The Memory Child Read Online Free PDF Page A

She wouldn’t do that.
    “What are you boys talking about?” Diane laced her arm through Brian’s as she came up be hind him.
    Brian leaned over and placed a small kiss upon her cheek. “About how awesome you are, honey.”
    Diane beamed up at him. There was a light in her eyes that mesmerized him. His heart raced at the thought of why she was so happy. Those earlier misgivings must have passed. The reality of the life growing inside her must have hit her.

    The noise in the large room stilled as Diane clinked her butter knife against the water glasses. Walter made his way up the stairs, stood at the podium, and tugged his suit c oat down.
    She sat beside Brian, her fingers knotted together. He knew she was nervous. This was a big night for her. A night she’d worked hard at for a long time. She deserved every singl e moment.
    He couldn’t help but wonder how all of this would change once their baby was born.
    Brian reached out and threaded his fingers through hers. He rubbed the pad of his thumb against her smooth skin and couldn’t believe how cold she was.
    “I want to thank y’all for coming tonight. This is a night of celebrations. A lot of great things have happened at HK Solutions, but let me tell you”—Walter paused for what Brian knew to be dramatic effect—“none of it could have happened without each and every one of you tonight. Give yourselves a round of applause; you deserve it!” Feedback screeched through the sound system as Walter clapped his hands right in front of the microphone. Brian winced and shot the sound guys over in the corner a look. The two of them were shaking their heads while fiddling with their so undboards.
    Diane wrenched her hand from Brian’s and clapped, a strained look filling her face as she kept her attention focuse d forward.
    While Walter’s voice droned on, Brian studied his wife. Something was wrong; he could tell. There was no sparkle in her eye, no excitement over tonight’s events, especially since this part was about her. Every bone in her body was rigid with tension, every movement precise.
    He moved his chair closer and laid his arm on the back of her chair. She jumped the moment he placed his hand on her shoulder.
    “Relax. Walter’s not going to do anything stupid.” He winked. “Okay, so maybe he doesn’t have the greatest of track records, but he’s been good so far , right?”
    Years ago, Walter announced a crazy new idea in the middle of a speech and told the crowd that it would reinvent the digital age for the blind in a way that would astound the world. Diane had to burn the midnight oil just to figure out what Walter had wanted, and it took a while, but his scheme of being the first software company in San Francisco to offer speech-to-text software had com e to pass.
    “There’s always a first time, right?” A small smile played on her lips.
    “Right.” Brian nodded, satisfied to see th at smile.
    Walter continued, sharing stats about how well the company did in the last year compared to the year before and about their growth and expansion in the area of distribution. He caught Diane’s lips moving and knew she’d written his speech for him.
    “It’s time,” Diane mumbled.
    “Finally,” Brian groaned. Diane elbowed him while Neil snickered away beside him. Brian flashed the guy a smile.
    “Before we end our night, there are a few people in this room I’d like to recognize for their dedication, for their motivation, and for keeping me on my toes.”
    A smattering of laughter filled the room while Walter puffed out his chest. Brian was tempted to count the seconds before a butt on popped.
    “First off, Neil, why don’t you come on up here?”
    Brian couldn’t keep the smile off his face as a startled Neil rose from his seat and buttoned up his jacket. “What’s going on?” Neil whispered to Diane.
    “Go on up.” Diane smiled and started to clap her hands, which forced the rest of the table and then the room to join along