“I don’t know, but there is one possibility. Josh says that each of us is made up of a spirit and a body and that when we die our spirit leaves our body. Since Mrs. Monroe’s body never died, maybe her spirit never left. I have tried for years to figure out how the spirit communicates with the brain but have had no success. Maybe it just figures it out by trial and error. Maybe she is finally figuring out how to communicate with your electronic brain. She creates a parity error so you know where to find the message. Try answering by over writing the data.”
“I will write ‘Is it you, Mrs. Monroe?’ starting at the same address in memory.” After a few seconds, Ann spoke again. “The data changed to ‘Yes’. Well this makes things interesting. You were concerned I didn’t have a spirit. Now I do. It just isn’t exactly mine. Obviously you will want to reconsider your proposal of marriage.”
“Now I do feel obligated. Carlton would want me to take care of the real Mrs. Monroe, although I doubt she would have any interest in me.”
“She is saying something again. She says, ‘Don’t be so sure.’”
“Mrs. Monroe, can you hear me?” asked Kyle.
“She says, ‘Yes.’”
“Ann, just say what the text says for the next few minutes. Mrs. Monroe, how long have you been able to hear?”
“Four months.”
“Can you see?”
“Not perfectly but enough to know what goes on.”
“Do you understand what has happened to you?”
“Yes. I think so.”
“My deepest sympathies at the passing of your husband.”
“I know. I could hear you and Ann grieving for them.”
“How do you feel?”
“Strange but strangely wonderful.”
“How do you mean?”
“It is like all of the negative feelings I had died with my brain and now I feel like Ann feels. I care about people now.”
“How do you feel about Ann?”
“You could say that I love her as myself.”
“How do you feel about me?” There was a long pause.
“I love you like I have never loved anyone before.” Kyle was stunned and flattered.
“What should I do, Ann?” he asked.
“She says marry us,” spoke Ann for herself. “Just think of it like marrying a woman with multiple personalities. Actually, we would both like you to marry us soon, before you can change your mind. I am calling a priest right now, provided you still want to marry me and you want to marry Annette.” Kyle could not help wondering if this was all one big trap orchestrated by Annie. What if there had been no merging, no Annette program, just Annie making it all up and playing different roles. He had no way of proving that Annette’s spirit was still there and talking. It was like trying to prove the existence of God. Even if Annie had been pretending, she still made Carlton incredibly happy before his untimely death. Kyle’s head had its doubts but somehow his heart did not. Somehow, he knew that everything would be fine. Marrying Ann or Annie or Annette or whoever she was, was the right thing to do. Kyle decided that his response must be enthusiastic.
“You bet I want to marry you.” Ann quickly got a priest on her cell phone and made arrangements for him to come the following Monday evening. Nate dropped by after Ann had left.
“What’s up Dud?” he inquired of Kyle.
“I’m getting married.”
“I know you proposed. Have you set a date yet?”
“Monday.”
“Whoa, you’re moving pretty fast there aren’t you?”
“Not really. I have been sort of courting Annette for the past semester and I have known her well for a year.”
“I don’t know about this. From that whole accident thing, Josh and I figured Annette must be more computer than human. Are you really sure it is a good idea to marry a computer, even if she is gorgeous?”
“I know it looks weird, but I know what I'm doing. Somehow, it will all work out. I can feel it in my gut.”
“I will never say another discouraging thing about it. I just had to have my say. My friends in med school tell me she is witty and charming. They say she really knows how to carry herself and handle people, even testosterone crazed guys.”
“We have actually become best friends. I had that with Sharon and feared I would never have it again. I feel comfortable around her. So what is happening with you and Nancy?” asked Kyle.
“We weren’t going to tell anyone yet, but you have cornered me. We are looking at a June wedding. I finally got the nerve to pop the question.”
“I knew it was just a matter of time. I might have married her if you hadn’t already stolen her heart. You were right when you said she was a one in a million. I am sure you will both be very happy.”
