Chapter 2 Chapter two

"Every corner of the mulberry bushes, The monkey chased the weasel, The monkey thought it was really fun, Puchi!The weasel ran away. " Toni Prescott knew exactly why she liked to sing that boring song.Her mother had hated it. "Don't sing that stupid song again. Do you hear that? Why is your voice so bad?" "Yes, mother." Toni sang it over and over again under her voice.It was a long time ago, but the thought of her disobedience to her mother still brought joy to her face. ※※※ Toni Prescott hated working at Universal Computer Graphics; she was twenty-two, playful, vivacious, and daring.Sometimes she is silent, sometimes fiery.Her face is the shape of a mischievous heart, her eyes are a mischievous brown, and her figure is charming.She was born in London, so she spoke with a pleasant British accent.She is physically fit and loves sports, especially winter sports: skiing, sledding and ice skating.

※※※ While attending university in London, Toni dressed conservatively during the day, but in the evening, she donned miniskirts and disco outfits and haunted some trendy entertainment venues.She had hung out all night with fashionable young West Enders at the Electric Shock Ballroom on Camden Street, at the Subterrania and the Leopard Bar.She had a beautiful voice, provocative and sexy, and in some nightclubs, she would come to the piano and sing while the patrons applauded her.That's when she feels most alive. The question-and-answer routine in nightclubs is always similar: "Did you know you're a great singer, Toni?"

"thanks." "Can I buy you a drink?" She smiled. "A glass of Pim's would be nice." "my pleasure." Then it ends the same way.Her boyfriend would lean in close to her and whisper in her ear, "Why don't we go up to my room and have fun?" "Fuck you." Toni said and turned to leave the place.She'd lie in her bed at night thinking how stupid those men were and how damn easy it was to get around.Those poor guys don't know that, maybe they want to be pushed around, they need to be pushed around. ※※※ Later moved from London to Cupertino.It was a disaster at first, Toni hated Cupertino, she hated working at Universal Computer Graphics.She was sick of hearing the words jack, pixels per inch, letterpress, and system network.How much she missed the exciting nightlife in London.There are a few nightclubs in the Cupertino area that Toni often goes to: "San Jose Live" or "PJ Morrigan" or "Hollywood Rendezvous."She wears tight miniskirts and a tube stretch bust, and she wears open-toed shoes with five-inch heels or stage shoes with thick cork soles.She wears a lot of makeup—thick black eyeliner, false eyelashes, colored eyeshadow, and bright lipstick.She seems to be trying to hide her beauty.

※※※ There were some weekends when Toni drove to San Francisco, where the real thrills were.She lingers in restaurants and nightclubs with music bars.She used to go to "Harry Denton" and "One Market" restaurants and "Cafe California", and at this time in the evening, when the musicians were resting, Toni would come to the piano and play and sing.Customers love her performance.When Toni wanted to pay for the meal, the bosses always said, "No, it's a treat. You're amazing. Come back next time." Did you hear that, mother? "You are amazing. Please come again next time."

※※※ One Saturday night, Toni was dining in the French Room at the Cliff Hotel.The musicians had finished their pieces and left the orchestra.The head waiter looked at Toni and nodded invitingly. Toni stood up and walked across the dining room to the piano.She sat down and began to play and sing an early Cole Porter song.When she finished singing, there was enthusiastic applause.She sang two more songs, then returned to her table. A bald middle-aged man came to her side. "I'm sorry. Can I stay with you for a while?" Toni was about to say no, when he added, "My name is Norman Simmerman. I'm doing The King and I on tour. I want to talk to you about it."

Toni had just read an article praising him effusively.He is a dramatic genius. He sat down. "You're brilliant, young lady. What a waste of your youth doing nothing in a place like this. You should go to Broadway." broadway.Did you hear that, mother? "I want to try your..." "Sorry, I can't." He looked at her in surprise. "It could open up a lot of opportunities for you. I mean it. I don't think you know how talented you are." "I have a job." "What do you do, may I ask?" "I work for a computer company."

"Let me tell you, I'm going to pay you double what you're making right from the start, and then..." Toni said, "Thank you very much, but I...I can't." Simmerman sat back in his chair. "Are you not interested in acting?" "I am very interested." "Then what's the problem?" Toni hesitated, then said cautiously, "I might have to leave in the middle of the tour." "Because of your husband or..." "I'm not married." "I don't get it, you said you were interested in the show business. It's a great way to showcase talent..."

"Sorry, I can't explain it." If I did explain, he wouldn't understand, Toni thought sadly.No one will.This is the curse that I have to bear all my life.forever. ※※※ After Toni worked for Universal Computer Graphics for a few months, she learned to use the Internet and opened a door to meet people from all over the world. She was having dinner at the Duke of Edinburgh with her friend Cathy Seely, a computer company that competed with Universal Computer Graphics.The restaurant is utterly British, having been unpacked and shipped from England to California.Toni goes there for East End fish and chips, prime steak with Yorkshire pudding, sausage and mash and sherry dipped cakes.As soon as I set foot on this site, she often said, I had to recall my hometown.

