{"id":2109,"date":"2020-12-12T19:11:41","date_gmt":"2020-12-13T02:11:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/?p=2109"},"modified":"2020-12-19T19:13:07","modified_gmt":"2020-12-20T02:13:07","slug":"coulomb-barrier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/2020\/12\/12\/coulomb-barrier\/","title":{"rendered":"Coulomb Barrier"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

prompt: <\/em>\u00a0Write a story about another day in a heatwave….<\/em>
available at Reedsy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The deuterium-deuterium fusion cycle as employed in standard spacecraft engines is made possible through the use of extreme heat, exciting the atoms to crash into each other energetically enough to overcome the natural repulsion of the weak nuclear force, and get within range of the attractive strong nuclear force. This is what is meant by overcoming the Coulomb Barrier.<\/em> – Dr. Fatouma Tigana Fusion Basics for Power Mechanics<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The announcer stood in front of a graphic of the sun over a landscape of identical grey blocks stretching into the distance. \u201cIt\u2019s the 24th<\/sup> day of the heat wave, with temperatures here in the city expected to reach 52 degrees. That\u2019s 325 degrees Kelvin for those playing at home.\u201d The announcer\u2019s voice was serious, making the attempt at informal banter jarring. \u201cTo win 200 credits, be one of the first three people to tell us, at Bamako:news:block374-local, what is 52 degrees in Fahrenheit?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jak did the calculation in her head while she switched the holo to its default display mode. She sent the answer \u201c125.6\u201d to the block holo channel from her comm. A moment later her comm chimed with the message that 200 credits had been deposited to her account. On a normal day she\u2019d be asleep at this hour, since she worked nights, but she hadn\u2019t slept well for the past 18 days. This was the second time she won 200 credits from their daily trivia question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside the drab, grey walls of her flat the air was a perfect 20 degrees and 30 percent humidity. A holo image of a forested waterfall played on the wall opposite the door. Despite the comfort of the flat, the heat still felt oppressive to her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She worked nights, but she worked outdoors. She maintained the automated machines that erected the 100 story, square kilometer blocks like the one she lived in now. Last night, though, the temperature stayed well above 30 and the hot, humid winds were torture. No amount of cool showers could seem to get her free of the feeling of being overheated, even here in her perfect environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jak decided to call the weekend early. The construction company might get mad, but they weren\u2019t the ones fixing melted insulation and heat-damaged batteries every night. She fired off a quick message from her comm and took another cool shower. Her bed sat disheveled and she contemplated trying to sleep again, but she knew it was futile at this point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dressing in her lightest clothes she left her 98th<\/sup> floor subsidy flat, taking the elevator all the way down to the ground floor. Floors 0 and 1 were where all the shops and services lived. They were also the busiest, especially in the middle of the morning. She wandered through the crowds, trying to decide if she needed to buy anything with her new 200 credits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last time, she\u2019d bought a party dress, costing almost the entire amount. It wasn\u2019t until the day after that she realized she\u2019d probably never have occasion to wear it. She was wandering through the mall, looking for something interesting when a voice called out \u201cJaqueline! Jaqueline! Over here!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jak sighed. Only one person called her Jaqueline, her next-door neighbor, Sina. Sina was attractive, and nice enough, but annoying; frantically chipper and a chatterbox in the way that only five-year-olds haven\u2019t outgrown. She didn\u2019t know her well, despite the many meetings in the hallway outside their doors. \u201cHi, Sina. I see you took a job?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes! I still want to work on my art, but I thought maybe I could find a job that can make people smile!\u201d Sina pointed to the case in front of her, a huge smile plastered on her face. \u201cIce cream makes people happy! Especially when it\u2019s hot out! Not that you\u2019d know it, since no one\u2019s ever really outside except in a taxi or bus or train or plane or something. Want some ice cream?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, thanks,\u201d Jak said, then paused. \u201cYou know what, on second thought, sure.\u201d She looked over the flavors and asked \u201cWhat do you recommend?\u201d No sooner had it left her lips than she regretted it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh! I really like the chocolate raspberry\u2026 or was it strawberry? Or the cherry with chocolate chunks in, or the green tea with chocolate chips\u2026. Oh! You have<\/em> to try the rhubarb lemon sorbet! It\u2019s tangy\u2026 and sweet\u2026 only\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnly, no chocolate?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah! How did you know?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go with that. Sounds light enough for now.\u201d Jak scanned her ident to pay and tuned Sina out as she chirped non-stop while scooping ice cream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHave fun today! I\u2019ll be home around 20:00, you can let me know what you think about it then!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUh\u2026\u201d Jak had no idea what Sina was talking about. \u201cUm, sure. You may have to remind me this evening, I worked all night and haven\u2019t slept.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo problem! I\u2019ll just pop by when I get home! Toodles!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jak sat on the side of the fountain in the middle of the mall, eating her tart icy treat and watching the crowds. What was Sina talking about?