Page 89 of You Had Me at Hello World
“You know Hello World is forhelpingimmigrants, right?”
He seems genuinely confused. “Those people are losers.Losers!You have nothing in common with them. You’re a fighter. You’re one of the good ones.” And even though that is an absolutely disgusting thing for him to say, there’s still some small, stupid part of me that perks up like,He thinks you’re special!
Mom walks toward us. “What’s happening?” she asks me in Chinese.
Edvin gives a once-over to her baggy jeans and graying hair, and for a brief moment I think I glimpse contempt in his eyes.
I don’t answer her. Instead, I say, “Please, I need more time to think.” It comes out so soft, like a little girl’s voice.
“We don’thavetime. The press conference is happening now,” he says.
Of course. The press conference.
Maybe that’s why he’s been so interested in me. So he can prop me up as good PR, prove that he doesn’t hate all immigrants.Only the bad ones that are ruining our country.
It hurts because—because—well, I actually thought he believed in me. Because I figured he meant it when he said I was talented and smart and awesome.
I’m so fucking naive.
Mom straightens to her full height of five-nothing, an entire foot shorter than Edvin. “You heard my daughter. She want a moment.” Her voice is strong, like it’s made of bronze.
“Ma’am, I don’t think you understand.”
“I understand you fine,” she says. “Sorry, but you going to wait.”
Edvin scowls, and for a wild second I’m scared he’s about to slap her. He’s not somebody used to not getting what he wants. He’s got all this brutal energy lurking beneath the Patagonia vest.
But the second passes and his face smooths out, placid. “Fine, but then we can no longer guarantee a spot in Nexus’s incubator program for her. We have plenty of other incredible candidates.”
Wait, no, I can’t let this opportunity slip through my fingertips. I’m not ready to throw it away. I open my mouth to protest, to apologize, but then Mom says, “All good.”
Edvin turns to me. “Char, don’t do something you’re going to regret.” And then he strolls back to the elevator, flanked by Janelle.
When they’re gone, I stare at Mom. “You just… you just stood up to a billionaire tech bro.” Except I don’t know how to saybillionaire tech broin Mandarin, exactly, so I think I end up sayingking of the computers.
She waves a hand in the air likeIt was nothing, but her eyes flash with pride. “So why did you need more time?”
I flop down on the leather couch. “I don’t know if I want to work with him anymore because his company…” Ugh. How to say this in Mandarin? “Uh, his company does bad things, but also, we really need the money and the opportunity, and…” I stop babbling when I see my mother shaking her head.
“Baobei,you don’t need to worry about this.”
“Huh?”
She sits beside me. “If you don’t want to work with him, then don’t.”
“But we need the money. How are we going to survive?”
“I have some savings,” she says. “In a bank account that Michael didn’t know about, from before our marriage. And I’ll find more work. Char, all you need to do is go to school and be a normal teenager.”
“But…” I don’t know what to say, but it feels like I need to push back. Come up with some plan. Before shit hits the fan. Because shit always hits the fan.
“And I got up early and used your laptop to check Facebook. One of my friends from graduate school replied to me this morning. She lives in Boston now. She said we can stay with her for the time being.”
“Oh.” Thank God, because I’m half sure Edvin Nilsen is never going to respond to another email of mine.
“Char, I haven’t been a good mother to you.”
The lie comes automatically. “You’re fine.”
