The door slid shut on the tiny apartment. A big enough place for a single man.

Kelvine whistled. If all went as planned, he’d be moving soon. To a place of his own choosing. A larger place, with the wife who had chosen him. Nadine Trilleon. A wonderful woman worthy of the best any man could offer.

He dropped his jacket carefully on the couch. A bachelor for four years, the auditor would expect some mess. It seemed wrong. That dropped jacket nagged at him as he boiled two eggs.

His phone buzzed.

It was Stanlan. His childhood friend, whom he had been trying to distance himself from for the last four years. Especially since the last several audits had found serious problems in Stanlan’s finances.

It rang again.

If he didn’t answer, Stanlan might show up. Not good with the auditor due any moment.

“Hi Stanlan. What do you need today?” Not a nice choice of words. Although, it did seem he demanded more than he shared.

“I need money. Can you come by my workplace and pick me up tonight? I didn’t have gas money to even get here.”

Kelvine closed his eyes. Yes, he had the money. He wasn’t sharing. If Nadine had asked, he would share with her. She, however, was much like Kelvine, and already had plenty of money saved for everything they might need.

“I’ve none to spare today.”

“Can you stop by and pick me up anyway?”

“Ask me later.” Kelvine hung up. Hopefully Stanlan would be able to convince someone else to take him home.

He rinsed the dishes and set them in the drainer.

Kelvine picked up the packet of carefully lined and documented receipts. Every penny he had earned and spent in the last six months was accounted for. As would be expected by the auditor.

His hands shook as he sat the packet on the table. If the auditor was happy, this would be his last audit. The rest of his life would be unaudited. No one would care how much he made. Or how he spent it. Or, if he had money for retirement. For now, though, he was still under the scrutiny of the new adult monitors.

The doorbell rang.

He walked to the door.

Kelvine opened the door. “Hello Ms. Binsey. So good to see you again.” He waved her through.

“You are ready to be totally on your own I guess?” She walked right in and examined the living area.

“Yes. I plan to marry soon. And move to a family apartment.”

Ms. Binsey rubbed her hand across a bookshelf and checked for dust. Her glove came back clear. Not even a stray hair. “Your soon to be wife has as good of an audit as you, I hope?”

“Yes. She had her last audit yesterday.”

Ms. Binsey smiled. She light heartedly shook her finger at the dropped coat. Then, she walked into the bedroom and checked it. “No mess. Bedding at 99%.”

As if anyone ever received 100% on the bedding being tucked in tightly.

“I see you have a nice box here.”

“Yes. Collecting sheets, blankets, and curtains for the new apartment.”

Ms. Binsey passed him and entered the bathroom. She checked under the sink, the tub, and the toilet rim. “Very clean. Are you sure your future wife didn’t come clean it for you?”

Kelvine held his hands up in front of his face. “No. That would be cheating. I have to pass on my own.”

She laughed. “I’ve known a few who asked their future wives to clean for their last inspection.”

“I can’t lie.”

She lifted an eyebrow and stared at him. “I think you can.”

He gulped. No. No intentional lies. His parents had given him an early wedding gift. He had forgotten to write it in the ledger.

She walked into the kitchen and opened the ledger.

Kelvine sat down. He had to wait while she examined his last six months of new adulthood. If he passed today, he would be a legal adult. If not, he’d try again in six months.

Actually, it would almost be easier to try again. Safer. A safety net he needed. New adulthood was a time when food, clothing, retirement fund, transportation, and healthcare were entirely provided for. Even his rent had been paid, as long as he participated in work, social activities, and showed good money management skills.

All that would cease as of tonight.

If he passed.

He longed to do something. Anything that would prevent it. Another six months of all expenses paid would save even more for his later years.

Kelvine clenched his fist. Except, Nadine, and his parents, would be angry if he threw everything away. She might even decide not to marry him, and break off their engagement.

“What is this note beside Stanlan’s name?”

Kelvine glanced at it. “Don’t expect it back.”

Ms. Binsey pushed the ledger to the center of the table. She put her hands together and turned her full attention to him. “Are you telling me you have a friend you can’t trust?”

“He has been my friend all my life.”

“You do know, human nature says he’ll borrow more from you once you pass.”

“No. I said no to him today. And every time for the last month. I won’t help him anymore.”

“Okay. How much does he owe you?”

The room spun. How much? “Over the last six months?”

“Sure.”

He pulled the ledger to him and quickly added Stanlan’s borrows. “He owes me $225.00.”

