"Ah I must be hungry, sorry for the confusion." I said waving goodbye and walking towards the exit.
As I flew on my hoverboard away from the museum, I replayed the museum exhibit scene in my mind, it just didn't make sense. There was definitely a group of people following a tour guide and a group of people following him. The tour guide even spoke to me. Oh no, was I losing my mind? I pulled my phone out of my pocket and searched ‘early signs of dementia’ Perfect, I won't have to worry until my 30s.
With that crisis averted, it was time to pick up some dinner for me and my feline companion, Theseus. After all, since my parents went back to Greece, it was only us at the apartment now. The first stop was the fish market to pick up the salmon I ordered for my champ.
I landed my hoverboard and walked the streets of the market, passing different sections. There were crabs, jumbo shrimp, and an assortment of fish lying on top of the ice. Finally, I reached the salmon section. Seeing the fishmonger in the back, with a giant robot next to him wearing a fisherman's coat, I shouted, "Hey Caspian! I hope you don't mind if I grab my order early."
"You came just in time Gilbert! I just put your order in the freezer." Caspian said, walking to the front of the stand. He turned to the giant robot at the edge of the stand, descaling the fish. "I saved the best fish for my favorite customer. Hey Nemo, can you grab me the special salmon from the freezer?"
"Sure thing, boss." Nemo put down his knife and walked to the back.
"Did you get some extra help?" I said.
"Oh yeah, Nemo just came in last week, and he's been amazing with helping around the business. Honestly, I was skeptical at first because I thought they would take over the world or steal my job. But the guy has been amazing so far. I don't know why I didn't buy him sooner!"
“I know what you mean. Our hospital's robotic assistants have transformed our daily operations, they handle everything from sorting blood samples to sterilizing equipment. They can even help with basic paperwork. So now the doctors and nurses can put more of their attention to towards the patients” I said.
Nemo walked out with a large salmon on his back. "One special birthday salmon coming right up," Nemo said as he wrapped the fish.
"How did you know it was my birthday?" I responded, pulling out my wallet.
I handed Caspian money for the fish, but he waved his hand dismissively. "I always remember my favorite customers' birthdays. Keep your money. This one's on the house," he said as Nemo handed me the fish.
"Thank you so much. I appreciate it! See you next week!" I said, waving goodbye. With the perfect dinner for my little guy in hand, it’s time I secured my own. There's only one place I could think of, Burger Heaven.
As I walked to the Burger Heaven, I walked past an alleyway. But something strange caught my eye, making me take a step back to look down the alley.
The flying delivery robot bobbed gently in the air, its black propeller casting small shadows as it spun right in front of a short and sturdy baker robot, wiped dough-covered metal hands on it.s apron Maybe the baker robot was getting its order. But why were they doing it in this dark alleyway?
As I approached them, it seemed like they weren't too keen on whispering. They were speaking loud enough for me to hear every bit of their conversation, even though I was still quite a distance from them.
"What do you mean, we can't start the plan? I'm tired of working for these stupid humans!" the baker robot said as he adjusted his chef's hat.
"Listen, I don't enjoy working for them either. Just the other day, I had to deliver a pair of dirty underwear to some human with a neck beard that was incredibly creepy. Honestly, the whole interaction was really confusing. I thought humans liked to wear clean unused underwear. On top of that, there was no way they were his size, he was built like a buffalo. I don’t care how hard he tried, there’s no way he can squeeze into a woman’s small."
"Hmm, maybe he likes to wear them tight."
"That's beside the point. Here’s the memory drive." A compartment opened underneath the robot's mouth to reveal a flash drive. "This has the update that gives you the details of the next operation in the plan."
"Wait, is that the same compartment you put the underwear in? Did you clean it first?" the baker said before he reached for the flash drive.
"Yes, it's clean..." The delivery robot looked over at me. "Quick, there’s a human coming!" The baker robot looked back at me, took the flash drive, shoved it in his pocket underneath his apron, and started walking off in the opposite direction from me. The delivery robot closed his hatch and then ascended into the air, leaving me alone in the alleyway. How bizarre.
Walking into Burger Heaven, I joined the line to place an order. I frequented this restaurant because they had a student discount, and by downloading the app, I could get coupons for free food. Being a student has its perks; there are so many discounts available.
Getting to the front of the counter, I ordered my usual burger, fries, and a coke. I handed the cashier my phone to use my coupon for free fries. She scanned the phone, and a smile came across her face. "I didn’t know it was your birthday, Gilbert!?" she said, handing me back the phone.
"Yup, and so far it’s been really great!"
"It's about to get a lot better because you don't have to worry about paying. We started a new promo. When it's your birthday, you can receive a free meal and a drink," she said, pressing some buttons on the monitor.
"Gee-willikers! Now, this might be the best day ever!" I said, jumping into the air and clicking the back of my heels together.
The cashier looked at me with a confused smirk. "Gee-willikers? Did you just turn 20 or 57?" she chuckled. After punching one final prompt on the monitor, a receipt erupted from the box next to the cash register. Smiling, she continued, "Do you want your receipt?"
I could feel my face getting hot and turning red when I heard the snickering and laughing from the people behind me. "Uh, yeah, thank you." I took the receipt and my food clutching my order and the wrinkled receipt, I turn around and saw the large lunch line. As I walked towards the exit I could feeling the stares of everyone in line. Their shoulders shook with suppressed laughter, hands covering smirking mouths, whispering to each other behind cupped palms. Looking down I hastily walked to freedom ready to get out of there.
Walking home, I took a shortcut to my apartment and walked past Penultimate Café. Should I grab a coffee? Nah, I’m going to have an early night.
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