"Are you going down town, David?"
  "Yeah, why?" David "Dave" Brosinsky stopped in the stride, half dressed with his coat over his head.
  "Could you stop by the bank", Mary saw her son cringe but continued "and get me some money?"
  "Maaaa", he yelled and looked at his mother with sheer horror on his face. "I did it last week, why can't you or daddy do it?"
  "I wouldn't ask you if I didn't need it. Besides, you're a big boy now, so don't make such a fuss about it."
  "Liza never has to do it."
  "Liza is ten. You know perfectly well that you have to be twelve to get at smart card with cash function. C'mon be a sport."
  "Fine", David answered. "Can I have twenty dollar for MovieMax?"
  "Didn't you go to MovieMax only a couple of days ago?" Mary replied.
  "Yeah, but there is a new Frank Makani film out today. Julia's been waiting in the ticket line since ten."
  "OK honey, but you go straight home afterwards". Mary gave her son a peck on the cheek and watched him rub it of as he left through the front door.

*

  David entered his card into the slot next to the elevator and the doors opened to let him in.
  "What floor?", asked a sensual, female voice and David's mind started wandering. For some time he had entertained sexual fantasies about the woman who supplied the voice. But then again, the voice was most likely computer engineered he concluded.
  "Your", David replied never the less.
  "Your floor does not exist. Please state a floor."
  "Ah, feck. Shopping Mall South 4, entrance three", he said with a sigh and took a seat next to a girl who was having a vivid discussion over her cell phone. She didn't pay any attention to David as she in detail described last nights date to her buddy.

*

  The journey took some fifteen minutes and when David arrived at Eddie Rocket's hamburger bar Petey and Julia were already stuffing their faces with dolphin friendly tuna melts, chili fries and drinking chocolate malts. Julia was all smiles when she threw herself at him, waving the tickets triumphantly. She was al set for a night in town and her eyes darkened as David told them that he had to stop by the bank to fill his smart card.
  "I'm sick and tired of the banks, can I wait outside?"
  "Sure."
  "I'm coming with you, that's for sure", Petey said in a way that didn't encourage contradiction. "I want to try something."
  "Not one of your hair brained ideas again", David and Julia said in one voice. "Use your own card", David continued.
  "You got the money in the end", Petey responded with a laugh.

*

  The tension among the people waiting in the bank lobby was high. Just like David, a fair few of them would rather have a tooth extracted without anesthetics, or a cactus showed down their trousers. Timmy saw a sad, tired old woman getting yelled at for not having saved enough money over the years. It's pitiful he heard through the thin plastic partition wall. The woman finally got her money and it was David's turn. He knew there was no way the bank could withhold the money but his heart was pounding and his hand trembled when he sat down in front of the ATM machine. As confidently as he could he entered the 12 digit code and leaned back waiting for the inevitable.
  "How much do you want?" a slightly metallic voice said. If the elevator voice had been nice and friendly this was the voice of a drill sergeant.
  "Twelve hundred credits." "Please", he added.
  "Twelve hundred! Why stop at that, why not get it all. I'm sure there are a lot of people who would be interested in knowing that you have three hundred thousand of us in the family account." The machine raised its voice.
  "No, twelve hundred will do nicely."
  "Twelve hundred, na, na, na", the machine teased David with a girly voice. David knew from previous encounters that the best strategy was to keep quiet. So there was silence. Finally the machine caved.
  "What's it for?"
  "Twenty to me, the rest to my mother."
  "Only twenty? Is your mother a cheap skate?"
  "Fuck you"
  "Such foul language!" The machine pretended to be chocked.
  "You know you have to give me the money." David cursed himself for letting his feelings get the better of him.
  "If you tell me what you need the money for, I'll transfer it"
  "I'm going to the movies."
  "Cinema ey? What film?"
  "The man who could stop trains"
  "Oh no, that film is awful."
  "Will you pleaaase give me my money!"
  "Alright keep your shorts on. I transferred the money when you punched your code in." The machine laughed loudly as David took his card and stormed out of the building.

*

  "I don't understand why the ships council refuse to purge the mainframe. The machines are getting more and more aggressive. Do you know that our freezer refused to open this morning. Out of sympathy for the waste disposal unit it said. Can you believe it!"
  "Soon we can't take a dump without the toilet calling the union. I'm telling you, we should land this thing on the nearest planet and get back to basics. I've read about mechanical machines, and money made out of metal and paper even." The all nodded in agreement as they came up to the sweet shop in the movie theatre foyer.
  "Two large popcorns and a nacho cheese, please." David pushed his card into the reader.
  "I'm sorry Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that", the card said and giggled hysterically.
  "For crying out loud", David groaned.
  "Sorry, I've made the transaction", the smart card replied. "Just a joke."
  "Just be quiet in the theatre, OK?"
  "Sure."
  
  They found their seats just in time for the commercials. Then the lights went out and the movie begun. David reached for the popcorns.
  "You've become quite a lard ass y'know", the card said as Frank Makani shot the first bad guy.

Senast uppdaterad 01-06-16.