Under the Sea

The year is 2035. Global warming has caused the ocean levels to rise and blanket much of the coastal land. President Trump attempted to slow it by suing the icebergs and building a wall around the arctic but it continued unabated. Dad and Bill are sitting on their porch in their undersea home in Oregon.

Bill: "Hey Dad."

Dad: "Hey Buddy."

Bill: "What are you up to?"

Dad: "Just watching the fish go by. Wondering where they come from; where they are headed."

Bill: "It's quite the view, isn't it."

Dad: "It's very pretty. I never imagined that this would be the view I woke up to every morning. Things sure have changed."

Bill: "It's been this way for half of my life so I don't really recall much about how it was before. I see it in pictures and television but it seems so far away. Do you miss it?"

Dad: "Yes and no. There was a time when I was absolutely terrified by change. I was so afraid of it in fact that I didn't grow up and get a real job, or even drivers license, until I was 25."

Bill: "What were you afraid of?"

Dad: "I don't know. Failure maybe. I had an idea of the way life was supposed to be but didn't know if I had it in me to do it. I felt a bit like an ostrich in an aquarium. Like I wasn't equipped to be there and had no idea how to survive once I got there."

Bill: "What changed?"

Dad: "Well your aunt called me one day and said your uncle needed help in his warehouse. I was actually reluctant to do it at the time. I had spent most of my early adult life taking care of your cousins so was used to the stay at home gig just hanging out with kids. But she was pretty insistent."

Bill: "So you took the job?"

Dad: "Yeah. It started out pretty slow. It was a lot different feeling than what I was used to. Took a little while for me to take it seriously.  But I was pretty good at it and eventually went on to be a manager both there and at the company I went to work for after. Of course the biggest change for me was meeting your mom."

Bill: "Reeled her in as soon as you laid eyes on her I bet."

Dad: "Hah! I knew your mom for years before we were together. We were just friends that talked a lot."

Bill: "When did you finally know that you loved her?"

Dad: "When I realized I was a different person when she wasn't around. She made me happy. Sappy as it sounds she made me want to be a better person."

Bill: "I hope I have that one day."

Dad: "I hope you do too, buddy. And when you have it, don't let go."

Bill: "Okay Dad."

Dad: "So, yeah, things are a little different now, but they're not necessarily worse. I think it's pretty nice, actually. It was getting a little boring on land. Change is good."

Bill: "So now that you aren't afraid of change anymore, are you ready for me to teach you how to swim?"

Dad: "Oh look at the time! I need to go start dinner."

Bill: "What happened to change being good?"

Dad: "That's too much change for me. Besides, there are starfish out there. Ick."