by John M Grier
The Confrontation
“Janet, what on earth are you doing way out here?” Paul said, noticing for the first time since they had met that Janet was actually attractive.
“I wanted to talk to you so I followed your chip transmissions here. What are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere all alone, Paul?”
“You followed my chip? How is that possible? I know we all have one, but following someone’s signal just to chat? It really doesn’t seem right!” spat Paul. “And what’s with the fancy clothes? You look like you’re going dancing or something.”
Janet, having just been crushed by Paul’s reaction, didn’t know how to respond at first. But as she stood there, she got angrier and angrier. She came all the way out here to save him from whatever perils he had gotten himself into in this junkyard and he had the nerve to be angry with her! What had she been thinking? Obviously, he was just a miserable man and she would have been better off staying home this evening.
Finally, she said “You shouldn’t be out here all by yourself, Paul. It certainly seems dangerous and as such, possibly illegal. How’d you get here anyway? I see no vehicles nearby and I can’t imagine anyone walking all this way. I think you should just get in the car and allow me to take you back. Do try to keep out of trouble in the future.” Not being one to normally question authority, Paul reluctantly got into Janet’s hoverlimo.
As he climbed in, he couldn’t help but notice the opulence of the massive limo. He thought “Boy, she sure does know how to travel in style. This car is amazing!” This was the nicest vehicle he had ever seen, let alone actually ridden in. She didn’t even have to drive it, it actually drove itself!
He was still wondering why she came all the way out here to see him, dressed as if she were going to a party, of all things. Granted, she looked great, but why? And why come all this way and go to this trouble just to sit and look mad? He was beginning to wonder if she had some mental issues he should know about.
Janet, on the other hand most certainly was mad. She couldn’t understand Paul’s behavior at all. Couldn’t he see that she was trying to help him? After all, she was a government representative! It was her job to help civilians. And besides, he certainly should have known that she dressed up so nice for him. She couldn’t have been more obvious if she tried! He actually had the nerve to sound offended. “Maybe he has some mental issues I should know about” she thought.
Janet had no way to know what Paul was thinking because they grew up in such different worlds. Government people and civilian people simply did not mix company. She knew this, but also knew that it was not illegal, so she was in her right to pursue Paul’s attention. It never occurred to her that Paul was unaware of this.
In Janet’s world, civilization had progressed to the point that relationships were nearly extinct. There were still a few people that preferred to only date one person, but the idea of marriage was foreign. The vast majority of people simply did whatever felt right.
But, when it came to actual relationships, tradition dictated that the man wait for the advances of the woman. It had been this way for centuries. It came about to avoid the issue of sexual harassment and was universal in acceptance.
Paul had similar ideas about relationships as Janet, but their lifestyles were too different for each other to fully understand what the other thought. In Janet’s world, she should be out at a party tonight and now she had wasted half of the evening traipsing all over the place looking for someone who apparently had no desire to see her. But in Paul’s world, it was quite different. Parties happened, but only on rare occasions. People had fun and went out on the town, but often times they stayed home. In Janet’s world, people thought there was something wrong with you if you just stayed home.
As she sat there brooding. Janet was trying to think of a way to salvage her evening. Paul obviously was breaking some law; she was simply unaware of which one. However, if she were to have any enjoyment tonight, she had better just let him go his own way with a stern warning. “Paul, I’m not sure which laws you have broken today, but I am willing to overlook them if you promise to restrain yourself from these crazy ideas you’ve been having lately. I’ve wasted enough time today and just want to relax.” Paul very wisely decided to take a page out of Jack’s book and just say nothing.
Janet had the limo detour to Paul’s address in order to drop him off. When they entered his apartment complex, she noticed for the first time ever that civilians lived much differently than she did. For all she knew, she was the only government representative who had ever taken notice of this. However, before she could say anything, the car stopped and Paul got out very quickly, as if he didn’t want to be seen with her. Instantly mad again, she had the car drive off.