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Sara had just started the car when Mike said, "Now take it slow, she's got a lot o-"
The car went from zero to holy shit in a moment. Mike and Andrew were slammed against their seats as the car fishtailed onto the road and hurtled down the vacant street. Andrew found it difficult to focus as his frantic heart pumped adrenaline to every corner of his small body. Sara adjusted to the car with what felt like practiced skill, and soon had them entering the freeway.
"Damn, girl." The nervous strain in Mike's voice echoed the concern Andrew felt in his bones.
Sara darted through the freeway with an almost expert ease that Andrew found very attractive, and Mike just found frightening. Andrew's adrenaline settled enough that he was able to focus on the car. As he reached his mind out he could sense the calm confidence of the vehicle as it responded to Sara's commands. It was the strangest thing, the car seemed to project what felt like an eagerness to please its driver. The feelings were so confident and soothing that Andrew found himself relaxing into the ebb and flow of their speedy journey.
Andrew looked into the backseat and could see the nervous smile on Mike's face. The young man was digging his fingers into his legs with enough force to turn his knuckles white.
"Don't worry, Mike." Andrew said. "She knows what she's doing, and she won't kill us." He looked at Sara's happy face as she slipped the manual transmission between gears and changed lanes. "At least I don't think she will." He added with a chuckle.
"So?" Mikes nervous whisper just reached them over the sound of the road.
"I love it! Can I keep it? Can I keep it?" Sara's excited voice was no surprise to Andrew who rubbed her shoulder and watched her adoringly.
"Let's head back and discuss it. Sweetie, could you slow down and give Mike a chance to relax please. It'll be difficult to buy the car if he dies first."
She looked through the rearview mirror and saw the pale faced man who was obviously counting the moments until this test drive would be over. Sara chuckled and said, "Yeah, of course. Sorry 'bout that Mike. I got kind of carried away there."
They made great time back to the Chinese restaurant and Mike bolted from the backseat as he watched Sara with an anxious smile. He had never been so happy to get the keys back from a test drive before.
"So, Mike. You did one hell of a job and we are super interested in getting this car."
Sara was jumping with excitement at Andrew's words. Her eager expression faltered as she saw the determined look on Andrew's face.
"But I would feel much more confident if we had a mechanic give it an inspection before we finalize the deal." Andrew flashed Sara an apologetic grin before turning his attention on Mike who was still twitchy from the test drive.
"Yeah, of course."
Andrew shook Mike's hand as he said, "Great, could you drop it off at 'Paul's Auto' at eleven? He's expecting you, and assured me he should have you in and out within an hour, two tops."
"Sounds good, man."
They handled the last couple of details in short order and were soon heading in different directions. Mike seemed excited at the prospect of selling his car, and showed no sign of anxiety at having to go through an inspection. Andrew expected the car to pass without issue, and squeezed Sara's leg with eager anticipation. He could not wait to see her excitement when they got the good news. She cupped his hand and rested back into the seat with a pure sense of happy contentment.
Andrew was amazing, and the car was perfect. The only thing that took Sara out of this perfect moment was the anticipation of seeing her mother.
***** Extracting Data *****
The diner was not the type of place that Andrew expected to be meeting the CTO of a successful software firm. The small restaurant was situated on the corner of a busy street in the outskirts of downtown Portland. What the place lacked in space, it more than made up for with charm. Natural light poured in through the floor to ceiling windows, casting waves of shadow as it diffused through several trees outside. Small red booths lined the windowed wall, while many patrons sat at a bar that wrapped its way around the inside of the room.
Despite the plentiful customers and numerous conversations the well designed acoustics kept the noise to a minimum. A waiter and a couple of waitresses navigated the restaurant with a practiced grace that spoke of their years of experience. Their dark attire allowing them to blend in with the customers as they discreetly moved about the room.
Sara led Andrew to a booth near the back of the busy restaurant, where two woman were seated on the far bench with a good view of the entrance. The younger woman was in her early twenties, and she smiled and waved as the young couple drew near. Andrew studied the woman, admiring her short blond hair that framed her tanned face with a playful pixie cut. She wore a form hugging black v-neck t-shirt and held a phone which vibrated in her hand as she pulled Sara into a sideways hug.
