Fall Forever

"What do you think?" he asks.

I wrap my arms around his shoulders as the waves crash into the sea. The California sun is setting over the horizon, and the autumn breeze is cooling off our wet bodies.

"I wish this day could last forever." I push the hair in her eyes and kiss her. The world is dark, and I hear voices again. Woman and man.

"What's going on?" Asks the woman.

"Just a reset," the man said.

"Something is upsetting her."

"It will only take a second to reload."

I drive west at 405. Porsche is handwritten, but I can't remember where I went. I turn on autopilot. Why can't I remember?

"It is looking for a loop point," the man said.

"Do you understand?"

"No. Not at all."

I went down the Santa Monica Pier. There is an important place I can be. My company has a huge demo of VCs. We need to show that the new strings are strong enough in the skyhook. The deadline is ... next week? Next month?

"Anyway. We got it," said the man. "The process will go smoothly next time."

I walk into the coffee shop, my mind full of prototype specs I can meet and the important steps that keep slipping right. I say, "Venti white chocolate mocha with whipped cream and an extra shot of espresso."

"You have a nice tooth. Me too."

The barista is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. She has short blond hair, blue eyes, and a grin. She is wearing a confused Kitten PIN in her green Starbucks pinafore. The video shows a white kitten chasing a hologram mouse against a wall, hitting its head, raising its paws, and looking mysterious. The video turns over and over.

I forget what I was thinking. "Yes, the mochas are fine." Suave, very simple.

"White mochas are the best."

"Especially with peeled cream."

"I'll get the cream. That will be $ 16.49."

I wave my fingers through the scanner. He gives me my mocha. His badge says his name is Krista.

"Is that your grandmother?" Asks the man. "It's hot."

"No."

I sit in Porsche for five minutes, drinking my mocha and trying to convince myself to get back to work. Then I went back to the coffee shop. I find him near the condiments stand. "Hey, Krista."

She looks up and smiles. "He's back."

"When do you get out of work?"

"Whoa. That's right."

"I'm really cunning."

"I'm not used to dating customers."

I feel stupid. "I'm sorry to bother you." I walk quickly towards the exit.

He holds my arm. "But I'll choose a mocha lover. I'm going down at five o'clock."

I look him in the eye, and I think anything is possible.

"Who are you?" Asks the man.

"Just a girl. They've been dating for just two weeks."

"So why this memory?"

"He once told me it was the happiest day of his life."

"Soon!" he said with a laugh.

"He will arrest me." I hit the accelerator, and the speed is over 150. The wind is roaring around us.

I pass through traffic, between cargo computers, and passengers driving back home by autopilot. I slipped past a lounge van with windows on all sides. The young boy stared and smiled, his hands pressed against the glass. His father opens the window and shouts, "Slow down!"

Krista gives him a finger. She lifts her shirt and illuminates her breasts. The boy laughs and gives us two thumbs up. His father clears his fist, and all the windows are darkened.

She put her hand on my leg. I push the pedal down and run towards the sun.

"So, not his wife," said the man.

"He met my grandmother a year later. They had been married for 20 years, but it never ended well. My grandmother said my grandfather was more interested in his job than his family. My grandfather said my grandmother was a funny dog."

"Whoa."

"He was not a good husband, but he was a good father, and he was a great grandfather. When my parents were always fighting, he used to take me to the beach and tell me stories about mysterious places that had just passed. The horizon and strange lands on the other side of the sky.

We walk on the beach, and he tries to drag me into the water. "I thought you said you loved the sea!" he said.

"I like to walk on the beach. I don't like swimming. I don't want to wet my clothes."

"Take them away then."

"People are watching." I point to a family on a distant mountain. He gestures to the family, then runs to the beach and takes off his clothes.

What would this look like in the gossip feed tonight? Anyone with glasses can make a profit out of me. Valley loves its micro scandals almost as much as Hollywood.

Swing. I throw off my Ecco shoes, take off my Ralph Lauren suit, and pile some of my clothes on the sand like a sundae, with my Rolex cherry on top.

"When were you diagnosed with Alzheimer's?"

"Ten years ago. It was difficult. Then he had a stroke that left him like this."

"Closed."

"I could not leave him, but I could not deal with his condition. I did not know what to do. Then I found your company. You are the savior of life."

"We're just doing what we can to help."

I run across the sand, naked and shameless, as Krista shows me I have joined her. I can see her hair shining in the sun, her blue eyes welcoming me. I can feel her breasts curl nicely as she touches my chest.

I fall for him. We make love in the sand, waves crashing over our bodies. I pushed and sighed, repeatedly.

"That's right. Locked uploaded."

After that, he looks me in the eye and asks, "What do you think?"

I put my arms around his shoulders, and we turned to look at the sunset. "I wish this day could last forever."

"Sweet dreams granddaughter I love you."

I walk into a coffee shop, my head full of budgets, schedules, and deadlines. Then I see her.