I sit with Jay silently as we watch the iNight come upon us. The great glowing apple in the sky sinks steadily, its bite-sized hole spewing artificial light. Impossible colors fill the air above us: buttercup, vermilion, fuchsia. There is an uncomfortably romantic feel to the situation. I only wish he would notice. But he, sadly, is completely oblivious to my feelings about him.

“C’mon, Audrey. What’s up? Everyone’s supposed to be happy today,” he asks, friendly but clueless.

“I dunno, Jay,” I reply. “It’s just… do you ever wonder what it would be like without Apple running the world? If we were free?”

“Shhhhhh…” he is quick to respond. “He might hear you.”

“Who, God?”

“Of course! Steve Jobs!” My heart practically stops beating for a moment as I realize that to our society, Steve Jobs really is God. He’s lived longer than any man on earth. In fact, I don’t recall how old exactly…

“Jay, how old is he? Steve Jobs, I mean.”

He is quiet for a second. Suddenly, he turns to me, his thick glasses glistening in the fading light. “Haven’t you been listening to your iCalendar? He’s 150, today!” He sounds completely appalled. How could I forget? “Oh, that reminds me. I have a surprise for you. I don’t need these—“ he reaches up and taps his glasses, “—anymore.”

“Jay, how is that possible? The doctors said—“

“I know,” he interrupted. “But who listens to doctors? My mom took me to the Apple store to get one of the new thingys released for the birthday celebration. They’re called iEyes.” He removes his glasses, moving into the light. I look carefully, horrified. His eyeballs are flawlessly white, not a scratch or red line to be found. His newly gray irises, shiny and smooth, seem almost metallic. What I see next frightens me most and confirms what I have always believed about the Apple company, Jay, and today’s society. I could love Jay in another time, another world. But Steve Jobs is watching me through the small, black, apple-shaped pupil in the center of his eye.