The year is 2324. The 18th of October.
Casey Gray was almost 200 years old, today. Well, 199 years, 11 months and 29 days to be exact and he had just arrived home from his doubles tennis match where he beat the hell out of the other team who was about 80 years younger. The truth was Casey loved tennis and with growing old and natural death now being an obsolete concepts, or rather - nuisances, which modern medicine could easily bridge, age was no longer a variable in the sports equation.
Before going in for a shower, he checked his phone for messages, with hopes that there had been any updates to the request he had received exactly one year ago from the Department of Population Oversight, but seeing none, he sighed. He was out of time, then. Picking up his racket he looked at it for quite some time. He kissed it fondly and put it back in its black bag, closing the zipper with a heavy heart.
After showering he put on his best suit, making sure it was well pressed, and his favorite tie. Walking through a couple of whiffs of perfume he left the house, leaving his master key card inside. He wouldn't need it anymore.
He overflew the city in his old BMW, glad for the strong wind that swept away some of the pollution that made the landscape hazy, as the sky was now almost completely clear. The autopilot's adjustments to the sudden gushes of wind brought some concert to the welfare of his suit, but the view stole his attention and set his mind at ease. The skyscrapers glistening in the sun. The clouds splattered in the sky. The occasional flock of birds changing direction, giving in to some invisible whim. It was a beautiful view. He would miss this town and he would miss this life.
Arriving to the hotel where the party was going to be, he landed on the designated valet area, left the car and handed they keys to the valet.
"Would you hold on to these please? Someone other than me will come to pick this up later. Treat her well...", he asked, knocking on the black hood of the vehicle a couple of times, "... we have good memories together."
He made his way to the hall where the party was going to be and everyone shouted "SURPRISE!" and clapped vehemently as he crossed the doorway. On the wall in front of him the banner read "HAPPY LAST PARTY, CASEY!" He took his time to greet everyone and then he drank and danced all night long, only realizing the night was done when the golden first light was raining down from the windows. On the early morning, still stumbling from the alcohol he went to the clinic, accompanied with his closest friends and family, where, after warm goodbyes, he was given the injection and went to sleep forever.
Across town, with two anxious beeps, the long-awaited message was received by two eager wanting-to-be-parents.
"The Department of Parenthood and Infancy would like to inform that vacancy B9293-DPO-2324 was received from Department of Population Oversight and the birth of citizen ID number 1863859943/1 is now approved."
It was the happiest day of their lives.
(Initial Image Attribution: https://pixabay.com/photos/balloons-party-colors-rubber-fly-1786430/)
Originally posted on Narrative.org: https://www.narrative.org/post/casey-s-party