THE NEW LIFE, THE NEW ME - an Apple Loving Individual Thriller

Chapter 3 - Arriving home

Chapter 3 – Arriving home

Thursday, April 26, 2046
11:46 PM
Kimberly's apartment
Houston, TX

I don't live too far away from Downtown, and getting home wasn't too bad. As I made it back to my apartment, I looked out the window and saw an amazing view of the city skyline, and the numerous drones that were making their rounds. It was a great night.

I turned on the TV, hoping I'd watch the news, it was pretty boring though. All news stations ever ranted on was the decline of poverty, globalization, space exploration and colonization, automation of jobs, the end of minimum wage jobs, how huge robots entered virtually every industry, how most people only work part-time jobs as full-time and how the government spends billions of dollars to create giant windfarms in the Gulf of Mexico as hurricane defense shields. In the last twenty years alone, global warming severely impacted many industries and jobs which disappeared. Just coming home now felt as if it was 94 F, which is a significant 10 F increase from 2023 to now.

I may be working forty hours per week, but in reality, those ten hours are overtime. Six years ago, it became standard that the new 'full-time job' was working thirty hours per week. Gave us time to relax too.

However, tonight's news was different. It was all about how entrepreneur Liam Mitchell Jr. was flourishing in Houston, providing jobs to those recently laid off.

"Thanks for keeping the place clean, S.A.L.M.A!" I expressed my gratitude.

"Good to have you home, Kimberly!" replied S.A.L.M.A.

"It's good to be home."

Sierra began to meow really loud. Must've seen a rat or mouse or something. The robotic feline scurried to the other wall, chasing something. I decided to check anyways.

"What cha doin', girl?" I asked her.

She then came running to me and purred. Her eyes changing to hearts. We shared a hug for a while, and I pet the little thing. It was then Mom called me. Then I went about to pick up my phone.

"Mom? How are you?" I asked.

"Honey? You okay?" said my mother, also known as Savannah Diane Mason Perkins.

"I'm alright, Mom. How's Dad?" I only get to talk to them weekends.

"He's good, although he's not been the same since you and Reagan cut off one another."

"I understand Mom, I don't blame him. It's just not been the same since me and him had a disagreement, and no longer in contact with one another. But, know this. I still love him!"

"No, I know that, honey!" my mother sighed. "However, you must know he needs his space, and you need yours for now."

"It'll take some time, Mom."

"I know, honey. Just whenever he comes to you, let him know that. If he does."

To be honest, the reason me and Reagan don't talk to one another anymore, is because he believes I'm responsible for the loss of his girlfriend, Sarah. She died in a car accident, and that accident was done by me. I accidentally hit her car.

That was before I bought a new one, one which drove itself and had no steering wheel. The one before that was a 2024 Hyundai Sonata. Last year in August, I was driving home from work. I was driving the car manually, although I was warned not to drive manually in a high-speed zone, which in this case was 90 mph on Beltway 8. Sarah was driving behind me; I made a fatal mistake of answering my text-message while driving, accidentally hit the brakes so hard when cars in front of me began to slow down. My car was totaled, no surprise there. Sarah, who was behind me, her car couldn't react to mine in front fast enough.

It was a horrible tragedy, as Sarah didn't make it. Reagan blamed me, eventually cutting me off. I guess it was my fault too. I did envy their relationship, compared to mine with my ex, Daryl. I walked into my bedroom. The AC unit was set to 74, and the ground was warm and soft under my bare feet. I sat down on my bed and shed a few tears. For one, I didn't like who I had become after all this.