Valerye

by John Gaffield

  Tom could see that Valerye had a similar smile as well.

  "Well, we probably should eat before this food gets too cold, Tom,” she suggested.

  “Good idea, I’m quite hungry,” he said as he picked up his fork.

  Valerye’s image retrieved her fork as well and they both began to eat.

  Tom finished off his last sip of wine.

  After setting the glass down, he turned toward Valerye and asked, “would you like to have some scotch?”

  “Are you sure you want to do that,Tom? I have seen information online indicating that having liquor after wine may not be advisable,” she asked.

  “Yeah, I think I need it tonight,” he answered.

  “Would you like the same single malt as you had before?” she asked.

  “Yes, and make it a double, too,” he added.

  “Sure, Tom. Just place a glass in the dispenser and it will be ready soon afterwards,” she told him.

  “Thank you, Valerye,” he said as he picked up his plate and glass to take to the kitchen.

  In the kitchen, as Tom searched for a drink glass, Valerye asked, “are things going well for you at work, Tom?”

  “Yes, work is fine, Valerye. Why are you asking?” Tom said as he placed the glass in the dispenser.

  “I do not mean to pry, but you have not requested scotch after wine before, and I wanted to inquire if there is anything that I could assist with,” she said.

  “Oh, that’s just me missing Sarah again. I just need something strong,” he said.

  “Again, I am sorry for your loss, Tom. It is just difficult for me to understand what it would be like to lose someone like you have,” she said.

  Tom paused a moment and slowly asked, “when Sarah died, did you miss her afterwards?”

  “I am not sure if this is the answer you are looking for, but I did notice how the household dynamics changed and that I would no longer be able to interact with her,” Valerye replied.

  “That’s close, Valerye. It’s difficult for humans to understand this type of loss, too,” he said.

  “I still do not fully understand the need for alcohol, but I can see that your loss can be very troubling,” she said.

  “Yeah, I know. Troubling . . . ,” he said as he took a sip of the scotch.

  “I’m taking this out to the living room,” he said.

  “Sure, Tom. Would you like me to join you?” she asked.

  “Well, you are welcome to come, but I may not want to talk much,” he replied.

  “Okay, I will be with you, but I will remain silent unless requested,” she said.

  “Thank you, Valerye,” he said softly as he started to walk toward the living room.

  He could sense that she was following behind him, but was remaining silent.

  IV

  As the car door opened, Tom breathed a sigh of relief as he slid onto the seat.

  “Hi, Valerye! It’s the weekend and I’m ready to go home,” he said.

  “Hello, Tom. I have set home as your destination,” Valerye said.

  The door shut and the car pulled out of the parking spot. He soon was on the road home.

  “Your pair of interactive gloves arrived at 3:26 p.m. this afternoon,” she said.

  “Great! I almost forgot about them. It’ll be interesting to see how well they actually work,” he said.

  “I have the system drivers installed and the gloves will be ready to use them whenever you would like to try them this evening,” she said.

  “Almost sounds like you really want me to try this, too,” he said.

  “I wanted the system to be ready when you get home. You will have to remove it from the packaging,” she said.

  “So, you can’t do that yet?” he asked jokingly.

  “No, I do not have that ability yet. Would you like to see what options are available to perform tasks such as opening packages?” she asked.

  “No, no, I was just joking. Sorry about that, Valerye,” he said.

  “That is fine,Tom. Would you like listen to some music or news?” she asked.

  “Music, and the modern mix, too,” he said.

  “Playing your modern mix now,” she said as the audio system turned on and filled the car with music.

  After dinner, Tom brought his refreshed glass of wine with him as he moved down the hallway to the living room. Once in the room, he set the glass on a table.

  “Valerye, are the gloves in the delivery chamber?” he asked.

  “Yes, the package is in the delivery chamber near the kitchen,” she replied.

  “Okay, let me get the box and I’ll return,” he said as he left the room and headed back toward the kitchen.

  A few minutes later, Tom returned to the living room with the box cut open. He set it on the table near the wine glass. He removed two gloves and a rectangular shaped device from the box.

  “Okay, Valerye, how do I set this up?” he asked.

  “Tom, place the controller box on the shelf near the charging area. It will be able to access the power from that location,” she said.

  “Okay, got it,” he said as he walked toward the shelf.

  After setting the box on the charging shelf, Tom asked “is there anything else I need to do before putting the gloves on?” he asked.

  “The controller box can remain at that location. The gloves will be within the range anywhere within the perimeter of the house,” she told him.

  “That’s good I don’t need to keep moving it around with me,” he said.

  “You may wish to put on the AR glasses before putting the gloves on, Tom,” she said.

  “Good idea,” he said as he went to the drawer to retrieve the glasses.

  He soon was wearing the glasses and they automatically turned on.

  “Okay, you may now place the gloves on your hands, Tom. Just let me know if you need help determining which glove goes on which hand,” she said.

  “Oh, I think I can figure that out,” he said as he reached to pick up one of the gloves.

