Page 68 of In a Perfect World
“The limit would be two winners a year, and if people in the other regions choose to enter the lottery as well, the max would be only twelve people a year,” he explained.“That’s not a whole lot in the scheme of things.”
“What if Caleb Majors refuses the idea?”I asked.“I mean, even if it’s only twelve people a year, that’s still twelve more people using their resources.”
“It’s only twelve people, Kairo,” he repeated.“And if he’s concerned with abuse of their resources, we can add stipulations to the candidates that qualify.”
“Stipulations?”
My father nodded.“We can amend the lottery application to include a minimum high school GPA, no criminal record, things like that.It’ll ensure that the region will receive thriving individuals only.”
“How does that help me?”I asked selfishly.“I’m way past the age of eighteen.”
“The first lottery will be presented as a launch, and in that one-time-only launch, there’ll be no age limit to who can apply.All the other requirements will still be a factor, but the age limit will be suspended for this drawing only.We’ll also add in a bunch of other stipulations about how to behave once you get there.For instance, if you get to Blooming Heights, and they choose to commit a crime or something like that, then you’ll be extradited back to your birth region to face the consequences.I think that will deter a lot of people from entering, and not because they’re ne’re-do-wells, but because it’s a big risk to take if things don’t turn out the way that you hope.”
“And I’m guessing that my name will be magically drawn,” I drawled out.
My father nodded again.“Yes.”
“But how does that leave me with Triana?”
“I’m going to propose the idea under the guise of what just happened with Mexico,” he explained.“I’m going to play off the unfavorable image that this country has, and in that, I’m going to convince Benicio that drawing Triana’s name will end with a feel-good story for all.”
“What if Triana doesn’t enter the lottery?”I asked.“She’s been through so much, and I’m not sure if she’s ready to make another major move like that while she’s still under the public’s spotlight.”
“Then you convince her to enter her name,” he replied seriously.
While his proposition sounded like it was the answer to all my prayers, all I could think about was how Triana had been so against me using my privilege for anything.She was against everything that my father was suggesting, so I honestly didn’t know what to do or say right now.Yes, I wanted to jump on this opportunity to be with Triana, but at the end of it all, there wasn’t any guarantee that we’d end up together.Not only did this plan hinge on her entering her name into the lottery, but she hated me right now.She was heartbrokenly disappointed in me, and she could easily end up in Blooming Heights, no longer interested in being with me.
“I don’t know, Dad,” I sighed, running my hands down my face.“Triana isn’t a fan of favors of privilege, and I can see this blowing up in my face spectacularly.”
“While I understand that, I think this proposal is a good idea,” he stated convincingly.“It’s been twenty-five years since the new movement, and if we’ve learned anything in life, it’s that thingscan’tstay the same indefinitely, Kairo.In order for us to succeed as a people, we need to continue to revisit the decisions that we’ve made, and if we need to make changes to those decisions, then that’s what we’ll need to do.”
“I still don’t know, Dad,” I said.“I just...it’s a lot to process.”
“Well, while I can appreciate that, I’m going to propose the suggestion anyway,” he said.“It’ll be your choice to enter your name, and I’ll respect whatever decision you make.I just want to see you happy, Kairo.”
“And how would it look to have Alvin Booker’s son enter a lottery to move out of his region?”I posed.“How will you explain that?”
“I’ll spin it to look as if you did it to prove that it’s a good idea,” he answered easily.“I’ll spin it to show that we believe in the lottery enough to have encouraged our own children to enter it.”
“Always the politician,” I drawled out, and though I wasn’t dismissing everything that he was doing for me, it was hard to ignore how he’d benefit from this also.
“You can’t have it both ways, Kairo,” he pointed out.“You can’t ask for my help, then turn your nose up at my methods.”
I ran my hands down my face again, knowing that he was right.“Yeah, I know.I’m sorry.”
“You’ve been through a lot, and I get it,” he replied, trying so hard to support me.“Just know that I’m going to propose the idea on Monday, and I’ll leave the rest up to you.Remember, as of right now, we don’t even know if the others will go for it, so it could be just a fleeting dream for the moment.”
“Yeah, okay,” I sighed.“Thanks, Dad.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” he said.“Let’s just...you can thank me by getting through this dinner tonight.Your mother is very upset about everything, and I don’t like seeing her like that.”
“I understand,” I replied, and I understood more than he knew.Now that I knew what it felt like to be in love, I could see how my mother being upset might keep him up at night.
“Good,” he remarked, giving me a terse nod.
After we left his office, I headed into the kitchen to help my mother with dinner, but to also help put her at ease.Even though my father had told her everything, I hadn’t shared anything with her, and I knew that she was also upset about that.She was feeling hurt and left out, and since a lot of that was my fault, it was time to make it right.After all, she hadn’t done anything wrong.
Once my brothers got here, we had dinner, and though the conversation was flowing freely, I couldn’t stop thinking about my father’s proposal.Even if I hadn’t been personally involved in all this, I could admit that it wasn’t a bad idea, the more that I thought about it.It would give the people an illusion of choice, one that we really didn’t have, something that Triana had been right about.
