One
I walked along the streets, cold and empty. I just had to go out and get some real food because the food at my apartment wasn’t very great.
I got back and unlocked my door. I went inside and turned on the lights. “Home sweet...” I looked around. It wasn’t really home, actually. It was what it was.
The living room was to the right as you walked in with a teal colored couch against the wall where the front door stood. The color scheme of my home was light and summery. I love the bright colors that the summertime vibes gave off: teal, yellow, coral and white. I liked to think my apartment expressed who I was.
The hallway was to the left, and there it led to a bedroom and a bathroom. The kitchen was to the left of the door, right before the hallway. It was a very open concept. The kitchen’s color scheme was the same but with marble countertops. I took up a lot of hours to afford this place.
I sat at my computer and checked notifications on my accounts. Facebook, YouTube, etc. While on Facebook, I saw an ad for something strange. It was something I’d never seen before. I clicked on it right away. In big letters, it read Build The Perfect Soulmate.
I scoffed. It had to be a scam. Right? Of course, it was. There was no possible way someone could build a grown human to be perfect.
Another main concern was the cost. It had to cost a fortune. I sat there for a good five minutes, bored out of my mind. I finally clicked it and checked it out. I was curious and it couldn’t hurt just to see what this fake ad was really advertising.
It had a picture of two people kissing in the rain or something, and off to the side, it said Free at the top, Build Your Perfect Soulmate in the middle, and then below that in smaller lettering No contracts, no fees, just that special someone.
It wasn’t super fancy but it captured the eye and stated the basics. I looked down in the description. It said to call a number, and I laughed to myself at this. Who would believe this stuff? I decided to call to see what the number would say.
I dialed the number on the screen and pressed the green call button. It rang and then there was another voice. It wasn’t automated like a voice machine or robot. It was a real human. “Are you calling about the ad? May I ask who I’m speaking with?” I panicked and hung up the phone. What was that?
This was some weird prank. That was the only explanation. It was just a prank and it wasn’t bad. It didn’t cost money or harm anyone. The stupid prank was simply what it was.
The number called back and I started to shake. What had I done? The prank was calling me back. I hesitantly answered the phone. “Hello?”
“Why did you hang up? You called for a reason.” It was the same deep voice.
I didn’t know what to say. Did I just tell him I thought his ad was fake? “Is this some prank? The ad has to be fake.”
“Shouldn’t I ask that at the way you hung up?” He seemed like he knew what I was going to say before I said it.
“Uh...” That was all I got out.
He chuckled. “No, it’s not a prank. I guarantee you that it is real. You looking for your soulmate?”
Was I? I was ready for romance. I was a young woman. A boyfriend would be nice. How could this go wrong? It wasn’t like this was real or anything. “This is free...right?”
“Correct. Free. I just built a machine that I have wanted to test. People already talk to technology. What difference would this make? Just tell me what your perfect man is, and I send him to you. It’s that simple.”
“What about refunds?” I got up, getting some more walking in for the day. I stopped at the kitchen where the sink taunted me with its pile of dishes.
“You mean returns, as this doesn’t require payment.”
“Yes, right, returns,” I corrected myself. I mentally groaned and walked to the sink. I squished the phone between my shoulder and cheek, holding it to my ear that way instead of with my hand.
“Well, I currently take no returns,” he stated so bluntly.
I didn’t know how I should’ve gone about this. I’d feel stupid thinking this was real. Nobody could actually do this.
“So how do I tell you my perfect man?” I fiddled my fingers. I wasn’t expecting a real soulmate.
“I’ll ask you the questions, you answer.”
I needed a moment to think. “Alright. I guess I’ll order a man...” I filled the sink with hot water and soap.
I heard some footsteps and noises that sounded like machinery and door creaks. “Alright. Then let’s get this going. First question. Male, correct?”
“Yes.” I grabbed a sponge and began to wash the dishes.
“Height?” I answered him with over six feet.
Next, he asked body build, which was obvious. I wanted muscles. I didn’t want too many. I just wanted some muscle that showed he worked out.
There was also a skin tone question. It made sense. Everyone had a preference. I preferred tanned men. I just liked that best.
It moved onto facial features. I wanted a man with a medium or small beard. I liked them. It seemed more manly to me.
I wanted him to have blue eyes. They seemed so beautiful to me. His jawline was going to be sharp.
The hair color was going to be dark brown. I could picture him perfectly already. “Next we’re moving onto traits.” I was playing into this guy’s ad, only because it couldn’t actually harm me. It was free.
I listened off traits. Smart, funny, romantic, etc. I needed a loyal and trustworthy soulmate. Of course, he also needed other things to complete him. Soulmates were well-rounded.
We got to the hobbies. I truly didn’t know what hobbies I liked in a man. I listed off some hobbies, such as art, piano, and soccer. A man who was hand and foot coordinated had to be perfect for me because I wasn’t.
We finally got to the occupation. This was important because I wanted a stable man but not a man who was always gone. What occupation provided that?
“Put him in marketing. That’s fine for me.” I felt many nervous feelings floating around in my stomach. This was going to be a big deal. I rinsed off a dish, making sure the soap bubbles dissipated.
