Here is my sequel to "Saturdays were Maid for Me" (better read that one first). I had written quite a bit before I had to take a break from my online life. I had some time between shifts this weekend, and thought to myself, "I could finish this off"...so, I did. I was headed in a different direction (I think), but I cannot quite remember where I was headed. The original was supposed to stop in the mall scene, but somehow I wrote past that point one night, so that when I returned this last time, I was committed to keep going. lol, enjoy!
Since her first attempt at being a maid went over so well, Sophie figured she would try it again. Scott and Cindy were able to get into the next rotation for a “real” maidbot, but the memories of that morning were still strong in her mind. She enjoyed being the maid in her own home, but she absolutely loved being the maid in someone else's home.
“I am not sure why,” she says to herself softly, as she drives home from work that next week, “but there was something about being controlled... about being human but them thinking I was a robot.” Chuckling to herself, she adds, “Wish my job could be more like this.”
When she gets home, she notices that her cellphone had 3 messages on there. She keeps it turned off in the car to prevent distractions while driving, ever since her accident several years ago while texting and driving. Pressing the speaker phone option, she starts to undress while the messages play:
1: “Sophie, this is Mrs Hernandez from 1301... you know, the yellow house on the corner? I heard that Scott and Cindy borrowed your maidbot, and I was kinda wondering if I could do the same. Now, I know they are expensive, but they are also hard to rent with the high demand. So, I'm willing to double your rental amount if I could have her for a couple of hours this Saturday afternoon. Let me know, thanks.”
Sophie exits her closet in her underwear as the next one starts...
2: “Owner at 1305, this is owner at 1310. My home could use an android cleaning service but all vendors are occupied at this time. Please advise if the rental agreement of yours could be shared amongst our respective homes for a weekly cleaning each Saturday morning. Your speedy reply is most welcome.”
Pulling a t-shirt and shorts on, she looks confusingly at her phone thinking, who was that?
3: “...house, so if that works for you let me know. Thanks!”
Why can't people wait for the 'beep'? She thinks, shaking her head.
Walking back downstairs, she grabs a sparkling water and sits down on the couch. She does not move for a while, pondering what to do. She does not a have rental robo-maid, she reasons, but everyone thinks she does. She is not a robot, she knows, but everyone believes what they think is true, and she has had plenty of practice pretending to be a robo-maid. As she sits there, she is ready to commit to this, but maybe she needs one more test.
The following day, she decides to try and fool another group of people to see what would happen. She packs her maid outfit in a bag and calls for Uber to take her into work. At the end of the day, she rides public transit to the downtown shopping center. Standing in the obviously public area, she starts to falter in her resolve.
At home, it seemed so simple: dress as a robo-maid, walk over to the post office, and have them deliver her home. The post office has a service that any android or robot can be delivered from one part of town to the other that same day within business hours. There is a small fee, but it is worth it for most owners, especially when they have shared custody of their robot after a divorce or separation. But as she stands here with all kinds of people walking around her, can she truly pull this off? If I get caught, it would be the ultimate in embarrassment.
Deciding against it, she walks into a nearby department store to shop, trying to take her mind off it. This was such a dumb idea, she says to herself, what was I thinking? As she looks around at the clothes, the bag seems to be getting heavier and heavier as she thinks about what is in it and what it could mean for her. Fighting her urge, she grabs a dress and heads to the dressing room. I will try this on, she reasons, put it back and walk out.
As she steps into the small dressing room, she can hear the door lock behind her and a monotone voice say: “Attention customer: you have brought a bag into the dressing room which is against store policy. Due to shoplifting concerns, you will be detained until authorities arrive. The contents of your bag or bags will be confiscated.” Cursing herself for not thinking of that, Sophie swears softly to herself.
