The Clocks

In The Year 721 After the Founding

At 17 years old, Paolo Donetti acted more like he was 11 or 12, and he fully intended to continue to do so as long as possible. He'd realized by the time he was 10 that, even in these modern times, it was still not uncommon for children of his social status to be shoved into a betrothal as young as 11. They were thereafter expected to act more like adults and less like children, something he had no intention of doing until there was no other choice.

It was that knowledge which made his blood run cold, more than anything else he had learned in those first 10 years. The idea of being trussed up and leashed to a girl for the rest of his life was something that he hadn't wanted to even think about much less plan for.

And speaking of plans, he'd devised one that had him patting himself on his back for his brilliance. He pretended to be not all that smart. Not dumb, that might have had him locked up somewhere, but a bit on the slow side. He threw in a modicum of socially inept behaviors around those few who appeared at first to be willing to ignore his mental state (or perhaps because of it, thinking that he would be easy to manipulate). Thus far it had worked quite well. At least it had insofar as it warded off the parents of various potential brides. His father was one of the most prominent bankers in The City, so there were quite a few social climbers (and those who were simply greedy) who considered Paolo a fine, potential son-in-law. Until they met him.... So far he'd managed to scare them all off. Maybe.

For some reason, Sara Macklin, the daughter of one of his father's minor partners, kept showing up at odd times and odd places where someone who wasn't family ordinarily wouldn't. She even popped up in his dreams now and then. It was most disturbing, and the worst part of it was that he couldn't figure out why. While it was true that she was moderately attractive, what with that long, wavy hair, those cute freckles, and grass-green eyes. They were rather nice eyes now that he thought about it....

He shook himself and tried to focus. Thinking about what she looked like wouldn't help figure out what was bothering him. He knew that he was more intelligent than most folks, and, in the rare cases where he did exert himself, Paolo was an unusually good, analytical thinker. But whenever his thoughts strayed to Sara his intellect always took an abrupt vacation.

Well, for now at least, he'd not worry about that as he had something else on his mind. Ordinarily he wasn't a child who sought after possessions. He'd realized long ago that while his family had a number of things that were of considerable value, their lives really weren't much different from any other family's. It seemed that once one had a certain amount of goods and funds, having more didn't do anything but increase how much you worried about having your valuables stolen and, more importantly, your work load. It was the latter that truly bothered him, for he had a tendency to be lazy.

Despite that, on the first of March, a day that was unexpectedly dry, he and his father Robert were walking down the street on some errand or another when Paolo spotted something out of the corner of his eye that shocked him so much that he froze in his tracks. He turned to get a better look and beheld the most beautiful desk he'd ever seen. At first glance, its appearance was rather modest compared to several others in the shop. There were no fancy carvings or ornate handles on its drawers, but to Paolo it shouted out, "I was made by a MASTER craftsman. I don't need frills to make me look good. If you want the best there is, take a look, because the best is ME!"

Paolo didn't drool, his manners were much better than that. He might be acting "simple" but he couldn't abide being embarrassed, thus his manners always suited his company when he wasn't performing. He could be boisterous with friends and impeccable when at a formal dinner. Somehow he always knew which set of manners to use so as to best fit in. Therefore he didn't gawk. He smiled sadly at the desk, for his savings over the past few years were woefully inadequate considering how much something of its quality was likely to cost. He turned away and scurried to catch up with his father, who had continued on his way, not noticing Paolo's delay.

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Some days later, when Paolo was eavesdropping on his parents' nightly chat, he overheard something that was beyond interesting. Eavesdropping was, of course, what he supposed you'd call a "bad habit." However, he'd learned a great deal by listening to others' conversations, especially when they didn't know he was there.

His father was expounding, "That's quite true dear, but it doesn't set well with me. Oh, I know that others' parents give their children ridiculously expensive gifts if they do well in school, but I don't like the idea that one must bribe one's children to ensure their diligence. It teaches the wrong lesson. Growing up thinking only of how much money you'll get by doing well leads to all sorts of unsavory habits.

"That being said, giving one's child a gift, even a substantial one, when one does well, oh, say in the Citywide Examinations after one's final year of secondary school, is not inappropriate, as long as both the parents and child understand that it's a one-time reward for true, self-motivated effort rather than part of an ongoing payment."

` Robert and Miranda said nothing for several minutes. Paolo knew that there wouldn't be much else of interest to hear, so he stealthily crept away and up the stairs to his room, his head swimming with possibilities.

Shortly thereafter Robert whispered, "He's left now, hasn't he Manda?"

"Yes dear. Just as he always does when he thinks we're through talking. He's rather sneaky and clever, but then he IS our son."

Robert laughed. "Indeed. He inherited the cleverness from me, and his sneakiness from you. I knew that marrying you and making you my silent partner would be extremely profitable."

Seeing the look on her face he hastened to add, "For in married life as well as business, of course!"

They both chuckled, then she asked, "Do you think he'll take the bait?"

"There's absolutely no doubt about it. If you'd seen the way he was looking at that desk at Flora's last week.... I'm absolutely certain that he'd do about anything to have it. And by the way, that one has quite an eye for quality. He zeroed in on the best desk in the store instantly, even though its outward appearance is on the plain side.