“It just bothers me that you will have been married twice before Josh and I get it done once between us. When I first met you, I didn’t picture you as such a babe magnet.”
“Nor I you, my friend.”
“I got to go. By the way, Josh says hi. He can’t make it tonight.”
The wedding was very small with just Josh, Nate and Nancy as guests. At its conclusion, Annette insisted on taking Kyle home to care for him there. They arranged for a nurse to visit daily. Kyle could not help but ponder on how different this marriage was from his first. Instead of a wonderful honeymoon on a cruise, he was almost helpless, confined to bed. The day after the wedding, a delivery truck stopped in front of what used to be known as the Monroe home. Workman delivered a large, high definition TV, VCR, Blue-ray DVD player with home theater sound system and a library of hundreds of titles to watch, all compliments of Nathan. The equipment was set up in the den and a bed was set up there for Kyle. In the afternoon Nate visited. “You are finally going to see all of those movies you have missed. There are even some TV series here.”
“Anything to keep my mind off of my pain and discomfort would be welcome. I have never been so miserable in my live.”
“Well that is a fine way to comment on your marriage,” called out Annette from another room as she walked towards them. “Hello, Nate. What a thoughtful gift. I see you even included all of the Star Trek episodes. I have been working on something to make the movies more enjoyable. I have programmed a computer to edit movies in real time to clean up the language, obscure the nudity and blot out the intense violence. Neither Kyle nor I care for those things.”
“I don’t care for them either, Annette. I have just learned to tolerate them, I guess. But what do you know about computers and programming?”
“Surely by now, Nate, you have figured out that I am much more than I was before the shooting. Kyle and I both have computer-assisted learning. Didn’t you ever wonder what had happened to the program that helped checkout the implants? It has been running in me since a week from the shooting.” Kyle was shocked to hear Annette revealing their secrets. “Don’t look so shocked, Kyle. Nate is too smart not to have had serious suspicions. Let me assure you that I am one hundred percent pure woman, as Kyle will find out as soon as he is up to it. And as for Dr. Waters listening in, I’m sure he has already figured things out.”
“I had thought as much,” responded Nate. “Thanks for setting the record straight.”
“Can you stay and watch a movie with us, Nate?” invited Kyle.
“I would love too, but could I come back later with Nancy?”
“Why don’t you both come for dinner?” invited Annette.
“That would be great,” responded Nate.
“And bring Felicity if you like,” added Kyle. Nate bid them goodbye and left. “Am I talking to Ann or Annette?” he asked his wife.
“You are talking to both, but Annette is doing the talking now. Dr. Monroe instructed Annie to slip into the background when Mrs. Monroe became conscious and she has in a way become conscious. We are beginning to think and act as one. Our personalities are merging. I find it an improvement, Ann is not so sure. But can you blame her?” With that, Annette slipped in bed
beside Kyle and began kissing him. He had kissed Ann before but this was no Ann. There was much more passion and desire in her kiss. Before dinner they had consummated their marriage. At 6:00 there was a knock at the door and Annette let into the room the caterers who brought a gourmet meal. She had the table set and things ready by the time Nate and Nancy arrived.
At dinner Nate asked Annette, ”What will you do with your time while Kyle is recovering?”
“I have many plans. I promised Kyle I would help him build an electric car. He can tell me what to do and I will do it. I also want to build an electric boat, one small enough for water-skiing but big enough to sleep in. Actually, instead of a car I would like to build an electric truck or suburban kind of vehicle, something I could use to tow the boat. I have some ideas of my own on how to do them.”
“You have certainly broadened your interests, Annette,” commented Nate.
“I have always been interested in lots of things. My mother just kept telling me not to. I feel liberated; plus, having a computer to help you learn a thousand times faster makes things more fun. I never did like doing homework.”
“That reminds me,” injected Kyle. “The medical school called. They want to visit us tomorrow to talk about our plans for further classes.”
