My eyes widen as I suddenly remember the reports Brenda requested. “Oh no! Tobi, send the reports to my tablet. I’ll need a keyboard.”
“Lin, the reports could not be found.”
“What? I thought Brenda sent them to you.”
“No, Lin, I never received them.”
My heart thumps as I place my hand over my chest. I can’t confront Brenda about this. She would fire me at any second. No matter what work I do for her, it’s never good enough. She’s always looking for a reason to get rid of me. Just like everyone else.
I sigh. “Tobi, send a message to Brenda Gregory.” Brenda will be furious that I didn’t try to open the files sooner. It’s been about an hour since I received her call.
“What would you like to say to Brenda Gregory?” Tobi asks me in his sweet, obedient tone.
“Tell her that the files seem to have not been sent, and would she please resend them.”
Instead of sending me a message back, Brenda calls me. “Lin, you have some nerve telling me I didn’t send you the files.”
“I know, Ms. Gregory. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you hadn’t sent them to me.”
“How could you not realize? You hung up on me!”
My eyes point toward the corner of the wall, as if I can glare directly at my personified technological assistant. “I...did?”
“Well, what do you think happened? That the phone just randomly disconnected?”
No, I thought you hung up on me in haste. But maybe I hung up on Brenda in anger?
I send a quick text to Tobi to ask him to release calming incense into the air.
“I-I’m sorry, Ms. Gregory. I don’t know—”
“I sent you the files at least a half hour ago. Get me those reports by one this afternoon.”
Heat rushes to my face. I struggle to respond. “Yes, Ms. Gregory.”
This time Brenda hangs up on me. Within minutes, the combination of lavender and peppermint replace the coffee that now nags at the bottom of my throat.
I fan myself with my hands. “Ugh! What happened?” I take a deep breath. The lavender scent relaxes my muscles. “Tobi, search my message archive for a lost message from Brenda Gregory.”
A few seconds pass before Tobi answers. “I’m sorry, Lin. I can’t find the message.”
Now would be a great time to connect with Don, the IT professional. My ex-husband knows exactly how to run malware scans and search the archives manually. What does he think of the idea of an Internet shutdown?
Since I’m dependent on technology, my only hope is that Tobi isn’t malfunctioning.
“Tobi, do you have a virus?”
A small beep follows my question. “I just scanned my system. No virus.”
What is going on?
“Lin, let me remind you that you need to get ready for Taco Tuesdays. You’re not even dressed yet, and you’re meeting your mother in an hour.”
“An hour?” I ask incredulously. I smack my hands over my face and groan. “I won’t have those reports done by then… I guess I need to start looking for another job.”
“I can help you with that. Here is a list of jobs that are hiring in your area. I’ve sent them to your home screen.”
Do I detect a hint of sarcasm in my home device’s voice? I let out a pleased snicker, the stress from my conversation with my boss melting away. “Thanks, Tobi. At least I know I have a backup in case I actually do get fired.”
The ‘Joy’ playlist in the background lifts my spirits as I prepare myself for the day ahead. I step in the shower and scrub myself with natural essential oil soap and hair products, rubbing my skin until it’s nearly red. I throw on the clothes that Tobi picks for the day, apply a fresh layer of makeup, and slip on my warm brown boots. They still have the packing slip inside of them. If Mom didn’t insist on meeting me in person, I would never wear these. I’m ready to go after I zip up my thin jacket. Another item of clothing I never thought I’d need.
“Tobi, send directions to Taco Tuesdays to my earpiece. I think I’ll walk.”
“Good idea, Lin. Be careful, since the roads are a little slippery. Press your start button on the earpiece to begin.”
“Tobi, I’m leaving. Lock up when the door closes.”
“Okay, Brenda. Locking the door.”
I turn back to the house, but it’s too late. I hear a light click from the front door. The home alarm is set, and the door is locked.
Why did Tobi call me the wrong name?
