My life was over.
--
"There are now nearly one hundred million abled-bodied adults who are unemployed..." The remote felt cold, hopeless in my hand as I muted yet another report of how dire the current situation was.

"Magnolia, come over here."

My daughter sauntered over with a raised eyebrow, and placed herself between me and the television. "What, Dad?"

The stale air of our apartment filled my lungs, and the long sigh did little to calm the fluttering inside my stomach. It was time. "Magnolia, you are six years old now and...and, well you're old enough to understand that something...is...wait. Hang on, Goose."

As my eyes were doing everything they could to avoid eye contact with my child they found the headline plastered on the TV screen. The sound of a strange woman flooded my ears, "There are jobs to be had. Jobs that require skills. Skills that can be learned. At Quantrell Industries we believe everyone can have a purpose in this world, and more than that we believe everyone can be happy. We would like to introduce to the you — Ensemble."

"Magnolia, go get your mother." My eyes haven't left the screen, and my daughter hasn't moved. "Magnolia! Quickly now. Go get your mother."

As the woman continues, I try to makes sense of the flickering images on the screen. An implant? No, a tattoo? Is it a band?

My meandering thoughts are interrupted by the soft skin of my wife's hand on my neck. "Listen, Mae. This woman said they have a device that you can wear or insert or...I'm not sure how it works, but it will match you to or even create a job for you. Isn't that fantastic!"

A smile grows on my face, and as the fluttering stops I find my child's gaze. "The future is bright my little goose. The future is bright."
- -
The light was low in the waiting room, and the sweet smell melted months of stress from my shoulders. I felt like Fred Astaire floating across the floor.

"Would you like something to drink?" The woman paused her activity to wait for my response.

"Uh...no, no. I'm fine." I leaned over the desk. "Say, what exactly is the Ensemble?"

"Well, Mr. Emerson, you'll be the first one to find out. Follow me."

I followed the lady down a hallway to a large, but unassuming door. The lady knocked as she opened the door and led me into what felt like a living room. A woman sat at a large desk with her face slightly hidden by her computer screen.

"Thank you, Willie. Welcome, Ernest." My attention was caught by the closing door of Willie's departure.

I turned back to see the mysterious woman standing in front of me. "Oh! Hi. I am honor- wait. Didn't I just see you on TV yesterday? You're..."

"Marjorie Quantrell. You can call me Marge. I am handling all of our initial clients. To ease your mind let me show you a short video, and then you can decide if Ensemble is right for you."

The video stopped. "So, it's like the car monitor that the company...Liberal...Innovative...Progressive! The thing Progressive uses? Only for humans?"

"Something like that. There are three pieces to the technology that you will use for thirty days. The first of the three pieces is eye glasses, non-prescription. These will record your experiences. The next is a wristband, which will record your biology. The last piece is a pill. This will record your nutrition intake."

"Ok...and that leads to a job, a 'wonderful sense of purpose' I believe were your words?"

"Exactly. I haven't told you the best part yet."

"Oh the robot pill crawling around inside me isn't the best part?"

My face turned warm as she smiled almost lovingly towards me. "You're funny, Ernest. That's good for your potential. The best part is that we will pay your bills for the next thirty days and deposit five times your highest annual salary into your bank account. No taxes."

My eyelids fell slowly over my pupils, rested for just a moment and then popped open. "And all I have to do is wear some accessories and swallow a pill?"

"Exactly."

"Then what? What do I do for the next thirty days?"

"That, Mr. Emerson, is entirely up to you."
--
My car felt more powerful as I sat with my new glassed face staring back at me in the windshield. My body raged with energy while my mind reeled with possibility.

Freedom. Hope.

"Hey, Siri, call Mae." My breath was short and my nerves long. Each ring stirred the butterflies floating inside of me.

"Hello?"

"Hi, honey. It's me."

"What did they say? What is it? Did you get it?"

"I'll tell you the details later, but tell me. What have we always wanted to do but couldn't afford?"

"Ernest, what are you talking about?"

"Come on. What has been our dream?"

"To travel Europe, eat fine food, go to the beaches..."

"Exactly! Start packing our bags because we leave tomorrow. And we can stay at the JW in Venice and the Opera Ambassador in Paris!"

"How is this possible?"

"I'll tell you later. Just start packing and tell the kids."
--
We did go to Europe and it was just as fantastic as I dreamed. Based on how I chose to spend my time, the foods that I ate, the places I visited combined with how my body reacted; Quantrell Industries was able to determine what made me the happiest. They knew me better than I knew me.

They knew my purpose.

With six months of training I was guaranteed to be a Health Scientist for the United States government — in France!

The country was desperate, tired, demoralized, and alone. We had given up hope and were just waiting, begging for someone to do something. With the power of artificial intelligence Marjorie Quantrell did do something.

She saved my life.

A/N
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