Free The Charity Chip by Brock Booher Page A

back of the waiting room and unlocked it with a swipe of his left hand. He opened the door and ushered Doctor Barilla and Julio into a small L-shaped hallway. They waited for Isak to close the door and followed him around the corner. At the other end of the hallway, Isak opened the door to his office and ushered them in.
    Without offering them a seat or even slowing down, Isak opened the door to the reception. “Well, Doctor, it has been a pleasure,” he offered as he ushered them back into the lobby. The receptionist didn’t even look up from her magazine.
    Doctor Barilla shook Isak’s hand as he passed through the door to the lobby. “Thank you for taking the time to show us around.”
    Julio followed Doctor Barilla into the reception with his heart in his shoes. He thought he could still smell the chicken and potatoes cooking in the room next door. He wasn’t sure if the knot in his stomach was from hunger or disappointment, but at this point, they felt the same. He glanced up at the receptionist, perhaps for sympathy, but she ignored him with her nose still tucked away in the glossy fashion magazine. He tried to recall one of Mamá’s sayings to cheer him up, but nothing came to mind, so he pulled his skateboard from his backpack and shuffled for the door.
    “Julio,” called Isak. “Have you lost interest in the opportunity that I am offering you?”
    Surprised at the question, Julio spun around. “Of course not, but I thought . . .” He glanced back at Doctor Barilla.
    Isak stood in the door of his office with his hands in his pockets. “Would you like to stay for lunch and see if you qualify?”
    Julio looked at Doctor Barilla, but the doctor just shrugged and continued out the door. Julio stared at his dirty shoes. The thought of getting chipped made him shudder. He looked up at Isak and cleared his throat. “Yes, I would like to do that.”
    Isak turned to the receptionist without leaving his doorway. “Isabela, introduce Julio to Carmen and make sure he gets lunch.”
    Isabela looked at Julio and rolled her eyes. Then she stood and smiled at Isak. “Yes, Señor Blixt. I’ll take care of it.”
    “Julio, stay in the cafeteria after lunch, and I will come find you,” directed Isak.
    Julio smiled and nodded at Isak, but his attention soon shifted to Isabela as she came around the desk. The sound of her heels striking the tile floor echoed against the walls, and Julio was surprised she could even walk in a dress so tight. The dress exposed her legs above the middle of her thigh, and her toenails were painted a bright red to match her fingernails and her lipstick. He imagined that without her heels they would be the same height, but right now she was a couple of inches taller. If only Raúl were here to see this.
    Julio followed Isabela out the front door and down to the second entrance. He saw Doctor Barilla making his way down the street. Isabela opened the door with a swipe of her hand and reminded Julio of the technology he would have to accept. As a member of Caritas, he would not only have to accept it but he would also have to embrace it, or at least let it under his skin.
    Isabela’s heels clicked against the floor as they entered the cafeteria, and she made a beeline for the kitchen like she didn’t want to spend too much time babysitting. Julio could feel everyone’s eyes on him, or perhaps her. Either way, he felt that awkward sense of being the stranger in the room. Just as Isabela got to the door, a large woman met her.
    “Oh good, you’re here,” said Isabela. “Here’s another street kid for you to feed.”
    The corpulent cook in the doorway wore sweatpants and sneakers, and looked like she enjoyed her cooking just a little too much. Her black hair, sprinkled with gray, was pulled up in a bun on top of her head, and her thick glasses were partially steamed up. “Better another street kid than another bomboncita like you.”
    Isabela struck a pose, like she was trying to make