“Alright. I’ll have him ready. I’ll need an address to send him to.” He cleared his throat while noises in the background got louder.
I gave him my address and he told me he would be here within the next day or two.
Before I could hang up, my phone slipped into the sink, immediately turning off. “No! No, shoot!” I fished it out and sighed. It was time for a new phone.
I began to distract myself from that disaster by thinking about the soulmate deal. Did I really just give my address? How was this going to go? I didn’t know, but now I had to prepare.
I sat back in my seat and looked around my apartment. It didn’t look like a man ever lived here but it would soon. I had to prepare myself for whatever was about to come my way. That included a kidnapping.
By the next morning, I was already making my apartment look clean and organized. I had to expect this perfect man would want to be impressed. I had to give him someone to be impressed by.
I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t even know his name. I didn’t know his name or the man who was making him. Making him... That just sounded so odd.
I showered and shaved every visible part of my body. I made sure my hair was nice and I smelled good. I brushed my teeth and didn’t eat anything too strong in taste. Cough, garlic flavor, cough.
I put on a nice dress. I wanted to be presentable when he showed up if he showed up. I didn’t know if the salesman would be with him. He was sending a person. This was a new thing.
Would he seriously be exactly like I described? No. Surely there would be a mistake somewhere. An imperfect human couldn’t create a perfect robot. I knew the man being sent to me had to be a robot. How could a robot give real love? I was really starting to rethink my decision. No returns. How did I get rid of this guy? What if I didn’t like him?
Why wouldn’t I? I chose what he would be like. He was exactly as I wanted.
What if he was a killer? The robot or the salesman? No returns would have to be a problem policy because I wouldn’t be a victim of a murder. It would be safe to say a killer robot would qualify for a return, correct? If not, I could just take it to the courts. I paid nothing so I didn’t need to worry about refunds.
I paid nothing. There had to be a catch. This was too good to be true. He couldn’t make a perfect man at no cost. I ran over to my desk and wrote a note to the cops explaining my disappearance and/or death. They’d never be able to solve my case otherwise.
I had done all this to get prepared, but he never came. It was fine, he did say a day or two. He could also be across the world for all I knew, or making a person just took a while.
Plus, if he was only doing all of this to kill me, it was prolonging my life. I was more nervous than anything, for obvious reasons. Aside from maybe getting myself killed, I didn’t know how this would go. Maybe he wouldn’t like me. He was my perfect man. It would be heartbreaking if he didn’t like me when he was made for me (literally).
I brushed out my red hair and smoothed my dress. He had to be here today, obviously. I ran to the window and looked out. Maybe I was being a creeper, but this man was supposed to be my soulmate. I was too excited, nervous, and curious to wait away from the window. I wanted to see him before he saw me.
Did he like me? Was he programmed to like only me? Did he have a preference? There was so much to learn about him, and I had to know. I wouldn’t until he arrived. Who knew what time that would be. This was just as bad as waiting for parents to wake up on Christmas morning. The anxiousness and suspense were killing me.
I waited there for five minutes before getting bored and giving up. I sat back on the couch and looked around my apartment. What else could I do to keep myself busy to make time go faster?
I had hardly any hobbies. I couldn’t play any instruments and I had no talent in arts. That was partly why I chose them for my soulmate. I wanted him to be good at stuff I wasn’t.
I got off the couch and turned on my TV. I could really only think of watching movies to pass the time. I had to do anything. It wasn’t any good for me to wait around for a man I never met but who was already my soulmate. I was realizing how crazy this sounded, and I needed to stop believing it, or squash what belief I did have.
I heard a knock an hour later. Surely, it had to be someone I was related to. Either that or it was a kidnapper.
I slowly got up and peeked out the peephole in the door. I saw a face that looked like what I dreamed of. I pulled back so quickly that I almost lost balance and fell. This was the man of my dreams. This wasn’t possible. He was actually here.
I took a deep breath. In and out. I had to do this now. There was no turning back. Besides, this would be so perfect. Now I’d have a date for the masquerade ball in a month. Why did that have to be my reason to open the door to a stranger?
I slowly turned the knob and opened the door to reveal exactly the man I described to the salesman. It was intimidating. I was much shorter by almost a foot.
“Hello. I’m Ava Henderson.”
He smiled and nodded. The movements were so smooth. I had expected a lot of robotic reactions. “Hello, Ava. I’m Tyler Baker. I will be your new soulmate.”
I let him in and he looked around. He seemed so human. It truly was perfection. “You have a nice place. And I do apologize for not noticing it earlier, but you do look very beautiful.” My white and freckled cheeks went red. I thanked him and went to the kitchen immediately. “Are you hungry or thirsty? I know how to cook some things.”
“Whatever is fine. I’m not picky.” He stood so tall compared to me. It was almost intimidating
I nodded and made him a glass of water. I reached out and touched his face. “You’re so lifelike. I apologize for being so rude but I truly didn’t expect this.” I was so amazed he showed up at all.
He chuckled in response, looking down at me. “Don’t be sorry. I’m as good as who creates me. I thank you for the compliment. I only hope to be the best soulmate you need.”
“You will be. I picked out your traits.” I smiled at him, feeling strange for being attracted to a man who came to life yesterday.
