The radio had found an old station somewhere between static and relevance. A cheerful song from thirty years ago filled the car. It was designed for summer roads, open windows, and mistakes that still had time to become anecdotes.
Ilya sat in the passenger seat staring through the windshield. His marked hand rested on his thigh. Every few minutes the fingers twitched independently, as if receiving instructions from somewhere else. The singer on the radio was explaining that everybody wanted to rule the world. Ilya laughed once. Not because the tune was meant to amuse. Because it meant every single word.
“You believe that?”
“The song?”
“Yeah.”
“I don't think most people want to rule it.”
“You don’t?”
“They just want someone else to.”
The song continued its optimistic march toward the chorus while industrial buildings slowly replaced storefronts. Ilya looked at his hand again.
“You think we're making a mistake?”
“No.”
The answer came too quickly to be comforting. Neither of us spoke after that. The song ended, but the road didn't. Most people mistake certainty for leadership. Delegation is easy. Signing your own name beneath the consequences is considerably less popular.
The story continues on August 23.
The Geometry of Choice: Book I of The Equilibrium Strain.
©️ 2026 Bob Roland. All rights reserved.