"One Big, Fat, Juicy Apple"

 

"There you go," Araceli said, setting the plate in front of her daughter, "one big, fat, juicy apple."

The apple had actually been cut into slivers better suited for Nailah's little pink petal fingers, but she didn't seem to mind. Nailah giggled and smiled, and Araceli turned to rinse an apple for herself under the kitchen faucet. When she glanced back, however, she discovered that Nailah's delight had little to do with the snack she'd been given.

"Nailah!" Araceli said. "What are you doing with Mommy's phone?"

Instead of placing the phone in Araceli's open hand, Nailah grinned and pressed a button. Suddenly Araceli's phone was transmitting a deep line of dance beats and bass notes, and Araceli's voice, heavily autotuned, was singing a club-ready ode to a big, fat, juicy juicy apple apple apple.

"Oh, lordy," said Araceli. "Honey, what did you do? How did you do that?" Juicy juicy juicy, sang the phone, and Nailah laughed. Araceli narrowed her eyes. "What exactly does it mean to you when you hear that?" she asked.

The music continued. Nailah shrugged and looked around the room, as if the answer were hiding somewhere nearby. "I don't know," she finally said, with a simple, timid smile. "That you have a juicy apple?"

Araceli took the phone from Nailah's hands. "Exactly," she said, marveling at both the depths and limits of her daughter's knowledge. "Now what do you know about uploading and selling music files?" she asked as Nailah reached for an apple slice with both hands' chubby fingers. "I think we just figured out your college tuition."

"Automated Teller Machine"

"Your bra strap is showing."

The woman glanced over her shoulder, around the empty lobby, where the voice she had heard echoed like that of someone speaking into a tin can telephone.

"Sorry to have to bring that to your attention, but somebody had to tell you. I can accept your debit card if you're ready."

The woman narrowed her eyes and slid her card into the ATM, pulling her fingers all the way back to her chest once it was accepted. She pressed a few buttons on the keypad while continuing to watch the screen.

"Are you sure that you want to withdraw that amount right now?" came the voice. "You can start a savings account with just a fraction of that money, and our interest rates are highly competitive. The first month's interest alone would be enough to buy you some fancier undergarments."

The woman pressed a few more buttons, snatched her card, and backed out the lobby door.

"Modern Conveniences"

 

"Do you remember, I think it was one of those old 'Tom and Jerry' cartoons, where they showed the 'House of the Future?'" he asked as they strolled through the aisles of appliances. "You remember how the washing machine had a t.v. screen on the door?"

"Yeah," she said. "It's kinda funny to think about the things people thought we'd have," she added, closing the web browser on her phone and opening the camera app to take a picture of a dryer she liked.