24. Have We Met?
Her smartphone rang as she put the 'close' sign on the window.
Dad: Recess at Simulatte with Jude. You're coming?
She smiles, replies to his message. Sure. Be seeing you.
"Gotta go?" Candice, one of the employees asked.
She smiles. "Gotta go," she agreed and get out of the shop.
▪︎1001▪︎
When she enters Simulatte, her eyes found her father sitting alone, drinking coffee. She quickly orders hot vanilla milk at the barista before approaching him. "Hey, Dad," she greeted him while kissing his forehead, something that she starts doing that as a habit he loves.
"Hey, sweetheart," he replied softly with a small smile. "Wanna order something?"
"Already ordered a drink," she suggested, sitting down beside him. "Where's Jude?"
He gestures at the man who's out of the toilet. "Hey, Alice."
"Jude," she whispered with a brief nod. She doesn't have anything against him. But he can be quite... annoying.
"I'm not trying to blow smoke up both of your ass," he began. Alice quietly rolls her eyes. Oh, here we go again. "But the first time I played the trilogy, I was shook. The paradox between free will and destiny. Are we all just algorithms doing what we're supposed to do or can we escape our programming? Genius, inside the context of the game, BT dubs."
Thomas slowly drinks his coffee again as he looks at the door. As Alice gets her drink, she's starting to look at the door too, anticipating someone to come by, ignoring Jude's blabbers of his fascination over The Matrix, the game Thomas made years ago. The game that she co-created, despite just around 8 years old.
"Hey, did I tell you two it took over my life? Yeah. I failed the seventh grade," Jude commented before chuckling. "Your game almost ruined me."
Thomas stares at him. "So you've said."
"Yet here we are," he clinks his cup at his. "You tell me, Mr. Anderson, is it free will... or destiny?"
"Neither," Alice answered as her eyes catches a woman around her father's age stepping inside Simulatte with two boys. The same woman both she and Thomas always observe from afar.
Alice doesn't know why, to be honest. Like her dream, she senses a familiarity with that woman. Like her heart is in complete peace with a warmth of a longing. Like this woman completes herself and her father.
"Oh, yeah," Jude said, noticing the way they gaze at her. "There she is. Total f-ing MILF." Both Thomas and Alice stared at him, visibly angry at his comment. "Daggers. Look, I'm sorry. I'm a geek," Jude excused. "I was raised by machines."
"Maybe you should go," Thomas told him in a quiet yet cold tone as Alice looks ready to kick his arse.
"No, please. I... I promise, best self. Best self," he promised as they both continue their staring. "You two ever talk to her?"
Thomas looks away while Alice still stares at the woman with an uncertain expression.
"Tell you what. For all you've done for me, let me do this for you."
"A what?" Alice reacted as Jude stands up.
"Jude, no. Stop," Thomas pleaded, which the man ignores as he approaches her.
▪︎1001▪︎
"Excuse me. Excuse me. Hi. Um... I know this is all a bit extemporaneous. I'm Jude Gallagher," he introduced. "I work for a game company called Deus Machina."
"Hi, Jude, I'm Tiffany," Tiffany replied, shaking his hand briefly, noticing a man with long hair and beard, wearing black attires, and a blonde girl with blue eyes with red-and-blue uniform, walk to her. The girl might be his daughter, judging by how older the man is. For some reason, she can't help herself feel... intrigued by these two.
"Tiffany. Wow. Didn't see that coming."
"Mom loved Audrey Hepburn."
"Jude," the bearded man called while the blonded woman stares her in silent.
"Oh, and this is my very good friend, Thomas Anderson," Jude continued. "He is a bona fide famous person and considered by most to be the greatest game designer of our generation."
"I'm sorry about this," Thomas apologized in a shy smile. "Jude..."
"Just talk to her."
"Hi, Thomas," she interjected their argument by raising her hand. "Everyone calls me Tiff."
