"David L. Kuzminski - On the One Hand" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kuzminski David L)

On The One Hand

by David L. Kuzminski
(known popularly as Attack Butterfly)



Janus Wend gazed down upon the old revolver he owned. He hadn't fired it often since bullets cost too
much apiece. Guns were cheap. Just about anyone could own one. Actually, even the bullets were
cheap. That is, until you took the government tax on them into account. That was the government's way
of enforcing gun control after all the anti-gun efforts failed in the twentieth century. Just taxing the hell out
of bullets had done wonders for knocking the stuffing out of the murder rates. By firearms, that is. Janus
knew that people were still murdered. It was just done with a knife more often than before.

He grasped the revolver with his one good hand. Slowly, he moved the gun toward his head. He had it
next to his right temple when he thought about how much it would cost Jill to purchase another bullet for
home defense. Could she afford a new bullet once he was dead?

The gun wavered in his hand. Slowly it dropped back down as he lowered his arm until he could place
the gun back in the drawer he stored it in. Then Janus closed the drawer and sat motionless for a
moment.

Jill called out, "Janus, honey, are you going out on salvage anytime soon?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess so," Janus replied.

Jill appeared at the doorway to their bedroom. She said, "I was hoping that you'd pick up some things
for me on your way back in. You don't mind, do you?"

Janus replied, "I don't mind. Give me the list. Looks like I better get going."

"Should I call Mike and let him know you're ready?" she asked.

"Not taking Mike with me this time."

She asked, "Why not?"

He answered, "On the one hand, I can't afford to pay him."

Jill winced inwardly as he reminded her of his disability once more and asked hesitantly, "Are you sure
you can handle anything you find?"

Janus slowly replied, "I can handle the ship and salvage operations. Just because the Space Merchant
Marine retired me after losing my left hand doesn't mean that I'm an invalid. It's more a technicality. That
and insurance restrictions."
"Of course, it is," she said softly, recognizing one of his moods. "Do you want me to pack anything for
you?"

"Just the usual," Janus answered as he accepted the list without glancing at it.