Things are Heating Up
Villa Grimaldi, outside Rome - May 6, 2023
Jared pulled up a chair in the middle of the courtyard and sat down. An assistant fixed his hair and makeup while the news crew checked their cameras. Bysandros sat opposite him and wrote a few words in his notebook.
“Alright, Herr Karasi, since this is your first time on national TV, a few tips,” Bysandros said, “Just consider this like a normal conversation.”
“Well, this is a normal conversation so far,” Jared said.
“I mean when the cameras start rolling,” Byasndros said.
“Bysandros, I’ve lectured maybe two hundred students at a time,” Jared said, “I think I can handle something like this.”
They both laughed.
“Oh, and please call me Jared,” Jared said.
“Of course,” Bysandros said.
“Live in three, two, one…” one of the camera crew said.
The attendants left the courtyard. The cameras flashed red.
“Professor Jared Karasi, thank you for agreeing to this interview,” Bysandros said, “Jared, the nation has been surprised by your recent rise to stardom. At the beginning of the year, you were just an LIT professor who joked his soldier brother-in-law always played the guitar better. And now here you are in the beautiful Villa Grimaldi, collaborating with other famous musicians. Can you tell me how it feels to suddenly jump to stardom?”
“Well, it’s still a little surreal,” Jared said, “I always liked playing the guitar. But I never thought I’d get this far with it. It’s an honor to visit this storied villa and work with such talent. Though if you expect me to go on tour soon, you might be disappointed, as I’m still a professor.”
“Of course, LIT is important, after all,” Bysandros said, “Now, Jared, I understand you’re releasing a new song called ‘Questions about Württemburg’ in a few days, right? Could you tell us anything about it?”
“Sure,” Jared said, “As you may know, a couple weeks ago, there was a situation in Württemburg where the state justice minister ordered police to evict squatters. The situation escalated, and by the end of the incident, several of the squatters were killed, and the minister was assassinated the next day by a disgruntled local. It’s a tragedy on both sides, and I feel like I wanted to share my thoughts the best way I could, through my music. I hope you’ll all enjoy it.”
“We’ll look out for that song then,” Bysandros said, “Alright, as both of us have just said, we’re presently in Villa Grimaldi. The villa was formerly the summer home of an aging aristos with no children before it was sold off to its current owner, who has hosted not only musicians but intellectuals and political figures. Have you been involved in circles other than music in your time here?”
“Actually, I have,” Jared said, “I’m proud to say I’m a card-carrying member of PMS, thanks to the friends I’ve met here. After the unfortunate death of the brilliant Martin Schulz, the SPR lost its way. Despite its past, PMS today is uniquely qualified to handle many of the issues our country faces moving forward, and its values happen to align with my own. Outside of politics, I’ve also helped out at the school and daycare facilities hosted here. The kids just love my guitar.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Bysandros said.
“Music teaches a lot for children their age,” Jared said, “Many of these kids come from poorer families who can’t afford extracurriculars or music class. I want to give them the chance to express themselves without being a financial burden on their parents.”
“You must really love your work then,” Bysandros said.
“I do,” Jared said, “It’s a joy to be at Villa Grimaldi. I feel like I can accomplish a lot here, both for myself and the people around me.”
“Well, I think I speak for the people of the nation when I say we eagerly await what you do next,” Bysandros said, “Your career is just beginning, and we’re excited to see where you’ll go. Thank you so much for your time, Jared.”
They shook hands.
“A pleasure, Bysandros,” Jared said.
But despite all of Bysandros' smiles for the cameras, Jared could still sense the disgust and disapproval the reporter felt towards him and his views. Was he sure Bysandros would honor the traditions of journalism, in light of such strong feelings?
LIT - June 2
“One, two, three!” Anna said.
On cue, she and Alex lifted up the heavy piece of equipment and put it in a box.
“You’ve gotten pretty strong,” Anna said.
“Honestly, I haven’t been hitting the gym lately,” Alex said.
“Careful with that equipment,” Alexandra said, “I need it as soon as possible down in Damascus.”
“Must be a nice gig if they want you to start working as soon as possible,” Anna said.
“We’re doing a lot of groundbreaking work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory,” Alexandra said, “It’s been my dream to work there my whole life.”
“Must be even better that they pay well, then,” Annie said with a deadpan tone.
The elder Humboldt sister hauled another piece of heavy equipment into a box without assistance.
“Yes it does, Aunt Annie!” Alexandra said. “I’m so excited!”
“You remind me so much of your mother,” Annie said.
“Back when she was working in X-Division?” Alexandra said.
“Yeah,” Annie said, “Hey Alex, can you help me out a little?”
“What for?” Alex said.
“That large printer over there,” Alexandra said. “I need a hand.”
Alex unplugged the printer and cleared a path. Annie pushed the printer to the door, where Anna and Alexandra guided it into a waiting box.
“Nicely done,” Alexandra said, “Aunt Annie, you can take a break now if you want.”
“I’m fine,” Annie said.
“Sis, are you sure?” Anna said. “Since all this equipment might remind you a lot of…”
“Don’t worry about me, Anna,” Annie said, “I can handle myself.”
“You sure?” Anna said.
“Positive,” Annie said, “I’ve been perfectly fine since Nicomedia. Literally normal.”
“Let’s hope it stays that way,” Anna said, “We don’t want to lose you again.”
“I have no intention of going away again,” Annie said, “I was away long enough.”
“I sure hope so,” Alexandra said, “Always love your fun stories.”
