Ty, a shift manager with an alcoholic wife, creates a female replicant in a dystopia veering toward full mechanization. For Ty, the surreal drudgery of working in a retail environment is interrupted when robotic interfaces are installed at his job...
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Ty waited up for Samantha, but it was a wasted effort. She refused to share details of her date.
Ever since marching back in the house, she maintained a tightened jaw, bordering on a grimace. She kept up the sour attitude until the following morning. Had Jennifer been awake, she would have asked about it, but (not surprisingly), she slept in.
In the afternoon, Ty again pressed Samantha about her date, and she finally confessed. Apparently, Wallace was a great conversationalist. A real gentleman. After "gentlemen", she hesitated.
"What?" Ty asked.
The night had consisted of dinner, miniature golf, and it had been nice, but...Samantha stopped, and appeared uncomfortable.
"But what?"
"Why is sex with a man so damn painful?" She sat back as though she'd just revealed the world's biggest secret.
"But, um, uh." Ty's mind grabbed on to what it could compute. "Jennifer told me her first time hurt like hell too. I think it's normal...for girls."
She cocked her head. "See, that's what I thought, so we had a second go-round, and it still hurt. Felt like I had three penises inside of me, and in a bad way."
He shook off the imagery. "Maybe, uh, it takes a couple times."
"Could be." Samantha shifted in her chair, carefully.
Yikes, she moving slowly for a reason.
"You know what? I'll give something a chance, even two chances. After that," she snapped her fingers, "I'm done."
Ty had always been forgiving. Some people complimented his accepting nature, calling him pragmatic. He was happy to be accommodating, especially when his mother had been so unyielding. He couldn't understand Samantha's desire to limit herself. Trying was in Ty's (and therefore her) nature.
"What makes you say that?"
"Just been thinking. Giving too many chances can be a bad thing."
"Bad thing, bad thing," Helia mimicked.
"Eat your sandwich, honey," Ty said.
What Samantha said got him thinking. Jennifer had been given a lot of chances, with little to show. What good had it done? No damn good, that's what.
Suddenly, Ty stood. "Be right back."
~*~
Samantha watched Ty approach the master bedroom. Before entering, he took a deep breath. After, she heard muffled words. Jennifer started crying, Ty was yelling. The next thing Samantha expected to hear was Ty lugging Jennifer's luggage to the front door. What really happened was the bedroom door closed and the yelling stopped.
Ty emerged twenty minutes later with bright eyes and flushed cheeks. Whatever he had intended by confronting Jennifer hadn't gone in his favor. Well, not entirely.
He flashed Samantha a sheepish grin, and she couldn't help but laugh.
The poor jackass.
~*~
A/N: If you're having a good time, let it show with a vote :D
Then show writer Lord_JellyBeanz your reader-ly love by adding Battle for Lithya, an epic fantasy tale detailing the distant land of Dragiusfala:
