The Year the Maps Changed by Danielle Binks

Author:Danielle Binks
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2022-08-16T00:00:00+00:00

33

The Millennium Bug

Khoa Trần—Jed and Lily’s dad—finally came home from Sydney in the middle of July.

He’d been away for months, working for a big company that was worried about Y2K, or the “Millennium Bug.” People on the news said that all the computers in the world had problems reading four-digit years that didn’t start with a one and would fail when the year switched from 1999 to 2000. They were predicting dramatic stuff like planes falling out of the sky on New Year’s Day.

This company in Sydney was worried that they’d lose all their money, so they’d hired Jed’s dad’s computer business to come in and Y2K-proof their operating systems—which had taken months.

“Well, for one thing, it means I’ve got some computers to offload now,” Khoa said to Luca one night over dinner. Vi had taken pity again and invited us over.

“Oh yeah?” Pop swallowed the delicious pork Vi had prepared. “How many are we talking?”

Khoa leaned back in his chair and smiled so big his cheeks went round. “Ten of them. This firm wanted all new everything, so they threw out perfectly good tech for fear it had been corrupted by the bug.”

Khoa rolled his eyes like he couldn’t believe it.

“So I said if they really didn’t want them, I’d be happy to take them and cover shipping costs to bring them down here—they arrive this week.”

Vi dished out more pork on everyone’s plates, then waved her fork in Khoa’s direction. “Ơi, just tell him already!”

Khoa finally spread his hands wide and said, “I thought the haven could take them, yeah? I can come by and set them up so those people can get online. . . .”

Then it was Luca’s turn to sit back in his chair. “Khoa, that would be amazing! All they ever ask for is access to computers so they can search for their families back home. The ones at the library get booked so quickly, and the queues for them are ridiculous. . . .” Luca shook his head. “The internet cafés eat up their allowance in no time too. Setting up a free computer bank for them to use would be a godsend!”

Khoa nodded. “This is what I thought!”

“This is what I thought!” Vi said.

Khoa waved at her. “Yes, yes—it was my lovely wife’s idea first!”

Jed, Sam, and I smiled at that, and even Lily only faked it when she pretended to gag as her parents kissed.

“When the haven is finished with them, we can donate them to the kids’ school and the library,” Khoa said, once he and Vi had pulled apart.

Luca nodded. “I’ll have a talk to the Red Cross people—see if we can’t get this thing set up before the week is out.” He took a sip from the wine Vi had poured for him. “I’m warning you, though, Khoa, I don’t know what the wiring at this place is like. If you try plugging in ten computers, it could blow their fuse box!”

Khoa waved him away. “I’ll come in, I’ll set up.

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