part 10

How long before they're ready for me?

Ok, thanks.

Yeah, time to watch my language.

Not really.

Well, of course, it’s a depressing situation.

Aren’t you?

See? Totally appropriate. It’s a healthy response to conditions, nothing clinical.

I’ll be fine. So will you.

Under the circumstances. How about you?

Yeah . .

Yeah, I know.

Not at all, sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

Well, that’s how it works. You’re a realist. Realists always get accused of being pessimists.

Because pessimists are usually right.

Exactly. Because I’m a realist.

Perfectly symmetrical.

Right, no sense setting yourself up to get shot down.

Not literally.

Ooh, you’re right, that didn’t even occur to me.

Yeah, I wish I was that astute.

Or subtle.

Not lately.

For one thing, I’m a lot harder to get to these days.

I always wonder if there’s an expiration date, especially last week.

The proof’s in the pudding. I’m still alive.

I never qualified before. I’m way over the limit now.

No, it’s ok.

Back then I was giving it all away. I was always in the company of people who needed it more than I did. Then I got busy with other shit and just didn’t think about it. It kinda piled up on me.

What is there to spend it on? I’m always on the move and people take care of me. I can have anything I want just by asking for it.

I didn’t have a chance to think about it until that tin prick went on vacation.

Of course.

Well, there’s about twenty mil right now. That’s still a hell of a lot of money by my standards, but I guess it’s a drop in the bucket compared to what I could have if I made the effort.

Oh of course, didn’t you?

I know, stupid question. Even if you didn’t read it, you couldn’t get away from the story, it was everywhere.

That’s what passes for news when the Hammer’s not around.

Well, you’re right, normally I ignore that stuff, but holy shit, a trillion dollars? I had to read it.

I thought it was ridiculous. Then I read the article.

He convinced me. He lays it all out so well, it’s a blueprint for exactly how I could have done it. Could still do it I guess.

A trillion dollars. A triiiiiilllion dollars.

Oh, yeah, crazy.

Once again, not until I had the time to think about it. Then it occurred to me how much good I could do with it.

Well, I was thinking in smaller terms to begin with. But even then I was daunted by the scale of the effort. I’d need a whole, global organization and I just hated the idea of having to put something like that together and then operate and monitor the damn thing. Now it looks like there’s no need.

No kidding. At least that’s what they’re saying.

God, I hope so, but I don’t trust those fuckers.

They’re politicians. Every last one of ‘em is so crooked when he dies you can screw him into the ground.

You like that? My old man used to say it.

Yeah. I sure wish he was still around.

We’ll see . .

Well, they’ve got the ultimate incentive, right?

No, of course not.

I won’t know until you ask.

Not for myself, really.

Well, the first thing I did was pay off my house and my car. Of course I’ll never set foot in either one of ‘em again, but I didn’t know that at the time. Then I helped some people I know get out of debt. By that time I was funneling cash into the places I was visiting.

It was easy because I was there. I could see what needed to be done. I knew I was making things better. That changed when he went one-on-one.

Like I keep saying, after two or three weeks without the big guy, I started making plans. I was looking at houses again, stuff like that.

Look, I’m not a fucking saint. In a couple months I’d have had a nice house on a few acres and a couple cars, big screen TV . .

Oh, yeah, like I need a place with pillars and crystal chandeliers in the fucking can.

Well, I don’t see any point in living in a cave, either.

Pickup for hauling shit and something small and fast.

My big fantasy is to go driving in the mountains. Top down, no traffic, twisty turny roads. By myself.

Ok, that would work too. How about me and Carly?

Yeah, it's pretty frustrating.

I don’t know. I guess I was thinking there was still a chance I could go back to living a normal life.

Nah. The Hammer is reshaping the world. I’ve been drafted for something but I don’t know what it is.

No, he just turned the spotlight on me, I got drafted by everybody else.

Nothing will ever be the same. I just hope to God that turns out to be a good thing.

I’m not, but how I feel about it won’t affect . . umm . . ok.

Can you give me, like, two minutes?

No, no, I just need to look over my notes.

Great.

Ok, thanks.

Well, thanks, I appreciate that.

No, seriously, I enjoyed talking it. In fact, it was probably a good warm-up.

No doubt. Thanks again.