"Brenda W Clough - How Like A God" - читать интересную книгу автора (Clough Brenda W)

his paycheck into golden handcuffs. Although Rob was only in his early
thirties, his life was already laid out from here to retirement.

Absorbed in writing C++ computer code, Rob jumped when one of the junior
programmers stuck her head in the door. "Lunch in five, Rob," Tawana
called. "Can we count on your van for the ride?"

"Sure," he said. "Uh, we're going out?"

"C'mon, you rememberЧJean's getting married next month, and we're going to
give her the present. Lori chose this absolutely buff Fiestaware salad
set."

Rob had completely forgotten, and scrambled to put on his jacket. At
Chasbro it was important to fit into the corporate culture, to make all the
right noises and touch all the bases. He liked people, but since social
skills didn't come naturally to him, Rob had learned to compensate by
deliberately joining things and saying yes to all invitations. He followed
Tawana over to Lori's desk and duly admired the salad set before the gift
box was taped shut.

For the luncheon the bride had chosen the Blackeyed Pea, a restaurant just
up the road that advertised its comforting American-style food. Rob ordered
the meat loaf special and ate without tasting it, hardly listening to the
technical chat around the table. He was too busy observing people.

What a fascinating variety of personalities there were! It was like looking
out over a delightful intricate garden in which every flower was totally
different, not only a different color from its neighbor but a different
species entirelyЧa cactus next to a rose, a sequoia shading a pansy. Here,
a staid computer nerd with a lurid second career writing leather porn;
across the room a waitress working on a Ph.D. in heuristics. He worked
among Trekkies and canoeing fanatics, an ex-CIA agent and a world-class
glazer of chocolate truffles.

Rob had never wanted or been able to delve into his associates' private
lives. Now this painless panorama delighted him. The charm of living in the
greater Washington area was its diversity. There were so many different
kinds of people here, and now he could really appreciate and enjoy it. The
kaleidoscopic view reminded him of his first experience of computer
bulletin boardsЧa hundred thousand topics to surf through, each holding a
hundred thousand messages.

"Yoo-hoo, Earth to Rob! Would you pass the ketchup?"

With a start Rob looked up. Lori, one of the secretaries, smiled
impatiently at him and pointed at the ketchup bottle. Everyone was looking
at him. This was obviously not her first request. He lunged awkwardly for
the bottle in front of him, his hand feeling as large as hams. Rob had
never been gracefulЧeven as a boy he had dreaded Little League and square