The Holo Earth

Chapter 22

The late afternoon sun cast a golden glow over Baldwin Hills community park, its warm light filtering through the trees and painting long shadows across the grass. The distant laughter of children and the occasional bark of a dog provided a soothing backdrop to the scene. On a checkered picnic blanket spread out in a quiet corner of the park, Liam and Sarah lounged, surrounded by the remnants of a casual dinner.

Sarah's eyes drifted to Liam's feet, where a pair of sleek, obviously expensive shoes caught her attention. She raised an eyebrow, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Those are some fancy kicks, Liam. New addition to the wardrobe?"

Liam's fingers drummed against his thigh, his gaze darting between Sarah's face and the ground. He crossed his ankles, tucking the shoes partially beneath the picnic blanket. "Oh, these? Yeah, just thought I'd treat myself." He forced a casual shrug, hoping to deflect any further questions.

Sarah nodded slowly, her gaze lingering on the shoes for a moment before moving back to Liam's face. "I've been meaning to talk to you about something. I've seen how good you are with Ethan. I'm starting a mentorship program for at-risk youth in the neighborhood. There's this kid, Anil. He's sixteen. Rough home. He needs a positive influence in his life. I was hoping you might consider sponsoring him."

Liam's brow furrowed slightly. "Sponsoring? What exactly would that involve?"

"Well, mainly your time and expertise," Sarah leaned forward, her hands gesturing animatedly as she spoke. Her voice quickened, a smile spreading across her face. "Anil's interested in computers and programming. He's been practicing with some AI tools and loves video games. I thought maybe you could teach him some basics, show him what it's like to work in the industry."

Liam's shoulders hunched involuntarily. His smile was more of a grimace as he forced out the words. "I'm sorry, Sarah, but I can't right now. We're in crunch time for the upcoming game release. I've committed to debugging some key features, and it's taking up all my free time."

Sarah's shoulders sagged slightly. She blinked rapidly, her gaze dropping to the picnic blanket. When she spoke, her voice was softer, the earlier excitement drained away. "Of course, I get it. Work has to come first sometimes." She paused, then added, "You know, Aurelio is taking on a mentee too. Jorge, a kid who's into space. Aurelio's got some amazing theories he's sharing with him."

At the mention of Aurelio, Liam's jaw clenched. He inhaled sharply through his nose, his fingers curling into fists before he consciously relaxed them. "That's great," he said, his voice tight despite his effort to sound neutral.

Sarah turned her attention to the picnic basket, pulling out a bunch of grapes. She popped one into her mouth. After a moment of thoughtful chewing, she spoke again, her tone tentative but hopeful. "You know, Liam, I understand if mentoring feels like too big a commitment right now. But I've been thinking about other ways we could make a difference in the community—ways that might be more flexible with your schedule."

Liam raised an eyebrow, curious despite his lingering discomfort. "Oh? What did you have in mind?"

Sarah nodded. "I met this incredible woman who told me about her childhood. She grew up in a tough neighborhood, with an absent father and a negligent mother. She didn't have enough to eat though she didn't tell anybody. She learned how to garden from an older couple who lived nearby and it changed her life. She was able to provide for herself and her younger sister, and she made so many friends. All from a community garden that someone else started."

Liam listened while he thought about the queue of bugs he had to fix tomorrow. "I'm glad she found something that helped her."

Sarah smiled. "I think a community garden could do the same for our neighborhood. It would provide fresh produce, promote sustainable living, and bring people together. I was hoping you might be interested in helping out."