Food for Thought

Jaqueline headed back to the front room and stopped where the foyer opened up to the front room and connected the hallway to the bathroom and bedroom. Steven was there with Sam's head in his lap. He was looking at her and running his finger across her face. Tracing a line that started at her forehead and wound down along her nose and under her cheek bone and over behind her ear. Then he threaded all of his fingers into her hair starting at the bottom and working them up her skull. As he moved up, he massaged her scalp lightly with his finger tips.

Just then Steven looked up and caught her watching them. "I am going to go take a bath and see if I can wash Matthew off of me." Jaqueline said ignoring the ache of wishing she was the one that was getting the massage not her body double. "Can I get you anything?"

"No. We are good. There is a lot to think about." Steven said as he continued to run his fingers through Sam's hair. Jaqueline nodded and turned to leave them. "Jaqueline." Steven said. She turn around. "Thank you. I can see you are doing your best to keep it together. This whole thing has been crazy and I am sure it is far from over. You are doing a great job. Thanks again." He tried to give her is best reassuring smile. She returned his smile and turned again for the bathroom. "He would only be flattered to know you were thinking of him as you washed yourself. It would be best just to make the time about you." Steven said as she disappeared down the hall.

Jaqueline closed the door to the bathroom and started the water for the bathtub and stripped off her work cloths. "What a hell of a day." she said to herself as she slipped in to the water and felt the warmth of the water hug her. She replayed the day that started with a regular meeting about the launch plan for the new "Companion" as it was called. Then everything went crazy when some guy, Steven, showed up and punch out Richard. It went to crazy from there. Jaqueline was lost in her thoughts when she noticed the water had grown cold. She looked at her wrinkled hands and decided it was time to make dinner. she could not remember when she ate last.

Jaqueline wrapped a towel around herself after drying off and headed for the kitchen. As she past though the front room she noticed Sam sleeping on the couch alone. She expected to see Steven still sitting with her. A brief flood of anxiety washed over her that there was a strange man wandering her house and she was only dressed in a towel. As much of a stranger Steven was, Jaqueline never felt threatened by him. It also helped that he was adored by another female that looked just like her so he could not be all bad. She left Sam sleeping and headed to the kitchen where she found Steven.

"Well, hello." Steven said when he saw her. He started to walk to her and then stopped. Jaqueline could see his happiness and also saw it change to more of a subdued casual response. "You look relaxed. That alone time looks like it was effective." Steven was in the middle of making a taco salad. "I hope you did not mind that I started to make something for us all to eat. I don't want to invade your space, but you have had a rough day and I want to take some of the burden off of you."

"Thank you. It is fine. I did not mean to disappoint you."

"You saw that?" Steven laughed.

"Yep. You lit up like a kid on Christmas morning."

"I had not heard you come out of the bathroom and when you came in I thought you were Sam. It is very strange to see the same person but to know that they are completely different people on the inside...I am assuming you are different."

"Are you attracted to Sam?"

"Yes. Why?"

"As we go though life we want to be attractive to people and generally we don't know if people find us attractive but here is an instance when I know without a doubt that someone is attracted to me."

"I can see the logic in that. You are attractive."

"Yes, but being attractive and being attracted to someone are different. In this instance you are attracted to me. Simple as that."

"And how does that make you feel."

"Like taking a this meat tenderizer to Matthew's balls."

"I understand the feeling. For the record, you are Sam are not the same."

"How do you know? You have only known me for 12 hours. 12 of my worst hours."

"Valid point. Where you are confident Sam is trying to find her way. Ever since I have know her she has been looking for something. I assumed it was the death of her...your mother that put her in an existential state. Now, I suppose it is incomplete programming."

Just then Sam came in the kitchen. "Hey, your two. What is going on?" To Steven she seemed like her chipper self. "I am feeling much better after my nap." Noticing the towel wrapped around Jaqueline, Sam added, "Oh. A bath would be amazing. Jacks can I use your bath?" Noticing the look of horror on Jaqueline's face Sam stopped "Is everything okay? I don't need to bathe."

"No, it is not that. The only person to ever call me Jacks was my mom." Jaqueline said. Steven thought it looked like Jaqueline was mentally strangling Matthew. "Please go take a bath."

"Thank you."

As Sam was about the walk out of the kitchen when Steven blurted out, "Sam. What is the last thing you remember before waking up in New York?"

She paused in the doorway and Steven was not sure if he wanted her to remember. A smile came to her face, "why do you think I want to take a bath? It is not to wash Matthew off of me." She held Steven's eyes for a long moment and then walked to the bath.

Jaqueline looked at Steven confused but when she saw his blush she knew what they were talking about. She laughed "a sex robot."

"That is an understatement. Companionship Robot is more accurate. For what ever hell Matthew drug us into, they did a good job on Sam. I am almost convinced that she is more than they expected. I have a hunch that she is not longer under anyone's control except for herself. And yes, the sex is good."

"I was not asking."

"Yes, you were. I could see it on your face."

"Okay. Maybe I was just a little curious." The pang of desire resurfaced again in Jaqueline gut. Ignoring the feeling and pushing it away "Let get this food finished up before Sam is done. She eats right?"