Part 15
Dar watched the lights go past through the window of the hotel room, idly listening to Kerry talking to her mother in the background. It was dark, and they’d just landed a half hour prior and now it seemed that a sushi dinner was in her future with a senator and probably some aides.
That was all right. She didn’t even mind the thought of spending some time with Kerry’s mother, at least it would keep her mind off the stresses of the day and keep her from thinking about their morning presentation tomorrow.
“Okay, we’ll meet you there in twenty minutes.” Kerry concluded. “Bye mother.”
She hung up and came over to where Dar was sprawled, perching on the arm of the chair she was sitting in. “We’re going to that little Japanese place I told you I went to with her the last time I was here.”
“Sure.” Dar amiably nodded. “Round of Saki and a platter to share is just about what I’m in the mood for right now.” She let her head bump against Kerry’s hip. “Don’t even mind that it’s with your mother.”
Kerry chuckled. “Yeah, the world sure has changed.”
“You going to tell her your name has?” Dar inquired.
“Oh hmm… you know I sort of forgot about that.” Kerry said. “What do you think her reaction’s going to be?”
Dar thought about that for a minute. “Damned if I know.” She responded. “On one hand, she’s pretty up on the whole family thing, but on the other hand…”
“She was married to my father and changed her name to his.” Kerry said. “So yeah, she shouldn’t have much to say about that, but sometimes my mother is oblivious to hypocrisy.”
“Up to you, babe.” Dar folded her arms over her stomach. “I’ll go along with whatever you tell her.” She half closed her eyes as Kerry gently ran her fingers through her hair “Today sucked my brain out. Hope it soaks back in overnight.”
“C’mon.” Kerry got up and plucked Dar’s sleeve. “Its only a couple blocks from here. Let’s walk over.”
So they did. Dar zipped up her leather jacket and stuck her hands in her pockets, following Kerry out the front door of their hotel and out onto the sidewalk.
It was cold and windy, but as Kerry had promised the walk wasn’t long, and in under ten minutes they were turning in to the entrance of the restaurant, Dar pulling the door open and standing aside to let Kerry precede her inside.
“Thank you.” Kerry said, hooking a finger into one of Dar’s pockets and pulling her along as they entered the small restaurant and stopped at the seating station. “Hello.” Kerry greeted the young woman standing there. “I’m expecting at least one more person, so maybe a table for four?”
“Yes.” The woman picked up some menus and gestured to them to follow her. She led the way through the mostly empty restaurant to a lacquered table in the center. “Okay?”
“Fine” Kerry took a seat and picked up the menu as Dar went around the table and sat down to her right. “Can we get two glasses of white wine to start?”
“Yes, sure.” The waitress whisked off to the bar.
Dar leaned back in her chair and looked around. The restaurant had booths around the edges, and a square sushi bar where five or six patrons were seated with plates in front of them. It looked like a thousand other sushi joints she’d been in but the customers here were a touch more conservatively dressed and there was no big fish tank.
The restaurant door opened and Kerry’s mother entered, with an aide at her side. Dar lifted a hand in greeting, gently nudging Kerry’s knee under the table.
Cynthia Stuart brightened, then evaded the hostess and came over to the table, slipping her fur lined jacket off and settling it on the back of the chair The aide remained behind, slipping past them and taking a seat at the end of the sushi bar. “Hello there. Kerrison, Dar, how nice it is to see you.”
Kerry felt the slightly squirmy discomfort of not knowing exactly how to respond, but she stood and took her mother’s outstretched hands, giving them a squeeze. “Hello, mother. Thanks for agreeing to subject yourself to sushi again for our sakes.”
“Oh, but it’s no sacrifice.” Cynthia released her and sat down, settling the small white napkin on her lap. “I have been coming here quite often since your last visit. I do quite enjoy it now.”
“That’s really cool.” Kerry responded. “I’m glad I introduced you to it then.”
Dar just cleared her throat and kept quiet, feeling more than just a little zoned after the long day. She listened to Kerry and her mother exchange pleasantries, content to sip her wine, and ponder the menu.
“The intelligence committee is so looking forward to hearing you speak tomorrow, Dar.” Cynthia caught her attention away from the unagi. “There has been quite a lot of debate about this new program of the administrations.”
“I can imagine.” Dar said. “Hope they feel the same way after I stop talking. I tend to get pretty technical.”
“Oh I’m sure it will be fine.” Cynthia protested, then paused, seeing the wry look on her daughter's face. “Won’t it?”
“There is no doubt, Dar does get technical.” Kerry said. “But it’s a really technical subject so I think you’ll all have to muddle along. I’ll be there to translate for you though if you want, mother.”
“Oh.” The senator blinked a little. “Yes I’m sure it’ll work out just fine then.” She said, in a determined tone. “It’s quite amusing you know.” She added, with a smile. “There were some of my colleagues who were fit to be tied about whole thing until the president showed his support.”
“They probably swallowed so much bile they turned the color a salamander.” Kerry smiled briefly, looking up as the waitress returned for their order. “What’s it going to be, Dardar?”
“Mm… spicy tuna roll and a chef’s choice.” Dar said, after a pause. “And some hot green tea, please.”
“Same.” Kerry stacked her menu on Dar’s and leaned back a little, as her mother ordered and the waitress zipped off. “How’s Angie doing? I got an email from her the other day, sounds like she’s having some fun with the kids.”
“It’s been quite active.” Cynthia said. “She and Brian have just finished some house hunting, and I think they’re going to make a decision soon.” She said. “Though I have enjoyed having the children around the house, it’s right for them to want to start their own I think.”
“Given Kerry’s tendency to smash your furniture I’m sure it’s probably safer that way in the long run.” Dar remarked, ignoring the droll look she was getting from her partner. “I think that was the only comic relief to be had that night.”
Cynthia looked uncertain, then she smiled apparently deciding Dar was making a joke. “Yes, that was a terrible, long, and stress filled day. I hope I never see another like it.”
“Oh, me either.” Kerry agreed at once. “Never want to go through that again. I think that’s one of the reasons Dar and I decided to participate in this new program. Maybe something we can do can prevent that.”
Her mother was nodding already as she was speaking. “That’s exactly what the administration said in the proposal. That we had to find a way to make the technology work for us to give us a way to stop this sort of thing before it happens.”
“Well, that’s the idea.” Dar said.
“You can do that then?” Cynthia inquired.
“Dar can do pretty much anything when it comes to technology mother.” Kerry took a sip of her wine. “I’ve gotten a whole new appreciation for that after the last month of us starting up our own business.”
Dar produced a charming smile at that. “Flatterer.”
“Not really.” Kerry said. “All these people are calling us, wanting all these different things and Dar is just like, ‘yeah, I can code that, no problem.” She flicked her fingers in a throwaway gesture. “Want an accounting system? I got that, no problem. Do we need a customer database? Give me a minute I have that on a hard drive here somewhere.”