Despite the cool weather, the downtown area was packed with pedestrian traffic all day. Bars, restaurants and movie theaters were packed. People had money and everyone wanted to get into town to see and be seen. A long line of cars waited outside the town’s security gate, waiting to be granted entrance. Several people from the surrounding areas were either coming into work jobs already obtained, or to seek employment opportunities. Though many residents chose to start their own businesses with their credits, many did not, figuring they would work for others.
Some economics researchers feared these residents were taking a risk by trusting that times would always be good. They were particularly worried about the many residents that were treating their newfound wealth as retirement. Many bought large, lavish homes, expensive cars, but did not provide themselves a way to perpetuate their wealth. If they overspent their credits they would eventually run out. This was further problematic because there was no way out of the experiment without paying the penalty. It was something researchers would keep their eyes on.
Anna had a severe case of cabin fever. Patty and Mark weren’t set to reach town until for a few weeks. Until then she was going to get out, meet people, and get a sense of her new neighbors. Fed up with watching TV getting high, Anna decided to get out and eat dinner, and maybe see a movie.
Now that the humdrum of life had closed in on her, her sense of purpose for participating in the experiment had faded somewhat. Perhaps, she thought, the desire to create a better society had come from her friends and not from within herself. This idea depressed her. All her life Anna had thought of herself as a leader, a moving force among moving forces. Now, she realized, maybe she was just a fraud. Maybe she was, and had always been, all talk and no action.
While lost in her thoughts, she passed an older man on the sidewalk. He seemed to be staring at her chest with a lustful glint in his eyes.
‘Pervert,’ she thought as she continued to walk downtown. She was accustomed to having men staring at her. The leering stares, especially from people she didn’t find attractive, were unsettling. After walking a few more steps, she heard someone from behind her say, “Hey!”
Anna knew it was the old man. She ignored him and increased her pace. He called again and this time she turned around. While walking towards her he pointed at her midsection.
“I like your shirt.”
She looked down, not remembering which shirt she had put on before leaving her apartment. The shirt had a picture of a bearded man wearing a beret.
“Uh, thanks,” she said, still wary of the old man’s motives.
“I mean, I really like your shirt. I actually met him once.”
“Wow,” Anna replied, honestly impressed.
She performed a mental calculation. The man on her shirt died in the late 60s or early 70s. If the guy here was old enough to remember meeting him he must be… she couldn’t think anymore. Anna had gotten high again just before leaving her apartment.
“He was an interesting guy,” the old man went on, almost reverently. “He was so calm and quiet in private, so unlike his public persona.”
She must have been giving him a confused look because now he was laughing at her.
“Do you know who this is on your shirt?”
Just to be sure she looked down at it again. The shirt was Army green and fit tightly on her wondrous form.
“Of course,” she said, a little offended. “It’s Che.”
The old man nodded with pleasure and said, “Yes, and do you know who he was?”
“Castro’s right hand man.”
“And why do you wear the shirt?”
A pause. Anna didn’t know she was being tested, but she also didn’t want to appear ignorant. She shrugged, revealing herself to be more the twenty-something girl that she was.
“My friend gave it to me. Che was a true believer. He believed in social justice.”
“Yes he did. He really did,” the man said, nodding again.
“Where are you headed off to tonight?” he asked hopefully.
Her impulse was to come up with an excuse to stonewall him, but he seemed harmless.
“I was on my way to see a movie,” she said.
“Yeah? Is there anything good playing?” he said, anxious to remain in her company, but not wanting to push his luck.
“I don’t know. I thought I’d go look and see.”
He got brave and reached out and touched her shoulder. “How about this… let me buy you dinner. I think we have lots to talk about,” he said, grinning at her the way a fox would at a hen.
She subtly moved away from his touch, but accepted his invitation. They made their way down the sidewalk together towards the heart of downtown. After walking a few blocks they found an Italian place that had good breadsticks and great wine. He finally introduced himself to her as Charlie Henry and did most of the talking through dinner. Unbeknownst to the much older, much more experienced man, young Anna Radinski was playing a game of her own. She was feeling him out, making sure that he was the right person to help her.
And it wasn’t as if Anna wasn’t having a good time. Charlie was distinguished looking. He was thin and had piercing grey eyes and a nice smile.
“So what was Castro like?” she asked, leaning towards him.
“He was a loudmouth who thought the world revolved around him,” Charlie said, looking off into space, trying to conjure up his favorite image of the old Cuban despot. “He had such charisma, though. Just imagine Bill Clinton with a beard.”
Anna tried to drum up the image in her mind but couldn’t and the whole mental exercise caused her to giggle. He was glad to see her loosening up. To keep her going, though, he filled her wine glass.
“What are you laughing about?” he asked her, smiling roguishly. He was clearly smitten with her and wasn’t afraid to let her know.
She took a bite of her pasta and didn’t answer. She looked at him, radiating sexuality, even though that wasn’t her intent. She attracted men, and some women for that matter. He reached out and rubbed the back of her neck. She allowed the touch but finally moved away. She’d had an enjoyable evening but that didn’t mean she was ready to go to bed with him.
“Eww, that was creepy,” Jennifer said, snickering behind her wine glass. “He’s old enough to be her grandfather.”
Patton was not amused and his expression perplexed her. Here, she thought they had been having a wonderful dinner, but Patton was just sitting there, stone-faced. She nudged him and he looked at her. He made a weak attempt at a smile but she wasn’t convinced.
“Didn’t you think that was creepy?”
He nodded and took a sip of wine.
“Would you like to share your feelings on the matter or are you going to just sit there and nod like a bobble head?”
That broke through his hard exterior and he smiled sincerely.
“It was creepy but for a different reason,” he said, taking a bite of his linguini.
“And that is?” she said, rolling her eyes at him. While they hadn’t known each other very long, they’d spent enough time together that she was becoming accustomed to his moods.
“The crap he was talking about. That old jerk really believed in that stuff. I could tell.”