30 Minute Post #4 Make me a machine.

"Make me a machine."

"Come again?" You set your documents aside. Your chair sways so that you may meet the eyes of the man sitting opposite your desk. His name is Ronald, a possible client. From the stains of sweat on his collared white shirt, to the bags under his eyes overlooked by disheveled clumps of hair, you can tell the man has had a rough time as of late. They usually have.

"That's what you do, right? You can make me a machine?" Ronald says. He clenches his fists, and looks pleadingly into your eyes.

"make me a machine?" You repeat.

"Yes." He sighs. Irritation evident in his voice. "Must I keep begging you?" You study his face. He has a scraggly beard and skin damaged by years of sun exposure. A cog in his late 50 perhaps? You sit up, and fold your fingers on your desk. It matters not, as you can tell that  he won't respond well to a no. You doubt that he would be able to afford the procedure, not like that's stopped you before, though.

"Why do you want to be a machine?"  Ronald matches your gaze. and although your eyes meet, for an instance, it seems as if he had looked past or through you, as if searching for something. He looks away and speaks.

"I don't need this human heart. I don't need this weak mind. What I need is an escape, an out. So imust ask again, please, make me a machine."

"You didn't answer my question."

"What the hell do you want to know, can't you just do it." He almost shouts at you. His knuckles clenched and white.You sigh, irritation outweighing the pity in your voice.

"Details. I'll need details if we are to carry out the procedure."

"Like?"

"Can you afford this?"

He is silent.

"What are you trying to forget?"

He is silent.

You sigh again and remove yourself from your chair. "If you won't answer my questions, then I cannot, and will not help you." A silence soon consumes the air. You predict he'll break down soon and he'll pour his soul out to you. They usually do, and you hope for it. It's the only thing that makes this job worthwhile.

"My wife and daughter." He begins. "I lost them." You smile to yourself, and he regales you with his life. By the end of it, you know that hes a Cog, who's spent 40 years in the fields. After losing his family in a tragic accident, he no longer has the will to live and that he wants to start over. He wants to embrace a new a existence.So, with glee and disgust in your heart, you turn him into a machine.

The procedure takes 10 hours, and by the end of it, you're not sure whether you've done him more good than harm, but what you do know is that the next one will be just as enjoyable.