2
" Yeah. It's a metaphor. Jess and I are partners.' I point across the bay at nearby San Francisco. 'Look at that city,' I say. 'That's society. It's Out There. I this its own illusions, its own abilities, its own tasks. We used to be a part of it. Oh, we are, in some way, but now we are something else. We are a distinct culture, a separate island. To get to Us, you have to swim across a bay in cold ocean waters. By the time you get here, you would have come to respect the ocean and the waters and the waves—and the beaches of this island would remind you of how great it is to be on land, to be in the presence of a great, married couple.'
Jack laughs. 'Now you really are a megalomaniac. A true idealist.'
'I don't know, Jack,' I say. 'I think marriage is sacred.'
'I can tell.' He pulls out a cigarette and lights it. He blows smoke around and then looks at me. 'You want one?' he asks. 'This one's not a metaphor. "
― Moses Yuriyvich Mikheyev , The Hack
5
" I think you should go," I say.
She's silent for a minute. Then she turns around and says, "He used to say that to me, too." She wipes a tear from her eye. "Thanks," she mutters and begins to leave.
"Hey," I tell her.
She's not listening. I hear her crying and she's packing her clothes.
I run upstairs to my room.
"Hey," I say.
She's really upset and she's not even looking at me.
God, I'm such a piece of work.
God, I'm such a piece of shit.
"I'll marry you," I whisper.
God, I swear I mean it.
She stops what she's doing and looks at me. She shakes her head. "
― Moses Yuriyvich Mikheyev , The Hack
