High Energy, Joy, Dara [books to read this summer .txt] 📗

the stark

effect.

Zanita's eyes met Mills'. Mills' eyes met Zanita's. Both conveyed the age-old

secret message among girlfriends everywhere: Hunk.

Upon seeing his father, Cody released Hambone, racing pell-mell across the room

to throw himself into his father's arms. Gregor lifted the boy up, holding him

under the seat of his pants with one broad palm.

Mills had no way of knowing that Gregor had left his son only three hours

before. From what she observed of the reunion, Mills came to the erroneous

conclusion that the man hadn't seen his son in a very long time.

It was obvious the boy idolized him. Hunk or no, he was still the Creep.

"Greg!" Cody hugged his father.

"Hey there, Spike, how these people treating you, huh?" He ruffled his son's

hair. "In case you people don't know it— there's a Harley smashed up in the

front drive."

Tyber rubbed his forehead. Perhaps he needed Mrs. Mazurski's headache medicine.

If one more person mentioned his dead bike, he was going to bring the damn

carcass in here and hold a wake.

"Have a seat, Greg—I'm Tyber Evans." He gestured to a chair.

Gregor had heard about Tyber Evans, had even admired his maverick attitude. A

similar attitude was a part of his nature. Therefore, he was a little surprised

to find his staid brother, Stan, in the home of such a man. By all outward

appearances, they had little in common.

"Thanks, but we really should be going. Spike's probably tired—"

"I am not!"

"I thought you were going to Bermuda for the weekend, Gregor. What happened?"

"I got a new plan, Stan." He flashed his brother a smile of pearly whites. Cody

giggled, recognizing the song lyrics.

"You're welcome to stay for dessert." Tyber graciously extended the invitation.

"Come on, Greg, they're having chocolate cake." Cody's small hand turned his

father's face so he could whisper loudly in his ear, "Chocolate cake." Everyone

laughed.

Greg grinned at his son. "I guess I can't fight chocolate cake."

He released Cody, who went to sit on the rug next to Hambone. Gregor took a seat

and was soon introduced to everyone. His sights lingered for more than a few

moments on Mills.

Blooey wheeled in a dessert cart loaded with goodies. Cody was personally handed

a huge piece of cake.

LaLeche continued on his topic of spiritual quests. Tyber caught Zanita stifling

a yawn and immediately substituted her decaf for regular. Zanita yawning was a

warning sign not to be overlooked.

"Now the Tantric viewpoint is somewhat different—by the way, the Tibetans are a

remarkable people. Over one hundred thousand of them are in exile."

"I heard the Chinese government has been systematically destroying Tibet." As a

removed observer, Tyber reflected on the entropic aspects of the situation.

"I recognize that speculative look, Doctor," Stan joked. "Care to share with us

what you're thinking?"

"I'm thinking about entropy, the Tibetan people, and quantum theory."

"There's a lighthearted mixture," Greg quipped.

"How very marvelously interesting." Auntie probably didn't have a clue, but

Zanita knew she doted on "ponderous" men. "Tell us more, Tyber."

"Here is a spiritually advanced culture taken over by a political regime which

to them represents disorder. Their way of life is being systematically

destroyed—entropy rears its ugly head. Now, in quantum mechanics, the observer,

by the very nature of his existence, cannot help but affect the outcome of the

experiment or observation; indeed, he becomes part of it simply by his inherent

presence.

"So, here we all are, the quantum observers, if you will, in a closed field of

experimentation. How do we effect what is happening in Tibet, and how is what's

happening in Tibet affecting us?"

Stan jumped in, "But Doctor, you are drawing parallels between quantum aspects

and the macroscopic world. As you know, quantum deals with the micro-universe,

and such theory does not necessarily apply outside the parameters of this

microcosm."

Tyber decided to play devil's advocate. "Don't they? We're talking about the

spiritual realm here, Stan—which is presumably neither micro- nor macroscopic.

What quantum aspects would apply, do you suppose?"

"None. You see, that is the very point, Tyber. It is a different realm;

therefore, these aspects cannot apply. Contemporary physics does not prove,

disprove, agree, or disagree with a mystical belief system."

"I'm inclined to disagree. If laws apply throughout the universe and the

spiritual realm is inclusive of this universe, such laws must apply. Otherwise,

you could argue that there is a breakdown in the belief system and the laws are

useless."

"No. Scientific theory has nothing to do with a spiritual worldview.

Spiritualists examine the universe directly, while we physicists examine the

universe through the abstraction known as mathematica—which is just the language

of the reality, not the reality itself."

"Interesting switch, Stan," Tyber complimented him, then set about to negate the

viewpoint. "So now science is abstraction and religion is reality? Isn't that

contrary to Planck's—"

Gregor interrupted the two men, who had lost the rest of the room and were

oblivious to it. "Physicists love to engage in these esoteric discussions. I

think they're trying to fool us into thinking they're open-minded."

Everyone laughed, relieved that someone had stepped in to stop them.

Whew. Zanita took a breath of air. Madmen across the water.

Mills wondered if Greg was subtly insulting his brother's conventionality.

"I was in Nepal once." Gregor took a sip of his coffee.

Cody bragged from the floor, "Greg met with the Dolly Parton." His lower lip was

rimmed in chocolate, his upper in milk.

"The Dalai Lama," his father corrected.

"Wonderful!" LaLeche's tone conveyed that he somehow had a hand in it. "You went

on an inner quest."

Gregor's green eyes glittered jovially. "You might say that."

Cody licked his fork while enlightening everyone. "A chick he knows took him

there. She told him they had all kinds of kinky ways of doing it. Right, Greg?"

Mills and Zanita looked at each other.

Stan, as usual, turned red.

Tyber burst out laughing.

"C'mere, Spike." Greg wrapped Cody in a bear embrace, teasingly covering his

son's mouth with his hand. Cody squirmed and giggled behind his palm.

Greg's dancing green eyes met Tyber's over his son's head.

There was a silent meeting of the minds; in that instant the beginning of a

friendship was forged between the two men.

Then, for a reason he couldn't name, Greg's focus shifted to Mills.

Mills was lifting her coffee cup to her lips. At the sight of two pairs of

identically glittering green eyes focusing on her, she froze. A chill skittered

down her back.