“It’s a lot harder than it looks,” Rolando says.
Was Rolando not paying attention when Joaquin made tonight’s first call? Is he not aware that Joaquin is Death-Cast’s creator and may know a thing or two about the hardships of these jobs? Does he not suspect that although tonight is the official launch of the program that Joaquin is no stranger to telling people they’re going to die? Because he isn’t.
This may be a first for the country, but it’s not a first for Joaquin.
“I understand these conversations are difficult, even impossible,” Joaquin says. “But we have a responsibility to everyone who is paying for our crucial services.”
“It’s not like this old man was asking why his cable box wasn’t working. He had no one in his life. I couldn’t just hang up.”
Joaquin toyed around with the idea of setting automatic timers to the calls, cutting off the line after five minutes so the heralds wouldn’t be put in this position. Perhaps it’s something to revisit at the end of the first month, using the average time spent on calls to determine that magic number of minutes.
“While you’re taking time as you walk one Decker through their End Day, think of those who are dying without ever knowing their time was up,” Joaquin reminds him, knowing he has said this over and over during the training sessions leading up to tonight. But now that the heralds are connecting with real people who are really dying, the urgency behind this statement must carry more weight than ever before.
Rolando seems broken down, rubbing his eyes. “I’ll do my best.”
“Don’t worry about your best tonight,” Joaquin gently says. “That will come with more experience. Just see if you can improve your efforts so you can reach more people in need of your care.”
Joaquin allows Rolando to return to work, hoping he’ll make up for lost time.
If not, maybe working in a funeral home isn’t a bad idea.
Those who can’t be trusted to call people before they die are better off dealing with them when they’re dead.
Rolando Rubio
1:04 a.m.
Death-Cast did not call Rolando Rubio because he isn’t dying today, though according to his boss, it seems as if anyone who dies without knowing it’s their End Day will be Rolando’s fault. All because he spent too much time on the phone with one Decker. Pardon him for caring and for grieving a stranger.
It’s becoming clearer and clearer that Rolando isn’t cut out for this job as a Death-Cast herald. He’ll see how he feels by the end of the night, but if this doesn’t work out, he expects he’ll return to guidance counseling in public schools to help identify any child’s issue that’s resulting in their grades dropping or acting out in the classroom. Sometimes it was grief, and Rolando was always confused why a parent would neglect to inform him or the child’s teachers so they could all be mindful of any behavioral shifts. Rolando excelled at being there for the students. He created spaces for them to cry. He supervised them in the gym so they could blow off some steam. He gave them time to process their loss. That last one is not a luxury afforded to Deckers. They must simply process their own impending deaths in a single moment so the heralds can keep it moving.
He believed having a heart would be a strength for this position, but maybe ripping his own out of his chest would be better for everyone, himself included. If he doesn’t have a heart, then that means it can’t be broken.
One hour in and he’s coming undone.
How could he not?
Rolando’s first and longest call was to an elderly man, who awoke to his alert in confusion and fear, thinking this was all a dream. As the Decker, Clint Suarez, came to understand his reality, it broke Rolando. Clint was so lonely that he just wanted to tell his life story to anyone, even the very someone who was predicting his death. So Rolando listened and listened to Clint’s story of a dancing career both lived and unlived, and recommended he put on his favorite song and dance one final time before they hung up. How was a call with an eighty-seven-year-old so hard? Rolando’s expecting Clint will die of old age, but what if he has a heart attack while dancing? Is that Rolando’s fault? Is it Death-Cast’s? Is that how he was always destined to die?