one
and the right for the other.
"Chris'mas, dat be de
reason
I build de Squeezer," he said.
"Wondered if I could build me a silver ball dat don' break so easy, me.
Done started readin' on optics, indexes of refraction an' reflection,
stuff like dat..." He looked thoughtful, then scratched his head around
the horrible dent and looked confused for a moment, as if he couldn't
remember where he was. Then he smiled again.
"Den I had dis idea, me. An' you watch, it gonna make us a
fis'ful
a money!"
"So it's called the Squeezer?" Dak asked him.
"It is? Who said dat?"
"You did."
Jubal thought back, then laughed.
"I guess I did. How 'bout dat? De Squeezer. I guess dat's right. Now watch."
He took one of the bubbles out of the jar and placed it in the air.
It just hung there, drifting in random air currents. But Jubal worked
some controls on his device and suddenly it jerked to the left.
Jubal waved it back and forth, and the bubble stayed out there as if it were impaled on the tip of an invisible sword.
"Really neat, Jubal," I told him.
"Dat ain't nuttin'. Watch dis." He turned one of the wheels of the
game controller and the bubble shrank down to the size of a marble,
then a BB. "Don' wan' get her
too
small, no," Jubal said. "We lose her for sure."
Dak moved closer, and he looked at the bubble as if he found it offensive.
"That's why you call it a Squeezer?" Dak asked.
"Dat's why. Now, stan' back,
cher
." Dak did. Jubal fired the trigger mechanism on the other game controller...
...and I must have jumped a foot. It sounded like a gunshot.
"Goodness gracious, as my grandma used to say," Dak breathed. "That was one powerful startlement."
Jubal laughed. Kids love to sneak up and go "Boo!", and so did Jubal.
"So where did it go?" I asked.
"Didn't have nowhere to go
to
," Jubal said, "since it not here in de firs' place."
"Run that one by me again, Jube," Dak said.
"Wouldn't it leave a... a skin or something?" I asked. "Like a popped balloon?"
" 'Cep' it ain't no balloon!" Jubal crowed, enjoying himself.
"Well, it's
something,
isn't it?" Dak asked. Jubal folded his arms and smiled.
"Like I say, never was cain't go no place."
"Yeah, that's where it...
where
it isn't. But
what
isn't it?"
"Dat depend on what yo definition a
isn't
is,
cher
."
We finally got him to say the silver bubble was a field of some sort. Nothing could get into it.
"So, ma fren's, you buy one dese, somebody give you da chance?"
Dak and I looked at each other.
"What, one of the gizmos there, or one of the bubbles?"
Jubal pointed to the Squeezer, still grinning broadly.
"I sure would," I said. "If I could afford it."
"I don' t'ink it cos' too much, no."
"Whatever you say, Jube," Dak said. "If you can build a man-sized
robot cheap, why can't you build a... dammit, Jubal, just what
is
it? What is it doing?"
But Jubal folded his arms and turned away from us.
"You bes' be goin' now, ma fren's."
It took me a moment to realize he was kicking us out. Dak had warned
me, but it left me off balance. A thing like that ought to come after
some argument, or name calling, or something. Dak and I were completely
mystified.
"Jubal? Are you okay? Because I didn't—"
"Y'all jus' go 'way now, hear? I can't talk to y'all now."
"But Jubal..."
"Come back later. A few days, mebbe."
I took Dak's elbow and started pulling him away. He didn't resist, but kept looking over his shoulder all the way to the door.
"Was it something I said?"
"I think so," I told him. "Travis said something about cursing around Jubal."
"Sure, and I cleaned my act up. When he's around I haven't been
saying... Wait a minute. You think we got kicked out because I said
'dammit?'
"
"That's my guess."
"Well gah-
da
..." He stopped himself. "How am I supposed to
talk
if I can't say... that word?"
"It'll be tough," I agreed. "But we can do it."
"Hel...
heck,
Manny, I know some dudes can't put a sentence together without saying motherf—"
"You know, that one offends me,
and the right for the other.