“Did your mother or I ever tell you the story of how I saw Mad Mao?” Annie said.
“I don’t think so,” Alexandra said.
“What story?” Alex said.
“I’ll share at the next family gathering then,” Annie said.
“Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was just you driving a few hours into Aojing, watching the movie, and then driving back,” Anna said.
“And I keep telling you, it’s not just that,” Annie said.
“Sure it isn’t,” Anna said.
She broke into a short laugh.
“I’m just messing with you,” Anna said.
Annie glared at her.
“Anyways,” Anna said, “Looks like the lab’s pretty cleaned up.”
Alex looked around. The room was now very barren. Alexandra’s equipment was neatly organized in several boxes near the door, ready to be shipped out.
“The moving truck should be here tomorrow,” Alexandra said, “That should be it.”
“Well, that was a productive day,” Annie said.
“We’ll definitely be around tomorrow to see you off,” Anna said.
“I really appreciate it,” Alexandra said.
“We’ll miss you on campus,” Alex said.
“You can always come visit me in Damascus whenever,” Alexandra said, “If you want, I can put in a word for you.”
“I’d appreciate that,” Alex said.
“Alex, you should worry about that later,” Anna said, “For now, you need to work on your grades.”
“Never too early for him to start working on his future,” Annie said.
“I suppose,” Anna said, “As Alexandra here can attest to.”
“I guess,” Alexandra said, “Anyways, thanks for your help.”
“Anything,” Alex said.
“Anytime,” Anna said.
Strasburg - August 23, 1:00 PM
Alex stared at the food in front of him. It looked like a normal burger, but at the same time it clearly wasn’t normal.
“So this is one of those ‘impossible’ burgers?” he said.
Rahul eagerly wolfed his own burger. “Yep. It’s completely vegetarian, which means I can finally eat this stuff! It’s delicious!”
“Yeah, but you have to eat it slower to savor the taste,” Chris said, “Obviously.”
“Yeah…” Alex said. “Where I come from, I’ve never seen stuff like this before.”
“What you’re looking at is the future,” Chris said, “It’s just as tasty and jucy as normal meat, which opens up new options for vegetarians. Also meat eaters looking to branch out. And you won’t be contributing to the farm industrial complex that way.”
“Less animal cruelty, more delicious not-meat!” Rahul said, still stuffing his mouth. “You’ll also reduce pressure to cut down rainforests for grazing land.”
“Go on, try it,” Chris said, “You already spent the money, might as well eat it.”
“Alright, alright,” Alex said.
He bit into the burger. To his surprise, Chris was right. It did taste just like regular meat. It was pretty delicious, and he finished it in a couple minutes.
“Man, that was great,” Alex said.
“So, have you converted to the vegetarian cause?” Rahul said.
“Eh, I’ll have to see what other options are open first,” Alex said, “I still like a good old steak every now and then.”
Ancyra - July 5, 1:00 PM
Josh walked into the cafe and got in line. He recognized a few classmates ahead of him, including Jenna from that one class. Oh, it was Jenna. She walked up to the counter and gave her order.
“Alright, a medium and a small?” the barista repeated.
“Yeah,” Jenna said.
The barista input the order into his tablet.
“So, is Clarissa sick?” Jenna said.
“Who?” the barista said.
“The woman who usually works here,” Jenna said, “Very nice.”
“How would I know?” the barista dismissively said.
What was this guy's problem? Josh thought.
Jenna swiped her card, but the card reader beeped.
“Sorry,” the barista said, “Declined.”
“Really?” Jenna said.
“Insufficient funds, it says,” the barista said.
“Impossible,” Jenna said, “I just deposited my paycheck yesterday, so…”
Well, she obviously didn't.
“Do you have cash?” the barista aggressively said.
Seriously, this guy's tone was problematic.
“Uh…no?” Jenna said. “Can you just run it again?”
Boo hoo. No coffee for you.
“Can you just come back when you have money?” the barista countered, his voice rising.
Okay, that was it. He didn't like Jenna that much, but this guy was worse.
“Hey, man, what’s your problem?” Josh said. “Just run her card again.”
“Look, I’ll just call from work,” Jenna said.
“Frakking sl*ts,” the barista muttered, “Get the frak out of here.”
Did he just...
Jenna stared at him. “Excuse me? What did you just say?”
“You’re a frakking sl*t,” the barista calmly repeated, “With shorts and tank tops like those…”
There was no mistaking it now. This guy had to go down.
“ARE YOU SERIOUS?!” Jenna said.
Everybody in the cafe quieted down and stared.
“This your first day or something?!” Jenna said. “What’s your name?”
“Unbelievable,” the barista said, “Get out of here.”
It's time to act like a man, Josh thought.
“Jenna, it’s okay, I can pay for you—” Josh began, taking out his wallet.
“Thanks, Josh, but no, I’m leaving,” Jenna said, “It’s not worth it. Your coffee frakking sucks.”
She stormed out, flipping off the barista as she left. Josh turned to the barista.
“What the frak is your problem?” he said before rushing out after Jenna.
He caught up to her outside.
“Hey, look, I’m sorry about that,” Josh began.
“No, it’s not your fault,” Jenna said, “I just need some time alone, okay?”
“I can make it up to you,” Josh said, “Maybe buy you another cup of coffee?”
“Sorry, but I’m no longer in the mood, after that frakker said that,” Jenna said, “Though I might be up to it tomorrow. But please just leave me alone now!”
She reached her car and got in. Josh stepped back and watched her drive away.