Part 3
-1-
-1-
“I love living in the East but, I think I will go home when I get my qualifications as a pilot,” I told Elle.
“That is good, I suppose,” she said.
The sky had darkened some and all the stars were beginning to come out.
“So, do you two sleep ?,” I asked
“Yes. I mean,we feel the need for sleep.” Milo said,” I think we can take cushions from the plane and make some makeshift beds.”
I agreed and while Elle stayed behind Milo and I went back to the plane. I was closer to one of the mimics than I had never been and I could not
understand how they could possibly be all machine, I wanted to reach out and touch him but I restrained.
“So, you feel everything humans feel but, do you need it ? ," I asked. " Like I will die without food but, will you die of hunger to or just eternally feel hunger ?”
“Good question,” Milo said. “ I suppose we would live but, I think the want takes over eventually--maybe we would just eat dirt. But, being human is more than just the physical needs, we are made with emotional ones. We don’t have to talk about this. You must want to pretend we are humans. I know you Westerners are against technology. I imagine the idea of a robot so human must frighten you.”
“That’s not true. You don't frighten me.” I said
“ You don’t believe we are some kind of abomination ? Going against God ?,”
“I’m sure some people do but, I don’t," I said "I think science and religion can exist together. Science is important.”
“Well then, Kris you are either very naïve or very wise.”
____________________
-2-
At the age of 15, like any teenager I was growing weary of my mother and my older brother’s successes. I wanted to close my ears to
everything they did. I didn’t have many friends myself, which was my own fault, so, everything I did revolved around my family. For spring break
some kids at school were organizing a trip out of town but, I had no interest so I was stuck at home.
After one day at home I decided I wanted spend the rest of my spring break with Aunt Minnie and Alan in the city. I had talked to Aunt Minnie
about it and she was more than happy to have me around. Alan on the other hand was more than surprised to see me when I knocked on the
door.
“What the fuck, Kris ?,” he answered the door. His eyes momentarily glanced at the suitcase in my hand.
He was wearing one of his peculiar asymmetrical shirts, one side was long sleeve and the other was short sleeve. The shirt was white and I saw
set in blood stains.
“I am staying here. For my spring break.” I said
“Minnow !,” he shouted, storming back inside.
He left the door open and I followed close behind. I saw 2 prostitutes were sitting in the wooden bar stools that once sat in the living room.
One of them looked like she just had work done and had thick white bandages over her eyes. She was being guided clumsily by her friend
towards the door. Alan gave money to one of them and a bottle of pills to the other and he kept walking back to Aunt Minnie’s bedroom. She was sitting up in bed dabbing her lips with something red.
“What the hell is he doing here, mon cher ?,” Alan asked, ”And with this.”
He pointed to my suitcase.
“Oh, god !” she said, “ I forgot to tell you, Alan. I said he could stay here for spring break. Is that okay ? ”
Alan looked from her to me and folded his arms.
“I suppose you won’t be a bother if you are here for a few days,” Alan said.
“My spring break is actually two weeks,” I said
He glared at me.
“Fine. But, don’t think you won’t be put to work,” he said
“Oh, Alan stop. What is he going to ,anyway?” Aunt Minnie asked.
I think that was the start of Alan and I’s antagonistic relationship. I knew that he preferred my brother who was quiet or Twyla who was still mostly scared of him.
***
Aunt Minnie and Alan had a spare bedroom in their apartment but, it was full of junk from floor to ceiling so I had to sleep on the couch the first night. I would have to clean out the bedroom in the morning. I barely fit on the couch but, that was fine with me--I was never a complainer. I was getting comfortable and half asleep when I heard footsteps of Alan in the dark kitchen. I heard him humming to himself and the sound of the fridge door opening.
“What do you want, mon cher ?,” Alan said softly.” Water ? Soda?”
“ You know what I want ?,” Aunt Minnie said. Her voice was quiet and hoarse,” I want an extra cold extra thick chocolate milkshake with candy and caramel syrup in a big tall frosted glass. With whipped cream.”
I heard Alan laugh slightly. He must have carried her in because I had not heard her walk in.
