[ WP ] At age 18 you are required to go to city hall and have someone read you through a choose your own adventure style book of your life while you make the choices . The choices are permanent and will determine your life . You are the clerk reading the books .

“ Three attempts this week Molly. I don ’ t think they're honest-to-god attempts, except the girl in 43b. ” 
 
 “ Regardless, I want them all on suicide precautions, I ’ m due to change someone ’ s life this week and I ’ m not going to miss that opportunity! ” the nurse replied. 
 The first nurse was simple, she would never understand her future. She grew up in the time when your Appointment took a single day, limited possibilities and definite futures. Anymore the Appointment was both heart wrenching and useless. People had found ways to cheat others destiny, or so it was rumored. The second nurse however, she was one who got it. 
 
 “ Another one coming in, she ’ ll be our 4th attempt…and I think she was here last week! ” the first nurse replied anxiously. 
 
 The ER at Cleveland Metro was always full of suicide attempts, almost every major city was. This is where Gabe was stationed. A young man would be incoming with respiratory distress and a blood alcohol content of 0.2. The boy was what society called a life-dodger, someone who tries to commit suicide rather than face the Appointment at age 18. Gabe was here to retrieve him and delineate his future. Some even had to be restrained to the bed, if they were still non-compliant then a simple coin would be used to choose their path. 
 
 “ Incoming! 17 year old male, respiratory distress, found locked in his father ’ s pick-up truck with the doors and windows sealed shut. Half a bottle of Jack was left in the seat next to him, not sure how much was his drinking. Father says he is due for his Appointment, we need to get him…… ”. 
 
 Her voice faded down the hall and Gabe stood. He approached the front desk and placed his badge in front of the receptionist. One glance was all it took and he was immediately granted an all-access pass to the patient ’ s room. He sat back down, it usually took them a few hours to stabilize him in the ICU then he would be moved to a step-down unit. The nurses knew the drill, the boy would already have his restraints in place when he awoke. All Gabe had to do now was wait. 
 
 A few hours went by and the boy stirred from his sleep. He was in awe at the light of heaven ’ s gates, at least for the few moments to realize that it was just the window. He began to sit up and was held in place. He jerked at his right hand to no avail. The realization slowly hit him, as did the tears that spilled down his face. He knew what came next, he knew it would happen if his suicide failed, and he was no more ready to address it now than he was before. That is when the voice spoke. The voice that would haunt him for the rest of his life. 
 
 “ Morning son, you done running? ” Gabe said with a smile. “ Am I going to need to break out the good old fashion quarter? I really hate doing that, hurts the thumb after a while. ” 
 
 “ Lets just get it over with. ” He replied solemnly. “ Give me the general questions first. ” 
 
 Gabe was honestly glad the boy was compliant. The quarter really did hurt his finger after so many flicks. Out of his briefcase came a black tablet with a large “ A ” laser-inscribed on the back. It symbolized the boys Appointment, the start to his new life, and it gave Gabe the authority to keep the boy restrained and punished until his Appointment was complete. It started up with an audible beep and Gabe pricked the young man ’ s finger with a sterile needle. The blood went into a test strip and then was inserted into the tablet. His name, social security number, and other relevant information appeared on the screen along with one other box, “ Begin Appointment ”. 
 
 The general questions were randomized but up to three were able to be viewed, and if desired, changed. This could lead to undue stress if you hadn ’ t planned for stressful times. Many people went through serious psychological trauma because they decided not to uncheck the box that said “ I will never party with friends. ” because they decided not to check their general questions. These questions had no date but would be completed before the end of your life. This was the one section that gave you a chance to decide WHEN something happens. 
 
 “ OK, what would you like to change? ” Gabe asked intrigued. 
 
 “ Suicide, do I ever attempt after this? ” 
 
 “ As of now, no. ” 
 
 “ Change it to yes for me. ” The boy smiled as he said it. 
 
