why don't _you_ try being psyched? They could make you
satisfied with--things as they are."

Allen lifted a thin transparent food cover while he shook his head.
"Maybe they could, Nedda. But it would have to be almost total erasure
to change my slant on everything, and being forced to accept what I hate
is worse than anything else I can think of. It wouldn't be me when they
got through. Whatever causes me to think like I do is the _me_, and
that'd be gone."

Some of the resentful animosity surged up in him and he had to talk
about it. "Look at your compartment. The same as every other single in
the city--or any city. The walls are the shade of green that's best for
the eyes. Furniture and fixtures are always the same colors. Every
compartment has a servoconsole to condition the air, control the
temperature and humidity, bring you food or any other standard service,
provide teleview shows, music or requests. You could live your life
inside this square hole. Everybody has everything and nothing means
anything--can't you see that?"

She came around the table and sat on his lap with her head against his
neck. "No, presh, but if you'll change your mind about a DP you can date
me any time, always. I'd like to share a double with you forever."

He traced soothing circles on her smooth back with his fingertips.
"That's the closest I've ever come to _owning_ anything," he mused.

"But, hon, Government owns everything and takes care of everything. When
you can always use a thing, how could it be better if you owned it?"

Allen held her against him tightly, fighting the old fight to find
words. How could you explain how you _felt_ things to be right or wrong,
without really knowing the reasons?

"Maybe," he said slowly, "it's as though I wanted to keep you for myself
alone. But Nedda, if another man made the right approach, could you
refuse him?" After a minute he repeated, "Could you?"

Eventually, she made two answers.

They were warm and wet and dropped onto his chest.

* * * * *

The Adjustment Building was a soaring, chastely white structure of
silicoid plastic, dazzling in the hot morning sun. It crossed Allen's
mind fleetingly that everything built nowadays would long outlast the
builders. That seemed right, but he didn't know why.

He took his ID plaque from Nedda and kissed her. He had tried to
dissuade her from coming with him, but she had merely smiled and held
his arm and u