Just Press the Button

           At the opposite ends of town, two people are contemplating the same matter of choice, yes or no.

Ricky is Thinking

           It was much more difficult to do in the past. Almost all of the ways of committing the act were clumsy, and sometimes didn’t even work, a horrible half measure for the person involved. Now it is so much easier – just press a button and the job is all done – clean, efficient, no fuss, no muss, no pain, just gain. All you have to do is decide where and when. That’s all there is. And I think I have an idea about both. I certainly know the location of the ‘where,’ that’s for sure.. And I have a distinct feeling that the ‘when’ is going to be coming up soon. I can’t seem to escape the thought.

Jane is Thinking

           It is way too easy to do it now. You don’t have to think much, or really at all. That’s the problem. Press the button, and poof the deed is done. There is no way of changing your mind after the button in pressed. In some ways it might be scarier than it must have been in the past when there were different options available, and more thinking was involved. I cannot imagine anyone making that decision. No, I know a few who might just do it, who could just press the button. There would be no talking them out of it.

The Law of Release

           In 2079 the Law of Release was passed by the federal government. When people turned 60 they were required by this law to have an electro-charged button attached to the top of their left shoulder. Pressing this button would cause instant, and reputedly painless death. It was a drastic measure, certainly, but a large number of young people voted in favour of it when it was on the ballot. This was basically because the mass of people who were often referred to disparagingly by the young as ‘Pan-ers’ (as in ‘the Paners are such a pain’), a term often used to refer to people born during or shortly after the Covid pandemic, were considered by them to be far too high in number for the country to sustain everyone. The agricultural sources had been severely diminished by climate change, and the poisonous sprays that had been originally conceived to protect farmed plants, but also had a negative effect on their survival.. Food prices were very high, as they were during the pandemic.

Ricky is Thinking

           A female social worker who works at ‘the home’ (more a warehouse or a processing plant) asked a group of us yesterday at a mandatory ‘therapeutic session’ when the happiest time of our lives was. I was initially suspicious, believing that she was thinking that that might make a good number of us to feel depressed in comparing that time with the present, and then be motivated to press the button. There are a lot of us at the home, and I truly believe that the people who run the place would like to lessen our number, so that they can reduce the staff and increase the rates charged. There were tears in some people’s eyes when they replied to the social worker’s question. But I am thankful to that social worker now. For quickly in my mind’s eye came the place that we (my girlfriend at the time) called Willow Wonderland. But I did not want to say that to the social worker, or to my fellow inmates. That was something that I did not share with anyone.

Later That Same Day for Ricky

           I have decided. I’m going to do it. I am going to press the button. I will go to that special spot where I was happiest of all way back to when I was a teenager, ‘Willow Wonderland’, then do the deed, press the button. Just thinking about my sweet Jane and how happy we were then, gives me the incentive to go there, even if it is just to look around for a while and then terminate my life on a happy note. This Saturday will be the 44^th anniversary of the time that we first went there.

Jane Makes a Decision

           Jane is looking out the window of her apartment, a smile growing on her face. ‘I’m going to do it. I’m going to go to that place that I keep picturing in my mind. It always gave me, gave us such joy. I hope that it will do so at least this one more time. This Saturday will be the 44^th anniversary of our first going there. I am hoping that going there won’t lead to depression and thus increase my feeling the urge to ‘press the button.’ She then looks to her left shoulder, shakes with a shiver, and quickly returns her gaze through the window in the direction of the Willow Wonderland..

Ricky and Jane Meet Up

           Jane and Ricky, both of whom turned sixty in the past few weeks, saw each other in the park. Jane speaks, “Ricky it is so good to see you after far too long a time. We were so happy when we came here together when we were teenagers. I never told you this, but the reason I had to stop seeing you was because of my dad. He and your dad had a serious hate on for a long, long time. Your dad ‘stole’ as my father would say, your mother from him, and dad was never very good at forgiving. He said to me at that time ‘I forbid you girl to see that boy again. He is not doubt just as bad as his father was years ago, and no doubt still is.’”

           Ricky replies. “My dad spoke badly of your father too, saying how he ‘rescued’ my mother from that ‘horrible fellow. I would have liked to ask my mother for the truth of the matter, but I didn’t feel that that was a fair question for a son to ask his mother. The only thing that she ever said to me about the beginning of their relationship was ‘Your father bought me flowers.’

           Then Jane says, “I see that you too are wearing the button. Neither of us had any choice, did we. I hope that you came here to Willow Wonderland for reminiscence sake, not to press the button.”

           Ricky replies, “I was seriously considering it. But now I have three questions for you. Did you come here to press the button? Is there a man in your life? Do you think that we could try to get together again after all these years? What do you say?

           Without hesitation, Jane gives her answers. There is a short and solid ‘no’ to the first two questions, and a slightly seductive ‘let’s give it a try’ and ‘yes’ to the last two questions.”

           They then held each other’s hand, and walked over to the largest willow and sat down under its emotionally protective fronds.