“And over your lifetime?”

Kelvine turned away. “I haven’t kept track.”

“You do understand the importance of his learning to succeed on his own?”

So close. Kelvine could lose everything. He nodded before dropping his head on the table.

“Look at me.”

He lifted his head.

His phone rang.

Stanlan again.

“Answer it.”

“Hi Stanlan.” His hands shook almost as much as his voice.

“You have to pick me up today. I’ll lose my apartment if I don’t pay the rent. They called and said I hadn’t paid in four months. I thought my parents covered it. They have all four years. They promised they would.”

Kelvine gulped. Not something Ms. Binsey should hear. Stanlan should have been in the new adult program, and had no major expenses, other than food. His serious audit failures had caused strict reimbursement instead. “I can’t. I’m busy today. You do have the money, don’t you?”

“Goodness, no. That’s why my parents promised to pay it. There simply isn’t enough money each month for rent, parties, and flying out to visit my girlfriends.”

“I don’t have a penny to spare.”

“Sure, you do. How much do you spend on your girlfriends each week?”

That was easy. “I only have one girlfriend. We typically spend about ten dollars a week on entertainment. This week, we intend to spend double that. Tickets are already bought.”

“Guess you don’t have anything either then. I’ll have to try to reach my parents again. Maybe they can send the rent and a few hundred more so I can go visit my girlfriends. Oh, and pay someone to work my shift. I don’t know where they are. They haven’t answered the phone since my failed audit three days ago.” Stanlan hung up.

“You shouldn’t have heard that. I am sorry.” Kelvine sat the phone down.

Ms. Binsey reached across the table and touched his phone. “Is this common?”

“Yes. We have plans to move to another city. And change my phone number so he can’t find us.”

“Do you really only spend ten dollars a week on entertainment?”

“Of course. We keep it simple so we can save. We go to lots of places that provide free entertainment. Walks are always nice.”

Ms. Binsey closed her eyes. “Stanlan doesn’t wear off on you at all?”

“Oh no. Absolutely not. He will be homeless and jobless because he didn’t keep up with his accounts. He kept failing his audits.”

“Promise me something.”

“I’ll have to ask what it is first.”

“Don’t forget to live while saving for the future.”

“What?”

“Don’t forget to have a little fun. Spend a little on yourself. Stanlan is one extreme. You are the opposite extreme. In fact, I should fail you.”

“Please don’t. It would disappoint my parents. My wife to be.”

“Your wife to be has had the same discussion with her auditor.”

“Auditor discussions are never discussed with others.”

Ms. Binsey smiled. “Oh, you think they aren’t. They are. You both need a lesson. I’m putting you both on probation for three months. I expect to see you both spend ten dollars a week on yourselves, and ten dollars per person, on each outing before I will grant you full adult status.”

“You mean, I don’t pass?”

“You took the book too literal. You need to find a middle ground. Relax. Enjoy life a bit.” She stood up and walked to the front door.

Kelvine followed.

She turned back to him. “And don’t try to cover up life by a jacket so carefully placed on the couch I know it is not where you want it, or normally leave it. Your future healthcare providers will thank me.” She opened the door and walked out of the apartment.

He closed the door.

He walked to the couch and sank into the deep cushions. Three months. Time to adjust and relax. What would he do first?

He pulled on his jacket. Spend ten dollars on himself? On something he didn’t need? That had never been done. Not without a really good cause.

Outside on the side walk Nadine waited on a bench. The fear in her eyes mirrored his own feelings.

Ten dollars. Could they count it if they spent it on each other? Probably not. He sighed and touched her hand.

She joined him to walk down the sidewalk.

The zoo was nearby. It was free for all to visit. Perhaps the shops would have been a better choice. No. They could always try tomorrow. Talk about it and decide what to buy. Or, what to save for.

The afternoon, and their future, awaited.

About the Author:

Gail Brown writes paired science fiction internal journey stories and novels full of hopes and dreams. She found science fiction brings hope and light through worlds of colorful dreams. It mirrors daily life as it could be. Perhaps should be, in some ways. Worlds where disability is accepted, and people live their lives without overwork and fear.

Fair Beginning is a reprint of a story previously published in Concurrent Earths (2021) Originally published in Mirror Worlds (2019 as April D, Brown).

Some of Gail’s works include Galataria’s Echoes and Concurrent Earths. Concurrent Earths is a collection of science fiction and speculative fiction short stories and poetry.