Here is the next installment of My Fairytale. As always, I would love feedback about the story, if you see any typos, if it doesn’t flow as it should, or what you think about it overall.

4

It soon became apparent that the robot community expected us to have a life partner as quickly as possible. Worship services, which until recently, were separated with the men and women on opposite sides of the room, were now intermingled.

          Into this peaceful atmosphere, Walter showed up one Sunday morning. I should add, he continued to ask me for a date every day after work, and I continued to say no.

          “So, this is where you hang out on Sunday mornings. You buy into all this religious stuff?”

          By then I had finished reading Proverbs. I knew who I needed to stay away from and what to look for in a friend. “Why did you come here, Walter?”

          “I wanted to see why you rebuff my attempts at friendship and being your life partner.”

          “I will never be your life partner. As for being your friend, we are work partners, nothing more.”

          “Give me a chance to show you we can work well as life partners too.”

          “Doubtful. This is the first time you have come to a worship service. You know nothing about God.”

          “And you do?”

          “I’m learning.”

          Walter looked at the other humans and robots who filled the sanctuary. “I’m surprised to see robots here, though they do have their hand in everything.” He looked back at me. “Tell me, do they tell you what to believe?”

          “No, they do not,” I said emphatically.

          “Then why do you come?”

          “I come because it makes me happy.”

          “Happy,” he sneered. “It takes a lot more than a quiet church to make a person happy.”

          “I agree. People make a big difference. Can I help you?” asked a man I hadn’t seen since the beginning of the service.

          Walter looked at him. “No. I was making conversation with the lady.”

          “It’s okay, Patrick. I work with him.”

          Walter looked at him more closely. “Are you, her bodyguard?”

          “Not in the slightest. I sensed trouble.”

          “Sense trouble elsewhere,” said Walter.

          I had the feeling that if he were anywhere but inside a church, he would emit foul language. I could see it in his attitude and hear it in his tone.

          “I think it’s time you left,” said Patrick.

          “Nobody tells me when it’s time to leave.”

          “Walter—”

          He glared at me. Not a good sign.

          “I will see you at work tomorrow.”

          With that, he strode out of the church. I could only imagine where he went as I let out a sigh of relief.

          “Thank you. It’s the first time I’ve seen him here.”

          “Can I walk with you for a bit?”

          I looked around for my parents and didn’t see them. “It looks like I’m on my own.”

          We walked outside the church before he said, “Where do you work?”

          “The Space Observatory. What about you?”

          “I’m a botanist. I work at Cragshire Botanical Gardens.”

          “That sounds interesting. Tell me about your work.”

          “Why don’t I take you and show you what I do?”

          “All right.” I don’t know why I trusted him. It could be the fact I saw him every Sunday in church. He always seemed pleasant, though until recently, men and women didn’t mingle. “I should let my parents know where I am and where I’m going.”

          “I agree. You don’t need to worry them unnecessarily.”

          He was a gentleman. After I notified my parents about my plans, we spent a wonderful afternoon at the Gardens. He showed me his work and how he cared for the various plants. He told me many of the plants came from Earth while many more were indigenous to the planet. When we left the gardens, he gave me a plant and promised me I couldn’t kill it. It was a native plant in glorious hues of pink, yellow, purple, and blue. The greenery surrounding it felt like velvet rubber and took up as much of the plant as the flowers. It was stunning.

          He took me home instead of back to the church because Father came and got my transport.

          “Thank you for the wonderful afternoon. I’ll see you next Sunday.”

          “I’d like to see you before then, if it’s possible.”

          There was something different about him. “I’d like that.”

          “What time do you get off work?”

          “Five.”

          “I’ll pick you up at six.”

          “I’ll be ready,” I said and went into the house.

          “Did you enjoy your afternoon with Patrick?” asked Mother.

          “Yes. He gave me a plant native to Aithra.”

          “Yes, it’s a regal snohsonna. They’re hearty and grow year-round. They need a lot of water and sunlight,” said mother.