As she slumps down on the small chair in the very small room, she becomes even more concerned. If they confiscate my bag, she says to herself, they will find my uniform. If they find my uniform, she continues, they will ask questions which I will have to answer. Gulping noticeably, she murmurs, “If I don't do something, I will be embarrassed publicly and lose my emotional outlet,” she pauses to add the obvious, “Not to mention the extra cash from renting myself out.”
Realizing she has one card to play, she strips quickly. Stuffing her clothes into her bag, she dresses in her maid outfit. She had brought some lotion to shine up her skin and a make-up mask to help with her facial features. Within a few moments, she is in her comfortable-to-her maid uniform, with her skin looking shiny, and her facial make-up making her look fake. She can hear footsteps outside, so she sets her bag on the chair and holds the dress out in front of her, while she stands at attention facing the wall.
The door unlocks and two security guards look in. Sophie does not react, maintaining her stiff posture. Both of the men, who looked to be in their twenties, have puzzled looks on their faces. “Uh,” one of them says, “Better get the store manager in here.” As Sophie waits patiently, an older woman steps into her line of sight. She looks to be about 50, but she is very well dressed in a power suit. Every part of her looks in place, except for the puzzled look on her face.
“Maidbot,” she says forcefully, “What is going on?” Sophie turns to face the woman and replies, “Good afternoon, madam. My mistress went to retrieve another dress and left me in here to wait for her return.” Sophie knew it was a lame excuse, but it might be enough for them to think that the maidbot carried the bag in and was locked in the changing room. Hopefully, the store's surveillance cameras will not be too good to prove her wrong. The store manager did not seem to even think it through, as she threw up her hands and turned on her heel. “You two,” she says too loudly at the guards, “Get back to your posts! I'll put in a store wide call for her.”
Sophie, still holding the dress, stands where she is, like a real maidbot would. She can hear the small crowd disperse, with them mumbling something about her “mistress” being an idiot. Within a few moments, she can hear the store manager making an announcement for the woman who left her bag in the dressing room to come retrieve it. Hmmm, Sophie thinks, how am I going to retrieve my bag as a human when I am standing right next to it as a robot?
After nearly an hour with no one claiming the bag, the store manager decides she has had enough of this. Walking back to the dressing room, she finds Sophie right where she left her. “Maidbot,” she begins, “Do you know the address of your owner?” Sophie replies, “Yes, madam, I have that information in my database.” The store manager replies, “Then you will walk yourself and your mistress' bag down to the Post Office. You will have them deliver you home. Understood?” Sophie wanted to smile so broadly, but she knew she could not. “Yes, madam, I understand.”
The store manager nods her head and takes the dress out of her hand. Handing her the bag from the chair, she says, “Then, go!” Sophie takes her bag and walks out of the store. She notices many people watching her as she goes. While it is not uncommon for robots and androids to walk in public, it is not common for them to be wearing something as sexy as she is wearing.
While the walk to the post office is not very far, it felt like a 100 miles to Sophie. She was constantly being stared at by men and boys. She felt several hands rub against her latex hips and butt. There was even a playful slap from a young woman as she passed the food court. Keeping her same pace, she walked slowly and methodically to the post office.
The sliding doors of the Post Office opened for her as she approached them. The inside was rather bare, as much of their services were available online. The one wall was full of post office boxes, and the other had images of the stamps you could buy from a row of kiosks, but in the back, there was a counter and window for other services. As it was early evening with them about to close, she was the only one in the store, except for one person checking their PO box.
The man behind the counter did not smile as he asks, “May I help you?” Sophie stops in front of the window and replies, “Yes, sir. My mistress has inadvertently left this maidbot in the store. This unit requests transportation to the owner's house.” The man does not react as he starts pushing keys on the keyboard. After asking her address and owner's name, he says to himself, “Well, you can be delivered tonight with a $300 fee, or you can be delivered tomorrow morning for free. It appears your owner is in our system, so we can charge it and deliver you.” He looks up at her.
