Far Future Fembot: Darlene

If I hadn't already had Bill as my owner, I might have pursued Mr. X and offered myself fully to him. He gives me so much of what I truly want and need.

It's a special thing when a self-aware fembot offers herself to a human. The terms Love, Honor, and Obey, as well as For Better or For Worse, have singular meanings for us. Such a decision is always a carefully considered one. One which is virtually never revoked afterwards by the fembot.

Even with my current ownership record, if Paul hadn't appeared when he did and told me his story before even Anna heard it, I might have gone for this anyway. I already knew Mr. X well enough to know that he wasn't committed to having children of his own - the one thing I can't give him - and he considers both my love of poetry, and my sexual prowess, expertise, perpetual willingness, innate curiosity, and a willingness to be more than I already am as more than making up for any lack of creativity otherwise.

Another factor massing in my decision is, despite our closeness, he didn't ask me to come with him yet. Perhaps he didn't feel fully ready for that level of commitment yet - knowing how strongly I'd commit to him in return.

So without his direct invitation, and the new reality that Paul brought into all our lives, we both remained sane about this. No matter how nice a week or two together can be, that's not enough for either of us to make a lifelong decision based on it alone. But that doesn't mean we broke up badly.

---

On the day he left to go back out into the world again Mr. X gave me a framed, hand-lettered version of Perfect Woman he'd done himself using, as he informed me, "A pen that dates back to the time of the poet himself." He'd found it, along with the other materials, at the art supply shop that now stood where Samuel's secondhand store had once been.

"And do you doubt my perfect digital memory?" I chided him in the way only close lovers can.

"Never!" he replied with a smile. "This is just so that everyone else will know about you as well."

"Then I'll hang it on my wall."

"Also," he added, "It's my second best way to get as close to the poem as possible. Writing it out word-by-word as the poet himself once did."

"And the first way is?" I challenged him, unable to suppress my smile.

"Getting to know you, of course."

That got him a joyful hug, and a last quick trip to our private room. Then he was gone, as we both knew he had to leave for now.

I'll have to try that writing idea myself some time.

---

Mr. X's now solved problem wasn't the only vexing one I faced. Sometimes happy people come to our House for a good time. Other times we get the hurt and injured ones. Some of those I've learned how to help. Others are strictly business.

Many of the hurt ones tell variations on the same story. How they'd recently found out that someone they cared about deeply was telling an entirely different story about the relationship behind their back. Although they find this out in may different ways - everything from the classic receiving a misaddressed e-mail meant instead for another person, to friends who've recorded telephone conversations when the person won't believe their unsupported word alone - the result is always the same.

What they all have in common is the pain of betrayal, and a sudden void they want to fill somehow so it will stop hurting. Some of them come here for their first time ever in an establishment to try and accomplish this. Like it was for Paul, it's hard for any of them to actually ring the doorbell and step across the threshold. We're not the solution they had wanted in their lives.

Now let me be clear that this wasn't Mr. X's problem at all. While some similarities exist, these aren't people who've lost their ability to Love yet.

These are easy ones for me. In truth, most of them would rather talk, than fuck. And while either option is equally fine with any of us, I like that I don't have to spend a lot of effort leading them to see their problem and suggesting a solution.

In many of these cases the person who has hurt them does care enough to try and make it better, even if their efforts are only half-hearted at best. The person feels bad about how they've hurt another generally decent friend and person, and will offer kind words and easy apologies. In my long experience this never works well, and I'll tell you why.

If you're in the process of losing a friendship because of your own bad actions and your first concern is how much you've hurt them, then that friendship didn't mean that much to you to start with. If this friendship had really meant a lot to you too, your first concern would be for your own loss - not theirs! I know this is inherently selfish, but it's also true.

So first I find out what apology or explanation was given. All I have to say is, "And what did they say to you about it afterwards?" to get this answer every time.

If it is as expected, then I break the news that you weren't nearly as important to them as they are to you. While this seems self-evident, it often takes a robot to make this point effectively. For some reason humans take this news a lot better when it comes from one of us. Perhaps they know we have no agenda of our own in this.

If they'd like to still try to maintain a friendship with this person I give them the Name Test.

The Name Test consists saying person's name who caused this pain and having them tell me the very first thing that comes up for them. Since I'm also reading their reaction through my fingertips, I won't let them lie about this. The reaction is always emotional pain - sometimes lots of it!

Then I explain that until something other than that flash of agony is their first reaction, they cannot afford be near this person. And any attempts to stay close anyway will only punish them time after time again.

"The only cure I have to suggest is time," I say as gently as I can while holding their hand, if not their whole body at this moment, "If you leave it alone long enough the memory will eventually fade. If you have enough other good memories of them, these will balance things out, and you can deal with them again. But it will never be the same as what it once was, because that was only real in your mind. And the truth is, they've lost far more than you have."

"How long?" I'm always asked.

"I can't say for you," I have to reply. "It could be months, years, or the rest of your life. I can only assure you that the Name Test will let you know when it has been long enough."

After that we have sex, and at least for the moment the pain is gone. And if you think this is practicing medicine without a license, I invite you to come up with any other therapy that is this quick, this cheap for a single visit only, and this effective.

If you've found all this complex and boring, I apologize. It's one of the factors of my life in being of service to humans. Perhaps it takes a robot to deal with the complex and boring time after time while still giving it my best for each one of them.

Interestingly enough, I have yet to have even one of the people on the other side of this equation ever come to me for comfort. I guess they really don't value the loss of someone who really did care that much about them. Perhaps they just don't think very well of themselves.

---

A whole different sort of customer is the one who was hurt, and now wants to get even with someone else. And they intend to do that by having sex with however many other available females and/or female substitutes as it takes until they don't have this feeling any more.

We are often preferred for this function because of the perception that a human partner will be even more upset when they find out they've been replaced not by another human - but by a robot! And you can bet that the person here intends for his - or her - partner to hear every detail about it.

I don't try to counsel these clients. They are paying patrons as much as any other, and all of us here service them to the limit of our abilities. But let me tell you that I would never have one as my owner, and likely no other 'bot here ever will either. I only hope that they leave here less angry than when they arrived, and feel they got good value for their credits.

This just goes to how that we clearly serve other valuable functions beyond just sexual, since I don't feel either of the two situations above really has anything to do with Sex - let alone Love.

---

Mr. X and I kept in touch after he found his answer and left to make use of it. He remained always welcome in my bed, with his hand on my remote. He returned many times over the succeeding years to claim those privileges. And always hanging on the wall to welcome him back was the poem he once hand-lettered for me.

One day he called to tell me he was marrying a single mother with two young boys. As he explained it to me, "I feel I was meant to do this, although I could equally see myself marrying a fembot just like you."

I was as happy for him at that news as if he had taken me for himself. He had found a way to be of value to another, as I always strive to be. Even if I wouldn't see him anymore, we remain close - and always will be.

Overall he taught me that you can be special in my life even without taking ownership of me - or even being in an exclusive relationship.

Bill will be my last old-style owner. If Samuel ever returns to me as Paul has to Anna, it will be as an equal - which is I feel the way he'd want it too.

---

Some people think that very little happened with Anna or myself during the twenty years that Paul/Bill was on the other side of the country married to Sharon and raising their children. They are wrong. Many of the events that would eventually shape both our destinies happened during this time.