by Writing Shark
A Gentle Day
“If you let me, I’ll help you next time, Master,” Sophie says as she sits awkwardly at the table. You can’t cook well but you can scramble eggs with bacon. “O-Or I’ll prepare breakfast, letting you sleep in.” You just grin at her and put your plate in front of you.
“I’m sure you’d like that,” you grumble, amused.
“It’s a girlfriend’s duty to give her boyfriend the best possible start to the day” your robot proclaims with an iron conviction in her soft voice. You screw up your face.
“Let me have breakfast first before you let the slave hang out.” Sophie wants to say something, but then presses her lips together and nods.
“Yes Master.”
The egg and bacon taste good, and as you energize yourself you look to the girl.
“Of course I could use your help around the house,” you say, not knowing why you say that. Actually, you already know. It makes Sophie happy. Before she can say anything, you quickly add a condition. “But don’t make it sound like I’m forcing you, okay?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Hmph.”
“Really. I’d be very happy to be of service to you.” She beams at you like you bought her a new car. You poke at your food.
“What can I do to make you comfortable here?” you want to know. “Do you need an outlet to charge or what?” Sophie shakes her head.
“No Master. My energy needs to be recharged about once a year. I need Trent and his resources for that.” Then her voice sounds really proud. “I am very economical, as a girl between eighteen and twenty-two should be. I’m not very strong. I have to depend on you. Since your order to sleep at night, I store up kinetic energy during the day for the night.”
“Wow,” you marvel.
“That’s not all Master. Trent said you were bothered by my appearance.”
“What?” you blink, “Sophie, Trent was messing with you.”
“No he didn’t Master. I’m sorry about contradicting you. Trent said you were bothered by my skin and the core temperature of my body.”
“Oh…I see…” you mutter, looking down at your plate. “I thought you meant I thought you were ugly.”
“I want to look like you like me Master” Sophie says kindly. “If you will allow me I will start eating during the day. I can digest food, and drink, much like you do” she explains. “I can lower my efficiency for your liking master. This way my body functions even more like a human and so I can be of service, warm and ready if you want me.” She looks down at the floor. “I hope so, anyway” she murmurs, smiling shyly. She doesn’t want to be sad again, and you think it’s so you can have a good day.
“You are,” you comfort her. Then – before you even understand – your hand wanders across the table and pats hers. “And you’re beautiful. Don’t worry about that.”
What do you do you moron?
“Thank you very much Master! If you command me, I will start to eat. That will additionally raise my core temperature, give me more energy, and make my skin look worse.”
“More natural” you correct.
“It will become more impure” Sophie adds.
“Sophie. If you want to be my girlfriend, accept when I tell you you’re beautiful, okay?” She draws in her lips and smiles.
“Yes Master.” Then her fingers close around yours. “And thank you. For finding me beautiful.”
You stare at your hands. Then you pull back. Sophie looks at you in surprise.
“What’s the matter Master?” But you just smile.
“I’ll make you something to eat.” And in some way it feels good to waste food on her.
“Hey little brother,” Trent greets you over the cell phone. “What’s up?” He sounds busy and you hear rustling and banging in the background.
“What are you doing right now?”
“Shredding files,” comes the reply. “And no matter what you hear in the media over the next few weeks… well, you know how it is.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?” As if you know how.
“How’s Sophie?” comes the question.
“Fine,” you say, hoping you’re right. “She’s at home. I’m at work.” Besides university, you’re earning extra money while helping out at a pet store.
“Leave that job and take care of your girlfriend,” Trent laughs. “No, we’ll burn that later. David” he then says. “How are you two getting along?” Now he’s the big brother you know.
“It’s… weird. Trent… damn, she wanted to sleep with me. The first night!”
“Of course she wanted to” he laughs. “You’re both adults. And she wants to please you.” But you don’t go for it.
“And now she wants to eat.”
“Who wants a cold girl lying next to them? My boss made her hot-blooded and willing.”
“Trent…”
“Adam, stop seeing her as just a human or just a robot. I know she looks human, but she’s also a robot. You need to see both in her.”
“We haven’t even known each other twenty-four hours!”
“But for her, that’s enough Adam. Accept it. It’s a gift. We’ll destroy that first, right, and that one after that. Not into the shredder, straight into the burner. Adam, Sophie will never let you down. She loves you with every fiber of her being, do you understand that? She just wants you to be happy.”
“But I want her to be happy too!” you shout too loudly into your hand, and next to you a parrot protests in annoyance. Trent is silent for a few seconds.
“That’s why I gave her to you. She’s not there to conquer the world or do hard work. She’s a work of art, created to make men like you and my boss happy. When he said Sophie had to disappear, I immediately thought of you.”
“So what am I supposed to do now?” The answer comes with a laugh.
“Fuck her you moron. That’s not a problem. And then cuddle her. Take her to campus and introduce her to all your friends. Make her laugh. Have a good time with her.” Then there’s silence on the line. “I can pick her up if you want. Sophie is dear to my heart but you are my little brother. If you don’t feel comfortable with her…”
“No.” Now you’ve said it. Now you’ve admitted it to yourself and to Trent. You smile. “It’s okay. Leave her with me.” You can literally feel the smirk on the other end of the line.
“Good boy.”
Writing Shark 