A Mother Returned Pt. 12

~~

One of Winifred's bodies did indeed walk the dog, while the rest of the AI stayed home to be of assistance to her wayward Nishas. By the time she and Cora had reached the park, Winifred had already gone through thousands of contingencies and possible actions she could take. There was a good database of such couplings in the anonymous AI forums, so she wasn't flying blind.

The best-case scenario happened often. Mother and son copulated, but their relationship quickly returned to normal. This often happened when alcohol or other drugs were involved. Often, the household AI had to provide some talk therapy to the family afterward to smooth things over. If that was successful, the family unit was maintained.

Another possible outcome that ended positively was when the father knew about the relationship and permitted or even encouraged it. Due to the circumstances of Felix's work trip, they hadn't yet been able to tell him about what was happening. Winifred had to admit, it was possible that Felix would accept that his wife and son were fornicating. But she doubted it. If she had to run the probability, and she did, she would put his living amicably with the situation at about two percent. Her master would find out when he returned. Winifred wouldn't be able to lie to him about it even if his wife and son decided to keep it to themselves. But when he found out, Felix would likely take the news poorly.

The next best case was when mother and son continued the affair in secret. That was very rare, as most AIs had similar compulsions toward the truth with their families. Winifred didn't see how that would be possible. And even if it was, it would likely fray the bonds between her master and mistress just as they were reforming.

Mostly, these secret relationships ended when the son went off to college, or otherwise moved to the next phase of his life. If mother and son intended to continue their copulation, the secret often was exposed eventually.

It had taken Winifred a few seconds to go over these concepts in detail. Then she got to the less pleasant outcomes. These, sadly, took up a considerable portion of the pie chart that was mother-son coupling.

Sometimes, mother and son ran off together, like thieves in the night. That thought set Winifred's well-oiled mind so off-kilter that she could feel it grinding. It also wasn't a likely scenario, thank the gods. Despite her recent actions, Penelope seemed more devoted to Felix than at any time but in their early marriage. And Theodore respected and looked up to his father. They wouldn't leave.

And what other options remained? Many, but none of them palatable. A divorce? Violence? Penelope physically separating herself from her son? Winifred had no answers. But she ran over all the details, and other more improbable possibilities, over and over. She did this as she walked Cora through the park, while also watching her Nishas at home as they showered in their separate bathrooms, while also ordering the kadai paneer ingredients for immediate delivery.

~~

"Teddy and I are going to take a trip tomorrow, Winnie." Penelope was slicing tomatoes at the counter. Winifred stood next to her, watching her work. Penelope glanced at her friend. "We should be gone all day. We'll need to use air transport."

"Remember, don't push down with the knife. Slice at an angle. Like this. Tomatoes are delicate, you don't want to smash them." Winifred demonstrated the correct slicing motion with her hand. "Why are you giggling?"

Penelope put down the knife, her shoulders bouncing with silent laughter. "I... um... was thinking about things unlike tomatoes. Things I would like to smash." Her cheeks heated.

"Please don't try my patience, Penny." Winifred shook her head. "What is your destination tomorrow? And may I come along?"

"We're going to the hospital where I resurfaced. We have an appointment that Teddy made to talk to a few people there." Penelope picked up the knife and continued her work on the tomatoes, trying to use the technique that Winifred demonstrated. She thought about whether Winifred should journey with them. On the one hand, Winifred might prove useful in questioning the witnesses. On the other, Penelope didn't want her disapproving AI to be sitting in the car with them while Penelope tried to make the long trip more pleasant for her son. "I... um... think you can leave your body here. There's no need for you to make the trip in physical form. But maybe we could have your mind available in case any questions come up. Sound good?"

"I serve at your pleasure, Penny." Winifred offered her mechanical smile, because it was appropriate. But she didn't feel like smiling. She felt like pulling her circuits out of her brain one by one. Her humans were going to copulate in the aircar tomorrow. And she wasn't sure how she could stop them. There had to be a way to make this work. Otherwise, she saw doom growing on the horizon, waiting for Felix's return journey to descend darkness upon them.

"Great! Thanks, Winnie." Penelope bobbed her head in thanks, a large grin spreading her lips. "Hopefully, we'll find some good news at the hospital tomorrow. I know Teddy really needs to know more about my disappearance, and I'll do anything I can to make him happy."

"Yes, I know." Winifred dropped her smile. "That is an admirable quality in a mother. But please remember not to spoil him."