Children of the Program by Brad Cox Page A

life.  If I find someone, I find someone!”
                  “It can't be that hard, can it?” she modestly asked, not expecting a response.  “People and animals are always coupling.  I fall in love, daily.  As a matter of fact, I have a bartender awaiting my charms in Dublin,” she joked, hoping to unearth a glimmer of hope in his mad eyes.  “I'll find someone, we'll have a baby and I'll leave this godforsaken planet.  I can't wait to fall in love!” she zealously proclaimed.  “Though, I could do without all of these dirty birds.”
                  “Can you please leave me alone,” Dez pleaded.  “Just, please!”
                  Dez revved his clunky motorcycle and startled the rest of the knocked-out group.  Dust rudely sprayed toward the gathering circle.  He brashly pulled off, without uttering a salutation to anyone.  It didn't defy expectation, but did raise the antennas of the suspicious, hastening their pace.  Ash was happy to find herself resting in Neco's arms.  They mutually agreed to remain silent, naked and spooning.  The Badland’s bed made their plight difficult to sell.  The rest of the herd dusted off, got dressed, chattered and began pairing — everyone was lethargic and disoriented.  Processing the significance of what had happened would take time, an avalanche of wanted rest and copious amounts of caffeine.
                  “Well, it's 7 a.m . and I'm starving,” proclaimed Magnus.  “If you want, Elisa and I can head up the road and scavenger for food, drink or maybe just hard drink!  It's probably best if we stayed together and discussed what happened here last night.  We're really all we have,” he added, appealing to Elisa's maternal instincts.
                  They left.
                  “So, what got you interested in math,” Rand offered, breaking the ice with Benjamin.
                  “A couple of years ago, I had a dream about one of those damn birds from last night,” said Benjamin, in a husky morning tone.  “It was the Red Bird, Anan.  It filled the universe with Borromean rings,” he paused, awaiting Rand's attention.  “I was obsessed.  My counselor felt it would be best if I redirected my focus on college and buried my nightmares in schoolwork.  Long story short, I hadn't really settled into a specific study and figured I could kill two birds with one stone.  So, I focused on math.”
                  “Wow!”
                  “Diving in, I realized how easy it came.  It just spider-webbed from there.”
                  “Well, last night was amazing!  Ben, it completely dismantled my world.  I've lived such a smothered existence, this go-round.  My parents were embarrassed by the shame the world cast upon Germany and the amplified moral responsibility it brought to our family.  Simply, we forgot how to live.  For better or worse, their parenting put a wall between me and the fallen West.  It's ironic, really,” Rand continued. 
                  “That is the definition of irony!”
                  “No lifestyle could rewrite our sordid history.  I did my best to bring pride to our doorstep, daily!  I thought, if they could vicariously live through my academic success, I'd earn them the respect they were missing.  It was never enough.” 
                  “It never is.”
                  “I missed my youth.  I've never even been on a date.  Being tasked with finding true love might prove to be more arduous than I'm prepared for.”
                  “You'll be fine!  Find a Fraulein, recite her some poetic World War II history and sit back and watch the magic unfold,” joked Simon.
                  “I'm not even mad at you, Simon!  That's hilarious.”
                  “By the way, I think the 'being naked' part