Between the Lanterns(38)

While Patient Lurie was pondering this, Dr. Granger strode into the room and sat down in the chair directly opposite the worried patient.

“It’s cancer,” he said as if ordering toast. “You have cancer. A very aggressive form.”

Patient Lurie began to cry silently, tears running down cheeks already red with worry.

“Oh stop crying,” Dr. Granger said, rolling his eyes. “We have a cure for cancer. It’s no problem. You’ll take this pill, and then you’re cured. Then you’ll have to take these other pills for two weeks to fix the damage already done to your organs. But you’ll be fine.”

Patient Lurie cried even harder now. But these were tears of relief. When the doctor had said cancer, the only thought that registered was… The Countdown. It couldn’t be normal cancer, of course, because the Luries weren’t so lucky as that. But thank God, it was just regular old curable cancer, and nothing to worry about.

“Here take this prescription to the front and one of the nurses will tell you everything you need to do and get your Credit,” the doctor said, dismissing the patient. “Oh, and, uh, congratulations on being able to keep living,” he added. Obviously, Dr. Granger was trying to improve his bedside manner.

Patient Lurie wanted to hit the good doctor but refrained from doing so. It wouldn’t solve anything. Plus, it was time to celebrate… not go to jail for assault.

At the front desk, the two nurses were using an app called Montek.Bets, a simple way to exchange Credit from person to person quickly. It was nothing more than the privatization of gambling. There were limits set on the app so that people could only place small bets. It wouldn’t allow the exchange of large sums of Credit.

“I told you, man. No way was it The Countdown,” one of the cretins said. “We’ve already had a bunch of people this month start their Countdown. I knew this patient wouldn’t be one of them.”

“Screw you, man,. Patient Lurie seemed like a perfect candidate for The Countdown. You just got lucky,” the other nurse replied.

“Unbelievable,” Patient Lurie mumbled.

They were betting on whether it was a terminal disease or a curable one, and they didn’t even have the decency to talk about it in private. Just blabbing their emotionless, uncaring, fat mouths right there at the front desk. It was disgusting, but nothing to worry about.

Regular curable cancer was great news, so Patient Lurie used the Montek.Credit machine and paid the fee before rushing out onto West Main Street and letting loose the biggest celebratory yell that New Dothan had heard in years.

People riding the automated sidewalks on either side of the street stared with looks of confusion or disgust. Patient Lurie didn’t give a damn.





Chapter 16





WHAT THE HELL





The shop had only been open for six months before August and Samantha closed for a week-long vacation. The amount of business coming through their doors was amazing. Repeat customers, referred customers, walkins, and customers with coupons from the New Dothan Eagle digital newspaper.

They had banked so much profit in those first six months that closing up shop for a week, and flying down to the island of Jamaica City was no problem at all. August had left Woodrow in the workshop to fill orders and act as security while they were gone. He was such a great help, but August was worried about using the wooden automaton too much. Woodrow was starting to show some serious wear and tear already. Pretty soon Samantha and August would have to craft a few replacement parts; nothing vital, yet, but still necessary to keep him going.

Lounging in beach chairs under the shade of a large tree while listening to the nearby roll and crash of the waves, the two lovers sipped their fruity drinks and sighed in unison.

“We should just move here, sSweets,” Samantha said lazily. “I don’t ever want to go back to New Dothan.”

August let loose a sudden guffaw, causing his wife to spill some boozy red cocktail down the front of her bikini.

“Oh, sorry, honey,” he apologized, wiping at the spilled drink with his bare hands, and licking it off his fingers. “I don’t think we can afford to live here full -time just yet, though, Sam. Maybe in a few years.”

Samantha wiped more of the drink from between her breasts and flung it at her husband, and said, “Well maybe we could just move the whole shop here, sweets. People in Jamaica City would love your inventions, too. We don’t need to be wealthy; we just need to be happy.”

August reached out, grasped her hand, and said, “I am happy, Sam;: very, very happy,.” hHe paused, bringing her hand to his lips, and kissed her knuckles gently, then added, “I love you more than you know.”

Samantha lowered her sunglasses, looking over them at the love of her life, and replied, “If you’re happy in New Dothan, just imagine how happy you’d be here. And don’t think for one second that you love me any more than I love you, mister. I love you more than there are stars in the sky.”

“Oh yeah, babe? Well, I love you more than there are grains of sand on every beach on every planet in this and all other universes. Beat that,” he said, still clutching her hand.

“Oh shut up, you old softy,” Samantha said, leaning forward to kiss her husband. After that, they held hands and fell asleep to the sound of the ocean sending waves back and forth.