Dwight sat at a desk in the library with his tablet face down in front of him. The library was always a comforting place for Dwight. It is a place filled to the brim with potential. Up and down every aisle is something waiting to be discovered. If Dwight could have one wish in the world granted it would be to have that all wealth of knowledge put into his head. Libraries are also quiet, or at least they are supposed to be, and that made them the perfect place to go and just sit and think in peace.
His head was swimming, drowning even. If he could just calm down and focus, he could find a solution to this problem. He took several long slow breaths, tilted his head back, and tried to imagine a vast emptiness and hear only his heartbeat and the sounds of turning pages, but flashes of his own children blazed through his mind. Dwight placed his hands on the table and stared at the grains of the wood. They too became the sole occupants of his thoughts before the image of Serah’s smile robbed his concentration once again.
“Dammit.” He said under his breath
He almost lost it at the restaurant. The sound of Serah’s chair scooting back as she stood up to leave was for some reason the only sound that he could remember. He could remember the concepts and ideas exchanged during their conversation, but couldn’t remember the words and the sounds even if his life depended on it. He could recall everything after she left. He had waved his hand over the sensor to pay his bill, stood up, and made his way to the door still in utter disbelief. He had even accidentally kicked some toddler’s highchair. The parents had shot him disgusted looks and he wanted to throttle them. He grabbed his coat from the rack and made his way here, to this very spot, in a walk that lasted forever.
‘A job,’ Dwight thought. ‘This all hinges on a job. I need to find one.’ Dwight turned his tablet right side up, flipped out the two hinged plates that set it on a 45 degree angle, and pulled a translucent black keysheet from the bottom of it. The tablet was of course a touch screen, but you can type much faster on a keysheet, and seeing as how he was in a library, he wasn’t planning on using the voice interface.
Dwight sent a message to the only person he could think to contact.
“Mahoud. I need your help.”
He sat and waited for a reply. People rarely had their tablets anywhere but within arms’ reach.
“Dwight! It’s been so long buddy! I’ll see what I can do for you, but I guess that all depends on the nature of the problem.”
Dwight could see Mahoud’s smiling face on his tablet as Mahoud keyed in his response on the touch screen interface of his own tablet.
“I need a job. I’ve tried everywhere, but you know how it is for a fusion engineer on Earth… I know you are a busy man and you know I wouldn’t ask you for anything of this magnitude unless I really needed it. I could lose my kids.”
Mahoud’s infectious smile wandered from his face as he solemnly nodded. Mahoud had never had children and had desperately wanted them for a while now. It was hard to have a kid unless you were on a colony. It used to be you could go out and have a kid with anybody you pleased as long as you could get it up. Most people that had children didn’t even mean for it to happen. Gene therapy eventually became so refined that they could engineer a retrovirus that turned off the processes that regulated a woman’s menstrual cycle rendering them temporarily infertile. Later, if the mother-to-be wished, she could have another retrovirus injected that turned her cycles back on and in about three months be fertile once more. It was the most effective form of contraception ever created, one hundred percent effective, and relatively safe. Then the global government found out how useful this technology was.
At the time, the colonization of Mars was still a government wet dream and the moon was being used as a spaceport and for H3¬ mining. That left the only place for people to be was Earth. At the time the population was pushing twenty billion people. Nobody can blame the global government for the actions they took as it was likely the reason we didn’t end up in a water war which would have split mankind up into smaller sovereign states once again. Shortly after the global government mandated that the most problematic sectors of the world be reproductively immunized, population took a nosedive. The problem was solved so it seemed. Then the government learned of the other benefits of being able to regulate human reproduction. Darwinian notions aside, the government could now grant reproductive licenses to upstanding citizens, the ones that contribute significantly to society instead of criminals and leeches. Once again, human species had defied nature and set its own rules.
Sector by sector the government passed reproductive regulation laws, and the people loved it. At first, the regulations were loose and the criterion for license acquisition was limited to having a relatively clean criminal record and taking mandatory parenting classes. It worked well. Crime diminished, neighborhoods were safer, and people were happy. Corruption, however, has its ways of working its bony little fingers into even the tiniest cracks of a good thing.
Regulations became stricter, and somehow over the course of time economic success and health conditions became factors for reproductive success. Vague criteria and indecipherable lawyer speak became integrated into the immunization laws until the current limits were set. Only half the population of Earth can have a reproductive license at any time. If you are issued a license, you are expected to have four children. There are “Exceptions” that can be purchased at a considerable fee by a license holder in order to account for those people that cannot meet their reproductive expectations.
