Fly fishing became a noble pastime for the ever-expanding mind of Dr. Covey Strong. This outing, he had company. He donned a waterproof  jacket and denim trousers and duck boots. 

“I wasn’t scared, just a bit shaken. Mostly disappointed,” Bellinda Gummer related. She wore thermals and jeans with duck boots as well. Dr. Frampton took over both sides of the company while Bellinda caught up on some much needed R&R.

Dr. Strong cast a line. “Absolutely. Those ACA vermin must cease.”

“You know, Covey, Keij’ and I developed our company with the intent that we would have honest workers on our staff. It was Terry who really brought the issue to my attention.”

“Yes. She’s chief architect of design and stability, now. I had to make that a position since she was already chief engineer.” 

Dr. Strong smiled. “I understand that the way you run your business is in line with our declaration. That’s all I need to know.”

“This is true. Every day when I walk into my office, I think about our motto:

‘All mind, all morality.’” She cast a line with precision and purpose.

“On a day like this, I know you’re missing your desk….”

“I am. I love my family, but it’s the work that drives me. I get such satisfaction building better machines.”

“Do you not want to hop in the Goulding? We could go back to the plant, you know….”

“No, I’m fine out here. This Delaware air is truly something special. I need this time to regroup and organize for my next great adventure,” she replied.

“I know. You’re married to your work, too. Roger is fortunate enough to have a woman in his life who can balance her career and personal lives with aplomb.”

Bellinda grinned. “I just want to punch a hole through that calamitous ACA.”

“I can relate to that,” Dr. Strong responded.

Bellinda’s voice dropped a few octaves. “Do you think they had something to do with the break-in at your house?”

“Talk about personal life, my factory is personal to me.”

“Of course. It is the nearest thing you have to faith.”

Bellinda looked out at the water. The bluish-gray ripples looked like a giant bowl of soup. “I think we should fight them wherever they might be.”

“The method is the key. If we are to contend with them, it will be on our terms. To completely dismantle their capacity to disrupt our homes and businesses is one thing. We must also crush their will to do any actions.”

The steady arm movement of both casters created smooth lines. Their whole goal remained to be as relaxed and steadfast in catching the best trout.

“That’s no small ticket. If we are to do that….”

“When we do that,” Dr. Strong insisted.

“That’s right. I hate how we even have to talk about them, but we must do so. Investigators, at the moment these words tumble from my tongue, are working extra hours to not only prosecute the four workers who had infiltrated the plant, but the entire operation,” Bellinda observed as she cast another line.

“This is the part that I’m talking about. This makes me the most curious about our fledgling republic,” Dr. Strong intoned.

Bellinda shot a glance at him. She seemed to peer into his soul. He continued.

“I think people of average ability have a place even amongst those who excel in whatever field they might endeavor. What the ACA does is insinuate that to be average is the ideal. That notion must be silenced.”

Bellinda thought hard about what the doctor just announced.

“Right. That’s the purpose of our days. We charge forward with the notion that we not only have to defeat these goons, but also assure the Smartystanians that what is most valuable is our thinking and our ethics.”

Dr. Strong let out a small chuckle. “I remember the first draft and how eager you were when we drew up those plans. When I had seen your defense of businessmen and women, I knew that we would have a true constitutional republic. It drove me to say that you had become an asset beyond measure.”

“Thanks, Covey. Hell, without you, though, there would be no declaration.”

“This is true.” He said it softly but with a punch. It appeared he had accepted her words and could bear to hear more. They shared a hearty laugh. They knew that they aimed to just relax. In most cases, they would be out near the Atlantic Ocean in pursuit of marlins. This time, the trout seemed to be the number one catch.

Bellinda cast another line and found a bite. With expert precision, she hauled in a fish.

He beamed. He turned back and saw two beefy, armed security personnel with all black suits and sunglasses. 

She set down her rod and brought the fish into her hands and looked like a supermodel showcasing her talent. Dr. Strong set down his rod and applauded her. He then grabbed his phone and snapped some photos. The thought for the day remained catch and release so the little fish journeyed back into the water. Bellinda continued with the fishing.

“I know how we can get that Vergara….”

“Ha, ha. I’m serious, though. He’s the top. Once we drive a sword into the head of the beast, we will have more opportunities to prevail against him. He’s a menace.”

“I can attest that he has never meant anything to me, Bell’.”

“I know. Neither of us have him in our minds, but we must face the challenge to bring him in to blow up the ACA mentality. I’m sure the people of Smartystan have considered him. I would even venture there are some operatives who stalk the streets and live in homes that support ACA.”

Dr. Strong looked like a monolith. He stood even taller as they remained on the banks of the river.

“I’m not worried about that at all. Bell’, we’ve created something the Founders of the United States and a philosopher of extreme, great power could only devise and foster. What I think is we forget about them.”

Bellinda looked at Dr. Strong with an incredulous gaze.

“We can only suspect that they intruded into your home. I know for a fact they tried to gum up my factory and sabotage my machines. I disagree with you on this one, sir.”

