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“And you know what it is?” he asked, baffled.
“Again, yes. Why is this bothering you?”
“I’m surprised, that’s all.” Sarah waited for the stranger to elaborate further or give her his opinion on the matter. When he did neither, she grilled him herself.
“Well? Don’t just stand there. What is your answer to my question?”
“Which question was that?”
“Do you believe our society has enough money to shelter all the homeless people in America?”
“Yes, notwithstanding the wavering impact of our one-sided economy, there is more than enough wealth in our country to give everyone a roof over their head.”
The little girl took a fraction of a second to think about her arguments. “I disagree. What you’re describing is communism, and that ideology contains inherent flaws that go against the very fabric of human nature.”
As Sarah debated economic semantics with the stranger, Diana tuned out of the conversation. It’s not that she wasn’t interested in what her daughter was saying, it’s that she heard these types of debates at every supper. A break from it from time to time could be nice.
She had to admit, however, that watching her small daughter arguing the merit of capitalism (and winning) against a man three times her size was pretty funny.
Diana suspected her daughter was a genius like her husband, but they never had her tested.
Glen had been laid off from his teacher’s position a couple of months ago, andthey needed to make every penny of her librarian’s salary count.
The test wasn’t the only thing they had to cut out. Their budget for food and shelter had been significantly lowered as well.
Sarah had to wear the same clothes as last year, even though they were getting too small for her. She also spent a lot of time with her father because they couldn’t afford a sitter. On the days he wasn’t available, she would go to work with her.
Diana knew her daughter’s upbringing was unusual, and she sometimes wondered if Sarah should spend more time playing with kids her age than two parents obsessed with books, but it didn’t seem to bother her, so she let it go.
A familiar sign caught Diana’s attention, and she hurriedly pulled on the cord to request a stop, thus interrupting her daughter’s discussion.
“Get your things and say goodbye to your new friend, honey.”
“Goodbye, sir. It was nice meeting you.”
“Same here, kid. Thank you for the discussion. Most College students wouldn’t have argued that subject as well as you did.”
“You exaggerate, but thank you. And please don’t feel bad that you lost the debate. My mom tells me I’m special,” the child answered with a shy smile.
“She’s right on that,” he answered, and gave her a fist bump.
As the two women got off the bus and entered the modern building housing the San Diego Public Library, Sarah stared in wonder at her surroundings. She absolutely loved the 9-story architectural masterpiece and never tired of coming to her mother’s workplace.
“I have a treat for you,” her mom spoke as they walked toward her desk.
“Oh, yeah? What is it?” The little girl perked up, hoping it was cake.
“They’re installing brand new computers in the main area today,” Diana said and hid her smile when disappointment filled her daughter’s eyes. She knew what the little girl had been hoping for, and there was a cannoli waiting for her in the employee’s fridge.
“You know, Daddy thinks those things are a plague on the world. He says our society will one day be controlled by flying drones and the government will know every move we make through a microchip inserted into our brains.”
“Your father was teasing you, honey.”
“I’m pretty sure he was dead serious. He may even have a point.”
“Do you even know what a computer does?”
“Well, no.”
