“Sometimes simple is better.” Izzie nodded. “Not that I have anything against technology.” Said the computer hacker. “But we depend on it more than we should.” Said the Sister who planned to infiltrate the system.
“One summer I went to a camp, and everyone had to turn in their phones. No electronic devices were allowed. The first two days were brutal, but by the third day I felt such a sense of relief.”
“Interesting how that works.” Izzie’s nose followed the aroma emanating from the bowls of stew Paula was carrying to the table. “Smells delish.”
Regina bowed her head for a moment. She just scored a few points with Izzie. It was nice to see someone pausing to give thanks in a modest and personal manner.
Izzie didn’t care what religion anyone followed. As long as they had integrity, decency, loyalty, and kindness, that was all that mattered. Throw in generosity, and you had a friend for life. It was not about words, but about deeds.
“I’m glad you started working here. I had a friend who used to work here. He and I used to have lunch together once in a while. But he’s gone.”
“Oh? Where is he now?” Izzie’s ears perked up.
“Right now? He’s in the hospital recovering from a hit-and-run accident.”
Bingo.
“That’s terrible. What happened?”
“I’m not supposed to be telling anyone, let alone doing what I did.”
“What do you mean?” Izzie’s brow furrowed.
Regina looked around the room and lifted her glass in front of her lips. She, too, was aware of the prying eyes. “He was let go a couple of weeks ago. I’m not sure why, but I was told not to have any interaction with him, or I could lose my job.”
“Is that what they told you?”
“Not in so many words, but Clayton made kind of a threat without actually being a threat. Ya know what I mean?”
“I get the picture. We should probably take this convo somewhere else.”
“We could go for drinks after work, maybe?” Regina said with enthusiasm.
“I’d like that,” Izzie said. Now they could move on to more banal conversation. She could drill Regina when they were off the premises. “Where shall we meet?”
“You can follow me after work.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Izzie said.
The hour passed quickly, and they handed Paula their key cards for processing. As they were leaving The Grill, Izzie couldn’t help but say, “Kind of likeBrave New World.”
Regina gave her a quizzical look.
“It’s a book by Aldous Huxley. It’s about the dangers of technology and how it can take over humans and their humanity.”
“Huh. That seems to be happening.”
“In some ways, it is. What’s astounding is when it was written: 1931, published in 1932.”
“Get out! For real?”
“It was a movie in 1998.”
“Wow. That was even before I was born!”
“Yep. Did you ever watch the originalStar Trek?”
“Sure, as a kid. My brother loved Captain Kirk. It was so goofy.”