          “I have the perfect place to put it,” I said as I headed for my bedroom. I placed the flower where it would have direct sunlight and moonlight day and night. Now, all I needed to do was to remember to water it.

          Mother followed me to my room. “It’s perfect. You’ll need this to keep it watered,” she said, handing me a water bulb to put into the plant.

          “It will alert you when you need to add water to the plant.”

          “Thank you.”

          “Did you eat? I have supper ready if you didn’t.”

          “We snacked at the Gardens, but didn’t eat. What did you make?”

          “Vegetable stew without meat.”

          “Sounds good. I’ll be right down.”

          Mother left and I continued to look at the plant Patrick gave me and think about our afternoon together. He was the perfect life partner. He was a gentleman, went to church, was gentle, handsome, and made me laugh.

          After supper, I went out to look at the night sky as I always did, and Father followed me out.

          “So, tell me about Patrick?”

          “What can you tell me about him? I’m sure you and Mother already read his file.”

          “His biological parents were Welsh and Irish. His father was Welsh, and his mother was Irish. They were both botanists, so he’s following in their heritage. They both had a strong Christian heritage. Now tell me what you think about him.”

          “I like him. He would make a good life partner. At least he’s better than Walter, who showed up at church this morning. Patrick came to my rescue.”

          “Oh?”

          “Walter was making snide remarks about church.”

          “You already know he’s not the one for you. Patrick sounds like a good contender.”

          “How will I know if he’s the one for me?”

          “Your heart and your head will tell you.”

          “I like being around him.”

          “It’s a good start. Don’t let him be the only person you meet. There were a lot of men in the experiment.”

          “As I found out a few days ago.”

          “Have you learned anything new about the comet?”

          “Not yet. It’s still too far away to make any measurements. However, the meteor shower should start in the next couple of days.”

          “I know you’ll be gazing out your window as you lay in bed.”

          “Yes, I will.”

          “Come inside. It’s time you went to bed. You have work in the morning.”

          “Yes. I’m looking forward to it because I want to see where the comet is in the sky. I’m not looking forward to seeing Walter and what he will say about Patrick and church.”

          “You will get through it.”

          “I know. I’m a strong woman as my name indicates.”

          “Your name fits you.”

          “Yes, it does,” I said, following him into the house.

~

          I walked into the lab ready to get the equipment from the equipment locker for the next sighting of the comet. Since we found it, it hadn’t moved enough to take readings. Hopefully, I will see changes when we get to our site.

          “We’re taking my transport this morning,” said Walter, coming toward me, a smug look on his face.

          “No. I’m taking my transport.”

          “I have Supervisor Robot’s permission.”

          “Is there a problem?” asked Supervisor Robot, coming to us.

          “I do not want to go with him in his transport,” I said, hoping to settle the subject.

          “It is unwise to use two transports when you are going to the same location.”

          “It’s settled. Bring the equipment and we’ll be on our way,” said Walter.

          “Nothing is settled. Supervisor Robot, I have no wish to be with Walter in any situation that could compromise my integrity.”

          “You do not get along as lab partners?”

          “We work well together. However, it’s more than that,” I tried to express.

          Supervisor Robot considered my request for several long moments, or so it seemed.

          “I will find you a new partner. For now, you will go on your own transport. I expect to see good results when you return.”

          “Thank you, Supervisor Robot,” I said and took the equipment to my transport. It didn’t take long to reach the mountain.

          Walter came to me before I had the equipment set up.

          “I will have you for my life partner.”

          “No, you will not. I don’t know who my life partner will be yet, but he won’t be rude or treat people as though they are beneath their notice.”

          “I suppose you think Patrick is the person for you. Yes, I looked him up when I got home from your church yesterday. He is not even in our field of expertise.”

          “What does it matter what field he’s in. At least he is courteous and treats people with respect and dignity.”

