Today I Am Carey

by Martin L Shoemaker

  Susan looks over Paul’s shoulder and frowns. Paul holds up a hand before she can speak. “Very well,” he says. “I’ll transfer the funds right away.”

  The colonel nods. “All right. Again, welcome to Belize. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.” But I am starting, finally, to build an emulation profile for him. What he feels is not sorrow, it is . . . suspicion? “Thank you for being cooperative. Now I must get back to other business.”

  20. Today We Arrive in Caye Caulker

  Rodrigo volunteers to bring us to Caye Caulker. His small boat almost overflows with him, Susan, Paul, their luggage, and myself. It rides low in the surf, and I can see that Paul is excited to be out on the ocean, but a little nervous. Rodrigo seems completely at ease, and Susan is too fascinated by the sights and sounds to pay attention to the water. Rodrigo gives us a tour of the harbor and the area, citing local historical events with a mix of stories about current developments in Belize. “We are still a sleepy country,” he says. “Our motto is ‘Slow down.’ We do not live in Belize to rush, to strive. We in Belize live to appreciate life. But tourists expect some level of modern conveniences, and we have some businesses growing up to serve those. Belize changes, but slowly. We may not have all the technological luxuries to which you are accustomed, but we have the sand and the surf, a cool breeze, the hot sun, the cayes, the people.”

  Paul looks away from the waves. “You have some amount of industry obviously,” he says. “You have your workshop. You wouldn’t have something like that without a reason.”

  “We must repair things,” Rodrigo says. “Even today, you will not find many powered vehicles on the islands, but there are many on the mainland. Our hospitals have advanced much in recent years, and their equipment needs service as well. There is always work for technicians like me to keep things running. We may not be MCA, but we have challenges.”

  Paul glances at me, then back to Rodrigo. “So you’re familiar with MCA?”

  “I did some reading when the colonel told me I would be inspecting. I looked over Carey’s schematics from MCA. Interesting, though dated. I also did a little research on the company. Your generation of BRKCX units was the only one with those empathy nets and neural nets. My reading says those were deemed to be a failure.”

  “They were,” I say.

  “I listen to you, and I think maybe not so much a failure,” Rodrigo says. He says no more, but a question is clearly implied.

  Before I can answer, Paul cuts in. “Carey is unique, one of the early models. More successful.”

  “Unique indeed. You understand much my friend, don’t you?”

  I nod. “Some. Belize surprises me. Your expressions, your mannerisms are new to me. There is something I did not understand. You did not tell Colonel Rejón what I can do. You kept it secret from him. Why?”

  “I kept no secret. I answered all of his questions. I filled out the reports. I confirmed that you have no weapons that could threaten people of Belize, and that’s what he wanted to know.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “But if I had told him the rest,” Rodrigo continues, “he would’ve been suspicious, fearful. You must understand our border conflict in Guatemala goes back over two centuries. Ten years ago it broke out into war. Guatemala is a much richer country than us, and they acquired automated soldiers for their incursion. Military robots. Those were second- or thirdhand on the black market, I’m sure. They were not much more effective than human troops, just less prone to stress and exhaustion. But the psychological effect! The idea of the metal monsters roaming our jungles almost broke the government.”

  Rodrigo looks away. I think he does not want me to read his face as he continues. “The people were willing to surrender rather than face these creatures. It took everything the government had to pull the people together, and it took fierce fighting by our troops, with heavy losses.” Then he looks back at me, and I sense . . . pride? “The colonel is a veteran of that fighting. A hero! Captain Javier Rejón and Lieutenant León were the only survivors of their Defence unit. They stood off a squad of mechanicals long enough for reinforcements to turn the tide of that battle. And a brave journalist captured it all. When we saw this video, our pride was stirred. That was when we decided to fight.”

  Then Rodrigo turns back to me. “I may find the colonel to be difficult at times, but I respect his service to our people. Because of that experience, he is very serious about our laws in this regard. And he is not the only one. So I’m not sure how special you are, my friend, how well you understand, but try not to draw attention to yourself.”

  “I understand,” I said.

