by Simon Archer
Kennedi sat back in her chair and replied, “I put the diced chicken in a deep skillet with enough olive oil to coat it. Then I squeezed fresh lime juice over it, added salt, pepper, and onion, stirred it again, put the cover on, and let it sit. Twenty minutes later, I turned on the heat and cooked it, adding the jalapenos last so they wouldn’t get soggy.”
“I don’t know what made you think to do that, but I am so glad you did!” I told her. “This is absolutely magnificent!” Everyone else at the table nodded in agreement.
“Thank you!” Kennedi was perking up a little now that she was certain her creation was a success.
Charlie reached forward and picked up the beer sitting in front of his plate and held it up. “Kennedi, Cora is going to want this recipe for sure. Would you be willing to share it with her?” Cora was Charlie and Leah’s private chef. “Oh, and why the beer?”
“I would love to share it with her!” Kennedi laughed. “And the beer is from a new, local microbrewery. It has apricot and orange in it and is just sweet enough to blend perfectly with all the spice in the burritos!” She watched as everyone at the table simultaneously picked up their beers and took a drink.
“You’ve made the perfect pairing, that is for sure,” I said to Kennedi after swallowing my beer. Just as she’d indicated, the apricot flavor was cooling, and the orange cleansed my palate as it slid over my tongue. I was going to have to go visit the new microbrewery she’d gotten the drink at. It was absolutely delicious. Before I could ask where the microbrewery was, Ellie leaned forward, extended one of her claws, and gently tapped her beer bottle.
When all eyes were on her, she raised her beer and said, “I believe this meal deserves its own toast!” She looked at Kennedi and smiled. “Here is to Kennedi creating a culinary masterpiece that I am truly envious of!” We all raised our beers to toast, and Kennedi blushed.
“It’s honestly the best burrito I’ve ever tasted,” Krysta spoke up.
“I appreciate you all saying such nice things!” Kennedi said. “Now, get back to eating those before they get cold!”
“Yes, ma'am!” Theo, Charlie, and I all said in unison as we set down our beers and picked up our burritos. I had always heard that a genuinely great meal was complemented best by silence at the table. If that was true, Kennedi’s burritos were receiving a standing ovation because not another word was said at the table until we’d all finished at least one burrito.
8
Theo, Charlie, and I went back for seconds, and while we were building another burrito, Charlie looked up at Bev.
“So, tell me about this volunteer event that you and Ellie are catering for my wife tomorrow,” he said to her. Bev started laughing, and Charlie knew why so he continued. “No, I don’t know a thing about it even though it’s my wife’s event. She puts on so many, and we’ve been so busy lately, I haven’t had the opportunity to be debriefed. I’m assuming my presence is expected, and that is about all I know,” Charlie laughed as well.
“Your presence will most definitely be appreciated,” Bev started. “I’m actually going to let Krysta explain it. She’s been really involved in this one.” Bev smiled over at Krysta, who blushed a little. Even though she was so much more confident than before her modification, she still wasn’t a fan of being the center of attention. She liked to work behind the scenes.
“The event is a community gathering to support and promote small businesses to the public,” Krysta said. “There will be booths set up with different vendors to visit, and we are also doing a toy and furniture-making volunteer section to benefit underprivileged children in the area.”
“That’s a lot packed into one event!” I was truly impressed at the undertakings that Leah got herself involved with. Most of them were her ideas. “If anyone can pull off an event with that many moving parts, it’s Leah!” I nodded my head at Charlie.
“You said it, Clark,” Charlie added. Then he turned to Ellie. “What will you be serving?” Ellie looked at Krysta and waited for her to reply for her.
“There will be a lot of finger foods for attendees to sample, and we are also doing a traditional southwest barbeque buffet,” Krysta informed us. “We are setting it up so that people can sit and eat while they watch local entertainment. I’m going to help run the kids’ product-making portion of the day.”
Kennedi clapped her hands together excitedly. “I can’t wait to come to see all the excitement! How long is the event?”
