"George Alec Effinger - Relatives" - читать интересную книгу автора (Effinger George Alec)

attention at all."
Ernest looked at Sokol curiously. "You were serious about what you said? About the secretaries
throwing your reports away?"
The foreman nodded slowly. "You ever wonder why we got old ladies soldering the insides of these
units, when they got printed circuits and magnetics that would be a whole lot cheaper and better?
Because our Representative figures the ladies need jobs. I mean, for God's sake, you need a job, right?
And what would you be doing if some damn machine was turning out two thousand chassis an hour while
you did twelve?"
"It's lunchtime, Sokol. I got to go eat lunch."
Sokol sighed and gestured Ernest away impatiently. Ernest shrugged and followed the crowd of
employees to the cafeteria.
The ten-minute coffee break earlier in the morning only began to soothe him; lunch was the only real
chance to relax during the long day. But even here the company could order his private life with its rules.
It required him to take a full hour for lunch every day; and so, working from nine to four, in order to
make up a thirty-five-hour week, he had to come in for almost a whole day on Saturdays. Every day at
noon the employees lined up to punch out at the time-clocks, then filed into the large, cold cafeteria. The
lunch tables were staked out by the various cliques, none of which seemed interested in including Ernest.
Often he ate alone, but lately he had been speaking to one of the secretaries from the front office.
A fundamental disregard for people in general allowed the masses a kind of new, frantic liberty; this
disregard was not abusive in nature, but merely a defensive reaction to the crowded and disturbing
environment. One of the most unfortunate aspects of this freedom was the utter transience of human
relationships. Not only were neighbors nothing more than temporary and accidental affiliations, but the
very idea of fellowship was disappearing. Whenever a person transported his modapt to a new building,
his relations with his old neighbors were abruptly cut. Consequently, he had to find a whole new crew of
local friends to replace those he had left behind. This happened with such frequency that long-term
friendships were maintained only by the very few people who cared to remain in the same locality and
who coincidentally had friends who did the same. In the majority of cases, however, one did not bother
to create lasting ties, but instead looked for new people to fill old roles from place to place. With the
North American national average residency down to 2.8 years, the roles were kept rather simple, and a
person could not be overly critical of the new people he met. At the moment, Ernest was looking for
someone to play the role of sexual partner. He had good hopes for his noontime conversations with the
secretary turning in that direction.
"Hello, Eileen," he said, sitting in the seat that she had saved for him. "How's it going?"
"Hi, Ernie. Terrible. I'm just getting so sick of that Mr. Di Liberto. I mean, no matter what I do, he
knows better. I've been a secretary for three years now, you know. For crying out loud, there are some
things I can do by myself. I'm not as stupid as he thinks I am."
"Don't mind him. It's just a job. Just do what you're told and take your money."
Eileen took a sip of her orange drink. "Easy enough for you to say," she said. They talked a while
longer, until they were interrupted by the chime signal that prefaced an announcement on the public
address system.
"Your attention please." The amplified voice spoke out from several locations in the lunch room. "We
have a message of special importance from the president of the Jennings Manufacturing Corporation, Mr.
Robert L. Jennings."
"Thank you, Bob. My fellow employees, as my son has told you, I have unusual and particularly
important news. For that reason, I would appreciate it if you all would stop what you're doing, whether
you are working or on the lunch break, and listen closely.
"We have received word of a grave situation, the details of which unfortunately have not been
released. But the government has ordered that all normal daily employment be suspended, so that you
may all go home to be with your families when an official statement is made later this afternoon. Only
essential police and transportation facilities will remain operative after one o'clock this afternoon.