“I didn’t think they would let us continue for much longer,” commented Annette. “It is hard on morale to have two students getting perfect scores on every test. They probably want us to quit, but I won’t let them. I want a degree and a license to practice medicine.”
“I do too,” responded Kyle, “but let’s see what they have to say first. Maybe it is something good.”
“That’s what I like about you Kyle,” added Nate. “You always look for the good in things and usually you find it. Doing so has made us very wealthy.”
“I’ll toast to that,” added Nancy, who had been silent. “I have tried poverty and tasted wealth and I like the latter.”
“The problem with wealth,” commented Kyle, “is that very few people use it properly. The things they do with it don’t make them happy and often ruin their lives.”
“Such as?” asked Nate.
“Such as climbing incredibly boring social ladders and making conspicuous displays of their wealth. Can 40,000 square feet really be more fun than a 4,000 square foot home? I think it unlikely. Now to live in a 4,000 square foot home and help hundreds who are homeless to have homes, that would make me happy.”
“What do you think of that, Annette?” asked Nate. Kyle also had a keen interest in that question.
“I am all for avoidance of conspicuous consumption. It’s the inconspicuous consumption I am looking forward to,” quipped Annette. All laughed. “For example, this dinner. I didn’t have to slave in the kitchen all day, not that I wouldn’t at times. It was just really nice to have it all brought in. Hopefully, the neighbors didn’t even notice. And the vehicle and boat, we could literally spend millions on them doing things in the most ideal way possible with current technology. But it wouldn’t be conspicuous unless you call owning a new SUV and boat conspicuous consumption. I just want to do it. I don’t need to impress anyone. I have thought of hundreds of things I can do now that are just fun or satisfying.”
“You haven’t said much, Nancy. What are you thinking?” asked Kyle.
“I am just wondering what movie we will watch.”
“The problem is,” began Kyle, “you have probably seen all of the really good movies already, maybe even several times, but I have seen very few of them.”
“That reminds me of a question I have had for years, Kyle,” said Nate. “Without a TV, how did you and your mother keep up with what was happening in the world?”
“Well you see, Nate, there was this document of current events that appeared on our doorstep every morning. Perhaps you have heard of it. It is called a newspaper.”
“I sure stepped in that one,” laughed Nate. “Let’s watch a movie.”
“I have been looking at some lists on the Internet of top movies of all time. I would really like to see the Godfather.”
“That one’s too gross for me,” objected Nancy.
“Oh I agree, Nancy, but I have something that will remove the objectionable parts for you,” offered Annette.
“I just don’t want to see squirting blood and sex scenes, or hear profanity or heavy vulgarity.”
“We can take care of that for you. Shall we have desert in the den?” asked Annette. Annette wheeled Kyle into the den and then with Nate’s help, lowered him onto some large pillows on the floor. She cuddled up beside him while Nancy and Nate sat on the sofa. During the movie, Annette ran her fingers over Kyle’s hand in a way more sensual than he thought possible. All Sharon had ever done was hold his hand, but Annette caressed his hand in ways almost more stimulating than full intimacy. He couldn’t wait for the guests to leave.
After the movie ended Kyle commented, “So now I finally know why people are always saying, ‘Make him an offer he can’t refuse.’”
“You may have hidden the blood, but you have to admit, Annette, just the thought of a horse’s head in your bed is pretty gross,” added Nancy.
“We’ll watch the Sound of Music next time,” offered Annette as she quickly maneuvered the guests out of the door. “Now,” she said to Kyle, “I believe we have some unfinished business.” With that, she turned out the light and snuggled up to Kyle.
The next morning Kyle dreamed that he and Annette were on a tropical island beach. He was lying on his back and Annette was kissing him. The sirens of a passing fire truck disturbed his dream. He awoke to discover that Annette was kissing him as he lay on his back. Not one to interrupt a good kiss, he waited for Annette to come up for air. “Last night was wonderful, my love,” he began, “but don’t you think we were a little rude in the way we almost thrust company from the house?”
