“I wasn’t thinking of you, sir.”
Chapter 93
The Grasshopper called Erivan.
“I’ve been thinking, Mr. President.”
“Doing a little philosophizing, a?” Erivan smiled.
“I was watching the news last night,” the Grasshopper continued in a serious tone.
“And?”
“That report from your office, with you and your generals…”
“Yes?” Erivan murmured suspiciously.
“I didn’t like it, Mr. President.”
“Why?” asked Erivan in a slightly annoyed voice.
“For several reasons,” the Grasshopper continued calmly, not paying attention to that.
“Oh, yes?”
“First of all, you weren’t visible, because the generals were in front of you…”
“What was that stupid director looking at?” Erivan got excited.
“You have no business mingling with them, Mr. President. They are generals, but they are far beneath you.”
“They are! Of course they are! Everyone is!”
“That’s what I’ve been telling you. You need the camera to show this.”
“What do you propose, Grasshopper?”
“I propose that you take the big screen, the one with the map of the world, off the wall and place it in the center of the office, on four legs, like placing a map on the table, get it?”
“Yes. I like that idea…”
“Because this way everyone is looking up, like reading the train schedule at the station. It doesn’t look dignified.”
“You’re right. You’re absolutely right!”
“And when the screen is placed at table-height, then let all the generals gather at one end of the table, pushing and shoving among themselves, while you stand magnificently on the opposite side of the table, alone.”
“Excellent! Bravo, Grasshopper!”
“One other thing…”
“Yes, tell me…”
“That suit of yours…”
“What’s wrong with it? It seems to me that the tailor did an excellent job.”
“Yes, he did. It fits you perfectly.”
“So what then?”
“Have the same tailor make you a uniform. Also entirely black. With a black shirt and a black tie. And high, black leather, shiny boots…”
“Excellent, excellent… I agree…”
“Because the State is at war. You, as the supreme commander, must be in uniform.”
“In uniform! Clearly, of course!”
“People remember wartime presidents the longest. The peacetime ones are soon forgotten. War is the ideal opportunity to go down in history. And in it the throne that has never been reached awaits you.”
“Wow, Grasshopper, how well you express yourself. Throne!”
“Pedestal!”
“Wow, pedestal!” Erivan was elated. “I’ll call the tailor immediately. Goodbye, Grasshopper.”
“Just one more thing…”
“Yes, but say it quickly.”
“When you are in uniform, and the generals are squeezing around the table, across from you…”
“Yes?”
“When the camera is recording…”
“Yes?”
“It should also film them from the side…”
“Alright…”
“And let them lean over the table, let their heads peer through…”
“Aha…”
“And they will peer through to be filmed for the news…”
“They will, I know…”
“And they will all try, with all their voice, in their dull gray uniforms, to have you accept precisely their proposal…”
“I know, they try…”
“And you, on the opposite side… in the wonderful black uniform. Pants tucked into the boots, which have been impeccably polished, shining under the spotlights…”
“I can already see it… wonderful…” Erivan gargled.
“…with one hand, clenched tightly into a fist, bent over slightly, leaning on the table, and with the other bent at the elbow, placed on your back; one foot slightly forward and wisely nodding, while they are running around, showing their proposals in the map…”
“Yes! Yes! Hand behind my back!”
“And finally… I think at the end of the news report, you turn your head, looking resolutely at the camera, that is to say into the heart and soul of every Consumer, and you place your hand on the map, anywhere. It doesn’t really matter.”
“Fantastic!”
Chapter 94
“My husband wanted to make Megapolis the most advanced city in the world,” Manami told Pascal, after the children had gone to bed, explaining to him the problems that had occurred at the University.
“That is why he paid the greatest attention to youths. He wanted the University to provide top experts and scientists, but also respectable, polite, moral people. Young people with a genuine conservative system of values. He invested great efforts and means into this. He requested and received a special budget for this from Prince Kaella. He provided scholarships, financed research and development projects. He developed two new elite student dormitories, one men’s and one women’s, in the park next to the square, as motivation for young people to achieve better grades. For them to get rooms in that dorm, based on them.”
“How is it possible that Prince approved a budget for such things?” Pascal wondered.
“Because it was advantageous. Megapolis was gaining respect and significance. Apartments and office rent went up. Parents tried to work more and make more money so that they could send their children to Megapolis to school. There were numerous benefits.”
“I understand. And what problems appeared?”
“Like everywhere: hopelessness, pointlessness. The initial hope, which lasted for the first several generations, faded, disappeared, because the best graduates, Masters and PhDs, ultimately faced the reality of Kaella’s society. You only do what generates money for the Kaellas. And whatever you make, regardless of how much it is — you spend. You don’t create anything. You don’t leave anything behind you. Neither spiritually nor materially. In any case, why am I telling you this? This is why you mobilized the people against the regime.”
“Yes. The Mayor said that you proposed…”
“And that is why the results of the next several generations of students were poorer. They didn’t go to class. Alcohol, drugs, parties and depravity were widespread. It was especially hard on Julius when this happened in the two student dorms. It also bothered Noah a lot.”
“Your Noah? Levi?” Pascal asked.
“Yes. He wanted to quit Public Administration studies and transfer to the Inspectorate Academy. His parents and we tried to talk him out of it. He was an excellent student. We all thought that he would succeed his father as Mayor of Capital City. Or Julius here. But he was adamant.”
“Did you really propose to the Mayor that he invite me? To talk to the students?”
“This entire time, sir… you were only interested in whether I was…” Manami fell silent.
“Yes. That’s all I’m interested in, ma’am.”
“I don’t know… perhaps. The only thing I know for certain is that I had to meet you.”
Chapter 95
“Mom, when will dad come?”
“I don’t know, Peter. You know that your father is busy. Let’s get you to bed.”
“I don’t want to. Dad comes at night. And you don’t wake me.”
“He also comes during the day. And you can’t interrupt children’s sleep, son.”
“What difference does it make? Why do we care whether its day or night?” Peter still protested.
“Peter, we can’t allow ourselves to not care. We have to keep our natural rhythm. Even under artificial conditions. Like Eir, you see…”