The Coupe Countdown

Up until the year of 2021, it was normal for a baby to be born and live a long life to an average of 90 years old. All was normal for Mr. and Mrs. Coupe until the summer of 2021 when they decided to have a baby in which they would name John.
John Eversteen Coupe was born on March 13th, 2021, and appeared to be a healthy baby, except his physical features were far different than any doctor had ever seen before. Mr. Coupe yelped to the nurse “This is not my baby, he looks like my own father with the wrinkles in his skin”. The nurse replied “Mr. Coupe you just saw me deliver this human. I know this is your son”. Mr. Coupe was still in awe as he saw his son with his eyes closed resting in Mrs. Coupe’s arms. As the nurses and doctors conversed they noticed another feature on John they had never seen before. There was a series of illuminated numbers on his wrist. The numbers on John’s wrist were counting down each minute, each hour, and eventually each day. The doctors and nurses finally concluded that the numbers on his wrist were a countdown to the day of his death. This explains why John had many features that resembled the physical age of an 85 year-old man the day he was born. Mr. and Mrs. Coupe were shocked when they heard the news from the doctor, but they decided to keep John to move on with their lives with him.
The Coupe family headed home from the hospital after a week of tests on John with no diagnosis of disease or health issues. The Coupes lived on a 5-acre lot on Lake Austin near the wealthiest of homes in Westlake Hills. Mr. Coupe had started his own landscaping business at the age of 25. Over time, this landscaping company became one of the best in Texas. Mr. Coupe decided to sell his company for 7 million dollars leaving John with a nice inheritance. When Mr. Coupe carried John into his room to put him to sleep for the first time, John quickly stood up in his crib saying his first words “Dadda”. John had only been out of the hospital for hours and could already stand up and talk to his parents, Mr. Coupe knew something was different about John. Over the next couple of weeks, John grew immensely. He was about 4-feet tall and his back was as arched as a hill. The young old man took interest in Bingo and watching the sunset at the age of one. Mr. and Mrs. Coupe would finally tell John about his condition at this age and the meaning behind the numbers on his wrist which read, “83 : 364: 15”. The news caused little shock in John. Instead of bringing him down it actually encouraged him to make the most of his life and condition even more.
John was 6 when he first enrolled in kindergarten at his local elementary school. Despite getting weird looks initially from the faculty and students, John became a very popular kid due to his friendliness and outgoing personality. At recess, John would show his friends his countdown on his wrist, fascinating every 6 year-old’s brain with the thought of life and death. Every day seemed to be consistent with one another for John. He would wake up, go to school, show his friends his countdown, do homework, and go to bed. This cycle would continue every day of the school year until John turned the age of 13. At 13, John’s countdown read “72: 00: 00”; yet his wrinkles were disappearing weekly and he was becoming far less stiff than usual. John had taken interest in social media accounts and youtubers that supported exploring nature and adrenaline. When John was 15, he got a job as a skydiving instructor and would take people skydiving daily. John would become what some people knew as an adrenaline junky, always seeking adrenaline in every situation. At the age of 18, John would leave this job to attend college at The University of Texas at Austin where he studied business. While staying in Austin, John became a social media influencer with his posts inspiring kids of all ages to explore all the world had to offer. John would take weekly visits to his parents to check in on them as they would soon go through what he went through at a young age.
After attending UT for 4 years, John decided to take his lifestyle around the world, traveling and speaking out about his condition and how he made the most of it. John would first travel to Australia where he explored the Outback and the Great Barrier Reef. In Australia, John taught the Aussies the meaning of life beyond their own bubble, encouraging them to expand their knowledge and take chances on once in a lifetime experiences. John would travel from Australia to Japan, and from there to Europe before coming back home to the United States. John had devoted 18 years of his life traveling around the world and speaking out about his condition and countdown. Now, at the age of 43, John was feeling better than ever but soon realized he had reached the “midpoint” in his life. Taking this into consideration, John wanted to achieve things that had always been a goal of his life. To start, getting married was one of those. John stumbled upon a lady by the name of Jackie Smith while attending a speaker conference. Jackie, born a year after John, was also single and looking to marry. The two caught interest in one another immediately, and their relationship took off from that day on. The two dated for two years, attending conferences with one another where John would speak out about the importance of living life to the fullest. One evening John sat Jackie down to talk about starting a family together and the precautions that came with his life ending within the next 40 years. Jackie replied with “If our kids can’t take care of themselves within the next 40 years that’s their own problem”. With that being said, John would propose to Jackie the next week while on a hike in California. A year after the proposal, the couple had their first child by the name of John Jr.
The Coupe family of John and Jackie was growing; yet a part of the Coupe family was lost. John’s parent’s, Mr. and Mrs. Coupe, passed away together at the age of 90 years old while in the hospital. The death of his parents put into realization to John how precious life truly is. After inheriting his family’s trust, John settled down in his childhood home where he spent time with his family with little travel. By the time John’s timer read “20: 144: 14” he realized that the aging could cause Jackie to have to take care of another child. Jackie supported John in every way possible and promised to watch over him until the day he died. John Jr. had gone off to attend Georgetown University in the nation’s capital where he studied law, leaving John with pride knowing that he would do big things one day.
Eventually, John’s countdown read “9: 23: 07” forcing John to realize that his life would be over in an instant. John spent his life traveling the world, influencing others, and seeking the adrenaline of life while battling an unknown condition. John became a husband, father, and influential figure during this time all while preaching the importance of life. In the next few years John would enter a retirement home with Jackie where the two would spend the rest of their lives together. John would leave the world as expected when his wrist read “0: 00: 00”. John Coupe would inspire the next generation of youth about the importance of time and relationships. John Jr. would go on to follow his father’s footsteps in public speaking and forever withhold the family legacy in the namesake of Coupe.