Between the Lanterns(31)
“Madam, I can see that it was wrong of you to steal and copy Montek’s hard work,” the bastard replied.
He then swung the bag onto the concrete walkway, breaking Woodrow into splintered pieces, just to see the devastation on August and Sam’s faces. It also had the added benefit of stopping the struggling from within, which made it easier for the bastard to carry.
The man’s AutoCar pulled away, and the Luries could only stare as it faded from their sight into the distance.
“Sam, are we cursed or somethin’?” August said. “Everythin’ bad that can happen has happened to us. Nothin’ seems to go right. I can’t keep takin’ hits like this, babe. What are we gonna do?”
Samantha was distraught over the loss of Woodrow, and couldn’t believe that Montek, the biggest corporation the world had ever known, was wasting its time by suing them. Yes, she was sad, but Samantha was not broken. Not in the least. Sam had lost real people before, people she had loved.
“Sweets, we are blessed, not cursed,” she told him, staring into his deep, caring eyes. “In this big, vast, uncaring world we found each other; two kindred spirits with a love for real life and kindness. We may have had some hurdles to jump over, and we will most likely have a lot more. But no matter what they throw at us, we will always have each other. As long as I have you… and you have me… they will never, ever break us.”
August’s heart felt the pain of another loss, but hearing Samantha’s words helped it begin to mend. She was right, after all. Montek could take everything from them in this lawsuit, and it wouldn’t matter. August and Samantha would be happy, no matter what, as long as they had each other. He put his arm around Samantha’s shoulders and guided her back inside, then closed the door.
-
August, Samantha, and one of Montek’s lawyers sat in a spotless and sterile room. No decorations and nothing meant to feel welcoming. Just plain white walls, a long, black table, and hard chairs that were mildly uncomfortable.
“Before we begin, would either of you like some water, Mr. and Mrs. Lurie?” the lawyer asked.
“No thank you, sir. My husband and I are just fine. We do appreciate the offer, though,” Samantha replied cordially.
“Oh, it’s mandatory that I ask you that,” the hog-faced man said rudely. “Don’t thank me. I’d rather not offer either of you a single thing.”
The man had a turned -up, almost piggish nose, and the palest skin either of the Lurie’s had ever seen. He wore his hair in a peculiar spiky fashion, and he sweat profusely despite the heavily air-conditioned state of the room.
“Mr. Tepid, there is no need for that kind of rudeness,” August cut in. “We’re here under pretty difficult circumstances, you know? Have a heart, buddy.”
Alex Tepid looked down his pig nose at the dark-skinned man sitting in front of him. He had heard of all the wonderful improvements this man was supposed to have added to the Montek.Automaton division and didn’t believe a word of it.
Mr. Tepid was from a long line of Montek.Law representatives. Both of his parents had been lawyers with the division, as had his grandparents. His lineage was Southern all the way back to the Civil War in America, which was a very, very long time ago. Somehow, despite the world now being under one government, and all nations being separate but together, his family held onto the stereotypical racism of the old South. Seeing a black man and an Asian woman married made him feel ill. Not to mention that people said this man was a genius and had made the company insane amounts of Credit through his innovations with automatons.
Alex was jealous. That was the bottom line.
“I have a heart, Mr. Lurie. I just see no reason to lie to either of you,” Mr. Tepid said. “We are here because you broke the law. Twice. We demand compensation for this. Montek is willing not to press charges and to send you both to jail, under two conditions:; sign back over the most recent settlement you received for the loss of your diner and employee, and Mr. Lurie must consult on a pro bono basis with the Montek.Automaton division for one year. If you agree to both of these stipulations, then all charges will be dropped.”
Samantha and August looked at one another, discussing the deal with only their eyes. Samantha knew August never wanted to see that factory again after what happened there. Never mind that the company was screwing them over royally, so he wouldn’t really want to help them in any way, shape, or form. But the loss of that settlement was the worst. They had been making plans for that Credit.
Samantha had finally convinced August to take some time off and go see the world a little before the baby arrived. If they left next month, Sam and August could travel for at least six weeks before they would need to be back and get ready for the baby.
She had also finally got August to think about opening his own store, doing tech repairs, creating new tech, and things like that. He was so smart and so talented that he needed to be working for himself.
August had finally convinced Samantha to open another restaurant. This time, it would be a food truck, like those that were popular back in the early 2000s. It would be retro, and that would appeal to the locals. The residents of New Dothan might turn their noses up at real food not made with a Nutricator, but they were a sucker for hip and popular things. And recently, the style and music of the 2000s were becoming “cool” again. So a food truck would be an easy way to get everyone to try her cooking.