*****
After leaving Samantha’s office, I went to the lobby. I saw that Jessica had found someone to talk to – two volunteers, Anthony and Steven. The first one, Anthony, was a diligent medical student, he was wearing a blue shirt and black jeans. His interest in summer volunteering at this fashionable clinic was pretty understandable. On the contrary, Steven’s reasons for coming to help at the clinic were a complete mystery. Though there were certain assumptions. A shock of long plaits on his head, the shabby jeans and sandals on his feet inevitably suggested that it had been desire to have access to drugs that had brought him to the clinic. It was only their absence there that had prevented him from fulfilling his clever plan, simple as that. And as far as he didn’t know how else to occupy his summer days, he stayed for the remaining time. Though that was only a hypothesis for he was a fairly normal guy who always accumulated fun around himself.
Steven was holding a strange item which I was only able to identify as I approached. To my surprise he was holding a boomerang. He waved it, as if trying to throw it, but stopped at the last moment – that was only demonstration before the amazed Jessica of how to use that toy for the intended purpose. And, judging by her laugh, Jess was absolutely fine with testing the boomerang in practice.
“Simon, Simon, look what Steven has got!” she exclaimed noticing my presence.
“Yeah, check it out, Simon!” Steve echoed her.
“I see, Jess…,” I said and shook hands of Tony and Steven. “Hello, guys”.
“We are going to throw it on the parking, are you in?” Steve’s offer was accompanied by actively flinging his arms vigorously about.
“No, guys, I need to catch Alberta, she will be here soon,” I too wanted would not mind trying boomerang in practice, but more than that I longed to be able to see Berry in the lobby before she would disappear in Samantha’s office.
“Simon, would you agree to stay at the reception desk, while I am away, because I so badly want to go with them, but somebody could call all of a sudden,” Jessica begged.
“Ok, go” I didn’t refused her modest request.
“It is early for someone to call, but in case…” Jess continued to beg for, as though she didn’t heard, that I gave consent.
“Are you still here?” I slightly raised my voice jokingly.
In a merry hubbub, Anthony, Steven and Jessica headed for the parking, which was hardly an appropriate location for throwing a boomerang because of its small size. Moreover, Jess had never done it before. But these circumstances were of little concern to them even after several unsuccessful attempts. The boomerang didn’t want to come back despite all their efforts. The wide panoramic glass window provided an ideal opportunity to observe them from where I was sitting in the lobby and I couldn’t keep from smiling.
But I was suddenly distracted from that show by a very familiar sound of bubbles bursting. On the screen of the monitor standing on the reception desk the incoming Skype call window popped up. I automatically stretched my hand to the mouse, but instantly withdrew it, remembering that any touch of working computer devices would be considered as an infringement of the court prohibition. Skype persistently continued to notify about the incoming call, but I wasn’t able to respond. Jessica wasn’t looking at me so trying to give her a sign was quite useless. I had no clue as to who was calling, but from that point on I practically became involved in a chain of events that eventually brought me to the San Diego pre-trial detention centre. I only thought that if it was an important call, Jessica could be in trouble.
But my hesitations as to how that situation should have been tackled evaporated as soon as I saw Alberta entering the building. I just wasn’t able not to switch my attention to her. Really it was totally beyond me to take my eyes off the girl who possessed the ability to light up the space around her. Beautiful face, charming eyes, magnificent lips, which was slightly stretched in smile, chocolate shade skin, black curls, disobediently bouncing up and back on her gentle shoulders with each her movement – I fell in love with Berry every time when I saw her and that time didn’t became an exception. I made several steps towards her, while she crossed the remaining space between us and sank into my embrace.
“So, Simon, did she agree?” she kissed me on the lips, obviously convinced that a kiss was way better than any other form of greeting.
“Everything is alright, don’t worry,” I bated her curiosity. Though Sam didn’t give her consent to our date during the next consultation visit, I wasn’t bothered by that fact. However, I knew just how emotional Alberta was and didn’t want to initiate her into my little plan. “You are late so let’s go. I‘ll take you to Samantha’s office,” finally managing to take my glance from her eyes, I looked at the clock hanging on the wall above the reception desk. Bearing in mind the disappearance of smile from her face, she obviously didn’t want to obey this. But neither did she resist, and so we went to Samantha’s cabinet holding hands.
“Simon, have you prepared a present for our mini-anniversary already?” the girl turned her head in my direction. She was oblivious of her surroundings, staring in my face, thereby making me both our navigator and a helmsman on the way to the Sam’s office.
