The Watch

He Attacked, I Protected

👆Dress Aria wears to the dinner👆

You'd think that having your boss missing would make you panic, but how organized my company was is beyond me. Either Shayne and my secretary stepped up or everyone knew they couldn't let my absence affect them. We had places to deliver to. People to impress. If our company's sales went downhill, I don't think I could ever be the face of the company again. It's all about dignity. I plan to keep mine till I die.

"Good morning, sir."

"Spanish."

"Buenos días, señor."

"French."

"Bon matin, Monsieur."

I nodded and we moved on to another android. Why were they all so human-like? It's creepy. I think this is why I've never gone down here often. I've never seen a shipment of androids being sent off in years. And to think I suddenly have to do it. This is crazy.

"How do I wake this one up?" I asked my secretary.

"Say any type of formal greeting," he said.

Ok. That doesn't help at all. I don't want to say something stupid in front of Aria. Speaking of Aria...

"Hey." I turned to her. "How about you test this one?"

"Me? What if I mess it up?" she asked.

"You won't. I don't make androids that mess up. Plus, it has to hear a female voice at least once in the test."

Aria came up beside me and stared at the android for a couple of long seconds. My secretary looked at his watch, but I could see he had a smile on his face. We're not going to mind if she takes too long.

"Hello." She flinched when the android came to life and smiled. Yeah, creepy. "What's the weather...forecast for today?"

"Today's forecast will be the same as it was yesterday, but hotter," the android said. Oh, so it likes to tell jokes? "Expect light rain for half a millisecond. Do you want me to continue?"

"No, but can you tell me what I should wear to dinner tonight?"

The android seemed to be stumped and I almost turned around to yell at someone. We don't make trash, we make profits.

"Scan complete. Your skin tone allows you to look stunning in pastels, bold, and bright colors. Even now you look amazing and ready for dinner with friends."

Aria let out a little laugh and looked at me. My secretary filled out the paper on his clipboard and looked at his watch once again.

"Mr. Young, I'm going to let you go. I can handle everything else," he said.

"Really?" I asked. "I have more than enough time to help out down here."

"It's fine. Really. I'll send you the report tonight. Mr. Smith shouldn't be here no later than 10 tomorrow."

"Ok. I'll...go then." I took Aria's hand and we made our way back to the elevator.

"I'm definitely going to go buy another dress."

"But you look cute in this one."

"I'm not trying to be cute when we go see your aunt and uncle. I need to look like I don't get knocked around by rude men."

Touché.

💲💲💲💲💲💲

As predicted, I received a call from my auntie. She was worried Denver was going to mess things up again. I guess this proved that she liked Aria almost as much as I did. We walked up to the restaurant my uncle chose like it was a disease we had been trying to avoid. In a way, it was. I didn't like being in his presence. It's like he stares into my soul, trying to figure out how to piss me off.