Athena

Chapter 10

"Do you want tea?"

Was that a dumb question? Did Athena even know what tea was? I handed her the cup anyway, and she very carefully took it.

"It's hot," I said.

That was better. Help her settle in. I wished Gina was here, she would have known what to do, but she'd gone to work, even though it was Athena's first day with us.

"Thank you", she said quietly.

She gingerly lifted the cup to her face and sniffed it. She had done that with everything I'd given her so far. The slice of cheese, the sandwich, the biscuits. I wasn't sure if I should tell her it wasn't needed. She took a sip, lowered the cup, and turned to watch the kitchen. She'd done that too ever since waking up. Gazing at the cupboards, the floor, and the counter as if she'd never seen them before. Which, I guess, she hadn't. Did she know anything about this world before coming here? Or did an Android wake up only after coming to a home? I wasn't sure.

"So, what do you want to do today?"

Maybe I shouldn't have interrupted her? But Gina would have said I had to be a good host. Wasn't that what they did, talk? But how would Athena know what she wanted to do? She didn't know what was possible.

"I... don't know."

Exactly. What else then? What do you speak about with an Android? Could I ask her how it was to be one? If she remembered the time when she stood in the warehouse? But maybe those were private topics to them. What else could I say? Should I tell her about me? But I didn't have an interesting life. Gina? She didn't have a very interesting life either.

"Maybe we could go to a park?," she said.

I stopped my train of thought. So she did know some things. Maybe Androids came with some sort of pre-installed program, some rudimentary knowledge about this world. Anyway, if she knew what to do, I would follow her.

"Yeah, sure, I can show you."

I got up and walked to the hallway, and she followed me. Good, at least we would have something to do.

"Are you ready?," I asked.

She nodded, staring at her feet with her hands clasped in front of her. Was this scary for her? She had never been outside, in the end. I watched her cradled hands. Should I? Wasn't that stupid? But maybe she needed it. I reached out a hand, and she looked at it before hesitantly taking it. At least she wouldn't get lost this way.

The street wasn't busy when we came down, but I held on to her to make sure she didn't slip away. I glanced at her. She seemed to have picked up her courage because she was watching the street and the people with the same eyes as she'd watched the kitchen. I guess she hadn't seen people before, either.

"Do you like it?," I asked.

She turned to look at me and nodded.

"It's exactly as I had imagined, only better."

So she did know something. But why did everything seem so new to her then?

"So... What had you imagined?"

She looked down suddenly, and it took a moment before she said,

"Oh, I don't know. Just green, I guess."

That was a strange answer... I decided to drop it.

"What do you want to do at the park?", I asked instead.

I should have brought a Frisbee, or something else to do. What if we would just stand there staring at the trees until it was time to go home? That would be a failure.

"I don't know."

Maybe I could show her the flowers? Or maybe that would bore her? Besides, I didn't know any names of them. I could simply point and say it was a red flower. But that she would be able to see for herself. Man, I should have prepared better.

We crossed the street. The park was on the other side, and I could feel her pulling me as we came closer. When we came to the edge of the grass, she stopped and let go of my hand. I took a step back. She didn't move. She had never seen a park. Should I help her understand it? But somehow, I stayed quiet. After a while, she crouched down and took a handful of grass in her hand.

"It's exactly how I had envisioned it to be."

She turned, and for the first time today, I saw her smiling.

"We can go back now", she said.

It hadn't been long, but maybe it was enough for the first time. I took her hand, and we walked back. How was it to see everything anew, I wondered. To have seen this for the first time. I had, at one point, of course. But it was such a long time ago, that I couldn't remember my wonder at it any longer. We walked back in silence, I still didn't know what to say, but somehow, I didn't mind.