“Probably,” I smiled, turning my head towards her for a second.
“And what is it?” Alberta inquired moving as close as possible to me as ifs he wanted to hear something that could be only said in a whisper.
“That is a surprise!” I answered, still staring straight before me, pretending I did not notice her little ruse.
“Simon!” she exclaimed, stopping and grabbing my hand. “Do tell me!”
“Then it won’t be a surprise!” I slowed down for a second and turned to face her, but then went on forward, dragging Alberta behind. “Come on, let’s go!”
“But don’t you want to know what I have prepared for you?” the girl asked, obviously trying to propose a mutually advantageous exchange.
“I don’t.”
“Why?!”Berry was stunned. “Aren’t you curious?”
“Because you won’t tell me anything, unless I reveal what my surprise is all about!” I smiled.
“Fine!” the girl said, clearly disappointed caused by failing of her plan.
We stopped in front of the door to the Sam’s office and stood opposite each other.
“We won’t see each other again today.”
Usually we tried to spend the few brief minutes before and after Alberta’s meeting with Sam together but not on that day.
“Why?” the girl asked with upset in voice.
“I’ve gotta be off,” I answered. “There is some stuff to be done.”
“So…,” She looked me in the eyes and a moment later added quietly, “till tomorrow.”
“Till tomorrow,” I echoed and hugged her. “And don’t you forget where we are meeting!”
I was a bit worried about that, since I was unable to text or phone her to remind her.
“I remember!” she answered and disappeared behind the door.
My way outside passed through the lobby, where Jessica had already took her position. Anthony and Steven weren’t near.
“Simon! You are a dummy!” Jess addressed me as I walked past her.
“What are you talking about?” I was surprised to hear this and turned in her direction.
“I’ve realised why you don’t have accounts on social networking websites! You just don’t know how to handle computer! You are a dummy!” she laughed. “While you were sitting at the reception desk, you had an incoming call on Skype! Didn’t you manage to answer it?”
“You’re right, I didn’t manage. As for social networks – I am dating two girls at once and just don’t want them to find out about each other,” I joked it off because I didn’t want to reveal the real reason behind both my inability to answer that Skype call and my not having accounts on social networking websites.
Nobody at the clinic, except Alberta, Ryan and Samantha, knew that I was doing
community service there as part of my penalty, another part of which was the prohibition to use electronic devices. All of the clinic’s staff, including Jessica, believed that I was volunteering there. If she had found out about my hacker’s past and about the trial, everybody, including Anthony and Steven, would have got to know that. And the stream of questions like “What did you do?”, “How were you arrested”, “Were you handcuffed?” would have been inevitable. But I didn’t want to give them food for gossip and becoming a local celebrity. I therefore tried to avoid discussing with Jessica or other people issues that were sort of delicate for me in order not to give them superfluous cause for reflections. And the joke about dating two girls seemed to be just the right thing to cut her curiosity.
“I hope you won’t tell Alberta about that!” I winked to her. “Jess, I am going out to buy a coffee for Samantha. Do you want something?”
Though Sam didn’t ask me for a coffee, I thought that it would be a good excuse to slip out of the clinic. If Ryan would be looking me, Jess would have provided an excuse for my absence.
“No, thanks!”Jessica’s radiant snow-white smile testified that she was not much of a coffee drinker– so the answer was sort of predictable.
Leaving the building, I saw Donovan who was yelling without mincing a word at Steven and Anthony. The two guys were standing silently opposite to him, looking down. Upon coming closer I was once again convinced that Ryan’s son still hadn’t changed his mind as far as considering himself to be better than others went.
“You are pathetic! You are clueless how much this car costs! You will have to toil a hundred years to earn it!” Donovan yelled.
The guys were silent, even though, I bet, they badly wanted to answer him. But the fact that his father was the clinic’s boss made them restrain their desires. Having finished his monologue filled with insults and curses, Donovan walked into the building. Walking past me, he didn’t even consider greetings as something necessary. I responded in the same way.
“What was that?” I addressed guys, approaching them.
“Boomerang. As it was coming back, it hit the hood of Donovan’s car, which was just driving in” Steven answered.
“What an asshole!” Tony blurted out.
“He is!” Steve echoed his mate, taking a sunflower seed out of his pocket and putting it in his mouth. A second later he spat out the husks.
“You said “an asshole”,” I looked at the building, located on the opposite side of the street. Pigeons were sitting on different windowsills of that house.
“Steve, how many sunflower seeds have you got left?” I asked.