<\/em> As much as she wanted to enjoy the cold sweetness she found she\u2019d finished her ice cream while trying to recall whatever Sina had said. If she\u2019d paid attention she would know, but now her mind was working overtime in effort to tease out anything coherent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She lay back on the cool marble of the fountain edge, trying to figure out her best course of action. Option one: she could wait until 20:00 and find out then. Option two: she could march back over and admit that she wasn\u2019t listening and find out what Sina wanted to know. As hard as she thought, she couldn\u2019t come up with an option three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She tried to imagine how she would approach it without<\/em> hurting Sina\u2019s feelings. As she thought of how she would apologize the cool of the marble spread through her body. Relief, at long last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWake up, sweetie.\u201d Sina\u2019s voice was uncharacteristically soft. \u201cYou fell asleep on the fountain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2026 uh\u2026,\u201d Jak sat up, trying to clear the fog of sleep from her brain. \u201cOh. Sina, I\u2019m sorry. I wasn\u2019t paying attention earlier and then you said\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, I\u2019m sorry.\u201d Sina seemed unhappy. It wasn\u2019t a look her face was accustomed to. \u201cThat was a mean trick, I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat trick?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI knew you weren\u2019t paying attention, so I thought it would be funny to act like I thought you were.\u201d Sina sighed. \u201cI know I\u2019m difficult to be around. I talk too much when I\u2019m nervous. My stomach gets all fluttery and then I just talk and talk and don\u2019t let anyone get a word in edgewise. It\u2019s kind of a bad\u2026 wait. I\u2019m doing it again, aren\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou are.\u201d Jak shifted, her back in knots after sleeping on the hard slab. \u201cWhat\u2019s got you so nervous?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, I\u2026 kind of like you,\u201d Sina said. \u201cI mean, I don\u2019t really know<\/em> you, but you seem like the sort of person I would like, only I really want to get to know you.\u201d Her speech was picking up pace. \u201cIf it\u2019s not too much to ask, I mean, if you\u2019re not doing anything, and you would be okay with it, but if you\u2019re not I\u2019ll understand, I just wondered if\u2026\u201d she fell silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI did it again.\u201d Sina took a deep breath. \u201cJaqueline, would you like to go dancing with me?\u201d It all came out as one word. Sina gulped, then continued on. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be tonight, or tomorrow, but maybe some time this week? When you have a night off? It doesn\u2019t have to be anything serious, I just want to get to know you. Friends first, and that\u2019s all if that\u2019s all you want, but\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jak raised a hand to stop her. “I have a brand new dress I won’t get to wear otherwise, so, yes. We’ll go dancing tonight. On one condition.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Yes?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“You have to stop calling me Jaqueline. My name is Jak, it’s not short for anything.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Sorry. I was just, I don’t know\u2026,\u201d Sina trailed off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Nervous?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Yeah.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Is it already 20:00?” Jak asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“No, I saw you lying over here, and when you didn’t move for a couple hours I took the rest of the day off.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“In that case,” Jak asked, “why don’t we make a full night of it? Let’s grab some dinner, my treat. And then dancing is on you.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“That sounds great!” Sina chirped. “We can go for your favorite, then that way I know what your favorite is! Unless it’s too expensive, then we can go for something else, but I still want to know what your favorite is. My favorite is cauliflower curry. And chocolate. And any kind of berry, but especially raspberry…”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Sina,” Jak cut her off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I’m doing it again, huh?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“That’s okay,” Jak said, “it’s cute.” It wasn’t what she expected to say, but she realized that Sina was no where near as annoying as she had thought earlier. Perhaps it was her lowered resistance due to lack of sleep, or maybe the heat had finally melted her brain. Either way, it was working. “Let’s go eat, then we can go home to get ready for tonight.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Okay. Hey,” Sina asked, “when the weather cools off, can we maybe go to the lake, go swimming?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“That sounds good, but let’s get through tonight, first.” Jak stood and stretched. “Let’s grab a cold noodle salad.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Is that your favorite?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Only when I\u2019ve been working in the heat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWait, you work outside<\/em>!?\u201d Sina\u2019s eyes grew wide. \u201cWhat kind of work do you do that you have work outside?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jak offered Sina her hand. \u201cWe can talk about it over dinner. After all, that\u2019s what this is, right? Getting to know each other?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, you\u2019re right.\u201d Sina accepted Jak\u2019s hand and stood. She continued to hold her hand after getting to her feet and raised her eyes to Jak\u2019s. \u201cIs\u2026 is this okay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fine.\u201d Jak smiled and lightly squeezed Sina\u2019s trembling hand. \u201cIf I didn\u2019t want you to hold my hand I wouldn\u2019t have offered.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As they walked hand-in hand through the mall Sina was, for once, at a loss for words.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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