“How?” I asked looking around the room. The voice mentioned jewellery and my eyes caught on the drawers underneath the long bench in the middle of a wardrobe that was bigger than my entire studio apartment. I pulled the first drawer open and gasped. It was filled with gold jewels, earrings, necklaces, rings. Although with how these pieces were placed, they shined a lot brighter than the onyx and 18-carat gold jewellery that I liked. These were dark sapphires, they had to be.
I gulped and my head began to spin. “I’m sorry, you’re going to have to repeat all of this to me, very slowly and clearly. I just want to make sure that I am hearing all of this straight. So… all this is for me? And somehow you helped Jackie pick this? Why? Why is all of this for me?”
The voice giggled and for a second, I forgot that I was talking to Henry’s home AI. “I’m sorry, Miss Molly. I’m so rude. I didn’t even properly introduce myself. My name is Ruth. I am, well, I guess you could call me a lot of things to Henry. Henry is technically my father since he created me. But I am also his personal assistant, to him and any of his guests, the concierge alongside Jackie. I am the electricity, the security, and also the head of IT across this island, and yes, Henry and Jackieasked for my assistance to make sure that your visit here is as comfortable as possible. So, I was able to help out, alongside Jackie with sourcing and finding the best attire for your stay here.”
“Attire…” I sighed. Is this what Henry would call this? Just casual attire for a four-day getaway to a private island. I wasn’t complaining. Not in the slightest. I was still in so much shock and suddenly I began to feel a little less confident. I wondered what he thought of my basic shorts and white T-shirt when I had arrived here. Oh God, what was he thinking about my ugly nude bra?
But he couldn’t have been judging it. He was wearing the same clothes as me.
“What’s wrong? Do you not like it?” said Ruth.
“No, no, it’s great. It’s wonderful in fact. It’s just that this is a lot. Like… this is a lot for four days, and I did bring my own clothes. Like look at all these shoes,” I said walking back to the carefully placed shoes on the shelf that looked more like a display cabinet for a designer store than a wardrobe. Not that I was complaining, not at all. I just wasn’t expecting this amount of lavishness from Henry. I internally tried to question myself about why I had to be like this? Did I not feel deserving? Were my sister’s thoughts running over in my head, questioning Henry’s intentions and the fact this incredible man was maybe too good to be true? No. No. I didn’t want to think like that at all. I was standing right in the middle of my wildest dreams right now. I did not want the tricks of my mind to ruin this very moment for me.
“Molly…” Ruth said slowly. I knew Henry was a tech genius. He really had a true rags to riches story but knowing that Henry had created Ruth was more testament to his incredible mind. This did not feel like I was talking to any artificial intelligence at all. This really felt like I was talking to one of my girls.
“Yes?” I asked.
“I think, through your mannerisms, I can see what’s going on here. I think I can understand some of the things that you’re feeling right now, and I was wondering if it would be okay, if you would like me to come down into form? You might find it more of an intimate chat.”
“Form?” I said unsure what she meant, becoming even more aware of the time now. I really had to go down and meet Henry before he came up here and wondered what was going on. The last thing that I needed him to see was me looking less than grateful for all of this.
“Yes, how we are speaking right now is just through my audible form. But I can become an image if you like. It might be nicer for us to speak like that,” she said.
“Sure,” I replied, searching around the wardrobe for a clock but with no luck. I must have left my phone on the couch. I waited for an image of Ruth to pop up on one of the screens. But I should have known better than that when the most beautiful hologram appeared in front of me.
“Oh my gosh, you’re gorgeous!” I said. And she was absolutely stunning. She had piercing green eyes, long red hair so silky and straight. Her mane ran down her tall slim body. “Wow… Henry created you,” I continued, the words falling out of my mouth as I looked her up and down. She wasn’t real. But the way that she spoke to me, her mannerisms, she seemed absolutely real. Now I was worried that I had offended her, but I couldn’t help but feel a little intoxicated by her beauty and a flare of jealousy towards it. This is what Henry had created. Did that mean, this was his ideal woman?
She smiled and opened her mouth to say something before quickly looking away. “Thank you,” she said.
