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Show Acting Alone Page 21Q He'd plumb forgotten about this committee stuff. It was an ancient time-honored custom, dating presumably back to Aristotle's academy or something, designed to save students some nose- and lip-skin. You only have to kiss three asses, suck three dicks, instead of the whole department. That's right. A part of his back-mind had been vaguely wondering all along why these three particular guys had been sent to nail him this afternoon. Why not Professors X, Y and Z? Q, R, S, etc.? There were several much scarier people in the department. None of these three guys could even grunt up a respectable beard. But they were his committee. It was their job. For some reason that realization brought a surge of totally incongruous, purple warmth up- from the reservoir of wine.in his middle; and Sam allowed something inappropriate to pass his lips. He said, "We're all in this together, boys." Surprisingly, that comment did not bring down a shitstorm of professorial sarcasm on Sam's head. Why not? They were all just sitting there staring attentively at Sam. Everything was quiet for a second. This was getting too weird now. Sam didn't know what was going on now. . . Unless. . . Wait a minute. Sam noticed that, at the mention of the words Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the three of them had leaned forward, sort of, the outrage and moral indignation in their eyes giving a tiny sub-micrometer of space to interest and attentiveness. . . Sam decided to try something. An experiment. He said, really fast, "Kaybeeeye." |