Year: 2287
Jax helped the old man to his feet and then sat him down on the bench.
“Are you ok?” Jax asked, worried. The old man had taken a heavy knock and a bad fall.
As he spoke, the old man looked at Jax out of breath and visibly weak, “No one has any time anymore, rushing around all over the place. What could be so important?”
“I don’t know…” Jax said, half distracted. She was looking around to see if she could spot the boy, but he was long gone by now. “Best to sit here for a few minutes. Catch your breath, then maybe you would like to get a cup of tea? I know a good place around the corner, they do some great food too.”
“Tea would be nice. Sorry about your watch.” Replied the old man.
“Don’t worry about it I can track its location later, find out who took it and hopefully get it back. What’s your name by the way? I’m Jax”
“Names Mick. Nice to meet you, Jax.” He extended a hand out to Jax. “Shame it isn’t under better circumstances. Thanks for stopping to help me. No one else cares, look at them all rushing past. Now, how about that tea?”
Jax and Mick walked slowly down the road. Mick was right, everyone was always in such a rush to get where they were going. Jax was usually the same, it felt good to take some time and it was nice to have someone to talk to, even if they were complete strangers.
As they walked it grew steadily darker. More and more lights were switching on in the tall buildings either side of the street and the street lamps cast a faint glow across the grey concrete floor. Everything in this neighbourhood was run down. Litter was strewn across the roads and pavements; another reminder of the workers strikes across the city, and there was a lingering smell in the air, the sort of smell that comes with too many people living too closely together.
“So, what do you do?” Mick asked after a few minutes of walking in silence.
“I work for a company that mods peoples’ tech” Jax replied. “It’s only a small company and they don’t pay much, but its enjoyable work and there’s always something new. Plus, I get great discounts. How about you?”
“Ah, I don’t do much of anything anymore, retired a few years ago. I still do odd jobs from time-to-time to help me get by – security work, watching screens mostly – otherwise I just switch between sitting at home and sitting in the pub.”
Mick continued talking for a while. Jax assumed he didn’t have many people that he could talk to so he was getting it all out now. She didn’t mind, some of what he told her she found interesting; like how he had been in the police force during the riots. Nobody spoke about that time anymore and Jax wasn’t old enough to have witnessed it, so to hear it from a first-hand source was intriguing.
As they turned the next corner Jax pointed out the café to Mick. It didn’t look too busy, which is how Jax liked it. It would be good to get inside, sit down, relax and enjoy a nice cup of tea.
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