Tiva muttered to herself, “Crap. I’m going to be late for work.”
She threw her hair up into a loose bun and sprinted out the door.
As she stepped through the door out to the concrete sidewalk she heard a clatter, and her heart sank. Her phone. Crap.
She did an about face, and sprinted back up to her room. An email needed urgently to be sent.
After tapping out a hasty email distilling her intention to be late while trying to pick up a new phone, Tiva sprinted back out the door.
She reached down to her phone to call an Uber and… oh wait. One more trip up the stairs.
Tiva rifled through her paperwork drawer, frantically looking for the physical copy of her bus pass.
“I know I left it here somewhere…Dammit!”
Finally. Pay dirt! Tiva’s hands grasped the worn piece of hastily laminated paper.
After futzing around with her computer, anxiety spiking, Tiva reloaded her card and set of back down the stairs.
She sprinted down the street toward the bus stop, hoping beyond hope that the bus sitting there had us arrived. Her lungs burned, her legs began throbbing, but she was going to make it.
Then the doors closed. The bus lurched into motion as Tiva’s hope threatened to continue down the street with it.
“I’ll just check what time the next bus comes,” she thought to herself, hanging on the edge of a breakdown. She reached into her pocket.
She slumped down on the bus stop seating and the tears began to stain the blonde hair falling haphazardly into her field of view.
As she cried, the ad panel to her left lit up with an ad.
“Good morning ma’am. Having a bad day? Need a new phone? My name’s Orem. You remember Siri and Alexa and how useless they are? Think of me like their genius grandson. There’s no need to optimize your language or anything. I’ll get to know you and we’ll have a relationship. I can help you with everything you need. If you purchase the New Nebula 7, full home and computer integration comes free. Oh! And since your phone is broken let me show you a convenient Horizon sales location in walking distance.”
On the screen popped up a map, showing a phone dealer not 10 minutes away, with easy to follow directions.
Tiva wiped the tears from her face and set off down the street.
******
Tiva turned on her new phone.
“Hi! My name’s Orem, but you can call me Or. What’s your name?”
Bryan Appley 