to come and get you.”
It was probably a freelancer who hadn’t gotten a pass to the interview, Harry thought. “Look,” he said, gently disengaging himself from the hand on his sleeve. “I really don’t have time for this.”
The derelict reached in the pocket of his torn leather jacket and took out a thin, red, Plexiglas heart. It had another clear plastic heart in its center, with a hologram of Harry and Susan with their arms around each other looking young, happy, and in love. Harry recognized it immediately. He had bought it for Susan from a street vendor on one of their first dates. He knew that if you pressed the back of the inner heart, the two figures would come holographicly alive and his voice would tell Susan how much he loved her.
“The lady said I was to give you this if you wouldn’t come. She said it might help change your mind.” The man held out the heart, and after a moment’s hesitation, Harry took it. He handled it gingerly as if he were afraid it might explode. He was especially careful not to press the back of the littlest heart. He hadn’t thought she would save something like this or even remember receiving it. He felt a curious, sinking feeling. “Take me to her,” he said resignedly.
14
Susan
The black limousine hovered near the curb around the corner and half a block down from the Eternal Life building. Its grav-units hummed softly as it bobbed gently in the down draft of traffic going by overhead. The limo was black metallic, the windows were polarized, black diamond glass, impossible to see inside. For a moment, Harry thought he saw something stir in the depths of the dark mirrored surface. An instant later a black, snarling snout lunged against the glass, slathering, fangs bared, trying to push its way through and rip out Harry’s throat. The apparition was gone even before he recoiled in shock and bumped into the Norma-gene who stood behind him.
The man looked over Harry’s shoulder. “Is anything wrong?” he asked, concerned. Harry stared at the black glass window. The apparition was gone, and his own scared reflection stared back at him instead.
A moment later, the back window whispered down and Susan leaned out smiling. She wore wrap-around, mirrored sunglasses. Her honey blonde hair was cut short beneath an elegant little nineteen forties, June Allyson hat with a black net veil. She wore a black tailored suit with a short skirt and a white silk blouse open at the throat. She wore no jewelry. She reached out a black gloved hand and gave the derelict something. He glanced at it quickly, grinned, and then turned and hurried away.
Then, she turned and looked at Harry from behind her black veil and mirrored glasses. “Hi, Harry. It’s been a long time.” Her voice was as soft and intimate as the rustle of silk sheets against naked skin. Her smile was full of promise.
Harry felt his heart pounding with conflicting emotions. He fought to keep his features impassive. Keeping himself intact, hecalled it. “Hello Susan,” he said and was surprised at how normal, how under control his voice sounded. “Yeah, it’s been a long time.”
Susan pushed open the door of the car. “Won’t you get in?” she asked.
Harry looked at her for a moment, at the invitation of the open door…“What can I do for you, Susan?” he asked without moving.
Susan leaned out of the door and cautiously looked up and down the busy street. “Harry, we have to talk,” she said in a throaty, conspiratorial whisper, “and we can’t do it here in the street. Please get in.”
Harry didn’t trust himself so close to her, in the intimacy of the backseat of a limo. Too many memories, too many tangled emotions, too much lost love, betrayal, and longing. “Look, Susan, just tell me what you want,” he said patiently, trying to sound both concerned and reserved at the same time.
Susan reached out and touched his hand where it rested on the door of the car. “Harry,” she said and there
It was probably a freelancer who hadn’t gotten a pass to the interview, Harry thought. “Look,” he said, gently disengaging himself from the hand on his sleeve. “I really don’t have time for this.”
The derelict reached in the pocket of his torn leather jacket and took out a thin, red, Plexiglas heart. It had another clear plastic heart in its center, with a hologram of Harry and Susan with their arms around each other looking young, happy, and in love. Harry recognized it immediately. He had bought it for Susan from a street vendor on one of their first dates. He knew that if you pressed the back of the inner heart, the two figures would come holographicly alive and his voice would tell Susan how much he loved her.
“The lady said I was to give you this if you wouldn’t come. She said it might help change your mind.” The man held out the heart, and after a moment’s hesitation, Harry took it. He handled it gingerly as if he were afraid it might explode. He was especially careful not to press the back of the littlest heart. He hadn’t thought she would save something like this or even remember receiving it. He felt a curious, sinking feeling. “Take me to her,” he said resignedly.
14
Susan
The black limousine hovered near the curb around the corner and half a block down from the Eternal Life building. Its grav-units hummed softly as it bobbed gently in the down draft of traffic going by overhead. The limo was black metallic, the windows were polarized, black diamond glass, impossible to see inside. For a moment, Harry thought he saw something stir in the depths of the dark mirrored surface. An instant later a black, snarling snout lunged against the glass, slathering, fangs bared, trying to push its way through and rip out Harry’s throat. The apparition was gone even before he recoiled in shock and bumped into the Norma-gene who stood behind him.
The man looked over Harry’s shoulder. “Is anything wrong?” he asked, concerned. Harry stared at the black glass window. The apparition was gone, and his own scared reflection stared back at him instead.
A moment later, the back window whispered down and Susan leaned out smiling. She wore wrap-around, mirrored sunglasses. Her honey blonde hair was cut short beneath an elegant little nineteen forties, June Allyson hat with a black net veil. She wore a black tailored suit with a short skirt and a white silk blouse open at the throat. She wore no jewelry. She reached out a black gloved hand and gave the derelict something. He glanced at it quickly, grinned, and then turned and hurried away.
Then, she turned and looked at Harry from behind her black veil and mirrored glasses. “Hi, Harry. It’s been a long time.” Her voice was as soft and intimate as the rustle of silk sheets against naked skin. Her smile was full of promise.
Harry felt his heart pounding with conflicting emotions. He fought to keep his features impassive. Keeping himself intact, hecalled it. “Hello Susan,” he said and was surprised at how normal, how under control his voice sounded. “Yeah, it’s been a long time.”
Susan pushed open the door of the car. “Won’t you get in?” she asked.
Harry looked at her for a moment, at the invitation of the open door…“What can I do for you, Susan?” he asked without moving.
Susan leaned out of the door and cautiously looked up and down the busy street. “Harry, we have to talk,” she said in a throaty, conspiratorial whisper, “and we can’t do it here in the street. Please get in.”
Harry didn’t trust himself so close to her, in the intimacy of the backseat of a limo. Too many memories, too many tangled emotions, too much lost love, betrayal, and longing. “Look, Susan, just tell me what you want,” he said patiently, trying to sound both concerned and reserved at the same time.
Susan reached out and touched his hand where it rested on the door of the car. “Harry,” she said and there
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