“I will make a special note to find that for you tomorrow,” he said,” For now, we have, let me see . . . milk and chocolate sauce.,"
Now she laughed.
“Just open that ginger ale for me,” she whispered
I opened my eyes briefly and in the dark I could make out the shadow of Aunt Minnie sitting on the kitchen counter drinking a small can of soda with her good hand. Alan was standing in front of her with his head bent down on her shoulder, his hands resting on the remains of her legs.
“Is there anything else I can do for you ?,” he asked.
There was a pause and I heard Aunt Minnie breath sharply and the soda can fell to the ground.
“Stop, Alan.” She whispered in a firm voice,” We’re going to wake him up,”
I closed my eyes tight but, of course I was still ease dropping.
“Mon cher,you really intend to spend forever sleeping next to me and never have sex ?,”
I closed my eyes tighter, willing myself to go to sleep in that moment. I didn’t want to hear this conversation. I shouldn’t hear this conversation.
“You don’t get enough from those young girls ?,” Aunt Minnie said, her tone was lighter now.
“You are my young girl,” he said,” Remember ? How you used to be ? Always eager to fuck me. It won’t hurt you, you know. It may make you feel bett--"
“No.” she said,” I don’t want to. Stop bringing it up, Alan. Those girls are a lot more eager and. . . innovative than I ever was or will be.”
There was a silence, I heard Alan pick up the soda can and throw it in the trash.
“Are you ready to go back to bed ?,” he asked.
***
The next day I spent all day cleaning out the spare bedroom and put a daybed from Aunt Minnie and Alan’s storage unit inside of it. My next few days in the city were blissful. I spent time alone with no one hassling me. The apartment wasn’t neat and clean like home, it was cramped and crowded nothing seemed to have a place or order and I loved that . Aunt Minnie didn’t really care what I did and Alan was happy as long as I wasn’t in his way.
I went out in the city a lot, I was smart enough to know where not to go and no one caused me any trouble. I did things like go to lunch, see movies, play at the arcade—things you are supposed to do with other people but I’d rather do alone.
One day, after seeing a movie at the theaters I went back to the apartment and it was quiet. Too quiet.I could hear whimpering from downstairs in Alan’s office.
I looked around the loft and Alan didn’t appear to be there so, I went to his office to see if everything was okay. I had been in the office a few times. It was really more of a basement lab than an office but, Alan called it an office. It was a large empty space with some operating tables, expansive silver fridges on every wall, small incubators on the walls and endless cabinets. The office was the only neat space in the apartment.
-3-
I went to the source of the whimpering and saw Aunt Minnie soaking in a large ceramic claw foot bathtub in the corner of the lab. Her artificial limbs were and clothes where in a pile beside the bathtub. The water was in the tub was clear, if she had any bubbles they had died down long ago.There was a large mirror in front of the tub and I saw her cracked reflection crying.
I bent down and sat next to the tub, she took my hand with her damp one and I saw the bar of soap in front of the tub that had broken the mirror.
"Do I scare you, honey ?,” she cried.
“No,” I said,” I love you.”
“I just--I used to be so pretty,” she said,” Now I am just broken. I look like a machine . . . there is nothing left. All I do is break, until I die like an old car or something. . . you know Alan hates machines.”
I was angry she felt this way, I hated seeing her hurt.
“You’re not going to die, Aunt Minnie," I reassured her, "Is this about Alan and those other girls ?"
She smiled through the tears.
I always thought Aunt Minnie was pretty. Her hair was long and dark back then and she liked to wear it in a high ponytail. Something about that hairstyle always made her look more youthful. She wasn’t wearing any makeup and the truth was she didn’t need it, her skin had always been smooth and perfect. I had always taken comfort in seeing her face.
To me she was prettier than any of the other women that I saw Alan with.
“This is about those other girls, isn't it ? ” I repeated.
“No, sweetheart. Of course not, let him have his fun.” she said half halfheartedly, “ You know what ? I am just being emotional. Ugh, women. You’ll see. I’m just going to stay down here but, you find something fun to do,okay ?”
“I don’t want to leave you here,” I said
“It feels good for me to soak in this water,“ she said, “There is machine that keeps the water warm, I’ll be fine, honey.”