Mahoud, unfortunately, is ineligible for a license due to heart problems.
“
That’s unfortunate Dwight. I’ll see if I can pull some strings and find something for you. I can’t begin to imagine the extent of your problems, but I will have you in my prayers.”
Dwight felt his mind ease a little knowing that there was a chance that he might be able to convince Serah to stay with him. “I owe you Mahoud.”
Mahoud’s smile brightened up his face once more. “Consider this payment for naming your next son after me.”
Dwight smiled for the first time today. “And if I have a daughter?”
“Then have a fun time explaining to her why she has a boy’s name."
Friday, January 29, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
In Times of Economic Uncertainty
Something freelance I wrote that didn't get published. I can see why lol.
The phrase "in times of economic uncertainty" always cracks me up. Lately we have been hearing it a lot from banks, insurance companies, car commercials, and everybody else that wants a piece of your financial pie. The truth of the matter is simple, all times are times of economic uncertainty regardless of the state of the economy. Before the collapse of the stock market, so many speculators were certain that the only place it had to go was up, that when it all came crashing down around their heads, they panicked like a herd of sheep being chased by a pack of rabid bears. I will let you in on a little more news; no matter what you hear, there is no such thing as a simple and foolproof investment system. If there was we would all be rich and the world would be a magical place where Santa Claus actually existed. So what's an investor to do?
Go to any bookstore and take a stroll up and down the aisles of the investing section and it I guarantee that you will find a book about Warren Buffett, if not several. Why is this man such a giant in the investing world? Quite simply because he is the best. He provides more results more consistently than any professional investor, not to mention the fact that he is a $62 billionaire, which is also nice. So then, wouldn't it be smart to analyze his investment style and see just why he is so ridiculously rich? Yes, yes, it would and that is just what many of these books try to do.
If you were to dig deeper into this Warren Buffett character's history you will find that he actually was not the mad genius behind his style of investing, but he in fact learned his art from the Wall Street Jedi masters Benjamin Graham and David Dodd who authored the investment tomes Security Analysis and The Intelligent Investor. One of the first clear points that you will distill from the myriad of information presented in these books is that there is a distinction between a "Speculator" and an "Investor". A speculator is somebody who bets on which direction the market will move based on charts, graphs, their gut, the weather, tea readings, seyonce, or whatever method catches their fancy. Essentially a speculator is no more than a glorified gambling junkie whose preferred method of cash hemorrhaging is the stock market. An investor on the other hand remembers that the stock market is composed of real companies that provide real products to real people every day. They keep in mind that even though the countless horde of speculators are constantly causing fluctuations in the price of a stock, in the long term the price of the stock will boil down to one simple thing: The performance of the company that issues it.
Yes, I know. It sounds so simple, and it is -- to a point. If you have ever seen Security Analysis you would know that it is not a book you want dropped on your foot and there is a reason it is so thick. In order to understand the performance of a company there are many factors and points of view that must be considered when choosing a company to invest in. Considering that there are hundreds of companies to potentially invest in, there is a lot of sifting to be done. I'm not going to lie to you, it is hard work and it would be a hell of a lot easier to just follow some get rich quick scheme. I still get all jumpy and excited when reading about some new way to "Make a million dollars this year!", shortly before filing that under the "Fantasy" section of my brain.
The question still remains "Why should I invest like Warren Buffett?". Warren Buffett himself put it oh so eloquently in a fun little thought experiment , which basically boils down to this point; Warren Buffett isn't the only one that has been successful with Graham and Dodd's school of thought. Quite contrarily, many of the most successful investors in recent history have followed Graham and Dodd's methods. It seems to me that the argument isn't whether or not investing like Warren Buffett works, but whether people are willing to put in the time and effort to crack open the books and scour the stocks for the gems that won't make them rich overnight, but with patience are a sure shot in the long run. If you are interested in Warren Buffett's background, I highly recommend Warren Buffett's biography The Snowball Effect. It will explain much more clearly and accurately his history in the Graham and Dodd school and his escalation to his current "Investing God" status. Did I mention that he is worth $62 billion dollars?
