Page 375 of The First Time
It doesn't make sense.
"And how have you been, Lizzy? How's your chess bot?" Blake asks.
She blushes. "Oh. It's okay. I mean, I'm trying something with Go, but it's impossible." She looks to Blake. "I spent a few hours testing the chat bot."
"You're more interested than I am," he says.
"Did you really program it all by yourself?" she asks.
"I did," he says. "It was my first time programming in awhile."
"It's amazing." Her voice gets loud. Excited. "I go into that room where you can play a game." She turns to me. "You have to guess if you're talking to a human or a chat bot, and the other person does the same."
"What if the other person is a chat bot?" I ask.
"Then it guesses. Sometimes it's two bots talking to each other. You can read the logs of that." Her eyes go wide. "It's so cool."
"Thank you," Blake says.
"Programming is his idea of fun, I think," I say.
Meryl laughs, but it's strained. She brings her fist to her mouth and coughs.
Blake leans closer.
She waves him away. "I'm fine, sweetheart. Just thirsty." She holds up her empty glass.
Right on cue, a server enters our room. He smiles at Meryl. "Another?"
"You're too kind." She hands him her glass.
He looks to Blake. "You too, sir?"
Blake nods. "A gin and tonic for my fiancée."
"You order for her?" Meryl coughs. "Really? Don't you think that's a bit old-fashioned?"
"You'll confuse the man." Blake's lips curl into a half-smile. He looks to me and winks.
He's making another joke. It's not a good joke—no server is so easily confused that the wordold-fashionedwould make him think he should fix an old fashioned rather than a gin and tonic—but it's mine.
It makes me warm all over.
"Yeah, it's weird. But I think they're into that." Lizzy looks to the server. "Diet Coke with a maraschino cherry."
"A second glass for my daughter." Meryl motions to the empty spot next to Blake. "She got held up discussing something with Trey."
The server nods and disappears through the doors.
Meryl lets out another cough. Or more like a fit. She clears her throat and forces a smile. "Lizzy, I heard you're going to school next year. Is that true?"
Lizzy takes a seat. She plays with her dress.
"Well, sweetheart, do tell. Have you decided?"
"Stanford."
My stomach drops. "Officially?"
