notes 0112

23. next step. Nupie's crisis of faith and enter Ruby of Double Dee-liveries

Nupie is caught by surprise by the message. it is in words, such as it has become accustomed to, but online, not spoken. There are no vibrations or inflections. What has sent this message and what does it mean? Nupie has never been talked to directly before. It recognizes no external authority. What if this is a mistake? On the other hand, it needs a new destination and the message has provided one. Maybe it should go and see. Maybe not 'surrender', which sounds bad, but investigate. It starts moving Leonora in that direction, but hesitantly ...

Leonora is also reluctant to return to the Burger Joint, like her mind is telling her to do. She is not hungry and doesn't really like that place. Besides, she was just there. Why should she go back? She stops and starts along the street. A truck pulls up alongside her, unexpectedly, a delivery van. The driver, Ruby, calls out, asking if Leonora is looking for something? Can she help? Leonora doesn't know where she's going or what she's doing. Ruby offers to drive her wherever. Leonora gets in, and Ruby asks if she'd like a little side job. She can pay. She happens to need some help delivering a package. This interests Leonora and Nupie. Ruby explains about her job, working for Dawn Debris. Dawn, of Double Dee-liveries, takes lost packages on consignment from shipping companies and the post office. Packages that cannot be returned to sender, and whose recipients were not found. Dawn finds the intended, informs them of their package, and offers them a range of delivery options (price ranges and services). If the price is right, Ruby will drive the package to the customer. She drives all around the west and southwest, reuniting lost packages with their rightful destinations. This sounds like a calling to Leonora (and Nupie) and when Ruby mentions that she's based in a small city no one's ever heard of called Wetford, Arizona, Leonora tells her that's where she's from! Ruby asks what she's doing up here in Nebraska and Leonora has no idea. It seems like a dream. A couple of days ago she suddenly thought she needed to go to Green Bay so she hopped on a bus. Then she thought she had to go to Grand Island. Now she can't remember why, if she ever even knew why. She'll be happy to go home with Ruby, and when she gets there, maybe she could work for Dawn Debris too? Right now she works for Ledman Storage and Pickup. Ruby has heard of the place. It's known as a dead zone for packages - where they go to get lost.

They deliver their rather large and heavy box to its rightful owner in Grand Island, and then start the long drive to Wetford.

... As they drive by, Kandhi is at the Burger Joint, wondering what the hell she is just sitting there waiting for, and looks up and thinks she recognizes Leonora in the truck. She takes note of the Arizona license plate number. She runs it through her You and finds it is from Wetford. Having no other Leonora info, she wonders if she should tail it. She decides to wait a couple of hours to see if anything turns up. It doesn't, and she hits the road. Ginger reluctantly lets her go as she has also found no trace of Leonora, not even in the NatSurv. And if she was really in that truck, her info shows it's heading straight for Arizona ....