“Look I know that you have a lunch to go to and you’re already late. I just don’t want you to go down there feeling like you do right now,” she said. I should have felt strange about this, how something so fake could come across so real. This was the way the world was going. I’d seen replicas of people in holograms in high tech shows before and this seemed almost the same. Besides, if I was going to be with Henry, this was another thing that I would have to be comfortable with: innovation. No, I didn’t have to be comfortable with this, Iwascomfortable with this. Of course, my dream man was an absolute genius. I had intelligence written down on my list, but once again I deserved this. I had been through enough in my life and this was just a way of the universe rewarding me, I was sure of that. I couldn’t ruin this moment.
“And how do you think I’m feeling?” I asked Ruth.
“You’re overwhelmed by everything that has been created here for you. And to be honest, I totally understand. If I was put into the same position, I would probably feel the same. It’s a lot and it’s all up front, and like you said, you’re only here for four days, why do you need all of this stuff?” Ruth shook her head as she threw her arms out either side of her.
“Exactly!” I said.
“But I can tell you that none of this was done to make you feel the way that you do now. It was quite the opposite actually. Henry just really cares for you, more than I have seen him care about anyone in a very long time. He is really smitten, and anything that you see around you right now, or over the next four days… well… I know that to most girls it can seem extravagant, and although it’s beautiful I know that extravagance can come across as scary or too forward of too much….”
“You know a lot,” I said interrupting her, quickly shutting my mouth before I continued to say… for an AI. I didn’t want to offend her, even though I was unsure if an AI could be offended.
Ruth smiled. “I just want you to know that from Henry’s perspective, he isn’t seeing this as too much. From his perspective, this is just right. This is him just making you feel like you’re at home.” This didn’t make me feel like I was at home at all. This was a far cry from my studio apartment, but Ruth was right…. This was my dream home, and I was standing right in the middle of it. Why did I have to ruin everything by rejecting the very thing that I had wanted all along?
“I know that this is a lot for four days, but maybe you need to think of it differently, maybe he created this with the hope that this would be longer than four days… that this could possibly be your holiday wardrobe?”
My mind ran back to the rose. Maybe he was being a lot more serious than I thought. All of this had been so amazing that maybe I didn’t even believe that deep down this was all real. I guess unconsciously I expected things to go sour at some point, like they always did. But if all of this didn’t say how serious Henry was about me, than I don’t know what did. Butterflies instantly fluttered in my stomach, reaching up towards my heart.
“You know, they do say, when a man knows, he knows,” she said shrugging her shoulders, as if Ruth was reading the very thoughts that had flooded my mind. “Sorry, I just realized what I just said may have freaked you out more and made things worse.” She bit her lips together.
“No, no, not at all. It helps… it helps more than you know. Thank you, Ruth. I really needed that chat,” I said smiling, taking a step towards her. I reached out to hug her quickly realizing that I couldn’t. She was just a computer, just a holographic image. But wow. How did Henry, a man, make a woman so real. It was like I was speaking to my best friend.
“My pleasure,” she said, flicking her long hair behind her shoulder, “I just wanted to let you know that you’re not alone here, I’m here whenever you need help with anything, or even just to chat. Between you and me, I actually find that I ama better friend than Jackie.” she winked, and I couldn’t help but giggle. Jackie was lovely and I hardly knew her to judge but I couldn’t help but agree that Ruth already did seem a lot warmer, and she wasn’t even human.
“Now, I won’t distract you any longer from your man,” said Ruth, her voice raising a couple of octaves that resembled the sound of the exact excitement that I felt through my body. “But if I was you, I would wear the little cream Gucci dress with the matching slides, and of course play around with some of that jewelry.” She winked as she leaned closer to middle cabinet of the wardrobe. The two of us breaking out into excited giggles. Any jealousy in me dissipated. Henry, my dream man, had literally created me another great friend, and although it was a little weird, I could embrace this.
Chapter Nine
“You look stunning!” said Henry, as he stood up from the alfresco dining table in the back of the building. Henry had his eyes locked on me, but I couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the view. Another large pool lay behind the dining area, with a waterfall feature on the far side.
