Amnesia Moon by Jonathan Lethem Page B

the government people . . .”
    â€œLike Ian,” said Ray.
    â€œYes, like Ian. And they’re really moving today, but the rest of it, all the fighting and falling in love, is fictional.”
    â€œSometimes they’re really in love,” protested Ray.
    â€œWhat’s
fictional?
” said Melinda, wide-eyed.
    â€œPretend,” said Ray.
    â€œLike a show,” said Dave.
    â€œCooley is a part of this?” asked Chaos.
    â€œHe’s a minor star,” said Edie sarcastically. “Very minor.”
    â€œSometimes he helps President Kentman,” said Dave.
    Ray said, “Hey!” and pointed. The show was on. President Kentman and his beautiful new girlfriend or secretary were inspecting the gorgeous interior of his new house.
    â€œMom is in love with President Kentman,” said Ray.
    â€œShe is?” said Melinda, looking with astonishment at Edie.
    Edie laughed. “No, I’m not.”
    Ray ignored her. “All grown-up women are,” he told Melinda solemnly. “Probably when you grow up, you’ll be, too. Or with whoever’s president then, I guess.”
    â€œI am grown up,” said Melinda.
    â€œSo?”
    â€œHe looks stupid to me.”
    Chaos was staring at the screen, oblivious to Melinda and Ray and Dave. Edie suddenly felt ashamed for the awful show, seeing it through his eyes. She said, “It’s crap. We only watch because it’s all that’s on. All these government shows are just about how great they are, how rich and happy and everything. But it’s nothing but luck. And we’re all supposed to adore them!”
    â€œYou
like
this show!” said Ray.
    Chaos didn’t say anything, just sat down on the couch on the other side of Dave and watched. Edie went and sat on a chair a little behind them and watched too. She was piqued but couldn’t say why. She felt drab compared to the women on television.
    As the stars went on with their Moving Day, and the complicated narrative line slowly advanced, she was drawn into it despite herself. The fact was, she didn’t know how much of it was true and how much wasn’t. Obviously the government people had to move; everyone had to move. And obviously they had nice houses. But the rest of it, the struggles and triumphs, was that all lies? She couldn’t be sure, and Cooley wouldn’t tell her when she asked. At least Cooley didn’t appear in this episode, not yet anyway, and she was grateful for that. She didn’t want to look at him.
    â€œSee,” explained Ray, “if you’re lucky you get a government job, then you get to move into a house like that. Mom always has to work in some stupid store.”
    Melinda nodded absently, only half-listening.
    â€œBut she worked at the television station that one time,” said Dave hopefully.
    â€œYeah, back when Dad lived with us,” said Ray. “But when he left, they said Mom had bad luck. She even had to work on a
garbage truck
once.”
    â€œThey were wrong,” she said, hoping Chaos was listening to her and not the television. She couldn’t see his face from where she sat. “Gerald was my bad luck, at least that’s what I think. He was going crazy. You heard Cooley; he lives in an elevator now. I mean, he’s harmless, the boys stay with him on weekends. He’s not really crazy. But I couldn’t live with him. He’s just kind of hopeless. Anyway, all the test really determines is your susceptibility to bad luck, sort of like whether you have the antibodies in your blood, I think. It doesn’t mean you actually come down with it. And I haven’t; I still maintain that. Citations are only a rough measurement. They don’t really mean anything. Just because your neighbor sees that you’re a little late checking in for work or moving out of your house, so what? It’s unfair of them to count it against you. Everyone makes