Home Sentinel

William drove his old Volkswagen Beetle to the bar on the other side of town, one of the only two bars in the small town of Talitha. He dragged his feet, his exhaustion evident after a long day at work. He ordered a drink and found himself a table in a subtle corner and flipped open his laptop. He was engrossed when he heard loud noises from outside the bar; William watched closely as a small group of people emanated from a shiny black 1959 Cadillac Sedan.

Three ladies stepped out flanking the only man in the pack - he had black wavy hair that complimented is golden tan, his deep grey eyes only contested by his prominent jaw-bones, and of course he had the physique of a Greek god. They looked quite dressed up, noticeably in high-end fashion as if they had been heading to an upscale party before making a stop at the bar.

William scrutinized them as they made their entry laughing and conversing quite loudly as they made their way to the bar. They sat at the bar and ordered drinks as the ladies chortled piercingly. The man turned to study the room and when he spotted William he projected a beaming smile and made his way towards him.

“William? William Hughes?” he inquired his smile growing wider.

“Uhm yes, do I know you?” William asked as he brushed away curly blonde hair stuck to the sweat on his forehead, his lanky hand moving towards his face as he removed his thick glasses and wiped them against his shirt.

“It’s me Logan, Logan Green… we went to high school together.”

“What? Holy hell… Logan Green – it’s been way too long,” William said standing up for a quick embrace.

“Yeah man, it’s been forever.”

 “So how have you been? What have you been up to?”

“Making moves,” Logan beamed. “And what about you Will? What have you been up to?”

“Ahh… nothing much, I just work for a small printing company – Quantum Printers, you remember the one across town.”

“Uhh... yeah, last I remember you were off to some fancy tech-college I think.”

“Oh yeah that, I graduated five years ago.”

“And now you’re back in this small town?” Logan queried.

“Yeah, well… rather then get a job at some big company I wanted to start my own thing. So I came back home – moved into my parents’ basement but after a year, my folks told me I had to help with the bills so I’ve been stuck in a docile job in the small company ever since. I guess I really missed out on a bunch of opportunities huh,” William said pressing his lips in a thin line.

“What? But you were the smartest kid I knew. You had that computer programe thingy you made from scratch and we were just in the tenth grade, the one that made the local paper.”

“Yeah, it’s a whole system now... I’ve been fine-tuning it over the years, it’s called ‘Home Sentinel’.”

“Listen to that! You William are a visionary, you shouldn’t be here sulking – you should be out there making millions.”

“Well I don’t know about that, I can hardly get anyone to listen to me pitch,” William said in a meek voice.

“You know what, we should be partners,” Logan asserted.

“Partners? You want to be partners with me?”

“Yes! We would make the perfect team. You’ve got the brains and I’ve got the connections and the bravado, think about it - we would be a force to be reckoned with!”

***

Three months after they formed a coalition; three months of peddling, promoting and endless tweaking - the two sat in William’s parents’ basement having attained their first worthwhile achievement.

“I think I’m going to throw up,” William said, his face appearing white as chalk.

“I know it’s not the plan but we have to do it.”

“Logan, I stumble like an idiot in front of ten people and now I’ll have to address a crowd of five-hundred – that’s supposed to be your job.”

“I know, I know… but Digital Empire Inc. specifically requested that the creator of ‘Home Sentinel’ be the one to address them,” Logan stressed.

“Well then, we will just tell them you created it, I mean, we are business partners after all,” William argued.

“What? I hardly understand how the thing works - the software, the coding. The moment they start asking questions they’ll know I’m a quack. You’re the hardware and I’m the shiny front-end, that’s our dynamic.”

“Argh,” William groaned as he sank into the couch.

“We need this Will, you need this. You know how big a deal their annual Digitron is – people have become instant millionaires from a good pitch, if you nail it then were in baby!”

“Could you possible add any more pressure to the situation?”