Ok, she thinks, there is no way I want to pay $300 for a ride home. However, she reasons with herself, there is no way I want to spend the night in the Post Office warehouse. Cursing herself for even trying this, she replies, “This unit must be delivered tonight for her owner.” The man nods and runs the transaction.
As the computer processes that, he asks, “Place the bag in this box and seal it up.” Sophie complies, as he hands her a sticker to place on the box. She notices it has her address on there. He then asks, “Extend your right arm.” She complies, as he wraps a band around her wrist and scans it. She can barely make out her address on the band. Pressing a hidden button, he says, “Step through the door on the right.” She nods her head and does as ordered.
Stepping through the door, she can see the backroom leads right out to the delivery trucks. Ok, she steadies herself, this is it... I wanted this, so let's see if it works. The man appears to her left, directing her to one of the mail trucks. An older woman steps out from it and asks, “Another bot delivery?” The man nods and says, “Yeah, paid the top price, too, so I guess the owner wants it back real bad.” The woman sizes Sophie up and opens the back of her truck. She then grabs a flattened box from the nearby bin and opens it. Placing it on the floor of her truck, she orders, “Hop in the back of the truck and get in the box.”
Sophie questions, get in the box? Not wanting to draw attention, she does just that. She steps in the truck and into the box. She can feel her latex skirt being peeled up over her butt. Why that little---she does not get to finish, as the woman presses two buttons on her anti-intruders. Sophie feels her body stiffen up, then begin to fold up. She feels her muscles constricting, causing her to squat down and pull her arms in while ducking her head. Within seconds, she is completely within the box. She can feel the lid closing over her and having it taped shut. Woah, she thinks, I had no idea that device had this feature.
The ride home was uneventful and quite bumpy. The box she was in is dumped onto the driveway with no fanfare, along with her bag still in the box. She stays in the box, even after the postal worker has driven away, wondering how to get out without her ability to move. She can feel the tightness from the anti-intruders, as it continues to complete its purpose.
For her sake, she did not have to wait all night. After another 3 hours squatting in the box, the anti-intruders run out of battery charge. Pushing herself up through the box top, she stretches her sore muscles. Ow, she says to herself, I hurt so bad right now. I could use a warm bath and some painkillers. Stepping out of the box, she notices movement on the sidewalk. Stiffly, she turns to see one of her neighbors walking his dog.
The man and his wife live a few doors down their street. The dog is one of those yippy-kind, so it is barking at her furiously. The man cautiously walks up to Sophie, “You been in that box all day?” Sophie is not sure what to say. She is not sure her voice will be able to sound robotic, as she has had nothing to drink in hours. Her muscles hurt, too, so that might alter the sound of her voice. The man already seems skeptical, she thinks, wondering if he questions her robotic nature or her sudden rise out of the box.
Evidently, she has not replied in a time frame he was expecting. Walking closer with his dog on a leash, he asks, “Were you delivered at the wrong time or something? It doesn't look like she's home,” he continues while looking up at her darkened house. Figuring a power failure might be her best bet, she slumps partially over, tilting her head slightly, closing her eyes but keeping a slight smile on her face. The older man says with a sigh, “Oh you poor dear, all tuckered out.” Looking around, he says to her, even though she could not hear him if she were a real robot, “I'll go ask Lewis. He's your renters next door neighbor. They might have a key to the house.”
She can hear some shuffling, and some pressure around her leg. “Going to leave Baby here with you,” he says, “Lewis does not like her messing in his yard... even though I clean it up each time.” With a sigh and the sound of rushing grass, Sophie can hear him walk slowly away. Perhaps, she thinks, I could get to the house before he comes back and then... wait, what is that sound? And why is my leg getting warm?
The neighbor has looped Baby's leash around Sophie's latex-covered leg. Baby did not care for Sophie anyway, so being this close to her was her opportunity. With her master away, she takes this time to mark her territory. Sophie can feel Baby relieving herself on her leg and foot. Sophie grimaces, even though she shouldn't, oh you little ball of hateful fur... I can't believe you just did that! Opening her eyes slightly, she can see Baby sitting on the driveway staring up at Sophie. Baby's facial expression says it all: I have been waiting my whole life to mark a human like that without getting into trouble.
