Robot Wife

The windows rattled as his now ex-wife slammed the door behind her. She took their daughter. He could only watch as his daughter was tugged away, glancing back at her dad every once in a while. His ex-wife didn’t even spare him a glance, as she went inside the car and sped away.

A year later, the doorbell rang. A woman in a beautiful, pink sundress stood in front of the door. Her smile, wide and innocent. His robot had arrived. James thought, she was way prettier than his ex-wife.

The longer James stayed with the robot, the more he realized that life with a wife had never been better. Unlike his ex-wife, the robot never nagged at him, it never fought back, it followed whatever he told it to do, it loved him regardless of what he did, and it was ready to use whenever he was in the mood.

A gentle nudge woke James up. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was his robot wife. Its smile a little duller than 3 years ago when he first got it. After going to the washroom, James sat down at the table, his toast and scrambled egg were still warm. His robot placed a coffee next to his plate and stood on the side. He lifted the mug, blew on it, and took a sip. James lets out a satisfied sigh; he could tell that today would be a good day.

“Thank you,” he said with a smile. “I appreciate you doing this for me every day.”

James took his time to program the robot into his daily routine. Wake him up at exactly 7:45, breakfast and coffee should be on the table when he comes out of the washroom, and his briefcase should be ready by the door so he can just grab it on the way out. Having a robot as a wife made his life very easy. There were times when the robot made mistakes, but after a thorough fix, it would work well until the next reprogram.

When he got home, he was greeted by his robot wife and the smell of a home-cooked meal. The robot took his suit from him, and he made his way to the shower before sitting down at the table. He scanned the table. Tonight's dinner was salad, and spaghetti and meatballs. There was something weird about this, though. He looked at the robot.

“Is this yesterday’s leftover?” He said slowly.

“It would be a waste if I threw it away,” the robot started. “I reheated them for you.”

James took the plate of spaghetti and threw it at the robot. The plate hit the robot’s head, dousing it with sauce and strands of spaghetti. One thing he’d been telling the robot is that he despises leftovers. There should be freshly cooked meals every day.

“Are you fucking with me right now?” James said, voice low. A robotic sorry was all he got. “Well, I guess you don’t love me anymore. You’re letting me starve.” He huffed and went back into the bedroom.

When James got violent with the robot the first time, his heart pounded in his chest, and he felt queasy and tingly in a weird way. However, if he didn't show it who was in control, then it might dictate his life. This robot looked too human, her eyes had a sparkle in them and her smile was as bright as humans do, and she moved like a real woman does. He felt attached to the robot; he promised himself he would take care of her. There were times when he got violent, but he blamed his anger issues for that. James knew it sounded insane, but he never let his robot out. Other robots could roam outside whenever they wanted, but James knew there were many bad men outside. It may have been him being overprotective, but he didn't like it when other men looked at his robot like they wanted it. He found it disgusting. He knew about cases where men were aggressive toward robots. James was protecting what was and would forever be his.

The next day started like the day before. There was a gentle nudge to wake him up; breakfast and coffee were on the table. However, when he took a sip of the coffee, something tasted wrong; the coffee was a tad too sweet. James enjoyed his coffee in a very specific way. He knew if even just one drop of sugar was added. Angry that his morning was ruined, he threw the coffee at the robot. The robot just stood there and accepted it. Even though the coffee was hot, it was a robot; it didn't feel pain.

“This tastes like shit!” James yelled. “You can’t even make a simple coffee? I thought you were supposed to be good at that.” A robotic apology was what he received. James huffed in anger.

“You fucked up last night, and you’re fucking it up this morning too?” James shoved his breakfast away. “I’m not eating that shit anymore. If I die of hunger, that’s on you.”

He stormed off to the bedroom to get his suit. Before he left the house, he mumbled, “It’s like they gave me a defective. What's the point of having that fuckass robot then?”

