I've had a good life, I thought as I leaned on my cane in my gown. I looked over the world from my hospital window, content with the view and my own reminiscing. It was quiet outside; I could see birds building nests, hear nurses laughing in the hallway, and there was a lovely breeze keeping my wrinkled butt cool. But that doesn't mean I'm done yet!
"Mom?"
"Mom! Is everything okay?! We rushed over here as fast as we could!"
I slowly turned around, a smile on my face. My son and daughter, Yuki and Mira, looked like they had been running, poor things. Yuki's hands hovered over my shoulders while he inspected me as though I were a piece of china he'd dropped yet miraculously had not shattered. Mira kept back, but her tough exterior was melting away, forming pools of worry in her eyes.
"I'm here!" My other son, Haru, slid through the door, ending his run by his siblings.
"I'm glad you're all here. I need to tell you something; about a decision I've made." They're not going to like it….
"Oh god, you're dying aren't you?!" Haru smacked his head back with both palms.
Mira sniffed, rallying herself, and rolled her eyes, "Stop being so dramatic…"
Yuki stepped forward and put a hand on Haru's shoulder, "No, she isn't dying, right mom?"
Yuki's face was so sullen. He looks the same as when he was a boy, but of course he was a full grown man with kids of his own. He'd always been the responsible one; my first born, now a wonderful husband and father. "No, I'm not dying."
The kids looked instantly relieved but, as always, Mira was too smart to fall for it completely. That was her - quick as a whip, straight to the point, and cunning to boot - everything she needed to fulfill her ambitious goals.
"What is it, mom? Just tell us, please." Mira stepped forward and took one of my hands. She was flanked by her brothers and all of them looked perfectly arranged.
You'd be so proud, Makoto! My late husband had left this world many years earlier, but when I looked at our children, I saw a bit of him still living in each of them. For any one of them, I would do anything. Now, time to break their hearts!
"I called you all here to let you know," I closed my eyes and gripped my cane tighter...I had to do it; I had to tell them now! "I plan on becoming a school girl!" I locked eyes with all of them, sending them my intensity.
"What?!" All three of them yelled.
"Mom, you can't do this!" Mira started to come closer, but Yuki pulled her away to step closer himself.
"Are you serious?" He asked me, even-toned.
"What the hell are you talking about? School girl?" Haru was waving his arms around like a blow-up fool.
"Body Print," Yuki pushed his glasses up and crossed his arms. "They're a new company that offers a new body to anyone with enough money. It's not cheap, but I'm sure either mom's or dad's pension should cover it."
"But it's utter nonsense." Mira glared at me, "Why are you just now telling us?"
"Because I knew you would react this way." I crossed my own arms at them all, pouting.
"You can't do this; it's crazy." Yuki tried to sound reasonable, and he did. He's always kept a level head…
"It doesn't sound crazy," I stamped my cane into the floor, "it sounds fun! How did I raise such boring children?"
"At least we're not trying to be dumb ass school girls, old woman!" Haru shook a fist at me.
"You are going to be a girl, aren't you?" Mira asked.
"Yes," I smirked, "though it shows how well you know me that you'd ask. No, no - your father was the one that always gender swapped in RPG's."
"Still," Yuki wasn't even looking at me anymore, "You can't do this. What are we supposed to do if you're a kid again?"
"I don't know! Live your lives? Your father would've let me…Hell, he would be right here with me! We had a deal for this situation."
"We don't wanna know." My kids said in deadpan unison.
"Look, I'm not dying; I'm just starting a new phase in my life."
There was silence for a moment. The kids all stared at the floor and walls awkwardly. Trying to think of their last ditch effort, I bet.
"So," Haru finally broke the silence, "how much did this cost you?"