Perfect

Pausing to admire the cloudless sky, the svelte young woman in the spotless white dress pulled open the squeaky-clean glass door and stepped into the department store from the street, holding the door open and smiling at the young mother with twin toddlers a-tote. The seventy-two degree environment inside the store exactly matched the outside temperature, and although it couldn’t be immediately assessed whether or not the humidity held the same degree of consistency, it was unimportant; no one in Perfect could remember ever seeing anyone sweat.

“Welcome to Smith’s, young woman, may I say you look very nice without giving you reason to speculate as to my intentions?” said the clean-shaven older man who still had all his hair and less than 2% body fat.

“Of course you can, Daddy, I owe my existence to you and live to make you proud.” Lightly rubbing one of the white silk hankies between her fingers, she looked down the immaculately cascaded rows of white and stopped at the Transaction Station manned by her father. “May I assume that you’ll be home at precisely 6:04 this evening? I wouldn’t want the duck to get rubbery.”

Both father and daughter put their fingers over their mouth in their attempt to stifle a giggle. Exactly three seconds later, all signs of amusement slid down from their eyes, collecting a turned-up mouth in the avalanche and departed through their chins in a universally practiced choreography. Bemusement offered no breach in protocol as long as it showed proper restraint and a modicum of dignity toward both parties to the mirth.

“Young lady, kindly select your linens and proceed to the Transaction Station, I wouldn’t want a dispassionate observer to question your unflagging allegiance to order.”

Glancing about, the teenager picked up four identical squares and neatly placed them atop one another. Stepping quickly back to the Transaction Station, she placed the hankies on the counter and leaned closer to the man, whispering “But Daddy you and I are alone.”

All the expression drained from Daddy’s face as he fought to keep his composure. “One of the lessons of maturity is recognition that no one is ever alone, dear child.” Placing the four now-folded squares in a neat box designed precisely for that particular handkerchief, he thrust it into her hands. “Go now. Your stay already threatens the two-minute limit. If you persist, we’ll both answer to Authority.”

Without hurrying, the girl whirled and walked toward the door. As her body crossed the door’s threshold, the first tones of an alarm started to sound before stopping as abruptly as it started.

“Don’t forget…” the man whispered to no one, “your Selection Ceremony is tonight.”