"Hi," he replied, staring at her eyes a moment before slowly taking it in a soft, tender way she never feels before with her annoying husband. The way he held her hand made Tiffany feel happy, as if she had found something she had forgotten.
"Have we met?" Tiffany can't help herself to question him.
Thomas slowly shook his head. "Uh, we both come here."
She slowly nods, somehow not believing that, and looks at the blonde girl. "And you are?"
Before she can speak, Donnie pleaded. "Can I have your morning bun?"
"Hey! Are you trying to ball my mom or what?" Brandon accused suddenly, glaring Thomas.
"Excuse me?" The girl raged back, startling Brandon as he looks down.
"Brandon!" She scolded him at the same time Thomas uttered, "Alice!"
"I'm sorry," Tiffany quickly apologized with Brandon's words.
"No, I'm sorry," Thomas addressed, equally shock with his daughter, Alice, reacted.
Tiffany admits, the blonde's reaction also surprises her too. Not because of Alice's eyes that blazes in fire or how her voice indicates she'll punch Brandon in the spot without a problem. No, what surprises Tiffany is the fury in her calmness that reminds her with herself, that she buries deep down.
"Can I have one bite?" Donnie inclined again.
"Babe!" Tiffany holds herself from making a grumbling noise as Chad appears, looking at Thomas and Alice that seems normal, but indicates wariness and... suspicious? "What's going on? We're gonna be late."
"This is my husband, Chad," she introduced them. Begrudgingly.
"Nice to meet you," he shakes Thomas' hand.
"Hey," Thomas replied.
Chad briefly looks at Alice. "Hey, you look familiar. Are you an artist?"
The girl shook her head. Gone her passive rage. Caution replaced it. "No, just a normal girl," she answered.
But Chad doesn't buy that as he exclaimed. "Oh yeah! You're Alice Anderson! Author of Cloud Atlas! My best friend read your book."
That statement makes Tiffany stares at the girl again, who fiddles her necklace with a weird symbol, getting more awkward than ever. A triquetra symbol, Tiffany recalls. But that's not what important. Not because of her surname, since she guesses that this girl is Thomas' daughter. But the fact that this blonde girl, Alice Anderson, who's standing in front of her now, is the author of her favorite book of all time! This news shock her to the core.
"Thanks," Alice bows her head as Chad shakes her hand. Tiffany also shakes her, and just like with Thomas, she senses something else when they touch each other hands. Something like a mother holding a newborn baby with utter joy.
"Babe, we gotta get Callie to practice," Chad reminded her, snaps the woman from her thought, and takes away her bun.
"Right. Sorry," she chuckled, trying not to show her unhappiness with Chad's oblivious act on her. "Come on, kids. Let's move out."
As they move, Tiffany glances at them again, gives them a small smile befure turns forward.
Somehow, she feels hollow with leaving them.
▪︎1001▪︎
In the evening, Alice read some magazine that she bought ago while waiting for her father to come home from work. Their meeting with Tiffany is still revolving in her mind as she looks down at her palm, the one Tiffany shakes her hand on hers.
Alice admits, she never imagined she or his father could talk to her like an old friend, consider they just start their conversation. And judging by Tiffany's reaction, it seems she also feels what they feel.
She got reminded of the scene in The Matrix. Something about deja vu...
"A Deja vu is usually a glitch in the Matrix. It happens when they change something," Trinity explained shortly, looking alert with Switch taking her gun.
"I'm home," Thomas called, entering the apartment, cutting her mind. He smiles at her, shaking a bag of noodle on his hand.
Alice smiles, realizing her father bought noodles. But she spots something else on his face. "What's wrong?" She queried, taking his jacket and beanie. "You look shocked."
"Nothing."
She raises her eyebrow. "Dad, you're a terrible liar. Just tell me already."
"Let's just eat first, okay? It's... kinda personal."
