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The tall man is walking toward them. “Please don’t leave me, Gwyn. I can’t stop thinking about it. I have to tell you something.”
“Charlie, I’ll tell you something: I’m happy. I have a family I love, enough food on the table, and my health.”
“And one week’s vacation a year.”
“That’s right. Just like everybody else. Sure, I’d like more, and who wouldn’t? You can’t have everything. I’m happy and I’m healthy. What kind of slave is that?”
“An effective one. How much do you owe?”
“Never bring that up! You never bring that up, damn you! I’m on my night out.”
The man has navigated the dense tables near the dance floor and pushed the blind dancers gently out of the way. She can see now, for sure, that he is a cop. “I paid off my debt two days ago. All of it, and my mother’s. I’m free.” Gwyn is standing already, one arm in her jacket, but this freezes her. “I’m in trouble, Gwyn. Do you think there’s a back door?”
“What did you do?”
“Got out of debt. And ran. I ran from a cop today.”
“Goddamn you. I have a family, Charlie. I have a reputation. What have you done?”
“Oh, god, he’s coming this way.” The tall officer is indeed approaching their corner of the bar. He walks with that purposeful stride of the man who sees what he’s after. Regaining her dignity, Charlie pushes herself back up to a respectable sitting position. She sets her teeth and stares at the cop fearlessly.
The officer tries the storeroom door, but finds it locked. He looks to Charlie. “Bathroom?” he asks.
There have been no further episodes with legal representatives of either the state or the bank. Charlie goes to work each day, greets her coach, defers his prods about beach vacations, new houses, the bank loan; she sees a friend or two. Gwyn called the next day to apologize, but they have not seen each other. Charlie’s life is allowed to continue in its normal trend for five more days. She begins to feel confident, comfortable, herself. She does not search her rearview mirror, nor glance toward the door in the yard each time it slams shut.
On the sixth day, she goes to the market. Charlie grows a surprising amount of her own food, and actually trades her vegetables, eggs, and homemade sauces for meat from an acquaintance who raises sheep, but for items like cheese, processed flours, chocolate, and other niceties, she shops like other people at the market.
Her crediprint is denied. Embarrassed, she leaves her items at the counter and hurries from the store. Her vehicle has no net feed so she must go home to check with her bank, and there she finds that her account is unresponsive. She must wait until the next day. She stews. The worries return. She locks her door, knowing locks are useless, they are already inside.
The following day, at a branch, she confirms: her account has been disabled.
There is a small, cash black market, and she has a stash tucked away, but it will not last long; inflation is such that the value of cash drops approximately two one-hundredths of a percent daily.
Time: 1745
Date:September 1, 2053
Client: Natalia Suzanna Karlovskaya; (common: Charlie)
Age: 31.5
Occupation: construction support; player
Status: 10,500
Client requests Survival Loan until her legal disputes with the bank have been resolved. Granted.
Loan size: 10,500 USD; sufficient for six months survival at current, extremely frugal rate of expenditures, legal fees not included.
Recommended legal costs to client: 35,000 USD.
Recommend seizure of automobile at three months, in time for Christmas depression. A peaceable resolution is hoped for in which the client will cease resistance, taking out a higher loan in order to secure a new vehicle, allowing a successful re-entry into societal norms.
Client satisfaction expected at acceptable level, 62% or greater.
About Robert Woolridge
