I Hraet You (43)

Beat 43: Onward to the Climax! Well, Maybe

“Lloyd, did I ever tell you the story about how I met your mother?”

Lloyd nodded. “Several times, actually. Quite a tale, that.”

Patton nodded in kind, and resumed his silent driving of the armored truck. “Okay, how about the time when I got banned from England?”

“You were banned from an entire country? Is that even possible?!” Lloyd asked , his eyes wide.

“Well, not officially. But I kind of made a mess over there, and we all just decided it would be much better off for everyone if I never went back.” He tapped his hands against the wheel a few times, and sniffed a bit. “Whole lot of swans died. But they had it coming. The long and short of it is, when somebody offers you a tour of the museum, DON’T split off from the group. You’re gonna miss out on a lot of good info.”

“Sage advice as always,” said Lloyd, hands clasped like a sweet schoolgirl. “Can you tell me more? Your misadventures are always a treat.”

“Maybe as a bedtime story, son -- AFTER you do your homework.”

“I was expelled today.”

“Oh. Well in that case, I’ll just have to have a talk with your principal.” The wheel stated to bend between his fingers. “Yeah. A nice, peaceful, bone-breaking talk.”