2
0
Fan link copied
+0
As I pulled into the lot, I noticed a police car parked just outside the property line of the botanic gardens. I thought that I could probably guess who tipped them off, but decided to push it out of my mind as I went inside to meet my parents.
"There’s my sweet boy!" my mom said as she opened the door.
"Hi Mom! Hi Dad!" I said, playfully.
"Today’s the big day!" Mom said, as if this was news to any of us.
"Indeed it is," I said, following her lead.
"We’re so proud of you." She beamed.
"Thanks, Mom."
In my opinion, staying married was something to be proud of; getting married was just a matter of saying the right words in front of the right people. But I knew that’s not what she meant. Maybe she was proud of me for simply finding a woman who was willing to marry me in the first place…
"And we’re here for you no matter what," Dad said, always practical. "So, don’t listen to anything that anybody says. I know that your uncle-"
"Paul!" Mom chided, shooting him a stern glance. I didn’t know about any family drama, at least not with regards to today. I figured Mom was doing her best to shield me from any blowback from her brother. Despite my curiosity, I decided to let it go.
"My point is," Dad said, trying to recover, "that we’ve got your back. Even if it means bailing you two out."
"I appreciate the sentiment, but I hope it doesn’t come to that. Plus, I haven’t let you give me a dime since I graduated from college, so I’d proudly pay the bill of justice myself," I half-joked, awkwardly trying to lighten the mood. "Anyway, I’m just glad that you’re here."
"We wouldn’t miss it for the world, Timothy," Mom whispered, with tears clouding her eyes. Straightening up, she said resolutely, "Well, we'll let you get ready with the rest of the boys. See you out there!"
* * *
As my groomsmen arrived, I pulled my best man aside to catch up while the rest of the guys hung out. They were currently placing bets on the latest holographic fighting game, projected on a coffee table via their various devices. Nothing like a little violent gambling before celebrating the sanctity of love.
"Hey Nate," I said. "Thanks a lot for flying all of the way out here for this."
"Of course," he said casually.
We chatted a little bit more about our parents and his girlfriend who couldn’t make the trip. Then he paused and looked at me sideways. "You know I think Amy’s great and you seem genuinely happy, but…"
Here it comes.
He took a breath and continued, "but you don't have to do this."
"Yeah, I know I’m breaking the pact…" I said with a forced grin, hoping that he was just referring to our adolescent promise to never get married.
"I"m serious, Tim," he said more forcefully.
"What are you trying to say?"
At this point, we both knew that he was going to deliver his emotional punch. He was just deciding whether or not to use brass knuckles. "I'm saying that you don’t owe it to her."
"Owe it to her?!" I said, incredulously. I was half-expecting something like this from him, but it still came as a shock. "You’re right, Nate. I don’t owe her anything. And neither does she, for that matter. We’ve both decided to stand at the altar today of our own free will. And you can stand next to me. Or not. At this point, I honestly don’t care either way."
Then I left, opting to prepare for the ceremony by myself.
* * *
The flowers were radiant. Nate was dutifully by my side. But I could only see Amy. She was a spectacular vision of white, lace, and chrome.
Three months ago, her human body had perished in a car accident. Even though autonomous vehicles were safer, Amy stubbornly chose to drive that night. Would a computer have saved her? That question would probably haunt me if she was gone. But she wasn’t. She was right there, gazing at me as she made her way down the aisle. My uncle got up and left. My aunt decided to stay put.
Some people would say that Amy died in the crash, but not me. Sure, part of her ceased to be, but not the part that mattered. Even though she was always a little skeptical of technology, she responsibly got her monthly neural backup. So after the accident, I uploaded her consciousness in a new, mechanical body with only a few days of missing memories.
The timing of Amy’s crash was particularly inconvenient for our more conservative guests. In this state, the marriage of a human to a robot was a misdemeanor. Some of our friends and family might not agree with our decision, others may feel uncomfortable witnessing a crime. Or both. But since they had already sent in their RSVPs, many probably came anyway in an effort to appear tolerant.
What they didn’t know, besides Amy and my parents, was that I was secretly just like my robotic bride. Two years ago, my doctor discovered that I had an aggressive, degenerative brain disease. So they built me a new mind. I had no idea how it worked, but I was just glad that it did. So I could be here. With Amy.
So, when do you become more robot than human? When 51% of your body’s mass is metal? Maybe just the "important" parts, like your brain and your heart? At this point, I didn’t care about that. All I knew was that I was Tim, she was Amy, and we loved each other so much that we were committing to spend the rest of our lives together. No matter how long we lived.
As Amy arrived at the end of the aisle, the spectators reflexively hushed and our officiant began.
Copyright 2023 - SFS Publishing LLC
Dearly Beloved
True love never gives up