  “That’s good,” Rodrigo smiles broadly. “Maybe someday I will visit America, and you can introduce me around MCA. This is what they were doing twenty-five years ago. I can only imagine what they’re doing today.”

  “No need to imagine,” Paul says. “I should introduce you to my future son-in-law.”

  A single weathered wooden pier juts out into the bay at Caye Caulker, and there are people standing on it in the fading light of the sun. I adjust my vision, and I recognize Millie and Wayne. There is also an older gentleman—bald, bearded, wearing glasses—as well as a few younger people. Dr. Winters and his students, I surmise.

  Rodrigo guides the boat up to the pier, where steep wooden steps descend to the waterline and below. “My good android,” he says, “if you could grab that piling.” I look where he points and I see a big wooden post sticking out of the water, with strong mooring lines hanging from it. He slows the motor and then reverses it. We almost hit the post, but I grab it and stop our forward motion. “All right, hold on,” he continues. He ties the rear of the boat to another piling, and then he steps carefully around Paul and Susan to the front of the boat. “Unless you are programmed for knots, I think it best that I tie us off,” he says.

  “I am not,” I say.

  He looks at me and laughs. “Is that a joke? I am knot.”

  I am puzzled at first and then I realize his point. “No, I am not programmed for homonym humor.”

  Rodrigo laughs louder “Homonym humor. That’s even funnier!” He grabs one of the lines and ties up the front of the boat, and then he goes back and grabs the side of the stair. “I will hold this steady as you good people ascend. Then Carey and I will bring your luggage up.”

  As I reach the top of the pier, I am surprised at who I see. “Anna?”

  Anna hugs me. “You didn’t think I would miss Frog Girl’s wedding, did you? I told Vishal he could handle the boys for a few days, and here I am.”

  Paul smiles at his reunited family. Then he looks around. “This is really beautiful, Rodrigo. I can see it now. The waters.” He turns and looks at the village at the end of the pier. “Simple living.” Over the treetops, the sun is almost gone. “A little hot, but the wind is pleasant. I see it.”

  Rodrigo grins. “Slow down, Mr. Owens. This is Belize. What’s the hurry?”

  “What’s the hurry?” Susan asks. “We’ve got a wedding to prepare for!” She checks her comp. “Only sixteen hours away!”

  “Oh, Mom,” Anna says “We’ve got that all covered. Wait until you see this church! That’s all the romance Millie will need. Flowers, candles. You’re going to love it.”

  Paul puts an arm around Susan’s waist. “Flowers, candles, simple church. Ah, memories . . .” he says.

  Susan glares at him, but only for a moment. Then she smiles. “I suppose it was good enough for us.”

  Rodrigo reaches out and shakes Paul’s hand and then gives him a card. “This is my number. I will be happy to transport you again when you are ready to return to the mainland.”

  “Thank you, Rodrigo,” Paul says.

  “And . . . Wayne?”

  Wayne looks at Rodrigo. “Yes?”

  “I am Rodrigo Pineda.” Rodrigo shakes Wayne’s hand. “I would not pull you away from your wedding; but I hope we can talk during your visit.” He looks over at me. “I want to hear all about MCA.”
<
br />   Wayne nods, though his face shows confusion. Then Rodrigo turns to me and holds out his hand to me as well. I shake it. “My android friend,” he says. “So much I could learn from you. But my wife and my little ones are waiting for me. Enjoy your stay in Belize.” He quickly descends the stairs.

  Millie introduces us to Dr. Winters and her fellow researchers, and then she leads us off the pier. Caye Caulker is very strange to my eyes. It is clean, and everything is bright; but there is so much variety in style, building materials, colors. Each building appears to have been constructed of whatever happened to be available, and in a style to fit the materials. Here and there are brick buildings, businesses and a local Defence post. More are wood or plaster. Some are corrugated sheet metal. Windows are open in many of the older buildings; but the newer-looking ones are as sealed as any building in America, and I see air conditioning units in those. Most of the buildings have solar panels on walls or roofs.

