THE MOMENT
It was just another day as far as Lucy's universe was concerned. She read the message with watery tears in her eyes but she wasn't sad though, not one bit. It wasn't the message that made her cry, and she wouldn't be caught dead bawling in public; that was for babies. A stiff breeze hit her square in the face with a dense plume of mesquite smoke from the nearby smokehouse and she got some in her eyes. She always took the same route home, as she did like the smell of the smoke. But, this was the first time she'd cried all year. It just happened to coincide with a message from her parents. That was all.
"You'll find a new model waiting for you," the message said. Lucy dwelled on it as she slowed her pace. She was no longer in a hurry to get home now that she had responsibilities to deal with once she was there. "Take care of Wonder and dispose of everything properly. You're old enough to handle this by yourself now," her mom had said. At 11, she was 'old enough to handle it' two years ago. She knew her parents loved her; but, they were also very busy. They were known to lose track of time with anything that wasn't related to their careers. The only time they knew her age was on her birthday; the years in between tended to blur together. But, they were also aware of their faults and provided Wonder for Lucy. She was just an android maid; but, Lucy got to name her. She didn't know many words at that age and the beautiful metal android looked wonderful to her.
She loved her parents too. Sometimes she felt like she loved Wonder just a little bit more. And, other times she was sure it was a lot more than that, they'd had a lot of fun over the years. As much fun as they could have in the house. Wonder was top of the line when Lucy named her; but, by now she was an outdated model. The new ones didn't need to stay enclosed in a pen of sensors built around the house; it was one of the main selling points her parents used when telling her about the upgrade. It wasn't a surprise in general and yet, like most things at her young age. Just because she knew it was coming didn't mean she was getting ready for it.
She dragged out the journey as long as she could but eventually, she found herself walking into the small fence around the front yard. She felt an unexpected rush of excitement when she saw how small the box was. A white hat box with red lettering sat on the doorstep. Her parents said they were upgrading to newer model; but, they hadn't said it would be the new bleeding edge. She dashed to the box with appropriate child-like excitement; but, then, there was Wonder. The rigid metal body was aged with wear and discoloration as she opened the door to greet Lucy. She'd had several parts replaced over the years, and arguably, it wasn't even Wonder anymore. But, she had years of shared memories with Lucy and that was what made her open the door with a flourish and a happy greeting for Lucy.
"Welcome home, girl!" Wonder laughed, her mechanical parts squeaked and rubbed together from the sudden jostling. It was a nickname that stuck. Lucy named her Wonder and Wonder named Lucy 'girl'. They were both working with a limited vocabulary at that point. "You have a package, but I could not bring it into the house," she gestured down at the box. It sat far enough away from the threshold that Wonder couldn't gather it. It was the type of serendipity that some might think was intentional, to keep Wonder from interacting with her own replacement.
"Hey, Wonder! How was your day?" Lucy smiled, happy to see her friend, and grabbed the package on her way in. She made a quick motion and heaved it into the house past Wonder.
"My day was boring," Wonder said with a matter-of-fact tone. "Did the package upset you?" she asked as Lucy hugged her.
"No, sorry," Lucy shook her head. "It was lighter than I thought it would be. I was trying to pick up something super heavy, and it wasn't...," she giggled as she walked forward and kicked the box to make a point. It flew and bumped the wall with a dull thud, then tumbled back down. It behaved like an empty box; but, Lucy knew it wasn't.
"That looks fun. May I kick it?" Wonder asked.
"Go ahead!" Lucy smiled as she dashed to collect the box, then she set it down in front of Wonder. The automaton balanced on one leg and nudged the box with the other foot. She didn't have the strength or speed of an 11-year-old and the box slid a couple of feet on the wooden floor as both Lucy and Wonder shared a laugh.
"Okay, okay," Lucy shook her head. "It's time to deal with it I guess," she sighed. She knelt and collected the box but rose again with drooping shoulders. The task wasn't anything she was looking forward to; but, it had to be done. Her parents trusted her. She carried it to the table and began opening it. Wonder was quick, as she could, to join her.
"Would you like help?" Wonder asked.
"No, thank you," Lucy sighed. "Turn around please," she added.
"Anything you say, Girl," Wonder had a smile in her voice as she turned around. "Is this a game?"
"No," Lucy said as she finally managed to open the box. "It's a responsibility," she said. "Stay quiet please, I need to read something."
"Yes," Wonder answered just to communicate she understood. Lucy was thoroughly surprised with what she found inside. It was a smooth, glass-like white cube not quite the size of a bowling ball, along with a simple set-up leaflet, and nothing else. She glanced down the instructions and her eyes went wide.
"No way...," she whispered to herself, and she smiled. It wasn't what she expected at all, and she felt a heavy weight lifted off her chest. "This'll be super easy," she grinned and grabbed the cube. Though she was careful not to fling it away again, it was lighter than styrofoam. Without a moment's hesitation, she pushed the cube against Wonder's back, just as the instructions directed. It melted against the metal frame as she pushed it, and the white substance began growing and spreading out over Wonder. It enveloped her completely. Then, after a moment, the entire thing disintegrated into white dust and collected into a pile on the floor.
"Wonder?" Lucy leaned over the pile and particles floated upward, the coalesced into a humanoid shape and the new android took a moment to appraise it's new dexterity by wriggling its fingers. "Wonder? Hello?" Lucy asked again, she didn't answer fast enough.
"Hello, Girl," a new, more natural feminine voice came out of the white mannequin. Lucy relaxed and hugged her. "I have sensors now, you've been frustrated and annoyed recently. Why?" Wonder asked.
"Ehh, I thought I was going to have to transfer you the old way. I'd have to dig your memory chip out, that's a pain. Then be without you for hours for the upload. It was gonna be a lonely, boring night. Mom usually does it while I'm asleep. How do you like your new body?" she asked.
"I feel light," Wonder hopped from foot to foot and landed gently so as to not damage the floors. "And, I can do this..," Wonder brought her hand in front of Lucy's face and pointed a finger at her. "Sensors indicate recent particulate irritation from smoke," she said.
"You just told me you had sensors," Lucy giggled. "You don't have to show it off again."
"Not that," Wonder replied as a thin stream of water shot out of her finger into Lucy's eyes. "This." Wonder spun around and took off running. Lucy laughed and chased after Wonder with watery tears in her eyes. It was just another day as far as Lucy's universe was concerned.