2017

Joe put down the house keys, draped his coat over his swing chair, and immediately started connecting to the Internet.

“How are you darling?” he sent the message to his wife, a lady with jet black hair, clear round eyes and dimpled cheeks.

After waiting for a few seconds and eliciting no reply from her, he decided to poke her.

Still no reply.

He then sent her 2 bouquets of roses with the money he earned playing poker at the casino last night.

Still no reply.

He threw a goldfish at her.

Still no reply.

Bored, he shifted his attention to the child which they had adopted, an eight year old golden haired angel named Quinella.

“How your day at school?” he typed.

“Good” was the reply.

Quinella then showed him a word document containing her homework for the day which she doesn’t know how to do.

For the next half an hour, he and she go through the Internet, searching for info on the names of various capital cities in the world. He is only interrupted by the ring of his doorbell, which is the pizza guy delivering his dinner.

After sending Quinella happily off to bed with her homework done (after also sending her some good night kisses), Joe looked around for Wayne, his golfing buddy.

They then teed off at the golf club, and after an engrossing 2 hours, Joe managed to beat Wayne by a single stroke.

Happy, he said goodbye and tried to poke his wife again.

“Yes I’m here darling. How’s everything there in Brazil? Thanks for the roses. And the goldfish. And the pokes.”

“Where were you? Quinella sent her regards.”

“Sorry dear, was playing bridge with Anna and the gang. I won $2000 off them!”

They chatted to and fro for 2 hours, where during that time, Joe had also surfed the news portal for the latest soccer scores and sent birthday cakes to his pals whose birthday boxes popped up on his screen.

He had also added his newly photoshopped self portrait online.

When the clock chimed 1 o’clock, Joe’s eyes can hardly open anymore. He said goodbye to his wife and sent her a hug.

“See you tomorrow at six in the evening!” she said.

Joe turned off his computer, brushed his teeth, took off his work clothes and dragged his tired body onto his bed. He can’t be bothered taking a bath.

Some 30 thousand miles away, a heavily winkled hand also turned off her computer after admiring the 2 bouquets of roses for one last time.

-The end-

Will we be Joe in 10 years' time?