The Hotchkiss

By Pierre Lawrence

A novella reminiscent of an episode of the Twilight Zone, it's a tale about a sinister GPS (the Hotchkiss) that assists a hen-pecked husband deal with his nagging wife. Little does she suspect what is in store for her as the couple sets out on a trip to Lake Placid to celebrate their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pierre Lawrence
• Release date: May 23, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201536817

Book preview

The Hotchkiss

I can’t recall ever having better, the woman in her late sixties assured Antonio upon consuming the last of the veal Marsala and setting her fork aside. And how was the prime rib? the impeccably attired waiter inquired of the man seated on her left. Never very adventurous when dining out, Charles Crenshaw had not partaken of the fare for which Marcello’s was justifiably famous, but nonetheless pronounced the prime rib excellent. The linguine with clam sauce also received high marks from the other couple seated at the table of four, Ed and Helen Grimsby, who with the Crenshaws were celebrating the latter’s thirty-fifth wedding anniversary in the Tuscany room of the highly recommended Italian restaurant some forty miles or so northwest of Boston. In further commemoration of the event, a three-day excursion to Lake Placid was planned by the Crenshaws for the following week.

Citing the need to watch her weight, Alice Crenshaw reluctantly declined the gelato for which Marcello’s was equally renowned, as did the rest of the group. Coffee on the other hand would be more than welcome on a night with a bit of a chill in the air. As Antonio gathered up the last of the plates, Charles Crenshaw once again thanked him for his service, despite the guests of honor having arrived a full thirty minutes late.

We certainly owe you another apology too, Charles continued, turning to the Grimsbys, who had made the group’s reservation at the exclusive restaurant weeks in advance. It’s a terrific place, but not that easy to find if you happen to miss Route 171.

Had you taken Exit 34 we would have been here with time to spare, Alice remarked, chiding her husband for missing the exit on the Interstate that would have shortened the trip from Quincy by a good twenty miles. I alerted you several times that it was coming up, she was quick to add.

Irritated by his wife’s accusatory tone, Charles blamed the apparently outdated map he had consulted the previous evening for the missed turn. There were two options at the exit, Route 171 North and South, but the map had shown only one, he explained, and by the time I realized I should take the north exit I was past it.

You could have taken the next exit and circled back, his wife pointed out. That’s what she would have done. That’s what just about anyone would have done after missing an exit on the Interstate.

From the map it looked like we could still pick up Route 171 by taking Exit 37 further up, Charles countered in defense of his decision to keep going, a decision that took the pair ever further afield.

And when we were about to sail into New Hampshire it was high time to stop and ask for directions, his wife retorted. Not content with just scolding her husband for the miscues that made them late, she attacked his choice of cuisine as well: And when we finally succeeded in getting here, you settled for the prime rib, she huffed.

Sounds like you two could use a GPS, Ed Grimsby suggested, hoping to defuse an argument that threatened to mar an otherwise pleasant evening. Grateful for the interruption, Charles availed himself of it to forestall further criticism of his driving skills.

One of those new navigation systems? he asked the friend he had known ever since their college days at New England University (NEU), just outside Cambridge. Ed had studied electrical engineering while Charles majored in business administration, unable to hack the math required for an engineering degree, he freely admitted, and like many of his fellow business majors who typically started out in more demanding fields of study, soon found himself transferring to NEU’s relatively undistinguished Carter School of Business and Economics.

To tell the truth, these systems are fairly common now, Ed said in response to Charles’ question. They’re really not that new.

To some people they are, Alice interjected, and there was no mistaking who of the present company she was referring to. To bring her husband up to speed on the fairly common systems, she asked his friend to explain what a GPS was and what it did without being overly technical.

Simply put, a GPS first determines where you are, and from there figures out the best route to get you where you want to go, Ed began as Antonio returned with the coffee, piping hot and steaming, just the ticket before venturing out into the parking lot. The Crenshaws would find the coffee especially bracing, as the delay occasioned by the missed turn at Exit 34 had forced Charles to park in the second, overflow lot, no small distance (at least a mile, his wife would contend) from the main lot conveniently flanking the restaurant’s sides and rear.

GPS stands for Global Positioning System, Ed continued, unable to resist adding a bit of technical detail. "It pinpoints your location by locking onto signals transmitted by satellites orbiting high above the earth, some ten thousand miles or so. Needs a minimum of four to lock onto, three to establish position and one to synchronize clocks.

Once it locks on, the GPS determines your position by triangulation, Ed went on. "Nothing new about that. The ancient Greeks used it to measure the circumference of the Earth. With a correction required by the theory of relativity it’s accurate to within a few feet.

After the GPS establishes your position it determines the best route to your destination by analyzing a grid, Ed continued. A digital map of every road and highway in the country, some 35 million or so, and where they intersect. To reduce processing time, the GPS doesn’t consider every possible route, but applies an algorithm to determine the optimal one. Usually the shortest, but doesn’t have to be—a longer route might be faster after taking into account the speed limits on the various roads. And you’re not restricted to travel in the U. S. Our GPS covers Canada and Mexico too. Helen and I used it on our trip to Montreal last year. There’s even a version for travel in Europe, Ed informed his friend.

Pretty impressive, Charles had to admit, although he did not foresee traveling to London or Paris anytime soon.

The wonders of modern technology, his wife agreed. We should get one, Charles. If we had had it along we could have avoided tonight’s embarrassment. Unfortunately it’s too late for that, but not for keeping you from getting hopelessly lost on our trip to Lake Placid. And I’m sure there will be many more trips where it could prove its worth.

One of which could be to the moon, my dear, Charles felt like telling his wife of thirty-five years, but thought better of it and kept to himself the threat still fresh in his mind from having watched a rerun of a Honeymooners episode the previous night. Seeking a truce with Alice would be the better part of valor, he decided, and in any event had to agree that a GPS might be worth looking into as an alternative to an untrustworthy map. Not a bad idea, he said of the possibility of purchasing a GPS raised by his wife, and asked the engineer he had known ever since their college days how much one cost.

Ours came already installed on the Lexus, but you can buy outboard units from a number of manufacturers, Ed replied. Harmin’s are popular but a bit steep.

How steep? Charles asked.