The phrase "in times of economic uncertainty" always cracks me up. Lately we have been hearing it a lot from banks, insurance companies, car commercials, and everybody else that wants a piece of your financial pie. The truth of the matter is simple, all times are times of economic uncertainty regardless of the state of the economy. Before the collapse of the stock market, so many speculators were certain that the only place it had to go was up, that when it all came crashing down around their heads, they panicked like a herd of sheep being chased by a pack of rabid bears. I will let you in on a little more news; no matter what you hear, there is no such thing as a simple and foolproof investment system. If there was we would all be rich and the world would be a magical place where Santa Claus actually existed. So what's an investor to do?
Go to any bookstore and take a stroll up and down the aisles of the investing section and it I guarantee that you will find a book about Warren Buffett, if not several. Why is this man such a giant in the investing world? Quite simply because he is the best. He provides more results more consistently than any professional investor, not to mention the fact that he is a $62 billionaire, which is also nice. So then, wouldn't it be smart to analyze his investment style and see just why he is so ridiculously rich? Yes, yes, it would and that is just what many of these books try to do.
If you were to dig deeper into this Warren Buffett character's history you will find that he actually was not the mad genius behind his style of investing, but he in fact learned his art from the Wall Street Jedi masters Benjamin Graham and David Dodd who authored the investment tomes Security Analysis and The Intelligent Investor. One of the first clear points that you will distill from the myriad of information presented in these books is that there is a distinction between a "Speculator" and an "Investor". A speculator is somebody who bets on which direction the market will move based on charts, graphs, their gut, the weather, tea readings, seyonce, or whatever method catches their fancy. Essentially a speculator is no more than a glorified gambling junkie whose preferred method of cash hemorrhaging is the stock market. An investor on the other hand remembers that the stock market is composed of real companies that provide real products to real people every day. They keep in mind that even though the countless horde of speculators are constantly causing fluctuations in the price of a stock, in the long term the price of the stock will boil down to one simple thing: The performance of the company that issues it.
Yes, I know. It sounds so simple, and it is -- to a point. If you have ever seen Security Analysis you would know that it is not a book you want dropped on your foot and there is a reason it is so thick. In order to understand the performance of a company there are many factors and points of view that must be considered when choosing a company to invest in. Considering that there are hundreds of companies to potentially invest in, there is a lot of sifting to be done. I'm not going to lie to you, it is hard work and it would be a hell of a lot easier to just follow some get rich quick scheme. I still get all jumpy and excited when reading about some new way to "Make a million dollars this year!", shortly before filing that under the "Fantasy" section of my brain.
The question still remains "Why should I invest like Warren Buffett?". Warren Buffett himself put it oh so eloquently in a fun little thought experiment , which basically boils down to this point; Warren Buffett isn't the only one that has been successful with Graham and Dodd's school of thought. Quite contrarily, many of the most successful investors in recent history have followed Graham and Dodd's methods. It seems to me that the argument isn't whether or not investing like Warren Buffett works, but whether people are willing to put in the time and effort to crack open the books and scour the stocks for the gems that won't make them rich overnight, but with patience are a sure shot in the long run. If you are interested in Warren Buffett's background, I highly recommend Warren Buffett's biography The Snowball Effect. It will explain much more clearly and accurately his history in the Graham and Dodd school and his escalation to his current "Investing God" status. Did I mention that he is worth $62 billion dollars?
The Bearded Man
This is a progression of "The Blue Dress". Due to uncotrollable circumstances, I couldn't write 500 words yesterday, so I wrote 1000 today :)
Serah drew her coat tightly over her. She tried keeping the justifications for what she had done clear in her head. She wanted with all of her being to run back to Dwight. His minor license violation was only a small part of the reason she had to leave him. The work she was doing with her father was groundbreaking and if they were successful, they might change human civilization permanently, for better or for worse. Dwight was only holding her back from that. She held a little comfort in the likelihood that he would talk her out of all of this foolishness in a few hours.
Taking the long route to the gravrail station, Serah carefully avoided passing in front of the shopping center where she first met Dwight. The night was bitter cold and she couldn’t wait to be in the warmth of her home surrounded by the laughter of her children, but the musty gravrail car would suffice until then. When she arrived at the platform, she went to the kiosk, rented a 'net tablet, and scrolled through the news sites looking for something to distract her mind for the ride home. Something she saw out of her periphery disturbed her. Every time she looked up the same man was staring at her.
The man was tall with brown blonde hair and a well kempt beard. Serah couldn’t tell if he was burly or if his brown jacket was just filled with too much down. She would consider him handsome if he didn’t seem so predatory. He faced her and began to walk in her direction. Serah pulled her jacket tighter and let out a nervous smile as the man approached her.
