Stardate: 2120

Location: U.S. Pluto outpost

“Charon, take this pill to your brother. He’ll feel better.”

“What’s it for, Dad?”

“He has a tiaravirus detected through the 100-vital-sign sensors surveilling all of us living at this outpost. A virus was detected in the blood, analyzed, and his body-conferred-immunity formed antibodies we duplicated by stem cells. All accomplished by technomedronics in 5 minutes producing an antiviral pill.”

“Dad, didn’t they have an outbreak 100 years ago killing many on Earth?”

“It was called coronavirus. Some even started drinking too much, yet strangely, a similarly named beer company went out of business. People were very fickle then.”

“What does fickle mean, Dad?”

“You’re already 6 years old and just finished calculus. Look it up. The president at that time was slow to react, but he was still reelected. Fickle.”

“What’s more, Charon, your grandmother celebrated the 100-year anniversary of the women’s right to vote then. Too bad a woman still hasn’t yet been elected president.”

“That’s fickle too, right, Dad?”

“At least your grandmother is a Starfleet commander. Not bad for 125 years old! Bone spurs put me on this outpost. Now, that’s fickle.”

Gene Uzawa Dorio, M.D., is a geriatric house-call physician who serves as president of the Los Angeles County Commission for Older Adults and Assemblyman to the California Senior Legislature. He has practiced in the Santa Clarita Valley for 32 years.