She examined every inch of the control mechanism and the shelves below (there were two) finding nothing remotely like a secondary power switch. She th...n examined the console’s exterior for any indication of an opening, doing the same to the surrounding dais on her hands and knees. Excepting the opening to the corridor she’d traveled earlier, the hall’s circular wall appeared equally monolithic.“Fuck!” she cursed, banging the wall with her fist. The intersecting corridors led directly to Leda’s. Then she wrapped her arms around me and cried."You know that now I have to help plan a wedding, on top of all the other things I have to manage." Mom was holding her arm up to her forehead in a dramatic pose.Karen looked stricken "We don't have to have a big wedding or anything, I don't want to cause problems."Dad looked over at her. "Karen, Sylvia is just teasing you. She loves this kind of thing."Mom just stood there laughing. "He's right. It won't be any problem at all. And you are NEVER a. “No, I didn’t think of it? I will call them right now if they find them we can drive there and pick them up this weekend.” With that she went into the extra bedroom (we used it as a sort of home office) to use the extension there. I picked up the kitchen phone and listened to the daily horoscope recording.Mary and I grew up in the same neighborhood as her family lived just down the street from us. Neither family was rich, but probably would be considered lower middle class.She is a little more. I felt fidgety, but I concentrated on sitting still, wondering why he didn't begin.Finally, he dropped his hands. "What can I do for you, Sean?"Now I was confused. Certainly he wanted to yell at me, tell me what a dunderhead I was, a troublemaker who was skating on thin ice, in danger of being expelled for fighting on school grounds. Why was he asking me this? Is he toying with me before he lowers the boom?"Well, uh, I'm back, and I... I'm here to apologize... and... Don't you want to tell.