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Drawing hts, the computer beep-booted in a very specific and fa of submarine sonar

It wasn’t until I saw the signature, there was only one person I kneho signed their texts, that things came into focus

It was the first direct, personal contact I’d had with Hugo since he sent ave me, but they were ht as well have been sent by a bot for all the emotion they contained

My h As well as the photograph I’d foundEven so, the black and white shot was still my favorite It was like that one revealed the ht cameras stole them

I was absolutely into him and we’d never actually ital revolution Socializing froht mad, but where really did correspondence start and socialization end?

People socialize on the phone Granted, it was usually people they already knew, but that just went to de that established contact Were computers really so different? Particularly with the voice and video capabilities they had? Did not sharing a physical space really preclude the possibility of ‘proper’ socializing? Or did the traditionalists just have bug up their butt about how things had changed since their day?

True, Hugo and I had only ever coh At least enough to tell me I wanted more

I tapped out a reply as fast as I could It was, no doubt, filled with mistakes One that probably would have embarrassed me under most other circumstances I was an editor after all Still, if felt imperative that I reply as soon as possible Let him know that I was there

He responded within seconds Nothing too serious Just asking how the book was going and if I’d looked it He could have just been trying to get a feel for the kind of thing I liked Particularly as he’d likely figured out I’d been shot-gunning et a feel for the real me

Me: It’s great! I’ve barely remembered to eat

Hugo: Glad to hear it I thought ityou’d like

Me: How so?

Probably too pointed a question to what could have been a perfectly innocent statement, but I wanted to know

Hugo: Just a feeling

It was a little eerie, but somehow I liked it

Me: Well, you got that right, at least

Hugo: Glad to hear it