It was bound to happen sooner or later, I guess.

I had finally matured enough to have a fully functioning fax-modem... and certain internet gossips suggested that the boys were taking notice of my serial busses!

Still... I was rather taken aback when one of them phoned me up and suggested it all outright and plain... suggested that we, ummm... 'do it'...(!)

Well... never having seen his baud and not knowing where his parity bits may have been, my first thought was that I would be wise to practice safe faxing ... so I drove over to Staples, taking a circuitous route in case anyone was following me... fairly serpentined and zigged and zagged throughout the city and even entered a McDonald's drive-thru (could it be that I was subconsciously thinking [hoping?] Big Mac?) to cover my tracks.

I couldn't look the Staples salesman in the eye when I finally got up the courage to ask what he carried in the line of equipment protection, but he gave me a wink and put me at ease straight away. It was obvious I wasn't his first anxious neophyte and he went that extra mile to keep things light and airy.

In the end, I chose a box with Mr. Norton on the cover... he looked almost like a doctor there in his white lab coat and it gave me a sense of security. McAffee, on the other hand, sounded a bit too much like it could be mistaken for some sort of Irish coffee and I certainly didn't want to send a message that suggested I had actually planned and prepared for what might follow... in case it wasn't in the cards. At my pitifully bashful request, the cashier located a plain brown paper bag and so it was that I carried home my purchase ... back along that same criss-crossing route.

Alas, then, I was almost ready. I inspected my equipment and everything seemed to be in good working order. The only thing needed was the perfect atmosphere. It was late evening by then, which suggested that perhaps a few candles might be just the ticket. I placed four scented votives in strategic locations upon my desktop which gave the pearly casing of my monitor a healthy, radiant glow. I dimmed the room lights and activated my starfield simulation screensaver, adjusted to a sensuous constellation of heavenly bodies which undulated slowly and rhythmically across the screen...

It was with trembling fingers that I dialed his number.... and when he answered the phone I whispered, "Fax me, baby!"

And it was a perfect and beautiful thing. I fell in love with his cover page right there and then... and we've been faxing almost every day since. When we finally decide to unite our frequencies for all eternity, we will invite the entire staff of US Robotics to the celebration.

;)

Thanks for putting up with me. Hugs! Helen :)