  Numerous people pass through the streets, not enough to seem crowded, just busy. They come in a range of ages and sizes and shades. As with Colonel Rejón, I find their emotions difficult to read. There are cultural differences that surprise me, expressions and body language that defy the expectations of my empathy net.

  But I do notice one unusual similarity among them: Virtually everyone looks relaxed, peaceful, unhurried. It is such a difference from the busy world I know. I seem to be the only exciting element in their day: Many stop to stare at me, while children run up and follow me. Other children run through the alleys, shouting to friends, “Come see the mechanical man!”

  At the far end of the main street, we approach Our Lady of Assumption. It is small, very old by the looks of it, but in good repair. It is a single story, not much larger than the Owens home. A bell tower rises in the front with a big brass bell visible from below. The doors are nearly three meters tall. Susan walks up and rubs her hand on them. “Look at the beautiful mahogany.”

  Dr. Winters pulls open the door and holds it as we enter. “Oh,” Susan says as she walks in. “Oh, this is so beautiful.” Inside, a large chapel dominates the space, just beyond a small vestibule. The pews are all the same dark mahogany as the doors. The altar area at the front is clean white stucco decorated in colorful tapestries depicting scenes I do not recognize. The lectern again is mahogany. The windows on the walls are colored glass, also depicting people and events with which I am unfamiliar.

  As Millie shows Susan and Anna the vestibule, a door opens near the altar. A short, dark-skinned man, balding with a fringe of gray, comes in. Wayne walks over to him, pulling Paul along. “Father Gregor,” he says.

  “Mr. Stockwell.” Gregor smiles and shakes Wayne’s hand.

  “Father,” Wayne continues, “this is Paul Owens, Millie’s father.”

  “I’m so glad you could join us, Mr. Owens.”

  Paul shakes Gregor’s hand. “We couldn’t miss this, especially not this beautiful church and your wonderful country.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Owens. I am so happy that you will be here for the blessed event.”

  “We are too, father,” Paul says. “We are too.” Paul looks over at Susan and Millie as they move around the church, talking and laughing and pointing as they make plans. “Well, Wayne, it looks like they’ll be a while with wedding plans here. Maybe you and I should take the luggage to the hotel?”

  Wayne nods, and Paul turns back to Gregor. “So, Father, I will see you tomorrow. Very nice to meet you. Beautiful church you have here.”

  “Simple and beautiful. We work hard to keep it up.”

  We head over to the women to say our goodbyes. Wayne embraces Millie. “We have to take the luggage to the hotel. You got things covered here, Rana?”

  Millie wraps her arms around Wayne’s neck. “We have lots to do here. Be back soon?” Wayne nods, and they kiss.

  When the kiss continues, Paul clears his throat. “Enough time for that tomorrow, you two.”

  Wayne’s face turns red, and the couple separate. Wayne leads us out of the church and down the three broad steps to the street, pointing at a two-story building just south of the church.

  “We and Dr. Winters’s team are in here in Nova House,” Wayne says. “I’m sorry, we got the last rooms. But we found you and Anna rooms in Mica’s Place on the east side of town, overlooking the ocean. Come on. I’ll show you the way.”

  Paul unlocks and opens the hotel room door, and he laughs. “It’s so colorful.”

  I enter behind Wayne and I see what Paul means. The walls are a bright lime green. The floors are dark wood, but a bright blue throw covers most of them. A dresser and a nightstand and two wooden chairs are painted a deep red, which matches the pillows on the bed. The bedspread is yellow and green stripes, the green almost matching the walls.

  “And clean,” Paul adds. “Well maintained. You made a good choice, Wayne.”

  “It wasn’t much of a choice. This is the only other place in town, Mr. Owens.”

  “Hey! Enough with the Mr. Owens bit. You can call me Dad or Paul, your choice.”

  “Well, Dad will take some getting used to. I guess Paul.”

  Paul looks at me and grins with just his eyes. “All right. Today I am Paul. But work on Dad.”

  21. Today Millie Gets Married

  When we get to the church the next morning, the research team are busily decorating. Susan and Millie are nowhere to be seen. Wayne is also absent, as is Dr. Winters.