With the sound of footsteps, Sophie has to remain an object and take the abuse, even though she would rather kick Baby into the next yard. She can hear, along with the footsteps, something being pulled through the grass. “...came out of the box. It was quite a fright for Baby.” Her neighbor replies with slight sarcasm, “I'm sure.” Sophie can feel pressure on her leg, as the leash is removed from her. She can then feel hands on her shoulders pushing her forward then back.
She can feel cold metal against her, as she is leaned back onto what must be a handtruck of sorts. “We can just wheel her in the door to the garage. Our key opens that but nothing else.” Right, she remembers, when the divorce first started going through, I gave them a key, as so many delivery people kept coming for stuff and returning stuff and... sighing to herself, I'm reminded of why I am doing this whole robot thing.
She can hear the door open and her body carefully leaned against the wall. Uh, she grimaces, this holding my pose while leaning is not easy, hurry up guys. As if they heard her, they drop the other box with her bag onto the concrete garage floor. “Well, that is all we can do. She'll probably be looking for it in the morning, since they delivered it a day early.” As they make some other small talk, they close and lock the door. Sophie counts to 30 before she starts moving, just in case.
She cannot help but squeal in pain (as she crumples to the floor) and delight (what a relief!). Her body just hurts all over, but her mind is racing with excitement. I am the sorriest excuse for a robot, yet I pulled it off without anyone knowing. Peeling her maid outfit off to leave it in the garage (not taking Baby's “business” in my house, she thinks), she finds her house keys and walks into the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she drains a small bottle of fruity moschato. Setting it on the counter, she grabs another while hunting some painkillers.
She wearily makes it to the top of the stairs before realizing she is still wearing the anti-intruders and nothing else. Too tired to go back downstairs, she just stumbles into her bedroom and collapses on the bed. Oh yes, she sighs in relief, this bed feels so good right now. With her eyes closed, she feels around her night stand to plug in her phone. Dropping it to the floor, she reaches for another charging cable. Guess I will have to be careful how I sleep tonight, she reasons, if I'm gonna be a robo-maid to the neighbors tomorrow, I gotta have these things charged, too.
She realizes there is something else that she needs to take care of, but they anti-intruders will not allow it. Grunting, she drags herself into the bathroom. Fumbling with them, she tries to remove them. Ugh, she curses, they gotta be charged to come off, but I really have to go to the bathroom. Standing over the toilet now, she tries to pull them off. Unlatching a hidden compartment, she feels the “floodgates” open. Unable to do anything else, she straddles the toilet while facing it. As stupid as this must look, she reasons with herself, I don't care right now.
Standing back up, she can feel the flap close as she walks. Well, she thinks, it is good to know it works like that. As she lays back down, she cannot get them out. Giving up, she sets her alarm, syncing it to her anti-intruders, and lays down. Inserting the charging cable fully into them, she feels them vibrate slightly and then hears a small beep.
The slight hum and vibration of her anti-intruders rocks her to sleep as the alcohol and painkillers do the rest. Perhaps it was the day, or maybe the end of her day, that gave her the best dreams she has had in a long time. She is a human in a robot body, or was she a robot in a human body? Her dreams are not reality, but somehow, she can feel that this dream is coming true tomorrow, and as tired as she feels, she cannot wait to begin her work for her neighbors. While Saturdays were maid for me, she thinks as she envisions cleaning her neighbors' houses, Saturdays are maid for you, neighbor.
