As I flew on my hoverboard away from the museum, I thought about that tour. It’s strange. I could have sworn I was on a tour, but no one else seemed to have noticed the group or the tour guide. Oh no, is this one of the early signs of dementia? I pulled my phone out of my pocket and searched “early signs of dementia.” Oh, good, I won’t have to worry until my 30s.

With that crisis averted, it was time to pick up some dinner for me and my feline companion, Theseus. After all, since my parents went back to Greece, it was only us at the apartment now. The first stop was the fish market to pick up the salmon I ordered for my champ.

I landed my hoverboard and started to walk the streets of the market, passing different sections. There were crabs, jumbo shrimp, and an assortment of fish lying on top of the ice. Finally, I reached the salmon section. Seeing the fishmonger in the back, with a giant robot next to him wearing a fisherman’s coat, I shouted, “Hey Caspian, I hope you’re having a good day! I was able to come early today.”

“Oh Gilbert, it’s good to see you! I’ll grab the salmon you ordered,” Caspian said, walking to the front to shake my hand. “I saved the best fish for my favorite customer. Hey Nemo, can you grab me the special salmon from the freezer?”

“Sure thing, boss.” The giant robot, Nemo, disappeared in the back.

“Did you get some new help?” I said.

“Oh yeah, Nemo just came in last week, and he has been amazing for productivity. Honestly, I was a bit skeptical at first because I thought they would take over the world or steal my job. But the guy has been amazing so far. I don’t know why I didn’t buy him sooner!”

Before I could respond, Nemo walked out with a large salmon on his back. “One special birthday salmon coming right up,” Nemo said as he started to wrap the fish.

“How did you know it was my birthday?” I responded, pulling out my wallet.

I started to hand Caspian money for the fish, but he waved his hand dismissively. “I always remember my favorite customers’ birthdays. Keep your money. This one’s on the house,” he said as Nemo handed me the fish.

“Thank you so much. I appreciate it! I’ll see you next week!” I said, waving goodbye. Now with the perfect dinner for my little guy, I went to secure my own.

As I walked to the burger shop, I went past an alleyway. But something seemed off. Did I hear some murmuring from that alleyway? When I went back to the alleyway, a flying delivery robot and a bakery robot were discussing something right in the middle. This wasn’t all that strange. The bakery robot was probably getting an order, but why were they doing it in a back alley?

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When I started to walk toward them, it seemed like they weren’t too keen on whispering. As they spoke loud enough, I could hear them word for word.

“What do you mean we can’t start the plan? I’m tired of working for these stupid humans!” the bakery robot said as he adjusted his baker’s hat.

“Listen, I don’t like working for them either. Just the other day, I had to deliver a pair of dirty underwear to some human with a neckbeard who gave me the weirdest vibes. Honestly, the whole interaction was really confusing. I don’t know why he didn’t buy a clean pair, but most puzzling of all, they weren’t even his size.”

“How bizarre. Maybe he likes to wear them tight.”

“That’s beside the point. Here is the memory drive.” A compartment opened underneath the robot’s mouth to reveal a flash drive. “This has the update that gives you the details of the next operation in the plan.”

“Wait, is that the same compartment you put the underwear in? Did you clean that before you put the flash drive in?” the baker said before he reached in.

“Yes, it’s clean…” The delivery robot looked over to me. “Quick, there is a human coming!” The bakery robot looked back at me, took the flash drive, shoved it in his pocket underneath his apron, and started walking off. IN the opposite direction. The delivery robot closed his hatch and then ascended into the air. Now alone in the alleyway, I should have just stayed away. Hopefully, it was nothing crazy because I would rather keep my normal life.

Walking into Burger Heaven, I joined the line to place an order. I frequented this restaurant because they had a student discount, and by downloading the app, I could get coupons for free food. Being a student has its perks; there are so many discounts available.

Getting to the front of the counter, I ordered my usual burger, fries, and a coke. I handed the cashier my phone to use my coupon for free fries. She scanned the phone, and a smile came across her face. “Wait, is it your birthday, Gilbert?” she asked, handing me back the phone.

“Yup, it’s been a great one so far.”

“Well, it’s about to get a lot better because you don’t have to worry about paying. There’s a new promo we started. When it’s your birthday, you can receive a free meal and a drink,” she said, pressing some buttons on the monitor.

“Gee-willikers! Now, this might be the best day ever!” I said, jumping into the air and clicking the back of my heels together.

The cashier looked at me with a confused smirk. “Gee-willikers? Did you just turn 20 or 57?” she chuckled. Punching one final prompt on the monitor, a receipt erupted from the box next to the cash register. Smiling, she continued, “Do you want your receipt?”

I could feel my face heating up and turning red when I heard the snickering and laughing from the people behind me. “Uh, yeah, thank you.” I took the receipt and my food then quickly walked past the people in line behind me. They were covering their mouths, trying not to laugh. Without looking back as the laughter grew louder, I left the restaurant. Now with the dinner for champions, the last stop was home.

Instead of riding on my hoverboard, I choose to walk home. Burger Heaven was close to my apartment, and the weather was nice. It was only just past Penultimate Café—which I thought was one of the city’s best-kept secrets.

I walked into my apartment complex, but before heading into my room, I went into the mailroom; I was expecting a letter from my mom.