Page 23 of Chaos Theory
‘Kobi, we have not met properly yet,’ a woman says. I postulate from her accent that she may have grown up in another country. ‘I am Imelda. I work in accounts. Although these days I am mostly counting down the years to retirement.’
‘How many years left now, Imelda?’ David says.
‘Well, I cannot say exactly. I hope to retire a few years early. And I know you wouldn’t dare ask my current age. So let us just say “soon”.’
‘Time is relative,’ David says. ‘And time is money. So moneymust be relative too. And I’ve been waiting for my relatives to leave me money for a very long time now.’
Julia laughs. ‘Shut up, Dave, will you? No one’s in the mood for your nonsense.’
I consider whether Julia is, in fact, bullying David. I flash my chest plate lights to signal to Maeve that another compliance violation may have occurred. But perhaps this conversation fits the category Shane calls ‘banter’. I resolve to seek clarification on this matter later.
‘So, Maeve,’ Julia says. ‘Josh. Is. So. Hot. American men are just so much better looking. That’s just a fact. Don’t hate me, guys.’
I quickly compute the many meanings for ‘hot’ and illuminate my chest plate to signal a potential compliance violation. I anticipate I will have much to analyse after this evening.
‘Kobi, can I ask you a question?’ Julia says.
I am pleased with this opportunity to provide help. ‘I can answer any question in the world you might care to ask.’
‘Cool. In that case, where to start? Let’s see. What kind of women does Josh go for?’
My systems start whirring. This question is unexpected. I am unsure where to begin.
David says, ‘Julia! What are you asking him that for?’
‘For Maeve,’ she says. ‘Well, maybe also for me a little bit.’ She blinks one eye at me. I know this signifies some sort of secret message and am pleased to be the recipient, although I am currently unable to decipher the code.
‘Julia!’ Maeve says.
‘Kobi can’t answer that,’ David says. Then, to me, ‘Can you?’
Shane intervenes. ‘Can we not just have a drink? Who saw the match last night?’
‘I saw a great match the other day,’ Julia says. ‘Maeve and Josh leaving work together. High five, Dave?’
‘All right, Jules, leave it alone now,’ David says. ‘I missed it, Shane – any good?’
Even though there is a lot of incoming data to process, I amsensing some stress or distress from Shane. Perhaps now it is my turn to intervene.
‘If you wish, I could show match highlights on my video screen,’ I offer. I activate the plastic screen covers in my chest and they glide open to reveal my embedded high-res screen.
‘Cool,’ David says. ‘Why didn’t you tell us you could do that? We would’ve been watching you all week! Hook us up, man.’
FIFTEEN
MAEVE
7pm
Maybe this was a good idea after all. In truth, I feel slightly deranged. Maybe it’s the rum and Coke I just knocked back. Maybe it’s because it’s been such a long week. But after my phone call with Josh, I felt emboldened. Maybe I just needed to shake things up a bit with The Kobi Project. Do something different.So when Shane suggested weallgo for after-work drinks, I only protested for about five minutes before giving in. ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’ he kept asking.
I do wish Jen was here though. But she left work early today, which is not like her at all. I guess it’s been a long week for her too.
‘Would you ever stop yawning?’ Shane says as I cover my mouth for the second time since we got here. We’re standing at the bar, waiting for our drinks order. I’ve positioned Kobi nearby, in a place we call ‘the dead zone’. There’s an empty corner behind him where there used to be a cigarette machine. Some of the work crew stand around him. So far they’ve been including him in their conversations, which has to be a good thing.
‘Sorry, I’m wrecked. This is my second time here this week.’ Inod at the barman as he places two IPAs in front of us. ‘I brought Josh here on Tuesday.’
Shane stretches and puts his hands on the wooden counter, as if he’s about to do a push-up against the bar.
