Trust Me

have real homes? Macbeth says they have to live in shelters and cheap motels and places like that.”
    “Some even have to live in cars ‘cause that’s all their folks can afford,” Kyle added.
    “A home is a valuable thing,” Stark said. “Not everyone has one.”

    Stark took aim at the hideous green monster and squeezed off the last shot. “Gotcha.”
    The creature collapsed and vanished in a puff of smoke.
    “You did it,” Kyle yelped in awestruck amazement. “You destroyed the Wyvern, and you found the treasure. You won the game. Hardly anybody ever wins this one.”
    Lights flashed, and a row of numbers appeared on the video screen.
    Jason gazed at the numbers, entranced. “Wow. Look at that score.”
    Desdemona peered at the screen. “I didn’t think adults were supposed to be any good at these games.”
    “I’ve got an edge on this one,” Stark admitted as he stepped back from the machine.
    “What kind of an edge?” Desdemona asked.
    “I invented it.”
    Kyle and Jason stared at him in open-mouthed astonishment.
    Kyle recovered first. “Is that the truth?”
    “Yes.” Stark fished quarters out of his pocket. “Want to give it a try?”
    “Sure.” Kyle moved into position. “What’s the secret?”
    “The secret is not to get greedy when you finally discover the location of the Wyvern’s treasure. Leave the gold where it is until you clean the bad guys out of the caverns. Then go back for the treasure.”
    Kyle frowned. “Yeah?”
    “The players who try to take the treasure and run for it always lose,” Stark said. “I set it up that way.”
    Kyle grinned. “Got it.” He seized the control sticks.
    “It’s designed to teach the concept of deferred gratification,” Stark said dryly. He looked at Desdemona. “I’m something of an expert on the subject.”
    “Let me try, let me try,” Jason said.
    “I’m first.” Kyle shoved coins into the slot.
    Jason turned to Stark. “When did you invent Wyvern’s Treasure?”
    “About four years ago. I sold the software design to the company that manufactures it. Other designers update it periodically, but they haven’t tampered with the basic structure of the game, so I can still win when I play.”
    “Cool,” Jason breathed. “Way cool. Wait’ll I tell my friend Kevin. He’s good at this game. He always gets as far as Wyvern hunter status, but he’s never gotten a score as high as yours.”
    Desdemona looked at Stark. “I thought your specialty was security and encryption programs based on chaos theory.”
    “Based on theories derived from the science of complex structures,” Stark corrected patiently. “I told you, I don’t like the word chaos. It’s not a proper description of the field.”
    “Whatever. Did you invent Wyvern’s Treasure just for fun?”
    “No.” Stark took her arm and guided her back to the red vinyl booth.
    The aroma of fresh-cooked pizza filled the colorful restaurant. Stark had discovered that Kyle and Jason considered pizza to be nature’s perfect food. He had eaten more pizza since their arrival than he had eaten in the past year.
    Desdemona slid into the booth across from him and reached for her glass of sparkling water. “Why did you invent it, then?”
    “I wrote the game program because I needed cash to start up Stark Security Systems.” He studied her intently, marveling at how good it felt to have her sitting across from him.
    The garish restaurant lighting turned her frothy red curls into coils of spun copper. Her turquoise eyes glowed with warmth and laughter. He thought about Wednesday night and burned.
    “Thanks for inviting me along this afternoon,” Desdemona said. “I love pizza.”
    “Do you? Personally, I think I’m in serious danger of overdosing on it” Stark glanced across the room to where Kyle and Jason were hovering over the video machine. “I want to thank you for sending Macbeth to me. Getting Jason and Kyle involved with the Strolling players was a good idea.”
    “I’m glad they’re enjoying it.”
    “It’s taking them out of themselves or something.” Stark was not certain how to put it into words. “Makes them feel a part of something important.”
    “It’s always illuminating to discover that there are other people who are a lot worse off than you are,” Desdemona said. “And that you can do something to help.”
    Stark switched his gaze back to her. “Maybe the next time we go out on a date, we can go alone.”
    “I’d enjoy that,