Page 40 of Death of the Author

Zelu gritted her teeth. “Something good... it’s good. Really. You’re gonna like this.”

She wheeled into the center of the living room and looked around at her family. Their expressions ranged from blank to slightly annoyed. She smiled, uncomfortable.

“Please don’t ruin the evening,” Chinyere said.

Zelu shot her a nasty look.

“What is it, Zelu?” her mother finally asked, concerned.

“Mom, it’s somethinggood,” Zelu insisted.

“Okay, o,” her mother said, still anxious.

Zelu took a breath. This was her family. She could tell them everything. Hadn’t she once told them she was “high as fuck”? The world had shaken, but it hadn’t ended. And this was something amazing, even if she was terrified that it wouldn’t be. Even if she couldn’t stop thinking that she might finish destroying her body with a second devastating fall.

But Zelu was a storyteller, so she told them in story fashion. Once she started speaking, it was easy. Her family listened, silent and attentive. She was in her element. The plot was forward-moving. She wove in her apprehensions tightly with her ambitions, her fears with her hopes. She made sure the theme was success. Once she finished telling them all about the supporting character of doctorandprofessor Hugo Wagner, and how she’d be at the best engineering school in the world for a month, and how maybe she’d even beinspired to write part two ofRusted Robots, she sat back, grinned, let out a breath, and waited.

For several moments, no one spoke.

Her mother broke the silence. “Well, I don’t know about this.”

Zelu shot a look at her father.Hewould be on Zelu’s side. He was the adventurous one.

“It’s a fascinating idea,” he said, pinching his chin. “Zelu, you sure this is safe?”

She nodded vigorously. “Definitely! Safety isn’t an issue. There are dozens of—”

“Then why isn’t this on the market for just anyone?” Tolu asked. “It sounds cool, really, Zelu, but... it also sounds like you’re donating your body for experimentation. I’ve heard too much about Western medicine experimenting on Africans—”

“I’m American, too,” Zelu snapped, shocked that Tolu also wasn’t on her side. He was always on her side! “It’s not like I’m—”

Tolu wasn’t done. “This white guy falls out of the sky and randomly offers you robot legs? How are you not suspicious? I think I’ve seen this movie.”

“It’s not random,” she insisted. “I told you—”

“Zelu, calm down,” her mother cut in. “We are just concerned for you. Look at all that is going on in your life. You need to be protected more than ever.”

Zelu scoffed. “Why is protection by you guys always like—”

“How does this man even know about you?” her mother asked.

“Mom, I’m all over the place right now! He read my book and then read about me in interviews. He studied up on me.”

Her mother grunted. “Yes, but he could do that with anyone. What’s special about you?”

Zelu shrank back, digging her nails into her palms. Her familyknewhow popular her book was, but still, they couldn’t stop seeing her as the child who fell from the tree and needed help just to go to the bathroom.None of them would ever admit it, but Zelu knew that some part of them, all of them, wanted to keep her at home to prevent her from nearly killing herself yet again.

But all that aside, there was always that underlying question, especially from her mother:Why would anyone be interested in you?Chinyere and Amarachi and even Bola were queenlier in her mother’s eyes than crippled, failed-professor Zelu. Tears tingled at the corners of her eyes. She had not anticipated having to convince anyone like this.

“I don’t think I’m for it, either,” Chinyere said. “I mean, let’s say he’s legit and you get these things... Zelu, you have to be careful. You’re already struggling with PTSD, anxiety, your constant panic attacks—”

“They’re not... constant.” She took a breath, briefly squeezing her eyes shut. “So because I’m scarred by that accident, I shouldn’t try to... wait, how does that even make sense? I have the chance to walk again, so why shouldn’t I take it?”

“Ah ah, what if youfall?” her mother said.

Zelu pressed her hand to her face and groaned.

“It’s notreallywalking,” Chinyere cut in. “It’s beingcarriedaround by robot legs. You wouldn’t be cured.” Uzo, Tolu, and Amarachi murmured and nodded agreement. Zelu, who was looking at them through her fingers, wanted to scream. That was everyone. They were all against her. Wow. She hadn’t expected this at all.

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