Thursday, August 18. 2005Tommy Xiang
Tommy counted three pennies into the driver's hand. There, now his tip was exactly twenty percent. He stepped out of the taxi and hurried through the downpour into the dimness of The Cedars restaurant.
"Welcome, Dr Xiang. Your usual table?" "Yes, please." "Can I get you anything? "Yes, Ahmed. Could you get me something to wash my hands with?" "Right this way." Tommy settled into the soft cushions on one side of the low table. He took the small holoprojector from his pocket, and set it on the table. Hearing a soft step he looked up. Ahmed bent in a half bow, and set a small basin of water and a towel on the table. "Thank you." Ahmed retreated. Tommy gazed down at his hands. Her blood was still there, he knew. Dried now, but still there. He dipped his hands into the water, stifling the urge to gasp as the lemon-scented water penetrated the deep splits along his knuckles. "Sir?" Ahmed hovered near the end of the table. "There's a guest here. He says he's supposed to be meeting you." Tommy smiled. "Show him in." Andrew Swenson followed Ahmed hesitantly, glancing around as if searching for an escape route. He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when he saw Tommy.
Sinking down across the table from the doctor, he extended his hand. "Dr. Xiang, it's good to see you." "Forgive me for not shaking your hand. My hands are so dry from frequent washings that they often crack and bleed if I shake hands." "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize . . . " "Please, don't apologize." Tommy reached out and flipped a switch on the holoprojector. After a moment, a three-dimensional image appeared. It was a perfect likeness of the boy from the picture that Andrew Swenson had given to Tommy the morning before. For a moment, the image hovered, motionless. Then, the boy stood, raising himself from his wheelchair. He walked a few steps, turned, jumped into the air, and then began running. Tommy looked up from the image, gazing across the table at Andrew Swenson. Andrew Swenson sat motionless. "What will it cost?" Trackbacks
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