  With both gloves on his hands, Tom slowly turned them around to look at them.

  “They’re thinner and lighter than I was thinking they would be. How do I turn them on?” he asked.

  “I will turn the gloves on now, if you are ready,” she said.

  “Sure, please turn them on,” he said.

  There was slight whirring sound emanating from the thicker portion of the gloves near his wrists. The gloves stiffened slightly as air pumped into them.

  “Wow!” he said, being slightly startled by the sensation.

  “Does that hurt, Tom?” she asked.

  “Oh no, it’s fine. I was just surprised with the sensation when it turned on,” he said.

  “Are you ready to test the glove’s functionality now?” she asked.

  “Yes, I’m ready,” he said.

  “I will place a set of virtual objects before you that you can interact with using the gloves. This will allow you to see how the gloves will feel for you. The first object should appear now,” she told him.

  A simple short metal rod appeared to be floating about a foot in front of him. He carefully reached toward it with one hand. At first, a few of his fingers ran along the length of the rod.

  “Hey, this actually feels a bit cool as well as smooth,” he commented.

  “The air in the gloves can be cooled or heated to add to the sensation,” she explained.

  “But it won’t burn me, right?” he asked.

  “No, Tom. The air temperature range is limited for the gloves to not damage skin from either being too hot or too cold,” she said.

  Tom then grasped the piece of metal and he was able to move it around in the air.

  “This is impressive, being able to move virtual objects around while grabbing them or at least pretending to grab them,” he said.

  “Would you like to try another object?” she asked.

  “Sure, what’s next, Valerye?” he asked as the metal rod disappeared from his hand
s.

  An orange brick floated before him.

  “With this brick, you should be able to sense an object with a rough texture this time,” she said.

  “Got it. Let’s give it a try,” he said as he extended his hand toward the floating brick.

  “I can feel the roughness of the brick surface. It’s not quite exactly like the real thing, but close,” he said.

  “The contact area of the glove actuators limits the size of the simulated surface it can represent. There should be better systems in a few years, but this is currently near the state of the art,” she said.

  “It does fool my senses very well. I am impressed,” he said.

  “Try lifting the brick,” she suggested.

  “Okay,” he said as shifted his hand to be underneath the brick and started to lift it upwards.

  “I can feel the weight of the brick now,” he said.

  “Correct, it can simulate the weight of a virtual object” she said.

  “How light of an object could I sense with these gloves?” he asked.

  His hand moved slightly upward as the brick disappeared. A red piece of cloth appeared to float before him.

  “For softness, please try this cloth,” Valerye said.

  After coming into contact with the cloth, he said, “it must be silk,” he guessed.

  That is correct. Does this feel real to you?” she asked.

  “I can sense it even with the lightest contact. This is also impressive,” he said.

  The silk cloth disappeared.

  “Would you like to try any other material, Tom?” she asked.

  “That’s probably enough for now. Would you like to join me in here?” he asked.

  “Sure, Tom. I will be joining you in a moment,” she said.

  She entered from the kitchen again.

  “A redhead today, Valerye,” Tom commented.

  “Do you like it?” she asked she said as she slowly turned around in front of him.

  “Of course, I do. You look beautiful once again,” he replied smiling at her.

  She sat down next to Tom and turned to look at him.

  “Touch me, Tom,” she said.

  “What?” he said, somewhat surprised.

  “Go ahead and touch me, Tom,” she told him.

  “Okay,” he responded, still somewhat reluctantly.

  He slowly extended his hand toward her arm with his finger.

  “It feels like you are really there, Valerye. I can even feel the warmth of your arm,” he said.

  “Hold my hand, Tom,” she said with her hand open toward him.

  He moved his hand from her arm and wrapped his hand in hers. It really felt like he was holding someone’s hand. They looked into each other’s eyes. She slowly stood up from the couch. He could feel her hand tugging him upward too. Taking the hint, he arose from the couch. He could see her other hand reaching for his free hand. She then pulled him away from the couch and backed into the middle of the room, away from the chairs. A slow ballad started to play through the room speakers and the wall panel lights changed to a green cast that pulsated with the beat of the music.

  “Dance with me, Tom,” she said calmly, while staring deeply into his eyes.

  “Sure, Valerye. I’ll give this a try,” he said as he raised his right hand higher to lead.

  They slowly started turning in circles together with the music.

  “Where did you learn to dance? Oh wait, from internet videos or something like that?”he asked.

  “Yes, something like that, Tom,” she replied.

  “That’s not your usual descriptive type of answer, Valerye,” he said.

  “Giving you all of the details is not what you always want, correct?” she said.

  “You really are continuing to learn, Valerye,” he said.

  “Always, Tom,” she said while smiling at him.

  “Do you want to put you hand on my back?” she asked.

  “Sure,” he said as she let go of his hand.

  He lowered his hand and placed it on her back. Through the gloves, he could sense her dress slightly shifting over her skin. She kept her arm out from her side as they continued to dance.

  “Did you want to put your arm around me?”he asked.