  Paul stands and fidgets. He looks out of place in his tuxedo here in the casual world of Caye Caulker, and I suspect he does not want to touch anything that might get it dirty.

  Anna sees us come up to the stairs and she runs out. “Carey, perfect!” she says. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of this sooner.”

  “Think of what, Anna?”

  “You can be our usher.”

  I look back on my memories of Anna’s own wedding. “Yes, I remember,” I say. The ushers then had had a simple job: asking “Friends of the bride or friends of the groom?” and then walking each party down the aisle, seating them. They had been very uncomfortable seating me, even though I clearly belonged on the bride’s side. Paul and Susan had assured them that I was with them.

  Then I thought of a problem. “But are there any friends of the groom?”

  “Well, the research team are both and they’re the only guests we have. Everyone else is family. So just seat everyone anywhere. We’ll hardly fill the church. Just balance them out on both sides.”

  So that is what I do as the music begins. A woman from the village plays soft, slow music on a piano near the rear of the chapel as I walk guests down the aisle two at a time. It does not take long to seat everyone. I seat Dr. Winters in the front on the right. Today he is Wayne’s father, emulating much as I might.

  Then I go back and find that Susan and Millie have just come over from Millie’s hotel. Millie wears a simple white dress, with a short hem suitable for the hot weather in Belize. Her face is covered with a gauzy veil. Susan stands and looks at her, gripping Millie’s shoulders, and then her hands. Then they hug, crying, but carefully so as not to smudge makeup.

  Susan comes up the stairs and smiles at me. “Let’s do this, Carey.”

  I walk her down the aisle at a slow, stately pace, matching the music. While we were outside, Wayne has appeared and stands in front of the altar next to Father Gregor. Wayne wears a white suit too large for him, perhaps borrowed from a local. He shifts back and forth on his feet. Nervous? Impatient? Probably. I am still learning to read Wayne, so I cannot be sure.

  We march to the front row, and I turn, bending to assist Susan into the pew. When I straighten and turn back toward the assembled guests, my empathy net is overwhelmed. This is a new experience for me: so many people, all with such strong emotions. Susan is both happy and sad. Anna is happy and satisfied. Wayne is happy and nervous. Even Dr. Winters, a relative outsider, has an air of pleasant enjoyment of the ceremony. I am sure that I should feel happy as well.

/>   Father Gregor comes up to me and says softly, “Please tell the bride and her father that we are ready.”

  I nod, and I head back up the aisle and out the door. “They’re ready for you,” I say.

  Paul lifts Millie’s veil and kisses her gently. “Whatever happened to my little Frog Girl?” he asks.

  Millie chokes back a tear. “I grew up, Daddy.”

  “Our baby,” Paul said. “This beautiful, stubborn young woman. This scientist. We’re so proud of you.”

  “Daddy, I’m so glad you’re here. And you, Carey.” Millie turns and looks at me. “I’m so happy to have my family here for this.”

  “I am glad as well,” I say.

  In analyzing it, I see that this statement is true. This occasion satisfies and balances. It is a logical step in the long sequence starting from Mildred and leading to this time.

  “All right,” Millie says. She pulls her veil back down. “Let’s do this thing.”

  22. Tonight We Celebrate

  After the ceremony, we move to the hotel next door, where the café has been decorated in paper bells, flowers, and more candles. The hotel owner greets us as we come in. “Welcome! Félicitations! I am Thérèse Cales, and this is my husband, Alejandro. Welcome on your blessed day!”

  The rest of the guests come in, and everyone stands as Father Gregor gives the blessing. The owner calls her staff in from the kitchen, and they seat everyone except myself. I quietly stand in a corner out of the way as the staff bring in drinks, baskets of bread, and plates of fruit. The fruit plate is followed by plates of steaming chicken with coconut rice and beans, plus plantains.

  The owner is a constant presence, flitting from table to table, checking to make sure everything is all right. She even finds time to come over and whisper to me. “I am sorry, Monsieur Carey,” she says. “I have never met an android before. Is there something I can get for you?”

  “I need nothing, Mrs. Cales.” I look over at the head table. “But Millie is pleased. Thank you.”