"It's so great to see you again, Sara. This must be Andrew." The woman's chipper voice sounded like it should have come from a cheerleader, and as he studied her athletic body he suspect that it had.
As Sara pulled away and slide onto the bench opposite the woman, Andrew finally got a look at Sara's mother. She was nothing like Andrew's expectations. Her long black hair was pulled to the back of her head where it had been arranged into a neat braid which fell over her shoulder. She was focused on a tablet, her eyes taking in as much detail as possible before she hit the power button.
Andrew focused on the device and was able to tell that she was reading an email attachment from a "John Grisham" before she put the device to sleep and all data was jumbled and lost. He shook his head and smiled, marveling at his new gift as he turned his attention on the bubbly woman who had greeted Sara.
"Hi, I'm Andrew." He went to shake her hand and was surprised when she pulled him in for a hug. "I don't believe we have been properly introduced." His voice showed his unease at the woman's action.
"Excuse me, dear. I'm Jessica, but everyone just calls me Jessi." She plopped down on her seat and smiled between Andrew and Sara.
Andrew felt Sara's fingers dig into his leg as he sat down beside her, and he realized that her mother was studying him very closely.
"Ms. Mitchel, I am forced to admit that I'm kind of intimidated by this meeting."
He had considered what he should say, and decided that he would lean into his feelings. Regardless of what happened, he wanted to know that he had presented himself honestly. Andrew was forced to watch as Sara's mother raised an eyebrow and seemed to study him for what felt like an hour. In actuality it was a brief moment, the longest moment of Andrew's young life.
Her serious expression lightened into a welcoming smile and Andrew took a breath before relaxing. As he reached out and shook her hand across the table he admired how she presented herself. She wore almost no makeup, and he understood why. Like Sara she was a very beautiful woman, though unlike her daughter her skin was smooth and without blemish. Everything about her was polished and tailored precisely. From her slacks, to her tight but not overly revealing blouse, everything was presented with purpose.
She somehow struck a perfect balance between appearing professional and casual at the same time. The confident and commanding way she carried herself was evident in every simple movement of her toned body. Sara wore her emotions on her sleeve, and Andrew could already tell that her mother could not be more different.
Andrew rested his hand over Sara's on his leg and applied gentle reassuring pressure. He was pleased as he sensed her anxiety lessen through their bond. He smiled at the commanding woman who sat across the table and said, "It's a tremendous pleasure to have this opportunity to finally meet you, ma'am."
Sara's mother smiled at the polite young man who had just settled her daughters nerves, and responded, "It's my turn, Andrew, to admit that I have been anxious for this little meeting. Your presence in my house the other night came as quite the surprise."
She watched him as she took a sip from her water.
"The storm had us all scared, ma'am. I meant no disrespect, but with 'The Rocket' dead, and Psycho all alone we just thought it would be best if we rode out the storm at your place. My parents didn't want me out in the storm again, so I stayed the night. I hope you understand."
While her mouth turned up into a smile Andrew was surprised to see suspicion in her eyes.
"Ohh, no. No offense was taken, dear boy. It just came as a shock to discover that my daughter was dating." She turned her attention on Sara and the affection she showed was palpable as her smile widened.
It was in that moment that one of the waitresses appeared at the edge of the table, startling Andrew from his admiration of the tender scene before him.
"Hey Vivienne, Jessi, gonna get the usual?"
The two women both responded in the affirmative, and Andrew looked down at his unopened menu with trepidation.
"Do you have biscuits and gravy?"
"Only if you like tons of sausage and homemade biscuits." The woman said with genuine excitement, which made the food sound all the more appetizing.
"Sold American. And a cola too, if you don't mind." Andrew said with a jubilance that was both surprising and endearing. While the woman jotted down his order Andrew looked at Sara who was still studying her mother's face.
"You got it. And you, dear, gonna get the t-bone again?"
