‘It opens out once it’s inside,’ the salesman said. ‘It naturally positions over the baby’s head. Then harmless electrical impulses are sent through the amniotic sac, through the skull and into the brain, stimulating the visual cortex and aiding development.’
They’d seen the advert two weeks ago. Ultrasounds give parents a chance to see their baby before it’s born. The prenatal headset supposedly gave the baby the opportunity to see you right back. Then there were the plugins – the neuro-developmental stimulation stuff.
‘How much would the baby actually see though?’ Julia asked. ‘We aren’t sure about sticking a chip in their brain before they’re even born.’
‘There is no chip anywhere. It’s a totally non-invasive headset that just rests on your babies head.’
‘Non-invasive?’ Julia said. ‘Are you kidding?’
‘I mean it’s totally safe. Prenatal headsets have been thoroughly clinically tested.’
‘Tested? Who would allow you to test such a thing on their baby?’
There were bad parents out there. Even then, no mother would allow their baby to be hooked up to such a contraption without knowing if it was safe or not.
‘We tested it on rats first.’
‘Jesus.’ It was the first thing Harry had said the whole meeting. He’d had a lot to say about it before they got into the salesman’s office. It was easy for him to have opinions on it, he didn’t have to have anything stuck up him.
On the one side of the room was one of those curated bookshelves that people got to make themselves look well read. All of the books looked pristine, that’s how you could tell it was just for show. At an angle on the desk was a photograph of what was probably the salesman’s family.
‘That doesn’t prove anything,’ Julia shook her head. ‘Is that your child?’
‘There have been thorough clinical trials. And, yes – his name is Idris.’
‘Did he wear one?’
‘Sadly the headsets weren’t quite out at that point.’ He smiled. ‘But if we have another one we would love the chance to wave hello at the earliest opportunity.’
‘I think it’s a good idea. It will give him a headstart on his development,’ Harry said.
‘Oh yeah?’ Julia spat. ‘You’re just parroting his sales pitch.’
It had been Harry who organised the meeting. She’d agreed just to shut him up about it.
‘This kind of thing used to be a head start. Now that everyone is using them it’s more like keeping up. We need to give him the best start in life.’
‘You should give him your job,’ Julia said to the salesman.
Harry rolled his eyes. The two men smiled at each other. This was just another gadget to him. If he had his way he’d fit her womb out with a monitor, surround sound and a mini fridge full of cool-drink. It was the first interest he’d shown in the baby. It was the first time in months he’d seemed interested in anything apart from his gaming pc.
‘Do you know what?’ Julia prised herself from the chair and got to her feet. ‘You can pay for it if you want. But that headset isn’t going anywhere inside me. If you’re so set on it you can shove it up your guava. Your head is up there too and it could do with some development.’
She didn’t say anything else to him that day. The day after they spoke about a lot of things. It was the last time they ever spoke.