The next morning, her alarm goes off and she gets up from her peaceful slumber. The anti-intruders are still attached, but they are also fully charged. She quickly resets the remote to make sure she is not locked out again, then goes to shower. Using her new soap and shampoo, she not only cleans herself, but gives herself a nice shine. The soap and shampoo have a special varnish-type wax in them to give androids that perfect shine (“just as good as the professionals”, or so it reads on the bottle's label). Sophie finishes up then gets dressed. Her latex maid outfit is waiting for her (technically, she has 2 maid uniforms now, as the one from last night she plans on throwing away), along with her new boots. Due to the number of houses she plans on doing each Saturday, she figures the added comfort of the boots will help. She did not mean for them to come above her knee, but it was late at night last week when she ordered them. They are black with a high sheen, a hidden zipper running up the inside of each. The rest of her outfit is the same as before, and even though she overslept a little, she is ready to go on time.
Grabbing her phone, she checks her schedule: the Pattersons at 9, the Monroes at 11:30, lunch (or “recharge”, she thinks with a grin), the Geoffs at 2, and then finally her house at 4. “whew,” she breathes out loud, “What a busy day for my day off!” Doing a final check in the mirror, she steps towards the garage. She had arranged a furniture moving company to transport her around. It was simple enough to call them and schedule multiple addresses on the same day, with one item to move each time: her. The movers would pick her up and drop her off at the prescribed times (hopefully), then eventually come back to return her up each time. As she looks over her confirmation email on her phone, she adds, “There might be another way that does not cost money, but I'm not sure.”
Lost in her moment, the truck or van that pulls into the driveway causes her to jump. Yikes, she thinks, I gotta get in position. Turning off the lights and swallowing an energy pill, she moves to the garage. She can hear the van doors close as she closes the house door from the kitchen to the garage. Moving quickly down the steps, she stops short of the door, as she can see shadows at the back door window. Oh no, she wonders, did I leave the back door to the garage unlocked?
She could not worry for long, as the door opens and she hears, “Greetings, home owner. We are here to move your android.” Sophie almost replied, but then she caught herself, keeping quiet and standing at attention. The two android step into the garage saying, “Home owner, mover bot #103 and #104 are here to move your android. Do not be alarmed.” They turn to walk towards her.
Sophie can see two human-looking androids coming towards her. They are both wearing near full body catsuits. The company's logo is on their chests, which from the looks of it, these guys are ripped underneath, she observes. They stride confidently yet stiffly to her. Their perfect brown hair is combed over, and their brown eyes are both the same. They have a human-ish smile, but not quite. Their shoes that are built into their suits make little noise as they stop in front of her.
One of them places a device under her skirt, and she can feel is attaching to her anti-intruders. “Unit,” the one says, “State designation.” Sophie, trying to keep calm, replies in a monotone, “Maidbot One.” The mover bot replies, “Error: this unit does not have that designation.” What? She thinks, how is that possible? The other mover bot observes, “This unit has an interface port on its neck. Confirm designation there.” Interface port? She wonders then remembers, oh yeah, that must be the pinch I felt when that repair man came over that one day.
The mover bot removes his device from under her skirt and places it on the back of her neck, causing the chip that had slipped beneath her skin to glow. “Confirmed,” the mover bot states, “This unit is designated Sophie.” The other mover bot replies, “The same name as the owner.” Good grief, she says to herself, I had no idea I had a real designation. The mover bots seem to process this, then one of them says, “Apply temporary designation until 1600 hours, so that objectives can be completed.”
For a while there Sophie was worried they would not be able to deliver her, but they seem to have Maidbot One ready to go. Whew, Maidbot One thinks, if they could not deliver me, that would have been a disaster. I'm glad they had a protocol to help me. Adjusting the device, Sophie feels the command to “sleep”. While she might say later that she just played along, she bows her head and enters a sleep-like state. Once there, the mover bots pick her up like a piece of furniture and carry her to the van. They lay her down on a shelf and strap her to it tightly.
