paused, nodded, held up a finger, and went to Ethrane’s side.
“Lookin’ good,” she said, cheerfully. “You have a taste, yet?”
“Not yet, no.”
“Well, pour us both a dab into some sample cups and we’ll compare impressions. You want a sip, Kate?”
“Not just this second, thanks.”
“Your loss.”
Ethrane offered her a little Dixie cup, and poured a healthy slug of purple smoothie into another cup for herself. Peggy held her cup up; after a moment Ethrane copied the motion; they tapped—“To success!” Peggy said, which sounded slightly . . . strained . . . to me—and the two of them drank.
“Well,” Peggy said, lowering her cup. “What do you think?”
“I think it’s very pleasant.”
“Me, too,” Peggy said. “You’re a natural, Ethrane. You’re hired, if you want the job.”
“Felsic said there would be papers,” the trenvay said. “I . . . have little to do with papers, or with writing.”
“Can you sign your name?”
Ethrane tipped her head, as if considering this closely.
“Yes,” she said eventually.
“Good. What we’re going to do is go into the back; you’ll answer the questions I read you off the form, I’ll fill in the blanks, you’ll sign your name, and it’s a done deal. That work for you?”
“Yes.” She smiled. Her teeth were like sharpened stakes. Peggy didn’t seem to notice.
“Excellent. You go in back and make yourself comfortable at the table. Kate needs to talk to me for a minute, then we’ll do this thing.”
“Yes,” Ethrane said again, and slipped between Peggy and the juicer, disappearing through the door into the back office.
I pulled the second copy of the letter out of my pocket and held it out to her.
She sighed, took it, unfolded it with a flick of her wrist and ran her eye down the page.
“How pissed are you?” she asked, without looking up.
“At Arbitrary and Cruel? Plenty. At you, if that’s the question, not at all. If you knew, which I guess you did, you’re an employee, and something along the lines of a sale would’ve been confidential.”
Peggy refolded the letter and handed it back to me. Her eyes were shining suspiciously, and she cleared her throat.
“You’re too understanding, Archer.”
“Software engineer, remember? Dotcom startups had the craziest NDAs ever .”
“Well, I didn’t have to sign a nondisclosure agreement. It’s company policy, though: What’s confidential in Jersey is confidential .”
“Understood. I do have a question, and if you can’t answer it, just say so.”
“Shoot.”
“Is the midway up for sale, too?”
Peggy shook her head, her mouth twisting.
“Nah,” she said, the bluesy rasp of her voice edged with bitterness. “The midway was sold before it opened this year; new owner’s taking possession on September fifth. And, because I like and admire you, I’ll give you a freebie: it’s condos.”
* * *
Jess Robald called at 12:30. I was busy passing hopeful riders in through the gate to the carousel and let it go to voice mail. Once the ride was moving, I grabbed it, and learned that there would be a meeting of the Fun Country subcommittee at Tony Lee’s, after the park closed tonight. Please come if I could, Jess said; she expected the meeting to be short, but very important.
There wasn’t enough room in Tony Lee’s for all the members of the subcommittee, though it made sense in terms of location. We could spill out into the service alley if we had to, and I could make sure nobody saw us, if I had to.
Vassily called about three with the news that the combined efforts of Samuil and Dan Poirier had barely been sufficient to pry him loose from his other employer’s clutches. However, they had all eventually agreed that, even if another worker called in sick, Vassily was not to be prevented from doing his shift at the carousel. Indeed, Katrina was at present working with the invalid and Samuil would be checking in with both of them. If it happened that the
“Lookin’ good,” she said, cheerfully. “You have a taste, yet?”
“Not yet, no.”
“Well, pour us both a dab into some sample cups and we’ll compare impressions. You want a sip, Kate?”
“Not just this second, thanks.”
“Your loss.”
Ethrane offered her a little Dixie cup, and poured a healthy slug of purple smoothie into another cup for herself. Peggy held her cup up; after a moment Ethrane copied the motion; they tapped—“To success!” Peggy said, which sounded slightly . . . strained . . . to me—and the two of them drank.
“Well,” Peggy said, lowering her cup. “What do you think?”
“I think it’s very pleasant.”
“Me, too,” Peggy said. “You’re a natural, Ethrane. You’re hired, if you want the job.”
“Felsic said there would be papers,” the trenvay said. “I . . . have little to do with papers, or with writing.”
“Can you sign your name?”
Ethrane tipped her head, as if considering this closely.
“Yes,” she said eventually.
“Good. What we’re going to do is go into the back; you’ll answer the questions I read you off the form, I’ll fill in the blanks, you’ll sign your name, and it’s a done deal. That work for you?”
“Yes.” She smiled. Her teeth were like sharpened stakes. Peggy didn’t seem to notice.
“Excellent. You go in back and make yourself comfortable at the table. Kate needs to talk to me for a minute, then we’ll do this thing.”
“Yes,” Ethrane said again, and slipped between Peggy and the juicer, disappearing through the door into the back office.
I pulled the second copy of the letter out of my pocket and held it out to her.
She sighed, took it, unfolded it with a flick of her wrist and ran her eye down the page.
“How pissed are you?” she asked, without looking up.
“At Arbitrary and Cruel? Plenty. At you, if that’s the question, not at all. If you knew, which I guess you did, you’re an employee, and something along the lines of a sale would’ve been confidential.”
Peggy refolded the letter and handed it back to me. Her eyes were shining suspiciously, and she cleared her throat.
“You’re too understanding, Archer.”
“Software engineer, remember? Dotcom startups had the craziest NDAs ever .”
“Well, I didn’t have to sign a nondisclosure agreement. It’s company policy, though: What’s confidential in Jersey is confidential .”
“Understood. I do have a question, and if you can’t answer it, just say so.”
“Shoot.”
“Is the midway up for sale, too?”
Peggy shook her head, her mouth twisting.
“Nah,” she said, the bluesy rasp of her voice edged with bitterness. “The midway was sold before it opened this year; new owner’s taking possession on September fifth. And, because I like and admire you, I’ll give you a freebie: it’s condos.”
* * *
Jess Robald called at 12:30. I was busy passing hopeful riders in through the gate to the carousel and let it go to voice mail. Once the ride was moving, I grabbed it, and learned that there would be a meeting of the Fun Country subcommittee at Tony Lee’s, after the park closed tonight. Please come if I could, Jess said; she expected the meeting to be short, but very important.
There wasn’t enough room in Tony Lee’s for all the members of the subcommittee, though it made sense in terms of location. We could spill out into the service alley if we had to, and I could make sure nobody saw us, if I had to.
Vassily called about three with the news that the combined efforts of Samuil and Dan Poirier had barely been sufficient to pry him loose from his other employer’s clutches. However, they had all eventually agreed that, even if another worker called in sick, Vassily was not to be prevented from doing his shift at the carousel. Indeed, Katrina was at present working with the invalid and Samuil would be checking in with both of them. If it happened that the
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