022 :: Playback
Naomi touched the picture of the master lifting sushi from her nipple. It was the beginning of the meal. It was the first piece of sushi. The master ate it. Naomi touched the translation symbol.
Delicious. You have outdone yourself Peter. (Diane)
Thank you. (Peter)
Tuck in everyone. George. Remember what I said. (Diane)
When have I ever. (George)
John used the chopsticks. Phoebe and George used their fingers. George let his fingers linger. A small caress. A little pinch. Nothing rough.
Now George. I am watching you. (Diane)
George protested his innocence through mime. Pretend innocence. Like a boy who just discovered his willy. They did not have an au pair.
I hear you have been negotiating with Miller. (Phoebe)
Yes. Very exciting. Looks like we might have a deal. (John)
Darling. Well done. Peter top up the champagne. We have a toast to make. (Diane)
Well. That changes everything. John. You are the freak fucker I always knew you were. (George)
Naomi stretched the screen to show only John’s face. John the lion. Proud. He was working out what instruction to give them. Outrageous or normal it did not matter. They were waiting for his instruction. Waiting for him to elaborate. She played on. John said nothing. He smiled slightly. Smiled to himself. There was tension. No one knew what to say next.
Naomi stopped the playback. She noticed the strangeness of the silence after Miller was mentioned. She searched Miller. Nothing special. She searched links. She searched connections. She searched trends. Nothing special. With a Skroll she would never have to concentrate again. She would always be able to go back and see it again. Play back her life one day later. With this power she could become anything. She could realise any ambition. She returned to the playback.
We saw the latest Barneby last Friday. The one about the au pairs going native. (Phoebe)
Oh. I heard tickets were hard to get. (Diane)
Naomi stopped the playback. She searched Barneby. A flash ad popped up for a play at the theatre. It asked for her to recommend the show to a friend. It had checked her cred. She could not afford the ticket. She tapped no. She restarted the playback.
It was very clever. They talked a strange dialect. Barneby introduced it slowly. Like the word hun. He never said it means friend but the one actor says something like come on hun. Or did you think it might have meant family. (George)
No. Friend. (Phoebe)
Yes. But it might have meant au pairs. (George)
No. Friend. (Phoebe)
Yes. They taught us words through their acting. Fine acting. Beautiful young au pairs. Like Naomi. Is she any good when she performs. (George)
Same thing every time. (Diane)
Shall we just do an in-depth examination for you. You know. Deep examination. (George)
Just stop Goerge. You are not funny. (Phoebe)
John was not paying attention to the conversation. He was concentrating on his Skroll. In small fold. A top of the range Skroll. Naomi changed the camera angle. She stretched the screen. She could not make out what was on his Skroll. It was like one of those old 3D postcards. Sometimes an image or word became nearly clear then it disappeared. Then nearly there. Then gone. The camera could not see his screen properly. Naomi stopped the playback.
023 :: Ear worm speaker
Naomi looked at the door. It opened. Peter came in.
Good morning....
The Au Pair
