Zero by Kevin Tumlinson

Author:Kevin Tumlinson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Space Exploration, Space Explorer, Alternate Realities, parallel worlds, zero point energy, short stories, Kindle Single
Publisher: Happy Pants Books
Published: 2016-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

004

Matthew's parents saw across the table from me, and his fathered eyed me like I had just showed up to date his daughter wearing a heavy metal shirt and sporting a nose ring. Matthew had wandered into the other room, and I could hear a video game playing.

"He's a special boy," his mother said. "He always has been."

"Not a boy," his father said. "He's a man now, Judith. Has been for years."

"He'll always be my boy," Judith said.

I could see the tension between them. I could almost see the whole thing play out—the mentally disabled son who had special needs that only his parents could meet. Matthew was 38 years old, which meant that for almost forty years he'd been a child, in his mother's eyes. His father had expectations of him, clearly. But he was stuck. He couldn't turn him out, could he? His wife—clearly a religious woman—would never hear of it. And besides, it was plain that the man loved his son, too. But I could see the pain in his eyes. And the fear.

"I'm not here to cause any problems, but I think Matthew has stumbled onto something that could change your lives forever. It could change the lives of everyone, actually. I work for a company that builds very high-performance batteries. We supply companies that are working hard to end our dependence on oil and natural gas, and make sustainable technology more prevalent. We make some of the highest-performing batteries on Earth—and nothing we make compares to what Matthew has built!"

"He's always been a special boy," Judith said, smiling sublimely and nodding.

"I think he's more special than you even realize," I said. "I'd like to introduce him to some people I work with. I'd like for him to show them his batteries, and maybe work with them to patent them."

"Patents?" his father, Earl, asked. "That sounds expensive."

"My company would pay for them, for the exclusive right to produce Matthew's battery in our factories," I said. "In fact, Matthew stands to make a lot of money from this. He'll never have to worry about money again. His needs will be taken care of for ever."

I looked squarely into Earl's eyes when I said this last part. I knew the burden of caring for Matthew had to be tremendous. It was clear that Earl worked hard, and that Judith wasn't really contributing to the family's income. She cared for Matthew, and Earl cared for the family. But it wasn't enough. I could see that just by looking around.

"And what do you get out of it?" Earl asked.

"My company gets control of a patent that they can use to change the world," I said. "Personally. I'll probably get a promotion. And an electric car, finally."

I laughed a little, but Earl didn't reciprocate. His attitude toward me had been fairly guarded, and maybe even a little angry, ever since he came home and found me hanging out with his son in the shed. I had explained why I was there, and had managed to get this table-top conversation going.

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