"It's a matter of what you're used to," Charles said dryly. "I hope you don't mind me saying this--we are brothers, more rather than less--when I called on you, I'm sure I heard you fighting with Kathy. Do you fight often?" "I guess we do," Chuck said, "from time to time." "Estelle and I fight all the time. I still regret marrying her, even though I got rich because of it. Anyway, we don't get along. We don't even try to manage. There were plenty of times when I regretted not marrying Kathy. She seemed to me to be a nice homy, comfortable sort of kid." "I hope you're not going to suggest we trade places," Chuck said. "Of course not. I told you--I'm searching for the _perfect_ world. Charles Mead's Utopia!" He raised his glass in a mock toast. "Want to come along?" * * * * * Chuck Mead was silent, looking out of the window on to the lawn. The girl by the pool stirred briefly in her sunny slumber. "Weren't you ever happy with Estelle?" he asked. Charles shrugged. "I suppose I was at first. But we soon grew tired of each other. I was tied up with the business and Estelle wanted a good time." "It's funny," Chuck said wistfully, "but when Kathy and I started to drift apart, I began to have Estelle on my mind all the time. I used to imagine how much better things would have been if I'd married her instead." "I guess we both made a poor choice. Probably the perfect Charles Mead didn't choose either girl." "If _I_ failed with Kathy and _you_ failed with Estelle, I wouldn't be surprised if the Charles Mead who--ah--got away didn't fail in some other world. Kathy and Estelle were a couple of nice kids. Maybe it wasn't their fault entirely. Maybe it was the fault of Charles and Chuck Mead." "Possibly," said Charles a little wearily. "But that sort of argument gets us nowhere. You still can't disprove that there isn't a perfect Charles Mead somewhere." "I doubt if he's perfect," Chuck said. "Making the correct decisions all the time doesn't necessarily make him perfect. Besides, even if you did meet him, it wouldn't alter _you_ in any way. You'd be the same person you are now." "I'd still like to find him." "I'll bet you wouldn't know him if you saw him. And you might waste a whole lifetime looking. Then, if you did find him, what makes you think he'd want _you_ hanging around?" "At least, if he did kick me out, I'd know he'd made the absolutely correct decision," Charles said, smiling. "Well, don't count me in on your search. If you take my advice, you'll smash your invention or whatever it is and stay in your own world. There's nothing to be gained by exploring the paths you _might_ have followed." "What's to be gained by not going?" "That's up to you. You can stay and make the best of your own world." "You're a fine one to talk. Are you going back to your own life--to Kathy? Even though you don't get along with her?" * * * * *