“Come on man, you can do this - at least you’ve still got three weeks to prepare. Get a book, get a therapist, get whatever, I just need you to be ready by then. Now let me get out of here and get an early night, I’ve got things to do tomorrow,” Logan said uprooting himself from the couch.

William remained in the same position for over an hour brooding over the daunting undertaking. Aside from the anxiety he had struggled with his whole life, he also had an immerse fear of public speaking. At this point, he would be willing to do anything to get out of this pickle but he knew there was no other way of going about it.

The three weeks flew by fast and before they knew it they were taking a flight to California, and were on their way to the prominent Digitron. They arrived within hours of the presentation and headed directly to the venue.

‘Be prepared – the most important part of a successful presentation happens before you even start talking. Once you do begin speaking you will be thankful for your fastidious preparation and practice.

‘Command the space – Be aware of your body language. The right physical communication can have a profound impact on how your message is received and interpreted: place your feet with a small distance apart –‘

“Hey man, what have you got there?” Logan asked taking the book from William’s hands. They had already arrived at the set location with three hours to spare. The hall was already beginning to crowd with reporters and tech-enthusiasts.

“It’s a book my mom gave me, about public speaking.”

”Why is it wet? And what is that smell?” Logan probed as he scrunched his face in revulsion.

“It’s called sweat Logan, and my stomach hasn’t been behaving today – for obvious reasons.”

“Oh God, it smells like a skunk crawled up and –“

“Could you please?” William snapped in irritation.

“Sorry man – see that, the panel is coming in,” Logan said pointing to the main entrance.

The two sat in a set-up backstage with at least a hundred other aspirants. As the formal proceedings began they were all given presentation numbers and William would be on in less than an hour.

“You’ve got this man, you’ve got this – we will ride this programe to money town,” Logan prompted.

“That doesn’t even make sense,” William moaned.

They watched as the other candidates went in with their presentations one by one. Some getting applause and some barely making an impression – the panel was brutal and outspoken, making the contestants backstage even more anxious.

 Ten minutes to his presentation, William excused himself to the bathroom. Logan patiently waited until the last minute when apprehension hit about his absent partner, consequently he decided to go and find him in the bathrooms.

“Jesus William!” shrieked Logan as he found his partner sprawled on the floor, “have you been throwing up?”

“No, I’m just relaxing on the floor. What do you think?” William growled wiping his mouth.

“I really don’t get why you’re so nervous.”

“It’s easy for you to say with your good looks and your money, you have no reason to be nervous. Everyone falls at your feet the moment you open your mouth. Try being a lanky nerd or one day – just one,” William mumbled bitterly as he slumped on the floor.

Logan crouched down and sat next to him, “You want to know something? I have envied you for years.”

“What? Me? Why would you?”

“Because you were smart, because you had a crazy amount of potential, because you Will could really make something of yourself and be someone. Sure I can pull girls and afford more things than you but what’s next, what’s next for someone like me?” Logan probed as he stared at his hands.

“Didn’t really think of it like that.”

“Could you do me favor?" Logan began. “Don’t waste your potential and your chances because you are stuck in your own head. You hear me?”

“Y-yeah,” William said, his voice breaking.

“Now let’s get you back out there these people aren’t going to wait forever.”

William got up and fixed his shirt and the two went back into the hall. Logan stood on the side of the stage as he motioned for William to go to the podium, he walked slowly with a small file in hand. The reporters buzzed at the back and took pictures as he adjusted the microphone and placed down the file. William took in a deep breath:

“Imagine having it all in the touch of a button - having everything you need activated by a basic word you mutter. Home Sentinel is not just a an ordinary home system but it performs as everything you need: it can be a virtual assistant – it has the ability to manage all your libraries and schedules by simply loading your files; it can be a security system – it monitors any and all activity occurring in your house and limits unapproved access; it can be a virtual baby sitter – it has the ability to carry out a specific schedule for your children throughout the day; it can be a virtual friend or even a spouse – it allows you to set a personality suited to your taste. Ladies and Gentlemen I am not just selling you a Computer System – I am selling you a lifestyle.”