make a little space for me. Heather efficiently unloaded my food and shoved the tray down next to the wall. She was listening to Isadore on the topic of software mega-giants as threats to individual freedom. This was a subject he worked into all his papers, even the ones on Medieval manuscripts.
"It's no joke," he said. "Do you realize how much of our lives they control? That's why I'm designing my own operating system. How can you let those guys take over, watch you, manipulate everything you do?" Heather looked impatient and resigned, both. Po Ling was going over pages of charts and making notes.
I kept my mouth shut, except to put food in it. At last, working a folded page out of my bag, I interrupted. "Isadore."
He kept talking and eating, output and input, until I waved the paper directly between him and his plate.
"What?" he said.
"You said you needed a contact for those archives in Prague."
"How did you hear about that? Brilliant!"
Heather leapt into Isidore's gloating pause. "Maia," she said, whipping open a notebook, "we need those journals catalogued by Friday at the latest; can you do it?”
“It's done. I'll send it to you tonight."
"Wow! Great! How did you do that? I thought you had to do the water quality thing first.”
“That's done too."
They stared at me. Isadore spoke first. "Can this be Maia the haphazard?
Hey, you're on a roll. You can help me write up my references."
70
As She’s Told – Anneke Jacob
Both the other women protested, and I smiled uncomfortably. "No, afraid not."
"Oh, come on, it'll only take you an hour or so, you're so good at it. If you leave it to me, Heather won't get my stats for ages." Heather was looking irritable again. I felt the stirrings of incipient guilt, stuffed it down and shook my head. Thought about that conversation with Anders, our first day. Bake voice until low but firm.
"No, sorry." No explanations, nothing for him to argue with. I didn't owe Isadore anything, had in fact done him more favours than he deserved.
Only one person I owed my utmost to, and he didn't have to wheedle and manoeuvre to get what he wanted.
I'd been naked in the mirror that morning, examining the chain around my waist. When Anders had first put it on me I'd hardly dared to touch the lock, but as my confidence in it grew I'd pulled on it gently from time to time. This morning I'd grabbed the chain in both hands and pulled it apart with all my strength. This had made not the slightest visible impression. A bubble of elation had lifted me up and carried me into the day.
When I was busy I could forget about the chain for whole quarter-hours at a time. But it tugged at my consciousness: a constant presence, a fence that set me off, a property line. Its reality made me so excited sometimes that I could hardly concentrate.
They were talking to me, laughing at my abstraction. "Maia, wake up!"
said Heather. "What? Sorry."
"There's an on-line conference tonight on internet ethics. We can pick up material for the censorship paper."
"Tonight? No, I can't," I said hastily. Anders was coming at seven, and no way was I going to suggest to him that there was something else I ought to be doing. I gathered up my things and nodded farewells.
Po Ling caught me up outside the door. "You got a new boyfriend, ah?"
she said slyly. I flushed.
"Mind is on other things, I can tell. I saw when he dropped you off at the library." Po Ling eyed me and her smile was arch. No wonder. The goodbye kiss had been epic. "Don't forget your schoolwork, okay? But you're more organized now." She nodded approval. "Making time for the boyfriend I bet. He a nice guy?"
"Yes," I said truthfully. "Wait a second, I meant to show you, have you 71
As She’s Told – Anneke Jacob
seen this?" I rummaged hastily in my bag for a job posting I'd printed off that morning, just right for Po Ling. She ran her eyes down it, opened them wide. "Hey, that's a good one!" She looked up. "Why are you – Don't you want
"It's no joke," he said. "Do you realize how much of our lives they control? That's why I'm designing my own operating system. How can you let those guys take over, watch you, manipulate everything you do?" Heather looked impatient and resigned, both. Po Ling was going over pages of charts and making notes.
I kept my mouth shut, except to put food in it. At last, working a folded page out of my bag, I interrupted. "Isadore."
He kept talking and eating, output and input, until I waved the paper directly between him and his plate.
"What?" he said.
"You said you needed a contact for those archives in Prague."
"How did you hear about that? Brilliant!"
Heather leapt into Isidore's gloating pause. "Maia," she said, whipping open a notebook, "we need those journals catalogued by Friday at the latest; can you do it?”
“It's done. I'll send it to you tonight."
"Wow! Great! How did you do that? I thought you had to do the water quality thing first.”
“That's done too."
They stared at me. Isadore spoke first. "Can this be Maia the haphazard?
Hey, you're on a roll. You can help me write up my references."
70
As She’s Told – Anneke Jacob
Both the other women protested, and I smiled uncomfortably. "No, afraid not."
"Oh, come on, it'll only take you an hour or so, you're so good at it. If you leave it to me, Heather won't get my stats for ages." Heather was looking irritable again. I felt the stirrings of incipient guilt, stuffed it down and shook my head. Thought about that conversation with Anders, our first day. Bake voice until low but firm.
"No, sorry." No explanations, nothing for him to argue with. I didn't owe Isadore anything, had in fact done him more favours than he deserved.
Only one person I owed my utmost to, and he didn't have to wheedle and manoeuvre to get what he wanted.
I'd been naked in the mirror that morning, examining the chain around my waist. When Anders had first put it on me I'd hardly dared to touch the lock, but as my confidence in it grew I'd pulled on it gently from time to time. This morning I'd grabbed the chain in both hands and pulled it apart with all my strength. This had made not the slightest visible impression. A bubble of elation had lifted me up and carried me into the day.
When I was busy I could forget about the chain for whole quarter-hours at a time. But it tugged at my consciousness: a constant presence, a fence that set me off, a property line. Its reality made me so excited sometimes that I could hardly concentrate.
They were talking to me, laughing at my abstraction. "Maia, wake up!"
said Heather. "What? Sorry."
"There's an on-line conference tonight on internet ethics. We can pick up material for the censorship paper."
"Tonight? No, I can't," I said hastily. Anders was coming at seven, and no way was I going to suggest to him that there was something else I ought to be doing. I gathered up my things and nodded farewells.
Po Ling caught me up outside the door. "You got a new boyfriend, ah?"
she said slyly. I flushed.
"Mind is on other things, I can tell. I saw when he dropped you off at the library." Po Ling eyed me and her smile was arch. No wonder. The goodbye kiss had been epic. "Don't forget your schoolwork, okay? But you're more organized now." She nodded approval. "Making time for the boyfriend I bet. He a nice guy?"
"Yes," I said truthfully. "Wait a second, I meant to show you, have you 71
As She’s Told – Anneke Jacob
seen this?" I rummaged hastily in my bag for a job posting I'd printed off that morning, just right for Po Ling. She ran her eyes down it, opened them wide. "Hey, that's a good one!" She looked up. "Why are you – Don't you want
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