Mutation

Marsha sat back down on her flower-print chintz couch and let her eyes roam around her study. She’d decorated it with pale pastel striped wallpaper, dusty rose carpet, and mostly white furniture. In the past it had always provided a comforting haven, but not lately. Nothing seemed to be able to relieve her ever-increasing anxiety about the future. The visit with Valerie had helped, but unfortunately even that mild relief had not lasted.

Marsha could hear the TV in the family room where VJ and Philip were watching a horror movie they’d rented. The intermittent screams that punctuated the soundtrack didn’t help Marsha’s mood either. She’d even closed her door but the screams still penetrated.

She heard the dull thud of the back door slam, then muffled voices from the family room, and finally a knock on her door.

Victor came in and gave her a perfunctory kiss. He looked as tired as his voice had sounded on the phone that afternoon. A constant crease was beginning to develop on his forehead between his eyebrows.

“Did you notice the security man outside?” Victor asked.

Marsha nodded. “Makes me feel much better. Did you eat?”

she asked.

“No,” Victor said. “But I’m not hungry.”

“I’ll scramble you some eggs. Maybe some toast,” Marsha offered.

Victor restrained her. “Thanks, but I think I’ll take a swim and then shower. Maybe that will revive me.”

“Something wrong?” Marsha asked.

“No more than usual,” Victor said evasively. He left, leaving her door ajar. Ominous music from the soundtrack of the movie crept back into the room. Marsha tried to ignore it as she went back to her reading, but a sharp scream made her jump. Giving up, she reached over and gave the door a shove.

It slammed with a resounding click.

Thirty minutes later, Victor reappeared. He looked considerably better, dressed in more casual clothes.

“Maybe I’ll take you up on those eggs,” he said. In the kitchen Marsha went to work while Victor set the table. A series of bloodcurdling gurgles emanated from the family room. Marsha asked Victor to close the connecting door.

“What in heaven’s name are they watching in there?” he asked.

“Sheer Terror,” Marsha said.

Victor shook his head. “Kids and their horror movies,” he said.

Marsha made herself a cup of tea and when Victor sat down to eat his omelet, she sat opposite him.

“There is something I wanted to discuss with you,” Marsha said, waiting for her tea to cool.

“Oh?”

Marsha told Victor about her lunch with Valerie Maddox; she also told him about Valerie’s offer to see VJ on a professional basis. “How do you feel about that?”

Wiping his mouth with his napkin, Victor said, “That kind of question involves your area of expertise. Anything that you think is appropriate is fine with me.”

“Good,” Marsha said. “I do think it is appropriate. Now I just have to convince VJ.”

“Good luck,” Victor said.

There was a short period of silence as Victor mopped up the last of the egg with a wedge of toast. Then he asked,

“Did you use the computer upstairs tonight?”

“No, why do you ask?”

“The printer was hot when I went upstairs to swim and shower,” Victor said. “How about VJ? Did he use it?”

“I couldn’t say.”

Victor rocked back in his chair in a way that made Marsha grit her teeth. She was always afraid he was about to go over backward and hit his head on the tile floor.

“I had an interesting evening at the Chimera computer center,” Victor said, teetering on his chair. He went on to tell her everything that had happened, including the fact that the trace of the hacker ended up right there in their home.

In spite of herself, Marsha laughed. She quickly apologized. “I’m sorry, but I can just see it,” she said.

“All this tension and then your name suddenly appearing.”

“It wasn’t funny,” Victor said. “And I’m going to have a serious talk with VJ about this. As ridiculous as it sounds, it must have been him breaking into the Chimera mainframe.”

“Is this serious talk going to be something like the one you had with him when you learned he’d been forging notes from you in order to skip school?” Marsha taunted.

“We’ll see,” Victor said, obviously irritated.

Marsha leaned over and grasped Victor’s arm before he could leave the table. “I’m teasing you,” she said. “Actually I’d be more concerned about your cornering him or pushing him. I’m afraid there is a side to VJ’s personality that we’ve not seen. That’s really why I want him to see Valerie.”

Victor nodded, then detached himself from Marsha’s grasp.

He opened the connecting door. “VJ, would you come in here a minute? I’d like to talk with you.”

Marsha could hear VJ complaining, but Victor was insistent. Soon the sound of the movie soundtrack was off. VJ

appeared at the door. He looked from Victor to Marsha. His sharp eyes had that glazed look that comes from watching too much television.

“Please sit at the table,” Victor said.

With a bored expression, VJ dutifully sat at the table to Marsha’s immediate left. Victor sat down across from both of them.