Sara turned towards the woman with a surprised look on her face. "Yeah...That sounds great. Can I get a cola as well?"
"Sure thing."
As quickly as the waitress had appeared she vanished into the crowded restaurant. Andrew caught glimpses of her as she checked on tables and made her way towards the kitchen. He turned and looked at the shocked expression on his girlfriend's face.
Andrew could not hold back his happy smile as he asked, "What?"
She turned her attention on him and said, "I haven't been here for nearly a year."
"She's a hell of a waitress." Vivienne provided from across the table.
Andrew pulled his stunned girlfriend into his arms and chuckled as he shook her affectionately. Of all the things to surprise her, he did not expect it to be the waitress.
"Is it alright if I start calling you Vivienne? I have been tap dancing around your name since I got here." Andrew was happy as both woman started laughing across the table.
"Of course, Andrew. You played off your ignorance admirably."
He took a slight bow as Sara righted herself in her seat and continued studying her mother. Andrew could sense as both women received messages, though as he focused his will on the devices his head hurt while the information seemed jumbled and impossible to understand. It wasn't until Jessi unlocked her phone and scrolled through the messages that Andrew felt the information shift and become readable.
A meeting had been rescheduled and one of their dev teams was having an issue that they needed Vivienne's attention for. Jess just smiled and put the device back to sleep while she drank from her diet and watched the group with silent attention.
"Well, Vivienne, fire away. I didn't bring a spotlight to make this interrogation official, but I think we can make due." Andrew hoped his tone was playful, but knew that his nerves were still showing.
Sara bumped him with her shoulder and the two woman across the table chuckled and shook their heads.
"I never meant for this lunch to be anything like that. I'm just eager to have this brief opportunity to meet the young man who captured my little girl's heart." Vivienne seemed sincere in her desire to just spend this time with them. He felt Sara's grip on his leg lighten and was pleased as she started petting him gently.
"Well, if you don't mind, I have some questions."
Vivienne chuckled and nodded at the young man which initiated a long series of in depth questions about what she did at her company. He was eager to know what programming languages they utilized. What kinds of databases they used to store their data. As Andrew got further and further into the minutiae of what her company did, Vivienne found herself talking about some of the projects they were working on with excited zeal.
The food arrived and Sara dug into her rare steak. The bloody beef adding to her sense of joy as she felt Andrew's excitement. She chewed and watching him interact with her mother with seamless ease. Something she had never witnessed, and received a great satisfaction from.
She had no idea what they were talking about, and realized she didn't care. The fact that her mother might approve of Andrew brought a joy to her heart that she could barely contain.
"Please, eat. I need a moment to check in with work." Vivienne apologized as she smiled at this surprising young man. She had known he was exceptionally smart, but found herself pleased by the sheer scale of his intellect. His obvious adoration for her daughter went miles towards endearing him to her. Despite all of that, she could not shake certain fears which still pressed upon her.
When her tablet was unlocked and the document came into focus, Andrew almost choked as his name popped into his mind, followed by his birthday. As he mentally scanned through the file he was shocked to see transcripts from his previous schools and his old medical records. The document closed, and as the application quit he felt the data jumble and slip from his awareness.
Another message appeared, "Sync Complete." and Andrew could sense two MAC addresses. He committed them to memory just before the message was dismissed. Andrew suspected that he knew what devices those addresses belonged to. Vivienne then responded to a few work related messages and again put the device to sleep.
"Not hungry?" Her pleasant sounding voice asked.
Andrew realized he had just been pushing around a large piece of sausage, and beside the couple of bites he had already taken he had lost his appetite. Sara squeezed his leg under the table, sensing his unease and wanting to know what was going on. He smiled at her, and planted a gentle kiss on her lips.
"I am fine, just a bit queasy from a test drive we took just before coming here. Man the shocks on that car were terrible." He feigned a laugh, and the other woman seemed to have bought it. All except Sara who knew Andrew was covering for something.
