Disclaimer: Not ours. The real ones at least. Just wild imaginary spinnings.
Summary: Hmmm, about technophobes and friends who mean well.
Chapter Two
Data Corp had an immense building made of tons of glass and steel, with at least two factories in the United States and another three in Asia (for tax issues), where they produced world famous software and games.
The building housed thousands of employees who worked at selling and developing projects to promote new products every day. But the real strength of the software monster was the dozens of freelance designers and hackers, who worked from home and enriched with their original ideas, hacking strategies, and their software and games.
Data Corp was now big in the market due to their eccentric games and their top of the technology software. One of those geniuses undercover was Jennifer Anderson.
Jennifer had made her degree in Informatic Sciences at CALTECH and had owned a PC ever since they were available to the average citizen.
Her father, a Systems Engineer himself, had shown her the huge computers that were used in the seventies, when she was a toddler still, and Jen had instantly fallen in love with them. Her family and friends understood that computers were a main part of her life, but also insisted that she lead a life outside her four walls.
So Jen kept a carefully balanced daily schedule that kept her out of the house at least four hours each day, running, shopping or just volunteering some time at the local school.
Otherwise she would just live inside her computer, researching and surfing on the net. She had just arrived from walking her dog Merlin, the other occupation that forced her away from her PC-lab, when a bright sign on her screen announced incoming mail. She took care of Merlin in the kitchen and returned to her study, sitting in front of her monitor.
I know you are home, sweetie. Where else would you be? Let’s go to the movies? Please? For me, just for me! We will have so much fun! Drop me a line ASAP. Love, Mick
Jennifer smiled broadly.Her friend Michelle used every possible opportunity to try to drag her somewhere. Jen would bet her last dollar, which she didn’t really have, that it was probably a double date. A double date where Michelle’s newest flame would also be involved and his next best friend, who always pretended to like Jen.
She had had her fair share of those outings and had already decided (on all three last dates) that it was the last time she would let Michelle convince her.
And today she felt up to it. She logged into her IM-Program, and there was Michelle’s nick online: Prettier’n’Person.
Before Jen got to open a messaging window, Michelle’s message arrived.
Prettier’n’Person: So, sweets, can we pick you up at seven?
merlin2: Nope. You can’t . I’m not going. Sorry.
Prettier’n’Person: I can't believe you're going to do this to me! I have had this date all set up for you and now you're just gonna throw it back in my face?
merlin2: Sorry, but I'm not doing it. I refuse, Mick. I know you mean well, but I am getting tired of being set up all the time. You don't know just how degrading it is to know that your date is more interested in talking about the football game with your current boyfriend than learning more about you.
Prettier’n’Person: Okay.
Jen blinked and read that one word sentence again.
merlin2: Okay? That's all you're gonna say? Okay?
Prettier’n’Person: Well, it's not as if he's the world's greatest thing, honey.
Jen sighed and shook her head. Sometimes she just didn't understand Michelle and the way her brain worked.
merlin2: So, does this mean no more setting me up on blind dates?
Prettier’n’Person: Welllllll...
merlin2: ?
Prettier’n’Person: I guess I should go ahead and tell you now what I did.
Jennifer's heart raced at that.
merlin2: What did you do?
Prettier’n’Person: I sort of, accidentally, might have put an ad in the personals for you.
Her heart stopped beating altogether for a split second.
merlin2: YOU DID WHAT???!!!!
Prettier’n’Person: I put an ad in the personals for you. On the Internet.
Jen groaned as she covered her face with her hands. "Oh no." She recovered to type out a message.
merlin2: Mick, this had better be another one of your sick jokes!!!!!
Prettier’n’Person: Sorry, honey, but I'm afraid I'm not joking. At all. I did it. You can check it out for yourself if you want.
Jen typed out the web address that Mick sent to her and waited for the window to pop up. Sure enough...there it was. Her very own ad in the personals column... "NAME: still_waiting_in_minn@yahoo. com AGE: 20-30 years old SEX: Female OCCUPATION: Reclusive genius HOBBIES: Dog and computer MESSAGE: Hopeless workaholic who needs a life...besides my dog and PC. Still waiting for someone to share my dreams and rare spare time with. Give it a shot? Let me know...J"
Jen groaned loudly and dropped her head to her keyboard, which protested loudly.
merlin2: Mick, how could you do this to me?