“We will be there from seven to seven and serving food from ten to six,” Bev answered Kennedi. “Will you be able to make it? I know you have a full day of mods to do.” Kennedi looked at me with a questioning expression.
“We will one-hundred percent be there,” I said to ease Kennedi’s worry. “Since Macy will be with you all for the day, we are closing the showroom and redirecting new patrons to the event. We’ll be doing mods only tomorrow.”
“Oh, thank you, Clark!” Kennedi squealed happily and clapped again. “I want to help make kid stuff with Krysta!”
Krysta flashed a huge smile and sat up a little straighter. “That would be so great of you!” she said to Kennedi.
“Alright, now that we all know what the girls will be doing, I guess that leaves us boys to get into trouble!” Theo piped up humorously. He instantly got a sarcastic look from his wife.
“Mmmmhmmm,” Bev said. “I will make certain you have something to keep you busy in that case!”
Charlie sat back in his seat and slumped dramatically. “Well, Theo, you’ve gone and done it! We are going to have to work now!” he said, acting like a pouty child. The entire table started laughing.
“If you don’t watch your attitude, young man, I’m going to send you to your room. Then you’ll wish you were working with us!” Theo mockingly scolded him. Charlie crossed his arms and slumped further in his seat. He had a knack for dramatic entertainment on occasion. Our laughter got even louder, though, and he couldn’t keep a straight face, so he started laughing and sat back up.
“My wife’s events are always fantastic but never relaxing,” Charlie said as the laughter faded. “She does a lot of good for a lot of people, though.” He was right. If Leah had a resume with all the philanthropic endeavors she’d undertaken throughout the years, it would be in the form of a scroll. I admired her unending energy for such things.
“Speaking of relaxing, I can feel the food coma starting to settle in,” I said as I leaned back in my chair. At the same time, Bev stood up and picked up her and Theo’s plates.
“Why don’t you boys go take it easy in the living room, and the girls and I will get this cleaned up,” Bev suggested. Kennedi’s ears perked up.
“Bev, the girls and I will clean this up, and YOU can go relax,” Kennedi said. She hopped up and stacked my plate on hers and reached across the table for the plates Bev had. “You have been so wonderful in sharing your kitchen knowledge. I won’t hear of you lifting another finger!”
Bev stepped back and put her hands on her hips and looked like she was about to protest but instead she threw her hands up in the air as though she didn’t have a care in the world and said, “if all I have to do is pass out cooking tips to not have to do dishes, I’ll see y’all same place, same time, every day!” She winked at Kennedi and smiled. “Thank you.”
“Of course,” Kennedi said back. I could see that if cat girls had mothers, Kennedi would consider Bev hers. She adored the woman, and Bev was well deserving of the adoration.
A few moments later, Theo, Charlie, Bev, and I were relaxing in the living room while Kennedi, Krysta, and Ellie were cleaning up after dinner. Charlie was back on the couch, and I was in my usual lounger. Bev was sitting on Theo’s lap in his lounger. Once we were all settled, Charlie leaned forward, put his elbows on his knees, and folded his hands. His expression had become very serious.
“Theo, before dinner, you had an excellent question,” Charlie started. “Would VSG start manufacturing cat girls?”
“Yes,” Theo
acknowledged. He looked up at Bev, who was clearly curious. “I’ll fill you in on the details later, dear.”
Charlie looked at me and said, “I haven’t given it a whole lot of thought. Have you?”
I shrugged one shoulder and replied, “I have, and I haven’t.” I sat forward in my chair as well. “On one hand, the technical aspect of it intrigues me, and I think we could pull it off. On the other hand, the artificial intelligence software is proprietary to Omnicorp, so we’d be starting from the ground up.” Charlie thought about it for a moment.
“There is also the start-up costs for a project like that,” Charlie pointed out. “It would take all of VSG’s current net worth just to get the process started.”
“What would be the end goal in building them ourselves is what I keep asking myself,” I told him and looked at Theo. He was lost in thought, but Bev was alertly listening in.
“Let me just add something real quick,” Bev started. “If you took over building CGs, you would have the power to do it with purpose.”
