Smartystan

Beads of sweat congregated at Belinda’s temples like so many eagles in a convocation. It was five o’clock in the morning as she ran through what was once thought of as Wilmington, Delaware. The chip in her brain allowed her to get a lightning response to the conditions of her body from her heart rate to her hydration levels. She paused to sip an electrolyte rich beverage. A call came through.

“I know it’s early, but I also knew you’d be up now,” Verona said.

“V! How’ve you been?!” Belinda asked with enthusiasm.

“I’ve been great. Keija actually gave me your number. I hope I’m not intruding….”

“No, not at all. I’m just getting my exercise in as I’m sure you know.”

“That’s right. Whenever you came to the University to try to snap up engineering students to come work for you, I sensed that you were the type to get up at the crack of dawn and improve yourself.”

“Absolutely. Hey, you want coffee or something?”

“That sounds great. We can go to Beanomics.”

“It’s official!”

“I’ll see you around seven?” Verona asked.

“Perfect.”

The two women met at the posh coffee house. Their union seemed bright, almost bubbly. They embraced.

“It’s so good to see you….” Verona imparted.

“I know, we’ve got to do this more often.”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

Belinda’s right eyebrow raised in curiosity.

“I was talking with Keij’ and she kept saying that I’ve gotta be more independent and be more of a first hander when it comes to my life and career. I was wondering if there was a position at UltraSynths that she never offered me. I think she did it on purpose to see what you would say.”

Belinda cleared her throat and sipped coffee. “Well, there are positions available but I don’t know if they fit your expertise.”

“I’ve only got a few more weeks before my visa runs out completely. I’m just asking. I can do whatever job that is administrative. I can be the one.”

Belinda’s face darkened. “I don’t know. I want to help you. I really want to make sure an old friend is in good standing in this life, but it would mean a great sacrifice on my part and on Keija’s part to just give you a job. I know you have more degrees than I, however, that is not what business ultimately favors.”

“I understand. I’m being let down gently, huh?” Verona asked.

“I will see what I can do. If you secure a position in our particular firm, it will be on the backs of those who already work for us. You can go back to California. I know it’s a hellhole there, but we have to keep in mind that you are an independent woman. You just have to realize it,” Belinda explained.

Verona sipped her cappuccino. She smiled.

“You know I almost thought I could come here and have as many opportunities as possible,” she said.

Belinda countered. “We’re about maximizing opportunities. Everything’s based on––”

“Merit and morals. I knew that much about this place when I first came here. That’s all well and good but I need money.”

“I’m sure you’re aware of whatever the Internet says about my net worth. Triple that. I’m about money. It’s beautiful to produce and make a fortune from the sweat of your brow and the wit of your own mind. I do think you have the potential to be where Keija and I are. Forget about the visa. Don’t go back to California, then.”

Verona sipped some coffee and smirked. “I’ll just uproot and come back to the place where I did my studies…to the place where everything revolutionized…to….”

“Smartystan.”

“I want to do that. I want to just leave everything behind and just plant here with all of the provisions that this place has to offer. Hell, if you can be a high school dropout, what’s stopping me? No offense, Bel’.”

“I brush off my shoulders at such comments. I’ve heard worse. If you qualify, if you make it past all of the testing and performance exams, you just might be on a team with one of us.”

Verona’s eyes turned to saucers. She had a deep sense of what she wanted to do, what she wanted to say. She, yet, remained almost frozen with her mouth agape. She then found herself. Some calling within herself allowed her to push forward with her own idealism. Verona wanted to leap up in the coffee shop and dance a happy dance, but knew better of it. That stirring sensation in her limbs felt like electricity sparking its way through her frame. She looked down and back up. Tears streaked her face when she gazed upon her old friend. The power that had been sapped from her in California definitely seemed to rejuvenate her now. In this meeting in the shop, she felt the twinge of what she would produce and the hunch that she would be able to deliver on a commitment.

Belinda noticed all of this. She wanted to say, “the job is yours” but knew that Verona had to earn it. The battery of tests to show her specific attention to whether she would be a great fit consumed her thoughts. She sipped coffee casually and calmly. The essence of the caffeine sparked her imagination and she could see clearly the three of them standing shoulder to shoulder, mastering the gears of fate. In all of their dealings, they had achieved success on whatever level seemed appropriate to their skills and proficiency. The coffee began to grow cooler at the bottom of the cup. Belinda sipped a little faster to maintain the warmth of the brew.

“Alright. I’m staying here. If they want to get me, they can find me. I’m not leaving this place.”

“It’s to be made real; all you have to do is sign up for the courses and ironically, your degree will propel you where even I would probably falter and fall. We shall see.”

Verona finished her cappuccino and smiled with fondness outside of the large window.