"Chris'mas, dat be de
reason
I build de Squeezer," he said.
"Wondered if I could build me a silver ball dat don' break so easy, me.
Done started readin' on optics, indexes of refraction an' reflection,
stuff like dat..." He looked thoughtful, then scratched his head around
the horrible dent and looked confused for a moment, as if he couldn't
remember where he was. Then he smiled again.
"Den I had dis idea, me. An' you watch, it gonna make us a
fis'ful
a money!"
"So it's called the Squeezer?" Dak asked him.
"It is? Who said dat?"
"You did."
Jubal thought back, then laughed.
"I guess I did. How 'bout dat? De Squeezer. I guess dat's right. Now watch."
He took one of the bubbles out of the jar and placed it in the air.
It just hung there, drifting in random air currents. But Jubal worked
some controls on his device and suddenly it jerked to the left.
Jubal waved it back and forth, and the bubble stayed out there as if it were impaled on the tip of an invisible sword.
"Really neat, Jubal," I told him.
"Dat ain't nuttin'. Watch dis." He turned one of the wheels of the
game controller and the bubble shrank down to the size of a marble,
then a BB. "Don' wan' get her
too
small, no," Jubal said. "We lose her for sure."
Dak moved closer, and he looked at the bubble as if he found it offensive.
"That's why you call it a Squeezer?" Dak asked.
"Dat's why. Now, stan' back,
cher
." Dak did. Jubal fired the trigger mechanism on the other game controller...
...and I must have jumped a foot. It sounded like a gunshot.
"Goodness gracious, as my grandma used to say," Dak breathed. "That was one powerful startlement."
Jubal laughed. Kids love to sneak up and go "Boo!", and so did Jubal.
"So where did it go?" I asked.
"Didn't have nowhere to go
to
," Jubal said, "since it not here in de firs' place."
"Run that one by me again, Jube," Dak said.
"Wouldn't it leave a... a skin or something?" I asked. "Like a popped balloon?"
" 'Cep' it ain't no balloon!" Jubal crowed, enjoying himself.
"Well, it's
something,
isn't it?" Dak asked. Jubal folded his arms and smiled.
"Like I say, never was cain't go no place."
"Yeah, that's where it...
where
it isn't. But
what
isn't it?"
"Dat depend on what yo definition a
isn't
is,
cher
."
We finally got him to say the silver bubble was a field of some sort. Nothing could get into it.
"So, ma fren's, you buy one dese, somebody give you da chance?"
Dak and I looked at each other.
"What, one of the gizmos there, or one of the bubbles?"
Jubal pointed to the Squeezer, still grinning broadly.
"I sure would," I said. "If I could afford it."
"I don' t'ink it cos' too much, no."
"Whatever you say, Jube," Dak said. "If you can build a man-sized
robot cheap, why can't you build a... dammit, Jubal, just what
is
it? What is it doing?"
But Jubal folded his arms and turned away from us.
"You bes' be goin' now, ma fren's."
It took me a moment to realize he was kicking us out. Dak had warned
me, but it left me off balance. A thing like that ought to come after
some argument, or name calling, or something. Dak and I were completely
mystified.
"Jubal? Are you okay? Because I didn't—"
"Y'all jus' go 'way now, hear? I can't talk to y'all now."
"But Jubal..."
"Come back later. A few days, mebbe."
I took Dak's elbow and started pulling him away. He didn't resist, but kept looking over his shoulder all the way to the door.
"Was it something I said?"
"I think so," I told him. "Travis said something about cursing around Jubal."
"Sure, and I cleaned my act up. When he's around I haven't been
saying... Wait a minute. You think we got kicked out because I said
'dammit?'
"
"That's my guess."
"Well gah-
da
..." He stopped himself. "How am I supposed to
talk
if I can't say... that word?"
"It'll be tough," I agreed. "But we can do it."
"Hel...
heck,
Manny, I know some dudes can't put a sentence together without saying motherf—"
"You know, that one offends me,
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