This Is How It Is (bp coyle)

I used to be a surgeon, back in the day.

Okay, I was a plastic surgeon, making aging women look younger for a time. My father, a neurosurgeon, disapproved. But the money was great and the hours were easy.

None of it matters now of course, nanobots have taken over. My father would have been every bit as unwanted as I am.

With my years of training meaning nothing, nothing is exactly what I am good for.

I was lucky enough to get a job sweeping pavement two days a week. I say lucky, but I still have some powerful contacts from the past. Strings were pulled. These sanitation jobs are highly sought after. The pay is bad, but at least it is a small amount coming in. without it I would be homeless in a matter of months.

There’s really not much work left for people to do these days. Some form of robotics or computerisation has replaced most occupations.

And let’s be honest, the robots could do a better job of cleaning the paths too. The government kindly banned them from doing so. They had to give people like me something to do.