Roger brought the tray around to us first, since we were the guests, and handed each of us a cup, balancing the tray with his other hand. Jan and I were not soda drinkers, but we each took a cup and drank a bit, to be polite.
"Doctor Alexander was performing chemical experiments in the kitchen?" Jan asked as Roger held out a cup for Pete, who took it and immediately put it on the table. Daphne barked, and Pete took a second cup from the tray and put it on the floor for her. She lapped up a bit of soda, then shook her head violently, which became a shiver which traveled the length of her body.
Roger laughed as Ms. Tumolo replied, "No, she teaches literature. She knows even less about chemistry than I do, and she tends to forget that a glass pot on a hot stove will eventually shatter, once its contents have boiled away."
Roger was moving to the far side of the table, to serve Ms. Tumolo, so Pete leaned toward us and whispered, "Daphne, I'm afraid, prefers more adult beverages. As do I." He stroked her hair and she barked.
"When in Rome," my employer murmured, sipping her soda.
"Just put it on the table," Ms. Tumolo said to Roger, and he put the tray down. A couple of the other students took cups.
David was patiently waiting for Jan Sleet to comment on the apparent fact that, in addition to being a student, he was also teaching some classes. If he had known her better, he would have realized that he was going to have a very long wait indeed.
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