DUALITY /#Wattys 2021

Chapter 30

The next day was supposed to have been the day to take Sannah out on the practice field. Ridley pulled the little orange coat on her that she'd found hanging in the closet, but as she tied the furry orange hat, with two miniature ear flaps, under Sannah's chin, Reb appeared in the doorway with a rap on the doorjamb.

"Maneuvers are cancelled for this morning, Ridley. Popish is here. I know you don't want to miss hearing what he has to say."

Ridley almost dropped the hat. "No. No, I don't. Thanks."

She took the coat and hat off Sannah and picked her daughter up in her arms, knowing the conference would take place, as always, in the living room around the coffee table. Sure enough, her mother was there, setting out coffee, muffins, and fruit, as if they all hadn't just eaten breakfast. A quick knock sounded at the door and Reb went to open it. Popish stood there in a quilted jacket, his ears, nose, and balding head turning red from the cold. Beside him stood a soldier in military uniform, who had evidently flown him to the airstrip and escorted him through the woods.

"Popish!" boomed Reb. "Que pasa?" So many other cultures had melded into the workingtowns that foreign phrases had become commonplace no matter a person's background; this one, in Spanish, meant, "What's happening?"

"Good to see you again, Reb," said Popish. The soldier saluted Reb, who nodded once and saluted back. Ridley wrinkled her forehead at the gesture. She'd thought Reb was a spy, not a military officer. And didn't people only salute those in uniform? Apparently there was more to Reb's story than just that.

The officer turned away, and Reb ushered Popish in and closed the door. Popish homed in on the coffee Alana was serving, trotting straight to the table and removing his gloves to sip and warm his hands on a freshly-poured cup. "How are you, Alana? Ridley?" he said, meeting the eyes of each woman in turn.

"We're fine, how are you?" said Alana.

"I'm going to go lose this coat," said Popish, but Ridley noticed he headed down the corridor in the direction of the bathroom, instead. In a few moments he was back, draping his overcoat over the back of a chair, and picked up his coffee again.

"Bye!" Sannah shouted, and put her hand out for a wave. Ridley and Alana laughed. "Her second word. She's got 'hi' and 'bye' confused," said Ridley. "For right now, everything's 'bye.'"

"I'm not sure she's really trying to talk yet," said Alana. "She may just be saying that. In the crib last night she was saying, 'Da-da-da-da,' and 'ba-ba-ba-ba,' and she couldn't even see me from where she was."

Popish stepped closer, took Sannah's hand, and gave it a mini-shake. "Hi, Sannah," he said. "She's adorable," he told Ridley. "And bigger than she was two weeks ago, I think."

Ridley smiled. "Thank you," she said. She felt, rather than heard, the presence of the King, who walked up behind her where she had seated herself in the middle of the couch.

"Dr. Popish," he said. "Thank you for analyzing Ridley's sample so quickly. I take it you have news for us."

Popish pulled a small metal sphere from his pants pocket: his display computer. "Yes, I do," he said. "Some of it is surprising. My graduate students and I weren't quite prepared for what we found."

The King walked around the couch and sat down on Ridley's right. "Then let's get to it, shall we?"

"Of course."

Reb approached, his eyes on the space to Ridley's left, but Alana dropped down into it instead. Reb's shoulders dropped a half inch, and he turned to take a chair to Alana's left.

Popish put his computer on the table and said, "Display." A transparent, blue hologram of the human brain appeared. He turned to Alana. "Alana, I wonder if you might have a glass of water for me? It's dry work talking all morning. Love your coffee, but I need some water with it."