“Well, clearly the marriage is one of convenience, not just love,” Merl says. “You need the protection and he needed to control you.”
“You think he controls me?” I ask even though my mouth is full because the question cannot wait.
Merl shakes his head. “No one controls you, Sydney.” He grins. “Not even you.”
“Harumph,” I say, twirling myself another bite.
“It will be fun to watch you deal with a baby.”
“Deal with?” I ask with a laugh. “Is that what you do with kids?”
“You certainly can’t control them,” Merl points out. “That seems to backfire.”
“What do you know about parenting?” I ask.
“I had two good ones,” he says. “They did their best to let me find my own path—setting boundaries rather than exerting control.”
“Boundaries,” I say. “Never learned about those in school.”
Merl laughs. “No, most people don’t. But I think it’s something good parents teach you. How to know yourself, what you can accept, and how to hold your truth lightly enough that it stays a guiding light, rather than a blinding one.”
“Did you ever think about becoming a poet?” I ask.
“Martial arts are poetry for the body, don’t you think?”
“Hmm,” I say. “I see what you’re saying. Poetry takes complex ideas and impossible-to-describe feelings or experiences and turns them into something expressible. In a way poetry harnesses language, as martial arts does our bodies.”
“Yes. Exactly.”
His gazes tracks to the door and he lifts his hand to wave at someone. I turn to see Dan in a wheelchair, his leg extended straight. He waves back and starts our way. Merl moves one of the chairs at our table aside and Dan pulls up.
“Good to see you up and about,” I say.
“Good to be up and about. I’m seeing Dr. Guilder later today. She’ll let me know when I can start using crutches.”
“That’s awesome.”
“Yeah, still a lot of healing to do but I’m hoping to be competent on my crutches by the end of next month.”
“For the big crypto meeting,” I say, nodding as if I now understand crypto, the blockchain, and all things interweb-related.
Dan smiles at me like he knows I still have no idea what I’m talking about. “Speaking of which, what did Robert say?”
I nod, putting down my fork to resist the temptation to put more pasta in my mouth. “He says he’s covering his bases. That once I burn it all down he wants to be ready. Wants to stay rich—and therefore powerful. He said it’s basically diversifying his portfolio.”
Dan’s eyes narrow as if he believes there is more to the story. Me too. Does he really think that my poorly articulated desire to fundamentally change society will have such world-wide impact that all his existing investments will lose their value? And that crypto will somehow be unaffected?
If we hadn’t been so busy not getting killed, I would have pressed him more. Pressed him is probably the wrong way to put that. My mind flashes to his fingers on my bare skin. No. Stop! I clear my throat and keep talking, trying to force the images from my mind.
“Robert says he is willing to help me burn down society but plans to stay rich during the process. I did not mention to him our crypto meeting about ending money in general.” I did kiss him naked in the water though. My cheeks heat from the vivid memories and Dan’s eyes narrow.
“What?” he asks.
“Nothing,” I say, taking a breath as both men look at me like clearly there is something. “Nothing to do with what we are talking about. Just.” I clear my throat. “Something personal happened.”
Both men quickly find other things to look at and new topics to discuss. “Want me to get you some food?” I offer Dan.
“Thanks,” he says, glancing at my now empty plate. “I guess the pasta was good.”
I laugh as I stand. “I’ll get you some.”
When I come back a few minutes later, Rebecca has joined them at the table with another woman I don’t recognize. “Thanks,” Dan says as I slide his tray in front of him.
“Hey,” I say to Rebecca. She smiles back.
“Have you met Selena Hernandez?” she asks, gesturing to her friend, a woman in her fifties with light brown skin, black shiny hair, and eyes the color of dark honey. She smiles at me, revealing slightly crooked front teeth that make me like her instantly.
“No,” I say, with a head nod. “Nice to meet you.”
“She’s the new head of engineering,” Rebecca explains.
Something about my face must reveal that I have no idea what that means because Selena jumps in to explain. “I take care of the building,” she says.
“Ah, gotcha. Thanks,” I say. “I love this place.”
“It’s pretty amazing, a unique structure for sure,” Selena says. “I’m excited to be here.”
“As am I,” Rebecca says, looking at Dan as though the conversation is about something else.