“What do you mean exactly?” I asked her.
“What I mean is that currently, so many CGs are being ordered for basic slavery. If you took over building them, you’d be able to make a huge difference in the ‘humane treatment’ area of the industry,” Bev explained. “Think about it, with all the resources you have with Leah’s foundation, you could take the business of cat girls back to what it was originally supposed to be… An enhancement to our lives instead of a mere hi-tech possession. Plus, if you decided to build them instead of leaving it to some other company, you’d be able to eliminate the threat of data tampering like what you busted Omnicorp doing. I think a lot of people would be on board with that.”
She leaned back against Theo after she said her piece. She had a great point. Cat girls were originally designed to be helpful companions to humans, especially those with disabilities and medical conditions. That all changed after the initial marketing went out for them, though. Omnitech had pulled at people’s heartstrings to gain support and then turned the whole image of CGs into one of social status, entitlement, and wealth. The people that needed the help a CG could offer could not afford one, and the people who could afford one usually treated them horribly.
Charlie sat up straight and looked at Bev. “You have a great argument for the humanitarian side of the coin, Bev,” he complimented her. “We need to look at the financial side too.” Both Bev and Theo started nodding their heads. Something occurred to me.
A small bit of excitement buzzed through me, and I asked, “Correct me if I’m wrong, Charlie, but the rich people will still be buying CGs no matter who makes them. So the profit is possible on that end. However, if we reverted to the original idea that they are needed for industries like healthcare and such, couldn’t that possibly lead to the realm of government contracts?”
Charlie was the marketing avenue and financial brains behind our operation, so I knew he’d have the knowledge to answer my question. He leaned back into the couch and thought for a full minute before answering.
“There is the possibility, yes,” he said. “But this is a subject I’ve spoken with Leah about several times. Her concern with government involvement with CGs is that they will be used and then spit out once the government doesn’t feel they are necessary any longer. With private ownership, the volume of abandoned CGs is lower.”
“There has to be a middle ground for it to make sense,” Theo said. “Regardless of how the finances and such work out, the whole project would be a huge commitment. You boys better make sure you have the energy for it.”
“It is most certainly not a decision that will be made in a night,” I said, chuckling.
A mischievous look spread across Theo’s face, and he looked at both Charlie and me before saying, “Don’t forget though, I’m the first to know if you decide to move forward with it. I’ll be your first investor!” Then he broke out laughing and Bev, Charlie and I did too. When the laughter subsided, I sat forward in my chair.
“Let’s table this for now,” I said, looking at Charlie. “Let’s go to Japan, see what the possibilities even are first, and then we can revisit it if needed. Sound good?”
“Sounds good,” Charlie agreed. I sat back and took a deep breath. It was then that I noticed how mentally exhausted I was. That, combined with having a stomach full of amazing food, made me suddenly want to call it a night. Charlie must have felt the drain of the day, too, because he stood up just then.
“I’d best be headed home,” he said. He walked over to me, and we shook hands as I stood up. “I’ll see you at the event tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir,” I replied. Charlie walked over and shook Theo’s hand as well and gave Bev, who was still sitting on Theo’s lap, a kiss on the cheek.
“Thank you so much for dinner, Bev. It was excellent, as usual,” Charlie complimented her.
“Yes, Bev,” I chimed in. “Thank you. Also, thank you for cooking with Kennedi tonight. I know she’s had the best time,” I added.
“You boys are welcome,” Bev said, smiling back at both Charlie and me. “Don’t forget to stop on the way out and let Kennedi know how much you liked it,” she said to Charlie.
“You know I will,” Charlie said, smiling. “Have a great night.”
“I’ll walk you out,” I told Charlie and looked over at Theo and Bev. “I’ll see you two in the morning. Have a good night,” I said, and Charlie and I headed out of the living room. We passed by the dining room and stopped at the kitchen. Kennedi, Ellie, and Krysta were gathered around the island, chatting away.
“Well, girls, it’s time to call it a night,” I said. All three of them stood up. Charlie stepped forward and took Kennedi’s hand in his own.
