Cathedral of Dreams Read Free Page A

to the courtyard near his offices—and into the elevator. By the time he arrived in front of Maria again, he felt calm and satisfied that he had avoided another meeting with the Newcity Police.
     
     

Chapter 2
T he apartment didn't feel the same when he returned home that evening. Nothing had been moved or disrupted, but the day had been long and the strange events had made him anxious and tired. He possessed a slight unease that the Police would soon arrive again, but quickly shifted his thoughts to prepare for the arrival of the Companion he had requested. Or he could cancel the rendezvous. He'd first double-check the system to be sure someone had responded to his request. If it wasn't too late, he could cancel or reschedule.
     
He opened the terminal next to his bedroom door and passed his finger over the morning's selections. Using voice commands, he entered the Companion site and saw that someone named Nellie would arrive in twenty minutes. Because of his anxious feelings, he checked to see if there was time to cancel, but there wasn't. Well, that gave him, he looked at his watch, nineteen minutes to prepare for her arrival.
     
He imagined that she had already left her apartment and strolled slowly toward an elevator. She would be a little nervous, but eager as well. Nineteen minutes, though, meant that she must be traveling from clear across Newcity. Out of curiosity, Keith entered the site to retrieve her stats.
     
A photo of a dark-haired woman with a broad mouth and full lips appeared. He asked for a full view. He read that she was five foot six inches tall and weighed one hundred and twenty-eight pounds. She had a pleasant shape, and shoulder-length curly hair that fell near her high cheekbones. Her complexion was dark and her eyes brown. He cocked his head when he realized that she was of African descent. That was not so unusual in itself, but the fact that she bore the appearance of an old race was unusual. He couldn't remember the last time he noticed a person bearing hereditary features. Few Newcity residents exhibited the appearance of any particular nationality at all. Over the years, the merging had eliminated such a separation. The world had become one people.
     
He had fifteen minutes to prepare.
     
Would she have eaten? Probably not, so he shuffled through the terminal to find suitable nourishment for the two of them. Instead of preparing something, he ordered rice and vegetables along with two sauces, a beef byproduct and a chicken-flavored tofu. That should take care of it. He closed the terminal and side-stepped into the bathroom. Now that he couldn't cancel, he was getting into the mood. It would be nice to have someone to talk with. He brushed his hair and wrestled with a clean shirt. He changed into shorts, then changed back into slacks.
     
Five minutes.
     
Stepping into slippers, he wandered toward the mirror and looked at his teeth. He grabbed a sonic and pushed the toothpaste button for a split second. Running the brush through his mouth quickly would freshen his breath and put a fast shine on his teeth. He rinsed just as a light knock came to the door. The food?
     
Unless his watch had de-synched it shouldn't be Nellie. He had two more minutes.
     
Although the doors can't be locked, entrance was forbidden unless invited, even for the Police, who would only proceed to a forced entrance if a resident were potentially dangerous. Keith had only once, as long as he could remember, heard of such an event on the news.
     
In the living room, he said, “Come in,” then quickly turned to the kitchen counter where he expected to receive the dinner he had ordered. He stopped when the door only cracked open.
     
Through the opening, Nellie shyly poked her head. “It's me,” she announced in the softest voice that Keith had ever heard. She was perfect. Not too noisy, pleasant to look at, and apparently respectful of his space. The only downside was that she came by early instead of on or