Genesis

Timmy Wiggins woke up feeling different. Different because today was a big day in the Wiggins family. Today was Timmy’s 10th birthday. His dad, Timothy Wiggins II, often said this was the year he became a man. Timmy was not sure what that meant but he thought he was ready to become a man. Timmy dressed quickly in the clothes his mother had left out for him the night before. The outfit consisted of dress pants, button up shirt and fancy shiny shoes. He quickly ran downstairs to greet his parents and explore the bounty of his presents.

Timmy burst into the kitchen expecting to see a pile of boxes wrapped in fancy paper with even fancier ribbons. Instead what he saw was his mother and father sitting quietly eating breakfast.

“Well, look who decided to grace us with his presence Katrina” said Timothy with a glance over at Timmy. “Sit down young man. Your breakfast is getting cold.” Timmy was dreaming of big bowl of his favorite marshmallow and oat cereal but instead found a plate of eggs and toast. Next to them was a large white cup full of coffee.

“Um, where is my cereal?” Timmy asked. “I’ll get it” he said, jumping down to go find the box and a bowl to put his birthday treat in.

“Sit back down Timothy” Katrina said sternly. “Today is the day you become a man and men do not eat cold sugary cereal. Today you are having scrambled eggs, toast and coffee. After breakfast you and your father have important things to discuss. And you get to read the paper.”

Timmy sat quietly. He suffered through the eggs and toast, all the while thinking he would sneak some cereal later. When it came to the coffee he could not stomach it. It was black, hot, and bitter. It made his tongue feel weird and burned his throat. His father only looked on, stating “We are not continuing until you finish all of your breakfast young man.”

After twenty minutes of hemming and hawing Timmy was able to choke down enough of that bitter drink to make his father happy. In the end it tasted even worse once it got cold. Timmy had been using this time to try to spy out where they may have hidden his presents. He really was hoping for the newest gaming system and a few games to try out. His father had told him at Christmas he was not getting it because “no Senator’s son is going to waste time playing video games!” Timmy had thrown a fit and cried for hours. He sulked in his room through New Year’s and only got over it when his mother hinted that he was going to get something very special for his birthday this year. Where was it? Timmy saw nothing anywhere. He was getting nervous. His father spoke up while his mother cleaned away the dishes.

“Timmy it is time to get started. First we shall now call you Timothy. Timmy is a boy’s name and you are a man. This is a very special day for you. We have all day to discuss your future. By the end of the day we need to decide what you are going to do with your life. First though I want you to read through as much of the Times that you can understand and come to me with any questions you have.”

He slid the pile of newspaper towards Timothy. It had a funny smell. The top had the name of the paper in large letters that looked too fancy. Below that in plain block letters it read New York, Monday, February 24, 1997. Timothy looked over the front page slowly. There was a picture of some police officers next to a picture of a man in a hat crying. Below those was a picture of a man in a jacket with some sheep. Timothy read the headline With Cloning of Sheep, the Ethical Ground Shifts. “Hey dad what’s cloning?” he asked without looking up.

His father tried to explain “It’s like making a an exact copy of something. People have been trying it for a long time but that is silly. Focus on the important stories. Why don’t you tell me what is says about the human rights deal with China? That is the type of thing you should be interested in.”

“Can you make a clone of people?” Timothy asked.

“No. Now stop with that nonsense. We have important things to accomplish today.” his father scolded.

“Will we ever make copies of people? That would be da bomb!” Timothy’s mind was racing with ideas. “Like, could we make a copy of me to go to school for me?”

“Timothy, don’t use that language in this house. Nothing is da bomb. Perhaps the paper is a bad idea. Let’s move on. I am going to bring you to work today so you can see what an important person does. You want to be an important person don’t you Timothy? Your mother has packed a lunch for you. It is time to go. Oh and remember that when we get home tonight we need to discuss what you are going to do after you graduate.”

“I know already dad. I’m going to clone people. That would be fun!” Timothy ran over to the counter to grab his lunch. Katrina and Timothy II shared a glance of mutual disappointment. Timothy was oblivious to anything other than the clones he imagined running around the house taking care of his chores, drinking the coffee and doing his homework. This being a man thing might be fun after all.