Anna laughed even harder as she started to wipe the tears from her eyes. She snorted at the end of laughing, which made Nora crack up as well. “Shoot, that’s the best . . . I’m so glad you told me.”
“Of course I had to tell you.”
“He’s so nice too.”
“Yep.” Nora’s mood sobered as she shifted a bit on the chair, her laughter fading. “Max knows too, unfortunately. I sourced too many specific parts from him while putting Simon back together and he figured it out.”
Anna’s face turned from amusement to worry fast. “Oh no. He gonna tell?”
“I don’t think so. Traded with him earlier and he seemed happy to get the new items I found. But let me know if you start hearing any rumors like he is. He’s getting a good enough deal right now from all the scrap I’m bringing in that I don’t think he will.”
Anna bit her lip. “That man. Anything for a good deal.”
Nora shook the box she carried. “Speaking of new scrap. I brought you some of the stuff we gathered. Just in case. You’ve helped us out a ton, and we got a lot the last time we went scavenging from where Simon knew to look.”
She brought out the magazines and watched as Anna’s eyes went wide. She set them down in front of them both.
Anna, just as gently as Nora had, flipped the pages. She spoke in a hushed tone. “Damn, Nora. What you found out there in that desert . . . look at all of this. It truly was a different world. Max must have flipped.”
“Crazy, huh?”
“I’ll say. And all them androids are now gone. Look how beautiful they all were. What your Simon must know . . .”
It was on the tip of Nora’s tongue to correct Anna about all the androids not being gone, but she refrained.It is enough that I told her about Simon. I don’t want to say any more about Mars.A part of her was afraid that the drone might do something to protect that secret if she told it freely.
Instead she checked on Tilly, who was swinging on the swing set in Anna’s backyard, before she came back and giggled over the magazine photos with Anna. She wondered if women from the past also laughed when they looked at these pictures brand new, so many years ago.
“These past people. They sound ridiculous.” Anna pointed at a photo with the caption that read,“Fit girl summer! How to keep your figure summer ready.”
“Right. But more than that, these pictures. Isn’t the sky so clear?” Nora tapped on the picture beyond the“Toned and Firm”sign, at the water and clear blue sky above it. “And that’s an ocean I think? That doesn’t look like dirt on the ground near it. Must be . . . sand.”
“Sure does look like an ocean. Yeah, I think that’s sand. Dang, it was different. Even back here. It’s talking about not eating all the time . . . fasting?” Anna laughed and snorted again. “Man, I would love so much food that I had to be worried about how not to eat it all.”
“No joke. There’s fruit and things I’ve never even heard about eating before.”
“Shit, at least I’m fit for the beach.” Anna gestured down at herself, resting a hand on her stomach.
Nora looked at Anna’s pregnant belly and laughed again. She flipped the pages to show her more. She pressed the magazine on Anna. “Simon was right. Things were wild back then. You keep this one. Okay?”
“These are priceless, though,” Anna said, bending low to read the words on the beach scene.
Nora watched, a warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest. She felt good inside, seeing that she could give her friend something so valuable. “Well, find a price. I think you need some money of your own, just in case. Heaven knows you helped me enough when Tilly was real little.”
“Okay, Nory,” Anna said, chuckling, pointing to another picture of an appliance sale for a bread maker. “Look at that.”
They talked a bit more and went through every magazine Nora brought until Simon returned.
“He’s back.” Anna pointed at the clock as she slid out of her chair. “And you guys should be going. Paul’s gonna be back any minute. Deliveries are not gonna take all day. I want to see Simon again anyways.”
Nora checked the time. “Yeah, getting late.”
Anna closed the magazine and put it back in the box Nora carried it in, sealing it away and out of sight. She stood up, the box with the magazine under her arm. “Lemme just get this in a safe spot. I’ll meet you out front.”
“Okay.” Nora went in the back and collected Tilly from the playground.
Tilly took her hand and tugged on it as they went back through the shop. “Anna knows now?”
“Yeah, she does.”
