A Perfect Day, With Explosions by Grant Dorothy

Author:Grant, Dorothy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sedgefield Press
Published: 2021-10-16T00:00:00+00:00

16

The First Purchase

Jenna was still looking shell-shocked when AJ got her into his truck, so he headed toward the ring road, to make a long loop of the city. It wasn’t too crowded at this time of day, and she needed some time and space to calm down. When she finally started looking around in confusion at the port exits, he figured she was back with it enough to plan. “So, how are we going to do this?”

“I don’t know.” She gestured stiffly toward her pocket bulging with the envelope of cash. “I mean, I’ve never held an amount this large in my life. All I can think of is that I’m not even remotely the sort of person who’d flash a wad like that, and it’s going to be a target for every mugger out there.”

“Oh, that’s easy. You always split it in separate packets, no more than 400 crowns to a cash roll, and put one in each pocket. You don’t have enough pockets, so you’ll tape some to your skin up your arms and on your legs, as well as the packets in your socks. Sketchy markets, there’s always a buyer and an overwatch, if we can arrange it. Hate when we can’t, though it is easier to maneuver as just one person in the crowd.” He gave her a shrug. “That’s fairly normal.”

“Normal.” She repeated, and laughed a little. “In which universe did I suddenly become the insane one and you’re the normal one?”

“Normal operations for acquiring materiel and information in the black and gray markets. I’ve spent a lot more than what you’re carrying chasing down leads and certain supplies we needed urgently, no matter what the regulations said.” He looked over, and she was blinking wide-eyed at him. So he gave her a smile, and said gently, “This is my normal life. Don’t worry, you’re still the sane one, and I’m the insane one.”

“You’re not insane.” She denied it swift as reflex, and he grinned in bleak, bitter humor.

“According to the counselors, sanity is knowing the rules of the social group, understanding them, and internalizing them. Once I fell down the gravity well and into this culture and world, I became de facto the insane one. I barely understand the ground-pounders in the military, and all the civilians… you understand each other, and I might as well be walking among true aliens with a bad translator and a crash course on etiquette.”

Jenna was still shaking her head. “That’s completely overthinking it. In the hospital, we had a much simpler, better working definition. Sanity is seeing what’s actually there, and not what you what you expected or wished was there. Some of our parents got pretty insane when we were moved to the terminal ward, and put on palliative care.” She paused, and looked off in a distance that he couldn’t follow, though he knew the feeling well. “Some of us did, too.”

“I know. Most people don’t handle impending death well.” AJ said, filing the information away for later.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.