New Normal (Excerpt)
Mary Lou’s eyes had filled up with tears as the doctor spoke. “Oh gosh, I don’t know. This wasn’t the answer I was expecting. I guess, what I really want, what I really need, is for Earl…Pearl…my son to get a job and live a normal, healthy life.”
“Pearl 1.73 mentioned that he already has a job, no?” Dr. Truman tilted her chin.
“You can hardly call it that,” Mary Lou scoffed. “He logs on to some job simulation program every morning and he pretends to work. He has a monthly subscription. The fee comes off of my credit card!”
“I see. Um, Pearl 1.73, that’s not how you made it sound before.”
He looked away from both women. “I get up everyday. I put on a suit. I go to a location where I meet with other people and we complete meaningful projects. I call that a job, yes.”
“But you aren’t paid?” asked Dr. Truman.
“If you mean in nickels and dimes, then no. But based on my performance reviews and how well my contributions further the company as far as digital relevance and user recruitment, I get reimbursed with bit-tokens that can be used to make purchases within VR. How do you think I afford my penthouse, mom?”
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, there is no penthouse, Earl! You live in my basement!”
Excerpt from: The Feathertale Review, Issue #17
“Mrs. Flemming,” Dr. Truman said softly. “Your son is a grown man, and he’s going to live his life the way he chooses. I have a number of clients who self-identify as Virtual Humans, and they live and work and thrive within virtual reality without being what I would classify as ‘technologically addicted.’ It’s counter intuitive, I know. But realistically, what we’re looking for here is some sort of balance in your living arrangement so the two of you can peacefully coexist. At a bare minimum, what is it that you need from your son?”