Alice looks at her father, gives a half shrug. She won't press him. "Okay," she agreed as they both quietly eat their dinner.
"My boss informed me," he shared after some minute passed. "They want to make a sequel to the trilogy."
"What?!" She blurted, almost choking her noodle before she takes a glass of water, slowly calming herself from that sudden news. "But... but you said no sequel! Like, you insist there won't be another game after Revolutions!"
"'They informed me they're gonna do it with or without us'. That's what he said."
Alice massages her forehead, not believing what her father just said. Alice had played the game during her recuperation after waking up. Even though The Matrix ended in a bittersweet tone - and painful too, with Neo, Trinity, and Enigma dying for creates peace between humans and machines - Alice doesn't want a sequel to The Matrix. She felt that there was nothing to tell from their story.
After all, what else is to be told beyond that? The war's over. Humans and Machines can start a peace. Neo, Trinity, and Enigma's task are all over with their death. Nothing else matter.
"That's not fair," the blonde girl seethed eating the remaining noodle. "Those games are everything for you, Dad. And those jerkasses just decided to tarnish the game legacy by forcing you into this shit."
"Corporation can be like that," he sighs, takes the plate, and cleans it on the sink. "We can't get what we always want."
"Still. It's not fair."
"Yeah," he agreed, turns around, notices how sad her eyes are. "Don't be sad," he touches her jaw fondly. "Look at the bright side. At least people can get a new story with The Matrix world with brand new characters. Or even better, maybe I can resurrect Neo, Trinity, and Enigma from death. Wouldn't that be cool?"
"But you need a solid reason," Alice pointed out. "And a solid story to do so."
Thomas smiles as he takes another plate from Enigma's hand. "Which is why creatives idea between both of us is necessary."
"Isn't the company going to send experts for this?"
"Nah. We both used to spend time with the idea of The Matrix with no outsiders around. I'd rather the two of us discuss than hear someone else talk about The Matrix."
Alice smiles lopsidedly, knowing what her father refers to many fans who make multiple representations of the essence of The Matrix trilogy. Starting from transgender allegory, religious portrait between Christianity and Buddhism, freedom and control, a cool sci-fi story with action pack, free will or determinism, and so on that sometimes makes Alice frown, like crypto-fascism or capitalist exploitation. The last two make no sense to her.
She usually doesn't bother with that. But they're rarely people who truly understand what The Matrix is about. What she and her father truly want to tell to everyone during those long discussions of the game between father-daughter. But then again, the idea that love can conquer everything is so childish, people will never accept it.
"When will the meeting starts?" She wondered as she drinks her water, leans back in her chair.
"Next week," he responded and walks to her. "I might be busy during that."
"You can text me with the progress. If those meetings just talking utter nonsense, call me immediately. I'll come into the meeting and kick their arses for wasting their time."
For some reason, imagining his daughter coming to the meeting with a piercing glare while scolding them made Thomas laughs softly. "Hopefully, it doesn't come to that."
His smile slowly disappear. Alice knows why. She quickly hug him, letting her forehead touch his back as the feeling of incompleteness and loss fill the air.
No matter how many times Alice and Thomas spend their time together with a bright smile, there's always that nagging emotion that make them never be happy at all. Like their life will never be happy and will always be sad and empty.
▪︎1001▪︎
Two weeks has passed since Tiffany met Thomas and his daughter. A week, in which Tiffany's head kept thinking about the two of them non-stop as if that brief meeting had a deep impact on her.
Chad and her three children never had the impact that Thomas and Alice had. Chad sometimes acts like an asshole, doesn't care, and is always controlling things. The children are more or less the same. Like Callie's selfish attitude, Brandon's trashmouthing, or Donnie's nagging.
Tiffany loves them, but there are times when she feels they're just draining her energy and making her life difficult.
Like right now. Tiffany's in the principal's office because she got a call that Callie and her friends were destroying a place near the school area because of a trivial problem. The meal they ordered went mixed with another customer. Tiffany wants to scream as loud as she could, but in the end, held back to maintain the image.
