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. "Whew!"
"Steady there, boss. Breathe slowly. Count ten before you exhale, then let
it out slowly." Gwen patted my back.
"We should have gone to Niagara Falls. I told you so. I told you."
"Yes, Richard. Pick up the little tree. At this gee I can handle both the
bag and the bundle, one in each hand. Straight up to zero gee?"
"Yes but I carry the duffel bag and the tree. I'll strap my cane to the
bag."
"Please don't be macho, Richard. Not when we're so busy."
" 'Macho' is a put-down word, Gwen. Using it again calls for a spanking;
use it a third time and I beat you with this here cane. I'll damn well be macho
anytime I feel like it."
"Yes, sir. Me Jane, you Tarzan. Pick up the little tree. Please."
We compromised. I carried the duffel bag and used my cane to steady myself;
Gwen carried the bundle with one hand, the bonsai maple with the other. She was
unbalanced and kept shifting sides with the bundle. Gwen's proposed arrangement
was, I must admit, more sensible, as the weight would not have been too much for
her at that acceleration and it fell off steadily as we climbed up to zero gee.
I felt sheepish, a touch ashamed... but it is a temptation to a cripple to
prove, especially to women, that he can so do everything he used to do. Silly,
because anyone can see that he can't. I don't often give in to the temptation.
Once we were floating free at the axis we moved right along, with our
burdens tethered to us, while Gwen guarded the little tree with both hands
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