“In the following months all the companies either joined or simply collapsed. Miss Babe, perhaps your viewers are confused,” Mr. Kaella looked at Babe. “I am aware that people call the Association of Companies simply the Company, but this is not a single company, neither legally and formally, nor by ownership.
“My family fully owns only our company, which dear Consumers, provides you with energy, water, food… We later also took over pharmaceuticals, in order to be certain that all people would have access to medicaments, and my son also took over all infrastructural and construction businesses, in order to provide people with new, modern apartments in our planet’s green oases.
“For the other things, which are not of vital importance in your lives, dear viewers, i.e. in the other companies, which we today call sectors of the Association, our family has only majority, but not full ownership.
“Well… you yourself know. You all have shares in the sectors for vehicles and transportation, for communication and internet, for consumer electronics, for interior decorating, for retail, for film production… music, for fashion accessories…”
“Miss Babe,” Mr. Kaella suddenly said loudly. “Had I known that you would look like this today, I would have bought shares in the fashion accessory sector. Thanks to you they will skyrocket after this show.”
The three of them laughed.
Chapter 46
“Forgive me, Liv, for not saving you,” Bear said quietly to her, while they sat back to back. “Your Bear didn’t save you. And you always asked that Bear protect you and follow you everywhere. To drive you to the university, to wait for you after class… to drive you to the movies… shopping… always Bear.
“Because you knew that Bear would not tell mom and dad about that older student. Nor that you didn’t go to class, but rather to the movies with him. And that you didn’t go shopping alone… nor that you didn’t try on clothes alone in the changing room,” stuttered Bear, as though he was weeping, but his eyes were dry and his gaze was empty.
“Forgive me Mrs. Xing, for hiding their love from you. But… I knew that you would get worried because he was older… and you wouldn’t let Liv see him anymore… And she would have suffered… But no need, trust me, ma’am. When I noticed it, I immediately checked out the young man. He is an excellent student, his parents are respected experts, decent people. He also has a brother who is much older. Also with a university degree. A good job. Two children. A serious family man. You have nothing to worry about, ma’am. Trust Bear. Do you think that I would allow just any guy to hang around Liv just because she is the President’s daughter? I would have chased them away… and then some. But this boy… he loves Liv very much. Sincerely. And our Liv… If you could only see how she glows when she’s with him.”
“And ma’am, I didn’t save her. I didn’t save your little Sasha either… I love him too… You taught him well. ‘Mr. Bear’… and he always says hello. And an excellent pupil. Who could he take after poorly? Who? You, ma’am? The President?”
“I would vote for you, Mr. President. Iceman also promised that he would vote for you. And the others… they say… what do they care… The Kaella’s appoint presidents, no one even votes anymore… And I listened to all your speeches. And excuse me, but I have to tell you where you went wrong. You were like… we’ll change things slowly, one step at a time, over the course of several generations… and so on. You say that this Alexander is dangerous… How did you put it? Radical. Well, you were wrong there, Mr. President. The Kaellas and Erivan actually need someone dangerous. To shoot them in the forehead… like the Grasshopper did to you… us. And you paid for this mistake with your life. And your entire family… Liv…”
Bear was silent and passed his hand across his face several times. Then he turned towards the driver.
“But… you play the hand you’re dealt is. Isn’t that right, Barney?” Bear slapped Barney on the knee. “What’s up? You just keep quiet and listen, don’t you? And you can’t wait to run after your cooks and maids, and tell them that Liv has a boyfriend? Right? Admit it. You didn’t even say hello, Barney. You don’t see me. They’ve taped you to the head rest across one eye, so you’re just squinting with the other one. And where’s that big smile when you see me? And you say, ‘where have you been, Bear?’ How do you… that hat of yours…” Bear turned towards Barney, gripped the brim of his hat and moved it up and down. “That’s it… that’s how you greet your friend.”
Chapter 47
“And these shares in our companies guarantee you a good life even after you’ve finished working, dear Consumers. They are constantly increasing… our stock exchange does not have, like there once was… bubbles, and then they burst, and shares lose their value and an entire generation of older people is left without a livelihood. You are certain that your shares will always be at least worth the same.”
“That’s right, Mr. Kaella,” Babe confirmed. “Even average people, thanks to the sale of shares, can extend their lives for months. Here, I am working on a story about a lady, with quite an average income, who fell ill, who isn’t able to work anymore, and who managed to live off the money from the sale of the shares for another two and a half years. Do you hear that, dear Consumers?” Babe looked at the camera. “Two and a half years! She paid her bills, bought the seasonal goods and got treatment. Albeit, she did eat every second or third day… but she had money for the medicaments. Well… in the end she didn’t have enough for the surgery… but that’s normal. Surgery is expensive. I won’t tell you any more, dear viewers. You will see my story. We filmed the lady the day before she went to Euthanasia. You’ll see, a very positive inspiring human story.”
“There, you see all the things that I have provided for the people. And I can’t wait to see your report, Miss Babe,” said Mr. Kaella, and continued. “It was really funny… You know, some people accused me of being a communist.”
“Impossible!” Babe was stunned.
“Yes, yes, Miss Babe. Communist? Me? I, who consider private ownership the greatest sanctity? I mean, not only mine, but that of every person. And when they saw that everything had worked out, that these people were actually the owners of shares in various sectors, then they accused me of being an usurper, an oligarch. They asked why I didn’t go public with company on the stock exchange, so that anyone could buy its shares. Can you imagine that, Miss Babe?”
“Ridiculous!” Babe shook her head in disbelief.
Then for a moment she turned towards Prince, smiled at him and with a glance gestured toward her side. His eyes obediently looked down and he saw that Babe, running the tips of her black nails upward from her knee, slowly passed over the haunch, all the way up to the edge of the skirt, and as though by accident raised her skirt even higher, and she tilted sideways even more and he saw… Prince saw… how the black lace ended… and the beginning of her curve… firm and protruding… tanned…
“I can’t take it anymore… Don’t do that to me… Sit like you were before… Clench your knees… I can’t… I can’t anymore!” Prince was going crazy, tearing at the leather armchair with his nails.
“…that I take risks,” Mr. Kaella startled Babe. “That I don’s sleep at night, thinking about whether that day energy, water, food, pharmaceuticals reached every Consumer, their families, children? That this is decided by some managing board of dispersed owners? Come on, please! Our family discovered Cosmic Energy, brought it to Earth, gave it to the people. We have been proving this humanity for generations. This is simply in our genes. That is what we Kaellas are like, the only guaranteed benefactors of all the people on Earth.”