Prettier’n’Person: Cause I want you out of that house, honey. You're gonna turn old before your time.
merlin2: I am old! Thirty is no spring chicken.
Prettier’n’Person: It’s not over the hill either. Look, just try it out for a few days. Who knows? Maybe you'll get lucky and meet Mr. Right?
merlin2: There is no Mr. Right, Mick. You know I don't believe in that stuff."
Prettier’n’Person: Alright, so you meet a new friend instead. Just give a try and delete the account if you don't like it.
Jen thought about it for a moment and sighed, knowing Michelle had just gotten her to agree.
merlin2: Ok, but only for a few days. Probably won't get any responses anyway.
Prettier’n’Person: You never know...gotta go now!
merlin2: Okay, bye!
Prettier’n’Person: Bye!
Jen closed out of her IM box and went back to the website. Curious she perused the other ads, just to see what kind of stuff people were looking for. Some were downright outrageous offers for sex and others were polite...too polite. Jennifer was surprised to see that her ad wasn't the only one created yesterday.
She clicked on the i_hate_the_Internet_@yahoo.uk.com button, wondering why someone who hated the Internet would post an ad on the Internet! It read: "NAME: i_hate_the_Internet@yahoo.uk.com AGE: 20-30 years old SEX: Male OCCUPATION: In the Arts HOBBIES: Everything that includes a thrill MESSAGE: My work is my life, but I'd love to find someone to share my very rare spare time with. No strings attached. Not looking for love. Just want to talk....O”
Jen found herself laughing at the ad, still wondering why he would do this if he hated the Internet. She hit the button that would give her an e-mail box, and quickly wrote in there: “Dear O, If you’re so against the Internet, why are you doing this? Signed, J” Before she lost her nerve, she hit the send button. If he replied, he replied. If not, then no big deal. She closed out of the site and then closed down her computer for the night. If she didn't get an answer in a day or two...she would just delete the account and no one would be any the wiser.
**************
“Those were amazing waves, mate,” Dominic said, as they entered Orlando’s apartment.
Billy, Orlando and Dom had managed to wrestle 48 hours off from their hectic schedules and flew down to Mexico for some great surfing. Even though Orlando still had a dreadful cold, due to his long hours in the water on the set of Pirates .
The day off with the guys had been a balm for him. Only much too short. They would be leaving the next day. While Dominic dived into the fridge to find something edible, mumbling about “Vegan-non milk-drinking-freaks”, Billy went, as usual, to his Notebook. Once he was logged in and reading his mail, he looked up to see Orlando observing him.
“OB?” he said, giving him a questioning look.
“It’s fascinating. I should lead an experiment. Film you while read that thing. First you seem absolutely oblivious of the world outside the 14 inches screen and then I can see in your face if what you read is interesting, amusing or annoying. I still think that man isn’t supposed to master technology. You just complicate your life with it. And lose your humanity in the process …” Orlando berated him.
“Are ye done with the philosophy lecture, mate?” replied Billy. “’cause I’d bet me head that ye want to see if there might be any mail for ye in yer mailbox.”
“Mailbox?” asked Orlando.
“Yer e-mail box, remember?” said Billy. “Wanna see?”
“I just sent the address to Sam two days ago, but maybe she tried it out. Okay, since I am most probably never going to touch one of those again in a very long time, let’s do it,” Orlando said and sighed loudly.
He would probably forget about how to start a PC as soon as they went back to their own lives, so it couldn’t hurt. He would indulge their fancies...just this once. He sat down next to Billy on the couch and tried to log in, listening halfheartedly to Billy’s explanations and succeeding, on the third attempt, to log into his mail account. There was mail, all right. Two from Sam, and three responses to the ad that Billy had put up on his behalf.
“Wow!” Dom said, checking out the number of e-mails Orli had.
