Chapter Twenty Five - Smudge Run

I returned to my usual Smudge run; Earth, Smudge, Earth, Smudge, moving artifacts and collecting my coin.

I parked my take in sanctuaries so my wives and various governments would not get their hot hands on it.

Without my side coin I couldn't buy a drink, and because it was side money, I had to keep my Spuck looking like a 'where is/as is'.

My usual modus had been to grab a teaching gig that lasted a semester. This would maintain my link with Brooklyn College and give me a taxed income.

As a side job, which paid pocket change, I putter around the Museum of Natural History as a deputy junior curator.

The latter was the best job on the market.

I didn't have to be at any particular place, I was not responsible for anything, and whatever I was doing, if I were questioned, I could always act more stupid than I looked.

The former, teaching as a fill-in instructor, was as chancy as flying into the Oort cloud.

The hours in which my classes were scheduled can be defined as painful.

Sometimes from eight in the morning until nine thirty, then off until three thirty
to five. And as a temp, I would have the night classes as well.

This means I ain't got no life.

I can't go out at night, can't sleep all day. I survive on crappy school food and lose my train of thought at the first idiotic question.

For some reason, (perhaps mental atrophy) I thought it was time to get a kind of niche.

Time to stop dabbling.

If I got a real post at B.C. from September to May, meaning a reasonable and sensible day schedule, I would be left with plenty of time to amass artefacts during off day/weekend/evening sojourn at the Museum.

As summer break arrived, I could slide into my Spuck get to Smudge, then back before the term restarted.

I'd have to push the Spuck, flying faster than usual, but once out of the Solar System, shouldn't be a problem.

June/ July/August/ and a bit of September, was long enough to get to Smudge, sell my stuff, get back, maybe even with a few days lay bye.

As a full time Professor, I should be able to mox a schedule of six hours a day or less to allow me to continue my 'work' at the Museum.

I'd impersonate a conscientious professor. Maybe I'd fool someone into throwing money at me for some study on something, then get to screw around for a year.

It was kind of 'out of character' for me, (pretending I had a character) to have a real full time job and do it.
Yet...?

I pondered my possible responsible future, as I berthed at Smudge.

I paid off my crew, waited until they were gone. As the only human on the ship, I did a quick investigation of the crew's quarters to see if anything was stolen, broken sabotaged.

As the Spuck was specially designed to appear rubbish, as there was nothing to steal, nothing was stolen. But, doing a 'Captain' check was sort of mandatory.

I took some of my stuff and began my trod to Ahmet. He liked what I had, liked what I showed him images of, so I had another two trips to and from the Spuck.

I got my coin, did a check of my whore house, didn't sample. I just wasn't feeling as worthless as usual. I spent the night alone, then returned to my Spuck.

I thought about getting a human crew for the back trip, but the A.I. was working, so I went out alone.

I really didn't want to see any of my wives, but being out here, so close, and having been alone so long... nature took it's course.

And there I was, driving up to see the wife and brats.

It didn't take three days for the thought of a full time job teaching Anthropology 101 on Earth to look like Paradise.

So it was kiss good bye, hop aboard, enroute to Earth.