"Mom," he said, his eyes glued to the screen, a slow, brilliant smile spreading across his face.
"I think I know what I want for my post-birthday present."
The next afternoon, two very large boxes arrived, delivered by a man who looked deeply impressed by the size of Leon's new house. Thanks to the beautiful, wonderful magic of a world-record signing bonus, "next-day delivery" meant "next-hour delivery."
He spent the next hour setting up the system in his living room, a chaotic mess of wires, sensors, and sleek, white plastic. Once it was ready, a large, open space cleared in the middle of the room, he made a call.
"Hey, you," Sofia's cheerful voice answered. "To what do I owe the honor? Did you need a professional opinion on the structural integrity of a sponge cake?"
"Even better," Leon said, a grin in his voice.
"I have a new video game. It's a VR football thing. And I need a partner for a two-on-two match against the computer. Are you in?"
