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Loonies for Dinner
Dieter and Petra had just finished their Saturday morning routine of scouring the Craigslist site for bargains. Petra concentrated on http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/ for local organic produce, and foods for her growing larder, while Dieter hunted the distress_sale category at http://seattle.craigslist.org/. If they both found something of interest, then there would be the 'negotiation', on whether to drive north the few miles from their home in Burnaby, or go south after some item Dieter found in the States. If neither found anything, especially in the Winter, they would stay home and spend most of the day on their respective hobbies of cooking for her, and Dieter's avocation of 'sorting, and trading'. Though Dieter's obsession with 'things of intrinsic value' and his incessant communications with the other 'collectors' annoyed her, Petra grudgingly, and mostly silently, gave Dieter credit for achieving their goal of emigrating from Stuttgart, Germany and buying their new, and fine, detached home in the Renfrew Heights area of Burnaby. Though she had expressed shock at the time, his adroit buying and selling of NASA artifacts still was a source of amazing amusement even now, two years later. That he had parlayed a collection of pairs of photographs, original opposing the 'official airbrush' version, into a house, fully paid, as well as covering all of their immigration tax, still shocked her, even as she had settled into their new Saturday routine.
Petra glanced at Dieter as he extracted himself from the mass of collected 'things of intrinsic value' that overwhelmed his 'office room'. She knew in an instant that they would be going south to the States on that Saturday. Not that she minded much, it was a pleasant Spring day, and there had been few reports of riots or local warfare emerging from the States over the last few weeks, oh, of course there were the battles in the mid West, and that terrible incident in Maryland where all those people were trapped as their office buildings were attacked by the starving mobs...and was there something about the building having deep cellars, and being looted? She thought to remember to ask Dieter on the drive down.
"So, you found something", she said, a statement seeking confirmation more than a question.
"Yes" Dieter said, carefully enunciating the 'es' as he tried to lose the 'ya' that his teutonic tongue tried to force past his will power. "I have located another rumor of the 'device' that our Russian friends seek so diligently. It seems a former engineer from the black ops corporations, now retired to Ballard in Seattle has run into money problems. Nicht sheisse, Sherlock! The latest rates are showing 20 to 1 now for the loonie. Imagine living with inflation like that and not being able to escape. Of course, his loss is our gain...if its true that he has part of the Cube."
"What was the exchange rate last week when we went to Bellingham?" Petra asked as she considered how best to get a trip to Pike Place Market into the trip. Dieter, like all men, liked to head to his goal, and get it done with little attention to the niceties that make things...well nice. Like today.
"Oh, barely 10 to 1." Dieter responded casually as he checked his email on his phone. "Petra, dear, I can arrange to meet this man down town in Seattle near the Art museum this afternoon. Fancy a dinner at that great Greek place up the street?"
Petra instantly flashed sparkling fun eyes at her dear Dieter. "Yes, that would be perfect.". After all, the restaurant was very near the Market, only two blocks down hill. This will still be a lovely day, she thought.
"I had better check to make sure the Greeks are still there. Never can tell these days." Dieter consulted his phone and then made the call to Seattle. As his conversation progressed, he made motions her way to get her purse and coat. She gathered that the restaurant was indeed still there, and what with the new exchange rate from just this morning, the least expensive dinner in the place at $120 dollars US would only cost them 6 Canadian. Not that she would have that. She was actually in the mood for their steamed vegetable plate with the aromatic olive oil selection for dipping followed by their just lovely baklava and fruit. At 20 US to a Canadian, she calculated her favorite meal there had dropped to just over 8 dollars Canadian. How do they live? Petra pondered as she gathered her coat and purse and water. She checked for her gun and electric stun stick, and satisfied that all was well, looked for their keys.
"Well..." Dieters conversation with the restaurant had ended and he was speaking to her. "we have reservations for 8, and my meeting is at 5, so that should give you plenty of time at the Market". He grinned knowingly, and she playfully slapped at his face.
"Ok smarty". She replied, "so tell me about this new rumour. I thought that you said the Looking Glass device was just a bullshit story and can we stop in Surrey for petrol? I want to get some muffins for later."
"Yes, we can stop for muffins, but I want to get fuel south of the border. At 20 bucks to the loon, I can fill the tank for less than the cost of the muffins." Dieter said, then, moving his voice into his 'lecture on forbidden history voice', he continued, "yes, I had said that Looking Glass is bullshit, but the Cube is well documented in the liberated USofA government Alien Papers. And this guy in Ballard claims to have the actual power supply for the device. He says he was working for nearly 12 years on reverse engineering it when the economy went tits up in the States. The final blow for him was when the dollar was decoupled and his monthly government pension check for 30 years fell to the level of a days food bill. He wants 'real money' he said, and he is willing to sell what he took from his former employer. Ought to be fascinating to hear his story. And he may actually be telling the truth, and he might just have that Cube power supply. If so, my Russian contacts will pay in gold Rubles for it."
Petra got into their car while Dieter locked up the front door, and set the security system on 'deadly force'. It always unnerved her, Dieter messing about with live electricity, but so far the salesman had proved correct that it was a simple enough system to use, and it had deterred the home breakings by those roving gangs of displaced rebels from the States. It was so sad about those States' boys, shockingly young boys too, who were electrocuted while trying to break into the Macmillan place down the Lane. True they had no rifles on this side of the border, but they were still a problem for the local authorities just in their sheer numbers due to the 'porous borders problem'. Idly she wondered when the Crown would get its shit together and build the wall on the border when she noticed that Dieter had been stopped on the way down the stairs by his phone. "Problem? " she asked as he got into the car.
"Huh? Oh, no not for us. Just the afternoon currency exchange report. The buck is now at 28 to the Canadian." Dieter said. "by the time we get there for dinner the rate may be over 30."
"How do they live with inflation like that?" Petra asked the landscape as Dieter started the car for the trip south.
