A. I. Evolution: The Coming of Christopher

Chapter 19

The drive across town to Sam's place was pleasantly uneventful, because it was a Saturday and most of the traffic was moving smoothly along the main streets. Sam lived in an affluent neighborhood in the newer northern subdivision of town, where the tall maples and well manicured lawns spoke of money and attention to detail by the owners.

I parked on the side of the street, which is what I normally do, not wanting to get caught in a driveway where someone could block me in, just in case I wanted to leave early. The driveway was already half full of cars, and as I walked by, I noticed that some of the vehicles were ones I had seen at work. I smiled and knew that most of the players had already arrived, as I walked between them to the curved walkway of interlocking stones that lead to the front door.

A quick "shave and haircut" knock on the door brings Sam's smiling face to the opening as he swings the door open. "Come on in Christopher, Gordy and Bill are already downstairs, the only ones we are waiting for now are Ted and Jack.

I smile and step through the door into the main hallway of the spacious interior. I quickly look around the modern home. A dining room sits to the right with china cabinets lined up against the walls around the dark wooden table, where light colored cushioned chairs, which are the match of the dark table, are evenly spaced around the long table. A square table cloth, pure white, sits diagonally in the center, with a vase of bright flowers flowing out over the sides. There are two short walls that line each side of the hallway that goes back to the large open kitchen area at the back.

The walls are obviously for support of the upper level because the rest of the main floor is open and airy. Sam takes my jacket and places it in the closet beside a passageway on the right that leads down into the floor with a wooden railing marking the way.

I turn to the left side of the main floor where the sitting room and the family room are opposite the dining room and kitchen area. The furniture again speaks of money and a sense of pride the owners have put into the placement of the pieces, which of course, is also the family business that supplies the money for such trappings.

Sam heads down the winding stairway to the basement of the house to reveal an open area the size of the floor above. One end has a huge TV mounted on the wall with couches arranged around it for watching TV. The area in the center right at the foot of the steps is dominated by an over-sized pool table.

I stop at the bottom of the solid wooden stairs and look around the immense space. Bill calls out from the table on the opposite side of the room from the TV area. "Did you bring lots of money, my boy needs a new bike for his birthday."

"I don't know, is a hundred dollars enough?" I call out from the bottom of the stairs.

Gordy smiles. "Well, I guess it can be a start, at least. Sam always has some more hidden away, just in case you want to lose more tonight."

Sam walks towards the table, as I follow him. "OK, you two. Christopher is a first-time player to our group, so let's cut him some slack. If we beat him too soon, he may not want to come back and play with us anymore."

I move to the table and take the chair at the back closest to the bar that runs the length of the back wall, complete with tall stools and a brass foot rest, just like you would imagine an old western bar would have. The mirror on the wall behind the bartender's space is bordered with glass shelves holding various bottles of rare spirits. The table is the classic size and shape, with six sides, one for each person. The red felt top is clean and well glued to the hexagonal tabletop. An indentation to the right of each person facilitates a glass that would be held in place by the perfectly round hole.

Sam is about to sit when the doorbell rings again upstairs. "That must be Ted and Jack. Ted said they might be a little late because Jack's wife needed the car again because hers is still in the shop, and he would have to swing around to his place to pick him up."