The Other Side

I made sure the bottles were set properly, chose two ounces, and pushed the cold green button. A momentary pause led to the whir as the bottles filled simultaneously in the mechanical arms. The babies quieted down as they began to nurse.

A quick look around assured me that the operation was running smoothly, so I switched off the light and left the feeding room. I had to get my monthly injection and then I was done for the day. Hunger pains began creeping in, and I thought of the frozen dinners piled in the freezer. Hopefully the microwave wouldn’t be on the fritz again. 

“Hello, Lydia,” the technician greeted me without emotion. “Here’s your gown. You know the procedure.”

Yes, I knew the procedure well, having been doing it since I turned eighteen. I would not have many more chances for a positive outcome as I was nearing the end of my cycles. At thirty I would be taken off the injection list. 

I lay back in position as the young girl quickly injected me. Grimacing in pain, I grasped the side of the examination table as she tossed the syringe into the garbage and left the room. I stood, steadied myself, and got dressed. Hopefully the procedure will lead to a successful pregnancy this time as I desperately needed the bonus money in nine months. I wasn’t getting any younger and the list of home repairs was ever growing.   

Leaving the building, I shuffled through the crumpled leaves on the ground. The cats lying despondently on the side of the road meowed restlessly. I stepped around them reaching for my phone to tap my Uber app.

“Where to?” The young man appeared in his car in what felt like only seconds.

I sat back in the seat and shouted, “25 Main” over the loud incessant beat of his music.

“Main Avenue?”

“No. Main Street.” Did he hear me?

He looked at me in the rearview mirror, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

“Okay. If you’re sure,” he trailed off.

I felt slightly concerned at his reaction but was instantly distracted by the buzz of my phone and another alert. Life expectancy had dropped again, I read, and this time dramatically. If anyone reached their mid-thirties, it would be a miracle. 

Looking up from my phone, I saw the mountain straight ahead. “Wait!” I screamed to no avail as I braced for a collision. At the last possible second, I realized we were heading for a tunnel, invisible until we were right upon it. 

“What in the world?” My heart pounded as we entered the mountain.

I sat leaning forward, holding onto the back of the driver’s seat while looking out the window in amazement. After a short drive through the tunnel, we exited on the other side.

Perhaps I was dreaming.  If I had passed out after getting my monthly injection, no one would have noticed me lying on the floor. It was a plausible explanation.

My eyes traveled up the tree-lined street noting the pink blossoms dancing in the sunlight. The homes were set back on lush green lawns adorned with flowerpots overflowing on front steps and windowsills. Flags swayed gently in the breeze. 

Turning the corner, the houses gave way to small shops on bustling sidewalks. People strolled about in colorful summer outfits talking animatedly. Their conversations were occasionally interrupted by bursts of laughter.

Continuing down the street, we passed a man sitting on a bench, a cane propped up at his side. His hair was snow white and his face was lined with wrinkles. Despite his frightening appearance, he looked quite content as he read his newspaper in the sun.

Yes, I concluded, I must be dreaming. I’ve never seen such a place. 

The traffic light turned red. As we sat at the intersection, a group of dogs pulled children across the street. I gasped in fear. I thought of the mangy dogs that lay outside the market scratching fleas relentlessly. It was an annoyance to step over them with my bags of food, but at least they left me alone. I couldn’t fathom why these children allowed such behavior rather than simply letting go of the chains.

What’s that? I craned my neck to see a man and woman walking with their arms around each other. Were they ill, helping one another get to the hospital? The light turned green, and we drove closer. I turned in my seat to see their smiling faces as they leaned toward each other and kissed. I looked away.

A young woman stood in front of a café with a wagon of sorts surrounded by an enthusiastic crowd.  Was she selling something? She bent over and removed a parcel wrapped in a blanket, turned down the flap and showed off the tiny face. A baby! Outside of the clinic! Where was the mechanical arm to feed it? Where was the computer monitor showing its vitals and beeping when wet? That baby was not safe but yet the woman’s face glowed with happiness. 

“Where am I?” I cried, terrified. “What have you done to me?”

“Hey, now, lady. Calm down. What’s the problem? I drove you to 25 Main Avenue like you told me to. You’re going to pay, right? You’re not playing games now, are ya?”

“Main Avenue? I said Main Street! Take me home right now!”  Fear and desperation crept into my voice, making it shriller than I had intended.

“Okay, okay,” he mumbled, making a sharp U-turn and headed back toward the mountain.

“What was that place?” I asked breathlessly upon reentry to my neighborhood.

“That place? That’s the real world, lady.”

“The real world? Then where am I?” He was clearly talking nonsense, but I was desperate for any kind of explanation.

“You’re in the experiment. Sorry to tell ya.” He met my eyes in the rearview mirror then quickly looked away.

“The experiment? What are you talking about?”

“You know, to see what happens without love. You really didn’t know?”

I sat back, shocked. 

I stared out the window wordlessly. The shriveled leaves fell off the dying branches onto the brown grass. Cats lay listlessly on the corner while blank-faced people stepped over them. People walked alone dressed in gray shapeless clothes, their expressions blank.

I felt sick.

“What’s going to happen to me?” I asked, fighting dread. I thought of the headlines I had read just moments ago. Our life expectancy had dropped again. We were dying.

“I’m sorry, lady, truly. Want to go back to the real world? Ready to try it? No one has to know that you came from the experiment.”

I pictured the other side with crowds of people surrounding me and possibly touching me.   The animals over there were wild and dangerous. The baby held up in the air was unmonitored and unsafe, possibly even stolen from the clinic. I shrank back in my seat.

“No,” I whispered, my arms crossed tightly across my chest. “Take me home. Please.”

“If you say so.” The Uber driver pulled over and stopped in front of 25 Main Street. I looked at the brown apartment building that I called home, got out, and slammed the door behind me.