Anthony shrugged. ‘Stranger things have happened.’ But he knew better. Jem was most definitely dead; he had seen to that personally.
‘They were discussing how she encouraged hundreds of thousands of couples to sign up for the Act,’ Jada continued. ‘That’s some Influencing.’
‘It used to be reality TV stars people listened to. Now it’s anyone with a camera and halo lighting. They wield too much power, and we just sit back and let them tell us where we should be spending our money, which party we should be voting for and how we should redefine our marriages.’
‘You don’t think upgrading did us any harm, do you?’
‘No, but it’s not just about us, is it? If you’re still traditionally married or if you’re single, you’re effectively a second-class citizen. It wasn’t long ago that we were having to remind people – no, strike that –shout until they listened –that our lives mattered. Thank God our son will never know what it’s like to have to justify and quantify why he should be treated with equality.’
‘Where’s all this coming from, babe?’ she asked.
‘Sorry, it’s been a long day.’ He stretched his arms above his head and yawned. Both heard something click in his spine.
‘That did not sound good,’ said Jada. ‘I’m sure I can find a way of massaging the tension right out of you . . .’ She slipped her hand along his thigh and rested it close to his groin.
‘I’m really sorry but I can’t tonight,’ Anthony replied. ‘I need to get a head start on tomorrow.’
‘You’re going back to work?’
He nodded.
‘It’s almost ten o’clock.’
Anthony knew that if the roles were reversed, he’d be feeling as frustrated as Jada. He wished he could explain how the all-encompassing nature of his next project was tearing into him even at this early planning stage. And how if he didn’t decompress in the sanctuary of his sterile office soon, then he would not sleep at all that night.
‘I’m sorry,’ he offered weakly.
‘Babe, we need to talk about this . . .’
He knew what was coming: it wasn’t the first time she had wanted to have this conversation. His eyes moved towards her Smart watch, indicating she would need to choose her next words carefully. She moved her phone to her lap and began to read from the Notes section. She was prepared.
‘I want to ensure our marriage stays on track without the need of outside interference,’ she began.
‘Um, so do I,’ he replied. ‘But we’re okay.’
‘I’m not saying that we’re not,’ she said, looking him in the eye before her gaze returned to her screen. ‘However, the barriers that prevent us from speaking as openly as we might like can make it difficult for us to have an open, two-way conversation. And if the other person is unwilling to listen, it can be hard to express if we’re unhappy with a situation.’
Anthony didn’t know how to respond. So he did what he always did and became confrontational, knowing that Jada wouldn’t push back and risk their Audite being alerted to conversational discord.
‘Are you saying you’re unhappy with me?’ he asked.
‘You know I’m not.’ She scrolled through her notes. ‘Perhaps, it would be a positive influence on our relationship if you found the time for us to spend together as a family unit.’
‘I already take Sundays off like you asked.’
‘Sometimes even when we take time off, we aren’t always as present as we think we might be.’
‘We? You mean me?’
‘No, no,’ but he knew that she meant yes.
Jada was bringing to the surface all Anthony didn’t want to admit. He wanted to spend time with his son and prove to them both that he had it in him to be a good father. But a day taken off here or a weekend there would have a knock-on effect with the rest of his workload and he’d forever be playing catch-up. It was easier to throw himself into his project and keep an eye on the goal – an early retirement and a better life for them all thousands of miles away in the Caribbean sea.
‘So if you think I’m present, I don’t know what the problem is,’ he said and clambered to his feet. ‘Don’t wait up for me; I’ll see you in the morning.’
Without looking her in the eye, Anthony took his wine glass and returned to the office, locking the doors behind him. He would shower and change into fresh clothes later, when Jada was asleep and he wouldn’t have to see her again. For now, he slumped back in his chair, a dim lamp barely illuminating the room, hating himself for using technology as an excuse to silence his wife.
One of the differences between him and Jada and almost every other couple who had Upmarried was that they were free to say anything at all to one another. Because the sensitive nature of his career ensured their conversations were exempt from being monitored or recorded by their Audite.
