I have suspicions concerning Jerry. Let's remember that he is in the logistics business and Scar and company will be needing some logistics support about the same time Instinct's shipping containers are leaving Australia. Since Scar doesn't leave any witnesses, Jerry may be the "whackee". Does he qualify as famous? Maybe his philanthropic efforts have brought him some celebrity. Then again, Scar used the word "they" in referring to the contract:
Thanks, Com for coming back to this story. It's a great one and I hope you can keep it going with more frequent releases. I hope that Ryan's "funk" won't interfere with his and Randy's relationship and that there's not some other, as yet unknown, secret that could destroy it.
CJ, I enjoyed your description of your trip.
Lest any readers misunderstand, CJ isn't talking about parking at the door of a restaurant in an Tuscan hill town and walking inside. You have to park outside the town and walk in. Autos aren't allowed in many towns except perhaps for deliveries made in a little three-wheeled Ape (pronounced Ah-pay).
Never change planes at Charles DeGaulle airport. I've been through there four times and had a pleasant experience only once. Our last trip through CDG resulted in arriving in Florence, Italy 22 hours late.
That's true of other common expressions. For example, I never heard my dad say "thank you" to anyone. He wasn't being impolite. He invariably said "much obliged". That's an old fashioned sentiment with a deeper meaning than "thank you". I miss hearing it.
"Howdy" is an abbreviated version of "How do you do?". Definitely associated with cowboys (and perhaps Texas oilmen) and probably originated in Tennessee which is part of the Old West (the really Old West). Another greeting I often hear in northern Mississippi is a version of "How are you?" which comes out sounding like "Hi yew".
Speaking of "Howdy"...does anyone else remember Howdy Doody?
This is a great chapter, CJ. Hope you are enjoying your trip by the way.
Chase and Brandon keep having to delay their planned night together. This isn't what I would call a cliffhanger, but it does reveal a certain evil intent on the part of our esteemed author. Maybe chapter 15 will have a happier ending. Next stop...Phoenix.