“I’m nervous,” Izzy admitted.
“I’m more nervous than you are,” he said. “Believe me.” Izzy was grateful for the sentiment but knew it was total bullshit.
Dr. Grind ordered a barbecue sandwich and a sweet tea. The waitress took his menu and walked off; Izzy noticed that all the waitresses were throwing glances at her. She imagined that they were debating whether or not this was the father of her child. Of course, they would never ask her. Izzy’s awkwardness, which manifested itself as intensity, repelled all inquiries into her private life. It did not help her paranoia, however, to be left out of the conversation. She wished now that she had met with the doctor at a park or library, somewhere quiet and private.
“I have some pictures,” Dr. Grind said, as if he’d just thought of it, and reached into his army green tote bag, which had The Infinite Family Project logo on it in silver ink. He produced a stack of photos of buildings that looked alien, interdimensional, at first glance. It was huge, so much space, so new and clean, surrounded by woods. It felt private and yet teeming with activity.
“It’s beautiful,” Izzy said.
“I’m happy to hear you say that,” Dr. Grind replied. “This is the site of the project. It sits on about four hundred and fifty acres, if you can believe that, so we have a lot of space, lots of trails for hiking and running, but we’re close to supermarkets and a hospital, all the things you could want in a town. And we’re about thirty minutes from Nashville, so there are lots of opportunities there, as well.”
He showed her pictures of the interiors of the buildings and it seemed to Izzy like a day care center for billionaires, lots of electronics and lighting and soft colors. “This is where I would live?” Izzy asked, almost ashamed to be considered.
“You would have your very own place, but you’d also have access to the rest of the complex, a swimming pool, a full-size restaurant-quality kitchen, a dining hall where we take all of our meals, a number of gardens, and lots of spaces that are as yet undefined. For instance, if someone needed a studio space for their art, we could accommodate that. The complex is designed to grow alongside the residents, so as you learn more about what you need, we have the resources and space to make that available to you.”
“This does not feel real at all,” Izzy said.
Dr. Grind’s food arrived and he gestured to the plate in front of him, asking for Izzy’s permission to eat. She nodded, embarrassed, and he smiled, rubbed his hands together, and picked up the sandwich, bits of meat falling from the bun. He took a large bite, chewed, and then set the sandwich back on the plate. “This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten,” he said.
Izzy smiled; he had a faint ring of grease around his mouth, but he made no move to wipe it away. “Try some of this sauce on it,” she offered, and handed him a squeeze bottle of the vinegar sauce. He obeyed her orders and took another bite. “You made this, Izzy?” he asked. She nodded with great certainty. “I could eat this every day for the rest of my life,” he said. He took four more huge bites, barely chewing, finished the sandwich, and then held out his hand. Izzy took it and he gave her an approving shake. “Thank you,” he said. Izzy felt the slightest twinge of love for Dr. Grind.
“Izzy, there’s a lot of information to go over and much of it is rather complicated. Still, the basic idea, as you’ve learned from the information we’ve been sending you, is that we’re trying to explore new ways to help children develop. It’s said over and over, but the first few years of a child’s life are incredibly important. The problem with that statement is that it puts a lot of pressure on the parents. There’s an overriding fear that, if a child doesn’t receive the right amount of care or is neglected in any way, then they’ll be at a disadvantage for the rest of their life. And that’s simply not true; however, I do think that our country could do a better job of addressing the needs of both children and parents in order to help them with what is admittedly a very difficult task.”