LaCost. Patrick Rizio

of billions of dollars. Now, forgetting for the moment what we ourselves import, why do you think these other countries pay the United States all this money for our crops?”

      Jason saw where this was going.

      “Because, they can’t produce these things on their own?”

      Schimmel sat back in his chair, “And, just off the top of your head, why is that?”

      “Could be any number of reasons,” Jason answered. “Crop failures, poor soil, harsh climates, uh underdeveloped technology, maybe something like limited access to proper fertilizers. Maybe even the reluctance to use crops that have been modified by gene splicing. These are all problems we’ve just solved. I see your point here boss. This could lead to quite a bit of economic reshuffling.”

      At this Schimmel sat straight up in his chair.

      “Economic reshuffling! My god son. That’s not even the tip of the iceberg! Think for a minute!”

      Schimmel took a deep breath and lowered his voice to normal.

      “Think what would happen to Brazil, or Columbia, or Costa Rica, if no one needed to import their coffee beans anymore. We’re not talking reshuffling here. We’re talking economic collapse. Taken to its logical conclusion, the entire civilized world could find the importing and exporting of agricultural products in disarray. Not to mention, the almost endless list of other things derived from plants. Clothing, medicines, building materials...”

      “Wait a minute, building materials?”

      “Wood doesn’t come from factories son.”

      “Oh right, of course.”

      “Factoring everything in, and I’m sure we haven’t touched on everything, this is so far reaching it’s incredible.”

      “What you really mean to say is dangerous.”

      The big man looked Jason right in the eyes.

      “Wars have started over less.”

      Jason really didn’t know what to say. He just sat there. Schimmel looked at his watch, got up from his desk, and poured them both a cup of coffee.

      “Just cream, right?”

      “Uh, yes. Thank you.”

      Schimmel put a cup down in front of the company genius.

      “Jason, like it or not, the world moves at a snail’s pace. Some feel this is a curse. I’ve learned to see it as a blessing. When we humans move too fast, we tend to trip and fall. We can’t help it, it’s just our nature. What you’ve accomplished here is extraordinary. It has the power to accelerate things exponentially. It must be handled very carefully. Bottle it up, and no one benefits. Turn it loose all at once, and you’re crushed from the acceleration. This is going to take an enormous amount of finesse.”

      Jason’s head was spinning.

      “Well, boss, where do we go from here?”

      “In five minutes, we go into our meeting. So far, only the two of us know just how successful this is. I would just as soon keep it that way, for now.”

      “Yes, of course.”

      The big man continued.

      “I plan to focus on the preliminary nature of the test results with the board, for now. That will buy some time for me to set some things in motion. The board will, of course, have to be informed, when it’s appropriate to do so.”

      Jason was beginning to accept the gravity of all this. He had never seen the implications. They were unsettling as hell. He was learning that life lessons can be that way. He took comfort knowing that Schimmel would be handling things.

      “We will, uh, then begin to exercise enormous amounts of finesse,” Jason said, forcing a smile.

      “Yes, yes we will,” the big man replied, smiling back. He was pleased. He felt the meeting had gone well.

      *******

      “Look, I get paid to do a specific job, OK? The people I work for keep tabs on high profile companies and try to stay abreast of everything they do. If something of value comes along, it gives them several options. It could be used for insider trading, or maybe just sold to rival companies, you know, to the highest bidder. Quite possibly, the stuff gets sold right back to the original company. Keeping information out of the hands of a competitor sometimes brings the highest offer. Usually though, they end up paying for stuff that finds its way into the garbage can. They feel it’s worth going through it all, so as not to end up missing something that might be important.

      “Bottom line, I’ve got three kids and a mortgage to worry about. They want to pay for crap, not my problem. I’m getting paid for the same thing you are, to pass it along. Besides, like I said, there’s a good chance this stuff will end up right back where it started.”

      “We didn’t create the game, we’re just trying to get by in it right?”

      “Well, that’s pretty much how I see it. And let’s not forget our agreement. If at any time you feel you are being asked to do something you can’t, or don’t want to do, no problem. I will always respect your decision. You know that.”

      “I know that.”

      “Then we’re OK. here, right?”

      “Absolutely.”

      “Great, I’ll be in touch.”

      The two men parted, both having gotten what they wanted. The intermediary feeling good about a job well done. He had played this one perfectly.

      The best kind of informant was one with a clear conscience. The lies about the kids and mortgage had been effective. Most regular guys identified with such nonsense. It made for a kind of camaraderie which would no doubt prove useful.

      He couldn’t help but be amused. The poor fool had no idea who he was becoming involved with. And the bullshit about respecting your decision, how naïve could you get?

      His employer would be pleased.

      9

      The waitress brought one coffee and one tea. She put them on the table and asked again if the couple wanted anything else. When they said no, she quickly wrote out the check without any expression, and left it in front of the young man. She figured without meals there wouldn’t be much of a tip, and she had other tables to work.

      The two just sat there, sipping their drinks for a minute without talking. Both feeling calmer, relieved that Sarah was all right. Smiling that goofy half smile of his Jason spoke first.

      “Did you catch the look on that nurse’s face when we all started smiling? She must have thought we were bonkers.”

      “Oh yea, complete nut cases,” Alison said smiling back. “Come to think of it, I seem to get that a lot when I hang around with you.”

      Jason sat back in the booth, and put both hands out, palms up. “What can I say? Some people can paint.”

      Alison rolled her eyes and took another sip of tea. Then she reached out, taking both of Jason’s hands in hers.

      “I really want to thank you for getting to the hospital so fast. I was scared, and it felt good having you there. I know how much it meant to Sarah as well.”

      Jason looked down at the table, then up into her eyes, squeezing her hands gently.

      “Any time. Any time at all, I’ll be there.”

      Alison squeezed Jason’s hands back. They sat there silent, for several moments, staring into each other’s eyes.

      The waitress appeared out of nowhere, breaking the mood.

      “You