The Tower of Endless Worlds Read Online Free PDF Page B

his bumper had been dented, and a trio of deep scratches ran down the driver’s side door. “Darn…darn…damn it!” 
    If there was ever a time for profanity, this was it.
    First he had lost his job, and now this.
    It had not been a good day. 
    He looked at the other car and winced. It was a Jaguar Coupe, a very expensive looking Jaguar Coupe that had just lost its left side mirror and headlight. Whoever owned the car had a lot of money. 
    Simon was in a lot of trouble. 
    He saw the driver struggling to get the door open. The guy didn’t look injured, at least. Simon grabbed the handle and pulled. The door shuddered open, and a short man with slicked-back hair and thick glasses got out. He looked somewhat familiar, but Simon could not place him. 
    “You hurt?” said Simon.
    “No,” said the man, glaring at Simon. He wore an expensive-looking suit. “A bit rattled, but I’m fine.”  He looked over his car and grimaced. “The same cannot be said of my car.” His glare returned to Simon. “A bit far over in the other lane, weren’t we?”
    “Other…” Simon’s fists balled in fury. “You idiot! This is a one-way street!”
    The man blinked. “It is?”
    That was the final straw.
    Simon stomped into the middle of the street and waved his hands. “Are you freaking blind? Look! The parked cars on both sides of the street are facing the same way! That usually implies a one-way street, doesn’t it?” 
    The man lifted an eyebrow. “I would assume so, yes.”  He sighed. “Oh, dear. You’re right. It looks like I am at fault for this.”
    Simon stalked back towards him. “I would say so, yes.” 
    “At least nobody was hurt, unless you work yourself up to a heart attack,” said the man. “We’d best report this. The last thing I need is some reporter sniffing after a hit-and-run scandal.”
    Simon looked at the houses lining either side of the street. “I’ll ask if we can use someone’s phone.”
    “Don’t you have a cell phone?”
    Simon pointed at his damaged van. “I’m driving a Ford Aerostar with 180,000 miles on it. Do I look like I can afford a damn cell phone?”
    The man smiled and reached into his jacket. “Good point. Fortunately, I have a cell phone. The benefits of modern technology, as one of my business partners likes to say.”
    Simon rubbed his forehead. “Fine.” His headache had returned with a vengeance. He hoped he didn’t have whiplash. 
    The man nodded, dialed, and spoke a few words into the phone. After a moment he nodded and hung up. “The police are on their way, as is a tow truck. From the noises my engine made, I suspect my car can’t make the trip to the garage.” 
    Simon jangled his keys and leaned against the side of his van. “My engine didn’t go out. I should be able to make it home.”
    The man tucked his phone away. “We should take the opportunity to exchange insurance information.”  Simon laughed. What insurance? “Again, I would like to apologize. I was unaware that this was a one way street.” 
    Simon shrugged. “ Factum est illud, fieri infectum non potest ,” he mumbled. “Accidents happen.”
    The man titled his head to one side and smiled. “Done is done, it cannot be made undone.”
    Simon blinked. “What did you say?”
    “The translation to what you said. From the works of the Roman playwright Titus Maccius Plautus, I believe, though I can’t recall which play at the moment.” 
    “Um…I don’t remember. I’ll look it up when I get home,” said Simon. “You know Latin?”
    The man slid his hands into his pockets. “Oh, quite fluently. I was a double major in history and classical literature in college. I still remember quite a bit.”  He smiled. “What did Lord Byron say? ‘I love the language, that soft bastard Latin…’”
    Simon grinned. “‘Which melts like kisses from a female mouth.’” 
    The man smiled. “Very good! You have some familiarity with the classics, I take it?”
    Simon snorted.