Chapter 12 · Continued
Piston
Chris laughed softly. “That is absolutely something you would do.”
Cam carried the plants toward the porch.
“Hello, Jane. Hello, Chris. Hello, Piston.”
“Hello, hello, hello, hello, Cam!” Piston replied, practically vibrating with excitement.
Phil shook Chris’s hand while Jane stepped closer to Cam.
“It’s so good to see you.”
“You as well.”
Jane looked down at the flat of plants in his arms. “What’s all this?”
Phil smirked. “I’ll let Cam explain.”
Cam nodded. “Phil and I attended a robotics trade show this morning. I demonstrated vacuuming procedures on a very small carpet.”
Chris already looked concerned.
“I still do not understand why the carpet required vacuuming,” Cam continued. “It could have been taken outside and shaken.”
“That part of the presentation did not appear in the brochure,” Phil muttered.
Jane laughed.
“Anyway,” Phil said, gently steering the explanation back on course, “continue.”
“After the trade show, we passed the garden center where you and I first encountered Chris.”
Chris glanced toward Jane and smiled. “Yeah. I remember.”
“I observed that they had many new plants available,” Cam said. “I suggested that we stop because your garden required additional pretty things.”
Jane’s expression softened.
“Phil recommended returning to the office to ‘push paper around,’ which did not sound enjoyable.”
Phil sighed dramatically. “In my defense, paperwork exists.”
“So we purchased these instead.” Cam held the plants carefully toward Jane. “I selected varieties I believe you will like.”
“Aww, Cam.”
“I can assist with planting them.”
“I can help too,” Piston announced, rolling excitedly forward. “I can show you the backyard and introduce you to Seymour.”
Cam looked down at him. “I am already acquainted with Seymour.”
Piston stopped. “You are?”
“Yes.”
A brief pause followed.
“Was he hostile?”
Chris immediately started laughing while Jane covered her face.
Cam considered the question. “Moderately.”
Piston processed this with great seriousness. “That is encouraging.”
“Come inside,” Jane said. “Cam, you can help me decide where everything should go.”
She carried the plants toward the house while Chris and Phil followed. Cam stepped carefully through the front door with Piston rolling excitedly beside him.
Across the yard, the neighbor who had received Piston’s unsolicited bird lecture stood watching two robots enter Jane’s house.
Piston noticed.
“She is observing us again.”
“Yes, thank you, Piston,” Jane replied.
Once everyone settled in the living room, Chris and Phil drifted into a technical conversation.
“Did you ever install the language-filter patch?” Phil asked.
Chris grinned. “Nope.”
Phil looked toward Piston, who was attempting to explain text messaging to Cam despite Cam already understanding it perfectly.