A river of pedestrians, shoppers, bicycles, and couriers —both human and robotic— descends like a lava flow through a commercial street under the harsh midday sun. A collection of restaurants, specialty stores, vending machines, and offices border both sides of the road, barely able to contain the overwhelming swarm of people.
The back door to an indie movie theater opens with a metallic clank, a smaller crowd of people pours out and rapidly dissolves into the human solution waiting outside. Most of the moviegoers are old folks, the couples engaged in heated arguments around the movie they just saw, with the only two kids among them being no exception.
"Oh! And how about that fight scene in the end!?" Miguel says with wide-open eyes and big arm gestures, his red cap worn backward and the crumpled remains of soda and popcorn under an arm.
"Oh my God, YES!" Carolina says making little jumps in place "I don't know if you noticed, but I was sitting like this all the time!" she raises her arms and imitates someone inside a fighter jet, both kids break into all-out laughter.
She wipes tears off her eyes and remembers something "Oh! And that sex scene in the end! I mean… Wow!"
"I know!" says Miguel still laughing, turns his red cap forwards "That was pretty cool too. I think it's the same Sex Coordinator from the prequels."
They stop to let a group of service machines roll past. Miguel waves at one of them and throws the empty food packages inside.
"Uh, you may be right…" Caro says looking up, her fingers brushing her hair "Those close-up shots DID seem familiar." she suddenly remembers something and grabs Miguel's arm "Oh! And that thing in the end? When they make a sort of… triangle? Can boys really do that?"
Miguel's smile falters for a second from feeling her hands on his arm, he shakes his head "Nah, that's just special effects. We would need like, FOUR arms to do that!"
They break out laughing once again, drawing curious glances by passing shoppers. Caro's giggles stop when she notices how people's eyes land on Miguel and stay fixated on the boy, weighing their options. She pulls him by the arm and beckons him to hurry, squeezing between the forest of adults towards their bicycles chained to a public bike rack on the next street corner.
Once they free their bikes Caro checks her phone and gasps. She turns the screen to Miguel who also panics when he sees the hour. They look at each other, nod, and hop on the bikes, speeding along the next avenue towards Miguel's second house visit of the day.
***
Gulls squeak as they hover high in the sky above a mid-income hotel squeezed between two large office buildings, the birds held in place by a warm and steady ocean breeze, betraying the street's proximity to shore.
Two bikes screech to a stop in front of the hotel. Miguel immediately steps out of his bike and runs up the stairs while yelling: "I'll be right back!"
"Hey wait!" Caro yells standing near the boy's abandoned bike "Don't go inside all by yourself! I gotta check if it's safe!"
"No time!" shouts Miguel as he removes his red hat and enters the hotel's revolving door. He pulls his oversized white shirt off as he walks inside the glass cylinder and steps naked out the other end, rushing across the dusty lobby towards the farther service door, drawing curious glances by the few guests waiting to be serviced by the robotic butlers.
The nude boy runs holding his NASA shirt in one hand and stroking his penis with the other. His huaraches clapping loud in the bare, beige corridors as he moves from one open door to the next.
"Come on... come on..." he hisses as he peeks inside each room, his hand stroking himself even faster.
He flies past another door, stops, and runs back inside, finding himself in a small office where a young woman with glasses sits behind a desk talking with a middle-aged white man on the other side.
Both adults turn and look quizzically at the naked Hispanic boy wearing a MAGA red cap, holding a white shirt in one hand, and stroking his small erection with the other.
"Uhm, we said Saturday, right…?" Miguel murmurs as the awkward silence prolongs.
The young woman blinks returning to Earth. She smiles at the man and stands up "Excuse me for a second Mr. Müller, I'll be right back..."
She walks around the desk motioning Miguel to hurry out of the room. The boy nods and steps outside, his hand still stroking his penis.
"I'm sorry I'm late! There was a lot of traffic and..:"
"Miguelito, you have to leave. I..." the young woman begins with that tone of voice adults use when easing bad news to a child.
"I know! I'm sorry! It won't happen again señorita, I promise!" he releases his penis and joins his palms in front of him "I'll wait here till you finish, and then we can have sex! Won't take a minute!"
The woman waves her hands "No, no, that's no longer necessary Miguelito. You see..."
"Please!" the boy squirms with a tinge of desperation "I-I'll make you cum if you want! N-no extra charge! Please!"
The woman snorts and shakes her head, not believing it. She looks back inside her office and gestures the man to give her another minute.
Then she grabs the skinny shoulder of the eleven-year-old boy and directs him to the next corridor corner where they can talk more privately.
"No Miguel, you're misreading the situation. You did nothing wrong." says the woman with a softer voice "In fact, quite the opposite… That's why you need to go. I don't need you anymore..."
The nude boy shakes his head not understanding, his eyes pleading. The young woman rolls her eyes and takes a deep breath, preparing to explain herself.
Suddenly Miguel understands. His face relaxes and his hands drop.
"Oh..." he mutters, a mixture of relief and disappointment in his voice.
The woman nods and smiles. She straightens her body and takes a moment, still not quite believing it herself.
"Yeah…! I'm finally going to college. It's so surreal..." she motions back to her office "In fact, I was interviewing my replacement. It's been a hectic month since your last visit. I got the news soon after we had sex, but I got so caught up with the paperwork, lab tests, and all that, that I…" she shrugs, embarrassed "I kinda forgot to let you know..."
Miguel nods and scratches the back of his neck. He puts his NASA shirt back on, his erection already deflating.
"It's okay s-señorita, no need to apologize. Um... Congratulations on your pregnancy..." he says with a forced smile.
***