“Piles,” the guy answered, taking a handful of those out of his pocket and stretched it to me. “Be treated, Simon.”
“Thanks” I took them and threw on the hood of Donovan’s car.
“What is that meant for?” the guys practically unanimously exclaimed.
“Patience, my friends,” I said reassuringly.
Several seconds later pigeons began flocking on top of the hood, flying down from the window sills of the surrounding buildings.
“But what’s next? They will eat he seeds and fly away,” Anthony was obviously not yet getting there.
“Give you three guesses as to what they will leave behind on the hood after eating,” I said and turned away to walk along the street.
The lads finally understood sense of what I had done and laughed.
“Pigeon dung!”
I smiled, but they wouldn’t have seen this– I was already some forty feet away from them. I was heading for the Schwarzman building of the New-York Public Library which was to be the place for something that was supposed to be my surprise for Alberta on our mini-anniversary. But first I had to meet with one person who had promised to help me with this – Pitt, a student at the Chemistry department. I arranged the meeting with him on the stairs leading to the entrance of the famous building. When I got there, he was already waiting for me, standing next to the stone lion situated on the North side and listening to the music through giant headphones. He was so absorbed by that that he was making even barely noticeable dance moves in time with the tune he was listening to.
“Hi, Pitt! Is everything ready?” I greeted a guy, whose NY cap was turned on the left side on his head.
“Oh, hello, Simon! I’ve done it!” Pitt blurted out slightly louder than would have been appropriate. He was obviously still under the effect of music despite taking off his headphones and leaving them hanging on his neck. The sound of music could be heard even there. “And I was nearly caught at the laboratory, so you owe me one!”
“OK,” I said joyfully. “Thank you!”
Pitt took a tub filled with liquid out of his pocket and gave it to me. Having wished him good-bye, I took that tube and a brush that I had prepared beforehand to the library building along the familiar route. In spite of the fact that Public Library is not the most popular place with the younger generation, since the Judge prohibited the use of electronic devices to me, I began to frequent it – in fact I visited it almost every day in the past few months.
It seems to me that the prohibition to use computers, smartphones or any other electronic device which would enable one to access the Internet will inevitably lead any young person to realising that reading, – an activity to which people devoted a significant amount of their time in the past, – is grossly underestimated in present days. And it is very simple logic … anyone who wishes to avoid being bored, needs to receive a certain amount of information from the world, every day, and, in fact, the sources are of little importance really. It could be communication with friends, lectures at college, TV, tweets, news on Facebook, googling for interesting information or reading books. The only things that does matter are personal preferences as to the sources and the content of such information.
Of course, receiving information using electronic devices and the World Wide Web is most convenient, because it allows finding all necessary information at any time in any place. Should you enter a dispute with somebody about the validity of a certain fact, it is not necessary to search for the solution in giant paper encyclopedias, for Google is indeed a much faster way; it is not necessary to meet with friends in person in order to find out how they are and what they were doing over the weekend, it could be easily learnt from visiting their Facebook, Instagram or Twitter pages; it is not necessary to wait for news bulletins on TV and devour information that channel editors choose to feed you, the Internet could provide the whole spectrum of events in just one click; personal presence in auditorium is no longer really necessary in order to study, almost any recourse could be found on the World Wide Web; there is no longer any need to go to the library to find and read a book, because it is way more convenient to get an electronic version of that book, which you can instantly start reading no matter where you are.
But not all books have electronic versions and not every traditional form of communication can be replaced with the digital one. Although I didn’t really enjoy using the giant paper encyclopedia instead of Google; communicating with friends in person only; watching news on TV and learning merely in class, but as I was a hacker who had been prohibited from using the Internet and didn’t have that many options, one thing I had become fond of was reading paper books available at NYPL. I was particularly interested in the ancient ones which were to be found only in the Brook Russell Astor Reading Room. That reading room of the Rare Book Section was the most sensitive site in the entire library, because it was there that the most valuable books and manuscripts, photos, musical records were kept. The access to it was restricted to those visitors who had undergone the special registration procedure. Moreover, there were a number of further restrictions, like the requirement to use only pencils for notes (and prohibition of ink) and prohibition to bring one’s own paper. Certainly, these measures were easy to explain due to the high value of books, some of which were published several centuries ago. All this rules, as a matter of fact, were directed t
o interdiction of any inadequate using of them, except resolved one – reading.
