Curing Death (3)

“Edit the Sad Parts”
“She’d been dealing with the same questions every day. In the privacy of their bedroom, when there was no work to be done, or money to stress over, he was a true gentleman. His smile meant everything to her, and when he would tell her the truths he’d seen, he would cry. No one else had seen him cry, it was for her eyes only. This, of course, was the dilemma, as it is in so many American homes these days. Garrett would return from a long day of work, and he would be a different man. Frustrating… fearful… now things are much better.
Now he kisses her sweetly, and she feels no fear for his return from work tomorrow. In their bedroom, when the kids are asleep, he whispers the same truths, telling her of his time in Taiwan, the old story about the Filipino hooker and her favorite breakfast. Balut; the unborn embryo of a chicken… she tells him it makes good for the love making before popping the thing in her mouth. He, listens to the bones crunch, the sick sound, and tries to think of potato chips… it’s all he can do to keep himself from vomiting. The punch line is that he stays the night after all, and Margaret laughs, sighing the words, “ah, to be young and overzealously, disgustingly horny again.”
This time, Garrett looks down at the covers, then back up; he smiles at her. There is no anger in his voice; no “You don’t understand, you bitch. I spent years away from society. What the fuck do you know?” came from his lips, and she knows that the operation was right. She thinks of little Gary, and how he won’t have any more bruises popping up on his body, Greta won’t be crying because Daddy says she’s an idiot anymore. Now Garrett sits at the couch, and watches the television with the children, and he’s happy to get an apple juice for Gary. His football game isn’t being interrupted anymore, or at least it isn’t as important as his loving children and wife.
Although his tragic death was unfortunate, all that Margaret can say is that she’s glad she had Life-Tech installed in her house, and in her family’s clothes. With the newly developed Human Editing Technology, they can laugh about old Navy stories, and Admiral Garrett Oliver Denison hasn’t raised a hand to his wife in over a year.
With Life-Tech’s newest development, we’re capable erasing the worst parts of a human being, for the betterment of the customers, and we can offer it for only another $10,000; a small sum in comparison to the operation in the whole. Although Garrett’s model is only a prototype for the new specimens, he has so far proven a complete success. Margaret claims that there haven’t been any beatings, verbal abuse, or reason to suspect him going back to his mistress. One may suspect this to be dishonest, but it’s only an extra option; you don’t have to buy into it. However, Admiral Denison is truly showing his colors of the war days again. One can once again speak to him, and get a true feeling of Patriotism, we’ve revamped the broken image of an old war hero.”

“Johnson, are you absolutely certain that there won’t be any negative side effects?”

“Well sir, the Denison model has had certain memories and pieces of his past removed, and he’s been installed with an extra obedience chip; the new model absolutely shouldn’t begin to mimic its predecessor, but just in case, Margaret can turn him off and take him in for repairs. It’s perfectly safe, though, sir.”

“Well, do you think this is marketable, Johnson?”
“Sir, in today’s market; it’s a sure sell!”