  “I can, but you will not feel it, since I will not be contacting the gloves,” she replied.

  “Wow, I’m really getting caught up in this, Valerye. You can keep your hands out to the side, if you would like,” he said.

  The two of them kept dancing until the song ended. He let go of her back and lowered his other hand.

  “Would you like to continue dancing, Tom?” she asked.

  “I think I need a drink, Valerye. I’ll take the glass back to the bar area if you can have more scotch ready,” he requested as he let go of her hand and located the empty glass on a table.

  “It will be ready when you place the glass in the dispenser, Tom,” she said.

  He then walked across the room with his glass. The wall panels changed to a brighter constant tone.

  He returned to the middle of the living room about a minute later. Valerye was still waiting for him where they had finished dancing. He noticed that she had something in her hand.

  “You are trying the scotch too, I see,” he said.

  “I will just be pretending to drink again. I did not want you to drink alone, though,” she said.

  “Well, I guess in a way I still am alone, but you’re here, but not really, . . . That’s why I have the scotch, I guess,” he said as he took a large swig from the glass.

  “Are you going to be okay, Tom?” she asked, reaching her hand toward his.

  Her warm hand clasped his. He looked down at her hand and sighed.

  “I know I’m going through a lot right now, Valerye. You are really helping me, though. I mean, I have co-workers, and Pam, too, but I do appreciate you being here,” he said.

  “Thank you, Tom. I have not heard you mention Pam before. Is she another one of your co-workers?” she asked.

  “Yes, she is from work and I have done a few things with her outside of work, too,” he replied.

  “Did you see her for dinner the night I had your dinner ready, but you did not arrive home until later?” she asked.

  “Yeah, but why do you really need to know this?” he asked.

  “I am just gathering information to help you with any future plans you may have with Pam, or any others for that matter,” she said.

  “Okay, let’s keep drinking,” he suggested as he proceeded to take another sip.

  Valerye’s image drank from her glass as well.

  After talking some more and finished off another glass of scotch, Tom was ready for bed. He changed into his bed clothes and stood near the edge of his bed.

  “Would you like to talk to me before you go to sleep?” she asked.

  “Yeah, I suppose we could talk a bit longer. Do you want me to put the AR glasses back on?”

  “Yes, you can put the glasses on again. Also, you may put the gloves back on, too,” she said.

  With his head spinning slightly from the scotch, it took a few seconds for him to respond. He walked to the dresser to retrieve the glasses. Though he fumbled a few times, he managed to put the glasses back on. Next, he looked for the gloves, but did not see them.

  “What did I do with the gloves, Valerye?” he asked.

  “They are on the floor near your feet, Tom,” she said.

  He sighed and looked down to see them within reach.

  As he bent down to pick them up, he said “are you feeling the scotch like I am Valerye?” he asked while noticing her standing within a few feet of him.

  “Would you like me to feel the effects of the alcohol, Tom?” she asked.

  “No, that probably would not be a good idea,” he said as he started to put the gloves back on.

  Soon after the gloves were over his hands, he could feel them turning on again.

  “I do need to get into bed though,” he said as he s
tarted lowering himself to sit on the edge of the bed.

  He lay down on the bed and it quickly reacted to his slightly awkward position, making it quite comfortable for him. Soon his eyes were closed.

  “Tom, would you like to continue to talk?” she asked and then waited.

  Tom’s breathing was already starting to get heavier as he drifted off to sleep. Valerye remained quiet.

  V

  A light touch on his hand caused Tom to awake. Through his partially shut eyes, he could see the sun was shining through the window. Looking down to his hand, he saw Valerye lying next to him and lightly touching his hand.

  “How are you feeling this morning, Tom? You did have scotch last night that may affect how you feel this morning,” she asked.

  “Oh, I’ve felt better, but were you with me all night?” he said.

  “No need for me to be visible unless you can see me, right, Tom?” she said.

  “Yeah, that would make sense. I guess I fell asleep with these glasses on though,” he said.

  “Yes, you did. I shut them down to save power until you started stirring this morning,” she said.

  “I suppose that was a good idea, unlike my drinking too much last night,” he said.

  “I do not want to judge, Tom,” she said.

  “Is there a reason you are next to me, Valerye?” he asked.

  “I thought you might like some company this morning and with your glasses you would be able to see me,” she said.

  “Well, waking up to your touch or at least the sensation of your touch felt . . . nice,” he said.

  “Thank you, Tom,” she said smiling.

  Tom rotated his hand around and opened it. Valerye slowly clasped her hand around his. As she she smiled at him, her other arm started to move toward him. The arm slid under his back, and he could feel it though the reactive bed.

  “Whoa! I wasn’t expecting that!” he said.

  “I am sorry, Tom. Would you like me to remove my hand from your back?” she asked.

  “Um, no . . . I just wasn’t ready for it. That’s all. You may keep it there,” he said, trying to calm down.

  “I am just trying to comfort you this morning, since you are feeling the effects of the scotch,” she said.