I hugged her, not caring that my clothes got wet and I reluctantly left her. I decided I was going to tell Alan that he was upsetting her the minute he came back.
I ordered takeout for dinner and was going to offer some to Aunt Minnie but, she managed to move herself to one of the operating tables and had fallen asleep.
I waited up for Alan but, he never showed up and when midnight rolled around I fell asleep in the spare bedroom.
-4-
I was awoken at 3 AM by someone knocking on the room door.
“Kristopher. Come here. I need you,” Alan said.
He motioned me to follow and I followed him into his bedroom, I saw Aunt Minnie wasn’t in bed with him.
He sat on the bed and pulled out a clear glass box.
“Sit next to me.” Alan said.
“Where is--,”
“I said sit next to me !” he barked
I did as he asked and he opened up the clear box taking out what looked like medical supplies.
“Your Aunt Minnie’s heart has been failing very quickly,” he said to me,” I need to make her a new one. For that I need some heart tissue. My hands have gotten shaky and Jean is squeamish bastard so I need you to help me get a piece of my heart tissue.”
“I can’t do that,” I said.
Alan took his black jacket and shirt off, I saw black lines staining his arm like spilled dye. There were scars covering his skeletal chest and abdomen. He picked up a black marker, put a mark on his neck and pushed an injection into the spot.
This was really happening.
“Can’t you ask another ripper to do it ?,” I asked
“I need it to be done by someone I trust,” he replied
“I literally have no idea how to do this,” I said,” Will you be unconscious ?”
“ I put a light anesthetic on but, I will be conscious to coach you through it,”
“ I can’t--,”
“You will.” He said.
He made a small slit in his neck with a knife and handed me a long plastic tube
“Push this catheter into the cut I just made and keep pushing it down until it reaches my chest.”
That was the worse prep ever and I was nervous as hell but, I did as he said and slipped the tube into his throat. As it traveled into his neck I heard him struggle to breathe, Alan gripped my hands and guided them. The tube was making it’s way towards his chest when I felt some resistance.
“Good. Good.” He said,” Okay, just push it a little harder.”
More blood began to spill from his wound and Alan was cringing in pain, a grunt escaped his lips and my hands began to shake. I felt like I was hurting him and I stopped pushing.
“You are fine, Kris. You’re Good.”
I felt more resistance and the tube stopped moving.
“It won’t go anymore,” I said
“Yes it will. You have to push harder, you won’t hurt me. You will feel my heart soon. It is soft and feels like it is moving.”
I kept pushing and then I felt his heart.
Alan handed me a pair of long, thin, metal scissors.
“This is a biotome. Fit it into the catheter and then open and close the handles. It will biopsy a piece of the heart.”
I pushed the biotome into the catheter. Alan’s eyes moved from side to side and he looked nervous.
“Alright, open and close the handles.” He said
I did as he said and I felt the biotome pull something .
I pulled out the biotome and he took it from me, inspected the small piece of flesh and put it into a vile.
He quickly pulled the catheter out of his neck and held gauze to the bleeding wound. I stared watching him bleed. His mind seemed to be somewhere else.
“Are you okay ?,” I asked
“Yes. Just waiting for the bleeding to stop,” he said,” You did good.”
The bleeding stopped in a few seconds and he put a Band-Aid over it. Alan finally stood up, he lost his footing and held on to my shoulder for balance.
“Fuck.” he cursed.
“Alan,” I said taking his arm.
He sat back down on the bed
“I just need to lay down for a while. Go back to bed.” He said
I was reluctant but, I did as he said.
***
Aunt Minnie stayed in Alan’s lab the rest of my spring break and Alan spent most of his time in there with her. When I came back to visit them the next weekend she was feeling better and I spent the entire weekend with her.
I later learned that Aunt Minnie’s organs constantly failed and she was always close to death at times. Anytime her vital organs failed Alan would take a piece of himself, fuse it with the machine and screate synthetic organs to put it back into her.
Aunt Minnie and Alan acted more in love than any teenagers I knew.
“She carries my heart,” he would say.