The Pedestal

The Pedestal by Daniel Wimberley Read Free Book Online Page B

Book: The Pedestal by Daniel Wimberley Read Free Book Online
Authors: Daniel Wimberley
that she made such a gratuitous show of exercising her newfound freedom.
    I know how much Arthur must’ve hurt, yet he kept it all to himself. He was like a citadel standing tall amidst the rubble of a sacked city. So stoic, so forgiving. After all she’d done to wound him, he still wouldn’t permit a single ill-spoken word against Mitzy in his presence.
    Like it or not, I have to find her. Otherwise, Arthur will be unceremoniously recycled, the flesh of his former essence ground into the landscape alongside a multitude of this super-city’s unclaimed vagrants.
    I have no intention of allowing that to happen.
    I take a sick day—yeah, I know my NanoPrint will forsake my fake cough, and I’m way beyond caring—and spend the entire morning tapping the nexus for leads. I’ve never been very good at this stuff, mostly because I’m too antisocial to keep up with the enormously progressive tools available for social networking. It was child’s play for Arthur—not because he was any more socially apt than me, but because he understood the basis of the technology—but he’s not exactly available for customer service.
    An hour before lunch, I finally stumble across something I can use.
    Mitzy has dinner reservations tonight at a restaurant in the Palagio in Vegas. I’m not sure why, but I feel my distaste for her sharpen as I learn this; perhaps it’s the impression that she’s gambling away Arthur’s hard work. Or maybe it’s that life is serving up dinner as usual for her while the man she once vowed to stand by is dead on a table.
    I submit a contact request through the nexus and sit back to wait. If I’m lucky, she’ll respond in the next few minutes and I’ll get this over with.
    An hour later, my NanoPrint remains utterly still. Mitzy’s avoiding me. Perhaps I should leave it at that, but now my ego is raising its hackles. I should probably eat, but my stomach is filled with the rocks of apprehension. I submit another contact request—this time to Adrian, letting her know that I’ll be out of town until tomorrow. With a scowl bitterly affixed to my face, I take a shuttle to the airport. By seven p.m., I’m in Las Vegas headed toward the renowned strip with my scowl quickly losing steam; I guess it’s hard to stay grumpy when you’re surrounded by the bling of Sin City. I’ve been using my pocket terminal to check the nexus as I travel; as of now, Mitzy is still presumed to be on time for dinner.
    If all goes as planned, I’ll be waiting for her.
    It hasn’t even occurred to me that I should make my own reservations until I arrive to find the restaurant packed with an hour wait. I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right: it is too bad—IntelliQ could’ve prevented this. Fortunately for me, I’m not here to eat, anyway; I just need to be ready when Mitzy walks through that door.
    But as time snails ahead and the tables slowly turn over, my nerves begin to rebel. It’s a little past eight o’clock now, and I’ve detected no sign of her. By now, my stomach is cussing and gurgling a rude reminder that I haven’t eaten since breakfast. I check the nexus again to see if Mitzy has rescheduled, and my guts perform an unpleasant flip-flop.
    According to her proximity sensor, she’s already here.
    Shrugging off the protests of an ultra-chic host, I push my way into the restaurant and begin scanning the tables. It’s a large restaurant, gaudily adorned with oversized chandeliers and colorful frescos. But despite its size and likewise sizeable clientele, I’m certain I’ll find Mitzy if she’s in here.
    Only, I don’t.
    I’m about to leave when—thanks to the now irate host—security decides to graciously help me along. I land on my rear on the steps outdoors, bruising both cheeks. I’ve never taken the phrase thrown out literally until now—I guess they don’t mess around in Vegas.
    For a few minutes, I’m overwhelmed by bewilderment; the best I can manage is to sit on the steps

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