6 Maple Drive

Home of McGeorge and Karen Archibald

As McGeorge Archibald walks in from a hard day of trying to arrange an archaeological dig for next summer in a part of southern Mexico beset by political problems, over-run by drug-running bandits and suffering the ravages of a drought, he feels every one of his 64 years and all he wants is to be served a nice warm meal by his still-beautiful wife, Karen. In his own little realm, he reigns supreme-- the most distnguished Professor at Cliff College-- and he's very much in the mood to be treated accordingly. So, he is more than disappointed to read the note Karen has left stuck on a precious Tzotzil-Mayan icon he had unearthed and smuggled back from the Chipas Highlands twenty years ago...

Archie is pissed off. Not just at the news that his wife will be not doting on him tonight, but at the full impact of the note-- that she's once again participating in a Cliff College amateur theatrical production and will, no doubt, be passionately involved with it and with its leading man/director/author/whomever for the next month, at least. Damned inconvenient, he thinks, as he pours himself a stiff drink and heats the quiche. But, as the drink begins to kick in and the smell of the wonderful, homemade quiche fills the kitchen, he remembers that he should be used to it by now and that, in fact, he is.