But ancient books are worth that inconvenience. Opening them might only be compared to touching history. Their texture, dust which has formed because nobody has opened them for a long time, and even their characteristic smell – all of it made inexpressible feelings, which I was pretty keen on. Once, having received an ancient copy of one book, I got an idea how to immortalize our love with Alberta and make this my present for our mini-anniversary.
And on July 11 I went there in order to execute my plan. All that I needed for that was with me, and all that was left to it only to take the book, escaping the librarian supervision for a few minutes. And that wasn’t difficult, because the library appeared to be the place where I found not only books which never refused to keep me company and helped to while away any free time I had, but also people with whom it was easy to get acquainted and in some cases even to become friends. Moreover, the fact that I was perhaps the only young guy who daily visited the library, becoming a common sight for the staff, had done the trick – I was easily recognisable. So on my way to the reading hall I again and again greeted different employees of the library with whom I had come to be on rather good terms by that time.
It was impossible to enter the reading room of the Rare Book Section without meeting Ronald, the security officer. That big twenty two year-old guy, whose excessive weight was, as he liked to say, compensated by the uniform, was sitting on a very high chair near the entrance door. He faithfully supervised the abidance by the rules on the part of the visitors to that special place. Anything forbidden, like ink, was not to be brought inside and anything valuable, like books dating back several centuries, was not to be taken out. But I personally had been beyond suspicion in his eyes since I once asked him whether Yankees, whose fan he was, had won the last game.
As I was entering the room, I almost collided with Raul, an elderly cleaner who was washing the floor. I asked him what his daughter drew by water color on that time and smiled perusing the picture which he produced out of his pocket. Then I came up to the desk which was made up of several sections forming almost a finished circle. In the centre of that “circle” librarian Marley, a woman of thirty something, whose pink hair contrasted with her conservative outfit was sitting on a rotating chair. I had been acquainted with her for several months now.
I put my library card on her desk and, following the regular small talk in the form of inquiring whether she and her husband had that I had visited the French restaurant recommended several days ago (which had been advised to me by Pierre), I asked her to give me the same book she gave me last time. She got up, left the “table-circle” and went off in search of the book I requested.
The book that I needed was sitting on one of racks, which filled all walls of the room, forming two quasi floors – levels. The first level was separated from the second by a “balcony” stretching for the entire length of the racks. The stairs led to this second quasi floor. The stair railings smoothly flowed into the “balcony” balustrade on which small wooden suspended outwards “tables” were hung over space of bottom level. There were comparable to those used for bringing a coffee to bed. Entrance to the stairs, as rack of the first level, was separated from the rest space of room, filled by the tables for reading, by handrails. The tables were paired, one opposite to another, and between them situated big lamps.
Marley crossed the room and went up onto the “second” level. There, verifying the rack numbers with some paper in her hand, she found the necessary one and got the book out of it. I watched her movements, making a mental note of everything she did. Then Marley returned by the same route and handed the book over to me. I thanked her and settled with the book behind the table which stood the furthest from the librarian’s desk.
I looked around to make sure nobody was watching me – Marley was texting, the people in the reading room were absorbed in their reading. So I was free to do anything I wanted.
It didn’t take long to realise my intentions to do something that was supposed to be a surprise for Alberta. I had been reading for several hours, partly in order not to arouse suspicions with my unusually brief visit, partly because I really liked the book. I also needed to talk to Marley about my tomorrow’s date there, because I was unable to take my surprise out of the Brook Russell Astor Reading Room. But for that kind of talks it was necessary to wait until all other people left that place. An opportunity only presented itself when the clock on the librarian’s desk showed 5.30 pm, which meant that the room was going to close in fifteen minutes. The only remaining visitor, apart from myself, handed over his book to Marley and went out.
A minute later I also got up and came up to the librarian.
“Here is the book I took,” I said putting it on her desk.
“OK… Simon and how it is? Do you like it?”
“Of course, Shakespeare is Shakespeare!” I put my hands on the table and bent forward slightly. “Marley, are you working tomorrow?”
“Yeah, Simon, you know, I am here every day. Why?” the librarian replied, taking the book and making a note on its return in her papers. A moment later, having added with a laugh, “Do you meant to invite me on a date after work?”
“I would love to,” I laughed too. “Even wouldn’t wait until the end of your business day and would arrange a date right here a four p. m.!”
“I would accept it for sure,” she said, still smiling. “If only I was younger and unmarried!”
“Well, you don’t leave me a choice! I am bound then to invite somebody else here, otherwise I will have to change my plans to make a date, but I don’t want to!” I stopped laughing and said this in rather serious tone of voice, trying to catch her attention.