"That's why I had Sven go out and buy it immediately after we got home. It's sitting in the large storage room at the bank as we speak. If, for some reason, Paolo should ask at Flora's where it is, the staff will just say that it's been moved to storage temporarily."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Actually, it will be the truth, just not in the way he's going to interpret it."

She smiled. "I suppose I can live with the truth now and then, especially when it's been bent in such a creative way."

Had Paolo still been listening, his surprise at hearing that his parents knew he'd been eavesdropping would have been as nothing compared to his astonishment when his mother added, "It looks as if Sara is doing very well with her campaign too. From what I've seen, he's totally besotted with her, though it's evident that he doesn't yet have a clue. Whenever I catch him looking at her, he has a puzzled look on his face, quite like a puppy that's trying to figure out if a new dog it meets is something to play with or run away from."

"That's a relief, and very interesting too. They'll be a lot like us, but more like a mirror image. He's clever, but, in truth, he takes more after you than me. He's the sneakiest little bastard I've ever met, and Sara, well, I doubt that there are more than five people in The City as smart as she is.

"Whatever they end up doing, anyone who's their competitor will never know what hit them."

At that point they shared a warm, and, truth be told, somewhat predatory smile then lapsed into a companionable silence.

There was one thing that Paolo's parents hadn't realized. Like most parents, they were far too busy congratulating themselves over the success of their "desk gambit," as they came to call it, and their plans for Paolo and Sara's future, to realize that what he'd heard might start him plotting something himself. After taking himself off to his room, he'd spent an hour or so looking at the situation from first one angle and then another until he'd puzzled out all the ramifications as best he could. What he finally concluded was more than a little exciting.

Then he did something that very few human beings could manage when they were excited. He turned over in his bed and went to sleep. He'd learned several years earlier that, while it might be fun to lie in bed at night and gloat over one's plans, by the next morning it left one feeling nearly as bad he imagined someone with a hangover might. As a result, he'd ruthlessly trained himself to go to sleep when he was through thinking. He soon discovered that his plans worked much better when he was well rested, which resulted in a strong motivation to continue to do so.

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Although Paolo had developed a certain skittishness whenever he saw Sara in places where he usually wouldn't, he felt no such thing at school, where they had been classmates ever since their first year of primary school 13 years earlier. The Chapman School was neither the largest nor the most prestigious secondary school, but it was generally well regarded. Consequently the children of a number of the more successful merchants and those in financial circles sent their children there.

At lunch the day after coming up with his plan, he explained it to Sara. As usual they were sitting side-by-side and, fortunately, their friends who usually ate with them were all off doing something else. Paolo had vaguely noted that, over the past six months or so, their friends seemed to have become occupied with things that took them away from their usual group lunches at increasingly shorter intervals. The reason was that all of them had seen the growing attraction between Sara and Paolo and were being considerate enough to give them time alone.

Paolo, oblivious as always, but grateful for the opportunity given how excited he was, leaned toward Sara and whispered, "Look, there's this desk I want to buy, but it's going to cost at least 1000 ducats, and I only have a little over 400. There's no way I can get the money together by getting a part-time job that will pay me enough before the desk is sold. But...I have an idea that will make me a lot of money in the next two months. Will you help me out?"

Sara leaned closer to Paolo, until her right arm was firmly in contact with Paolo's left. It let anyone who hadn't noticed previously know that she was claiming Paolo as hers. It also made Paolo blush in a way that was most gratifying to her, and it gave the misleading impression that they were talking about something romantic rather than plotting about money. I suppose I should also mention that seeing her lustrous, mahogany hair cascading over his back evoked substantial envy in a number of their classmates.

"Given the timing, I presume that this has something to do with the betting on the City Exams on May 15th and 16th?"

Paolo beamed at her. "Exactly. We have a big advantage as our school isn't as well-known as a number of the others. That should improve the odds I get when I bet on you coming out on top."

He frowned thoughtfully. "Well, I'll get better odds if I bet on you to win, but, should I go for a top five placement instead?"

Sara leaned even closer and brought her lips to within an inch of his ear. "I think, given the overall situation, that now would be the right time to let it be known how things stand, with regard to several things. Of course I can take first position, and I also know what you can do. And that, amore, is my condition for helping you. I'll take first place if you promise to place in the top five."

Then she blew in his ear, which made him jump away from her, exactly as she had intended. A little punishment for being such a blockhead in the romance department was definitely in order. Also none of those watching would now ever suspect the discussion of being about gambling.

Paolo was so fixated on being able to buy the desk that had so infatuated him that he had completely missed it when Sara called him "amore."

Both of them had been cheating, or perhaps it would be better to say "manipulating" their test results for several years. Paolo did it the easy way, by only studying enough to maintain his ranking in school at the top of the lower third of their year. Sara had it much harder, as she had to intentionally miss questions so as to maintain her ranking at the bottom of the top third.

He did so to reinforce the character he wanted to present to the world. Her goal was to make it easier to maintain friendships with girls who were not as bright as she was and might otherwise not want to associate with her if she were always first in the exams. Her current ranking also allowed her to associate with those with the highest scores. One never knew which connection to whom might become useful in the future. Besides, she truly enjoyed having a large number of friends.