apartment of yours?”
“What?” Kevin tried to cut in. This was exactly the kind of thing he had been hoping for. “The apartment. When did I – ?”
But Warner was not going to let himself be interrupted. “No!” he said. “First you quit, you just take off with almost no warning whatsoever, which is bad enough. But then you say you’re going to come back, you get me to back you on a jumbo loan, and then you never even fucking show up for work? Are you shitting me?”
Now Kevin was genuinely excited. This was his first glimmer of hope. “Right, sorry,” he said quickly. “But do you remember exactly when I got that apartment?”
“Oh, yes,” Warner said, his voice full of spite. “I believe it was on the day right before you fucked me. Check that date on your calendar, I’m sure you have it marked. And then go fuck your self .”
As quickly as he had started, Robert Warner came to an abrupt halt. He decided the conversation was at its end, and he hung up.
Shit.
Kevin held the phone away from his ear and looked at it again. It had already turned itself off, as though it had a specific algorithm for detecting violent hang-ups.
If user is told to go fuck himself
Power down device
Else
Maintain device power at standby level
Kevin sighed. He knew there would be no point in calling back. At this very moment, the secretary would likely be receiving instructions never to allow Kevin access to Mr. Warner again. For all he knew, the secretary was also going over audio tapes of Kevin’s voice, so that she could screen him no matter what phone he tried to use next.
I guess Warner wasn’t the one who wrote a reference for this job.
Kevin put the phone away and headed down the block toward the school entrance. He passed two large white vans at the curb a few feet before the door, but he barely noticed them. Men in blue coveralls – painting jumpsuits – were climbing out the back of the lead van.
Danny was at his post, still shaking hands and saying good morning to the students passing through the door. He looked up and saw Kevin coming. And then something in his face changed. His smile faded by a few degrees.
“What?”
“Rough night?” Danny asked. “You look a little tired.”
Kevin puffed his cheeks out, then exhaled slowly. It gave him a minute to think of an excuse. “Stayed up too late watching television,” he said.
Close enough to the truth.
Danny didn’t seem convinced. He looked worried, and Kevin resisted the urge to try explaining himself. You could try knocking me out with a haymaker to the jaw if you want, he thought. I wouldn’t mind. Promise.
Instead he put a reassuring hand on Danny’s broad shoulder . The students were still coming, more of them now as the start of school grew nearer , and t he two men stood at either side of the entrance like sentries, splitting the duty.
“How was the kid?” Danny asked, nodding and shaking hands now on autopilot.
Kevin smiled, relieved that there would be no more questions about sleep. “Which one?”
“You know. The son of the big shot. Bee-o.”
“Right, Anselm Billaud. Very smart. Definitely his father’s son. Good kid.”
“You’re in love with that dad.”
Kevin nodded helplessly. “My degree is in computer science. Pascal Billaud is the man in that field. The rumor is that he might be close to an NP solution, and it doesn’t get any bigger than that.”
Danny looked skeptical. “I’ll have to take your word on that. Why would anyone else care?”
“Everyone else does care. You care, you just don’t know it yet.”
“Keep talking.”
Kevin hesitated. The stream of students was beginning to taper off now; it was almost time to head inside. He knew he only had a few minutes before he had to start teaching.
Three minutes to explain maybe the most important concept in next generation
“What?” Kevin tried to cut in. This was exactly the kind of thing he had been hoping for. “The apartment. When did I – ?”
But Warner was not going to let himself be interrupted. “No!” he said. “First you quit, you just take off with almost no warning whatsoever, which is bad enough. But then you say you’re going to come back, you get me to back you on a jumbo loan, and then you never even fucking show up for work? Are you shitting me?”
Now Kevin was genuinely excited. This was his first glimmer of hope. “Right, sorry,” he said quickly. “But do you remember exactly when I got that apartment?”
“Oh, yes,” Warner said, his voice full of spite. “I believe it was on the day right before you fucked me. Check that date on your calendar, I’m sure you have it marked. And then go fuck your self .”
As quickly as he had started, Robert Warner came to an abrupt halt. He decided the conversation was at its end, and he hung up.
Shit.
Kevin held the phone away from his ear and looked at it again. It had already turned itself off, as though it had a specific algorithm for detecting violent hang-ups.
If user is told to go fuck himself
Power down device
Else
Maintain device power at standby level
Kevin sighed. He knew there would be no point in calling back. At this very moment, the secretary would likely be receiving instructions never to allow Kevin access to Mr. Warner again. For all he knew, the secretary was also going over audio tapes of Kevin’s voice, so that she could screen him no matter what phone he tried to use next.
I guess Warner wasn’t the one who wrote a reference for this job.
Kevin put the phone away and headed down the block toward the school entrance. He passed two large white vans at the curb a few feet before the door, but he barely noticed them. Men in blue coveralls – painting jumpsuits – were climbing out the back of the lead van.
Danny was at his post, still shaking hands and saying good morning to the students passing through the door. He looked up and saw Kevin coming. And then something in his face changed. His smile faded by a few degrees.
“What?”
“Rough night?” Danny asked. “You look a little tired.”
Kevin puffed his cheeks out, then exhaled slowly. It gave him a minute to think of an excuse. “Stayed up too late watching television,” he said.
Close enough to the truth.
Danny didn’t seem convinced. He looked worried, and Kevin resisted the urge to try explaining himself. You could try knocking me out with a haymaker to the jaw if you want, he thought. I wouldn’t mind. Promise.
Instead he put a reassuring hand on Danny’s broad shoulder . The students were still coming, more of them now as the start of school grew nearer , and t he two men stood at either side of the entrance like sentries, splitting the duty.
“How was the kid?” Danny asked, nodding and shaking hands now on autopilot.
Kevin smiled, relieved that there would be no more questions about sleep. “Which one?”
“You know. The son of the big shot. Bee-o.”
“Right, Anselm Billaud. Very smart. Definitely his father’s son. Good kid.”
“You’re in love with that dad.”
Kevin nodded helplessly. “My degree is in computer science. Pascal Billaud is the man in that field. The rumor is that he might be close to an NP solution, and it doesn’t get any bigger than that.”
Danny looked skeptical. “I’ll have to take your word on that. Why would anyone else care?”
“Everyone else does care. You care, you just don’t know it yet.”
“Keep talking.”
Kevin hesitated. The stream of students was beginning to taper off now; it was almost time to head inside. He knew he only had a few minutes before he had to start teaching.
Three minutes to explain maybe the most important concept in next generation
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