One of the side effects of Michael's work, apart from declining cognitive ability, was an impulsive desire to talk to someone like Jason. The desire was so impulsive because there was no one else to talk to and because Jason's bench was next to Michael's. Michael resisted it, wary not to antagonize Tony any further, but there was just so much he could do with his plastic bits. He glued them and threw them into a dirty cardboard box. Then he glued them and instead of throwing them away, arranged them in straight neat lines. Finally, he focused his attention on maintaining exactly the same spaces in between them. When the time came to organize them in more sophisticated shapes, like ovals and arrows, he knew he had to open his mouth to someone or risked going nuts.
Jason was pacing around his bench like a little puppy. From a distance, he looked like someone who lost something of value. Michael thought he could help. The moment Tony was gone on tea duty, Michael came up to him and offered his assistance.
- Did you see my permanent marker by any chance? – Jason enquired without looking.
- Nope – Michael lied immediately – what did it look like? – He asked like an imbecile.
- It looked like a permanent black marker – Jason riposted with sharpness Michael did not quite expect. – I had it somewhere here.
- Do you need it? – Michael continued his charade.
- Not really – Jason admitted thoughtfully.
- Someone wrote "#America is full of shit" in the toilet with a permanent marker, if that helps. – Michael put his hands in his pockets to look more relaxed. He could feel the marker with his right hand. It was quite uncomfortable feeling and he considered giving it back.
- This place is full of idiots. – Jason reflected with disappointment - America is full of shit. And where have you got your IPhone from? China?
- Actually, yes – Michael noticed almost apologetically.
- So what are you saying? – Jason got irritated.
- I am not saying anything – Michael declined to say.
- Well, you're clearly saying something – Jason kept digging.
- Iam just saying – Michael steered to conversation back to nowhere.
He had a tendency to behave like an idiot and enjoyed it a great deal. There was a heavy burden of expectations placed upon intelligent people, he reckoned, as it was only natural to demand from them something more than ordinary. Idiots, on the other hand, were free to make even the most ridiculous claims, populate the most uninhabitable places and penetrate the most impenetrable institutions, with no harm for their reputation. They were also mostly immune to critical assessment. Michael considered himself to be an intelligent idiot, which was a loosely defined category he created for his own amusement and felt competent enough to belong to without anyone noticing. Deep in his heart, Michael wanted someone to notice, hoping it would be another intelligent idiot. Then there would be two of them, a tendency that could lead to escalatory dominance in the world dominated by idiots. But Jason did not notice, because Michael like a goddamn idiot put his permanent marker in his pocket and only had himself to blame.
- If I find out who stole my marker I will report him to the office! – Jason announced. He was pretty serious about it.
- Maybe one of them? – Michael suggested the bullies on the other side of the walkway. The marker started burning his hand like a red hot poker.
- They would never do that. – Jason replied quickly. He scanned his bench and all the boxes he had underneath it, as well as a small racking unit where he kept all necessary bits and pieces.
