The Cost of Living, March 2052
Life is a pricey business.
The law enforcement officer hustled Marcia past the staring eyes of the pre-dawn precinct and dumped her into a chair in an interview room.
“It doesn’t look good for you, chicky” the officer said conversationally, putting his boots up on the table. “My fellow officer is an eyewitness and you have yet to give a reasonable explanation for what he’s pretty sure you were doing. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”
“I just wish things had been different,” Marcia whispered as tears began to slide down her cheeks.
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Two weeks earlier:
Marcia poured herself a cup of hot water and sat down at the table in the light of a small solar lamp. She took out a creased piece of paper, a stubby pencil and a battery-powered calculator.
Teaching salary, March 2052: $6,214.34
This, after deductions of 33% for income tax, pension plan, low-level benefits plan, employment insurance, union dues, and school improvement fund.
Expenditures:
Rent for a two-bedroom basement apartment, 875²ft. on a three-year lease: $2,600.00
Appliance rental fee (stove, fridge, washer, dryer): $60.00 each X 4 = $240.00
Utilities (hydro, heat, water): $1000.00
Car rental fee for a 2040 Toyota E-Corolla, rebuilt, for a maximum 400km per week: $600.00
Car insurance (for a human driver): $175.00
Telecommunications rental bundle (home Wi-fi, cell data, subscription to 8G network, TV and movie streaming and mandatory newsfeed): $280.00
Digital security subscription: $125.00
Physical security subscription: $200.00 for one adult + $100.00 for a child under 12 = $300.00
Food and sundries: $565.00 for one adult + 300.00 for a child, age 9 = $865.00
Total expenditures = $6,185.00
Income minus expenditures: 6,214.34 − 6,185.00 = $29.34 in disposable income.
Marcia slumped against the table. A visit to a doctor would cost an impossibly unaffordable $200.00 and that was assuming the doctor didn’t decide there was a need for a follow-up appointment or, god forbid, a specialist. If it was for her, she probably would have ignored the pain, but it was for Fabian.
She looked back over her list weighing her options. She supposed she could return the car and take public transit to work for a few months. But that would mean increasing the physical security plan to a more expensive one. Public transit was a hunting ground. She could switch to a lower quality or smaller food box, but that was also a risk because sometimes those caused illness, and illness could mean having to pay for a doctor.
The only other option was a black market doctor, one who accepted payment not in money, but in services rendered and favours owed.
She sat on his bed and brushed a hand across Fabian’s feverish forehead as she sent a text to the “receptionist” and then waited for a reply from a blocked and untraceable number.
“I just wish things had been different.”
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Written for one of Microcosm’s August prompts which you can find here. Thank you for reading!