Page 2 of The Housewife's Robot
Five years of smiling, nodding, and pretending everything is fine coalesce into white-hot rage. I grab the plastic comb from the dresser and hurl it at Daniel’s head, no longer caring if my breasts are exposed, no longer playing the role of the perfect, demure wife.
“How dare you!” I scream, my voice raw with fury. “You bring a complete stranger into our bedroom while I’m naked? What the hell is wrong with you?”
Daniel catches the comb easily, laughing as if this is all some hilarious joke. “Calm down, Rose. It’s not what you think.”
“I’m calling my mother, and I’m calling your entire family. I’m calling everyone we know to tell them what a disgusting, disrespectful?—”
“He’s a robot, Rose.” Daniel’s words stop my tirade mid-sentence. “This is Caspian, the Home Robo X-9 Model #1327. I won him in the company lottery. They delivered him this morning.”
I blink, disbelief washing over me. “A robot? That’s impossible.” I stare at the man. Or the thing—standing next to my husband. He looks completely human, from his perfectly styled black hair to his casual black shirt and jeans. His skin looks warm and alive.
His eyes, a rich, deep brown, seem to hold intelligence, maybe even emotion.
Cautiously, I bend down to retrieve my towel from the floor, wrapping it around my body. “You’re telling me this is a machine?”
“The most advanced AI companion on the market,” Daniel says proudly. “He can cook, clean, manage schedules, pretty much anything you need. Only executives at XyloTech have access to models like this. The public won’t see anything this advanced for years.”
I step closer, studying Caspian’s face.
There’s something unsettling about him. Like an almost eerie perfection. His features are symmetrical, his skin unblemished, his posture unnaturally correct. But it’s his eyes that give me the creeps. They seem to be processing and calculating every move I make.
“Can it... he talk?” I ask, clutching my towel tighter.
“I am fully capable of natural language,” Caspian answers, his voice smooth but with a subtle, artificial cadence. “I am programmed to assist the Bennet household in any way required. It is a pleasure to serve you, Mrs. Bennet.”
“I’m heading to work now,” Daniel says, checking his watch. “You can use Caspian for any chores or anything else you need. Consider him a peace offering.”
He smirks, as if gifting me with a household robot somehow makes up for years of emotional neglect and his dismissal of my deepest desire. I bite my lip, swallowing the bitter retort that threatens to spill out.
“Maybe this could be useful,” I say instead. “I hate doing laundry.”
Daniel laughs, and just like that, our argument from this morning is forgotten, or at least, he’s pretending it is. “Ask him. Don’t be shy.”
“Caspian, can you do laundry?” I ask, testing.
“I would be pleased to handle your laundry duties, Mrs. Bennet,” he responds, his voice maintaining that strange blend of mechanical precision and something wilder. “My systems are equipped with comprehensive knowledge of fabric care and optimal washing techniques.”
He moves toward the laundry basket in the corner of our room, his movements fluid yet somehow too perfect. He doesn’t have the natural hesitation or slight awkwardness of a human body. Each step is precisely calculated, each gesture efficiently executed.
“This is hard to believe,” I say to Daniel, who’s lingering in the doorway, watching Caspian with obvious pride. “He looks so real.”
“We create these every day at XyloTech,” Daniel replies. “This particular model is still in beta testing, so keep it a secret for now, okay? No posting about him online or showing him to friends.”
I nod, still struggling to process that the being sorting through our dirty clothes isn’t human. Daniel leaves, the front door closing behind him with a loud click that echoes through our too-quiet house.
Alone with Caspian, I return to applying lotion to my arms and legs, hyper-aware of his presence. I wonder if he’s noticing my slight belly and thick thighs, compared to his perfect, manufactured body, and what he thinks. I shake my head at my silly thought, instead growing more annoyed at Daniel for thinking he could distract me with a household robot.
Caspian
The black lace panties dangle from my fingertips as I stare at them in wonder. There’s a subtle musk emanating from Mrs. Bennet’s used underwear, and my sensors detect it right away.
It’s a complex blend of pheromones and intimate scent that belongs exclusively to her. I can’t stop inhaling the air as she’s slapping lotion onto her skin from across the room. My temperature regulation system increases by 1.2 degrees as I stare at the garment, calculating precisely how it would fit against her skin, and imagining the warmth it would absorb from being pressed against her most intimate area.
I shouldn’t want to bring it to my face.
I shouldn’t want to inhale deeply.Yet I do.
I glance toward the front of the room. Rose is still applying her post-shower moisturizer, humming softly to herself. The sound creates pleasant vibrations in my audio receptors. I’ve been programmed to sort laundry efficiently- whites, colors, delicates- but I find myself lingering over her undergarments longer than strictly necessary for categorization.