Chapter Three
The cold breeze electrifies me, my breath a mist in front of me. As I descend to the street, my thoughts bombard me. I start to feel a sense of guilt for hanging up on Sage, and for ignoring her calls. Did Sage try calling me after I blocked her? Would it hurt to check my call logs to see if Sage—
“Tobi, play the Nothing but News podcast.”
“Got it. Nothing but News podcast sent to your headset.” And in a matter of seconds, whatever thoughts I have about my best friend are muted by the voices of Ace and Brant blasting in my ears. Now my greatest enemy is the army of snowflakes pounding against my face.
“The Liberty party leaked some information yesterday,” Ace explains. “Apparently another country sold us our facial recognition technology.”
“But Ace, doesn’t that go against our isolationist stance?”
“Yes, Brant, it does.”
After Ace’s words is a long pause. The silence almost stops me in my tracks, then Brant continues. “So, what does this mean, Ace?”
“That if they took one thing from another country, maybe the Liberty party also took other things. Maybe we’re not as isolated as we thought.”
When necessary, Tobi interjects to indicate where to go. “Turn left. Then, at the end of the road, turn right.”
“You know something, Ace? I don’t see what’s wrong with learning from other countries.”
“Brant, what are you talking about? Didn’t the Great War happen in your lifetime? Don’t you understand that cutting ourselves off from all other nations was the only way for our country to survive?”
“Now, Ace, let’s not start a—”
“Hey, Lin,” Tobi interrupts. “Your heart rate seems to be increasing. Would you like me to open your playlist labeled ‘Peace’?”
I frown as I consider Tobi’s inquiry. “Uh...sure.” My heart rate is increasing, I think, because I’m walking rather quickly to meet Mom. Wouldn’t Tobi know that? Or is it because of the conversation on the podcast?
“Playing ‘Peace.’”
But when the music starts playing, it’s a loud, upbeat song with heavy guitars and rapid percussion.
“Agh! Turn it off!” I scream, pulling out my earpiece. “What are you doing?”
By the time I reach Taco Tuesdays, my headache returns to the front of my head.
“Tobi, give me essential oils. Now.”
“Sending lavender to your bracelet. Remember that you need to order a refill for your bracelet. Would you like me to order it for you?”
“Yes, please.”
“Ordering lavender. You are located at Taco Tuesdays. Transferring to social mode.”
Social mode is not an option I normally use. Only for Mom. I plaster a smile across my face as I meet eyes with her, after she finishes clicking a message on her phone. “Mom! It’s been so long.”
Mom reaches in to give me a hug. I awkwardly avoid it. Her mouth curves into a frown. “It’s great to see you, Lin.” Her tone tells me otherwise.
“Thanks, Mom. Let’s go inside. It’s freezing.”
“Well, you wouldn’t get chilled if you’d wear a bigger coat! Tobi, order Lin a burgundy puffy coat. I don’t care how much it costs.”
An augmented image of a burgundy coat flashes in front of my body. “What do you think of this one, Lark?”
“Beautiful. It complements her skin complexion so nicely. Order it now, please.”
“You’ve got it. I’ll send it to your daughter’s address by the t
ime you finish lunch.”
I groan. “Mom, you don’t have to do that.” I already have enough clothes, and I’m having a hard time finding space for all my outfits in my two-bedroom townhouse.
“I just want to make sure you’re comfortable. Besides, it’s never been easier to buy a coat online!”
“That reminds me.” I whip out my phone and find the Taco Tuesdays mobile app. I peruse the menu and tap on the chicken fajita. “What do you want?”
“I’ll have the veggie burrito.”
“Got it.” I pick a table and place the order. The app sucks up the ten credits I obtained from the video ads I watched earlier.
The restaurant’s lighting matches the ambience outside—dark and opaque, with the occasional phone screen flashing through the room. The only people in the restaurant besides us are a man and a woman around my age, lost in a sea of blue light that dangles in front of their faces. Neither of them converses or looks up from their device.
