In the end, because of Grandma Jeanie’s holo-call and her mother’s endless comments on it, Lizzie was late going to the cafeteria. Would Jamie still be there? When she walked in, she saw him immediately, sitting in a corner, looking glum in front of a half empty Latte.
She rushed up to him. “You won’t believe what Grandma Jeanie told me this morning. I can’t believe it myself, it’s too much!”
“What is?” he muttered, looking angry. She noticed he was wearing one of those awful false APP watches, how gross. But she didn’t mention it, there was too much to tell him. Then she hesitated. After all, he wasn’t a “forever”. His APP watch was the usual stunt. His chances of ever making it into the APP program were…well, zero. Maybe this was the sort of thing one didn’t share.
Now she didn’t know how to go on. But he insisted. “Well, what is it, what did Grandma Jeanie say?”
How to tell him? She saw he was nervously playing with his new watch, twisting it around the wrist as if he really wanted her to notice it. So she decided to mention it, just to please him. It was also a neat way to draw his attention to something else while she pondered the question whether she should share her news or not.
“How come you’re wearing one of those awful APP watches? I thought you considered them in bad taste,” she said with a frown.
Unexpectedly his face turned red.
She was taken aback. How could a tough, dark-haired guy like Jamie suddenly flush like a teenager? It just wasn’t his style. He had that confident, open approach to people that she associated with clever journalists. He was still writing small stuff but he was young, time was on his side. He had talent, one day he’d be a big media guy. She just knew he would.
If only he would cover her own golf tournaments. It would be so neat to have him write them up, but he wasn’t interested in sports. He was obsessed with politics. It was the only thing that separated them.
“I…I don’t know,” he stammered.
“What do you mean, you don’t know? You always kidded your friends who wore them, and now you have one too?”
“I thought I should try something fashionable for a change…” He attempted a smug look and failed. He just looked foolish.
That was rather endearing, so she insisted. “That’s not like you at all. What’s happened, tell me the truth, why are you wearing that watch?”
He took it off without a word and handed it over to her.
She was amazed by how light it felt. She turned it over and looked at the back. It had some tiny black spots. She peered closer. They appeared to be minuscule drill holes in the metal.
“Look at that, Jamie, what is it?”
He hesitated. “If I tell you, you tell me what Grandma Jeanie said this morning.”
She frowned. “Okay, I will.”
“Look, it’s the real thing,” he said, flustered.
She stared at him. He had never acted embarrassed before. This had to be the morning she was seeing a whole new Jamie. “You mean this is a real APP Life Watch? How did you get that?”
“The only way you can get one. I was co-opted in the APP.”
She was wowed. “When?” was all she managed to say.
“This morning. An hour ago. My great-grand aunt left me her place. Emma, the one who lived in Switzerland. She had no other relatives.”
Silence. Lizzie stared at him and he stared back, the air was thick between them. She could see he wanted to reach out to her but couldn’t. She couldn’t move either.