“Need a tissue?”
Serah realized that in her haste to get away from Dwight, she forgot to wipe the running mascara from her face. “Oh, no thank you I have one,” Serah said as she began ruffling through her purse.
“One of those days, eh?”
His intense gaze never left Serah’s face.
“Yeah, I guess.” She let out a polite chuckle “Do you know what time the train is coming?”
“Hmmm…” The man stroked his beard “I got here just as the last train was leaving, so I guess in about five minutes.”
“Thanks, I should go wash my face.”
Thankful for a reason to get away from the bearded man, Serah headed into the bathroom and cleaned her face off. She took her time so that she wouldn’t have to wait on the platform. Sometimes Serah thought the only reason women had separate bathrooms from men was that so they had a place to retreat from them in these situations. Serah tossed the tissue in the trash and stared at herself in the mirror. Her black hair came down to her jaw line and curved forward toward her chin. The slight coloration in her pigment and her bone structure gave away her Thai descent. Her otherwise deep and contemplative eyes were irritated and puffy. Once she was certain that five minutes had passed, she left the bathroom onto the now crowded platform.
The gravtrain pulled in as silently as if it were never there. The light coming from its windows illuminated the platform in the dusk the long train set a solid foundation for the tall buildings behind it. Serah took a few moments to admire the picture painted by the dark city and red sky. Once most of the crowd had piled onto the train Serah followed while trying to find the jacket pocket she put the ‘net tablet in. Her mind on autopilot, she found an empty seat as well as an article about her father’s company on the ‘net.
“We meet again.”
Serah looked up to see the bearded man sitting across from her. He was beaming.
“Hah, yeah I guess so.”She looked back down at her tablet and hoped he would get the message this time. He didn’t.
“Did you know that before anti-gravity fields, we used magnets in trains like this? The design hasn’t changed much but-“
“Sir, I’m sure what you have to say is fascinating,” Serah interrupted “But I have had a very stressful day and would just like time to myself until I get home.”
“Very understandable” He stroked his beard and his smile turned into a grim scowl. “And you’re right, what I have to say is fascinating. Life changing, even. I really think you should hear it.”
The look in his eye was hard to place. She knew he wanted something, and knew it had something to do to with her, but it wasn’t sex. She set her tablet in her lap and looked at him.
“Okay you win, what?”
“Where was I? Oh yes! As I was saying, the design of these trains hasn’t changed much excepting certain modifications to the track and materials of the cars to make the train run quieter. We take for granted that gravtrains are virtually silent. Like ghosts. That’s why they name every station in this city after a famous ghost. But I’m getting off track here.” The bearded man chuckled at his own dry pun “My point is that the invention of anti-gravitational fields revolutionized transportation. That was, what? A hundred years ago? Anti-grav tech is still limited to low weight planetside transportation. If it is such a revolutionary technology, why haven’t there been any breakthroughs in anti-grav technology in one hundred whole years?”
The question frightened her. It wasn’t the question itself but the circumstances under which it was posed. If Serah was any other person in the world it would seem like a purely intellectual question, but Serah wasn’t any other person. Anti-grav technology was one of the main focuses on her father’s research and everybody was certain that they were on the verge of a massive breakthrough. As one of his chief researchers, she knew virtually every scientist in the field. She didn’t recognize this man. She went through the possibilities of who he could be in her head but the only one that made sense wrenched her stomach in terror.
“Who are you?” Serah’s voice broke
The bearded man chuckled, stood up, and whispered into Serah’s ear.
“If you ever want to see your kids again, I suggest you take a walk with me.”
(More on this plotline later)
Serah drew her coat tightly over her. She tried keeping the justifications for what she had done clear in her head. She wanted with all of her being to run back to Dwight. His minor license violation was only a small part of the reason she had to leave him. The work she was doing with her father was groundbreaking and if they were successful, they might change human civilization permanently, for better or for worse. Dwight was only holding her back from that. She held a little comfort in the likelihood that he would talk her out of all of this foolishness in a few hours.
Taking the long route to the gravrail station, Serah carefully avoided passing in front of the shopping center where she first met Dwight. The night was bitter cold and she couldn’t wait to be in the warmth of her home surrounded by the laughter of her children, but the musty gravrail car would suffice until then. When she arrived at the platform, she went to the kiosk, rented a 'net tablet, and scrolled through the news sites looking for something to distract her mind for the ride home. Something she saw out of her periphery disturbed her. Every time she looked up the same man was staring at her.
