The small coffee shop was quiet and cozy. Everything here created a vintage atmosphere of the eighties. The round tabletops of the small tables were covered with a print in the form of clippings from old English-language newspapers. Ball-shaped lamps hung from long spiral wires above. Comfortable soft chairs, semicircular armchairs, and sofas upholstered in rich red leatherette were arranged around the tables.
A tall, slender blonde woman in a long milky-colored evening dress with a long slit up to mid-thigh was sitting on the one of these sofas. Through it, you could see the blonde's leg, almost completely replaced by a high-tech bionic prosthesis.
"Hi," the blonde smiled at Alexei as he approached. "I'm Katya."
"And I'm..."
"And you're late," the girl laughed, not letting the programmer finish his sentence. "Lesha." Right? Sit down! I already ordered a couple of cappuccinos and Viennese waffles with maple syrup.
"Hmm..." Alexei smiled, sitting down in the chair opposite the girl. "Did you have time to study my social profile?"
"You're usually the one who does that, right?"
"Yes, but..." The guy put his smartphone on the table next to him and glanced at it awkwardly. "I couldn't find anything about you online."
"Is that strange?" The girl took her cup and a small plate of waffles from the waitress. "Thank you."
"A little," the guy nodded, looking intently at his conversation partner, as if studying her.
"Intrigued, huh?" the girl caught his gaze. "Well, that's fine. They say a woman should be a mystery. In general, I prefer to tell people about myself in person and privately."
"Great. So, are you going to tell me about yourself now?"
"Maybe... Although I don't really feel like it right now. I don't feel any genuine interest."
"Why?" Alexei asked, glancing mechanically at his smartphone.
"Because in the last two minutes, you've looked at your screen three times and only once at me," the blonde replied sarcastically. "You even put it in front of you. Are you afraid of missing something important?"
"Yes... No." Alexei turned the device face down and felt himself blush slightly.
"I try not to mix online and live communication. You know... I don't check my messages every five minutes, I don't comment on my friends' photos. Although I have friends, and they have photos..." I feel like it makes me free. And by the way, I've already started talking about myself," Alexei's conversation partner paused and took a sip of coffee, looking away, as if to emphasize that she was gradually losing interest in the conversation. "You know, I think all of this is more of a hindrance than a help to people these days. You can find out about my interests, the places I go, how I dress... That will help show me targeted advertising. But it won't tell you anything about what kind of person I am. In the end, even armed with this knowledge, you still won't decide to talk to me somewhere on the street. People have learned to use technology, but they've forgotten how to talk to people...
"Are you one of those people who denies progress?" The programmer took a bite of a waffle and drank some coffee, this time without taking his eyes off the girl.
"Do I look like a religious fundamentalist? I work in IT myself. I just have a lot of other hobbies..."
"What are they?"
"Oh, are you finally asking me about my hobbies?" The girl smiled slyly again. "I don't think you've asked anyone that question in a long time..."
The programmer's phone on the table vibrated treacherously.
"Sorry," Alexei blushed again.
"No, please..."
"Seriously, I won't look at it."
"What if it's something important?" the blonde narrowed her eyes.
"I don't think so... They can wait," Alexei replied confidently.
"You know, I know a secret..." How to become completely free... Will you let me?" The girl reached for the smartphone lying on the table.
"Are you going to break it?" The programmer smiled.
"No. I'll just do this..." The girl picked up the device, deftly and quickly removed the battery, and handed it back to the guy. "Here. Take it. Now we're both completely free. As much as we want to be..."
"Interesting life hack," the programmer smiled, turning the battery meaninglessly in his fingers. "I'll have to remember that."
"I always do that when I want some peace and quiet."
"Wouldn't it be easier to just turn it off?"
"It's easier to turn it off, easier to turn it on..." the girl remarked, thoughtfully sipping her coffee and looking somewhere past Alexei. "But I like complications."