“Your meal was delectable, and I can’t wait for you to share the recipe with Cora. Thank you for dinner,” Charlie said.
“You are welcome!” Kennedi replied excitedly. “I’ll give it to her tomorrow at the event. She’s agreed to come to help Ellie and Bev.”
“Perfect,” Charlie said. “Good night, ladies.” Charlie turned and headed for the front door. I stepped into the kitchen and kissed each girl on the cheek.
“I’m heading to bed,” I told them. “Kennedi, Krysta, I’ll see you in the loft. Ellie, good night.” I turned around and caught up with Charlie at the front door. He opened the door, and we both walked out into the night. The sky was black and clear, so the stars were exceptionally bright. Charlie saw me stop to peer up at them.
“Sometimes, I forget that those are there,” Charlie said, glancing up at the sky. “I really should pay more attention to things like that.”
“It’s one thing I’ve always noticed, regardless of where I’m at,” I told him. We both got our minds off the sky and started walking toward Charlie’s black town car. He had driven himself, so he opened the driver side door, turned to shake my hand once more, and got in.
“Drive safe,” I said, and he nodded at me and closed the car door. I stepped back away from the car as the engine turned over. As soon as Charlie started to pull out, I started walking toward the barn. I could hear Kennedi and Krysta at the door of the house and knew they’d be along in just a minute, so I left the barn door open slightly after I entered. I walked past the backhoes and other smaller tractors and equipment that Theo kept in the barn. Soon I was at the wooden ladder that stretched up to the loft. It creaked as I climbed it but had always felt solid.
At the top of the ladder, I stepped onto a wood floor and headed towards my bed that lay in the back-right corner of the room. I sat on the edge and took another deep breath. I was looking forward to closing my eyes. I leaned forward and took my boots off and set them beside the little nightstand by the bed. I stood and removed my pants and threw them across the room onto an old, beat up lounger in the opposite corner. I peeled my t-shirt off as I turned towards the bed. I threw the shirt behind me onto the chair and reached forward to turn down the comforter.
I crawled between the sheets and
took a moment to get into a comfortable position and closed my eyes. I had planned on waiting for Kennedi and Krysta before actually going to sleep, but I must’ve closed my eyes for too long because suddenly, I was not in the loft anymore. I was lost in a dream about being at the event that wasn’t taking place until tomorrow.
9
The surrounding courtyard was covered in a thick fog and smelled of mold. I recognized the place as being part of one of Charlie and Leah’s hotels. There were stone benches and flower gardens, but all the colors of the flowers were muted and almost gray. I heard footsteps from somewhere behind me, and I turned to see who was there. I saw nobody at first, so I walked towards the sound, waving my arms in front of me to try to thin the fog.
Then the fog started to dissipate. In front of me was a large, round picnic table with ten people seated around it. I couldn’t make out any of their faces. I could tell they were chatting and laughing but couldn’t actually hear any words. The footsteps got louder, only now they were off to my right. Once again, I turned to see who they belonged to.
Very slowly, a shadowy figure started to emerge from the fog. I wasn’t able to see the person’s face, but I could tell it was a man by his height and the way he walked. As he neared, I strained to see who it was. Suddenly, he was standing right in front of me, and I sucked in my breath when I saw he had no face. Where his face should’ve been was a blank space. He extended his hand like he wanted to shake mine.
I wanted to recoil as a feeling of dread and alarm coursed through me. Right when I was going to turn and walk the other way, I felt my hand extend to shake his. I couldn’t stop it. I watched in disbelief at my own actions as our hands met and clasped. I looked up at the blank face, and although it had no features, I could tell the person was smiling. I looked back at our hands.
As we shook, I saw his hand start to change. His fingers started to meld together and elongate. I could feel the texture of his skin morph from human to serpent. In just a moment, I was no longer shaking a man’s hand, I was watching a snake curl itself around my arm. I tried to shake it off and back away but couldn’t move. I glanced over at the table to see if someone would come to my aid, but everyone there seemed to not even realize I was there. I opened my mouth to yell, and nothing came out.