STRANGERS

I continued to fidget in my seat, the apprehension was evident in my body language.

The shuffling of seats, the nervous coughs and the tension that was heavy in the air... We could all feel it and it was very unsettling.

I thought about it, like really thought about my being here. This was probably the only chance I had left, the only chance I had to find my one true love, my soul mate. Failure to which, I would be condemned to a life of solitude, I would continue to be a worker for my sector, continue to toil until the day I breathed my last. I would not have the chance to find my other half, the one who was meant for me, I would never get the chance to cradle a baby in my arms, I would be a lonely soul on the earth.

This is not what I wanted, I wanted to shift careers in society, I wanted to be credited the privileged role 'Mother'. I would get to have a baby, and the wonderful opportunity to nurture and care for it until it was able to join the ranks of society. This was the world I lived in, the year was 2200, and society had conformed into ways people could not possibly imagine. Almost everything was dictated upon us, we were merged into one integrated civilization, it was very important that society remained this way ; there was order and control. People could not engage in violent behavior, we were able to coexist peacefully together. It was perfect.

Well, that's what they told us, that is what they wanted us to believe, but I wished I could have more choice. I wished I could pick what I wanted to do with my life, I wished I could travel to the edge of the earth, I wished I could be given the opportunity to live the live I had craved for, I wished I could be a mother, and get a chance at love. It was not as easy as it looked though, I was assigned the role maiden, and work for our king and queen, it wasn't what I had wanted, but it did have its privileges. The queen loved me with all her heart, she told me over and over again how she wished that I could have been her real daughter, because then not only would I have the calling to be a mother, but someday I would get to rule our utopia, Neo Kosmo, side by side with my king.

Perhaps it was my overactive imagination, perhaps I was just born differently, but I couldn't help but turn green with envy, I really did wish I was the queens daughter, but life obviously knew how to play its dirty tricks on us.  Nonetheless, I had won favour with the queen, and she allowed me to go to the Soulmate Gatherings, these were special occasions we would hold every 5 years, where selected  people from all five corners of Neo Kosmo could come together and try to see if they were compatible. We were all strangers to each other, and  be allowed to converse for 10 minutes, and then move on to a new partner. At the end of the gathering, we would be allowed to team up with whoever who we thought was best suited to be our soulmate, or just go home if we didn't feel connected enough. Then a small gizmo would check the compatibility of the two supposed soulmates, and if it gave a 80-99% compatibility result, we would be allowed to live our lives with our other half. The word was no one had ever been able to achieve 100% compatibility

It wasn't as easy as it sounded, I had come to these gatherings five times, and never had I been able to find someone who was suited enough for me. Yet I saw successful people, some of my very own friends, who would find their soulmates within the first try. I was desperate, loosing hope, this was the last chance I would ever have, it wasn't like the biological clock was ticking in my favour, I was growing too old to be allowed to come back. I faced this reality with a lot of gloom, this would be the last chance I had to ever see the fulfilment of my dreams.

'Sandra?' 'Is Sandra Blume here?'

That was me.. I shot up from my seat... and walked towards a short, stern-looking lady.

'Hey Sandra, how are you doing this morning?'

'Pretty scared to be honest,, I don't know if things will work out.'