Amelia loved her job. For many years she seemed to wander aimlessly from place to place, never quite finding her niche in the New American Workforce. Now she felt as though she served her Government in the most important branch of the Societal Wellness Ministry (SWM) – as Administrator of a large Hospice and Re-Training Facility.
It was hard to believe that forty years ago she was a starry-eyed graduate of the William J. Clinton College of Political and Societal Studies. She worked in the now-defunct Social Security Administration evaluating claims. When they eliminated Social Security benefits, she moved to the Office of Community Assessment. That wasn’t too bad, she thought. In her position as Neighborhood Coordinator it was her job to ensure that all HOA’s complied with the New American Directives regarding political and patriotic displays, green landscapes, gas and electric usage and ethnic percentages. At least she had daily contact with people instead of being stuck behind a desk arguing with a computer all day.
Many jobs came and went, until a year ago. If nothing else, Amelia was a true patriot. The Government had been following her career closely and someone from the SWM felt she would be the perfect candidate for the position she now held.
The Hospice building was quite old. It had been built in 1929 in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. It was constructed under the watchful eye of a wealthy steel baron as a gift to his mistress (a starlet whose talents only seemed to shine in the bedroom). She was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1934 and the steel baron spent large sums of money making the home more comfortable for his beloved starlet. Sadly, she passed away in 1940 and the grief-stricken man never returned.
The Government acquired the property from the State in 2020 in exchange for Carbon Credits. It renovated the interior to comply with the New American Disability Empowerment Act. However, the exterior remained little changed.
The grounds consisted of 400 acres of gardens, guest cottages, a barn and a 20 car garage. Most of the buildings had been converted to living quarters for the Hospice Staff and their families. Some newer buildings had been added to the landscape over the years. But, Amelia still preferred the old house.
Upon entering her office, she noticed that the Administrative Staff had assembled at a large table on the far side of the room. Corn cakes and soy bars were arranged nicely on platters in the center of the table. Many Staffers chatted to invisible people via Tele-serts. These were devices surgically fitted into the ear canal with highly sensitive microphones, much like a microscopic Blue Tooth.
When Amelia approached her chair, all conversations ceased. She pressed a button on the arm of her chair and a holographic screen appeared between the corn cakes and soy bars. The Director of the SWM appeared before them and said “Good Morning fellow Citizens. Today we are going to complete our annual “Productivity Evaluations” of the residents of your facility and determine our course of action for the upcoming Spring Cleaning. I believe I would like to hear from Donna first.”
“Good Morning fellow Citizen!” Donna responded. “I have Citizen Joseph, age 21. We have determined that he has sustained irreparable damage to his left knee thus rendering him unable to continue his obligation as Defensive Lineman for the New American Patriots football team.”
“Prospects for other forms of service to our Society?” the Director asked.
“Madam Citizen, we have determined that Citizen Joseph’s intelligence quotient is below that of an average Citizen. He has been unable and/or unwilling to be educated by our Techie Team. He does have breeding potential. He shows no inherent weakness of the joints and the injury he sustained was as a result of an automobile accident.”
“Was the accident determined to be his fault?”
“No, Ma’am. He was the victim of a hit-and-run while walking on the sidewalk with his former fiancée.”
“Okay. Thank you, Donna. Amelia, your recommendation?”
“Madam Citizen, I recommend we institute a re-entry program, place him back into society under close supervision and provide a potential mate. We can re-evaluate him in 10 years.”
“Good enough. Do it. Next case. How about George. We haven’t communicated lately.”
“Thank you, Madam Citizen. Uhm, I have been assigned to Citizen Kathy. She is a 65-year-old former teacher with Diabetes. Although her sugar had been under control for many years, she seems to be erratic lately. She regularly requires medical treatment above and beyond her daily insulin injections.”
“Citizen George, have you consulted with MedCom to determine if she is able to work in any capacity?”
“Yes, Madam Citizen. Upon careful examination of the Citizen in question, MedCom has determined that she is unable to work in any capacity for more than 10 hours per week. Her condition is not due to outside causes such as alcohol. Her body just will not respond to the approved Insulin. We do not feel that this Citizen is capable of being productive enough to warrant the Government supplying her with an alternate Insulin product at this time.”
“At this time, Citizen George? Or ever?”
“Uhm, Madam Citizen. Well, uhm, never…Madam Citizen.”
George hated to give the Director bad news about one of his fellow Citizens. He felt ashamed of his job. Many nights George would sit up with his wife, Jenna, sipping wine and talking about their respective jobs. The reason he got the position as Special Assistant to the Administrator in the first place was due to the fact that his wife was the Primary Assistant to the Director.
He never wanted the job. But, Jenna felt that it would work in their favor when their time came to be evaluated. This didn’t make George feel any better about things.
Amelia had always felt that George’s evaluations were somewhat sugar-coated. She had let him get away with it only because the Director seemed to be quite fond of his wife. However, this time George had crossed the line. The evaluation he had presented for Citizen Kathy could cost the Government hundreds of thousands of dollars. She adjourned the meeting and consulted with the Director.
George left the meeting quickly. He wanted to see Citizen Kathy before he returned to his office. He felt as though he owed her at least that much.
As he turned the corner, he felt a presence behind him…
Amelia thought the flowers smelled so lovely. Lilacs were her favorite. “Hard to find this time of year”, she thought. The River by Garth Brooks played softly in the distance as she took in the beauty of her surroundings.
“I love the old-style country songs”, said the Director as she came up behind Amelia.
“Me, too”, Amelia replied.
“It was a lovely service. Jenna put a lot of thought and caring into it. But, then again, she always does.”
“Yes, Madam Citizen, she is a real keeper.”
The Director winked and walked toward the grieving widow. Amelia was certain she would not have to evaluate Jenna anytime soon…
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