June 29, 2005
Week 10 - The Wet Laptop
Episode 3
Rantz arrives at the offices of Fiddle and Burn. He is soaking wet. He pulls off his dripping jacket and rests his satchel on his desk. After a moment, Harry Cunningham steps in.
“Get caught in a little sprinkle?” Harry asks.
“I’m drenched!” Rantz says. “It was beautiful out when I left my house this morning. I didn’t even bring an umbrella.”
“Obviously, you were never a Boy Scout! Did you have a chance to write up that list exchange letter you were gonna work on?”
“I finished it on the train this morning. Let me get out my laptop.” He opens his satchel and pulls out the computer. It is soaking wet. “Oh God!” Rantz says. “This damn satchel’s too thin to protect the machine.” He frantically looks around the office. “What can I use to dry it? We don’t have any towels here!”
Harry stares at the wet laptop. After a moment, he takes off his glasses and rests them on Rantz’s desk. “This looks like a job for…” He quickly unbuttons his shirt. “Fat Publisher Man!” He pulls off his shirt and hands it to Rantz.
“You’re going to walk around all day in a tee-shirt?” Rantz asks.
Harry shrugs. “One of the benefits of being the boss… And a known eccentric!”
“Well thanks!” Rantz bunches up Harry’s shirt and blots the laptop. After the outside is somewhat dry he opens it. “God! Even the keys got wet somehow!” He blots more. “It’s not working. I can’t get in deep enough.” He looks at Harry. “Should I turn it on?”
“Water and electronics don’t mix. You gotta get that thing dry!”
“I don’t know what to do…”
“There’s a hot air hand dryer in the men’s room. Maybe that’ll work.”
Rantz closes the laptop and picks it up. “This is not turning out to be a good morning.”
“Just be grateful for the small things,” Harry says as they step out of Rantz’s office, a pool of water dripping behind them.
“Like what small things?”
“I haven’t told a single Aquaman joke…”