“There was no ‘we’ about it. I did and I make no apologies. This is like our honeymoon.”
“Well, be nice to the people from the medical school. They have been very accommodating to us.”
“And we have been very generous with them,” she retorted. "I promise not to rush them under one condition, you eliminate any reason for me to.” With that, she began kissing Kyle again.
The head of the school of medicine paid the Jameses a visit at their home. “Doctor and Mrs. James, your scholastic progress has been nothing short of remarkable,” began the dean. “You must realize, however, that having two such students in the same classes creates extraordinary anxiety in your classmates. We have never had so many inquiries from students concerning how we grade and how the curve works. Of course, we exempted your scores from any curve calculations, but students still got very nervous. We have a proposal we believe will satisfy everyone’s needs. We would like to put you on an accelerated course of study. As part of a study last year, we videotaped all of the lectures. We propose that you watch them instead of going to classes. We can arrange for testing in the testing center. We will provide private labs in which you will receive one on two instruction. We believe that with your intellects and obviously computer assisted learning that you could both receive your degrees in less than a year.”
“That is a very generous offer,” responded Kyle. Personal instruction sounds very expensive for the University.”
“Indeed it is. However, you have both been extremely generous to the University and its school of medicine. Naturally, we would not turn down any contributions, but additional donations would be completely optional. If you like, you may begin immediately. The first installment of videos is in my car as well as lists of required reading.” The dean walked out to his car and returned with a box of VHS tapes. He then promptly left.
“Well, I for one am not going to sit around for hours watching boring old doctors drone on while I have a new husband to attend to,” complained Annette. “I will just have to automate the process. I’ll get Vic or Vicky to watch them for us and compress the data. Then I can assimilate it an
d you can sleep on it or whatever it is that you do to get it into your brain.” The doorbell ran. Annette picked up the box of videos and carried it to the door. She opened the door, handed the box to a young man and closed the door.
“Who was that?” asked Kyle.
“A student I hired to run errands for me.”
“How did he get here so fast?”
“I have him wait in his car down the street with the cell phone I gave him. I just transmit instructions straight to him. Now, tell me how you want the drive system of our electric vehicle to work?” Kyle spent several hours describing the details of the vehicle he had been designing in his head for years. Annette asked several questions. The sound of a vehicle door clicking shut came from the driveway. Annette put Kyle in a wheel chair and wheeled him to the front porch. A brand new Ford Expedition sat in the driveway.
“How could you possibly get this delivered so quickly?” asked Kyle.
“Well, I put in the order yesterday. It is amazing how fast people will work when bonuses are on the line.” Supplies continued to arrive throughout the day and night, including tools and hoists. Annette had backed the Viper out of the garage and parked it on the lawn to make plenty of room. Two crack mechanics also arrived, dressed in coveralls. Before dark, they had removed the engine, transmission, radiator and exhaust system. The electric power system and drive system were assembled in only two weeks, even though high-speed graphite fiber flywheels had to be shipped from Oregon and the motors had to be custom fabricated. The fuel tank was filled with alcohol as the last step. The power system allowed spinning up the flywheels using household electric current but could also run indefinitely on alcohol, as long as its tanks had fuel and with 50 gallons of capacity, it could run for up to 1500 miles without a fill up. For just around town driving it could run just off the energy stored in the flywheels. Annette had even added some features Kyle had not requested. Since the four flywheels acted as gyroscopes they each had to be gimbaled in two directions. The range of motion was limited so that as long as the flywheels were spinning the vehicle could not roll over or flip over. Annette added brakes to the gimbals that allowed the vehicle to lock onto an inclination. They could be used to prevent roll during cornering or for special tricks such as driving on two wheels.
The Computer Who Loved Me Page 22
