Father

My father is strange. Every day, he brushes his teeth, showers, gets dressed, and drives to a place he calls work, but the robots can handle it. He even cooks his own food. The neighborhood kids say that their robot can send all the information they need for the year to their brains, while Father makes me slowly learn. Some families can’t afford a robot, which I understand. But Father says it’s wrong to make the robots do everything, and we may be in a situation where we can’t depend on the robots to do everything. He is always saying nonsense. I just wish that for one day, he will use his robot.

I wake up to the sound of sizzling bacon and realize that I’m late for school. I run downstairs and change from my pajamas to my school uniform, and run to school.

I try to run faster, but I realize that I can’t run fast enough and I have to take a break. I go to a nearby bench and rest. Some kids speed past on their hoverboards. “Hey, loser! Where’s your hoverboard? Did your dad take it away from you?” I don’t reply. “Oh, come on! We don’t bite!” I stay silent. “C’mon guys, let’s leave this loser.” They hover away. I spent all night studying and forgot to charge my hoverboard. If I did, I would have been at school by now.

I stand up and look around for my bookbag. “Oh no… My bookbag!” I realized I left it and start to run back home to get my things. If it wasn’t having technical issues, it would have followed me out of the house. Halfway there, I start to wonder if my dad was right all along and technology isn’t the best thing to use. Eventually, I stop running because I need to save my energy.

Finally, I reach the house and see that Father’s car is gone, which means that he left for work. I also remember that he probably made breakfast for me, and I didn’t even eat it. By this time it’s probably cold. I walk up to the door and find out that it’s locked, but I’m not surprised. I get closer to the retina scan. “Access Denied,” it says. Maybe it’s just a fluke, so I try again. “Access Denied.” There was an old fashioned lock on the door that required a key, and Father gave me one just in case the retina scan broke. The only problem was, the key was in my bookbag. All hope was lost. I can’t run fast because I don’t practice running, my hoverboard needs to charge every night and if I forget, it’s over. My bookbag breaks and the retina scan doesn’t work. Father was right. It’s always good to know what to do when the technology doesn’t work. It’s also good to practice basic skills, even if there is something that can replace it. I start to cry, knowing that Father will be disappointed in me for not even making it to school.

5 minutes later, my Father’s old car pulls up to the driveway. I had stopped crying by then. I knew he would come home sooner or later. He gets out of the car and walks over to me. “What are you doing home?” I gulped. “I left my bookbag here, and the retina scan broke. My key is in the bookbag.” My father looks at me, disappointed. “Why didn’t you just use your phone to call me?” I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone. “I guess I forgot I had it.”

“Well, I guess you can’t use any of your electronics then.”

“What?! Why?”

“I can’t let you use them if you cant keep up with them.”

“I - I promise, I will keep up with them! I can’t live without my electronics!”

“Just try for one day, starting tomorrow. I’ll drive you to school.”

Tears form in my eyes. He must have forgotten. “I can’t live without technology.”

“It’s only for one day. What’s the big deal?”

I look down at the ground. Father pulled out his keys and unlocked the door. “Go ahead and get your things. I’ll be in the car.”

I stepped inside of the house and realized that Father didn’t remember. Technology is what keeps my heart beating, my body moving. It keeps me alive. It helped me when I needed it the most. Now Father is trying to take it away from me, but I can’t let him do that. I grabbed my book bag and slowly walked to the car. “Father?”

“Yes?”

“You’re going to take away all of my technology, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, then can you not use all of your technology? I don’t want to be alone.”

“Uh, sure.”

He started the car and drove me to school.

Once we arrived, I said I love you one last time.

When I sat down in class, my best friend could tell something was wrong. I told her what Father said and she started to cry. We talked for the last time. I rose my hand for the last time. Ate lunch for the last time. Made friends for the last time. It felt like my world was crumbling. I heard what my Father told me over and over again in my ears.

What’s the big deal?

I can’t let you use them if you cant keep up with them.

I guess you can’t use any of your electronics then.

It’s wrong to make the robots do everything.

It hurt me worst than getting my arm replaced, or breaking my software. It hurt worse than anything I have felt before. I can’t believe that my own father would do this to me. I don’t know what is going on in his mind, but the words I tell him every day should help him remember that I am his robot and needs to treat me like one. Not to take me apart, piece by piece until the child in me shows. Robots are supposed to be perfect, and I guess I make too many mistakes to be appreciated. The next day, he takes away everything, including my charger. I use my last bit of charge to take away the chip in his heart that keeps him alive. He made a promise and shouldn't break it.