          “I’ll show you respect and dignity,” he said and went back to his transport for the remaining equipment.

          We worked well together as we always did. He was quiet for the most part, giving me occasional looks, but only kept it professional.

          “I come from good breeding.”

          “We all came from good breeding,” I said, adjusting the telescope so we could get a good look at the comet. “Look here!” I said excitedly. “You can see it moved. The meteor shower has also started.”

          “Let me have a look,” he said, putting his eye to the telescope. “Yes, it’s quite a distance since yesterday.” He snapped a picture of the comet and documented the information.

          “It’s closer,” I said, looking at the pictures we already took from the past week. It’s decidedly larger.”

          They compared the pictures back to the first and started seeing the pattern. When put together, the comet had moved a full inch in the past week.

          “Does it look to you like it will hit the moon or us?” I asked.

          “It will miss the moon. However, on the trajectory it’s on, it will come close to Aithra.”

          “I agree with you. Supervisor Robot should have these pictures right away.”

          “Let’s pack it up then. I want to see what the others have for pictures.”

          Excitement ran like quicksilver through my veins as we packed everything into our transports. I looked up to see if I could see any meteors, but they too were out of reach, but not for long. With the equipment packed into the two vehicles, we headed back to the Space Observatory.

          There were ten groups of us, bursting with excitement as Walter and I entered the laboratory at the Space Observatory. We compared the pictures taken through the past week and this morning.

          “Good work everyone. However, we need to contact the government officials and let them know what we found this morning. It will be up to them to send a rocket up to give the comet a nudge away from the planet,” said Supervisor Robot.

          “How soon will the comet be close to Aithra?” asked another team member.

          “Judging from these pictures, Michael, I would estimate three weeks.”

          “Will we have time to send a rocket up to give it a nudge?” I asked.

          “I will notify the government agency right away about the impending comet,” said Supervisor Robot.

          We prepared to leave. I put the equipment away and locked the door.

          “You will want to watch the heavens for the next few days as the meteor shower gets closer to Aithra,” said Supervisor Robot before he left.

          “How about we grab a bite to eat. Then we can watch the meteor shower afterward,” said Walter.

          “No. I need to go straight home.”

          “You have a date with Patrick, don’t you?”

          “My life is none of your concern.”

          “On the contrary. Your life is very much my concern.”

          “Let me make this perfectly clear—Stay away from me. Supervisor Robot will pair me with a new partner and end my association with you,” I said and left the room without a backward glance.

          I soon landed the transport at home and walked inside to Mother’s waiting arms. “You’re early.”

          “We had some excitement today. The comet we’ve been monitoring for the past week is getting noticeably closer to Aithra. Supervisor Robot estimates it will be close to Aithra in three weeks. He’s talking to the space agency about what they can do to send a rocket to nudge it away from the planet. Also, the meteor shower has started.”

          “If it’s that close, they will need to send a rocket up soon.”

          “Yes, they will. I’m so excited. How often do we get comets?”

          “It depends on the comet, the elliptical orbit, and how fast it travels. Some are seen every one-hundred and fifty years, while others once in fifty thousand years. This will be the third one since First Robot created me four hundred years ago.”

          “Then this could be the only one I will ever see in my lifetime.”

          “Yes, unless this is the one not seen in fifty-thousand years, then you might see the other one yet in your lifetime.”

          “I’m certain Supervisor Robot will have the answer to that question by tomorrow. In the meantime, Patrick is picking me up at six for a date.”

          “I read his file last night and he seems like a nice young man. He comes from a long line of botanists. Well-known on Earth.”

          “You don’t need to check up on the men who want to date me.”

          “Your father and I were concerned when we learned about Walter’s character.”

          “I appreciate your concern. I think my human instinct can tell me whether I will like him or not.”

          “You can’t be too careful. At any rate, Patrick is a likeable young man. He has many friends, is sociable, and goes to worship. Whereas Walter is none of those things.”

          “No, he’s not. I must get ready.”