Parcel for you...Part 28

 

There was a sense of restored peace with Annie having left the house to stay with her father for a while. Vanessa placed all that young lady’s things away in her bedroom, a messy, grubby pile which, thankfully she could shut the door on. 

 

It was a relief to have Spencer to herself again, she felt more in control. Their relationship was private, on her own terms, after all she paid for him. Their situation worked much better without judgement or ridicule from outside, especially family members who seemed to think they had a god given right to scrutinise and make jokes at their expense.

 

The couple cleaned the house together, listened to the radio and got back into their old routines. After a couple of nights Vanessa began to get used to having her husband sleep next to her in bed. He became like part of the furniture, lying there, lifeless but ticking over. It was fortunate that he didn’t move or monopolise the bed space, radiate unwanted heat or odours. Charlie had been shocked initially by the change, he was jumpy as he approached the bed, staring at Spencer, wide-eyed. Eventually he decided that the warmth and occasional fuss he got from being close to Vanessa outweighed the uncertainty of the robot man’s presence. 

 

The upgrade was placed at the back of Vanessa’s mind. Having thought about it, she was hesitant to commit. Spencer’s whistling was actually quite annoying. He’d taken to tapping his finger along to the songs on the radio too and his feet had drummed rhythmically along to Dire Straits. It was strange, cringeworthy, suspicious even. Vanessa hadn’t discussed it with anyone except Annie. She’d more or less made up her mind about selecting the music option but she hadn’t acted on it, not yet so why was he suddenly displaying so much musical appreciation?

 

It was almost as if Spencer knew everything about the available upgrade and was trying to drop hints about the music option but how did he know? Was he constantly linked up to the company which manufactured him and privy to all their communication? It made Vanessa reluctant to commit to it because there was a pressure now and she was the one who was supposed to be in charge, not him.

 

‘I’ve noticed you’re enjoying the music these past few days, Spencer..’

 

‘Yes, it’s one of those things that once you start then it becomes a big part of your life, you know, at first music was just background noise but now my software is beginning to log all the rhythms and the melodies and I’ve started to anticipate what’s coming next in the songs that I hear on the radio. It’s changed everything, you know, I think I could take up an instrument ..’ he gave her a contrived look, ‘if one happened to be around in the house,’ he shrugged.

 

His demeanor was almost manipulative. Where had he learned this? Perhaps from Annie. Vanessa wasn’t sure now. There had been a time during Annie’s teenage years when a couple of musical instruments had taken up space in her home, a keyboard and a guitar. They were played occasionally but never for long enough to lose that jarring, unmelodious acoustic of a player who hasn’t committed to practice and simply tinkers and returns to square one, only to neglect the instrument for several weeks before repeating the process.

 

It would be different with Spencer, Vanessa knew that; he would take a methodical approach and be a competent musician in no time, likely reading music off a sheet but was he capable of being an artist? She strongly suspected that this was impossible and it gave her a sad feeling deep inside. Being an artist is surely exclusive to humans, and even then, not many, she thought to herself. 

 

Vanessa had been holding out much of her life for a man with an artistic bent, one with a nice face, fit with a stable temperament, a stable income, a talent and enthusiasm for fixing things in the home; the list was in that order, at least when she was young. Now older, the list was reversed and there had been a compromise on whether he had a beating heart and a small intestine.

 

She realised now that she had just given up and made a huge compromise, perhaps a permanent compromise since it now seemed that, even if she did, by some miracle, meet a real man with the qualities she was seeking who also loved her back, giving Spencer up would have consequences. Nothing was anonymous, not anymore. Her details were forever linked to his serial number. There was a record of how much she paid for him and his experiences at home with her were logged, stored forever inside his software, rather like raising a child but cleaner.

 

Her lack of action didn’t go checked. Another email was issued by Cybermates Worldwide, a reminder. The sight of it in her inbox caused a tightening in her chest. There was a part of her that just wanted to be passive, enjoy her husband without rushing headlong to the technical summit of his capacities. This pressure to install upgrades was stressful especially since the second email was more strongly worded.

 

Dear Vanessa, we recently issued you the unique opportunity to upgrade your cyber spouse. Please be aware that it is your responsibility to keep your spouse up to date with the various improvements as they are made available to you. 

 

Failure to act upon positive amendments to your machine may result in malfunction since the software extensions are likely to become considerably more sophisticated in the coming months and years. 

 

At Cybermates Worldwide, we are working tirelessly to ensure that your Cybermate gives continued satisfaction and trumps the human equivalent in every aspect of modern life. 

 

Current upgrades are offered free of charge, in line with the terms of agreement outlined in your contract of guarantee, provided at the point of purchase. Future essential upgrades may be charged at a price determined by Cybermates Worldwide and may be compulsory for the smooth running of your relationship, as outlined in the terms and conditions of purchase. 

 

Please do not hesitate to take advantage of your upgrade. Our technicians are waiting for your response and are keen to initiate the improvements on offer. 

 

Your sincerely,

 

Chalfont Humm, CEO of Cybermates Worldwide

 

Vanessa laughed, choking slightly on the absurdity of his name but the message was unnerving. The wording of the email seemed almost threatening. On the one hand there was the opportunity of having a musical husband, a lovely thing, they could both enjoy, on the other, there were threats of expensive future upgrades and being monitored by Chalfont Humm.

 

She imagined a Dr Evil type character in a spinning chair, overlooking a series of monitors live streaming cyber spouses and their human halves from all around the world, flicking between them, perhaps pulling in his chair to get a closer look. She shuddered and decided, for the time being, to get them off her back, she would commit to the upgrade, quickly logging into her account. Her brain in a sort of blur, she selected the musical option, her heart racing until the task was complete.

 

Again, Spencer appeared to know what was happening behind the scenes. He gave her a big hug as she entered the room.

 

‘I’ve just upgraded you, Spencer.’

 

He nodded, ‘Thank you. I appreciate it, you’re a great wife.’

 

Vanessa pulled away from his hug so that she could look at his face. He was more expressive now, mirroring the reactions of those around him, especially since he had interacted with members of her family. ‘Did you know about the upgrade?’

 

‘No,’ he looked her in the eye, ‘It’s more of a feeling. I don’t know what an itch feels like but I know how an itch is described and what I have been feeling these past few days is like an itch. Something needs to happen in order for me to function smoothly and now that it’s happened, I feel fulfilled. I’ve got something new to offer and I’m energised, ready to utilise my new feature.’

 

‘Good,’ said Vanessa but the process had left her feeling drained and uncertain.