[2]Chapter Twenty-Two: It’s Not Just My Pride
April 14, 2010
Silver City, NM
After that day in 2003, Marc was an entirely different person than he was before. While nothing seemed to have changed physically, his personality, priorities, and values, had undergone a complete transformation with the infusion of memories from another life.
When he left the trailer park for the last time, he left most of the trappings of his younger self behind. What few possessions he had of any value, he donated or gave away, and nearly everything else was discarded. While he was going through everything he realized that this sense of detachment was something he might have had in common with his father. There were very few items of sentimental value in the house. No books full of albums, stamp collections, or anything truly personal.
Marc had dropped off his books at the library donation box and given away all his video games and toys to neighboring families with young kids. When he had given away his last souvenirs of his old life , he felt no sense of loss or sentimentality. The hundreds of hours he spent in front of the television set, playing games or watching mindless movies and television shows were just fuzzy recollections compared to the still vivid memories of his life in the other world. The centuries of memories, the friendships, and bonds he forged there, all felt so much more real to this new person who inhabited the old Marc’s body.
After his move, Marc lived a starkly stoic life. He saw little value in technology, feeling it was mostly a distraction for pointless entertainment. Instead, he found his priorities had once again shifted. Realizing he was once again mortal, he had two new concerns that changed his attitude and priorities. The most obvious was that he was no longer immortal. He could now expect to simply live a normal human lifespan, a mere fraction of the time he had experienced in the other world if you included the eternity he had spent in the Tower. Marc felt the new pressure of only having a limited number of days ahead, an unknown number at that.
Another change was that his body was now fully mortal. As painful as it was to realize the loss of magic, Marc was excited that he could now grow older, get stronger, and improve naturally. With limited time available and growth a new option, Marc had lost any interest in amusement and entertainment but instead had focused his life around improving his body and mind and building his refuge in the mountains.
Ironically, this type of frugal life contributed to one aspect of his life on Earth staying nearly the same as before. Socially, Marc was still a loner. While it seemed that this was now largely by choice, his strange ideas and behavior did little to attract people into his orbit. His clients and customers may like and respect him, but they were kept at a distance by his intensity and rigid pragmatism. Likewise, his fellow students and peers at the University soon lost interest in him as he rebuffed invitations to parties and social activities.
Unlike how he was treated in his youth, there were no signs of aggression, or that others even disliked him, but Marc had enough self-awareness to understand that his aloof, yet focused nature was off-putting. He did not mind, however, as building a social network here was not on his new list of priorities.
That said, he was not entirely isolated. Sheila of course had all but adopted him in the years since he had met her. She was unfailingly loyal to his father’s memory, almost suspiciously so. If she wasn’t in such a healthy and adorable relationship with her husband, Marc would have suspected something might have happened there. After learning more about her business however, it made sense how much she respected his father.
Over the years, Marc had met a few other drivers who had stopped by to pay respects. They all seemed to know who he was, where he was, and how he was doing. The network of Over-The-Road truckers that his father had been associated with reminded Marc of how many hunters had interacted with the Guild. Highly independent, but with a strong sense of group values and responsibility. The truckers lived lives of isolation where the lack of a single tool or spare part could cost them dearly.
Shiela had been a key figure for many of the truckers in the region who had little sense for business, and the network that Marc’s father had built and connected had centered on her as a hub. She functioned as a Guild Officer of sorts, and Marc had gained a new respect for his father for having the foresight and the ability to help build such a network.
Marc would also visit the old blacksmith Mr. Maeda. Originally an economics professor at a small East Coast college, he had moved to the Southwest after retiring to take advantage of the warm weather. Blacksmithing was a hobby he had started only after moving to the area, but he had thrown all his energy and passion into his forge and was now a popular figure in the local art scene. Whenever Marc visited they were as likely to swap techniques and ideas for forging as they were to debate economic theories. His wife was patient and always gracious as the two would sit outside in the garage until late hours. Despite their close relationship, Marc still called the older man “Mr. Maeda”, while the other man would affectionately refer to his younger student as the “Commie”, a reflection of his opinion on Marc’s cooperative social viewpoints.
That left only one other person Marc kept regular contact with socially.
“What’s up?” Ryan asked, taken by surprise at the surprise request. Marc had never asked for a favor before.
“Well, I’m thinking it’s about time I get online.”
Ryan stared at him with a shocked expression. Marc was already starting to regret this, but if he went ahead with his plan without consulting Ryan, he knew he would pay for it later.
“Are you serious? Wait, who are you? I can’t accept the impersonation of my good little Luddite friend here.” Ryan mocked him incredulously. “You must be a pod person.”