 “ You understand that you can ’ t get past your life by ending it right? Everything in the next section will have to be completed unless your decisions lead to suicide. ” Gabe replied without an expression. 
 
 “ I know. Suicide is a yes. Next, how is my drug section? ” 
 
 It took Gabe a moment to flip to the correct screen. 
 
 “ Alchohol yes, THC yes, LSD yes, ” that could be fun Gabe thought, “ PCP yes, cocaine yes, prescriptions yes, the remainders are no. ” 
 
 “ OK, that ’ s fine. I get one more right? ” 
 
 “ Yes you do, what will it be? ” 
 
 “ Rape, can you turn on rape? ” 
 
 Gabe knew where this was going. The boy expected to have a drug induced sex fest with some poor girl followed by a suicide in jail. He had seen quite a few people go this path and it never worked the way they thought. They never asked if the rape box meant that they themselves could be raped. 
 
 “ Rape is on, and that is your last changeable general question. Now on to your own personal story. ” 
 
 The boy laid back and smiled, happy that he was able to “ choose ” how he would die, as if it was his choice in any way. 
 
 “ First off, two week from tomorrow as it turns out, are you going to go to that strip club that your dad wants to take you to? ” Gabe laughed as he said it. The rules permitted him, the clerk, full explanations of each decision, though he was tasked to never reveal more than one sentence about it, and only if pressed. 
 
 “ Strip club? Um, yeah, sure. ” The boy replied, ‘ an easy one to start with, ’ the boy thought. 
 
 Short sightedness. Just like the first nurse this boy didn ’ t take the time to think out his decisions. A fake I.D. had found its way into the boys pocket when he was 16 and he had been going to “ The Purple Waffle – Gentleman ’ s Club ” for almost two years now, he was practically an employee. Gabe noted that the father would not be too happy when the dancers called him by name and offered him his “ regular ”. 
 
 One little known fact was that the tablets showed a small tree of where each choice would lead. The different walks of life that a man could take. Some diverged, some converged, and no one knew why. This choice was one that sharply disconnected him from his father. Gabe saw no reason to share this with the boy so he tapped the chosen reply and then swiped to the next tree. 
 
 “ That job that ‘ John ’ offered you, will you end up taking it? ” 
 
 “ The one chopping down trees? ” the young man replied, “ ya of course, the pay is phenomenal ”. 
 
 Gabe chuckled again, the pay was $ 10/hr under the table and he saw that the business would go under in a few years after the IRS discovered he had almost 30 workers under the table doing various odd jobs around the state. Hardly a phenomenal choice. 
 
 This process took the entire rest of the morning and continued well into the afternoon. Some choices Gabe laughed at, others he was forced to remain neutral while he dreaded the boy ’ s choices. The kid in front of him never once questioned his actions, Gabe gave no explanations. They had made it into his early 40 ’ s when the boy made a decision involving an affair and the tablet flashed “ Life complete ”. Gabe knew what this meant, somehow the teenager would meet his death soon after that decision. He packed up his things and said his goodbye before the young man realized why the interview was not lasting the usual two days and cut off before his 50s. 
 
 As he walked through his front door he couldn ’ t help but wonder about the young man ’ s choices. Some were obvious, others were silly. He remembered how carefully he had prepared for his life. He made sure to get into a city position so he could transfer to this job. He had cheated the system like everyone else and wasn ’ t afraid to take a bribe to help a person out. He knew exactly how much he could tell before he was breaking the law, and he stretched it to the limit. People didn ’ t realize it all ended the same. Whether living a moral life or an immoral life, we all died. The only thing that mattered to Gabe was that he lived comfortably. So when the young man had chosen to sell his mother ’ s house after she died, Gabe had made sure to note the boy ’ s address. The tablet had showed him that it would appreciate 150 % when a corporation needed to demolish it for the land. Gabe would be purchasing it in twelve years at a steal, and selling to the big man. He smiled one last time as he laid back in his king sized bed and smiled as he fell into sleep, dreaming of his next profitable Appointment. 

