Mr Hopkins

He shook his head in disgust and swore loudly and the little boy with the lollipop ran out of his shop into the night. He was a burly man with messy hair that fell onto his dark eyes and with ears stuck out of his head like satellites. He always wore a coat, a black dusty one, even when he was in the shop. The air conditioning that was the latest design in this year, 2060, made him cold and he didn’t like it. He hated those new air conditioners and the cash registers instead of the old tills, and all these new hi tech things that whirred and made sounds which irritated him to no end. However this night, it was something else altogether that had made him sit up and swear.1

The letter had come by the Government. The old man had no use for those Government letters, because they were always in the type of English he wouldn’t understand. But this time, he tore open the letter, just to show the little boy that had brought it to him, that he was a Very Important Man to get Government letters. His name, Mr. Hopkins, was written in gold with cursive writing, that were probably typed by the modern small laptops which made him even more nervous because he always got nervous and jittery with these new inventions. He remembered the time when Mrs. Johns had invited him over for dinner at her house, and her daughter seeing that he had nothing to do, had offered him the little laptop n her hand. He didn’t refuse because he liked her quite a little and could tell that she was proud of the little laptop too so he had come over and touched it, when suddenly with his big clumsy hands, caused the laptop to fall onto the floor. The daughter picked it up but it had blanked out and no matter what she did, it was of no use. The thing was broken. He said “sorry” again and again, turning over his hands, but the girl and Mrs. Johns had never acknowledged him or said “It is all right” and never saw him leaving the house. Of course, he thought sadly, he was never invited to that lovely ranch house again. 2

Shaking his head, the old man read the contents. This time though, his eyesight had turned worse and he had to squint to read. Of course the new laser eyesight software could make him clear sighted again, but he never liked the idea of using those hi tech things. The words he made out weren’t much and when he looked up from the letter the boy had wandered off. He could not make out the words or what they meant and he had wanted to ask the boy but he had disappeared behind the shelves. Suddenly Mr. Evans came into the shop. Mr. Evans was respected and a business man, which made him all the more Important so Mr. Hopkins asked him to tell him, in Simple English, what the letter was all about. Mr. Evans smiled and he took the letter from the old man, who he thought secretly to himself, was a very stupid old man indeed. 3

The businessman read the letter and told the old man that he could not be a shopkeeper anymore. The old man, looking shocked with his eyes large and mouth hanging, needed to learn why?4

So the business man said “The Government needs the shop out of the way for the newer mall they are going to build around here… It is this shop that sellsall the newest inventions. Bluetooth for cheapest prices, portable televisions with a telephone installed…I have to say, it is going to be a hit,. Already people are getting excited and-“5

“No, no Mr. Evans. Tell me, how can this happen? It is against the rules!” the old man shouted. Mr. Evans just shrugged.6

“Look ‘ere old man I don’t have time for this. It is very well in the rules that the Government owns this place and now they want it back for a better shop than yours which sells some old lollipops and out dated newspapers with news about some old guy in the war. No one wants to be stuck in the past. We are moving with the future,” Mr. Evans said, turning back to the door, “Just so you’d know, the whole town wants the new shop, and you don’t have a chance against the majority. You are the only person I know who wants this old place standing. If I were you, I’d go get those handsome dollars and walk away to the retirement stage happy,”7

Mr. Hopkins stared back at the man and swore again. The boy had already run off with a lollipop. He looked up at the air conditioner that was installed by the mayor because he thought more customers would come in, just for a while even, to stay in the shop away from the sweltering sun outside. But the truth, and Mr. Hopkins knew, the mayor wanted everything new and fresh, into the new millennium as he always said. It made Mr. Hopkins cringe, because it meant that there were those horrible gadgets that squealed and screamed all the time, and fragile laptops. He shook his head sadly. 8

Then two men in suits entered the shop and asked the old man when he was to give the shop over to the Government. Mr. Hopkins regarded them with a small scornful stare and shrugged. “Never maybe” he said smiling. The men looked at each other and shrugged back.9

“Look it is better for you if you give up the shop. We are warning you. The Government has Methods. They have Ways to make you Regret. It happened to one of the old men. Please give up and go away, go enjoy the retirement.” They said and walked away.10

“What the heck do you think...?” Mr. Hopkins started to shout and stopped abruptly, what was the use of shouting? Those men probably wanted to scare him, and truth was that it was getting to him. The words throbbed in his head and he walked over to the back, made some Oval tine, tried to forget but it all came back. He shrugged, and shook it off, greeting the little kids who came into the shop for some sweets.11

Days passed, and Mr. Hopkins still ran the shop. It was past the date he was supposed to have handed it over but hadn’t. The Mayor had come twice, the first time he was patient, and the second time, which was just yesterday, he had been angry, impatient, and with a tinge of surprise, Mr. Hopkins noted that there was a little fear in his voice too, when the Mayor had said to him, “You be careful my man. You be careful”. Yet Mr. Hopkins shrugged as usual, and closed the shop. He was going to open it tomorrow morning and every morning after that too. Without the shop he was nothing.12

The next day, a little boy came into the shop. There was no burly man with the booming voice anymore. Instead the mayor was there with a little sad smile and when he saw the boy, he shook his head and whispered “They took him away, killed him bad. The body is somewhere, I don’t know where. But they killed him my boy! The killed him and tore his limbs and I warned him but the old fool wouldn’t listen that The Government wants the new millennium not the old one. They want the New Stuff not his shop ‘ere. It is a disgrace, a mark of the past that can change people’s thinking. They don’t want people thinking the old way. They don’t want ‘em seeing the Old things. They want a New Generation with people with the same thoughts and beliefs, or so they say. They took him down, and they killed him bad. God, they killed him bad.” 13

The little boy walked away. He didn’t understand. He just knew the old man with the dusty coat and the burly voice and the messy hair and large ears would never be there again. It pained the little boy but he quickly wiped his tears. The New World did not allow emotion of any kind especially tears. He dried his face and put on a little smile, walking past the shop that was soon to be pulled down. 14