Vivienne caught up with her daughter, and Andrew managed to eat a few more bites. The food was fantastic, and he was looking forward to finishing this later when his appetite returned. Andrew was happy that Sara was able to spend some time talking with her mother about a book he had never even heard of.
It became obvious to Andrew that Vivienne had read the book so that she would have something to discuss with her daughter. While Sara spoke with great passion about her favorite moments from what sounded like a pretty fantastic story, Vivienne confirmed her appreciation but provided very little personal insight. As the conversation carried on Andrew began to better understand the rift that existed between the two women.
He knew it had little to do with Vivienne's job, or the distance with which the two women lived. Portland and Quinault seemed to be next door to each other when compared to the distance between the two women's interests and personalities. In many ways Vivienne reminded Andrew of himself, analytical and calculating; intelligent to a fault.
Jessi had managed to parlay or deflect numerous meetings and calls, but as they were almost finished eating one last message came in which seemed to tip the scales. Someone named Dave needed to have a meeting in fifteen minutes, and as Jessi showed the message to her boss, Vivienne wiped her mouth and apologized.
"It was wonderful meeting you, Andrew. I fear I cannot resist responsibility's siren call any longer."
They all scooted out of the booth, and hugged or shook hands. Vivienne seemed morose about having to leave, but Andrew could see the pressure of work settling onto her shoulders as the two older women packed up their electronics and began moving towards the door.
"Please stay and finish, the checks already taken care of. Next time I'm home we will need to have dinner, Andrew."
"Of course, Ms Mitchel." Andrew couldn't help but fall back into a formal greeting, and hoped that the older woman didn't think anything of it.
As Andrew and Sara settled back onto the bench, Sara asked, "So, what's going on, SD?"
Andrew held his finger to his lips and took out his phone. Everything seemed normal as he brought it out of sleep, and his nimble fingers soon found what he was looking for in the settings. His MAC address was one of the two that had synced to Vivienne's tablet. He shut off his device and pulled out the battery before pointing towards Sara's pocket, silently asking for her phone.
He first checked and confirmed that her phone had the other MAC address before shutting her device off and popping out her battery as well.
"Well, kitten. First I just want to say that your mother seems like a very impressive and accomplished woman."
Sara beamed with a happy smile, she never thought that this meeting would have gone as well as it had.
"Second, do you have any idea why your mother is so controlling over your life?"
She looked at Andrew in confusion as she tried to understand what he was getting at. Her mother had kept her distance and allowed Sara to do whatever she wanted. What other mother would have let their daughter skip an entire year of school?
"Are you talking about the cameras at my house? That's just a home security system."
Andrew shook his head and responded, "Well, yes and no. No home security system requires that many cameras and motion sensors per room. But what I'm referring to is a couple of things I learned while we were talking. When your mother unlocked her tablet I was able to skim through a document that she had been reading when we got here.
"Someone had emailed her a rather extensive dossier on me. The small amount I was able to read before it closed had my entire school transcript, and as far as I could tell my entire medical history. There were still a lot more files that I could sense attached to the email."
Sara gasped as the color drained from her face.
"Then, I noticed a message that two devices had synced with her tablet. The MAC addresses for those devices were our phones. I'm not sure how, but I think that she has rooted our phones and is spying on us. That's why I turned them off and removed the batteries. I haven't noticed any battery drainage issues, so I don't think she has them set up as remote mics, but after everything I saw I am erring on the side of caution."
Sara pulled Andrew into a tight hug and cooed, "I am so sorry, sweetie. Why would she do such a thing."
Andrew had been wondering the exact same thing. Vivienne obviously loved Sara very much, and was very protective of her daughter.
"I don't know, kitten. I suspect it comes from her love for you. But it still feels a bit extreme."
Sara sighed as she wondered aloud, "I wonder if it's because of what happened with dad."
That was something Andrew had not considered, and as he mulled the idea over he began to realize that it very well could explain everything. If Vivienne had been hurt by what had happened to Sara at the hands of her father, that might explain why she would go to such extremes to ensure that it never happened again. While this theory helped sooth Andrew's sense of betrayal, he knew that there was more to this that they just couldn't see yet.