“Two days with an e-mail address and already you’ve got women after you.”
Orlando glared at him. “Fuck off,” he grumbled, unsure what to do now.
“Just double click on the one ye want to read,” Billy told him, answering his question before he could ask it.
“What if I want to say something back?”
“Then I’ll show ye what to do. Otherwise, I’ll just leave ye to read in peace.” Billy set the laptop in Orlando’s lap and went to join Dom in the kitchen on the pretense of looking busy, when both were dying to know whom the e-mails were from.
Orlando stared at the thing in his lap in horror for few seconds, before he moved the arrow, just as Billy had shown him, to the first e-mail. He double clicked on it and waited to read the message that Sam had sent him. The first one she had sent read: “Are you sure this is MY brother? The one who HATES the Internet and computers? Still can’t believe this one…Sam”
Orlando chuckled at her dry wit and opened the next one from her. “O, I still can’t believe you got an e-mail addy! What has possessed you? Anyway, time for a lecture. I saw the pics of you at the EA games launch…you look so tired, love. I bet you’re not taking care of yourself at all, are you? Well I hope you are. I miss you and love you. Don’t wear yourself out and PLEASE remember to call Mum. She worries too, you know. Love, Sam PS. If you are NOT my brother, may all the worst venereal diseases fall upon you and punish you for this bad joke”
Orlando sighed and rubbed at his neck. Sam always could see behind his smile. He thought about replying to her message, but decided to read the other messages first.
He clicked on the one that said: Spare Me a Minute “Dear O, you sound just…yummy. I wouldn’t mind having you spare some of your time with me. I could definitely give you a thrill. If you want to have a good time, no questions asked, let me know…Candy”
Totally shocked, Orlando closed out of the e-mail quickly. “Hey Bill! How do you delete a message?”
“Just hit the button at the bottom that says delete,” Billy yelled back at him.
“Oh. Thanks!” Orlando quickly hit the button, glad to see the message disappear. What was with women these days? They were as crude as men at times…total turn off.
He clicked on the next message: Seconds All I Got “O, Quickly…sound nice…would like to meet…work…bye…Rita”
Shaking his head, Orlando closed out of that box and deleted the message. What the hell was that? Secret code? Was he supposed to know what all that meant? He glanced at the third message, not sure if he should open it or not. Oh well, third time was a charm, right? Orlando clicked on the message, curious as to why it had no subject line…at least he thought that was what Billy had called it.
“Dear O, If you’re so against the Internet, why are you doing this? Signed, J”
Well…that was simple and to the point. Wasn’t it? And she was right…why was he doing this? He felt he should answer this one.
“Hey, Billy!”
“What?”
“Show me how to reply to a message!”
“Say pretty please!” Billy sang out in a falsetto voice. Orlando rolled his eyes and resisted the urge to laugh at his antics.
“Just get the bloody hell over here and show me how to do this!”
“Okay, okay. Which one?” Billy sighed, flopping onto the couch next to him.
“This one,” Orlando said, pointing to the Sam’s message he had brought up to cover the other one he didn’t want Billy to see. After showing him the few easy steps it took to send and answer, Orlando sent Billy away while he worked on his reply to Sam and then J.
A few times he could swear he felt someone breathing on his neck, but when he turned he wouldn’t see anyone. After sending his reply to Sam, Orlando made sure no one was lurking around while he brought up the e-mail from J.
He read it again and then set to work on what he wanted to say. It was a brief message, but it took him several minutes cause he certainly wasn’t an expert at typing.
“J, All I can say is that it is a brief moment of insanity…my friend’s insanity that is. This was his whole idea. I still hate computers and all they do, but wanted to see the fascination with them. I will probably delete this e-mail address in a day or so. Signed, O”
Satisfied, he sent the send button and then closed out of the account, just as Billy had shown him to do. He set the laptop aside, looking at it from a safe distance. Wasn’t too bad of a thing…still didn’t want one.
Would she write back? Shrugging off the thought, Orlando went to find Billy and Dom and see what trouble they were into now.
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