Toni looked up at Cathy: "I want to ask you a favor." "Say it." "I want you to teach me the Internet, honey. Show me how to use it." "Toni, the only computer I have access to is for office use, and that would be against company policy if..." "To his company rules. You know how to use the Internet, don't you?" "yes." Toni patted Cathy's hand and smiled. "That's good." ※※※ The next night, Toni came to Cathy Seely's office, and Cathy introduced Toni to the world of the Internet.After clicking the Internet icon, Cathy entered the password, waited for a while for the link to appear, and then double-clicked another icon to enter the chat room.Toni sat there in amazement, watching the quick typed-out conversations going on between people all over the globe.

"I want this too!" said Toni. "I'm going to get a computer for my apartment. Would you help me connect to the Internet?" "Of course, it's easy. You just click with the mouse on the URL area, which is the regular resource locator, and..." "Like the song, 'Don't tell me, show me.'" ※※※ The next night, Toni was on the Internet.Since then, her life has changed.She's no longer she's no longer bored.The Internet has become a flying carpet that can carry her around the world.As soon as Toni got home from get off work, she turned on her computer and browsed the Internet for every chat room she could find.

It's too simple, she accesses the Internet, presses a button, and a window divided into upper and lower parts appears on the screen.Toni typed: "Hi. Is anyone there?" These words flashed on the lower half of the screen: "Bob. I'm here. I'm waiting for you." She is ready to take on the world. Holland has Hans: "Tell me about yourself, Hans." "I'm a disc jockey in a big nightclub in Amsterdam. I'm into jazz, rave, world beats. You name it." Toni types her answer. "Sounds amazing, I love dancing. I can dance all night long. I live in a horrible small town with nothing but a few disco clubs." "Sounds too miserable." "It's fucking true." "Why don't you let me comfort you? Is there any chance we'll meet?" "Thank you." She exited the chat room. ※※※ There is one named Paul, in South Africa: "I've been waiting for you to come back in, Toni." "Here I am. I want to know all about you, Paul." "I'm thirty-two years old. I'm a doctor in a hospital in Johannesburg. I..." Toni backed out angrily.a doctor!A flood of terrible memories came flooding back.She closed her eyes for a moment, her heart beating violently.She took several deep breaths.That's it for tonight, she thought, trembling.She goes to bed. ※※※ The next night, Toni was back on the Internet.On the line is Sean from Dublin: "Toni...what a lovely name." "Thanks, Sean." "Have you ever been to Ireland?" "No." "You'll love it. It's the home of leprechauns. Tell me what you look like , Toni. I bet you're beautiful." "You're right. I'm beautiful, I'm sexy, and I'm single. What do you do, Sean?" "I'm the bartender. I..." Toni aborts the chat room. ※※※ Every night is different.There are polo players in Argentina, car dealers in Japan, department store employees in Chicago, and television technicians in New York.The Internet is a fascinating game, and Toni can't get enough of it.She can get as far as she wants and know she's safe because she's anonymous. So one night, in an online chat room, she met Jean-Claude Parente. "Good evening. Nice to meet you, Toni." "Nice to meet you, Jean-Claude. Where are you?" "In Quebec City." "I've never been to Quebec. Would I like it?" Toni expected the word yes on the screen. But, wrote Jean-Claude: "I don't know, it depends on who you are." Toni found his answer unconventional: "Really? What kind of person should I be to like Quebec?" "Quebec is like the early North American frontier. It's quintessentially French. Quebecers are very independent. We don't like to take orders from anyone." "Me neither," Toni wrote. "So you'll like it. It's a beautiful city surrounded by mountains and lovely lakes. It's a hunting and fishing paradise." Watching those words appear on her screen, Toni could almost feel Jean-Claude's enthusiasm. "Sounds great. Tell me about yourself." "Me? Not much to say. I'm thirty-eight years old and unmarried. I just got out of a relationship. I want to be with a suitable woman. What about you? Are you married?" Toni wrote back: "No. I'm looking too. What do you do for work?" "I own a small jewelry store. I hope you can come and see it some day." "Is this an invitation?" "Yes Yes." "Sounds interesting," Toni wrote. She meant it.Maybe I'll go there sometime, Toni thought.Maybe he's the one who can save me. ※※※ Almost every evening Toni talked to Jean-Claude Parente.He scanned a photo of himself and sent it, and Toni found that what he saw was a very attractive and aura man. When Jean-Claude saw Toni's scanned photo, he wrote: "You are beautiful, my dear. I knew you would be like this, please come and see me." "I will." "hurry up." "Thank you." Toni backed out. ※※※ On the work floor the next morning, Toni heard Shane Miller talking to Ashley Paterson, and she thought: What the hell is he seeing in her?She's a complete idiot.From Toni's point of view, Ashley was a frustrated spinster-like lady prudish.She doesn't know how to have fun at all, Toni thought.Toni approves of everything about her.Ashley is a backward conservative who likes to spend her evenings at home either reading a book or watching the History Channel or CNN. She has no interest in sports.It's annoying!She has never been in a chat room.Meeting strangers via computer was something Ashley would never do.What a cold wretch.She doesn't know what she's missing, Toni thought.I would never have met Jean-Claude without the online chat room. Toni thought about how much her mother would hate the Internet.But her mother hated everything.She has only two ways of communicating: screaming loudly or muttering endlessly.Toni had never pleased her. "Can't you do something right, you stupid kid?" Alas, her mother yelled at her at one point as a routine.Toni thought of the horrific car accident that killed her mother.Toni can still hear her screaming for help.Thinking about it made her laugh. "A penny a ball of thread, A penny a needle. That's the way the monkey walks, Puchi!The weasel ran away. "