Екатерина Юша – THE COMA (страница 2)
“Well, this generation, glued to their phones and blind to the world around them,” Scott said, rolling his eyes.
Lessie instinctively shrank slightly at the sound of his nasal voice.
“Let me remind you, dear brother,” she said slowly, emphasizing each word, “that you belong to the same generation. Zoomer or boomer – how is it supposed to be called?”
“I was just joking! People are so sensitive these days. How are you doing?”
“I’m doing wonderfully,” she answered dryly.
Why do some people believe that after not seeing each other for a long time, they can summarize their lives in a single minute?
“I’m good too,” Scott said, smoothing his damp red hair that had grown sticky in the summer heat. “By the way, what are your plans for the weekend?”
“Probably going to a club with my friends or walking around the city. Why do you ask?” Lessie lied, surprised by her brother’s sudden interest.
In truth, she had no real friends. Not even here.
Lessie did not believe in female friendship. She believed that sooner or later even the most loyal friend would betray you, intentionally or not. With men, there was simply nothing to divide – and that made things easier.
“Well, sister, how could you forget? Friday is your brother’s birthday.”
“What? Of course I remembered,” Lessie lied again. “I would have sent you a message. What do you want as a gift?”
A stupid question, isn’t it? Have you ever received an honest answer to it?
Though sometimes it happened. Once one of Lessie’s colleagues sent a wishlist to everyone in the company a week before her birthday celebration.
“I don’t need anything. I’m planning to go to Nellie Island with friends to celebrate, and I thought maybe you would want to join us.”
“The island with the best clubs in the country?” Lessie asked in surprise.
“Yep!” Scott replied proudly, completely missing the sarcasm.
“You decided to splurge?”
“Well, turning thirty doesn’t happen every year,” Scott laughed – though now he could celebrate his “thirty” literally every year, and this was already the fifth time.
“I’d love to join you,” Lessie agreed.
Scott rarely invited her to his gatherings, because if his sister appeared at a party, other “ladies” tended to leave, unable to tolerate competition.
At least, that was Lessie’s own opinion.
The more likely reason was that whenever people started taking selfies in the style of
She believed that if you came to rest, then you should rest – put the phone away and enjoy the evening.
Yes, her character was far from gentle.
And if Lessie disliked another one of her brother’s girlfriends, she would not pretend everything was fine. Usually, Scott chose women whose intelligence, in Lessie’s opinion, was comparable to that of a loaf of bread.
On the way here, she had even fed a couple of pieces to the ducks in the park pond. Perhaps her parents had always wanted a son, or perhaps Lessie simply entertained herself this way.
And as long as “Coma” did not prohibit “tourists,” she would not have time to be bored.
If Scott was inviting her now, it meant he probably had some clever plan. He surely wanted to introduce her to someone “new.”
Lessie was eager to see what her brother had invented this time.
Last time Scott tried playing matchmaker, his friend never even called her back.
Most likely, Lessie had simply gone too far.
Even though it was a joke for her, she had suggested they live together and sworn eternal virtual love.
Scott and Lessie spent another forty minutes in the café, talking about work, their parents, and the latest news, of course laughing at small mistakes they still remembered about each other.
From time to time, Scott poured more tea into his cup and loudly sipped the hot drink.
Once again, Lessie did not miss the chance to remind her brother of the fishing trip when he jumped from the boat a few meters before reaching the shore, thinking he was the smartest man alive.
Unfortunately, the water was much deeper than he expected, and Scott ended up soaked up to his ears.
And he had a three-day supply of cigarettes in his pockets.
Needless to say, Scott received a cascade of compliments from their friends afterward.
But one had to see the expression on his face when he climbed back onto dry land.
Aquaman, no less.
“Oh, I have to go now. Work is waiting,” Scott said, noticing that the hand of his Chinese watch – though presented as an expensive one – had passed twelve.
“Is your carriage about to turn into a pumpkin?” Lessie asked.
“What?” Scott didn’t understand the joke.
“Nothing. Go, Cinderella!”
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow at noon. Be ready!” he said, leaning down to hug her.
“Okay,” Lessie hugged him back, feeling the citrus scent of his cologne.
She had already suggested that he change his perfume, but apparently Scott liked it very much, since he did not notice the way people twisted their noses when he came closer.
Lessie said she would stay in the café a little longer. Scott said goodbye once more and left.
During her first year in Coma, Lessie enjoyed youth and freedom – the absence of work, the freedom from standing for hours by the stove to feed a family.
Even eating was optional here. One could simply choose the “food” option in the application, and within minutes feel full and energized.
The same could be done with every other human need.
But soon Lessie grew tired of living like a character in a simulation game, and switched to “manual control” mode, choosing to live like a human being.
Absurd, wasn’t it?
People came to Coma to start a new life – not to relive the one they had run away from.
Chapter Two
The main heroine is afraid of flying and therefore has spent her entire life travelling by ground transport. But we both know there is no guarantee that ground transportation will safely deliver you to your destination either.
What is Lessie really afraid of?
Flying? Hardly.
Falling? Possibly.
Death?
Why are we afraid of death?
The answer can be heard in the audio.
***
Despite the cold shower, Lessie still could not wake up properly. She felt scattered, as if a thin veil had settled over her eyes, while a sharp, ringing hum of an approaching migraine filled her head.