou is both spacious and cozy, with multiple well-decorated dining rooms. The food is more interior Mexico than Tex-Mex and includes such distinguished dishes as ceviche, pollo Acapulco and, for dessert, crepas de cajeta. The Sunday brunch is a remarkable extravaganza, and mariachi bands add to the enjoyment. The wine list is comprehensive and reasonably priced.
Maria folded the brochure back up and smiled. "That sounds absolutely perfect! Can we stop by the hotel for a hot bath first?"
"I was counting on it."
End of Chapter 4
continued…
