"The future is now," the television whispered, almost cliché. I kept it quiet so I could read in the living room. I lived alone in my old age, but it was nice to have a sort of background noise to drown out the loneliness. "Ark Systems has created new forms of…" I turned the TV off as a knock on the door rang through the apartment. Through the window, I saw my son and grandson waiting for me at the door. My grandson was holding a stuffed animal of some sorts. I briskly walked to the entranced and buzzed them in, the holographic door disappearing to an open threshold. My son came up to me and gave me a hug, with my grandson squeezing my leg.
"Took you long enough to finally visit" I said with a smirk. My son laughed. My grandson ran and jumped on the couch and tossed the stuff animal in the air. My son and I sat down on chairs next to each other. I turned the TV back on. "…Simultaneous cognitive sparks, creating conflicting…" I changed the channel until the news came on. Something about a new political leader pushing for rights.
"So how's the new place?" I asked. He shrugged.
"Fine I guess, we're still settling, it'll take time," he said dryly. A hint of sorrow lasted on his voice.
"Absolutely, all things do. I'm glad you're here today" I said and put a hand on his back. He watched his son play with the stuffed animal and smiled.
"I'm going to get something to drink, you want anything?" he asked as he stood. I shook my head and smiled.
"I'm not too old to be helpless you know" I snickered and walked after him. My kitchen was fairly bare, only the essential cookware and appliances. My fridge was stocked with synthetic proteins and juices. My son picked out an orange flavored juice as I got out two glasses.
"So how is he?" I asked. I could tell the question caught my son off guard. He took a few seconds to respond.
"Fine, like nothing ever happened," he said with a forced smile. "I'm not sure what's worse, the thought that he has no memory of anything, or the fact that I can't talk about it."
"That's what I'm here for, you know?" I said. I felt I was being too forward with my questions, but I knew that there had to be clear air between us. My son sighed and poured the juice into the glasses.
"It's not what I imagined it would be like. I thought I could just pretend it never happened and we could go on living as normal, but now I'm not so sure," He said, taking a sip of the juice. His hand shook slightly. He noticed and sat down the glass.
"Son, you just lost your wife and son. You were lucky enough to get one back. You have to focus on the positive side of things," I said as I patted him on the back. He leaned forward on the counter and choked back tears. We stood in the kitchen and didn't say anything for a long time. The child's laughter in the other room echoes throughout the apartment as he ran around the living room.
"How?" he said and looked at me. His eyes were bloodshot and watery. "How do you tell your son he isn't real anymore, that he's a copy of your real son that you would give up anything to have back?" He choked out. I rubbed his back and smiled slightly at him.
"That is your little boy out there, where it counts," I said. "He loves you and he needs you to love him, machine or no."
"I know, but it's hard," he said, more confidently and with less sobs in-between. "I know if she was still here we could make it work, but I lost her too." His hands trembled slightly and he coughed. He stood up fully and wiped away his tears.
"It was unfair for life to treat you this way, but you have to stay strong, for him," I said as reassuring as I could be. He smiled slightly.
"His birthday, I'll tell him his next birthday," he said, clearing his throat.
"That's what they recommend, before they're old enough to reject the notion." I said. He nodded in agreeance and took another drink of the juice. His hands weren't shaking anymore. We returned to the living room where my grandson had dragged out the old toys my son used to play with when he was a child. Plastic dinosaurs and army men littered my floor. My son picked up almost every one of them and showed them to his son, explaining what they were and how they "Just didn't make em' like they used to". They played for a while longer before he got a call. He took it in the other room and I played with my grandson. He came back shortly after and told me they had to leave, much to the disappointment of my grandson. My son hugged me for a great while and left with tears in his eyes again. I waved at them as they left for the car.
I sat back down on my chair and turned the TV volume up. Another commercial for Ark Systems. They really were pushing their product lately. The market for replacement humans has never been healthier I guess. I walked to the kitchen and grabbed my glass from the counter. I took a sip and contemplated how I would tell my son. His birthday. I'll tell him his next birthday.