“Odyssey or Iliad?” Alexander said as he scrutinized the outside of the book.
Sergei looked perplexed.
“You understand Russian?”
“I know the Cyrillic alphabet,” Alexander said. “Enough to know names. You’re a fan of the classics?”
“Important to have culture,” Sergei said. “I think that nobody does too much today under intellectualism. Everything is this—virtual. People play the video game. They play the computer. Nobody reads the book. So, life? Nobody understands. Nobody appreciates.”
Sergei pressed the mock lining back into the briefcase as he spoke, then tossed the stacks of dummy papers back in. He reached for the book in Alexander’s hand.
“But you are American scientist, no? Such literature is a little spiritual for you. No calculations. Not useful to make car fly to moon. Or ma
