Sydney J. Van Scyoc

“ He said, You don't think I'd experiment with my own child? I didn't know. He said, Bim might be smart anyway. I said, He might be, he's your son. It was a good compliment.
September 17, 1983 Bimmie wants to learn cooking. He said, You have to work hard, hanging diapers. It will help if I can cook.
I'll teach him hot chocolate first. His fixing tastes awful.
October 5, 1983 I have little to report. Bimford, Jr. is flourishing. The puppies are adorable. Susta and Sup tend them jointly.
Bimmie has no new project. He has thrown all his energies into cooking. ”

“ She couldn't get a job; there weren't that many jobs. And with the government allowance for not working, who needed a job? Who needed anything? A time of plenty, her school machine had called it. You just gridded around collecting and arguing to make it interesting. There were so many people moving so fast that you had to quarrel and push or you'd get stepped on.
It was all stupid. Brendel didn't help a bit. He was stupid too.
She tried to imagine Latsker Smith echoing through the empty streets in his scarlet splinter of car. Latsker Smith couldn't be stupid. ”

“ So he had to live on government non-employment allowance. His pre-grid automobile and airplane were his only diversions. Since he couldn't leave Boston by automobile, Boston being walled up like any city by the streetless suburbs, he saved his allowance until he could commercial-grid his car to another city. There he raced and squealed and spun through the deserted streets of centercity until he had saved enough to commercial-grid the car elsewhere. ”

“ I said, Changing soppy diapers is what you call fulfillment?
It doesn't show. Frankie winked at me.
September 17, 1982 The cat climbed those lace curtains Bimmie's mother gave us. Bimmie said it was my job to watch him. I said, That's a stupid way to spend my life. He said, I didn't marry you to have you sit around and do nothing.
Susta watched Sup and whined. She wants to be a cat.
September 27, 1982 Bimmie read my diary. He said there wasn't a June 31. He says to tell more about his work. It won't make money if he's not in it.
I told him about the baby. He said, Whoopee! ”

“ Even as Brendel was feeling Lukia's face with his eyes, letting her excitement speak to his own, Pollony was at the bank having her balance marked into her deposit clip.
Even as Ferren was smiling and wondering how much the two books would bring, Pollony was rapping at the door of the apartment house in centercity and being told that, yes, Mr. Smith still lived there.
Presently Latsker Smith roared around the corner and braked his car. He unfolded from the cockpit. He nodded.
"Have you got money to go to Boston yet?" She held herself very straight. ”

“ But he had already noticed Lukia's interest. "Where we gonna go?"
"We can go to my live," Lukia said. "I think Dobble deserves her little whim."
Brendel could not believe she was not going to fight. "You, kid! You're acting like a kid."
Ferren took Brendel's arm. "Don't stoop to conventional pettiness, Brendel."
Brendel flushed. "I'm coming back. You're not rooking me out of my collections." He turned abruptly and stepped on the grid. Giving a three-passenger order, he disappeared. Lukia followed. Ferren stepped on, tossed bills to the collectors, and disappeared.
Pollony closed the door. ”

“ Bimmie says to write more. He thinks that's all I have to do. The baby sleeps all the time he isn't crying. I like him, only I'm tired of diapers.
Susta gets three pills every day. She plays with them, then eats them. Bimmie said last night, It won't be long until my experiment bears fruit. ”

“ July 9, 1982 The puppy's Susta, the cat's Sup. Susta's jealous because Sup jumps on the couch, and she can't.
Bimmie'll have to make pills for Susta. She hides from his needle. She'll be small. That's good, Bimmie says.
August 17, 1982 He just married me to cook! Every night he's in his laboratory. I'm always in this stupid, ugly house. ”

“ Pollony said.
"I take the silver." Ferren smiled comfortably.
Lukia flipped her hand at him. "Atrocious man. Now, Pollony—"
It ended with Lukia inviting herself to come back to lunch. She had hardly vacated the grid when Elka appeared.
She unwrapped her purchases, smirking at Ferren. "You'd be surprised the number of hats a girl needs." She stayed half an hour.
Another young man came for her mother. Two salesman, a traveling circular and a friend came. Then Brendel was on the grid. ”

“ Already she was sick of the opera routine—and a little sick of Brendel.
"Drives a car. From Boston. Fella at the plant told me he's in centercity."
Minutes later they gridded out of the suburban maze. They materialized on a corner grid in centercity. There was no one on the dusty street. There was no car near the gaunt brick building where Latsker Smith was staying. They plopped on the doorstep.
Brendel fidgeted and talked. Latsker Smith was the son of a rich industrialist. His father wouldn't support him unless he worked, and Latsker wouldn't work. ”

“ July 4, 1983 Bimmie says tomorrow we'll shut them up in the basement.
July 5, 1983 The funniest thing. Bimmie said, You put them in the basement. Then he left. I thought, I'll just take them out while I hang diapers. But when we went out, three dogs came up. I said, Scat! I couldn't chase them because I had my arms full of diapers, because Bimmie won't buy me a basket. They came closer, edging around. I stomped my feet and yelled. ”

“ She resented punching his food and didn't even want to quarrel.
She drowsed back into sleep, remembering. Everything was empty. She ate, she slept, she quarreled, she gridded around seeing friends. What else was there? ”

“ She raised her eyebrows but conducted me to the proper shelf. After finding several interesting volumes, I also checked out a volume on cookery for Bimford. His hot chocolate doesn't improve, despite nightly practice. ”