Chapter 1.25: December 7, 2015
"Your birthday is in thirteen days. Where will you be then?"
"Madrid, Spain. Wanna come tour with me for my birthday and Christmas and New Year's?"
"No, I can't. I have finals on the 20th and Beth is taking me to see her family for the holidays. I'm sorry."
"It's fine. I'll just have a couple of drinks with Susy, then."
"You don't drink. Remember when we were still in high school and you went and got yourself drunk? You're a terrible drunk."
"You wound me, my princess."
"You exasperate me, my dork."
"Don't worry. We're actually planning on just going to dinner."
"Good. I didn't want to hear her complaints about you."
"…"
"…"
"I wish you were here."
"Me, too. College sucks right now. I just want to get away for a little while."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. I don't want to spend all my time stressing over school. I want to be able to say I did something with my life, that I helped other people. Kinda like you did with your best-sellers and inspiring people and all that jazz. Education can be so selfish if you don't have a noble end goal."
"I think you have a pretty noble end goal. I mean, you're working to become a seismologist so you can help predict earthquakes and prevent major disasters, right?"
"Of course. But I can't help but feel that all selflessness and nobleness can be so selfish at the same time. Why do people want to be selfless? Is it because they don't want to lose someone else? Is it because they want to have a good reputation? Is anyone ever actually selfless without a selfish desire?"
"Maybe that's okay, if the act in itself is selfless. Do real motives and reasons matter in the end? Isn't it better that the good deeds are actually done?"
"But then wouldn't the person doing those good deeds expect something in return? If so, it might be better off that they never did anything."
"I wouldn't know. That sounds like a good book idea, though."
"Glad I could be of some service."
"Ken! You have a book signing in thirty minutes!"
"Duty calls. Say thanks to Beth for putting up with you for so long for me, yeah?"
"I take personal offense from that. Say thanks to Susy for keeping you in line for me, then."
"Oh, how the knife of betrayal cuts through my flesh. Love you, Eru."
"I love you, Kenny."
ns 15.158.61.20da2
