As the light rail car came to a halt and the doors opened, Alvin Kotzwinkle turned up the collar on his top coat and pulled it tighter around him. The blast of winter air was bitter, almost as bitter as his resentment. He'd been at work the day before, slaving away over the charts and tables at his uncle's accounting firm when the phone rang.
"Kotzwinkle."
"Yes, Mr. Kotzwinkle. My name is Alondra Beard and I'm from the Agency for Domestic Tranquility. We've scheduled an appointment for you at nine thirty Wednesday morning."
"What? What do I need an appointment with the ADT for? I'm happy enough."
"Mr. Kotzwinkle, everything is not about
your
happiness. As I'm sure you are aware the Supreme Court has upheld the agency's enabling legislation and compliance is your civic duty. Please be prompt."
Ms. Beard had peremptorily hung up leaving Alvin offended. He'd called the office assistant and told her to deal with the problem only to have Sooki look him in the eye and state coolly, "Mr. Kotzwinkle, one does not 'deal with' the Agency for Domestic Tranquility. They want you to go to an appointment? You go. End of discussion." And she'd turned on her heel and walked away.
Muttering under his breath on the appointed day, Alvin trudged down the snowy sidewalk. Working for his uncle wasn't particularly exciting but it paid well and kept his mind busy. Most important, it was indoors and warm. In time Alvin would inherit the company and when he did, the young man was determined to move the headquarters to Miami or San Diego. Any place where snow was nothing but an ugly rumor or decoration on a wall calendar would do but he did dream of sandy beaches and girls in bikinis. He was unsure why but attracting female attention from anyone younger than his silver-haired aunts was proving difficult.
Maybe it's my name
, he thought.
I'll bet even an accountant wouldn't be lonely if his name were Sean McCloud.
Arriving at the Agency for Domestic Tranquility at the stroke of half past nine, he glowered at the unoffending receptionist and muttered gruffly, "Alvin Kotzwinkle. I've been told I have an appointment?"
The dark-skinned girl smiled in response and looked at her monitor. "Ah, yes, Mr. Kotzwinkle. You are to see Ms. Beard in room 301. Just take the elevator up to the third floor and turn right. It will be right there. And Mr. Kotzwinkle—smile. It's good for you."
Opening the door in Room 301 Alvin received another smile from a young man in a white coat over a shirt and tie. "Ah, Mr. Kotzwinkle, Ms. Beard is expecting you. Come this way, please, and let me take your topcoat."
Ushered through the next door Alvin found himself facing an imposingly tall woman wearing her auburn hair in a tight bun and garbed in a severe blouse and pencil skirt. She stood and gestured to one of the club chairs in front of her desk, smiled faintly, sat back down and keyed up a file on her computer monitor. The corners of her mouth again twitched upwards.
"Mr. Kotzwinkle, I am pleased to reveal that you have an exceptionally clean genetic record and . . ."