Chapter 53
TOM OWENS DIDN’T want to admit that he was confused by what was going on in the house they all shared in Yonkers. Ellis, Kimmy, and Pry had already drunk a six-pack of some kind of alcoholic lemonade. Now they were drinking vodka and cranberry juice.
Owens was content to sit alone on the old couch in the living room. A box of Popeyes fried chicken was open in the middle of the table. They’d already eaten the three orders of large fries, and Pry had devoured all the coleslaw himself directly from the container.
Kimmy came over and sat down with Owens on the couch. She was careful to balance her cranberry-and-vodka drink. He could smell the alcohol on her breath and didn’t much care for it. Her eyes looked a little funny as well.
She leaned in close to him and said, “C’mon, Tom, it’s a celebration. You made this happen. You’re going to put us on the map!”
Kimmy snuggled in closer and put her left arm around Owens’s shoulders.
She cast a quick glance at Pry. Even though the big man was engaged in a serious discussion with Ellis, he managed to shoot a glare toward them.
It made Owens nervous. Maybe “scared” was a better word.
Then Pry went back to his conversation with Ellis, ignoring Owens and Kimmy for the moment.
Kimmy said in a low voice, “I don’t understand. I thought you’d be happy.”
“About what?”
“Changing the world. Think about what we did today. Once we release a statement and claim credit for all the bombings, people will have to listen. We won’t stop until they understand everything they have to do to end climate change.
The powers in charge will have to provide affordable housing and keep banks from ruining people’s lives. You should be celebrating!”
Owens wasn’t real clear on the concept of celebrations. If he stopped to celebrate every time he accomplished a goal, all he’d be doing was celebrating.
He said, “I’ll be happy if we get enough news coverage to make someone read my manifesto. If they read it, I think it’ll explain what and why we need to change.”
“Isn’t that what the guy you like so much did? What did they call him? The mail bomber?”
“The Unabomber. His name was Ted Kaczynski.” Would Ted Kaczynski have been celebrating? Owens often thought about what Kaczynski might do when in certain situations, but although he’d read everything he could find related to his idol, there were still gaps in his knowledge.
He told Kimmy, “Kaczynski tried to get people to listen all those years ago, but they thought he was crazy. Turned out he was right about a lot of things. Tech companies can track you now, the government knows every move you make, especially when it comes to money, and people try to explain away the crazy weather without ever admitting it might be caused by humans. That’s why I feel we have to take such extreme measures, just to make people listen. ”
Owens could feel Kimmy’s warm body against his. She was acting oddly, but he had to admit he liked it. She rested her head on his shoulder and stroked his arm. Her blond hair tickled his nose, but he didn’t try to brush it away.
“What are you planning next?” she asked.
“I told you. We need to do something big.”
“I know we’re able to do big things. What’s your plan?”
“I want to black out the whole city. Let people see what it’d be like if there was no electricity. Let people know fear. Then they’ll be more open to listening to ideas like mine.”