“What?” she giggled for several more seconds, until she realised that I was no longer kidding. “Simon, are you serious?”
“Never been more serious!” I answered.
Marley laughed again and then said, “What do all of you find in this place? There are some halls in this building that are way more beautiful! ”
“What do you mean?” I wondered.
“You are not the first who wants to use Brook Russell Astor Reading Room for romantic purposes. Some guy even proposed to his girl there.” the woman smiled and added, “So, how can I help you? Do you want me to register access for your girlfriend? It is not a big deal, let’s fill out the questionnaire, and by tomorrow everything will be alright! ”
“I’ve already done it, here it is!” I took out of an inset pocket of my jacket a piece of paper folded in two and gave it to her. “But, honestly, I also need this room to be empty tomorrow. I don’t want anybody to be here, except me and her”
“Simon, that is impossible!” Marley’s smile disappeared from her face. “I am obliged to keep the reading room open during the working hours between10 am and 5.45 pm!”
“I am not asking you to lock the doors of this place for a whole day! Only to finish your work a bit early– slightly before 4.45 pm – at, say, four o’ clock!”
“Simon, if I close the room on my own decision without serious reason, I will be in big trouble! To do this I need a permission from the library director, and he won’t give it for the sake of a date! Not for the Brook Russell Astor Reading Room at least! But you could try talking to him yourself,” the woman replied, her intonation clearly implying “it-is-not-going-to-happen”. “Simon, you know how strict the rules are in this room!”
“But if you close the access here because of some technical failure? For example, because of electricity black-out?” Rules… hackers are meant to break them.
“But this has never happened since I started working here!” the librarian answered hastily, but, realizing almost instantly that this was a hint, she added, “But, you know, electricity is very important – illumination, computer database…Theoretically speaking, if electricity went off at four pm sharp, I would call the electrician who wouldn’t come until the next morning, therefor
e I would lock the reading room.”
“OK, I’ll fix everything,” I gave her a wink.
I came up to one of the rear reading tables and began to unscrew the bulb from the lighting device standing on it.
Marley watched me doing this for a couple of seconds, then said, “Simon, if you just want to remove all bulbs, turning by that the light off, I think, you plan won’t work!”
“I don’t need all the bulbs. One would suffice, tomorrow I will return it,” I put it into of the pocket of my jacket and headed for the door.
“By, Marley!” I said leaving the room.
“See you tomorrow, Simon!” the woman uttered in a voice that was anything but optimistic. “But if something goes wrong, I won’t let you in anymore!”
“Don’t forget to bring a flashlight!” I said and disappeared behind the door.
I also needed to make a deal with security service officer Ronald, but as far as I had a key to his soul (I knew he was a big fan of Yankees), it wasn’t hard.
“Enough reading for today, Simon?” he was the first to address.
“Yeah!” I answered. “Ronald, I have two tickets for the Yankees game this week.Would you like to go with your girlfriend?”
I took two tickets out of an inset pocket and handed them to the guy.
“Are you serious? It would be awesome!” he blurted out excited, jumping out his armchair and grabbing the tickets, but a second later he recollected himself, “Simon, why aren’t you going yourself?”
“You know, I am not a baseball fan, I prefer books…”
“Thanks, mate!” Ronald said and hugged me. “If I can help you with anything, remember that I’m always there for you!”
“Frankly speaking, you could help me!” I said thoughtfully. “As I already said, I like books and that is why I want to arrange a date here, in Brook Russell Reading Room.”
“A date? Here? Simon, that is not a problem! You know, one guy proposed to his girlfriend in this reading room!” Ronald laughed.
“Marley has already mentioned,” I smiled. “So I can count on you tomorrow!”
“Sure, Simon!”
“OK, see ya!”
“Yankees!!!” he yelled, raising his hands with the tickets in them.
I didn’t go back to the clinic because it was too late. So I went home. In my room I fiddled with the bulb – it took a few simple manipulations to have it transformed into a device causing a short circuit in the electrical network to which it was connected. Because of this, twisting that bulb in the switched on lamp was supposed to entail operation of a safety lock on electro panel board, disconnecting electricity in the whole reading room. And, the most important part of that, electricity supply may not be reestablished, while the bulb was in its socket, because the whole chain “short circuit – operation of safety lock” was designed to repeat permanently. Moreover, only professional electrician could guess that the problem was in the bulb and it wouldn’t cause any suspicious – just fused bulb.
Chapter V