The man was tall with brown blonde hair and a well kempt beard. Serah couldn’t tell if he was burly or if his brown jacket was just filled with too much down. She would consider him handsome if he didn’t seem so predatory. He faced her and began to walk in her direction. Serah pulled her jacket tighter and let out a nervous smile as the man approached her.
“Need a tissue?”
Serah realized that in her haste to get away from Dwight, she forgot to wipe the running mascara from her face. “Oh, no thank you I have one,” Serah said as she began ruffling through her purse.
“One of those days, eh?”
His intense gaze never left Serah’s face.
“Yeah, I guess.” She let out a polite chuckle “Do you know what time the train is coming?”
“Hmmm…” The man stroked his beard “I got here just as the last train was leaving, so I guess in about five minutes.”
“Thanks, I should go wash my face.”
Thankful for a reason to get away from the bearded man, Serah headed into the bathroom and cleaned her face off. She took her time so that she wouldn’t have to wait on the platform. Sometimes Serah thought the only reason women had separate bathrooms from men was that so they had a place to retreat from them in these situations. Serah tossed the tissue in the trash and stared at herself in the mirror. Her black hair came down to her jaw line and curved forward toward her chin. The slight coloration in her pigment and her bone structure gave away her Thai descent. Her otherwise deep and contemplative eyes were irritated and puffy. Once she was certain that five minutes had passed, she left the bathroom onto the now crowded platform.
The gravtrain pulled in as silently as if it were never there. The light coming from its windows illuminated the platform in the dusk the long train set a solid foundation for the tall buildings behind it. Serah took a few moments to admire the picture painted by the dark city and red sky. Once most of the crowd had piled onto the train Serah followed while trying to find the jacket pocket she put the ‘net tablet in. Her mind on autopilot, she found an empty seat as well as an article about her father’s company on the ‘net.
“We meet again.”
Serah looked up to see the bearded man sitting across from her. He was beaming.
“Hah, yeah I guess so.”She looked back down at her tablet and hoped he would get the message this time. He didn’t.
“Did you know that before anti-gravity fields, we used magnets in trains like this? The design hasn’t changed much but-“
“Sir, I’m sure what you have to say is fascinating,” Serah interrupted “But I have had a very stressful day and would just like time to myself until I get home.”
“Very understandable” He stroked his beard and his smile turned into a grim scowl. “And you’re right, what I have to say is fascinating. Life changing, even. I really think you should hear it.”
The look in his eye was hard to place. She knew he wanted something, and knew it had something to do to with her, but it wasn’t sex. She set her tablet in her lap and looked at him.
“Okay you win, what?”
“Where was I? Oh yes! As I was saying, the design of these trains hasn’t changed much excepting certain modifications to the track and materials of the cars to make the train run quieter. We take for granted that gravtrains are virtually silent. Like ghosts. That’s why they name every station in this city after a famous ghost. But I’m getting off track here.” The bearded man chuckled at his own dry pun “My point is that the invention of anti-gravitational fields revolutionized transportation. That was, what? A hundred years ago? Anti-grav tech is still limited to low weight planetside transportation. If it is such a revolutionary technology, why haven’t there been any breakthroughs in anti-grav technology in one hundred whole years?”
The question frightened her. It wasn’t the question itself but the circumstances under which it was posed. If Serah was any other person in the world it would seem like a purely intellectual question, but Serah wasn’t any other person. Anti-grav technology was one of the main focuses on her father’s research and everybody was certain that they were on the verge of a massive breakthrough. As one of his chief researchers, she knew virtually every scientist in the field. She didn’t recognize this man. She went through the possibilities of who he could be in her head but the only one that made sense wrenched her stomach in terror.
“Who are you?” Serah’s voice broke
The bearded man chuckled, stood up, and whispered into Serah’s ear.
“If you ever want to see your kids again, I suggest you take a walk with me.”
(More on this plotline later)
Monday, January 25, 2010
The Blue Dress
“It’s over Dwight. I’m finished.” Serah’s tear-filled eyes flitted from the empty wine glass, to the waiter, and back to Dwight. “I can’t do this anymore. You haven’t had a job for a year and a half and the kids deserve better.” Dwight looked as though he had just been given a lobotomy.
