"Breakfast" by Emma-Jane C. Smith

Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";}

The dappled light fell onto the quilt cover, dancing merrily as the wind shifted the leaves of the tall maple. Danielle watched it with glazed eyes, half asleep even though it was already mid-morning. Quiet footsteps announced Steven’s arrival at her door. The handle turned gently as if he were expecting she was still sleeping. Danielle smiled at the breakfast feast he had brought. Scrambled eggs, multigrain toast, baked beans, four rashers of bacon and a tall glass of grape juice… her favourite.

“How are you feeling today?” he asked, apprehension written all over his face.

“Fine, my love,” she replied

“F-I-N-E or actually fine?” he asked, knowing her habit of changing words into acronyms. Fine usually stood for Freaked out Insecure Neurotic and Emotional*.

Danielle laughed.

“Yes, just- fine.”

“You up to going to the beach today?”

“I’m up for anything.” Dani replied with a rare smile.

Steven’s whole demeanour became electric. He kissed her forcefully on the lips and practically bounded back down the stairs. A moment later and she received a text message. Steven had written “I love you, Dani”, the hopeless romantic.

Danielle’s face turned back to the sunlight playing on her bed covers. How beautiful and simple the sun’s light was. It was a struggle not to let her thoughts return to their usual depression. Ever since the accident she had felt useless, unable to do the majority of tasks she had loved to do. No more walking, running, dancing. Nothing below her waist worked any more. Now having to rely so much on Steven to do even the simplest tasks for her brought her so much emotional pain. No longer able to stand, looking him in the eye as they danced, bodies so close they might as well have been melded into one.

Her once flawless robotic body was now mostly missing from below the waist. Twisted metal and fluid cables lay bare for all to see. She was broken. If only the activists hadn’t torched all the manufacturing plants. If only they had left one alone so she might be restored. But alas, the technology to repair her, or make others like her, had gone.

Then her accident had happened and like this she would remain. Now Danielle had to be transported everywhere in a hover chair as if she were a normal human cripple. Steven called her from downstairs, letting her know that the car was on its way to pick them up. ‘Dani’ he called her lovingly but her dejected, hopelessly analytical mind, immediately found an alternative meaning: Destroyed Artificial Nanosymbiotic Intelligence.

Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";}

Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";}

Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";}

Dani sighed, shaking her head. Today would be a good day, all she had to do was believe that. For who could actually say what the future holds? With another rare smile Dani began to eat her breakfast with enthusiasm.

*Taken from the modern version of The Italian Job (2003)