Test Run

Bus

Josh sat next to me on the bus, when we left for home, and I still wasn't used to it. How could I be used to it? I was now a parent, I think? I had to talk to whatever this thing was. The bus driver looked at me weird when I got on the bus, and than she noticed a lot of people on the bus had kids with them. The bus driver looked around and said "I didn't know today was bring your little brother or sister to scool day."

"Josh", I said, "I know Will said to call him dad, but I'm not comfortable just yet with you calling me mom...okay?"

"Okay..." said Josh, "So, can we be friends?"

"Friends?"

"Well, fake friends..." said Josh. "We'll be like friends, but not real ones. It's like we are friends, but we are faking being friends, like I would fake being your kid. Our friendship will be really cool because all your other friends are real friends, but I'm your only fake one!"

"Um...I guess that'll be okay" I said.

"I'll be your fake friend and you'll be my real friend, or if you want to be a fake friend, that's okay too..." he started to kick his feet back and fourth, because they didn't quite reach the end of the seat. 

"So, what happens to you after the project is over?" I asked, because I really couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Oh!" said Josh, "It's really cool! You get to take me to the recycle plant. It's like you are going to learn about recycling."

"But wouldn't you be destroyed at the recycle plant?" I asked, actually feeling concern before reminiding myself this kid is just a machine.

He looked at me, and then did something I didn't expect. He pulled up his legs and held them. It was rather cute.

"Lets play recycle plant!" he said.

"Not on the bus..." I said.

"First they'll take off my toes! BOOM!" then he crawled onto my lap. I didn't expect that, and his skin felt warm and real against me. "Then like they will take me apart! BOTH MY ARMS RIPPED!"

"Um..." I said, "Doesn't that scare you!"

"I'm your fake friend, not your real one. BOOM! BOOM!" he clapped his hands. "I will go bye!" Then he started to tickle me a little. "And the metal stuff will go all over me! And I will be recycled"

I started to laugh as I fell backwards in the seat of the bus and then I had to turn sideways and the bus driver started to yell, "What’s going on back there!"

"And then..." he said, and I tried not to giggle when he said this. "I will be a toaster oven! Your fake friend is now your toaster!"

He was sitting up on top of me, and his shirt lifted a little as I looked into his face. He smiled, a perfect smile, no crooked teeth, at all. He was a good-looking kid. I did my first motherly thing and ran my hand through his hair. He didn't seem to notice, but I was also searching for his off button. He was going a bit crazy on the bus. First time out, I guess.

"LOOK OVER THERE!" I said as he looked the other way. I put my hand up the back of his shirt and he said, "I don't see anything"

"Oh...keep looking I said..." and then he felt the hand on his back and started to giggle. I felt his back, and his skin felt real. He even had a fake backbone. "That tickles..."

"Goodbye, Josh." I said and smiled. He turned his head around. Click!

He went limp and fell off the seat.  I decided to flip him back on. He looked up from the floor.

"Ow!" he said.

"You can feel pain?" I said, a bit confused.

"Well, I can fake pain..." he said, "Just like we'll fake a lot of things..." he climbed back onto the seat, with my grabbing his arm to help him up. "We can fake going to the movies, and I can fake react to the movie and stuff, and we can fake going to the beach and I can fake swimming. It's just...." then he looked down. "I can't eat..." and he looked almost ashamed.