"Oh come on, Freddy. Stop beating that drum. If you're an employee and
you want to get a good deal out of an employer, you're better off if
you've got fifty companies you could work for than just one."
"So you're saying that if you destroy Disney with your lawsuit, the
fifty thousand people who work at Walt Disney World will be able to,
what, work for those little rides like your friends have built?"
"They'll find lots of work, Freddy. If we make it possible for anyone
to open an innovative little ride without worrying about getting
clobbered by a big old monopolist. You like big corporations so much?"
"Yes, but it's not little innovative startups that invest in these
funds, is it?"
"It's they who benefit once the fund takes up their cause."
"And how's that working out for the ride people you're meant to be
helping out? They rejected you, didn't they?"
Kettlewell really hated Freddy, he realized. Not just a little -- he
had a deep and genuine loathing. "Oh, for fuck's sake. You don't like
little companies. You don't like big companies. You don't like
workers' co-ops. What do you want us to do, Freddy? You want us to
just curl up under a rock and die? You sit there and make up your
funny names for things; you make your snarky little commentaries, but
how much good have *you* done for the world, you complaining, sniping
little troll?"
The line got very quiet. "Can I quote you?"
"You certainly can," Kettlewell huffed. In for a penny, in for a
pound. "You can print that, and you can kiss my ass."
"Thank you, Mr Kettlewell," Freddy said. "I'll certainly take the
suggestion under advisement."
Kettlewell stood in his home office and stared at the four
walls. Upstairs, Pascal was crying. He did that a lot
lately. Kettlewell breathed deeply and tried to chill out.
Someone was knocking at his door, though. He answered it
tentatively. The kid he found there was well-scrubbed, black, in his
twenties, and smiling amiably.
"Landon Kettlewell?"
"Who's suing me?" Kettlewell could spot a process server a mile away.
The guy shrugged and made a little you-got-me smile. "Couldn't say,
sir," he said, and handed Kettlewell the envelope, holding it so that
the header was clearly visible to the camera set into the lapel of his
shirt.
"You want me to sign something?" Kettlewell said.
"It's all right, sir," the kid said and pointed at the camera. "It's
all caught on video."
"Oh, right," Kettlewell said. "Want a cup of water? Coffee?"
"I expect you're going to be too busy to entertain, sir," the kid
said, and ticked a little salute off his forehead. "But you seem like
a nice guy. Good luck with it all."
Kettlewell watched him go, then closed the door and walked back to his
office, opening the envelope and scanning it. No surprises there --
the shareholders in the investment syndicate that had backed Lester
and Perry were suing him for making false representations about his
ability to speak for them.
Tjan called him a minute later.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account