Read Nobody Gets The Girl for Free Online

of
his juice. "And just what am I then? I'm real. I'm alive. I'm not
some figment of your imagination."
    "True," said Knowbokov. "It may be more
accurate to say that you are a figment of your own imagination.
Reality has a certain elasticity in response to consciousness. You
were, and still are, aware of your own existence. You are
apparently a man of great willpower, to continue believing in your
own reality in the face of so much evidence against it. Most people
would have succumbed to doubt and faded away."
    "This is pretty tough to swallow," said
Richard, glancing at the juice box.
    Dr. Knowbokov didn't catch the double
entendre. "You will no doubt discover in the coming days that your
own perceptions of reality fail when they conflict with the shared
reality of others. This is why you are able to touch and manipulate
objects only when no one is observing them."
    "But... but the priest saw the pots I was
holding."
    "He expected to," said Dr. Knowbokov. "And
when he convinced Martha and Henry they would see a demon, you
responded physically to this."
    "OK. OK," said Richard. "Fine. Let's say I
believe you. You've erased my life with a time machine. When are
you going back to fix things?"
    "I'm not," said Dr. Knowbokov.
    "What? Why?"
    By now they had reached an airfield on the
edge of town. The limousine pulled to a stop near a mid-size
jet.
    "Come," said Dr. Knowbokov. "Let's continue
our conversation aboard my plane."
    "Let's finish it now. Why won't you go back
and fix things?"
    "I have materials to show you on the plane,"
said Dr. Knowbokov. "Photographs that will help me explain our
dilemma."
    "Visual aids, huh?" said Richard. "Fine. I'll
play along."
    The jet was nothing like the commercial
aircraft on which Richard had traveled. Instead of the normal rows
of seats, the mid-part of the cabin was laid out like a living
room, with two huge leather couches facing an elegant coffee table.
Veronica would have loved it. On the table were several manila
envelopes.
    "Have a seat," said Dr. Knowbokov.
    "I feel like standing," said Richard.
    "That won't be safe during take off."
    "Take off? Where exactly are we going?"
    "The Caribbean. My estate is located on a
private island."
    "Ah," said Richard. "Of course it is. You kin
to Bruce Wayne?"
    Dr. Knowbokov looked slightly confused. "The
Bruce Wayne that lives at 47 Stanton Street in Tulsa,
Oklahoma?"
    "Um. Sure."
    "No. Why do you ask?"
    Richard sighed, then took a seat on the couch
opposite the doctor. The plane's engines began to roar, and the
cabin lurched.
    "The Caribbean, huh? I guess I'm along for
the ride. Has to be better than where I was."
    "Indeed. I think you’ll like my home," said
Dr. Knowbokov. "I hope you’ll be a frequent guest. I’d like to
propose a partnership between us."
    "Partnership?"
    "I would find a man of your talents quite
useful. You would be the perfect spy."
    "And who, may I ask, would I be spying
on?"
    "My enemies, of course. Perhaps even, should
the need arise, my allies."
    "That sounds a little paranoid, Doc," said
Richard. "But, maybe not all that paranoid. I guess being rich
enough to own your own island does involve a little crooked
dealing."
    "Nothing of the sort," said Dr. Knowbokov.
"My wealth has been obtained through careful investments and
numerous patents on my discoveries and inventions."
    "Oh yeah," said Richard. "And there's that
time machine. Must make lottery picks a breeze."
    "I hadn't contemplated that," said the
doctor. "If the acquisition of wealth were my focus, I suppose I
could use the time machines for selfish purposes. But I have lived
my life in service to mankind. The wealth that has resulted is
quite incidental, and used mostly for philanthropy."
    "And Caribbean estates."
    "I provide what comforts I can for my
family," the doctor said, sounding apologetic.
    "I had a family once," said Richard. "And you
screwed that up. Care to take a stab at explaining why you aren't
going to fix it?"
    Dr. Knowbokov handed him a