“Come on, I’m not that bad.” Marc protested.
“Not that bad? Are you serious? You are the last adult in the county without a cell phone. How do you even function? Didn’t you used to work in technical support?” Ryan continued his attack.
“Yeah, fine. I admit it. But it’s not like I ever said that I hate technology, I just didn’t see the point.”
“Didn’t see the… Get out you heathen! How dare you spread your slander in my shrine to the great god of arcades and luxury spending!” Ryan gestured around at all the flashing screens and displays of gadgets.
“Don’t you mean the Gods of sloth and vanity?” Marc played along.
“Begone! Out with you, heretic! Before I call security!” Flinging handfuls of imaginary salt at Marc.
“Hey! Okay, I give up. It’s time. You gonna help me spend a lot of money or should I just head down to Best Buy in Cruces?”
“You wouldn’t dare…”
“I hear they are having a sale.”
“Fine! Welcome sir! How may this humble peddler of the devil’s distractions provide you service this day?” Ryan feigned a bow, then raised his head with a large grin on his face.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“When you say a lot of money, were you talking profane or a really obscene amount?”
“A really obscene amount,” Marc said his line on cue.
“Oh, I like you so much right now. Damn, why don’t I get paid on commission?”
They laughed at the joke, then Marc explained the situation.
“Seriously though, I need to do some research from my place. For my business. I figured it was about time I got hooked up. So I can look things up without having to hit the library up every time.”
“Dude, how are you still doing that? The only people who use those anymore are homeless guys surfing porn.” Ryan looked at him with a pitying expression.
“Can you even get DSL up there in the hills? Man, you don’t want to go back to dial-up do you?”
“Yeah, probably not. What about satellite?”
Ryan gave it some thought. “Might work, depending on the placement. Would be pricy though. What do you need to do?”
“Just internet searches. Nothing too heavy.”
“Any gaming?” Ryan asked with a hopeful look in his eyes.
“Nah… well…” Marc had a thought.
“Seriously?” Ryan was surprised. He had long given up on pulling Marc into his Call of Duty team.
“What do you know about Pl@y3r?”
“Huh? Player?”
“That new game from KimiGames. Pl@y3r. Written in all that L33tspeak garbage.” Marc felt strangely embarrassed by the explanation.
“Huh? Are you kidding me? That mobile thing? KamiGames? Those are the ones who screwed us over. You going traitor to play kid games?” The look of disgust on Ryan’s face was horrifying with the scars down his cheek and neck.
“I know who they are. But I think I know someone involved in that game. I just wanted to check out what it’s all about.”
“Well, If that’s what you want, then you just need a smartphone. You have decent coverage up in Pinos Altos, so you probably don’t need to get anything too fancy. But you should get a good data plan. The overage charges are where they get you. If you want something easy, the new iPhones can even work as a hotspot, so you can pair it up with a laptop for internet. If you can wait a couple of months, there should be an even better model coming out soon.”
Marc blinked a couple of times. He would be the first to admit he was a bit behind, but everything Ryan had said sounded like a bunch of nonsense words.
“I think you are still screwing with me.”
Ryan shook his head with a sigh.
“Come Grasshopper. You have much to learn before you venture into the outside world.” Putting his right arm over Marc’s shoulder, he guided him into the midst of the world of technological excess known as the Walmart Tech department.
Several hours later, Marc was at the register ringing up an eye-watering bill for a new top-of-the-line iPhone 3GS and a brand-new Macbook to go with it, complete with data plan, insurance, and accessories. Marc had wanted to stick with a PC, but Ryan pushed him to go with the Mac as they worked better with the iPhone and lasted longer.
“Are you kidding with this price?” Marc complained, looking at the register.
“Hey! That’s with my employee discount.”
“Seriously?” Marc took a deep breath. This was more than he paid for his truck. He hadn’t had many large expenses since he completed the work on his property, so this purchase temporarily took his breath away. He would have to mention this to Shiela so she didn’t freak out when she checked his statements. Of course then he would have to share his new number too… This was getting complicated again.
Ryan sensed his discomfort and took that opportunity to pounce.
“Don’t forget there is also the monthly cellphone bill.”
“The pain… My heart!” Marc grasped at his heart feigning a minor medical emergency.
“Also, didn’t you said this was a favor right?”
“Stab me in the back while I am lying in my own blood then. What an asshole!” Marc protested as he filled out the credit card slip.
“Hey, what happened to the big spender? Your words, not mine.” Ryan put everything into a large shopping bag and handed it to Marc.
“So what do you want?” Marc deadpanned.
“You know.”
“Lobo’s?” Marc sighed.
“Lobo’s.” Ryan confirmed.
“When?”
