Information: The government has set up a matching system. Andy is finally ready to meet his match.
Andy's POV:
It was finally here. The day I had been preparing for for as long as I could remember.
There was a significant moment I remember clearly, the moment I became aware. I think I was 6 or 7, and I remember myself just colouring on the little table in the corner of the living room. My mum was in the kitchen, a few feet away from me, when someone rang our doorbell. I continued colouring my turtle (which, for some reason, is something my memory has held onto for all these years, don't ask me why) when my mother put down her recipe-book, and walked over to the door.
When she opened the door, I saw her worried face, and the voice I recognised to be my aunt's. She was in a state that I had never seen her in before. My mother sat her down on our kitchen table, but quickly noticed me, and her face changed in a matter of seconds.
'Andy, why don't you go upstairs love, I'll call you down when dinners ready.'
It was muffled, but I clearly heard the loud yelling and angry shouts coming from downstairs. I covered my ears, just trying to avoid the loud noise coming my way, as I crawled under my sheets.
It is like I unconsciously knew that that day was a day I had to remember. I always wondered what had happened, and as time went on, my mom always held on to the fact that my aunt had made a mistake, and that she would tell me about it when I was ready.
That day was Februari 19th, 3 days after my 8th birthday. I was becoming conscious of the system, and she knew. It was time for me to know.
'Andy, love, I think it is time I tell you about aunt Sylvie. What she has done that makes that we can't see her anymore.'
I held my breath, afraid that one sudden move would make her decide that I wasn't ready yet.
'Aunt Sylvie has made a mistake regarding her husband. Due to her improper preparation, she has failed to be in any way compatible with her husband.'
I usually admired my mother's selective word choice, always sounding incredibly intelligent, but for once, It would've been nice to understand the words she said. I didn't tell her this, of course, I wouldn't want to come across as stupid.
She paused for a brief moment. 'How much do you know about the system, love?' She asked.
I had heard some things, and memorised terms like 'neighbourhood matching' and 'personality compatibility' from when I heard parents talking at school.
'I know barely anything mum, but I want to know. Will you tell me now?' I said, downplaying the absolute desperation I felt to know.
In the hour that followed, she told me all about the system. How there was a nuclear power plant combustion in 2026, that diminished the earth's population to 29,7%. The government desperately needed to repopulate the earth, and came up with a system. Based on surroundings and personality compatibility, as well as family relations and age, every person on earth is matched with another.
Legitimate children produced by the matched couples would make the government cover the costs of a luxury life, as a thank you for contributing to the continuation of the human race.
People are absolutely expected to stay together with their legitimate partner, according to laws as well as social norms. It is just the easiest way to ensure a pure family bloodline, without making family trees more difficult than they need to be. Also making it easier for future generations to match with others, as there is a lower chance of correlation in family history. This way, the newborns also have a higher chance of being completely healthy.
