Portrait of a Donor: A Starters Story Read Free

opens up to a humongous media room Burgundy
     velvet theater seats circle the room, facing the center. Spotlights supply the only
     light, making the space dramatic.
    “This is great,” Lee says in a hushed voice.
    “And it’s soundproof,” Raj says. “The servants aren’t allowed in here, so it’s all
     yours.”
    He opens the cabinets above and below a counter near a sink. There’s every kind of
     snack food I could imagine—popcorn, candy, chips, cookies. The refrigerator is stocked
     with drinks and the freezer with ice cream, air yogurt and frozen bananas. On the
     counter are an espresso maker and a smoothie blender.
    Raj sits in one of the chairs and makes it recline. “To sleep, just press here.”
    I notice a bathroom off to the side.
    “Want a shower? There’re towels in there,” Raj says. “Even a Jacuzzi.”
    Raj grabs blankets from another cabinet and tosses them at us. “Need anything else?”
    Lee and I look at each other and then shake our heads. “There isn’t anything else,”
     Lee says.
    “Just be sure to stay in the room, okay? Don’t leave it. I’ll come see you guys in
     the morning.” He glances at a clock projected on the wall. It’s almost two a.m. “Well,
     maybe late morning.”
    He slips out the door. I run my hand across the top of the closest chair. So plush.
    “What do we do first?” I go over to the food counter. “Popcorn? Ice cream sundaes?”
    Lee doesn’t answer. I turn back and see him lying in a chair, fully reclined, with
     no blanket. Looks like he fell asleep as soon as he sat back. I pick the nearest chair,
     kick off my heels, and prepare to do the same.

    In the morning, someone calls my name over and over. I open my eyes and see Raj’s
     handsome face looking down on me. Smiling. It makes me smile back.
    “Sleepyhead. Time to wake up,” he says.
    He presses the button that turns my bed back into a chair. I notice he’s wearing a
     jacket, like he’s going out.
    “Where’s Lee?” I ask.
    “Taking a shower. I brought you both some fresh clothes.” He points out two bundles
     of clothing on one of the chairs. “Listen, I have to go somewhere, but I’ll be back
     soon.”
    I almost ask him where he’s going. But I remember he’s doing us a big favor by letting
     us crash here, and I decide not to be nosy.
    “Sure,” I say. “No problem.”
    He tosses his keys from hand to hand. “You guys can just hang here, play with the
     holo games.” He heads for the door.
    “Raj?”
    He stops and turns back. He looks just a little annoyed. “What?”
    “I think we were too tired last night to say thanks. For all this.”
    “No problem.” He smiles. “See you soon.”
    As he goes, I hold up the clothes to see if they fit me. He’s picked out a cute dress
     and jacket. Maybe he has a sister? I put them on and they fit perfectly.
    Lee comes out of the bathroom. “Pretty. Where’d you get that?”
    “Santa.” I gesture to the pants and sweater on the chair. “He left those for you.”
    Lee holds them up. “Cashmere. Nice. Where is he?”
    “Out. Said he’d be back soon.”
    Lee puts the clothes down and shakes his head.
    “What’s wrong?” I ask.
    “I was thinking in the shower about our memories. And how long we were asleep at the
     body bank.”
    “What about it?”
    “Doris and Tinnenbaum—heck, even Rodney—had to be themselves sometimes. Otherwise,
     they couldn’t do their jobs. But we don’t remember waking up until it was over.”
    “That’s right.”
    “So who was occupying us the times they couldn’t be?”
    Good question. None of us has any memories that didn’t belong to those three.
    “Maybe someone else at Prime?” I say. “An assistant?”
    “Maybe as a placeholder. Just keeping us there, inside. A babysitter.”
    “A bodysitter,” I said. “Staring at the walls or reading zines.”
    There are so many hours unaccounted for. What did I do? Will I ever know? What if
     I never remember all of it?
    “It