“I… I don’t understand. This. This is-,” Dwight understood. Somewhere in his gut he knew that this was coming, but he didn’t think it would be so soon. “Look, we had our whole life planned out. It took us two years just to get approved for a license to have Damian, and you’re going to just throw this all away?!”
“There is no this Dwight. You’re a shell of the man I fell in love with, and you have done nothing to provide for our children since you lost your job. And you’re right! It did take us two years to get approval for Damian so you should remember that one of the most important rules under the contract for the license is that you are supposed to be able to provide for your children properly! I honestly don’t know how we’ve gone so long without the government kicking in our door and slapping us with a fine.”
The blood was rushing to Dwight’s face as the reality sunk in. He was about to lose the only thing he had left in this world, and there was nothing he could do to prevent it. He put his clammy hand on the table and eyed the remains of his steak. “Serah, you know there is no market left on Earth for a fusion engineer. The only place I can get a job is on an outer colony, and it would take a generation to even get to one of those. By then the question of raising our kids would be obsolete.”
Serah’s eyes turned to slits. “Yes, I’ve heard this all a hundred times before. I’ve been thinking this over for a long time. My father agrees that this is the best thing to do.”
“I’m so sorry I can’t be all rich and powerful like your father,” Dwight said mockingly
“Yeah,” Serah nodded. “Me too.”
There was a long silence between them as Dwight kept his seething anger under check. Serah had a habit of hitting him where it hurt when he was most vulnerable, and he was reeling from the massive blow to his ego.
“While we’re on the subject of my father, I’ve arranged to live with him until I can find a place of my own. We can arrange visitation if-"
“Serah, your father lives off planet,” Dwight interrupted. “You know I can’t afford that!”
“They’re your kids Dwight, if you really want to see them, you’ll find a way. Besides, it’s about
time to show them some devotion and this is your big chance.”
Serah waved her hand over the sensor on the table. It pulled her bank account information from the identity chip that was implanted in her hand at birth.
“I’ll see you at home Dwight,” And with that she stood up and left. He watched her as she navigated past the tables toward the exit, and admired the way her blue dress so perfectly framed her body. He would have tried harder if he had known that today this was the last day he would ever see Serah and his children.
More on this plotline later...
“I… I don’t understand. This. This is-,” Dwight understood. Somewhere in his gut he knew that this was coming, but he didn’t think it would be so soon. “Look, we had our whole life planned out. It took us two years just to get approved for a license to have Damian, and you’re going to just throw this all away?!”
“There is no this Dwight. You’re a shell of the man I fell in love with, and you have done nothing to provide for our children since you lost your job. And you’re right! It did take us two years to get approval for Damian so you should remember that one of the most important rules under the contract for the license is that you are supposed to be able to provide for your children properly! I honestly don’t know how we’ve gone so long without the government kicking in our door and slapping us with a fine.”
The blood was rushing to Dwight’s face as the reality sunk in. He was about to lose the only thing he had left in this world, and there was nothing he could do to prevent it. He put his clammy hand on the table and eyed the remains of his steak. “Serah, you know there is no market left on Earth for a fusion engineer. The only place I can get a job is on an outer colony, and it would take a generation to even get to one of those. By then the question of raising our kids would be obsolete.”
Serah’s eyes turned to slits. “Yes, I’ve heard this all a hundred times before. I’ve been thinking this over for a long time. My father agrees that this is the best thing to do.”
“I’m so sorry I can’t be all rich and powerful like your father,” Dwight said mockingly
“Yeah,” Serah nodded. “Me too.”
There was a long silence between them as Dwight kept his seething anger under check. Serah had a habit of hitting him where it hurt when he was most vulnerable, and he was reeling from the massive blow to his ego.
“While we’re on the subject of my father, I’ve arranged to live with him until I can find a place of my own. We can arrange visitation if-"
“Serah, your father lives off planet,” Dwight interrupted. “You know I can’t afford that!”
“They’re your kids Dwight, if you really want to see them, you’ll find a way. Besides, it’s about
time to show them some devotion and this is your big chance.”
Serah waved her hand over the sensor on the table. It pulled her bank account information from the identity chip that was implanted in her hand at birth.
“I’ll see you at home Dwight,” And with that she stood up and left. He watched her as she navigated past the tables toward the exit, and admired the way her blue dress so perfectly framed her body. He would have tried harder if he had known that today this was the last day he would ever see Serah and his children.
More on this plotline later...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)