You Can't Stop Looking to the Stars
by Leila Coralie Martin
She's so perfect, she's almost painful to look at. Porcelain skin, gold-spun hair. All cosmetic enhancements, no doubt. Her vision seems fine to me; her pretty pupils are recoiling to pinholes in the foyer's harsh light.
"I want a full optical replacement, and I want it today. Can you make that happen?"
But, of course, she must have new eyes. Hell, she probably changes them to match her outfit.
I shouldn't judge, but these socialites really make my blood boil and I'm cranky 'cause my biceps burn from last night's training. Anyhow, I expect she's equally offended by my messy ponytail and lack of manicure. "You'd like to see the latest line, Ma'am?" I force a smile.
She nods. I tap my keypad and the display shelf slides over the counter. Neat rows of the premium models goggle up at us. She leans over and returns their stares.
"This shade," I point out a pair of baby blues at the front, "would look great with your coloring. They're not the most popular, but I'm guessing you like to stand out at parties?"
She glances up. "Which pair are the strongest?"
"What?"
"Are you deaf? The strongest lens."
So she's more than a cosmetic junkie, then. An Acuity Enhancement means filling extra records; I'll be late for training tonight.
But they'll get me a fat commission, too. Might cover my rent for the month. "These are all state-of-the-art, Ma'am," I say brightly. "We can take any model well beyond twenty-twenty."
"Excellent. I had my doctor draw up the prescription." She taps her phone and tosses it at me; I grab it before it lands on the merchandise.
I look at the screen. Look up at her.
"I'm not insane," she adds.
Your script says otherwise, you complete nutjob. "It can't be done."
"I thought these were supposed to be state-of-the-art? You're wasting my time." She snatches back her phone, pivots on a stiletto and stalks for the door.
I need that commission. She'll get those eyes somewhere else anyway, so she may as well get them here, and ok, it's not strictly ethical, but her doc signed it off so really, who's to blame- "Wait!"
She stops. Turns around.
"Look... There would be serious side-effects, ok? This level of enhancement will make you very far-sighted. You'll struggle to function, you'll lose things--"
"I keep losing things anyway." She walks back to the counter. "Misplaced my husband last year."
"If you even get a glimpse at the sun, the receptors will blow. It'll be lights out. Permanently."
"I understand. It's fine. I'm a night-owl."
"What do you need to see that's so far away?"