“What do you suppose we do? You’ve already said that investigators are doing their due diligence in fighting for us. Let them be the ones who stare down evil. It’s not our place.”

Bellinda didn’t become frustrated, just a bit miffed. “Covey, we’ve got to do our part in all of this. The authorities are one thing, but we differ when it comes to trying to eliminate this vicious force. We must do something.”

“We must live our lives. Absent the amount of man and woman hours that are going into all of this, we should not throw up our hands but be prepared to give testimony and point fingers if necessary, in a court of law. That is what we must do. It is the only way to show that we’re standing on business.”

“Speaking of business,” Bellinda reminded. “I’ve got two thousand people on payroll that enjoy the fact they’re not taxed on their income. Ten thousand learned machines and synths have been produced in the last six months. I don’t mean to sound mean but they dispatched Monica. If you care about Monica II, then you should join this fight.”

Dr. Strong’s face remained calm. “Sometimes the battle is the law’s, not ours.”

Bellinda steamed. “I get what you’re saying. We still have to be agents of change for our own lives.”

“And that’s exactly what I meant,” Dr. Strong struck back. He cast his line. He flung the line with the same calmness and clarity as he had done before. Then, he got a bite. Bellinda noticed this and smiled.

“Once you bring her in, we’ll be tied,” she said, trying to lighten the mood.

“Yes, but this fish doesn’t mean our talk is over, young lady,” Dr. Strong admonished. They went through the photo op once more and then grabbed their reels.

“If I get another trout,” she said, “I will have bested you and you have to see things my way, Covey,” Bellinda put forth.

“That’s not how this works, Bellinda. If I get a trout, I get a trout. My stance remains the same. We’re talking about lives here and the best way they should be lived. It’s not about any kind of expectation to one up the other and corral them into thinking differently based on a caught fish.”

Bellinda looked up at the sky. The overcast made it seem like the water and the clouds mixed. The grayness did not match the color of their words.

“Okay, we can continue this, but I don’t want to just stand here and allow those ACA lunatics to destroy everything I set my mind to make.”

“That’s the reason why we drafted that Declaration 3. It is because of the fact we’re so attuned to the idea that we must fight on our own terms. Why do you think I write books? Why does Vestin put money into crypto? Why do you and Keij’ go onto that floor and bring miracles of metal and sinew to the populace? Why do I write my books?”

Bellinda brought her head up. Her face looked oddly serene. Like a nerve struck or a chord on a piano had been plunked, she started to understand Dr. Strong’s words.

“Again, Covey. You seem to have won me over.” She threw one hand in the air. Bellinda brought it down when the line picked up on another trout. Excitement arose and her eyes turned to saucers. Another haul, she had two fishes compared to Dr. Strong’s one. At the same time, yet, Dr. Strong felt a bite as well. They hauled in the trout at the same time.

“Tie game,” Dr. Strong noted. They threw back the fish after more photos and headed to the Goulding. 

Bellinda looked at her boots. “Yes, I think your perspective is valid and I do hold your idea of reverence for the law to be a display of your fascinating mind.”

“I just want to see the day where everyone, no matter their skill or ability, can continue. We’re not a meritocracy, as you know. We’re chiefly about morality. I’ve taken in many workers who have been able to demonstrate on whatever level of ability as can be explained. Folks get it tangled and twisted. I want honest, smart-working people around me. They don’t have to be innovators or titans of industry to win my vote. All they have to do is put forth effort and have a set of principles. That’s it.”

“And that is all I’ve been trying to show you this whole time,” Dr. Strong answered.

“I’m glad we made this outing, Covey.”

“What I want to make clear is that we’re going to be more than what is expected of us. Two doctorates and two dropouts that shook up the world. Two women and two men of color changed everything.”

“Let us focus on the fact our brains had everything to do with it. The nonessentials, let them fall to the wayside. What we have crafted is a world where the lowest guttersnipe can flourish. It’s as simple as that,” Dr. Strong explained.

“Again, you’re right. Maybe I should get back to the plant and have a meeting,” Bellinda suggested.

“There’s a great deal that everyone should be able to learn concerning the power of ability. It’s as real as the air we breathe. No matter who thinks they can’t…chances are, they can.”

“The ACA could never fathom such a place as Smartystan because they’re not ready to confront the idea that everyone is different. I mean the mental makeup of human beings is such an interesting and profound thing to consider. But the morality of people? That’s just another textbook for you to write about, Covey.”

“If you’d believe it, I’m working on something that combines ethics and capability and how they function together.” 

Bellinda’s eyes widened again. Their blueness contrasted with water and sky. 

“I can’t wait to write it,” Dr. Strong exhaled.

Both of them journeyed to the Goulding and each had removed their boots and gear on a landing where the vehicle idled. 

Chintan Jani

Smartystan

The Marlins and the Trout

Fly fishing became a noble pastime for the ever-expanding mind of Dr. Covey Strong. This outing, he had company. He donned a waterproof  jacket and denim trousers and duck boots. 



Smartystan

The Marlins and the Trout

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Businesswoman Chapter 225

Smartystan

The Marlins and the Trout

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Businesswoman Chapter 225

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