“What’s with you, Eli?” Jellia asked, sitting down across from him.
“Oh… I just want to make some money.”
“Don’t we all,” Jellia said. “Don’t want a job?”
“I can’t! With my classes, and my internship, it isn’t that it takes too much time, but it is so erratic. I can’t get anyone to take me on. I would love to work with a fishery, but they need someone for hours at a time.”
“Well, what other options are there?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you can work for someone else or…”
“I can work for myself? But what could I do?”
“Well, do you have any skills?”
“My contracted says…”
“Not that kind of skill.”
He glared at her. “My current contracted says she loves my hot dog buffet.”
Jellia took a bite, and he went on. “When we have company I grill up a variety of hot dogs… you know, different kind of sausages. We have a sausage making machine, and I have lots of varieties that I like to make. And then I serve them with your choice of buns and toppings. And drinks. I have cherry drink that I really like…”
“There you go.”
“What, invite people over and ask them to pay…”
“No, open a food truck. You can open it up whenever you’re free each day.”
He stared at her. “But… that would take money.”
“Well, as long as you didn’t ruin the truck you can sell it afterwards, and as long as you are careful…”
“But where would I get the money?”
“Investors. I would up up a gold hex, if you’d like.”
“You could put up a Gold hex?”
“My mother… ska-drek-a… is very good at investing. What I don’t have I would ask her for. Do our household money good to make some money. Although it probably already does, come to think of it.”
Contract marriage is an adult dystopia examining the issues of marriage. Like 1984 and Brave New World, Contract Marriage treats the relations between the sexes as a fundamental aspect of how a society is formed and, thus, how a society can go wrong.
Unlike those dystopias, Contract Marriage isn’t all horrible all of the time. The characters for the most part have a good time and get along in their society. But the issues of sexuality, of marriage or not, monogamy or not, faithfulness or not, and gender roles… keep coming up and causing tension and conflict and joy and pain.
My desire is that my readers would be thinking along with my characters about these issues and perhaps even arrive at the same place (minus the flying cars).
Thank you for reading Von’s Substack. I would love it if you commented! I love hearing from readers, especially critical comments. I would love to start more letter exchanges, so if there’s a subject you’re interested in, get writing and tag me!Thank you for reading Von’s Substack. I would love it if you commented! I love hearing from readers, especially critical comments. I would love to start more letter exchanges, so if there’s a subject you’re interested in, get writing and tag me!
Being ‘restacked’ and mentioned in ‘notes’ is very important for lesser-known stacks so… feel free! I’m semi-retired and write as a ministry (and for fun) so you don’t need to feel guilty you aren’t paying for anything, but if you enjoy my writing (even if you dramatically disagree with it), then restack, please! Or mention me in one of your own posts.
If I don’t write you back it is almost certain that I didn’t see it, so please feel free to comment and link to your post. Or if you just think I would be interested in your post!
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Thanks again, God Bless, Soli Deo gloria,
Von