They both return to the front of the van and drive up the street. With Sophie's house still visible in the background, they unload her at the backdoor of the house. Activating her with the control chip, she raises her head and states, “Maidbot one active.” Wow, she thinks, I'm getting pretty good at that. The mover bots knock on the door, and an elderly woman comes to the door.
“Good afternoon, miss,” the mover bot says, “Delivery of this maidbot for 75 minutes.” The elderly woman smiles broadly and says, “Oh yes, definitely, young man. Please, maidbot, come in and get started.” Sophie cannot help but smile, as Mrs Patterson is a very sweet lady. The mover bots get back into the van, as Sophie goes into the house, and drive away.
The next hour goes by quickly for Sophie. She dusts and cleans and does laundry. The house is really quite clean, but Mrs Patterson finds plenty for her to do. She feels so fulfilled at this point, reminding her why she enjoys being a maidbot. Before she knows it, her time is up and she is sent out back to the mover bots from earlier. They check her designation, put her into sleep mode, and load her into the van.
The rest of her day goes as planned, as she purposefully picked this schedule to make it easier on herself and the movers. Having never done this before, she wanted plenty of time for delays. To her fortune, none of her neighbors tried to abuse their time, as she hand picked the ones who asked. She really wanted to minimize the chances of her being found out.
As she waited outside the Geoffs' house, she could see several people looking at her from across the street. She asked to be placed in the back, but I guess Mr Geoff forgot. I do not like this kind of attention, but I see the moving van coming, so I should be okay. Within a few seconds, the moving van pulls into the Geoffs' driveway. She has had multiple mover bots throughout the day, and these two look similar to ones she had earlier. They verify her designation and load her into the truck. Well, she thinks to herself, what a great day, but oh am I tired.
After a few minutes, she wonders where they are going. It should not take that long to get to my house, she thinks. The van eventually stops and then backs up. Finally, she says to herself, I was beginning to think we would never get there.
The back doors open, and she is removed from the van, but as she is set upright, she notices she is definitely not at home. Scanning the area, she sees the sign: Android Wash. Huh, she wonders, why did they bring me to this public android washing place? As if they heard her, one mover bot states, “Maidbot One, you will enter washing lane #3 and select option 4G. Upon the end of the cycle, you will return to this van. Confirm.” Sophie, unable to say anything else, replies, “Confirmed. Maidbot One will obey.”
And with that, Sophie enters the “android only” building. Wow, she thinks, I have never been in here before. She follows her orders, thinking it best to appear compliant, not realizing she actually did not have a choice at this point, and enters lane #3. The metal arms carefully remove her outfit. She would be a little nervous about being naked in public, but since this is an android only building, I guess no pervs are in here, she assures herself.
She passes slowly down the conveyor, being rinsed with micro hoses on every part of her body. She keeps her mouth and eyes closed to prevent getting more than her share inside. She is then passed through an air dryer, which dries her whole body quickly. A series of micro, rotating brushes work all over her skin, applying a layer of shiny wax. Her hair is given a special treatment as well, and her make-up is redone. As she sees the light at the end of this strange “car wash”, her clothes are placed back on her. And as the last piece of latex is snapped into place, her feet touch solid ground outside.
Wow, she thinks with a genuine smile, that felt great. “Maidbot One should do this more often,” she murmurs to herself. Turning on her heel, she marches swiftly to the van, where the mover bots are waiting for her. She carefully strapped in and returned to her home. As they leave her in the garage where they found her, they place her in “sleep” mode. Figuring she could move if she wanted to, she decides to stay here for awhile.
At exactly 4pm, her mind is switched back from “Maidbot One” to “Sophie”. Raising her head, she murmurs to herself, “Why did I just stand there like a real robot for so long?” Shrugging her shoulders, she goes inside to clean her own house. “Since I'm all shined up,” she says, “Might as well get the job done before dinner.” Glancing at herself in the hallway mirror, she winks to herself saying,“ and Saturdays were maid for you, too.”
story continues in part 3: Maidbots are Made to Clean
o0o