Especially when she finds out that the place they damaged is the place where Alice Anderson works.
"I'm so sorry with my daughter's attitude," she later conferred after a long discussion. Right now, she and Alice are already outside Callie's school building. She sent Callie home first, not wanting to hear her argument now. "I didn't want trouble."
"That's okay," she assured with a small smile. Tiffany notices how much she resembles Thomas. Not physically, but by attitude. The way she gazes at people. The soft and shy on her voice. Even with her smile and laugh. Although... Tiffany notices her blue eyes match her own. "Teenagers can do crazy things."
"Your manager didn't think like that."
"People have a different perspective, that's all."
"You're very wise," Tiffany confessed sincerely, unable to feels warm being closer to this girl. "I can see how you wrote an amazing book."
"Thanks. But I don't think so," she disagreed as they slowly walks away to the snack shop. She looks down. "My attitude back then..."
"Don't," Tiffany stops her, somehow doesn't want her to hear her apologize. "My son tends to do that."
"I can be very direct too," the blonde girl admitted, looking lost for a moment. "Old habit dies hard. My Dad mentioned how often I blurt things when I was a child." Her eyes flicker with unexplainable sadness. "When you barely spent your childhood and already stuck in adulthood..." she shook her head.
"Must be hard," Tiffany consorted, remembers some news she read about Thomas and Alice right after their meeting in Simulatte. About Thomas adopting an orphaned Alice. About the two of them making The Matrix without any help from any major game companies. About Alice getting into a car accident a few months after her book, Cloud Atlas, and Matrix: Revolutions were released together. About Thomas' attempted suicide at a party, celebrating the 10th anniversary of The Matrix, which led to many speculations that Alice's inability to wake up from her vegetative state was a factor in why he never married and wanted to die.
"It is," Alice sighs, running her hand through her golden hair that tangles below her red-and-blue uniform. "There are times when things just getting into our way. Dad with his mind, me with adapting," she gives a mirthless laugh that breaks Tiffany's heart. "Sometimes... I feel like we're trapped in the society we created ourselves." Her nose crinkles. "Or maybe I'm just being silly."
"'Perhaps those deprived of beauty perceive it most instinctively.'"
She looks at her, stunned. "You read my book?"
"A long time ago," Tiffany confessed as they're already in front of the shop. "Most people find it confusing, but I just love it. How each story is different yet connected. How each main character births their future by their action." She smiles shyly. "Imagine to my surprise that the author who wrote such a thoughtful book was only 12 years old."
"Most people do," Alice shrugs as if already expecting that reaction from many people. But there's a spark in her eyes. Like she appreciates her kind words.
Tiffany slowly reaches out her forehead, brushing away the golden hair from it. Alice stares at her eyes, looking uncertain but curious. Like a little girl pondering what their parent will say next. Why Tiffany keep imagine Alice as little girl is beyond her.
"Thanks for accompanying me," Alice told her after a long silence, holding her hand for a brief moment. "I'm glad we can talk again."
"Me too," Tiffany noted, and with a quick movement, gives Alice a kiss on her cheek. Alice looks stunned by her action, but soon, she smiles tenderly, like genuinely happy with her affection as she let goes of her hand - something that makes Tiffany feels sad a little - and enters the shop.
For a moment, Tiffany ponders why would she did that to Alice. Sure, she did that kind of things with her kids. But she usually just pats their head or sings lullaby. Lately, she never do that with any of them, since they're too old for that kind of thing. But Alice is much older than Callie, and yet Tiffany feels much more attatchment on her, just like how she feels much more intimacy on Thomas rather than Chad with her constant daydreaming of having Thomas smiles or laughs at her.
Is it possible that, despite just in few moments, Tiffany genuinely cares very much with the Andersons than her own family?
Can such a thing is reasonable?