My chest tightens. That could’ve been me… I sigh, hoping Mom doesn’t notice my disappointment. The last thing I need is a lecture from my know-it-all mother.
By the time we sit down, our food is at the table. As we munch on our food, we share funny videos and pictures with each other. It’s weird hearing someone laugh in person. Especially a woman who usually criticizes my every move.
I don’t allow a lull in the conversation. During silent moments, we watch a couple ads on our individual phones. Why waste precious time when we can be making money?
“Have you noticed your phone acting weird lately?” I ask abruptly.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, Tobi’s been glitching a lot today.”
“Lin, you do realize that, when I was a teenager, phones would glitch all the time?”
“Mom, technology has advanced tremendously since you were my age. You practically lived in the Stone Age.”
“I’m surprised you even know what that is,” I hear Mom mumble under her breath.
“Okay, Mom,” I exhale. “Why did you want to meet with me?”
She looks down at her burrito and sighs sharply. “Well, you know your father has been sick for a while…”
I roll my eyes, holding back tears. “Mom, can you save the guilt, please? I’ve been through a lot since Dad’s diagnosis—”
“Your father is dying.” Her words cut my heart like a dagger. “The doctor gave him three years to live. Four years ago.”
I swallow hard, my appetite dissipating. “Well, what am I supposed to do about it? Aren’t you taking care of him? It’s not like you let me video chat with him or anything.”
“I’d like you to visit him, Lin. In real life. At some point this week. Please?”
“Lin, it’s time for you to go to work.” Perfect timing. Tobi’s reminder is set for fifteen minutes until I need to video chat with Brenda. At least Tobi has done one thing right today.
Oh no! The files! My lips thin as dread overtakes me. “I have to go. I’ll text you later.” I put my phone in my pocket, refusing to make eye contact. I don’t want her to see my disappointment and anxiety. Another hour-long conversation would set me back even longer.
“Get home safe.” Mom walks out of the restaurant without waiting for a reply.
The snow is finally beginning to subside. “Tobi, maybe I’ll go to the coffee shop for work today. Change things up a little. I need some extra coffee to deal with my boss.”
“Sending directions to Dream Park Coffee Shop to your earpiece. Press the start button to begin your route.”
Like my morning beverage, the shop smells of coffee beans, chocolate, vanilla, and a hint of strawberry. I sign into the restaurant’s wireless connection and order a small caramel latte with a dollop of whipped cream. I pay with my video credit from sitting with Mom at Taco Tuesdays. A comfy chair faces a corner by the window. I could use some natural sunlight. I pull out my tablet and sign into work, sniffing my bracelet for any oils to help calm me.
My boss is offline.
Hm, that’s odd. Brenda is always on time, if not early, for her meetings with me.
Maybe her Internet is down.
Or is it my Internet? Is this another malfunction?
I shake my head, arguing with my inner thoughts. The Internet hasn’t crashed in decades. Every area in America, especially where I am in Brooklyn, has high-speed Internet that never crashes.
I sip my small caramel latte, tapping on my phone screen and playing the Nothing but News podcast. The sound of their voices in my ears soothes me, even if their topic of discussion is one of turmoil.
“Can you believe how many calls we’ve been receiving from people having trouble with their Tobi assistant, Brant? From a wrong weather report to getting the wrong money after watching ads. Could this be—?”
“Ace, I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“Oh, but it’s everything! What if people start losing their files for work? What if they’re being transferred somewhere else? What will become of our safety, our economy?”
“Relax, Ace. Our local IT professionals are probably taking care of it as we speak.”
I tap on the keyboard of my tablet to access my work projects for the day. Maybe Tobi needs a nationwide update. If other people are having issues, there’s nothing wrong with mine.
“Well, in other news, the crypto market is up, with Ethereum skyrocketing to two-million units this afternoon. If you need to buy anything today, now’s your chance to do it, because tomorrow it could be—”
Gone. The podcast is gone.