“Friday of course. I’ll get off early, seven work?” Ryan asked.
“Fine. I’ll make the reservation. You going to ask her out this time?”
“Wha… ehem. I am sure I have no idea what you are talking about. I simply enjoy a fine meal in a sophisticated atmosphere.” Ryan flushed a bit.
“You know the law of the jungle right? Every hot bartender is dating a cop. I don’t make the laws, but go ahead and tempt fate. Just don’t call me to bail you out. Again.”
“How was I supposed to kno-“
“I refer you to the previously mentioned law of the jungle. Anyway, you can always crash on my couch if you don’t want to risk getting stopped on the way back into town.” Marc offered.
“You still living with that wild animal?”
“Torren?”
“What kind of name is that for a mutant bear anyway?”
“He’s a dog. Well, I think he’s a dog. Either that or he’s a furry houseplant.”
“It’s a menace. Last time I slept on your sofa I woke up with my head in its jaws!”
“He was just being playful. The chickens take turns bullying him out of his lunch money.”
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Marc decided to skip his other stops that day as he didn’t want to carry around his new purchases around. On his way back to his house he stopped at the Lobo Saloon and poked his head inside the back. The establishment was still closed, but he was on good terms with the chef, a giant bear of a man named Cyrus. He would stop by sometimes to talk about recipes, and Marc would share some of his fresh produce from the garden when he had extra.
“Hey Cyrus,” Marc called into the empty kitchen.
“That you Marc?” A voice came from the main hall.
“Yup, how are things going?”
A large hulking man emerged from the shadows carrying a couple of crates. Cyrus put the boxes down and motioned for Marc to come in.
“What’s up? Any more of those yuzu fruits?”
“Not yet. Probably won’t get another harvest until winter, but I can get some green ones in the summer. Can’t eat them, but the rinds are good for zest.”
Marc was happy he had been able to cultivate a couple of plants in the greenhouse. He had missed the unique citrus flavor and was surprised that the fruit was all but non-existent in the United States. Luckily he remembered Kira mentioning the name and had found someone at a farmers market who knew about them and was able to get him some seedlings.
“Shame. Keep me in mind when you get some more though. What brings you in then?” The towering chef asked.
“Just wanted to make a reservation for two on Friday night. Just paying back a favor from a friend.” He said, indicating he wasn’t expecting the discount he usually got when he came in alone.
“Sure, no problem. Will let Lily know. Two for Friday night? Restaurant or the Saloon?”
“Two seats at the bar should be fine. How’s that new bartender doing? Is she dating a cop yet?” Marc probed not so subtly.
“Ha! What do you think? She’s been here more than three months.”
“Gotcha. Thanks. See you Friday.” Marc hopped back on his bike and drove the short distance back to his house. He would have to warn Ryan off hitting on the bartender. Well, maybe he would.
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Sitting on the sofa, Marc worked setting up and deciphering the workings of his new cellphone. Contrary to the belief of his friends, he was not a total rube. He had played around with smartphones a bit in stores. He hadn’t lost all curiosity about technology. Especially when the reviews of the “magic-like” new Apple phones became all the rage. He had to admit that the device was very user-friendly and while it took him a bit to get the hang of typing on a glass screen, it wasn’t as challenging as he had expected.
Soon he was navigating the device and surfing the web on the tiny screen. He was sure using this long-term would get tiresome, but simple searches for things was quite easy and intuitive. The map application was particularly impressive. While it was not quite as powerful as his old mapping ability, it was similar enough that he felt almost homesick.
Next, he set up the laptop. Luckily Ryan had helped him do most of that in the store, as updating the operating system and setting up his accounts would use a lot of his precious monthly data allowance. He remembered that the Lobo had free wi-fi and resolved to stop by there sometimes to binge if he needed to download anything substantial. He was sure he could work out a deal with Cyrus.
Having access to the internet in his home was nice. He had dismissed it for so long. In general, he had developed an aversion to the high-speed, progress-focused society of his birth, and had fully embraced to slow and practical lifestyle of the other world, but now that he had a goal, he quickly recognized the value of the ease of access to information the internet offered.
He checked out the webpage for KamiGames, navigating to each page, and looking for clues. There were some mentions of Mary in the investor relations section, the announcement of her being named as CEO was the most notable. She was introduced as a long-time employee of the company and a crucial member of the development team for the new mobile game division. In fact, it appeared that the entire company was now devoted to its new mobile platform and the upcoming release of its first major release.
Marc navigated through the pages, carefully avoiding the promotional videos that would eat up more data than he wanted. Then he saw a small link buried on a deeply buried page.
BETA TESTERS WANTED.
With a smile, he clicked on the link.