Aaron nodded, all courtesy and aplomb, smiling easily, and Thomas knew he considered the rebuke well worth the pleasure he’d had toying with Kenneth, né Williams. Aaron had never considered Kenneth’s input of fresh genes sufficient justification for his presence. He’d opposed taking the fellow into the house as husband for Mary Sarah in the first place, and he’d made no secret of the fact that his opinion was unchanged, even after seven years. Kenneth, he was fond of remarking, was “positively girlish.” Not in Kenneth’s hearing, of course, but always where the insult would be sure to get back to his brother-in-law rather promptly.
“Nazareth is barren now,” said Jason, aware that he’d been the only one to laugh at Aaron’s quip and anxious to demonstrate that there was more to him than that. “She’s nearly forty years old, and she was no beauty even when she was young. What earthly need has she got for breasts? It’s absurd. It’s a non-issue. It wasn’t worth five minutes, much less a meeting. I agree with Aaron — I move we end this discussion, vote, and adjourn.”
“And do what? Let her die?”
Paul John cleared his throat, and the senior men looked politely at the ceiling. They were going to have to spend more time with Kenneth, that was obvious. Perhaps a few words to Mary Sarah…
“Christ, Kenneth, that’s a stupid thing to say!” That was Jason, feeling his oats. “There’s plenty of money in the women’s Individual Medical Accounts to cover all the treatment Nazareth needs. Who said anything about letting her die? We don’t let women die, you moron — do you believe everything you read in the news about linguists? Still?”
Thomas sighed then, loud enough to be heard, and caught a sharp glance from Aaron. Aaron would be thinking that he was tired this morning. Tired, and — to the well trained eye — on a thin edge of strain. Aaron would be thinking it was high time Thomas stepped down and passed the running of this Household on to someone younger and more able, preferably Thomas Blair 2nd because Aaron knew he’d be able to push him around. Thomas smiled at Aaron, acknowledging the thought, and let his eyes speak for him — it’ll be many a long year yet before I turn chornyak Household over to anybody, you conceited bastard — and then he raised one hand to end the argument between Kenneth and Jason.
“See here — ” Kenneth began, before Thomas cut him off.
“Linguists do not say ‘see here,’ Kenneth. Nor do they say ‘Look here’ or ‘Listen here’ or ‘Get this.’ Please try for a less biased manner of expression.” Thomas was a patient man, and he intended to keep trying with this stubborn and impetuous youngster. He’d seen far rougher diamonds in his time — and the four children Kenneth had sired for them so far were superb specimens.
Kenneth obviously didn’t understand what difference his choice of sensory predicates made here in the bowels of the great house, miles from any member of the public who might risk contamination from his flaws of phrasing, but he had learned manners enough to keep his opinions to himself. (He couldn’t keep it off his face, of course, but he didn’t know that, and they had no reason to tell him.) He nodded his apology, and started over.
“Perceive this,” he said carefully. “There is also plenty of money in the women’s IMAs to pay for the breast regeneration. I keep the accounts, remember? I’m in a position to know what there is and what there isn’t money for. It’s a piddling sum of money… only a cell or two to be implanted, and some rudimentary stimulation to initiate the regeneration of the glands. That is elementary biology — and elementary accounting! It’s about the price of a wrist computer, as a matter of fact, and we’ve bought forty of those this year. How do we explain that we’re unwilling to authorize that small a sum for the benefit of someone who’s been so efficient and so sturdy and so productive a ‘receptacle’? I’m well aware I wasn’t born a linguist — even without Aaron’s constant reminders — but I am a member of this Household now, I am entitled to be heard, I am not ignorant, and I tell you that I am uncomfortable with this decision.”
“Kenneth,” said Thomas, and the kindness in his voice was genuine, “we value the compassion and the quality of empathy that you bring to us. I want you to know that. We sorely need such input. We spend so much of our time sharing the worldviews of beings who are not human that we are far too likely to become a little other than human ourselves. We need someone like you to remind us of that, from time to time.”
“Then, why — ”
“Because whatever we can afford in the way of actual monies, actual total numbers of credits expended, we cannot afford to spend them on sentimental gestures. And I’m sorry if it distresses you, Kenneth, but that’s all it would be. We all regret that, but it remains true. The rule which says NO LINGUIST SPENDS ONE CENT THAT THE PUBLIC MIGHT VIEW AS CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION holds here, as it holds for every Household of the Lines, with absolute rigor.”
“But — ”
“You know very well, Kenneth, because you come from the public — and unlike Aaron, I don’t consider that a deficit — you know that no member of the public would indulge a middle-aged and barren woman in the manner that you are proposing. Do you want us to be the Household responsible for another round of anti-linguist riots, son? For the sake of one foolish woman, already overindulged her whole life long and now making the usual feminine mountain out of a pair of thoroughly worn out mole hills? Surely you don’t want that, Kenneth, however sympathetic you may be toward Nazareth’s demands.”
“One moment,” said Aaron flatly. “I’ll clarify that. Nazareth has not demanded anything; she has merely asked.”
“Quite right,” Thomas replied. “I overstated the case.”
“But the point remains, Thomas; the point remains. I’m sure Kenneth has now come to see this matter in a less… maudlin light.”
Kenneth stared down at the table and said nothing more, and they all relaxed. They could have just overruled him, of course, without the chitchat. That option was always open to them. But it was preferable to avoid that sort of thing whenever it could be avoided. Linguists lived too much and too deeply in one another’s pockets for family feuds not to be a substantial hindrance to the normal conduct of affairs — and with 91 under this roof Chornyak Household was one of the most crowded of them all. You tried for peace, in those circumstances… and Aaron’s readiness to sacrifice that peace just to score a point or two was a major reason why Thomas would see to it that he never had an opportunity to achieve any real power in this house. It was Aaron who truly did not learn, and apparently could not. And without Kenneth’s excuses.
“Well, then,” said Paul John, rubbing his hands together, “we’re agreed, are we? We’ll authorize the transfer of funds for the treatments to destroy the diseased uterus and breasts of the lady and order that done at once, and that is all we will do. Correct, gentlemen?”
Thomas glanced around the table, and at the comset screens, and waited a few polite seconds to be sure nobody wanted his attention. And nodded, when it became clear that they didn’t.