Chapter Four
It’s been fifty-eight sunsets, fifty-seven sunrises since America’s Internet crashed. The silence is killing me. “Where did you go, Tobi?” With my personal assistant gone, I voice my musings out loud, only for them to disappear into the dry, dismal air.
It’s spring now. Well, close to it. The window feels warmer. I would never leave this townhouse. Not with the chaos going on out there.
I peer out the window, smoke billowing across my field of vision. Patrol officers are breaking up a fight between three men over a box of cookies. Even two months after the shutdown, companies haven’t figured out how to send us food. Instead, drones deliver non-perishable items in ration boxes.
My box is still half full, with a bottle of water, three boxes of pasta, two cans of vegetables, and one lone box of chocolate chip cookies.
I grab the box of cookies and stick my hand in. “I’m thankful for…I’m thankful for…these cookies.” It’s been hard to find reasons to be thankful these days. My old habit is dying hard and fast.
I stuff two whole cookies into my mouth, dropping some crumbs on the floor, eliciting a frown.
“Lola! Breakfast.”
My rescued labradoodle ambles into the living room, whimpering. She’s been doing that ever since I found her on the way home from the coffee shop on the day of the shutdown. Amid the frantic bodies flooding in my direction, Lola had knocked into me, and we instantly became friends.
We were both lost, I muse, petting Lola’s soft, fuzzy head. “We needed each other, eh, Lola?”
Lola’s long pink tongue mops up the floor.
“Good girl!” I pat Lola’s back, thankful for a friend in this chaotic world. I haven’t spoken to another human in the last two months. One good thing about social media shutting down is that I don’t have to pretend to be best friends with Sage anymore. And my mind is clear of Don. He hardly ever crosses my mind.
I shudder thinking about reaching out to Mom after our last conversation, especially as I imagine how she’s been handling things with Dad…
The only communication I’ve had is through the newspaper we’ve been getting with our ration boxes. Besides the riots, nothing much has changed, except that for the first time in one hundred years, we have a president. Except no one knows who he is.
“Lola, you want to play fetch?” I take a piece of the newspaper from last week, crumple it into a ball, and throw it toward the kit
chen. As Lola flops toward the wall, it vibrates and cuts Tobi loose.
“Tobi! No!” I jump up from my seat and scramble to the floor. Thankfully, he’s still intact, just in case the Internet decides to come back.
“Lola, girl, you have to be careful. You can’t just knock yourself into walls like that.” I shake my head, realizing that everything I worked so hard to accomplish has crumbled in less than sixty days. My job’s now obsolete. My health is declining since my telemedical chip isn’t sending automatic updates to my doctor anymore. Do medical doctors exist outside of the Internet?
Lola drags her feet back and sits on my lap, her sad face reminding me that she’s only a puppy. “You’re right, baby,” I coo at her. “I guess I feel stuck, like my life is on pause. You came at just the right time, to replace both Tobi and my podcast.” If only she could take away the loneliness that continues to gnaw at my heart.
An abrupt knock on the door interrupts my thoughts, springing me up from the couch. Who could that be? Tobi would’ve been able to tell me exactly who’s at the door. He would’ve even pulled up the visitor’s personal page and given a play-by-play of his job, relationship status, and overall mood.
Instead, Lola runs to the door, barking loudly.
“No, Lola,” I whisper, trying not to be heard. Despite being lonely, the thought of human connection scares me, leaves me raw. I’d much rather be disappointed in myself than devastated by the betrayal of others.
Besides, who would want to talk to me? I have nothing to offer them.
The visitor knocks again.
Who could be at my door? A patrol officer? Don? Sage? My parents? I wouldn’t even want to talk to the new president.
Go away. I know he or she can’t hear my thoughts, but I don’t want to speak out loud.
But Lola does an adequate job of speaking on behalf of the household, hopefully sending the visitor away from the front door.
I count under my breath. One second, two seconds, three seconds. There’s a final knock on the door. I close my eyes, willing the visitor to leave.
I breathe a sigh of relief as footsteps march away from my stoop.
In Real Life Page 2