Things like coffee should be the easiest for the robot; it actually was the first thing that it did well. Mess-ups like this meant a reprogram.

—

Her day always starts at 5 AM. She walks slowly to the bathroom, careful not to make a sound. As she turns on the light, she observes the state she’s in. Red burns on her face from the hot coffee thrown the day before. Bruises on her arms from being tugged and hit last night. It was her fault for serving him leftovers and putting one more spoon of sugar in his coffee. It was her fault for being too tired to think of something new to cook. It was her fault for losing her touch as a barista. These are simple things, yet she couldn't do it.

Lina Burke, that’s her name. She worked as a barista when she met him. She thought it was fate. James was a charming and gentle guy. He told her about how his ex-wife left him with their daughter, "my pride and joy," he would say. It only took her a year before she decided she wanted to spend the rest of her life with James.

She remembered it vividly; their wedding seemed like something out of a fairytale, “You’re so beautiful,” he would say. It was the happiest day of her life. Lina remembered being surrounded by people whom she loved. My future days will be as perfect as this, she thought.

The day she moved in, she came with her pink sundress, the exact one she wore for their first date. James had told her she was breathtaking in that dress. She was very much looking forward to spending the rest of her life with her love. At first, James was still helping with the chores. He cooked, he washed dishes, he helped her with laundry, and he cleaned up after himself well. However, after he went back to work from their honeymoon, he couldn’t find the time to help Lina. She thought she could handle it. Lina had quit her job to be the best housewife. James would tell her that she was a perfect wife for him. “So perfect like a robot, in a good way,” he would say. Lina basked in the praises; she wanted to make her husband happy.

The abuse came a year after they were married. It all started with little mean comments here and there, which were brushed off as a joke. It went on to James lashing out, apologizing right after, “I’m so sorry,” he would say. “I don’t know what has gotten into me. I promise, I’ll never do that again.” The empty promises then went on to harsh tugs and shoves. It escalated a little when he started pinching her when she as much as talked to the cashier in the grocery store.

Then it happened. She woke up feeling oddly refreshed. Panic settled in after she saw it was 8:30; her husband would be late. She shook him in a hurry; that was the first mistake. She packed up his lunch and made coffee hastily; second mistake. She then pushed him out the door. That night, James went home with a frown. Lina greeted him with a smile.

“How is work? Were you very late?” she asked. What greeted her was not the voice of her husband but a sting on her cheek. One second she’s looking at her husband and another she’s looking at the floor. Her ears were ringing; she thought she heard a slap. It was after that night that she realized the gentle guy she had met years ago was no more. Just a man she doesn’t even recognize.

Lina used to believe it would not be as bad as this, but she was obviously proven wrong. She would wake up earlier than James and sleep later than him, unless he needed her for bedroom activities. Those are the only times she is allowed to sleep early. She could’ve walked out the door in the earlier abuse, but something in her was telling her, “What if he changes? He still constantly apologizes and tells you he loves you; surely it means something.” Lina found herself in a constant inner battle; she couldn’t ask for advice, James had made her cut off her friends and family earlier in the relationship. He had told her how one of her best friends had actually been pursuing him, how her family was actually just using her, but she should remember, he's always on her side. Lina couldn’t trust anyone who was not James. “It’s us against the world, love,” he would say. Lina believed it. But now she just wants it to stop; she wants it to end. Of course, it hurt her every time he said mean things to her, degraded her, and hit her. She doesn’t want it to be just the two of them. She gets lonely in the house, whether he is there or not. She needs a friend.

However, hope sparks one more time, as it always does. She knows how to fix this. Her lovely and gentle husband will be back in no time. Lina looks in the mirror, slowly caressing her stomach. A little one is coming. The little one will be the glue to fix whatever is broken between them. He or she will bring back the lovely James, she’s sure of it. But for now, she will endure it. She will keep on smiling. She will continue to act as the perfect wife who can do whatever her husband wants, like a robot, in a good way.