Four Weeks - The Beginning

CHAOS

Back at the hotel where Mr. Hines was put up, somebody knocked on the door of his hotel room. It was Chase. Chase waited for about two seconds, before someone answered the door. It was Hines.

'Hello, Mr. Hines,' said Chase, 'Chase Sione.' Hines had his backpack on.

'Hello Mr. Sione,' Hines responded.

'Please, call me Chase,' Chase said, smiling.

Hines smiled back at him and said, 'Please sit.'

Chase looked around and saw that all the furniture in the room had been cleared out. He wondered what had happened or even if guests were allowed to move things around quite this much in their rooms. There were no wall hangings, no drapes on the windows, no fan, no television, no cupboards, no wardrobe, no refrigerator, no tables or ottomans and no chairs. The room was one big empty space with carpeting all across the floor. All there was, was a small square table with a small rectangle at the center. Chase looked at Mr. Hines every now and then as he kept examining the strange setting.

'Would you like something to drink?' Hines asked.

Chase looked at Hines like he regarded him a fool. He looked this way at Hines for a few moments and responded, still maintaining a strange gaze at Hines,

'I do not think there is any around. Where would there be? The room is empty. As a matter of fact, I also don't see any where to sit on.'

Chase's tone rang of sarcasm and ridicule. He and Hines engaged in a stare off before Hines broke the awkwardness with a gentle smile.

'Forgive me. But, I require this setting for our little demonstration. I'm sorry for the inconvenience,' he said.

'Inconvenience? No, not at all. I am very keen to look at this new invention of yours, especially since I don't believe it exists, and, would, truthfully want nothing getting in the way,' Chase responded.

'Of course,' said Hines. 'But, before we get around to the evening's proceedings, so to speak, let's first both grab a bite to eat. There are some very nice places to eat in the hotel itself. I'm sure you're hungry.'

Chase thought for a while about what it would mean if he exposed his inner hankering for Hines' new technology. He could say he had eaten, he thought. That would not give away his impatience but would be rude because obviously, Hines had not eaten. He packed in every last ounce of patience he had and uttered, 'Sure, let's eat first.'

Hines and Chase made their way to the elevator in the hall. They pressed the button and waited on it.

'You said your assistant would be showing us a demo. I don't mean to sound suspicious of your intentions for inviting me over tonight, but I don't think I noticed a laptop or another similar device,' Chase said.

'Mr. Sione, I have my phone,' Hines said, pulling it out of his pocket. 'This would work just fine, don't you think?' he asked Chase, feeling jaded by Chase's constant chariness.

'You can show me technology that serves as a perpetual energy source on something so tiny?I mean it would have to be in a considerably large container, wouldn't it? ' Chase questioned further.

Hines' phone was an iPhone with a 3.5-inch screen.

'I think it'll work just fine,' Hines said, finding it a little harder to put up with what felt like Chase's millionth qualm.

'But, just so you can feel more at ease, let me also mention that if the phone can't show the whole thing, it can still be used to make a call to make some alternative arrangement'